Spontaneous Flowers

I had a great weekend with the guy who gave me this lovely orchid.  Maybe I'll write about it later. :) . .

Happy Friday!

I took a spontaneous day off today to watch my wonderful friend graduate from her residency program at Walter Reed Army Hospital / Bethesda Naval Hospital. Yay for Dr. Katie (KC)!

We had lunch at Chef Geoff's with friends and some family and then . . cupcakes, what else?

Which should I try first? Coconut, white raspberry, chocolate peanut butter chip, lemon blossom, hazelnut, or milk chocolate?

These are the kind of fun decisions everyone should have on a Friday. Decisions with a side of milk. :)

Magnolias

I'm typing my first post from my smartphone, so fingers crossed that it works!

I thought I hated this magnolia tree, which houses a million birds that love to go on my car when I'm parked in the driveway. . BUT I took a moment to admire the blooms today and now I want to cut one down and drink in the lovely scent.

Florida Weekend

D and I spent a long weekend in Florida last month, and despite a brief rainstorm and a gnarly sunburn {I got FRIED}, we had a wonderful time.

Our primary reason for taking the trip was The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach. TPC Sawgrass was a gorgeous course to say the least, and I loved seeing new and familiar pro golfers teeing off up close. Although not as skilled or knowledgeable as D, I love to golf and even watch it on occasion. The Golf Channel just so happens to be a client of D's, so they supplied us with some free tix for the last two days of the event.

We spent a fair amount of time at the 17th hole, a tough one in which the golfers needed to hit their drive out to the island green. Here is a glimpse of the gallery looking on.

During a three hour rainstorm, we took cover at Urban Flatbread and indulged in the s'mores/peanut butter cup dessert.

We also swung by the beach to dip our toes in the water.

In addition to the tournament, we stayed with my cousins in Celebration one night, grilling out burgers and watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the nearby Polynesian Resort.

We also spent an evening with my D.C. friend Lauren at her family's home. You can see why I never wanted to leave. ;)

Lauren's friend was able to get us into Magic Kingdom for FREE the next day, a special treat since I had never been to that park. A Monday in May meant short or no lines for all the rides, too!

All in all, a too short but lovely trip south!

Brunch at a Brewery

On my list of Favorite Things In the Whole World is definitely Having Brunch with my Boyfriend.

This typically happens every Sunday after church, and lately it has involved patios and adult beverages.

Mad Fox Brewing Company is one of my preferred places to dine these days, and we experienced their brunch for the first time this past weekend.

It started with three flavors of donuts . . one being caramel bacon. Insert drooling here.

And it ended with an egg and brisket burrito.

{Picture a huge burrito.}

Um, yes.

It's a good thing we've done P90X a couple of times this week. That's all I'm sayin'.

Memorial Day Pie

One of my favorite things about this past weekend was the small BBQ we had at D's place. We were invited to another cookout, but were set on having our own . . even if it meant it was just the two of us.

Fortunately, we ended up with five guests for some yummy food, nice conversation and a little game of cornhole.

I referred to the grilling edition of Food Network Magazine (I love it!) for a few recipes, including dessert:



While beginning to bake, I had a few moments of panic when I realized that D did not own the following necessary items called for in the recipe:

1. a food processor
2. a fine mesh sieve
3. vanilla extract

Baking should not be done at a boy's house. Duh.

I began referring to the dessert as "Banana Cream Crunch" with the expectation that the sugar cone crust I had crumbled with my own two hands was not going to be much of a firm crust.

But! I was proven wrong, and the PIE was liked by all. A successful BBQ, I'd say!

Memorial Day Ending

All I will say about this weekend is that a) it was perfect and b) it ended with this:



. . . and the Cosby Show on Netflix.

Aaaaah . . .

Mom and Dad Visit D.C.

Hello Lovely Blog Friends! There is much to catch up on. Since last I wrote, my parents came to town for a fun 5 day visit, and The Biscuit and I went down to Florida for an extended weekend ourselves.

First things first, though - let's start with my parents' trip.

As soon as they got into town, I took them straight to my favorite BBQ place, Rocklands. It was a cool night, perfect for eating at the picnic tables outside.



The next morning, we drove down to Colonial Williamsburg for the day, the largest living history museum in the country. I already loved Williamsburg before this trip, but I had never spent time touring the more historic part of town. Let me tell you, I was soaking it up.

I couldn't believe how well the actors made you feel as though you were back in time, as we observed them at work on a farm, in a cobbler's shop, a seamstress shop and more. We certainly didn't allow enough time to see as much as we would've liked.







I'm not sure what you'd call those flutes they're playing, but they were helping to reenact an historic scene.



This maze was hidden behind the Governor's Palace, and we attempted to find our way through.



And here is the Governor's Palace, restored to look exactly as it did in the 1700s, both inside and out.



And here is perhaps a pantry . . and a place to store your wigs? :)



We wandered through the Merchant Square, and I recommended we eat at the Cheese Shop, a place my roommate has taken me a few times before. Mmm, delicious sandwiches.



Among other activities, my parents and D's parents went up to Baltimore to enjoy the Inner Harbor and catch the Orioles v. Yankees game at Camden Yards.



I chose to wear my Yankees hat, much to his dismay.



It was Easter weekend, and we spent part of the day with my cousin and his family in Bethesda. It was too pretty outside to not take pictures in our Sunday best.



