L'année Deux pour Les Amoureux

(Photo courtesty of Alpha Smoot Photography)

Here's to you, Blake, and the best two years of my life.  

We are a happy families.

(Courtesy of Alpha Smoot Photography)

Having two families is a wonderful thing.

Luray! We made it!

This is a little late, but over MLK weekend, we took a day trip down south with the Baughman's to the Luray caverns.

It's about a two hour drive from DC, but the wait was worth it.  We had lively debates in the car on the way down on whether the caverns are pronounced "le-ray" or "loo - ray".  Turns out (according to the audio tour) that it was a combination somewhere in between the two.  BUT, I still say I was right ("loo-ray") because it sounds most southern.

The name Luray also prompted some corny, but oh-so-appropriate jokes:  When we arrived in the parking log: "Luray!  We made it!" etc.  Oh such fun.

Anyhow, enough of these boring words.  Here are some pictures: 

Blake and Me in the main cavern.  We look so good in those audio set headphones.  

Here is Chris pondering the evolution of stalactites and stalagmites.  Indubitably, sir.

Here the lovely Maeve and I discover the wonders of the bride's veil.

Super tourist, Chris and Maeve in front of Dream Lake.

Just looking surprised at the fact that the audio tour has now answered all of the questions we'd voiced to each other previously about the cave.  It must be psychic.

And last but not least, here is as photo of the Dream Lake.  If DC as a whole didn't already make you want to visit me, doesn't the promise of a spelunk in a cave make you all want to visit?  It was by far the best cavern that I've ever seen.  I could hardly believe that all we had to do was walk into a gift shop and down two flights of stairs to see all this.  I highly recommend it.

Home Sweet Office

The long weekend was nice.  I celebrated birthdays with family, got creamed at bowling with friends, did six loads of laundry, watched some good movies, and slept in a lot. 

But nothing chases away those good holiday memories quite like coming into work, discovering a pint of drippy, rancid milk in the office fridge and spending the next hour scrubbing it out.

So. Tired.

This week has been one of the longest weeks of my life.  And I have absolutely nothing to show for it. 

Well, nothing but the troupe of angry red stress zits currently staging a coup on my chin.

For the Love of Chocolate!

I won third place with these bad boys (Homemade Oreos) in the For the Love of Chocolate competition at work last week.

What's For the Love of Chocolate, you ask?  It's only the single best day at Georgetown Law each year.  It's a fundraising event for a student scholarship fund.  You can pay $5.00 for all-you-can-eat chocolate for three hours.  Or, you can enter a homemade chocolate dessert in the competition and not have to pay the entry fee.

I didn't win first prize (which was a dinner cruise for two on the Potomac), but I did win third prize, which was a new set of measuring cups from Sur la Table.

Mostly I just came home with bragging rights.  And an uncomfortably full-of-chocolate stomach.  Maybe eating five of these plus two full plates of other chocolate desserts was a bad idea?

Knitters' Anonymous

On Wednesdays at work I go to Craft Circle at lunch with a few of my colleagues.

Some knit (that'd be me), some crochet, some talk, others have no choice but to listen.

Usually we have lengthy conversations about pets - especially a certain White German Shepard - and such novelties as snuggies, but today we had a lively discussion (read: argument) about the price of chicken and how to make chicken stock.  I mentioned how it was cheaper for me to buy a whole cooked chicken and use it for a week than it is for me to buy and cook refrigerated chicken breasts.  I got slammed. 

And the conversation ended in my flatly being informed that what I was arguing was like comparing navel oranges to tangerines. 

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I really love my job.

The formula for a successful superbowl.

Spicy garlic wings + sugar cookies + chips and salsa + bacon guac + artichoke dip + blue cheese dipped veggies + Doritos + chocolate chip cookies + sugary drinks + cupcakes + baked pretzels with mustard = biggest superbowl hangover I've ever had.

B.Y.O.M.

Bring your own mug.  Just a sampling from the fun sendoff  we had for the Waldrips on Friday.

Thanks, Maeve, for the wonderful idea!

(Check out http://www.photoboother.com/ to photobooth-ify your photos.  Brought to you by my friend Rubi's talented husband...)

Tuesdaze

It's 11:21, and after several neck-itchy hours, I've just realized that my sweater is on backwards.