Boston Interruption: Cinnamon Challange

So, I had to interrupt my Boston blogs with this amazing video that was taken Saturday night. There wasn't much going on in the small town of Harrisonburg, but there was a lot of commotion and laughter in the house of Big Love.

Ashley, Jess and I had just spent the day at the city pool (haha) and decided to make enchiladas for the evening, followed by cards and hang out time. After eating a fabulous dinner, we played an intense game of Nerts and debated what to do next. Would we watch the Beiber movie? Would Katie and her new boo, Jeff, come over? Would Lauren come hang out? Etc...

So, Katie and Jeff decided to come over and in the meantime Jess and Ash went upstairs to do something. Picture this: I am sitting at our kitchen table having a beer and eating chocolate while trying to build an awesome house of cards and listening to music ALONE. Then Katie and Jeff (her bf who I had never met) bang on the door and find me doing this. It was hilarious! I wonder what Jeff's impression of us is (especially after this next part).

So eventually Lauren joins and the rest of the girls come down to hang out and meet Jeff. Luke was at bachelor party and I was telling them how they made Chad (the groom) do the doughnut challenge (eat 12 donuts, run a mile, and drink a gallon of milk-I think they added the milk part). Ashley then begins telling us about the Cinnamon Challenge and how hard it is. How can swallowing cinnamon be hard? Right. We thought it would be easy too. So Jess said she would do it if I did, I said I would if Lauren did, etc...and Jess, Lauren, Katie and I all decide to do this. The challenge was to see who could swallow a spoon full of cinnamon the fastest.

Here is the video to see what went down. Disclaimer: There really was not much drinking going on, we had only had one beer each. We just simply had the middle schooler in us come out on this particular night.

Cinnamon Challenge from Jessica Miller on Vimeo.

Now that Jeff saw all of this on his first night meeting us, what do you think he thinks of us?! HAHAHA!

Beidler Below Boston: Part 2 (Harpoon and Prudential)

Following our afternoon of sight-seeing, walking, shopping, etc...we decided to head over to the Harpoon Brewery, close to the Boston harbor. Every day at 4:00 they have a FREE beer tasting for a whole hour. It was a blast and we got to learn a lot about the company and their products. Prior to this visit, I had only had 1 or 2 of their Hefeweizens on the rooftop of Dave's, so I was looking forward to trying more!


We had a blast together and trying different brews. I will definitely be buying/ordering Harpoon next time I get the chance.

After the tasting, we headed to dinner and then went up to one of the tallest (I think?) buildings in Boston, the Prudential. We had amazing views and wonderful (and not cheap) cocktails.

Fenway Park

After our Day 1 adventure, we were exhausted and headed home pretty early for bed! We were excited for the next day in Cambridge!

Beidler Below Boston: Part 1

Emily was thinking about starting a blog and calling it "Beidler Below Boston." She never started it (even though we are all encouraging her to!) so I thought I would use it as the name of this blog series! Emily and Andy just moved to Boston in October and live in a basement apartment in Allston, a sweet little neighborhood.

Our adventure started on Thursday when Linds and I drove to DC for our "quick" and direct flight to Boston. Turns out it was not so quick...the flight was delayed and then we got on the plane and the engine was having problems. We were supposed to get there around 4 and I think we finally arrive to Emmi's apartment (with special treats awaiting us) around 10 or so. We spent our first night playing cards, singing Lady GaGa and looking over our schedule for the weekend:


Day One was jam packed with history and sight seeing. We started our adventure with bag lunches at Swan Lake in the Public Garden. Lindsay even got her toe bit by a mean duck!


Then we walked around and saw different historical sights in Boston. I really wished I would have brushed up on my American history beforehand. Good thing Linds is a teacher and gave us some good info on the American Revolution and what not.

This the graveyard that is home to Benjamin Franklin's parents, Paul Revere, and Samuel Adams.

A sweet little stroll somewhere close to Newbury Street, famous for lots of shopping!

How crazy that Lisa was also in Boston the same weekend! It was fun to see her for a few minutes while doing some shopping!

Next up is our fun at the Harpoon Brewery and the Prudential...but they deserve their own post!

Weekends with the Girls

It is rare to have a group of best friends that you have known since middle school. I feel so blessed that Emily, Lindsay, Stacey and I have an amazing friendship that has lasted throughout all these years. We are all so unique and add different things to the group, and nothing beats our annual girl trips.