We were happy to also have my cousin Josh and his wife Erica in town from Chicago. In addition to family time on Easter, we visited the Newseum together, and hid from the heavy rain at the Lincoln Memorial.



Before seeing my parents off, I took them to . . well, to my orthodontist appointment, followed by Counter Burger and an introduction to gelato.



Mom and Dad say they plan to come at least once a year from now on, and I can't wait until they visit again!

Food Trucks

D.C. is one of several cities across the country that has recently been flooded with . . food trucks.

Not Schwanns man food trucks, but trucks that park in different parts of the city each day to sell their specialties to lunch-goers.

There's a lobster truck, a mac n cheese truck, a pie truck, a kabob truck, a taco truck, a pizza truck, and the list goes on.



I ventured out for lunch the other day and found several trucks parked on the GW campus.



After much deliberation, I finally decided on Sabor'a Street arepas, because I had no idea what an arepa was! Turns out it consists of two thick corn flour patties with meat (or fish or cheese or eggs) piled in between. I ordered the mojo beef brisket (with a unique pico de gall0), and it was incredibly delicious, served with yucca and a lime aioli sauce on the side.



I almost walked away without stopping by Curbside Cupcakes. Almost.

Snackin' and Parents' Visit

Mmm, try this:

Toasted chips and Port Salut cheese. It's delish!



My parents arrive tomorrow for 5 days! I have lots of fun planned, and hopefully this means plenty of posts to come. Happy "Friday" to me! :)

Girls Weekend

This weekend, I'm getting away to Williamsburg with my Katies. One Katie is happily celebrating a birthday, and the other is sadly moving away in a few months.

Both are good reasons for some girl time.

Have a great weekend!

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

The Biscuit loves Snickerdoodles.

So when we stumbled upon the Snickerdoodle Cookie flavor of Ben & Jerry's the other week, we took it to his place and devoured it.

It was so delicious that when I got the urge to bake last weekend, Snickerdoodle cupcakes happened. Let's just say I'm glad we decided not to eliminate desserts completely from our diets . . . just six days out of the week.

Becoming a Basketball Fan

This year, I have watched more basketball than ever before. And I've liked it! At the beginning of the season, I probably scored a C- on the NBA quiz D gave me, but I've since learned a lot about proper pronunciation (hehe) and who plays where.

This week, D and I went to our 3rd NBA game this month. Wizards v. Heat. This time we weren't in a suite, and you know I really missed the free food. :)

Nonetheless, it was an exciting game. A fight on the court and three players kicked out.

I've now seen Kobe, Blake Griffin, LeBron, DWade, and Chris Bosh play ball. And D is so proud that I know all of their names. :) p.s. I LOVE Blake Griffin.

Mr. Styles

Today the Biscuit was unofficially 'voted' the best-dressed guy in his division at work. Duh. :) He's so handsome.

Here he is, one of two guys that actually dressed appropriately for our country-themed party last weekend. It's nice not having to dress your man.

Use Your Imagination

Hello Friends!

I’m alive and well (especially after a 3-day weekend), and I keep taking pictures of all that I’ve been up to, but I just can’t find, er make, the time to post them. Problem.

So instead, just close your eyes and imagine a row of elephants standing on their hind legs, because that’s what I saw the other night at the circus. Also, how on Earth do they walk up the tightrope with someone standing on their shoulders??

Ok, now close your eyes and picture two thick pieces of French toast with shaved turkey and crumbles of bacon in between . . soaked in maple syrup, of course. It was delicious!

As was the chicken sandwich with goat cheese, grilled pineapple, and apricot sauce. I made that combination up, and you’ve gotta try it!

I can’t believe this month is almost over, but I’m so ready for April! On top of finicky weather, it’s been an expensive month for me. Remember, I’m on a major saving kick (or should I say I’m embracing a new saving lifestyle), but this month made it harder. I had to purchase a bridesmaid dress, a plane ticket, Black Keys concert tickets, a kickball registration, and a couple of Living Social deals . . ok, maybe the “deals” were unnecessary.

Happy Last Week of March! Here's a warm bowl of soup for those of you in chilly temps.

What are you looking forward to in April? Please tell me! Hello? Are you still there? ;)

Five Things

Hello Blog Friends!

I'm popping in to give a little update on everything that's been happening around here. Ok, not everything - just five things.

For starters, the Biscuit went country dancing with me and my friends! And I am happy to report that the boy has rhythm.



A friend from Nebraska sent a random text requesting that BBQ Fritos be shipped to his address. Apparently this particular flavor of fattening chips is no longer distributed in the Midwest. I was happy to agree to the silly favor, and even the woman at the post office thought it deserved a special box to avoid chip-crushing. {And yes, that would be Samoa ice cream on the belt next to the chips. Yum!}



D and I went to the driving range, and I think I doubled my skill level in one afternoon. As much as I love golf, I'm pretty rusty, and D happens to be an awesome teacher. We can't wait for golf season to get here! {Btw, his swing is perfection. I love it.}



I spent the other morning on Capitol Hill. There is something about the feeling I get walking down the halls of the House office buildings . .



We got the hook-up and watched the Wizards vs. Timberwolves from a suite at the Verizon Center. I must admit that the high school State quarter-finals game we watched earlier that day was MUCH more exciting.



Ok, I'm off to bed and to hopefully read a bit in my new book "Praying God's Word". I'm eating it up so far!