Olympics Party

Well, I'm going out of chronological order here, but this post is more relevant, and the pictures are ready :).  Last weekend we hosted an olympics party.  It was so fun to entertain at our house again.  Brent's still healing from his eye surgery, but was able to compete with everyone else.  I had lots and lots of help from family pulling this off!

Everyone had to wear red, white, and blue.  Go Team USA!

The torch and medals

Everyone made a dish from another country.  I loved the creativity!

Caprese Salad from Italy

Baklava from Greece

Cucumber Salad from Japan

Fried Meatballs from Albania

Plantains from Haiti

There was an Olympic trivia event, a flag match-up event, and a blindfolded relay.  We had three teams, so everything was a group competition.

The final challenge was seeing which team could eat the most from their box of Kellogg's Team USA cereal.  Not as easy as it sounds!

Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners

So proud of all our athletes!

Happy Olympics, everyone!

Octopus Tasting

I've been totally MIA on this blog.  Still more pictures to get through from our last days in Grand Cayman and first days back in Cincinnati, but they are on the waaay back burner for now.  More front and center is 1) unpacking, 2) getting caught up on KruBooks album orders, and 3) Brent's second eye surgery which took place today.  In other words, don't hold your breath.  

BUT Jenn did just write a great post about our last Blue Cilantro dining experience.  I didn't even take pictures, so you are getting a freebie with this one!  

Sneak peek - love this series of photos capturing my first taste of octopus!

Joelle and Dave Visit - Rum Point and Starfish Point

Note: This was written about a week ago, but I just now have internet to publish.  Sorry for the delay!

I have to say, I just got a pang of sadness uploading the pictures for this post.  Because the truth is, we are now back in Cincinnati, living the "grand" midwest life.  Brent and I moved back to the States on Tuesday, July 3rd.  We surprised his family in SC for the 4th of July, so I didn't want to write anything about our approaching return on the blog.  But now we are back in Ohio, busy unpacking, doing landscaping, and just getting acclimated with our city again (we are watching a Reds game as I type this).  Thank you Cincinnati for the 100+ degree heat.  I feel right at home.

I still have a few pictures left from Grand Cayman so there will be a couple more island posts.  Enjoy shots like these while they last!

We stopped at Seven Mile Beach one night before dinner for some beach portraits.  Love this beautiful couple! 

My favorite place on island (tied with Camana Bay)...Welcome to Rum Point!

Drinks, round 1 - you know your guests are in serious "vacation mode" when they open a tab at the bar :)

Ordering lunch

Blackened mahi sandwich and veggie panini ( I should add that Brent and I went back one last time before the move and ordered the fish and chips - A-MAZ-ING.  I asked Brent how he would describe them and he said "perfect.")

After Rum Point, we drove a little further out to Starfish Point.  We've only been to this remote spot once before...on a boat trip our first month in Grand Cayman.  The starfish were just as plentiful as I remembered.

Front and back

Joelle and Dave, thanks for being our last Cayman guests!  It was fun getting to do all our favorite things one last time with you.  

After J&D left, we had a little over a week to pack, ship our boxes, sell our car, and squeeze in a little bit of extra sun and fun as well.  It was a hectic time, but we survived.  A special thanks to Jenn and Nate for making our last couple days so memorable!  I probably still have a couple more Cayman pictures on my camera, so I'll do a few more posts to wrap up :)

Joelle and Dave Visit: Brunch, Tiki Beach, Moonlit Movies

We had a great time with Brent's sister and brother-in-law a few weeks ago.  It's so fun to spend some two-on-two time with our siblings as they come and visit.  Joelle and Dave's trip was full of fun activities.  Starting with...Sunday Brunch!  We picked them up from the airport at noon and drove straight to Agua.  It was the perfect way to kick off their vacation.

I didn't take many pictures this time (too busy eating and enjoying the company!), but to see more food shots, check out our other Agua brunch post.

The iguanas were sunbathing at Lime Tree Bay when we got home.  We counted at least ten out there!  

Monday we did lunch at Tim Buc Tuu and then walked around George Town a bit.

That night we dined at Tiki Beach.  This place has a fun beach-y vibe, even if the food isn't necessarily our favorite on island.  I love the large gauze strips hanging from the ceiling!

On Tuesday we went to Camana Bay, stopping at Black Trumpet for a chocolate croissant. 

During the summer, Camana Bay does "Moonlight and Movies" where they set up a screen and chairs in one of the courtyards for an evening showing.  This week it was Mamma Mia!, one of Joelle's favorites.  It was the perfect movie for the outdoor setting, so fun and happy.  This was our first time going to Moonlight and Movies, and it was so fun!  We brought towels, beach chairs and a cooler full of picnic items.  Jenn met us there after work, and we both said we wish we would have done this more last summer.  I highly recommend for locals and visitors alike. 

Part 2 from Joelle and Dave's visit will come next.  Still a few days worth of pictures to edit!