playing catch-up

August has flown right over our heads.

Getting back from our trip was a crazy whirlwind!
There were a lot of emotions all at once. We were tired but happy, ready to get home and see our friends and our kitten, Luna.

Two of our closest couple-friends were getting ready to move, and another couple was getting ready to come back after being home with their families for the entire summer!

And every day that went by meant we were getting closer and closer to our 2L year!
How is that even possible?
We've been here over a year now. And it has been such a wonderful year.

This was my first August blog post of last year.

So...here's what has happened in the world of Caitlin and Dusty last month!
All About August!

When we got back, we came home to this:

Our apartment was littered with sticky notes.

We had asked our friends Greg and Allison (who had been gone all summer in Illinois, and got back the day after we left for our vacation) to watch Luna for the last few days we were gone.

Dusty was like, "DC and Georgia?...oh. Dustin and Caitlin. Greg and Allison. Right. Got it."

We figured out all but one...dang you, 500 Days of Summer!

Once we got home and began to get back into the swing of things, we tried to make our pantry last as long as possible. We wanted to try not to go grocery shopping until we had utilized all of our resources.
Thus, the Rotel Pancake was born.

Honestly, it sounds gross, and maybe it is, but it was legit. Talk about being creative with the crap in your cupboard.
"Cupboard Crap Recipes", by Caitlin Schanaker.
Once we sat there for five minutes and debated what kind of "syrup" or moist-maker we could use, Dusty was finally the genius that snapped and said, "sour cream."
And it was good.

In other great news, Treat Receipts came back to Starbucks!
Naturally, we would get Starbucks in the morning, go work out, and then finish the day with a grande frappuccino.
How we roll.

The first few days of being home consisted of trying to get back into a regular rhythm.
In doing so, we were able to unpack and put out some of our favorite souvenirs from our trip!

Also, a glorious, absolutely heaven-sent grand opening occurred within the first week of our arrival.

Cue angels singing on high.

CHIPOTLE HAS OPENED.
We were driving by when we noticed that there were actually people in there -- could it be?? Is it finally open?
We went up to the door and the lady asked, "Do you have an invite?"
Baffled and dejected, we shook our heads. She smiled conspiratorially and opened the door, "That's okay, go on in!"
Apparently, they had sent out invites to who-knows-who in the community for a mock opening the day before it's official grand opening.
We drooled as we walked through line, got a burrito and a burrito bowl, and an order of chips and guacamole.

We weren't going to skimp.
We hadn't had Chipotle in a year.
Once we got to the cash register, Dusty pulled out his wallet, and the lady said (cue slow-motion emphasis)...

"Oh no, today it's on us!"

FREE CHIPOTLE.

In personal news, I finished reading The Way of Kings last month.
I had been reading it throughout the trip, and finally finished it once we got home.
It's one of the best books I've ever read - I'm slowly falling in love with Brandon Sanderson, and if you love fantasy or fiction or great writing or all of the above, you should give him a read.

I also have retrieved one of the best movies of all time.
I have carried around the empty case (the movie itself having been lost for years now) for the last who-knows-how-long, and finally bit the bullet and bought the legendary flick.

I don't often say that I love every single part of a movie.
But in watching this for the first time in years, I came to realize that this may be one of the most perfect movies ever made.
If you don't agree with me, we might not be as close of friends as you think we are.
The truth is, me and this movie go waaaaay back.
It's hard to even choose a favorite part, but this movie has been quoted for decades...back to when I played soccer and my best friends would yell "Roy! INVINCIBLE!" from the side lines to cheer me on.

One of the best parts of coming home was seeing our friends again.
We had a barbecue at the Beigles house (who we had just seen in Disney World!) and were able to meet some new law couples, and see some of our other friends, as well.
We also found out that our friend Heather is pregnant! Her and her husband Chris have moved to Washington D.C. (which is great, since we loved going and visiting DC with them!), so it was one of the last times we'd be seeing them in Lynchburg!
When we first moved here, one of the first things I was told is that there is something in the water in this place. And that I would be pregnant before I knew it.
I haven't taken a sip of water since.