I think the trips officially started our Junior year of college when we went on a road trip all the way down to Delray Beach, Florida and back up through Jacksonville, Savannah (well, kind of), Edisto Island, and Charleston. Two words for this trip: Mooch Fest. Here are a few great pics I found from that first trip:

Stacey received her title as Ground Dweller

The next trip was Lindsay's surprise (well almost a surprise, stace) bachelorette trip in Savannah, GA. What a weekend! No pics of that one...but it was quite unforgettable.

Post-graduation we headed to Asheville on Labor Day weekend for camping a few nights downtown. I think we would all say we didn't quite get this one right. We were all a little off and going through a lot of life transitions...but none the less we enjoyed spending time together!

We were really into wigs that weekend for some reason

The following year Stacey won a " Christmas cubicle decorating contest" at her work and won a free night at the infamous Great Wolf Lodge, any middle schooler's dream. It was a resort catered to kids with an indoor pool. The kids in us came out and we had a great time! We explored Williamsburg and the next day we headed to Bush Gardens. We had a blast and definitely named this our most adventurous trip!



Last year we had a simple, sweet and fun trip to Blacksburg to stay with Lindsay. We had a campfire, went hiking, had a few delicious meals and went tubing! It was great spending time together because Emily was about to move to Boston and Stacey was going to be moving to Oregon for a few months.




Finally, the most recent trip... and probably our biggest and most amazing trip yet (don't we say that every year?) was to Boston to visit Em in her new urban lifestyle. Look out for all the fun posts ahead. Our trip was full of sight seeing, culture, art, food, great conversations, wonderful food/drinks, and just fun times in the city! I absolutely had a blast and miss these girls so much!

Lisa + Brandon

So much to catch up in the blogging world...but before anything else gets posted I must update you on the fun, amazing, perfect engagement that I had the joy to be a part of this past weekend.

Here is the quick back story: I meet Lisa briefly while she was a senior getting Greek IV started at JMU. Within one meeting, we decide we should be roommates (when you know, you know) as she was staying in Harrisonburg for graduate school and I was going to be on staff with Greek IV at JMU. We become close quickly and she helped me survive my first year in Harrisonburg--it would not have been the same without her. Also, I met her boyfriend. We also fell in love at first sight. Even though I have only known Brandon and Lisa for 3 years, I feel like they have been in my life forever.


Anyway, about a month ago I get a phone call from Brandon. I was filled with so much joy and excitement as he shared that he was ready to pop the question. I also felt so honored and pumped that I was going to be able to be a part of the whole process. Is there anyway I can do this professionally by the way?

So, the best way to tell this story is from the Bride to Be's version...with my interjections as well:

"i had previously planned to take off work on friday and head down to harrisonburg for the weekend for a few reasons 1. to visit my dear old roommate taylor (and her fabulous husband luke), 2. to go to the jmu football season ticket reseating event on behalf of my dad, and 3. to see my newly married gal pal jill on her and her hubby's beautiful staunton farm. after a late-night thursday arrival, friday began with picking out my family's season ticket seats in the new jmu stadium. can i just say that this thing is giant-normous?!

tay & i walked around town just chatting and enjoying the weather (i love soccer mom walking, its a favorite hobby of mine!), saw a movie, played banana grams (another favorite), packed a picnic and went to fridays on the square (picture this: country band, picnic baskets, wine, card games, & great friends). OK, I just need to say that we had the BEST talk about marriage, the future, her and Brandon, etc on this walk around Purcell park. She was talking about how much she loved him how she would wait forever for him to propose because she knew he was the one, etc...it was so hard to keep a straight face as I knew it was going to happen TOMORROW. and she had NO IDEA.

i even picked up a salvaged furniture find on the way home- well luke picked it up! we had made plans to go to the farmers market saturday am before i left for staunton and one of tay's friends had 'conveniently' asked her to pick up her paycheck for her on campus. So, I wake up and feel like it is Christmas morning. Words cannot express how excited I was to be "santa's helper" in this huge surprise. Also, my friends told me that Lisa would not want to be get engaged in gym shorts so to make sure that did not happen I put on a cute dress before we went to the farmers market. So I did and it worked. She saw me in a dress, and decided to put on a cute outfit too! cue full on engagement story beginning....

