Grad school is officially 75% complete

One semester left!  I cannot wait to be finished.  I know Clark can't wait, either.  I am a beast when I'm stressed out and I sure feel bad for my husband sometimes.  He is a super trooper to put up with me.  I once toyed with the idea of pursuing a PhD, but I just don't think I'm mentally cut out for it.  Nope, I think I'll be satisfied with a master's degree.

Anywho, the semester officially ended Friday, but I got started with celebratory festivities early! Reason being is that I completed all of my clinical hours ON TIME and our last class was Wednesday!  My good friend Andrea is getting married in Newport Beach in one week,  so we went out for her last hurrah!

Started the night with some gelato....

Sauntered over to the Piano Bar where we were informed that the dueling pianos will not be resumed until the start of fall semester...so we got some appetizers and plotted our next stop...then subsequently drove around trying to find live music on a Wednesday night...

And we ended up at the Yakitori Boy karaoke bar in Chinatown!  It was definitely the place to be on a Wednesday night.  That place was happening and we had so much fun belting out a variety of tunes. It was on this night that I learned that Mormon bachelorette parties can be fun!

Andrea and Annie dancing with the women from  South Korea.  The woman in the center liked to hike her dress up to the point where her underwear was exposed.  She was a bit inebriated....

The next day started off early with an amateur bridal photo shoot for the bride to be.  She looked so pretty in her dress and I know she'll be a radiant bride the day of her ceremony!  Hopefully she won't forget to wear earrings ;)

We parked illegally on the South Street Bridge to get some shots with the Philly skyline.  I think people were understanding since she definitely was in full wedding garb!

Work it on the South Street Bridge, girl!

Then in the afternoon Clark and I joined her and her fiance for some swimming at their apartment complex's swimming pool.  I cannot tell you how excited I was to actually get to swim in a real pool.  It was heavenly. I think my calling in life is to lay by a pool every summer day for the rest of my life.  Dang it, why could I not be a trust fund baby?

Andrea and her fiance, Rex.

We can't take a normal picture if our lives depended on it.

Here sits my wonderful thermos.  It travels with me everywhere.  Clark likes to make fun of it.

But he also likes to use it, so I think he's just jealous he doesn't have a butterfly themed thermos. And I can't even remedy his subconscious desire to own one because it is completely out of stock.  I got it while the gettin' was good.

Ohhh, don't mind me.  I'm just enjoying some refreshingly cool water from my awfully cute thermos!

We even got to enjoy cookies in the pool.  It was a glorious afternoon.  

Review of Date Nights

In the past month, we've had a couple of really spectacular date nights.  

I almost neglected to post about our first ever Roller Derby experience.  How could I ever forget! Luckily, my SIL's blog reminded me since she and her husband also attended their first bouts recently!

So, Clark's band-mate's fiancee is a roller girl for the Broad Street Butchers (Broad St is the street that runs through the middle of the city).  Bouts occur once a month in Philly, so mid July we found ourselves on Temple's campus attending our first bout.  It was a lot more fun and exciting than I anticipated.  Volunteers were walking around with signs that read: ask me about Roller Derby! and the commentators were hilarious. Between the bouts there were hula hoop entertainers, there were very alternative looking  cheerleaders, and the Broad Street Butchers even had their mascot wandering around. No lack of entertainment at these bouts, let me tell you! 

Cheerleader and the mascot.  The kid above is holding the mascot's cleaver.  Awesomeness.

Doesn't it just look like a blast!?  We'll miss August's bouts but hopefully our schedules will align and we can attend some more roller derby action in September.

Moving on, Clark has been desperately trying to find the best bbq establishment here in Philly.  We've tried a couple of places, but nothing seems to live up to his standards.  Last Saturday we tried Sweet Lucy's in NE Philly, which people rant and rave about here.  Ketchup based and not impressive. Not bad, but not great.  Nevertheless, we didn't let the inadequate bbq dampen our moods...we had a show to get to!  From Sweet Lucy's we drove over to the Electric Factory to watch The Lumineers and Old Crow Medicine Show. It was AMAZING.  It was a sold out show, as nearly every show The Lumineers have played has been.  Though Old Crow was headlining, I think most the spectators were there to watch The Lumineers (us included).  However, Old Crow did not disappoint, and they sound phenomenal live.  And at the very end, Old Crow brought The Lumineers on stage, as well as the Milk Carton Kids (the opening act).  I just love when there is cameraderie between bands.  It was such a blast and I'm so glad Clark and I got to spend such a fun night enjoying good music. Someday I'll risk bringing the DSLR to shows.  Someday.

The Lumineers playing Ho Hey.  They ended with Stubborn Love, which was brilliant.

Old Crow Medicine Show

I sure do love successful date nights that don't just consist of dinner and a movie (which is how ours usually go!).