Six Years

Blake and I celebrated our six year anniversary this past Saturday.  It's hard to believe that it's been six years since we got married, and over seven years since we started dating.  Time truly does fly.

Before I regale you with tales of our anniversary celebration, let me was mushy for just a moment.  Blake is a truly wonderful human being.  Anyone who knows him will heartily agree that he is one of the nicest people they've ever met.  You know how some people have resting grumpy face (always with a frown)?, well, Blake has resting happy face. There are very few times when I've ever seen him without a smile.  He is incredibly socially gifted and is able to talk with anyone and make them feel at ease.  He makes up for my awkwardness (and all my other shortcomings) in spades and has helped temper my anxious nature.  He puts up with my constant projects and odd ideas and the fact that I never laugh out loud (I only shake and occasionally giggle/snort).  He gallantly survived the past couple years when my hormones would have made most people head for the hills.  In short: he's the best.  There's no denying it.  He's just the best.

But before I bore you all with more declarations of my affections...

Because I'm rarely making it past 9 p.m. these days and because Blake was recovering from a cold, we decided to do our celebrating during the day rather than the evening.  Neither of us had done much adventuring in National Harbor, so we made reservations at Redstone American Grill and had a late lunch.  The food was good (our favorite was the complimentary "morning bread" that they bring you, which was more like an entire blueberry poundcake with frosting - yum!), the service was great, and it was right on the water, so the view was beautiful.  It was a gray and icy day, but that made it all the more peaceful to look out at the boats and the snow in the marina.

After lunch we rode the Capital Wheel, from which you can see more of Alexandria and the Potomac than you can of the Capital...but it was still fun.  Of course the only picture we took together that day was the promotional one that the folks at the Capital Wheels try to make you buy for some outlandish price.  Let me tell you, that was not our best photo.  Not even close.  Needless to say, we did not purchase it.

So here's a photo of us from this fall where we are not bundled up to the gills, and where we actually look somewhat normal.  I further resolve to take more photos this year - I'm hoping that once Maybe arrives we'll have more of an incentive to document our lives and I'll worry less about how un-photogenic I am.

Shopping DC: Mid-Century Furniture

I'm not quite sure where this week went, but here were are at the holiday weekend already!  Blake is out golfing (I opted out of that one...), I'm lounging around the house reading and writing, and we've got fun plans for the evening that include furniture/building materials shopping (here and here) and eating at Busboys and Poets, one of our favorite local places.

So in honor of what is probably my favorite furniture store in the DC area, today's post is about where to find the best mid-century furniture (best being fact. not opinion ;))

1.  Peg Leg Vintage
Peg Leg is located in College Park, MD, just inside the beltway.  It's along Baltimore Avenue, only a couple miles from IKEA, so anytime I have to go to IKEA, I reward myself with a trip to Peg Leg afterward.  It's a great bribe.

The couple that owns the shop are just the coolest people. Every time I go in, I end up talking furniture with them for 45 minutes, and wishing I could stay longer.  Oh boy. I'm that customer.  They'll answer any questions you have about the pieces and even give you ideas for how to style it.  They'll encourage you to lounge on a chair you're eyeing - just to make sure it meets your comfort needs - and will even move other furniture around so you can get the full effect of putting your feet out on the ottoman while completely reclined in a Mister chair.  Do I sound like I speak from experience?

It's not a huge store, but their inventory is constantly changing.  Also, the owners said they always have 10-15 storage units packed full with other furniture, so if you're looking for something specific, let them know and they'll search for it for you.  Last time I was in they mentioned that they were on the lookout for a warehouse space so that they could display all their furniture at once for monthly warehouse sales.  I'm hoping that happens soon.

One of my favorite things about Peg Leg is that they don't spend time re-doing the furniture.  They just buy good stuff.  That way, they don't charge you an arm and a (peg) leg for anything.  I've been pleasantly surprised about how good the prices are.  I know it's off the beaten path, but I think their location also allows them to price things fairly.

2.  Modern Mobler
If you want to see some absolutely gorgeous restored mid century furniture, look no further than Modern Mobler.  They have locations on Georgia Avenue in NW Washington DC and in Kensington, MD along antique row.

