27 - A very special birthday

Blake and I have been trying to go to Rasika together for years.  You generally have to make reservations two months in advance, and even when we do remember to make reservations, we always have something come up at the last minute so we have to cancel (I'm sure to the delight of folks on the waiting list). 

The cosmos finally aligned.  We arrived for my birthday dinner and were seated at one of the small, intimate tables in the dimly lit restaurant.  I say intimate not because it was in any way romantic for the two of us, but rather because we quickly became intimate with our neighbors - who were sitting practically shoulder to shoulder with us.

Along with everyone else that night (and probably everyone to eat there in the history of the restaurant), we ordered the Palak Chat as an appetizer.  It was divine.  But, I digress.

The couple at the table next to ours finished inhaling that heavenly spinach at about the same time we did and were (as we were) chatting amongst themselves while they waited for the main course.  That is until he was suddenly down on one knee 3 inches from me with a small box and a shaking hand outstretched toward his date.

It took me a moment to process what was happening.  In that moment and the short time following, I witnessed the world's most awkward proposal:

-Three seconds of "I love you so much. Will you marry me?" whilst Blake and I tried to shy left so as to create an extra few inches between us and the awkward.

-Approximately .5 seconds of a squeaky "yes" from the now fiancee, whilst Blake and I try in vain to not be included in the photos that are now being snapped from across the room.

- Another 30 seconds explaining "I was going to propose at home last night when we got takeout, but decided to wait until now."  Oh gosh, buddy. A proposal over takeout?  I'm so glad you waited. 

- Followed by 30 seconds of Blake and me wondering if we should congratulate them.  Then 10 seconds of actually congratulating them.

This all took - I kid you not - less than a minute and a half, making this quite possibly the shortest and most awkward proposal known to man.

I think being a part of a stranger's proposal is maybe the best accidental birthday gift I've ever received.

The weakest cat

	I'M WRITING IN
	A pen may be stronger than a memory, but cats really take it to the next level.  Spend your evening writing profound poetry in cats here.

On why my life is really exciting.

I had myself an existential crisis the other day while I was cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast.

I grabbed a paper towel and started wiping off the counters (sesame seed bagels are delicious, but oh so messy).  I swept the crumbs off and into my hand to dump into the garbage can.  But what I thought was a particularly large crumb turned out to be a feisty black spider.  A black spider that I'd just swept into my open palm.

It only took me a fraction of a second to realize that the "crumb" was moving, and just a fraction of a second more to squeak with disgust and frantically shake my hand. But that moment was enough time to sufficiently question the essence of my existence.  Spiders chill me to my core.

No time to question the futility of life, though.  The panicked hand shaking/finger solved the problem only momentarily.  And that was a mistake.  It was time to get to the task at hand - searching out the little deviant and re-sweeping the sesame seeds.  Thank goodness for the peace of mind a good vacuuming brings.

Brookside Gardens

I recently read an article about Brookside Gardens and was scandalized that Blake and I hadn't ventured there in the three years we've been living in our home.  It's only about a 10 minute drive north of us (and it's free!) and yet I'd never heard of it before.

Yesterday afternoon was perfect weather, so we took a leisurely stroll through the gardens.  I couldn't believe how beautiful it was - it puts the National Arboretum and National Botanical Gardens to shame.  Everything was impeccably groomed and signed.  It was quiet (even with all the tourists) and it felt like we were a million miles away from the city.

We unknowingly timed it just right for the rose garden.  Now, I'm not a fan of the grocery store variety roses, but garden roses? Sign me up.  They smelled divine and the colors were so vibrant that they looked almost fake (i.e. no filters or editing on the photos below). 

Just when I think I've seen everything there is to see in DC, places like this pop out of the ether and surprise me. 

Without further ado, let's take a pictorial jaunt through the roses:

A Fine Frenzy

 

Did I mention the reason we went down to Florida last weekend?

 

Blake's parents' new home was completely empty aside from four mattresses.  So, we spent the weekend on a whirlwind shopping tour to set up house.  Let me tell you. Three days of shopping is not for the faint of heart.

 

Marilyn (Blake's Mom) had never been to Home Goods before.  I convinced her that it was the best place to start, so we headed there straight from the airport.  She didn't seem too excited as we were walking up to the store, but as soon as we walked in, I could tell that the tides were turning.  She looked like a kid in a candy store - rushing from lamps to side tables to bedding to pillows in an absolute frenzy.

 

Three hours (three hours!) later, we struggled to the cashier with four overflowing carts and a flat-bed dolly crammed with furniture.  Then, we calmly led the helpful sales associate outside to help us bring the haul to the car. 

 

I'm fairly certain he was expecting a U-Haul or a truck, so I was not surprised by the skeptical look on his face as we approached and beeped opened the trunk.  It was a small SUV and it already had our luggage piled in.  But, through no small feat (and probably due to loads of previous x-box tetris playing) we managed to fit it all in.  Sure, we had stuff on our laps and stuffed around our feet, but we did it.  I've even got a picture of Marilyn in the back seat to prove it. 

 

I've successfully turned her into a Home Goods convert.  I see my work here is done.

 

Flo Rida

Blake and I went to Florida over the weekend and I only took one picture.  But maybe this one picture counts extra because it's so awesome.

Blake's parents just bought a vacation home in a golfing community that almost seems like Disneyland for adults.  Everyone has a golf cart, and almost everyone uses their golf cart instead of a car.  The have their own lanes on the roads and special parking spaces at the grocery store and movie theater.  We went out to a movie on Saturday night and had to park quite far away because we'd driven a car and the golf carts had the primo parking spots. 

Some folks even have their carts pimped out to look like mini escalades, hummers and rolls royces.  It's incredible! 

It definitely feels like a make believe world world down there - one filled with key lime trees, humid 105 degree weather, jaguar golf carts and pools that don't allow anyone under 30 (whoops!). 

Anyhow, our flight back yesterday was delayed several agonizing hours, and we didn't get home until around 4:00 a.m.  I'm tired enough that I'm questioning my coherence, so I'm going to stop typing before I stop making sense.