Fried Pickles & Butler Basketball

The Boy and I had THE BEST fried pickles yesterday. I had never had fried pickles until we started dating but Justin likes them so I tried them. It was a good decision. It was actually warm outside yesterday (a whopping 39 degrees!), so we went down to the South Side to explore and find a spot to watch the March Madness games.

We ended up at Carson City Saloon and ordered the pickles. It's a great sports bar and even though this is a hockey town, they welcomed these Butler Basketball fanatics for the day.

Ok - more like one Butler Basketball fanatic and one boyfriend who now understands that he has to become a Butler Basketball fanatic in order to get the final rose some day (yep. that's a Bachelor reference :))

We were joined by my co-workers who also moved from Louisville to Pittsburgh last year. We were rep-ing our UofL and Butler gear all day. It was a nice little feel of home. Right before the Butler game we discovered that the bar sells these ginormous blue drinks. It's called the Papa Smurf. I renamed it Butler Magic for the night.

Even though we lost, I'm proud of the Butler team. The loss stung, but that's ok. We'll be back next year, continuing to play the Butler Way. After the Butler game, I became an instant Wichita St. fan. Ya gotta love the underdogs. I'm officially in last place in the bracket pool, but I don't even care :)

After a scrumptious double cheeseburger and french fry breakfast, we decided to watch the IU game from the comfort of the couch this afternoon. Let's go Hoosiers!

                    

What's your favorite bar food?

How's your bracket looking after this weeks' games?

What's your go to "recovery food"?

- Double cheeseburger & diet coke for this girl

A Visit From Mom

The Huber family is cursed when it comes to commuting. I've probably mentioned it in a previous post because I complain about it all the time, but whenever I travel there are delays. From broken airplanes to rock slides blocking roads, I've seen it all. It’s obviously genetic because my mom got stuck on the interstate for 90 minutes on her way up to visit! Stuck, as is surrounded by semis with the car off, stuck! It was totally worth it though because we got to spend 5 whole days hanging out.

On Saturday, we got up and made our shopping list. I don’t know why we bother.  We walk into Target and totally forget about any list we ever made. Target = Happy Place. I finally got the rest of the furniture/accessories I need to make my house feel like a home. I also bought toilet paper. Someone please tell me why toilet paper is so darn expensive!

We went to Panera Bread for lunch and since there was a DSW practically next door, we had to stop in. Mom found a pair of sandals and I (of course) found two pairs of heels.

Side note – I came home from Spring Break with four new pairs of shoes. I don’t know how it happens. I walk into the store…try on the shoes…and suddenly they are at home...not in the closet, but on display in my living room. I have a serious problem!

We did serious work in the apartment this week. Tready’s  room was a mess! It had become the “I don’t know what to do with this, throw it out there and close the door room.” We updated the Inspiration Wall, sorted through all of my shoes (this is almost embarrassing, but I am officially over 100 pairs now… that does include the retired running shoes in the basement :)), and filled in all of the empty picture frames I had hung up when I moved in.

My mom also helped me put up this awesome picture display in my bedroom. I love it because every night when I go the sleep and every morning when I wake up, I get to see all of the people I love most. I also love it because it because we included pictures of my family and The Boy’s family. ((Whoa – big step – does this mean we kinda, sorta, in a one weekend a month type of way, live together now??? )) I found his diploma in a box he had brought up to store in my basement, so we hung that up in “the study” (as I’m now calling it). He’s on his way to Pittsburgh right now and is under strict instruction not to read this blog post until tomorrow. I told him I decorated, but no details. I can’t wait to see his face. I know he’ll be surprised :)

I’m excited for him to get here, but bummed that my mom is on her way back to Indiana right now. I seriously contemplated slashing her tires this morning so she couldn't leave, but then I remembered all of the shoes I just bought and the fact that my bank account can’t take a hit for new tires. Bummer.

PS –THE DAWGS ARE DANCING!!!!!!!

I cannot get enough of this video...time to do it again!

                      

How long after you moved in did you have your place decorated?

How do you refrain from buying every pair of shoes you see?

Do you fill out a bracket?

Which team do you have going all the way this year?

(As much as I love Butler Basketball…Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!!!)

SPRING BREAK! ...sorta

Who hasn't blogged in nearly a month and feels bad for leaving her readers hanging? (Hangs head guiltily and raises hand) This girl. I thought about making 100 excuses, but I’ll just stick to one…It’s been a busy month!

I survived my first round of Grad School midterms. I went through lots of barbecue chips and diet coke but I made it through to Spring Break with two A’s (tooting my own horn here, I was pumped).

Turns out Grad School Spring Break isn't really a Spring Break since you still have to work everyday, but I managed to have fun all the same. I spent the week in Indiana catching up with family and friends. It’s crazy how much I miss home!

The Boy & I went to the Reverse Raffle to support my elementary school. We were at a table with the  “Huber Grandkids” and we had a blast. If you don’t know how a Reverse Raffle works, here's the 411.

                                              

                                               200 tickets are sold

                                                           Every so often they draw a ticket. If it’s your number, you’re out!

                                     (The Boy kept us entertained by yelling, “TOP 150; TOP 107)
                  The last ticket remaining wins the $$$ (the pot was $500)

There’s an extra step for the last 10 people though. The last 10 people get called to the front of the room. They have the option to split the money between the 10 people or “Play On.” If they play on, they keep drawing tickets and the number of participants continues to decline. Wouldn't you know it; The Boy was one of the final 10! He went into it saying that when it got down to 7 people, he would split the pot. His fellow finalists weren't so keen on that plan. They kept playing until it got down to the final three people. Justin spit the pot with the other two people and walked away with $167 (We’re RICH!)!

We put that money to good use the following weekend - dinner, salsa dancing, and a night out on the town in Knoxville. I really wish I would have remembered to take pictures, but the $5 Long Islands were blocking that part of my brain. Cocoa Moon in Knoxville  gives Bachata & Salsa lessons on Friday nights. I have two left feet and I’m surprised at how decent I was after an hour of lessons!  … or maybe the $5 Long Islands were affecting that part of my brain too. Regardless, it was another great weekend in Knoxville.

The only down side of the weekend was the 9 hour drive back to Pittsburgh on the one 75 degree day of the year. It’s back to 30 degrees and snow in lovely PA. People keep telling me they do have a summer here…I won’t hold my breath! My mom is in town this week and I have lots of stories and apartment updates to share. Stay Tuned….

What types of fundraisers does your school/church have?

Have you taken dance lessons?

What’s the weather like where you are?