Unlike Peg Leg Vintage, Modern Mobler's prices are not low, but I would venture to say that they're fair.  Each piece they display has been expertly restored to look like new.  They have a full-time restorationist employed for their two stores and you can tell that he puts love and attention into each piece.

So, you might not be able to go in and pick up a few items on a whim, but you'll be blown away by the eye candy.  The employees also know a ton about the furniture and are happy to answer questions.  It's almost a museum experience.

3.  Miss Pixie's
Miss Pixie's is located on 14th Street in a newly revitalized area of DC.  It's not strictly mid-century, so you'll probably see it pop up on other lists, but it usually has some great mid-century pieces.

Some pros to Miss Pixie's:  It's a large space and they have a great revolving inventory of fun pieces.  It's also pretty moderately priced.
Some cons to Miss Pixie's:  It's right in the heart of hipster-ville and things that are "fairly priced" maybe listed a bit higher than they otherwise would be.  That said, it is great fun to people-watch in this area and I love over-hearing people in the store talking about what they're going to do with a particular piece.  Lots of great ideas!

After you're done getting lost in Miss Pixie's, there are a ton of other great furniture stores in the area to busy yourself in for the rest of the day.  And if you need a break from all the inspiration?  I recommend treating yourself to a Peanut Butter Bacon Burger and a milkshake (while taking in whatever black and white film they're showing on the wall) at the new 14th Street Ted's Bulletin location.

Field of Dreams

Sorry for the radio silence lately.  You'll be glad to know, however, that it's been a very productive silence.

We received bad news about our last IVF cycle last Friday.  I had a nice ugly-cry for a while, then turned to the interwebs to read all about my new protocol for this coming cycle.  Let me tell you, the internet is a great and calming place to a gal doing IVF.  There are so many chat rooms, message boards, blog posts, and articles that I can browse to my heart's content.

About twenty minutes after I got off the phone with the doctor, my parents arrived at our house direct from their flight from Italy (they'd been there for the 10 previous days for work).  So we all had another good cry.  It was a soggy day.

But the best part of their coming to town was that we got a mini vacation.  It took me a couple days to start feeling normal again as the meds left my system, but then we had a grand time together.

We tagged along with the BYU Law group to see West Side Story at the National Theater.  I'd forgotten all of the fun music in that show.  That said, this particular interpretation of the show was pretty darn dark and depressing.  Also, it's hard to buy guys as tough gang members when they're so obviously teeny dude ballerinas.  The Sharks and Jets have never looked less intimidating.

We also ate out at all our favorite places with my parents.  Pacci's Trattoria (it says something that even though my parents had been in Italy for 10 days, they still wanted to eat here right away), District Taco, Parkway Deli, and Seasons 52.  It was a busy, and full, week.

My Dad left the day after the conference ended, but my mom stayed an extra couple days to hang out.  It was the first week in a long time that I haven't been abundantly medicated.  I can't tell you how wonderful it's been to start feeling more normal.  Even though I'd be happy to start right up again, I'm sort of glad that this new protocol has a built-in time off period.  No daily shots for a bit! Hallelujah!

My mom and I spent a lot of our time working on the someday nursery.  I think I'm going to start calling it Maybe - the Maybe Baby, just for ease of description.

Over the past few years my philosophy has been "don't count your chickens before they hatch."  I haven't really let myself buy or do anything baby-related because I didn't want it to bring more cosmic bad luck on me.  But, at this point, it's not like our luck could really get worse, so my philosophy has changed to one of "if you build it, they will come."

Now, as a self-admitted non sports enthusiast, it's funny that I'm governing my life with a quote from a baseball movie, but I've got to say that it's helping my outlook immensely.  So, with that in mind, Maybe's room got a preliminary gender-neutral make-over.

We painted the walls a soft grey and made black-out curtains for the big window that gets sun all day long.  These sheets from West Elm were marked down 50% and then an extra 15% off at the register. It's hard to tell from the photo below, but they're a white background with small navy blue arrows that almost look like polka dots from far away.  I bought the king set and used the flat sheet to make two panels.  We lined them with a heavy white black-out fabric (also 50% off at JoAnn's - it was my lucky day!) and they now hang beautifully.

