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!

Saving is Fun!

I did it! I made it through a 2 month spending freeze, purchasing NOTHING for myself. Zip, zero, nada dollars on me.

Ok, I did buy one thing. An oven mitt. I found it amongst all the adorable Valentine's Day kitchen goodies, and I couldn't resist. I didn't feel too guilty about losing the $3, though. True, it could've gone in my savings account, but that mitt really came in handy when I baked chocolate peanut butter cupcakes the next day.



So yes, I went 2 months sans purchases. It was so fun and painless, too. And wow, my savings account looks pretty awesome right now.

D was very proud of me {and hopefully pretty impressed, hehe}, so when we walked through J.Crew the other day {and I almost didn't want to walk through, because that is the opposite of fleeing temptation}, he encouraged me to break the freeze and buy this cute top I was eyeing.



So I did. But truth be told, saving would have been way more fun.

Happy Friday

Hope you all have a fun weekend planned! Perhaps starting things off with a Happy Hour?

That's what I did last weekend at Chef Geoff's. Half-price burgers and cheaper pizzas and . .

Supermugs!



Here I am about breaking my wrist with that sucker. It was heavy! And I most definitely did not drink it all by myself. Or even half of it. It's not even mine. But it made for a ridiculous picture. :)

Biscuits

Does anyone remember forever and ever ago (like 4 years) when I mentioned the term "biscuit" here?

I didn't think so.

Either way, I had to take this picture the other night.

Biscuit eating a biscuit. GOLDEN BROWN.

A Happy V-Day

On Monday, I had a Valentine for the first time ever, and while I was never one to be very sad about my singleness, it was definitely special to share the holiday with someone other than my girlfriends. But not just anyone . .



You guys, he took me to one of my favorite restaurants for a four-course meal. It was so delicious!

I ate things like duck confit . .



and rockfish with onions and mushrooms and a pumpkin seed sauce . .



and a chocolate tart with pistachio crumbles . .



And my tastebuds were very, very happy about it. They were rejoicing for the rest of the night.

I was also given 2 cards {I love cards} and this pretty gold horn necklace. He knew I'd been wanting something dainty and gold, and this is perfect!



In turn, I got a little bit crafty and made a little book of all the stuff I love about him. There's a lot of stuff. And I gave him a CD . . and a card.

Look how happy I was. Very. :)

Good Stuff

Happiness is . .

triple dates . .



and toasted marshmallow shakes {or milky way malts}



We grabbed some dinner at Good Stuff Eatery last weekend, and I'm ready to go back! This time I tried the burger with a fried egg on top + regular fries + seasoned fries {with rosemary and thyme} + the shake. Because that's how it's done.

Crazy Snow

Did you hear about the nightmare that was our traffic during last week's wintry mix? Awful. I spent 2 1/2 hours driving a distance that normally takes 11 minutes. But I can't complain when others spent 9 or more hours on the road. I'm thinking perhaps the government will let people out a bit earlier when snow is in the forecast.



It sure was pretty, though. And once I made it to a warm and cozy house, I was happy to have it snow. Plus, I had come prepared with groceries a delicious dinner of mushroom risotto, flounder, broccoli, and a fresh baguette.



Raise your hand if you haven't had snow lately. It seems as though everyone is experiencing crazy weather lately. When will Spring get here??

I'm Still Eating

I'm checking in again. One week later, instead of a month. Progress! :)

This week has been relatively uneventful, but tomorrow D and I drive to Harrisonburg, Virginia. Woohoo! I've been there only once before for a stop at Starbucks and a super quick JMU campus drive-by . . but D will be giving me a proper tour this weekend, which includes a basketball game on Saturday and hopefully some delicious bagels {I've heard they're the best ever}. We'll be staying with his very good {married} friends who I met just a few weeks ago. I'm excited.

I know I haven't written about food for awhile, but don't worry, I'm still enjoying some good meals. In fact, my boyfriend takes me out to eat so much, it's a miracle I haven't gained any weight.

Last weekend alone, we ate at Rustico {our 2nd 3 hour meal there in a week - mmm yummy beer, roasted mushroom pizza, and great convos}, Los Tios {steak with fried eggs on top and caramelized onions, don't mind if I do}, Ozzie's Italian restaurant {wine, lasagna, rigatoni, and dessert with his cousins}, Cafe Bonaparte {crepes!} and Fire Works {for more pizza}.

It was all delicious. But again, pb&j with D would make me equally happy. Just sayin'. :)

p.s. Did I mention he came to Nebraska with me after Christmas? It was fun!



p.p.s. I'll try to write a non-D-centric post next time. Try. :)

Stylish Blogger Award

I’ve only been back on the blogging scene for a week and I’ve been welcomed with a blog award from Pink Sun Drops! This makes me especially happy because she is one of the first bloggers I ever stumbled upon, and hers was one that encouraged me to keep posting.

I loved reading about her life in California (now Austin) with her husband and two adorable sons. I was inspired by her desire to invest in her family, and intrigued by how she embraced her role as a young mom. Like me, she enjoys good food and new experiences, and three years ago, we were able to meet up for some fun in Austin – ice-skating on the roof of Whole Foods, a little hike up Mount Bonnell, delicious BBQ in the middle-of-nowhere, and some live country music on SoCo.

