Family vacay time!

School is out! It is time for Summer Break! This last school year has been a constantly intensifying hurricane. Finals and qualifying exams were the hurricane making landfall. And now that the storm is over land, it is dissipating, and there will be plenty of sunny days ahead.

Right after I handed in my data analysis, the final component of my qualifying exams, Lauren and I set off for our first family vacation (may vacation ever be a family tradition ^_^). We headed off to West Virginia for my first ever whitewater rafting trip. We went with ACE (aceraft.com), one of the larger adventure / guiding companies in the area. There are two main whitewater rivers, the Gauley and the New. We went on the lower new and ended at the impressive New River Gorge Bridge.

This bridge, the New River Gorge Bridge, towers over 800 feet above the water. 

Here is a link on the National Park Service website with interesting information about the river.

The rafting was just AWESOME. I had never been whitewater rafting, and this was a superb introduction. We had a great guide (on her first commercial river trip), Sarah, and a fun company of fellow paddlers (one was a NSA employee, her boyfriend / husband, and her parents). Here are some memories.

At the beginning of our trip. We both got wetsuits (most people did not),  and we loved the warmth they gave.

This is seriously the only flattering photo of us. We are rough and tough (like a Clough?) and having fun!

I have the Jack Nicholson stink eye and Lauren looks like she has been pepper-sprayed.

And here Lauren is given her best George W. Bush impression.

(Watch for Lauren's expression after the big splash that went her way, hehehe)

We also went camping and used all of our new gear from our wedding. We are so grateful to everyone who gave us gear and gadgets. They make life outdoors so much easier.

Our new backpacking tent! Look, it is almost posing for the picture!

Breakfast is on the way! Instant grits are definitely a favorite after this trip.

After we packed up and checked out, we set off for Ames, IA. We are now getting ready for our two receptions in Iowa and then in Michigan.

A meal for the record books

Lauren and I have a "farmers market share" with a vendor at that comes to the Baltimore Farmers Market. We are a part of community supported agriculture (more info at One Straw Farm's website). From last week's produce we had a large bunch of Swiss chard. Lauren and I cooked up some meatballs in a tasty tomato sauce with Swiss chard. This was definitely one of our top meals of all time (if you have ground beef sitting around in the freezer, make some meatballs!). We do have our monthly cuisines, but we also cook around what we get at the farmers market every week. Who knows what surprising discoveries lie ahead?

Nom nom  (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