After using the flat sheet for the drapes, I've still got two king-sized pillow cases and a huge fitted sheet.  I'm going to make a few crib sheets and a quilt with all the extras.  So, for $70, I'll be getting two lined curtains, three crib sheets, two pillowcases (for someday big kid beds) and a quilt.  That's not too shabby!

Nosh and Celebrate

A look at last week's dinner menu:

Monday
Blake was out of town for work, so I just ate odds and ends.  I tend to do that when left to fend for myself - usually meals consist of vegetables dipped in hummus and bread with cheese.  It's simple, but it keeps me happy.

Tuesday
Spicy Sriracha Chicken & Quinoa Bowl
Salad

*Verdict: This is quickly becoming one of our favorite dishes. It's quick and delicious and fairly healthy.  It is great the next day as leftovers for lunch, too, which adds to its appeal.

Wednesday
Caribbean Jerk Salmon Bowl with Mango Salsa

*Verdict: WOW. I'm adding this to our rotation for sure.  It tasted light, fresh and extremely flavorful.  I think it's the perfect way to use an inexpensive (frozen) piece of Salmon.  The jerk spices take away any of the fishy taste that a cheaper piece of fish may have.  Win-win!

Thursday
BLAKE'S BIRTHDAY!
Avocado Chicken Enchiladas
Spicy rice and beans
Dark Chocolate Sorbet

Verdict: The Avocado Enchiladas are at the top of Blake's list and he requested them specifically for his birthday dinner.  I'm not sure if that says something about how good they are, or just how mediocre the Mexican restaurants are around here, but either way I call it a success.  I substitute plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream in the sauce and you can't tell the difference.

And ok.  This dark chocolate sorbet?  Run, don't walk, to your nearest grocery store to buy the ingredients.  It's the most chocolatey dessert you'll ever taste - Blake declared it his new favorite dessert of all time.  We served it with fresh raspberries and Heath Bar pieces.  It is decadent to the extreme.  I wish I'd taken pictures because it turned out beautifully, but we ate it all before I thought to do so - it was that good.

On another food-related, but not cooking note: I wanted the birthday celebrations to start out nice and early, so we started the morning off right by having Blake blow out candles on a stack of donuts.  There's nothing quite like waking up to a chocolate donut pile, am I right?

And because we wanted it to be an even 20,000 calorie day, we met up for lunch downtown at Taylor Gourmet for a Race Street and a bag of jalapeño chips.  It doesn't get much better than that.  A day full of food and celebrating my Blake.  That's my idea of a good time.

Tidal Basin blossoms and the mysterious Wharf

I probably post the same pictures every year, but I can't help taking more each time I visit the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin.  I went twice this year: one by myself on a morning jog, and once with Blake, Bear, Brady (Blake's brother's dog) and some of Blake's friends from work.  Both days had fantastic weather and a manageable amount of tourists, so it was enjoyable on all levels.

I made the mistake of wearing white pants when we went with the dogs. By the end of the morning they were looking not-so white.  Having dogs jump all over you and then eating lunch on a derelict cement retaining wall at The Wharf will do that to you.  Go figure.

Bear loved the people and wanted to watch the paddle boats go by.  We got stopped every few feet (per usual) by people asking what type of dog he was, if they could pet him, and (my favorite) if they could take pictures with him.  Yep. He was a hit with the young Japanese tourist crowd.  I wonder how many instagram accounts he's showing up on because of it.

We had a terrible, snowy winter this year, so I was worried that the blossoms might not come in force. But, luckily, I was wrong.  We hit it at the exact right time - the trees were practically weighted down under all the fluffy pink blooms.  It smelled like heaven...and gave me allergies enough to last through the weekend.

Because the Cherry Blossom Festival was going on, a lot of the cross-streets were closed and it was nearly impossible to drive across the Mall to the basin.  We had to get creative with our navigation and ended up parking along the SW waterfront on a street we'd never been down before.  As we were walking along, I recognized the wharf from several DC-based movies I've seen.  I'd never known where that location was until now.  I would compare it to a miniature version of Pike Place Market in Seattle.  Minus the trinket sellers and beautiful flower stalls.  But that stink of fresh seafood and open-air shrimp slinging?  Yep, that's reminiscent for sure.

