Week 27-28-29...who knows!

Well we have been less than stellar at keeping up with our blog this summer - so I'm (sarah) going to do a quick photo recap to get us back up to speed!!

After our trip up North, I turned around 4 days later and headed out west to California for Marcy's bachelorette weekend!!  We spent one night in La Jolla and then headed to Laguna Beach for the weekend.   The weather was a little chilly for sitting on the beach but we enjoyed walking around the town and catching up with one another!  We had a great Hawaii honeymoon themed shower for Marcy and some hilarious nights out on the town.  It was a wonderful weekend and Gray and I can't wait to go back in October for the wedding!!

View of Laguna from our hotel balcony

Wake Girls

Last weekend we headed down to Jackson to celebrate Gray's 28th Birthday!!  We had such a fun visit and Gray's mom threw a great b-day party on Saturday night for Robbie and Gray!  It was so much fun to catch up with Gray's high school friends, hear about Anna's European Vacation and see sweet Payne try to make it up the stairs without any one catching him (haha he never got close!).  It was hot but we managed to get out on the lake to do some fishing.  Wrigley even came along!  He was swimming after the boat and we were concerned about his swimming stamina so Gray dragged him into the boat - not an easy task!  Anyway, he witnessed his first bass fish on a hook :)

I can't believe I don't have any pics from the b-day party but here are some of wrigley "fishing".

Justin in all of his Tour de France swag :)

Believe it our not - we have actually done a lot of fun MEMPHIS things lately too! 

For one - I started a new job with a Memphis company!  Yes - during all of this traveling mayhem I also started with Destination King - http://www.destinationking.com/.  I now go to an office downtown with some great people and I'm learning so much about the city!!  I've been to so many attractions, restaurants and venues that I can hardly keep track! It's been such a fun and exciting change for me.

This weekend we enjoyed two of our Memphis favorites; Live at the Garden and the Shelby Farms Dog Park.  Friday night we went to the Botanic Gardens and heard Al Green perform!  Gray packed a picnic for us (with Anna's french wine!) and we met up with Ricky (Gray's Uncle) for a great concert out on the lawn.  Al Green put on an entertaining show and we got to meet up with a lot of our great Memphis friends.  Then on Saturday and Sunday we took Wrigley over to the Shelby Farms Dog Park.  I'm sure if you live in Memphis and you have a dog you know about this park but it's a great off leash park filled with dirt trails and lakes.  Wrigley ran like crazy and played with all kinds of dogs. Funny story - at one point a man was throwing a tennis ball for all of the dogs.  He had been throwing it in the lake but he decided to switch things up and he threw it out in the field.  All of the other dogs went running to the ball in the field while Wrigs ran into the water tail wagging and eyes searching for the ball - haha not the smartest but we love him anyway!

Ok - that should get us all up to date with the blog.  We'll be in Memphis for the next couple of weekends so hopefully we'll have some fun new posts to come!

Week 25-26 - East Coast

So much for consistency. We knew it was going to be crazy during the summer, but don't lose FAITH!

Where do I start? Well last we left off, we were on the wedding circuit. Shortly after the weddings we squeezed in a couple of days of work and then it was out of town again. This time it was to western Massachusetts to gather with Sarah's extended family.

Each year in the summer we head to New England for a long weekend of family and fun. Sarah's family has had a house up there since the 1700's. It's in the quaint little Berkshire Mountain town of Ashfield. I'm not sure what the population is, but it can't be above 1000. Let me give you a rundown of the activities each year:

1. Golf at the Ashfield Golf Club - That's right, they have a golf course. Augusta National and Bethpage Black have nothing on this course. The Ashfield course is 9-holes and on the side of a mountain. Even a straight tee shot is not straight enough to keep it in the fairway. I lose at least 7 balls a round. Thanks to Walt, Sarah's dad, for providing a steady stream of Srixons

1st Tee Box

1st Hole

2. Country Pie - The most delicious pizza I have ever put in my mouth. Who knew it was in Ashfield, MA.

Enjoying Country Pie Around the Table!

