I'm in love with Asheville

Last weekend I had my first introduction to Asheville, NC when I traveled north for my cousin Erin's wedding. The city is amazing -- beautiful sites, cute shops and mountains. I can't wait to go back. The best part about the weekend by far though, was seeing my family!

Mom, Dad, Uncle Tim & Aunt Sue were all in Columbia on Thursday so we met up with a bunch of my HESA friends. (Special thanks to Mary and Spen for playing tour guides while I was still in class!!) I'm glad they were able to finally put some faces with the names of people in my world down here.

Friday we made the short trek north and arrived in time for the welcome reception. I got to see a bunch of the aunts, uncles and cousins, the bride and groom, and - at long last - sister Amy! Highlight of the night: Rachel being asked if she was married to our cousin, Brian...bring on the jokes about the South :) (Sorry, Rach)

Saturday was a bit chilly for the wedding, but beautiful nonetheless. The ceremony was outdoors and amazing. They had a bluegrass band for the music...the wedding had so much personality, I loved it. And look how gorgeous Erin is!

After the ceremony, they hosted a cocktail reception under this beautiful tent (complete with heat lamps...yes, it was cold!). My family members worked very hard to stay warm which meant the wine and beer was flowing freely...I think it's safe to say we all had a great time. Here's a shot of the Kennedy clan that made the trip. We clean up nice, don't we?

Some more pictures from the day...

Kennedy ladies (minus Simran and Erin)

Amy, Dad and me

Erin protecting her cake from the uncles

With their quilt from the aunties...adorable

Results of the squash soup incident...awesome

Amy, Aunt Sue & Mom

All in all, a great weekend...so refreshing to see my family! Congratulations Erin & Jason!

New addition

Cousin Kimmy finally joined the blog family! More adventures in Spain...check her out! http://marikimi.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday!

To my always and forever roommie! Sending my love to Michigan...Have a great one, Caitlyn :)

Randomness in the past 24 hours

Since returning to Columbia yesterday, I have yielded to a pedestrian on horseback and witnessed a student in a neck brace riding in the back of a pickup. Seriously folks, I don't even live in the country...downtown Columbia!

More about the wedding and weekend with the fam soon...happy Monday!

The countdown is on

Just three days away from Mom, Dad, Uncle Tim and Aunt Sue's arrival in Columbia! And five days until Erin's wedding in Asheville...to say I'm excited is an understatement!

Only a few things to do before I get to enjoy time with family:
1) Class facilitation in Org, Admin and Gov.
2) Paper for assessment class
3) Reviewing 77 proposals for Annual Conference

Busy busy :)

Fall Break

So today is the first official day of fall break here and despite not having an exciting trip planned, I am so so happy for a long weekend. It's amazing how quickly days fill up with classes, work, practicum and reading so a respite from that craziness is very welcome!

We started the break last night with a get-together at a local establishment which was a lot of fun. It was quite the crowd of HESA folks and was really great to catch up with friends. Despite taking classes and working together, it is rare to have real quality time during the busy weeks. And I've already made my first trip to the airport of the weekend...this morning, I took roommate Melissa as she's flying home to Michigan for break.

These next few days are sure to be packed full of excitement...a haircut, working on a project, meetings, reading...the list goes on and on :) Don't worry though, I will spice up the weekend hanging out with friends and relaxing. And the State Fair is happening this week and I can't wait to go. The fairgrounds are literally down the street so depending on the quality of fried food, multiple trips may be in order!

Day in the life: One of the prettiest spots on this campus is the Historic Horseshoe. This is the Maxcy Monument in the middle of it...enjoy!

So scary it's funny

So normally, I stay away from anything political but Sarah Palin has sucked me in. I'm no political buff, but the thought of this woman running the country scares the crap out of me. At least we can all get some laughs, right?? Thanks, Tina Fey...