Farewell, Vana & Joe

Vana and Joe are moving away, to Asheville, North Carolina! We're all happy for them, but it's still sad! To help ease the pain, they had a little farewell shin dig, featuring a keg of DELICIOUS beer. In fact, it's one of my favorite beers ever! Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale! It was SO cold and fresh and delicious. It was fun to pour my own!



Whee!!!



I have to admit, it did help me forget about my sadness for awhile. Look, Kayla and Vana could totally be beer models!! Can't you see them on a billboard?

Caribbean Cooking Club

Emily hosted this month's cooking club, and we went TROPICAL with a Caribbean theme. Nancy started us out with delicious piña coladas. Cheers!



I made grilled shrimp with a garlicky Cuban mojo dipping sauce.



Look at those beautiful flowers!



Emily made plantain tostones with mango salsa!



And some refreshing limeade.



Mmm, islandy!



Valerie made fresh lump crabmeat and salmon cakes, topped with corn salsa and smoky chipotle aioli.This combination was SO great! It had an awesome kick and was just delicious.



Yumi made a big pot of oxtail stew!



With some coconut rice and beans.



The stew was rich and delicious.



Cocktail parasols can make any drink feel more tropical. Tropical glass of wine!



Tropical beer!



It was a lovely night.



Time for some fun and games!



We played Mad Gab, the game where you have to try and quickly sound out the seemingly random words on the card, which when put together make an actual phrase. It is hysterical.

















We finally revived our appetites for dessert!! Summer made a duo of ice creams. Sweet potato ice cream with toasted homemade marshmallows, and a vanilla rum with coconut.



They were FREAKING AWESOME! I probably could have eaten all six bowls!!



Mmmm.



I leave you with some video of our game of Mad Gab.

Memorial Day Party at Vana & Joe's

Vana and Joe hosted a potluck cookout this evening to celebrate Memorial Day. Derrick, Kayla and Mom chilling on the steps.



Everyone was happy and laughing as Joe threw some hot dogs on the Big Green Egg!



Chips and shrimp cocktail started the feasting!



Watermelon!



Kayla made beautiful deviled eggs.



Dennis showed up with his famous chipotle dip!! Sooooooo addicting.



Gin and tonic! This was hard-fought because Mom and Dad brought gin but forgot the tonic. Then Cheryl drove to her house to pick up a bottle because she lives right down the road. When she got back, we couldn't find the limes!! So we improvised with some orange and they were actually really good.



Mom and Dad just happened to bring one bottle of Joe's favorite beers in the whole world!! Lucky Joe! I tasted it and it was really yummy.



Mom made orzo dill salad!



I made ANOTHER Eating Well recipe. Cherry, Wild Rice and Quinoa salad. I highly recommend this recipe! So nutty and chewy!



Time to eat!!



I LOVE party buns. Smaller burgers on little buns!! So cute AND it means you get to also have room for a hot dog!!!



Happy Memorial Day!



Hi, Dad!



It's FUN to hang out on the steps!



Hello, Iris!



Mmm, Cheryl brought blueberry pie.



So much amazing food! I love celebrating!

Conference in Atlanta

Conference this year was in Atlanta, Georgia. On Saturday, after a long day of traveling, I met Elizabeth and we got a delicious beer in the sunshine! Beer always tastes so good at conference.



That night was the Kentucky Derby, so we headed to a sports bar to watch. Look at Cheryl and Judy getting into it!



They had these drinks called "Blue Motherfuckers." We all ended up with one. They were very, very strong. I couldn't finish mine!



Jim wasted no time getting into relaxation mode.



These girls were giving out free keychains if you bought a corona, but what I really wanted was one of their hats! But they wouldn't give it to me!



Dance break!





We were so relaxed, we stayed for dinner! I got fish tacos. They were delicious.



We ended up staying there until dark!



The next morning, we opened up registration. This year's setup was great, because not only did we have a booth, but we had a little SNACK ROOM. With a stocked pop and water fridge!



And snacks!!! And coffee! And tea! All just for us!



On Monday night, we went out for dinner. Judy got a new unicorn pegasus!



We went to a restaurant called Pacific Rim. I got sea bass and it was sooooo good.



So good, in fact, that we went back the next night! This time I got grilled dumplings as an appetizer.



Caelyn got to come to conference this year!! She was there last year, but she was in Lindsay's belly.



Asher and Mark! Asher is sporting an origami hat made by the one and only Tony Tadasa.



Tony and Tom.



Mmm, Tom and I split sushi!



Tony got a giant bowl of deliciousness.



After dinner, we went in search of ice cream. We asked the iPhone where we could find it, and it led us on a wild goose chase!



Where is the ice cream?!



Twins!



We finally found the ice cream place. It was closed. We looked at the hours, and it looks like it is open until... never o'clock?!?!? Tom was like, "Eauh."



Tony tried to say "Eauh," but he is just a little too nice to get it just right.



Instead of ice cream, we decided to head to the top of the Westin, for a 360 degree view of the city. Riding the elevator to the top!



It was awesome!!! We felt like we were in space stations in the FUTURE!





Look at that view!



It was fun to look down upon the rotating restaurant below us.



I'm sure the diners loved that we were peeking on them.



Tom thought maybe we would see Batman up there in that tower.



It also felt like we were on a ride, so I asked everyone to pose like it was the Tilt-a-Whirl. So realistic!



There was a karaoke bar right down the street from our hotel, and apparently it was the place to be!! It was FILLED with NBIA members!



Dance party!



Tom sang "Sweet Home Alabama."



Tom and Cheryl had an Irish Car Bomb contest.



Tom finished his like a SPLIT second before Cheryl, but look at the aftermath!! He got beer all over the table, and Cheryl didn't spill a drop! I declare Cheryl the clear winner.





Another conference under our belts! Next year we go to Boston.