For $15.95 we got two crab cake sandwiches, fries, hush puppies and a drink.  Not bad, right?  I can't believe we'd never heard of The Wharf before (maybe we're just that out of it...or not hip enough).  It'd be a great place to take out-of-towners who want an authentic eastern seafood meal.  We'll be back again for sure.

Back to reality

I'm quite sure that the worst day of the year is the last day of summer vacation.  It's melancholy to think that I won't be spending any more time in the sun or gallivanting off on trips with our family for the next while.  Sigh. That plane ride home is always a somber time.

I arrived at work on Monday to over 180 emails.  This made me want to throw my computer my third story window.  This also made me want to turn right around and leave for another week.  Of course I did neither, but that didn't prevent my having an internal monologue all day where I griped to myself about life's hardships.

So, to pep myself up I'll recount our California trip and relive it through pictures.  I realize that this will provide entertainment to no one but myself, but so be it.  Feel free to click on through to a more interesting blog where you can peruse less grainy photos.

Day 1-ish: Pacific Grove
We arrived at the Monterey airport (late) and waited 45 minutes for our bags.  This may not seem significant, but let's take into account that we were the only flight arriving that night and that we had brought carry-on suitcases. 

Why would we need to wait for our carry-on bags, you ask?

Good question.  The plane from Denver to Monterey was so small that we had to gate check our carry-on bags.  We were assured that we'd be able to pick them up on the tarmac when we exited the plane. ("Within 5 minutes").  We waited 10 minutes on the tarmac and then were told that they didn't have the man power to get the gate-checked bags off at that time and that we'd have to wait at the baggage claim.

After waiting 20 minutes at the baggage claim we looked around for someone to give us a status update.  THERE WERE NO WORKERS TO BE FOUND IN THE ENTIRE AIRPORT.  15 minutes later someone came in to say that they still didn't have the manpower to get our bags, but they would be coming soon.  Let me include here again that our flight (about 25 people) was the only arrival that night and that the distance between the plane and the baggage claim was probably less than 50 yards.  At this point I was so frustrated that I would have offered to lug the bags off the plane - and if I could have found an airport employee, I probably would have.

Our (carry-on) bags finally arrived after 45 minutes, and we took off for our hotel.  This made our travel day an even 12 hours.

Thanks to a steal of a deal on Priceline, we snagged a room at the Centralla Inn in Pacific Grove. My parents weren't arriving until Sunday, but it made more sense for us to fly out on Saturday, so we stayed the night in this charming bed and breakfast three blocks from the ocean.

Our room was the one in the top right with the bay window.  It was so charming.  It also came with a full made-to-order breakfast.  I had a feta and bell pepper quiche and potatoes, scones, fruit etc. on the side.  I ate 8 scones and came away feeling exactly like this gopher looks: (yes, it was worth it).

We spent the morning walking around Pacific Grove and Lover Point Beach.  I was unprepared for 57 degrees and fog, but it was otherwise very pleasant.  My parents picked us up around noon and after making a stop at the grocery store, a Mexican joint, and a Bagel shop we all headed to the house in Pebble Beach.

Day 2: Big Sur
The four of us (Blake, my parents and I) drove down the coast to see Bixby Bridge and Big Sur.  The PCH is gorgeous, but hilly and topsy-turvy, so it was lucky I had such great scenery to stare at out the front window as I tried to keep my stomach in check.

My Dad waited for a lull in traffic and ran out into the middle of Bixby, but I stayed safely on the road and away from any edges.  [Side note: I am terrified of heights.  Not really the heights themselves, but more the fact that when I'm standing at the edge I get an urge to jump - just to see what it feels like.  It's this urge that scares me most.  Judge me how you will.]  The picture below includes Blake, me, Bixby bridge...and my Mom's finger for good measure.

The fog broke as we drove up the coast and we had the most beautiful blue sky.  We ate lunch at Ventana and the view of the ocean was incredible.  (The food was delicious, too!). 

...more tomorrow so that this doesn't become the longest post of all time...

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 Pink House Ladies do DC (more photos)

Rachel kindly circulated her photos from last weekend and I had to share those, too.

Here we are after having dinner at my house on Friday night.  We missed Allie (who was on her way down from New York) and Ashton (who was holding down the fort in Utah), but had a grand time together doing what we do best: eating and talking a-mile-a-minute.