3. Tennis - This is where Walt and I escape each each day to get out of the fray. We average 3-4 sets a day before heading to the Lake House (local watering hole)

4. Grill and Chill - You know...kind of like the Dairy Queen, but Ashfield style. When we aren't eating Country Pie pizza, we are cooking burgers, chicken, anything that we are able to grill. While we do that we enjoy sitting around the fire pit and catching up with everyone.

party on the front lawn!

our version of the beach :)

5. Elmer's - The country store that serves breakfast. Some of the best pancakes in America. Because of the fresh maple syrup up there.

view of Elmer's from our front lawn - just have to cross the highway :)

6. Run to Shelburn and 4th of July Parade - Each year we make the 8 mile run down the mountain to the next town...Shelburn Falls...for their annual parade. (this year some bikers went too!) The run is always a good prelude for the big eating day on the 4th. The parade is...well...very Massachusettes. Lots of emergency vehicles with their sirens on, but the kids love the free candy.

Runners before the race

Bikers before the race

Finishing up!

resting

parade time!

dad biked all the way UP the mountain and never stood up from the seat!  mission accomplished.

7. Etc. - swimming in the lake, water balloons, human pyramids, Boo the dog, Mr. Whitney, Northampton Coffee Shop (Smoothest Cappucinno Ever!!!), Williamsburg General Store and more...It's like summer camp all over.

Just to round out the annual trip. Here is quick look at where everyone comes from:
Fisers - Memphis, TN
Sarah's Parents - Denver, CO
Sarah's Sister - Chicago, IL
Conn Family (Aunt/Uncle/Cousins) - Charlotte, NC
Fadar Family (Aunt/Uncle/Cousins) - Old Lyme, CT
Doug (Uncle) - Chicago, IL
Brooks...Occasionally (Cousin) - New York, NY

It's a great annual tradition that I have really enjoyed being a part of. It is one of the highlights of the year for us!

West coast in a day or two....this post is getting too long!!

Week 24 - Weddings, Weddings, Weddings Galore

As luck would have it, Sarah and I had to split ways this weekend. Both of us had very good friends getting married in two totally different areas of the U-S-A!(I really wanted to put that in there because of the USA's big victory in the World Cup last week) So for this week's blog we will be splitting up the post. Mine is sure to be extensive on words and Sarah's is sure to be extensive on pictures. So off to Atlanta and Denver we go!


Mr. and Mrs. William Thomas Gaither Jr...Yep that is how you will need to address anything to Will Gaither from now on b/c he locked it up this weekend and got married. Hmm...Where do I start?!? Will was my college roommate and one of the first guys I ever met at Auburn, which spells trouble for rehearsal dinner toasting. Now I've been known to be a little bit of a loose cannon with my speeches, so I decided to give my boy a choice of three stories. As expected he took the easy road out, but I didn't mind b/c he let me off easy at my rehearsal dinner. All I can say is that you better stay married b/c I will not be so nice if there is a next time.
With the rehearsal dinner behind us, we prepared for the Saturday festivities by taking a trip to the middle of nowhere Georgia to shoot some skeet. I didn't purchase any rounds of skeet b/c I am such a bad shot at moving targets that it would have been a waste. One of Margaret's (Will's new wife) relatives did let me shoot and I hit two of the first four skeet and I decided to quit while I was ahead.

When we were done blowing our shoulders off we made the journey back to the wedding hotel to prepare for the ceremony. I made sure to take a cold shower before I put on my black suit for the outdoor wedding. It was a good thing b/c I think I would have passed out otherwise.
Alright...so the best part of the whole evening was when the bride and groom had finished up their dancing and talking and ceremony rituals it was time for them to depart via a tunnel of sparklers. Before the ceremony, I overheard the groom's father telling his son that it would be a wise idea not to drink. I found this a little odd at the time, but I soon would find out why he said this. When Margaret and Will started running to leave their reception there was a convertible corvette waiting on them. Right before they got to the car Margaret stopped Will and started to whisper in his ear. I thought that was cute and kind of a setup moment for the camera to capture. What I didn't realize is that she had whispered this to him, "Happy Wedding Day, I bought you a car." Unbelievable!!! My boy not only gets married, but also gets a new car out of the deal. Sarah...Sarah...Are you reading these words?!?!
Enough from the East Coast wedding, let's head West young men!

