Classy

Saturday we checked a few items off our bucket list.  First Seth had an Elders Quorum Highway cleanup...not on our bucket list by the way.  It has been a little rainy this week so as we walked along picking up garbage our feet and pants got soaked.  It felt like I was stepping on a sponge every time I walked because my shoes and socks were so wet.  We rewarded ourselves after the cleanup with breakfast at Betty's Hungry House Cafe in Seneca.  This was our first bucket list item...we had heard about the biscuits at this place and they did not disappoint.  They were the size of pancakes and delicious.

After breakfast and a quick stop by our apartment to change, we headed to Mineral Springs, North Carolina for the Queens Cup Steeplechase Horse Race.  It was quite the experience.  We missed the first two races of the day but were able to enjoy the last four.  When we arrived we scouted out a place to sit and ended up moving around quite a bit.  We had to optimize our horse watching and people watching after all.  After we got settled, we found the horse paddock and enjoyed watching the horses being paraded before each race.

The horses were definitely ready to race and were quite lively in the paddock.  I thought a few of them might pull the people leading them around the paddock over.

The first race was a blur literally.  We headed down to the fence and watched the horses zoom by.

Between the races we had a little downtime.  We lounged around and soaked in the experience.

The next race was announced and we headed over to the paddock to see the horses.  Look how everyone lined up along the hedge to catch a glimpse of the upcoming horses.

In a steeplechase race the horses jump over obstacles, like the fence below.  We didn't realize until after the race that this fence also had a little moat.

Several riders fell off during the races.  The horse in the lead below had lost his rider.  He ended up coming across the finish line first.

 
We enjoyed several non-steeplechase races as well.  They were exciting because the horses moved much more quickly around the track.

After the final race we headed across the field by the finish line.

We were able to get a close up view of one of the fences.

After the races were over we headed to a large tent for dinner.  We had a wonderful time at the races.  It was an absolute Southern experience.  It reminded me a little of a football game...except everyone was dressed in their best.  The high rollers had purchased tailgating spots so they could socialize all day.   We are delighted we were able to check a horse race off our bucket list.

Honored

Seth is officially done with graduate school!  Yippee!  He took his last final exam on Thursday.  Although graduation is still about two weeks ago we have already started celebrating.  On Thursday after his exam, he was inducted into The Alpha Gamma Sigma International Real Estate Honorary Society.  I was delighted to attend and see him bestowed with this honor.  

Seth's with Taylor and Jimmy his fellow inductees.

Following the ceremony we attended a reception in the new expansion of Lee Hall.  This building just opened this semester.  Seth spent hours upon hours in a "war room" with his group working on their final project.   

Later in the evening we attended a graduation barbecue for Seth's graduating class.  Dr. Benedict had each graduating student come forward as he said a few words about them.

Later in the evening the students honored the professors with some small gifts.

Dr. Farris gave a few words of parting advice to the students.  He also sang a Frank Sinatra song to let them know he believed in them.

The Class of 2012

We rode Seth's scooter to the barbecue.  The drive there was beautiful...the drive home was an adventure.  On our way back it started to rain lightly.  I couldn't help but think how romantic it was.  That thought quickly disappeared as the light sprinkling turned into a downpour.  The closer we got to our home the worse it got and the more I giggled.  At one point it started to hail and it hurt.  I have never been so relieved to get home.  We literally had to wring out our clothes we had gotten so wet in the downpour.

Strawberries, Lobster and the Lake

Friday night we headed out on date.  We picked strawberries at Hunter Farms.  It has been so warm that the strawberries came a couple weeks early.  After picking we headed to Chick-Fil-A for dinner and then home to watch War Horse.

Saturday we drove down to Atlanta to visit the temple.  On our way back we stopped at a party thrown by one of Seth's classmates, Taylor.  Taylor's family owns a lake house on the Georgia side of Lake Hartwell.  Taylor has been living at the lake house this year and commuting about an hour into Clemson for classes.  The lake house was like paradise I tell you.  We were lucky enough to catch the Lobster bake in process.  A girl from Maine had her mother fly in 10 lobsters.  It was interesting to see them prepare the lobster for cooking, cook them up and then break them up for eating.

Seth manned the grill for some time.  In the background you can see the 10 lobsters all cooked up and ready to eat.

Like I said...Paradise.  I wouldn't mind waking up to this view everyday.

Orange and White

Last week we celebrated Seth's last all night school project.  He was up two nights in a row working on a 150 page final project with a group.  His project was due Friday by noon.  After a few hours of sleep he woke up to celebrate the completion of his big project with me.  We got Chinese food from our favorite place and then found a bench at the Botanical Gardens overlooking the pond.  A goose came right up to us and was hoping to get a little piece of our dinner.

The next day Seth had a group meeting in the early afternoon.  After his meeting we walked along College Avenue in Clemson popping in and out of stores in search of some Clemson gear.  Our next stop was Mac's Drive In.  The only seating they have is at the bar.  It is a tiny place but definitely a Clemson classic.

Seth enjoyed a double cheeseburger.  I had the grilled cheese hamburger sandwich...basically a meat patty in the middle of a grilled cheese sandwich.  I couldn't help but think how much my nephew Max would have loved that sandwich.  We both commented on how we should have come to this place earlier.  It is just a few miles from our house, it had decent prices and a great atmosphere.

After lunch we headed to the Clemson Orange and White spring training game.  We decided to sit on the hill the Clemson players typically run down.  There were quite a few kids sliding down the hill on cardboard boxes.

I saw a few crashes take place but couldn't help but think of how all our nieces and nephews would have loved this big kid slide.

We stayed for the first half and then headed out so Seth could get some studying done.  Sad to think it may have been our last time in Death Valley.

Easter

Saturday morning we started the day off by watching our friends, James and Shawna put bees in their hive.  They were sweet enough to invite us over to indulge my bee curiosity.   When we first met James and Shawna we started talking about bees.  They have had several hives in the past and decided they needed a hive out here as they complete graduate studies at Clemson.  In a couple of weeks they will load this hive up in their car and drive it down to Charleston where they will finish out their studies.  In the picture below James was working to release the queen from the carrier.  They picked their bees up in the box below from a neighboring town.  They sprayed them with water which apparently distracted the bees.   

Unfortunately James and Shawna's bee veils were still back in Utah...the bees were a little aggressive and James got a few stings.  James was able to find a towel from their car to cover his head while he closed up the hive.  

Confession = I would love to have bees and chickens someday.  I think that with the right gear I could definitely handle this bee business...without the right gear not so much.

After the bees got settled we headed to Pendleton's Spring Jubilee.  We bought a turkey leg that looked much better than it tasted.  Seriously it brought back memories from my anatomy lab...not good memories.  We had a good time walking the town square and checking out the artists' booths.  We even ran into a few friends.

On Easter I baked Pioneer Woman's Red Velvet Cake for a dinner we were headed to.  Can you tell that it says Happy Easter in jelly beans?

We enjoyed a fun dinner with friends and loved watching their kids hunt for eggs.