Before we knew it, it was time to start the school festivities once again.
It was surreal!
One year ago, we were wide-eyed newbies trying to figure out this whole east coast thing. We didn't know a single person, and my parents had just left us. We were alone, left to fend for ourselves and try and make friends. This year, it was a whole new experience!
We got to point and laugh at the wide-eyed newbies!
Nah, not really.

We just enjoyed our friends and our new mentees at the Dean's Reception!
Both Dusty and I are official "mentors" for some of the new students/law wives. I have 2 lovely mentees, Katie and Jessica. Dusty also has 2, Josh and Jesus. It's been exciting getting to know them, and helping them get adjusted to this crazy journey!

A few days later was the Law Wives Meet and Greet.
It was so exciting and nerve-racking to prepare to meet all of the new wives. I'm so excited for this year! It's going to be a great one.

We've also already had our first official Ladies Night Out, which went great. We all had a blast, and were all hanging out at Allison's house for almost 3 hours. We have some really fun women, and I have a feeling the events this year are going to a blast!

Speaking of Allison, being an Illinois girl, we finally got to try her homemade pizza.

Um, YUM.
It was our last group get-together to say goodbye to our friend Erica, who was moving back to Albuquerque, since her fabulous husband graduated with flying colors and got a job in their hometown. We're so excited for them, but I have to say, we miss our game nights, dinner dates and movie marathons. We're going to miss them dearly! Luckily, Albuquerque isn't that long of a trek from Arizona. :)

All of these events led right into the first day of school.
My handsome hubby looked sharp!

It's going to be a tough year, and it isn't easy transitioning from a stellar summer into full-out work/study mode, but we're up for the challenge.

I also had my first craft fair of the year last month, at From Shabby to Chic's "Summer Fling Market"!
I had been preparing for weeks, and was really excited to try my hand at the whole craft fair thing again.

Even though it started to rain before the day was over, it was a great day for me.
I had a lot of fun, and there was a great turnout!
Hopefully I'll be able to do another one of these soon.

Also, speaking of creative-type things, I made new throw pillows for the guest room!
And I'm in love!

My extra-whimsical circus print pillows.

Now, for the sad news.
The really, really sad news.

Dickey's Closed Down.

I know...I know.

I remember when we first arrived in Lynchburg. Dickey's was our welcoming banner, the barbecue-taste that made this place feel like home. We didn't know what was up and what was down, but we did know where we could find delicious fried okra.

Circa Fall, 2011:

Dad and Dusty, trying to decipher the menu.

FREE PICKLES!?

FREE ICE CREAM!?

This is the first time we discovered the Big Yellow Cup.
We went to Dickey's 2 or 3 times in the short time my parents and grandma were here, helping us move into our new place. My dad wanted it for every meal.

We have like 20 of these bad boys.

It was a good day. Thank you, Dickey's.

Circa Fall, 2012 (like, a week ago.)

It was the day before it closed.
My hands clasped around a bland, white Styrofoam cup. They no longer had any Big Yellow Cups left.
It was the end of times.

We waved goodbye and tasted the last bit of barbecue sauce from our fingertips.
Farewell, young Barbecue Richard. You were our first friend.

Our only hope is that maybe, maybe someone comes in and buys the place and re-opens it as a Dickey's...it's a possibility. Apparently it was manager trouble. We can only hope.

We extended our Dickey's Memorial by grabbing as many barbecue sauce containers as we could carry and marinating chicken in it a few days later.

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

  
There isn't much else to report.

EXCEPT that I got THE HAT BACK.
I know it's not THE hat...but it's in memory of THE hat.
My hat did not fly off in vain. It's in a better place, and now I can give this identical hat some adventure.

Alright. Now I think that really is all.
I think this has been a very nice summary of our August.

So since I'm done, I might as well show you what Luna has been up to.

Box-lover.

...is anyone else getting the feeling they're being watched?

Once we unload the new toilet paper from the bag, we just...

Fair enough.

It's always good to keep updated on her many activities.

This past week, Dusty and I have both been sick.
I got last Monday off, for Labor day, but spent the entire weekend sleeping and watching TV.
It was rather disappointing.

But, we got to be cozy.

Us sickies took turns with the napping.


We are looking forward to Fall festivities, as the weather begins to cool and we're adjusting to life back at law school.

This oughta help.

Talk to you soon!

In love,
Cait