that nostalgic booth at club congress.

danny and i met in that very booth.

it was a fateful night in august 2002.

neither of us have a stellar memory, but can both vividly remember that night. 

the group of boys sitting in the booth. me in a white mini skirt with colby who said hello to the boys. 

...

ten years later, it was pretty surreal to turn the corner in the taproom and see that booth. the weird thing,  (as you can see) it was the only spot that was open when we walked in. meant to be. 

gave me butterflies all over again.

the view to the left.

...and to the right.

we spent a lot of time reminiscing over the weekend. 

it's really cool that ten years later we absolutely love the place we met 

(which definitely wasn't a place anyone hung out at in college) and it suits us and our personalities so well. 

UA vs. ASU football game.

there are obvious perks to being a UA graduate and having in-laws in tucson. 

family visits double as nostalgic trips down memory lane. campus. university blvd. the mall. beyond bread. 

this year's massive rivalry football game ASU vs UA was in tucson the night after thanksgiving, 

so we got decked out in red and watched the game at the beloved frog & firkin on university blvd. 

the outcome wasn't great for the cats, but oh well. 

we got to talk smack to ASU nerds while eating frog's green skins, fries & deep dish pizza  

washed down by cheap drinks in plastic cups. 

ahhh... college life. 

danny sported his first-edition AZ Boyz Homecoming t-shirt, compliments of Quinnster. 

and i even painted my nails to be a part of the citywide "red out" 

... next time, cats. 

bearin' down in t-town.

since february 14th, it's been the tale of two tings and two soon-to-be quinns. darren arrived in phoenix early for a work trip, the three of us flew together out to florida for the friend's reunion, and then meg joined us all on the flight back to phoenix for another week in the desert (they both had a work conference and extended their stay).

the biggest arizona wildcat basketball fan we know, darren wouldn't dare consider being just two hours away from an important game and not watch it live, sooo we woke up bright and early saturday morning and road tripped to tucson. danny and i were happy to show our school spirit and participate in the campus-wide "red out," but we skipped the game an snagged a great patio table at frog & firkin, the best place to watch a game on university blvd.

after the cats beat ucla, darren and meg joined us for a couple of beers before we took meg on a tipsy tour of the UofA. i really love that danny and i along with so many of our friends share that part of our life. being on campus means non-stop reminiscing, eating all the same things we did back then, driving down greek row and getting all nostalgic watching the current students. ahhh... i love it all. just being on campus makes us incredibly happy.

{meg traded her vanderbilt t-shirt for a more appropriate look in tucson}

{so glad i married this cat - wildcat of course}

{danny's taste for beer has changed over the years. mine, not so much}

{university blvd. where we all learned how to back-in to parking spaces}

{entrance to our beautiful brick campus}

{ashton met up with us for a drink!}

{ashton, also a wildcat alum, and her bf}

{none other than gentle bens. ahhh, the memories. foggy, but they're there.}

{ting enjoyin' the game}

{i think meg was most excited to hit the patio with us (but wouldn't dare admit that to her fiancé)}

{no anchovies! best pizza around}

{it's a true red-out}

{decisions. decisions. to think this was a big decision back in college. no, seriously.}

{a buzzed bookstore visit}

{what up, wilbur?}

{ahhh... the mall}

{us and old main}

{sampling some of the newer spots to his university blvd. candy/yogurt/snack shop}

{the new - but i won't dare say improved - park student union}

{coronado under serious construction}

{until next time, tucson. it was real.}

elite eight.

...two words today...

bear down

Go Cats!

playing house.

I've recently told a few people that sometimes I still feel like I'm playing house. Do you ever feel like that?

Sure, D and I are pretty grown up by certain standards - married, jobs, dog, house - but I still get those waves of excitement when I realize Danny and I can do anything we want and there really isn't anyone who can stop us. If we want to lock ourselves in the house and eat pizza in our bed all weekend - we totally can. And unless we told people about it, it would forever be our little secret. Such a fun chapter of life.

Last night I went to happy hour with a group of sorority sisters who represent another chapter of my life. I was an Alpha Phi at UofA and it was the best college experience ever. Although none of us girls were super close in college, it doesn't really matter - we have a UA, Alpha Phi connection - which makes it easy to hang out. Sounds cheesy but it's true. It's always fun to get together with these Phoenix Phis.

I guess in some ways growing up isn't so bad.... The girls get less catty. You have a tad bit more money to spend on fun things like vacations. And after a wine night with girlfriends you get to come home to your live-in boyfriend, eat dinner on the couch and watch Modern Family.

{my view last night}