mmm...french toast sticks

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Surprise!

One thing that I didn't expect I would be doing on April 26th - laying by the pool.
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Thank You Mother Nature

I thought it would be nice to get out of the house away from all distractions (studying, chores, day-to-day crap) and spend the day in DC enjoying the cherry blossoms and spending time with each other. I think that in most cases when you have no plans and just go with the flow its invigorating. Unfortunately that wasn't the case for us. We ended up in some crazy traffic and were ready to rip each others heads off after we had been in the car for a few hours. Slow moving cars bring out the worst in people....let me paint a picture of how slow: there was a grandpa taking a stroll on the side of the road, I think he may have required a walker but left it at home, that was keeping up with our pace for miles...and miles...and miles.

And when we FINALLY got into the city there was not an inch to spare. I guess we weren't the only ones that wanted to get out of the house. We drove around looking for a parking space and ended up getting lost and suddenly we were on the freeway again. I wasn't ready to give up and thankfully we somehow ended up on the backside of The Capitol and I convinced Tanner (who was so ready to drive home) to stop when I spotted a place to park.

We parked and when we stepped out of the car it was an instant transformation for both of us. We completely forgot that we were upset. Its crazy how weather can affect your mood. But I'm glad it does -- because thanks to the beautiful weather, the day could not have been more perfect. We spent the rest of the afternoon just walking around the Capitol, talking, taking photos, people watching...oh and we went to this grill called the Capitol Lounge that had the BEST, greasy food that we've had in along time. What an amazing - and in the end - relaxing day!

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A New Side of Brambleton

Tonight we saw a side of Brambleton that we never knew existed -- live reggae music and old rhythmless rich people dancing. Needless to say, our night was complete.
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A Night at the Circus

I had been trying to win Britney Spears tickets from local radio stations without much luck and actually began having a strong hatred for the people that got through and won. So, when Christy asked me if I wanted to go three days before the concert I nearly crapped a brick. Tuesday the 24th I actually got off work early and we made the trip to DC and had an awesome time with Chris and Christy (who we haven't hung out with forever!)
Britney is freaking hot and such a great performer. Hands down one of the best concerts I've ever been to. It was fun hearing all her new songs and she took Christy and I back with some of her classics too. Britney kept all of us (except Chris) entertained all night!
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"W"

My favorite moment of the day: We planned to take the pups for a walk since it was sunny and 72 degrees. When we finally stepped outside the wind was howling and it looked like it might rain, but Baxter and Jack were so excited we couldn't take them back in. And inevitably about 10 minutes into our walk we started to get pelted by rain and hail. We were like is this seriously happening? There was nothing left to do but run. It was a great sight all four of us dodging precipitation, running, and laughing. I wish I had a camera to capture the moment. It was classic. Especially about halfway home when you could tell how pissed Baxter was because he was losing endurance and the little tubbo was beginning to look more like he was getting dragged along rather than winning the race to cover. Read more...

Daylight Savings: literally speaking

I wish I could round up as much daylight as possible and save it for next winter. It is so depressing to wake up and go to work before the sun comes up and drive home in pitch black. I have been working late nights too giving me absolutely no chance of catching some vitamin D. My poor mexi skin has turned to pale vampire skin. I really love sun and I miss its rays!

The DC area has some wacky weather. A few weeks ago we had the 'Virginia Blizzard' then this past weekend it was beautiful, sunny, and in the 70's. Guess where I got to spend it?!? Bed. I caught some inexplicable, crazy stomach bug (I blame Virginia). Of course my body would wait for the weekend to get sick and during the most perfect one nonetheless! I was hurtin' and I literally could not stand up straight for three days because I was in so much pain.

Whine, whine, whine....Obviously I need a vacation! Read more...

Gramma

Today is my grandma's 82nd birthday...and I know she will never read this so I can be completely honest about everything I love about her. My grandma has always been a big part of my life. I've spent enough time at her house that I would consider it my home. I wish I could hang out with her right now and celebrate. I did the best thing that I could do being 2,000 miles away...a birthday phone call...I could hear the excitement in the background and I longed to be there even more.

Grandma is such a good-hearted, fun-loving little lady. She is so much fun I definitely know where I get my love for gossip, my inability to remember my point in a story, and my natural bossy-ness. Seriously Grandma is so selfless she is always there for us, like second mom.

QVC is Grandma's staple. Growing up she was always buying something new for herself or us from the wonderful home shopping network. She swears by all the products that she buys from there and is always excited to show us her newest treasure. Grandma's love for shopping extends beyond that of what she can order by phone to the many trips that she makes to JCPenney and beyond. She humbly wears the most beautiful jewelry and coordinating outfits. I actually think its the woman beneath that makes everything so beautiful.

I personally feel like bringing a boy home to meet Grandma is just as important as bringing him home to mom and dad. And thankfully it was an instant bond between Tanner and her. I secretly think she may even like him more than me...they are so funny together. Tanner is very interested in everything about Grandma from her grandma skin and its lack of elasticity to her face full of gorgeous wrinkles. Some people get mad at Tanner for bothering her about her aging body but she is not sensitive about it she just laughs and laughs at his intrigue.

With each visit Tanner also tries to learn some new spanish words...he has pointed out to us that Grandma talks to us in english intermixed with spanish, spanglish if you will, and we don't even realize it. Our favorite thing to harrass her about is the fact that she can't say sheets without getting embarrassed. Her cute little accent makes it sound like she needs to wash her mouth out with soap.

I would just like to mention a few more things. Grandma is the greatest cook I know. She makes the best tacos, enchiladas, and tamales on the earth. Really anything she cooks is to die for. And I love her stories...I even got one today when I called her. She told me that today when Grandpa invited her to lunch at the Sizzler, she said she was too tired (not realizing he was asking her out to celebrate her birthday which she said she forgot) she told him to bring her something and she was laughing about what he had shown up with, totinos pizza, you know the kind from the frozen food section...catch my drift on the story-telling?

I could go on and on about my wonderful grandma but its time for bed. Happy birthday Gramma and may you enjoy many more! Read more...

Happy V-Day!

Tanner and I had so much fun hanging out on Valentine's Day. I got off work early enough to hang out a little bit, get to Reston for some long overdue ice skating, and for some of the best sushi we've ever had.

Tanner has been avoiding ice skating like the plague. I have suggested it for many a date-night over the past 6 years and every time I've been denied. He even tried to get out of it on February 14th. Sorry man, can't tell a girl no on Valentine's Day. I'm not sure but us actually making it on the ice may have some correlation with the fact the new sport he loves takes place entirely on the ice...hmmmm? We did have some newfound respect for the Caps players after awkwardly circling around the rink for forty minutes.

It was a night to remember for sure.  Thanks for the memories and for always loving me no matter what.   I love your guts!

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Going Green

Tanner and I woke up to a nice surprise after a crazy night at the Caps game and hanging out in DC. We opened up the sports section of The Washington Post to see our bright, shining faces watching and celebrating Mike Green's open-netter. I can't believe someone froze this moment in time. We love Mike and Tanner actually got one of his hockey sticks after the game...what a night! Read more...