Team Gaither

Welcome Baby Amare

teamgaither — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:03:30 +0000

In 2011 Michael got his PhD, but we both got other new titles: Aunt and Uncle. In early 2011 my little sister Brittany announced the pending arrival of our family’s first grandchild. I was excited to spend a little time with her last summer in Tennessee when I hosted the baby shower for Baby White. On September 20th, Brittany and her boyfriend Dominique welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world. Amare Khalil White was born a healthy 7 pounds 11 ounces and was 20 inches long. His most striking feature: A FULL HEAD of beautiful hair! I spent a few days in Tennessee after his birth, and though I’m obviously biased, he has to be one of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen. Good work sis. He’s an adorable chubby three-month old baby now who just enjoyed his first Christmas. He will get to meet his uncle Michael in February when we visit!

Maternity Photos! (Shanell Bledsoe Photography)

Shanell did a great job as always. Gotta have pictures of the baby bump!

The Halfhill Women (Shanell Bledsoe Photography)

Baby Shower Yummies

Meeting My Nephew

Mom and Baby Amare

Yes, She Does.

Grandpa Brad, Amare, and Dad. Men Don't Smile, Obviously.

Could He Be Any More Adorable!?

Mrs. Patricia (Patty) Tadsen

teamgaither — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:32:18 +0000

Michael’s aunt Patty died at the age of 50 on December 20, 2011. Her battle with mulitple myeloma is now over. She is survived by her husband Richard and her children, our cousins, Rachel and Lucas. Patty, Rick, and the kids live in Minnesota so we didn’t get to see them very often. They did; however, make it to our wedding in May of 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. Rick and Patty were a pleasure to visit with and Rachel and Lucas helped us dance the night away! Aunt Patty will be missed by all of us.

Family Wedding Photo. Patty's the pretty lady in the red dress.

That’s Doctor Gaither to You

teamgaither — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:15:35 +0000

Michael ended a 5.5 year journey to his doctorate degree on December 22nd. In the University of Maryland departmental ceremony that afternoon, he was hooded by his advisor Dr. Isabel Lloyd. He defended his dissertation titled “Ultra-Small Scale Mechanical Properties Measurement” in November. It described his doctorate research in the Nanomechanical Properties Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). His family from Tennessee was able to attend the ceremony and enjoy a chuckle or two at the awesomeness that is doctorate regalia. Now that Mike is done with his PhD, he is moving on to a National Research Council postdoctoral position at NIST.

The Whole Gang

No more school ever!

Ms. Linda Tadsen Eckel

teamgaither — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 01:57:43 +0000

Michael’s Aunt Linda left the world in the early morning hours of July 28th.

She had been diagnosed with glioblastoma multiform brain cancer on May 12th. After surgery and about 3 weeks in Grand Stran Hospital in South Carolina, she was flown with to her son’s home in Michigan. She began her chemo and radiation on July 18th, but her condition deteriorated rapidly over the last few weeks. Fortunately, Linda’s friends and family were able to throw her an early birthday party on July 24th. The house was full and everyone who attended was able to spend some one on one time with her in her room. Many of her friends and family were able to make it to her for her birthday party and in the days following. A fact for which her immediately family seems eternally grateful.

We didn’t get to spend much time with Aunt Linda (since she lived in North Carolina), but she was a great hostess when we visited her home on family vacation. More recently, we were grateful to have her join us at our wedding last year. She had a great smile and a powerful laugh that are sure to be missed!

: The Tadsen Family @ Our Wedding

Volt – Table 21

teamgaither — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:31:24 +0000

More than a year ago, we made reservations for Table 21 at Volt Restaurant. This 21-course tasting menu experience takes place at a 8-seat bar built around the restaurant’s kitchen. It’s the best place to view the head chef Brian Voltaggio (who you might have seen compete with his brother Michael on season 6 of Top Chef) and his staff in action. We lucked out with good company at the communal table, including a couple who was celebrating, appropriately enough, their 21st wedding anniversary.

We started our evening at the restaurant bar where Michael ordered Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch beer and I imbibed in the house-made Red Velvet cocktail (chairman’s reserve spiced rum, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, boylans ginger ale). At the start of dinner, Michael ordered Flying Dog’s Backyard Ale, Chef Bryan’s collaboration with the Flying Dog brewery. Needless to say, we loved the drinks, and Mike was able to add another beer bottle to his ever-growing collection. While we would have loved the evening without leaving the bar, a 21-course dinner was ahead of us, and we were in for a treat. In case you hadn’t guessed, 21 courses is A LOT of food. It’s like a food marathon. A delicious, indulgent, wonderful parade of meticulously prepared food. We enjoyed every course (with a few favorites, of course), and between the two of us, ate every bite. For the curious, the 21 courses are detailed below. Yum.

