April Showers Bring Long Study Hours

Hey all. As usual it's been longer than I would have liked between blogs. You might wonder why it takes so long to write a blog. It seems like all I ever talk about is fun adventures and visiting friends. If that was all we were up to then it really would be sad if it took us so long to just sit down and write a few words. But the reality is that between Abby's new job and my semester wrapping up we have been waaay too busy lately. So there's our excuse and apology for the long wait. Here's the updates.

The entire McDonald/Bourg clan (Betty, Mike, and Keegan) made their first trip to Oxford for Keegan's spring break and Easter. Although Oxford might not be on a lot of people's "top ten spring break destinations" list we managed to have a good time. Abby picked her parents up from Memphis on Thursday and we made them do all of the obligatory Oxford stops: Lamar Park, The Farmer's Market, The Square, etc. We also found time on Saturday to check out an Ole Miss baseball game against Tennessee (sadly they lost). Even more disappointing was WVU's loss that night in the Final Four, but let's not dwell on that. What a great season for the Mountaineers!

Outside the baseball stadium with the McDonald's

On Easter Sunday we discovered a very cool restaurant after church: The Ravine. It's just a bit outside Oxford, but it's worth the drive. Excellent local food, cool decor, and a very rustic setting. Looking forward to trying it again in the future. On Monday we bid the McDonald's farewell in Memphis after Thai food in Southhaven. We hope to see them soon!

The other bit of exciting news lately has been the trip to New Orleans for Jazzfest. Sadly we missed our good friend Justin Wood who had a death in the family just before we came to town. Still we really enjoyed seeing our other friends, Amie, Emily, and Matt! Other than a few drinks at a bar "Dirty Harry's" and coffee and croissants in the French Quarter on Sunday morning, we spent most of our time at Jazzfest.

Jazzfest has to be one the coolest experiences that I have had in a long time. Besides all of the stages of music (at least 7 that I can remember), there were incredible crafts, constant parades, and lots of great food! The musical highlights were Bonerama, The Funky Meters (although Abby slept through some of this, I really enjoyed it!), and, of course, Simon & Garfunkel. Garfunkel's voice was a bit ragged, but it was really incredible seeing the two legends on stage together.

At Jazzfest with guitarist for Bonerama in background

Since Jazzfest I've been super busy getting ready for finals, but that will be over Monday! Then on to summer, bare feet, camping, the beach, family, old friends, writing, reading.....ahhh summer! It can't come fast enough.