From Sarah:  After a four hour delayed flight in Memphis, a missed connection in Atlanta, a trip to the airport hotel where I got the LAST room and three hours of sleep, I finally made it to Denver!  Traveling has always been a tricky thing for me!  I had an amazing weekend at home in Denver celebrating my very good friend Emily's wedding!  Emily and I basically grew up together and our families are still best of friends.  I was so excited to be back in Denver for the weekend for the festivities.  We made a quick trip to the Parnell's house where we saw proof that the Germans had arrived - there were German flags everywhere!!  Emily's family has hosted several exchange students - many from the same family, and for Emily's wedding Wolfgang and his girlfriend Kathi, and Hervig (not sure about spelling!) and Gereon all came in town.  I got to go help Emily pick up her wedding dress and then my mom, dad, sister and I had a great dinner on the patio at our house - this is something you can't do in Memphis at this time of the year!  The air was crisp and cool in the evening and there wasn't a drop of humidity!  So beautiful!

The next day Elizabeth and I and a group of Emily's friends piled into a van and headed up to Lyons to visit a winery and spa.  We had a fun, relaxing day in the sun, enjoying organic spa treatments and Colorado wine - who knew?!  After lunch we started the trip back to Denver - and realized we were running a little behind!  By the time we got to Denver we had about 30 minutes before the rehearsal dinner so we took over the Chop House bathroom and transformed from shorts and t-shirts to cocktail dresses!  haha it was quite the scene.  We had a great rehearsal dinner followed by an impromptu rehearsal :)

On Saturday we got our nails done and enjoyed lunch before getting ready and heading over to Hudson Gardens for the wedding.  It was a gorgeous night and Emily was a beautiful bride!  The ceremony was the quickest in history but it was perfect and Emily and Aaron were married!  We spent the evening dancing and catching up with good friends.  We were even treated to a traditional German dance that no one will ever forget!

Thanks for a great weekend Parnells - you throw a great party!!

Week 22 & 23 - Harbor Town 5K & State Tennis Tournament

Oops! We missed a week. Must have been a vacation hang over after Hilton Head. We are back though and we apologize to all our faithful readers who were disappointed with no news this week. Don't fret though...you get a double dose this week AND we are early.

Two weekends ago, my business partner was heading up the Harbor Town 5K on Mud Island and he asked us to come check it out. I decided I would brave the 90 degree weather and run the race. Sarah decided that she was going to be the official race photographer...I kind of wish that I had done that. It has been a while since I have been to Mud Island and what better way to check in on it than run the race. I didn't do much checking out though b/c I was busy trying to win the race. For those of you who are wondering...no I didn't win the race.

After the race, we hung out with friends and enjoyed the band that was playing. When this was all done, we decided it was time to head back to the mainland for some grub. We made sure that all the exercising we got was cancelled out by going to Huey's for a hamburger and a basket of fries.

On to Week 23...This past weekend half of the Fiser 52 went out of town while the other half stayed in Memphis. My (Gray's) tennis team played in the state tournament in Chattanooga. On Thursday night, I departed for Chattanooga. Luckily, the guy I rode with knew that Bonnaroo was going on that weekend and we took an alternate route. A bunch of the guys on our team went the wrong way and ended up spending 3 hours in traffic. We finally got to Chattanooga at 1:30 AM and woke up at 6:00 AM for our 8:00 AM match. It was not fun! Luckily we got through the first day by winning both our matches.

The next day we only had one match to play at 12:30, so we decided it would be a good idea to go bowling that night. It was cosmic bowling and all you could bowl! It was awesome. I think we bowled at least thirty games and two of the guys on my team complained of elbow pain the next day. Despite the aches and pains of bowling, we won our third match on Saturday and were guaranteed a spot in the finals on Sunday.

After an easy match on Sunday morning, it was onto the finals. Our team was matched against Knoxville, who had not lost on their side of the tournament, so it was shaping up to be a big match. Unfortunately, I didn't get to play in the finals. We have some serious ringers on our team, so my name was not in the lineup. The good news was that we ended up winning 3-2 and earned a spot in the Sectional tournament in Birmingham.

That's enough for the two weeks. We promise to stay on track for next week. Stay tuned for a big post next week!