Course 1: “mojito” 10 cane, simple syrup

Course 2: chips and dip potato, barbeque, chive

Course 3: celeriac macaroon foie gras

Course 4: mock oyster salsify, oyster leaf, malt vinegar

Course 5: sashimi of fluke yellow doll watermelon, ginger, cucumber blossom

Course 6: cherry glen farm goats cheese ravioli vegetable ash, corn, maitake mushrooms

Course 7: buckwheat gnocchetti smoked bacon, foraged herbs and flowers, shitake mushrooms

Course 8: maine lobster steel cut oats, honeycap mushrooms, kombu, fresh yeast

Course 9: rockfish artichoke barigoule, overnight tomato, roasted fennel

Course 10: hen egg ruby quinoa, thyme, foraged flowers and herbs

Course 11: sweetbreads parsley, oyster mushrooms, hazelnuts, preserved

Course 12: “spring garden” beets, cherry glen farm chevre, coffee soil, asparagus

Course 13: foie gras crystal lettuce, gala apple, brioche

Course 14: pork belly cranberry beans, carmellini beans, blackberry, orange

Course 15: borderspring farm lamb ratatouille, zucchini blossom, dandelion greens

Course 16: beef strip loin creamed spinach, fava beans, morel mushrooms

Course 17: “wedge salad”

Course 18: coconut, lavendar, vanilla

Course 19: dulce de leche honey, lime, pineapple

Course 20: yellow corn, blackberry, sorrel

Course 21: chocolates, candies, and macaroons

Another picture or two for the fun of it

Chef Bryan Voltaggio, working his magic

Blurry proof that we were there

Rock Hall Sprint Triathlon

teamgaither — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:18:45 +0000

The Inaugural Rock Hall Triathlon Sat/Sun June 25th/26th. The Olympic distance race was on Saturday and the Sprint distance race was on Sunday. Michael decided (semi-last-minute) to race the Spring Tri on Sunday. The event benefited the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The tri included a 750 Meter Swim, 15 Mile Bike, and 5K Run. It was a short trip over the Bay Bridge to the shores of Eastern Maryland. The weather was great (a bit warm for racing), and the course was flat. Mike had an excellent race given the little training preparation beforehand. He finished 4th in his age-group and 11th overall!

Swim Time: 10min 42sec (1st place in age-group)

Bike Time: 43min 12sec (7th place in age-group)

Run Time: 22min 4sec (3rd place in age-group)

OVERALL TIME: 1hr 19min 28sec

Let the fun begin!

Swim Time

Before the Start

Happily Ever After – Amanda and Anthony

teamgaither — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:35:58 +0000

Amanda Ebersole is an amazing friend I met during my college years at Austin Peay State University. She is a wonderful sorority sister who never fails to be there when you need her. She’s been a real sweetheart to Michael and I over the years. Her heart is so big that it didn’t surprise me to learn that Anthony Potts swooped her up right away. I think he knew what he had a soon as he had it. We were eternally delighted to attend the Ebersole/Potts wedding this March and celebrate with them as they joined their lives forever as husband and wife.

The Beautiful Bride

More Alpha Sigma Alpha

ASAs

Brothers Tri – Round 1

teamgaither — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:25:54 +0000

Michael and Bryan both competed in this years University of Maryland Terrapin Triathlon. It was Bryan’s first triathlon and a good starter race for the season for both of them. This sprint triathlon included a 0.5 mile indoor-pool swim, a 12 mile bike course on the UMD campus, and a 3 mile run on the Paint Branch Trail. They both came out of the pool at the same time after the swim. Bryan left the Swim/Bike transition first with Michael a couple minutes behind. Michael caught and passed Bryan on the bike and stayed ahead of him through the next transition and into the run. The both did a wonderful job and finished in the top 10 over all (out of the 101 participants).

Bryan’s Results: 9th Place Over All with a total race time of 1:16:35.

Michael’s Results: 5th Place Over All with a total race time of 1:12:05.

More “sibling rivalry” to come in future races!

Getting the bike ready

Transition Area Set-Up

Almost "Go Time"!

Post-Race

Practice Camping

teamgaither — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:43:33 +0000

Our overnight camping trip in April started out ordinary enough…we packed the car with the essentials (tent, sleeping bags, food, flashlights, etc.) and headed out towards a campsite in the mountains along with four other friends. Unfortunately, our plans were changed when the campsite we planned on using was full. We attempted to find another nearby site, and found that the two closest sites were not available as well. We pulled into a nearby town (with cell phone reception) and, thanks to the wonderful world of smart-phones, were able to call a nearby campground that could accommodate us. We finally made it to the site….with the nearest home 100 yards away. We listened to the interstate traffic all night and survived a small rainstorm that hit as we finished dinner…but we made it work and had fun in the process! I dubbed this the “practice camping” trip when it was all said and done (given all the craziness). Also, lesson learned: if you don’t want to freeze your toes off, zip the vent in the bottom of your sleeping bag!

~Morgan

Sometimes men DO read directions!

The ladies

Budget Savvy Blog Post

teamgaither — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:25:43 +0000

The Budget Savvy Bride blog featured our wedding!

Check out the blog post here: Morgan and Michael’s Wedding Blog Post