Sometimes when I'm waiting for batch jobs to run at work, I scroll through old photos on my phone for fun. While I was doing that the other day, I noticed a ridiculous number of one-off photos of great social things I've had going all fall and into winter. Tis the season to catch up on awesome events, after all...so here's a photo dump for posterity!
Shortly after Labor Day, Kels and I headed to Stillwater for the most random wine tasting ever. Look at those giant pours! This "tasting" was more of a "gulping." Also...they served the red wines with a side of what we ultimately decided was just raw beef. We skipped it (naturally) and headed into Stillwater for cheese curds and crashing a bachelorette party.
My dear friend Mike is one of the biggest sports lovers I know, and pairs his devotion to Iowa with an encyclopedic knowledge of college sports that makes me a bit envious. This season, I hit up two Iowa gamewatches at The Loop with him and his better half, the lovely Claire...Iowa-Iowa State in September, and Iowa-Illinois in November! We took "hawk shots," a combo of Jaegermeister and pineapple vodka, and sang the fight song EVERY time. Claire even taught some of our fellow patrons the Macarena. Isn't Rabes's hat fantastic?
Zach and Colleen, two of my favorite partners in crime, relocated to Philadelphia this past spring. They were home for a weekend in October and our whole big group took over a table at Chino Latino. Claire had the menus customized (Youtube "Jesus Christ in Richmond Park" and laugh with us!), we did sake bombs (with disastrous results) and took possibly the most beeeeautiful group photos ever.
My Papa Bear celebrated a birthday, as I waxed poetic about here, on October 20th. We had plans to go out for a fabulous dinner, but quickly realized the best dinners are cooked in our kitchen at home. After filet mignon and baked potatoes, we sang "Happy Birthday" over cupcakes from Cupcake (and a $60 Nest Pumpkin Chai candle, because that's just what one does these days).
After our Restaurant Week outing to Kincaids, Hannah, Kyle and I met up with Stu at our apartment and had a blast discussing online dating, drinking wine, and helping Hannah get ready for her pre-Halloween half-marathon! Her group planned to run as the Powerpuff Girls, and I got to hone my inner domestic goddess helping craft tutus. Look how cute the end result turned out!
I didn’t just attend Iowa gamewatches this year, I promise…Claire and Mike hosted a great party the weekend of the Notre Dame-Navy game at their apartment. Things got insanely silly when our Badger-fan crew showed up…
Then we headed to the Shout House, where we caused way more trouble than we had any right to by requesting “Let It Go” five hundred times. I couldn’t tell if the piano guys loved or loathed us.
Hannah, Kyle and I also reunited to attend an alumni reunion for our good old Big 4 employer. I’ve got to say, the highlight of the event wasn’t the “networking,” but the open bar, mini grilled cheeses, and killer location at Orchestra Hall. If the company spent half as much on branding crap for the alums as they did on their current staff, maybe their retention rate wouldn’t be so bad?
That about sums it up…at least, what I have photos of! Gotta love when an iPhoto dumpster dive turns into a wander down Memory Lane…