as luke, tay & i walked from their house up to the quad i commented how there was literally no one around. we walked up the steps of wilson hall and i remember stating "this is where i first met brandon. in that room off to the left." insert Like almost started crying and me sweating like crazy hoping this will work. after unsuccessfully trying to get in to wilson hall (decoy), taylor tries to divert my attention to a guy + dog walking up the quad (my response "cool" and i moved on). 2 more attempts and she tells me she thinks i know who that is and that i should go over and say hi. puzzled and completely confused i start walking down the quad (with some pushing from luke). about half way down the quad i realize that it is brandon and look back and tay/ luke for confirmation but theyre gone (hidden away & already snapping pictures of what is to come). completely flabbergasted to see brandon in front of me in harrisonburg (because he had been telling me for weeks that he was playing in a charity golf tournament that day in northern va with ryan). at first i thought he borrowed a dog to come visit. he tells me to look at the dogs collar. it had our monograms on it and the date on one side and "will you marry me?" on the other. at first i didnt see the big question and just thought he got us a puppy (total excitement). but then while i was squatting down playing with the littler furball, brandon got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife while holding a beautiful shiny ring (insert overwhelming joy and complete surprise)! Brandon's idea of the puppy was perfect because they had been talking about how they wanted a dog together forever! Lisa had never had a pet and had always wanted one!




It was so cool to see all this happen. We were standing in the breezeway connected to Wilson.




out pops taylor and luke (planners and decoy extraordinaries) after more pictures with jmaddy, phone calls to family and some friends, we had a perfect afternoon of picnicing on the quad as a little family of 3. taylor had prepared appetizers and champagne back at their house to continue the celebration, then it was off to joshua wilton house for dinner while the logans babysat our little furball, who we named tucker."

I kept on kidding with them that even though Tucker was their baby born out of the wedlock I still loved and supported them...haha!!

james madison was in on the secret too

me and the bride! her bling was beautiful!!!

Brandon and Lisa, we love you both and could not be more happy for what is to come for you and your new family.

Where in the World?

So, in the middle of the amazingness that was Big Love's Beach trip...I lost the keys to the beach house. Not just one key, but also the key to the elevator, storage closet, golf cart, etc...

I remember putting them in my beach bag right after I locked the door to the storage closet before going to the beach. We came back from the beach and they were no where to be found in my bag. So I thought either someone stole them while we were on a walk or they are somewhere in the sand when I took my towel out of my bag.

Meg and I begin the search. We look in everyone's bags, all places in the house, around the house, along the path we walk on the beach...and even all in the sand. We thought the keys were heavy enough that the water would not wash them anywhere--but the tide was high and we could not find them. Meanwhile I am freaking out because I really wanted to show my parents I could be responsible as a 25 year old :) I lose sleep thinking about it all night (am I paranoid or what)?

Next and last day we get up and head to the beach...all the girls are looking along the path for these darn keys. We search the beach and ask others if they have seen them. No luck. We stop a police guy and ask him...no luck. Amy even shouts (loudly) to a creepy guy with a metal detector..."Metal detector guy help us find some keys!" Meanwhile I am thinking my parents are going to kill me because they are going to freak out and think someone stole them and then I am going to have to pay for them to change all the locks...

Finally, I call my mom even though I was hoping to avoid that. Turns out she was not as mad as I assumed she would be, thank goodness! But, the keys are still lost.

Later than evening, we were all getting dressed up for our night out. Per usual I was starving after a day in the sun and needed a snack with my glass of wine before dinner. The perfect snack? Gold fish. I start eating some (they were delicious by the way) but realize that there are not many goldfish left (dang it) but the box felt full. I pull the bag out of the box to find those hiding fish and there are my keys....

So, they did not get lost in the ocean but the fish were keeping them company! Turns out I had that goldfish box in my bag at some point during the day and didn't think to check there for my keys. Who knew?

The mystery was solved, but the funny thing is...I left the keys at the beach.

Big Love Beach Trip Part 2

Our final day at the Beach we celebrated by getting dressed up and having some wine before heading out to dinner at The Boundary House, an awesome restaurant in Calabash.

Me and Amy

The Big Love Ladies from this year...minus Lauren and Brianne.

The Big Love ladies from last year...minus Jackie.

The sorority girl in me really wanted to throw up some Big Love signs :)

All of us ladies.

It was so great to get together before the Big Love officially gets taken over by other women as we all move on. Starting from left to right: Ash will be getting married to Jake in July and moving to Woodstock. Sarah will be finishing up her last year of getting her masters in counseling at EMU. Holly is entering her 2nd year getting her MBA at Notre Dame. Jess just got a counseling job at a middle school in Williamsburg. Meg will be moving to northern Virginia to get her masters in English. Amy just got a job as a speech pathologist in northern Virginia. And I of course will be heading to graduate school at JMU.