The next morning we met up at the Capitol for a tour.  Due to our baby-friends, we got elevator passes for our group, which was pretty amazing.

Rachel and I got there early (and I even parallel parked successfully for the first time! Fist pump!) and walked around the Capitol grounds playing tourist.

What touristing would be complete without the arm-extension shot?  Two Rachel's are better than one!

After our tour we walked in the sweltering heat over to Good Stuff Eatery for hamburgers and the best shakes known to mankind (the Milky Way Malt rocks my world).

Lucky for us, we got the only seats on the main floor and set up camp by barricading ourselves in with strollers.  Best lunch fort ever.

Nats, Hats and Friends

Oh what a blissfully wonderful weekend!

After dealing with the heat and humidty over Memorial Day, I thought summer was here to stay.  But, thankfully I was wrong.  This past weekend temperatures reverted back to the spring - low 70's, clear skies and a breeze.  We took advantage of the weather and spent as much time as possible outside.

Meg and Stephen are living here for the summer while Stephen does an internship. They arrived Friday night amidst thundering skies and tornado warnings (so, I retract my previous statement...the weather was awful on Friday, but made up for it on Saturday and Sunday).  We celebrated the beginning of their DC adventure by introducing them to our favorite Italian joint - Pacci's and by cuddling Ivy and laughing at the extreme 90's-ness of Jeff Bridges in Arlington Road.

Saturday morning we perused a rather sad neighborhood yard sale (where my neighbors tried, forcefully and unsuccessfully, to persuade Stephen and Meg to buy all manner of used baby items) and drove five minutes with Meg and Stephen to their new place.

Blake and I spent the rest of the afternoon gardening, grocery shopping, and going to the National's game with Tiffany and Ryan.  Tiffany's company gave us each a ticket, a National's hat and $15.00 to spend on food.  In a word, it was amazing.  The weather was perfect, the company was fabulous, the Nat's won, and Shake Shack was as delicious as always.  (I love that there is a Shake Shack at National's Stadium!)

Here we are.  I'm looking a little worse for wear in the sun and wind.  Oh well. 

I will say this: after discovering the incredible comfort of Haines men's undershirts, I may never sport a real shirt in the summer again.  Those things are amazing.  Go out and buy some right now.

Our best friend Pacci

I made it through my big deadline at work and feel like the weight of the world is finally off my shoulders.

To celebrate, Blake and I ventured down the road a bit to try Pacci's Pizzeria.  I'd heard rave reviews, and we love Pacci's Trattoria so much that we're there on a weekly basis, so we figured we'd better give the sister restaurant a try. 

It was incredible.  Fellow Washingtonians may think I blashpheme when I say it's better than 2Amys, but it's absolutely true.  It blows 2Amys out of the water.  Try it.  I'm sure you won't disagree.

I'd like to tell you that Blake and I only got the dessert pizza shown below (which, by the way, was shockingly good.  Like died-and-gone-to-foody-heaven good.)  But alas, I would be lying.  Between the two of us we shared a La Diavolo and a a Mast'Nicola and the Nutelloco you see below. 

I may have been painfully full, I may have felt a little sick, but I wasn't (and still am not) ashamed at my gluttony.  It was a celebration and it was so worth it.

That's Good Stuff.

I feel like we spend a lot of time eating when we have guests in town.  Or, if not eating, then figuring out where we're going to eat next or how many different restaurants we can fit into one day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert....midnight snack?). 

So when my cousin Glenn came down from Cornell a couple of weeks ago, we practically gorged ourselves every day.  I had to remind myself that I was not, in fact, on vacation, and that I should at least try to stick to my normal food intake.  Even with my internal checks-and-balances reminder system, I still ended up feeling uncomfortably full for almost the whole weekend.

I mean, look at those piles of trash in front of us in the photos below.  Man, that was Good Stuff.  Literally.  

I got the toasted marshmallow shake for the first time.  It was (ahem) too overwhelmingly sweet for me.  I know, blasphemy.  I can usually handle my sweets, but this was just too much.  I had to have Glenn finish it for me. 

What I'm really trying to say is: come visit us.  You'd like it.  But be sure to be gastronomically prepared for a food marathon.