The rules upon receiving this award are the following:

Rules:
1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 10 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about this award.

Here are my 7 random things:

1. I'm in the middle of a two-month spending freeze right now. And by that I mean that only food and absolute necessities are allowed to be purchased – and that includes “fancy” food. The first month has been a bit of a breeze, and I’ve only been tempted to pick up a magazine or buy a groupon here or there. I’ve said no to things like Restaurant Week - *tear* - and a ski trip that keep a nice chunk of money in the bank where it belongs. D has been my “encourager” on #1, and I will admit that he makes it much more motivating. I have fun doing nothing but talking to him (which is free), and if he doesn’t think I need new clothes, I must not . . for at least another month or two. :)

2. I'm so excited to file my taxes. I know it sounds strange. As a single person, claiming zero is like an automatic savings plan.

3. I'm in the middle of a really good book right now called “Manhunt”. I love historical nonfiction, and the detailed story of the search for Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth, has me on the edge of my seat. It’s amazing how much information the author was able to dig up to give such a fascinating play-by-play of events. Thanks for the book, D!

4. I want to practice cooking more often . . with D, at least. It’s way more fun to do it with him. Last Sunday, we made baked ravioli, green beans with caramelized onions (except that I messed up the onions), and rolls. Let’s just say I learned a few things. I have a lot to learn. Right now, I’m a little intimidated in the kitchen, and I know only practice will build my confidence.

5. If I had one day all to myself right now, I’d work out, have a long time of prayer, Bible reading and worship with the Lord, and go through all my design magazines that are piling up unread. I’d like to create a folder with magazine clippings of spaces I love. I need to file images away on my laptop, too.

6. Pertaining to style, I feel like I have none these days. The first thing I think when getting dressed every day is not “what cute outfit can I put together?”, but “what warm outfit can I put together?”. Not that you can’t be warm and fashionable, but after I shower, I’m in too much of a hurry to GET WARM CLOTHES ON BODY to give much thought to style.

7. I think my favorite thing to wear right now is the white Rebel Yell hoodie D gave me for Christmas. It is so cozy! I saw Jessica Simpson (back when I loved her) wearing one of their t-shirts years ago and checked out the brand, but couldn’t bring myself to splurge. Glad D did it for me . . although I know it helps when you get a discount. :)

Here is my list of 10 stylish bloggers I'm loving these days:

1. The Fashionista Foodie. I personally know this stylish blogger, and it was so fun to discover that we shared many similar interests, like food, fashion, and blogging. She's been posting some delicious recipes that I'm dying to try!
2. The Style Activist. A personal friend of Fashionista Foodie, I've just begun reading her blog. I love the outfits she puts together! Check out her blog roll for lots of other great fashion blogs.
3. Kendi Everyday. I find so much inspiration here for everyday outfits. I'm pretty sure I would wear every outfit she does. Check out her 30 for 30 Remix "challenge".
4. Cupcakes and Cashmere. My favorite "lifestyle" blogger, Emily doesn't play it safe when it comes to food and fashion. She's always mixing up fabulous ensembles and trying challenging new recipes.
5. Whoorl. I love Sarah's witty, sometimes sarcastic, commentary on everything from mommyhood to hair. She actually has a blog about hair and hair products, as well. I also love that she sold me 3 of her like-new J.Crew suits for the price of one jacket. :)
6. Girls Like Cars Too. Another real life friend with an eye for beautiful things. She may like cars, but she also loves design, photography, and though she never posts pictures of herself, the girl knows how to dress!
7. In the Tweeds. Ok, so here is another stylish blogger I know personally. With a passion for interior design, she's having lots of fun (post-remodel) decorating her new home in Mississippi.
8. Mama Loves Papa. You can have four small children and be a stylish mommy. Morgan proves it. I don't know how she manages to look so cute while also dressing/feeding/raising her little ones, but she does!
9. Jewels. From Alabama to NYC, from school to full-time job, Julie is having fun exploring the city and sharing her adventures and love of design on her blog.
10. Bryn Alexandra. Bryn is one of my very favorite design bloggers with taste very similar to mine. It's been exciting to watch her venture down a new career path in interior design. I'm amazed at all she's accomplished in such a short time.

----So there you have it. Ten stylish bloggers I love. Have fun checking out their blogs if you haven't already! Thanks again, Pink! xo

New York City

I am back-tracking over a month by posting pics of New York City, but I can't let the trip go unmentioned. It was too much fun!

D and I decided to go explore the city the weekend after Thanksgiving, our long list of things-to-see in hand. Fortunately our interests overlap and complement each other well.

Eating, shopping, sightseeing, we did it all.

One of my favorite things to see, that I'd only walked past before, was the Trinity graveyard in the Financial District. I love history, and seeing tombstones from the late 1700s, many worn down to almost nothing, was fascinating.



This marker for a 9 year old who passed away in 1761 especially had me captivated.



We spent most of our time walking through Soho, and if you can believe it, I was not the one with a long list of stores to visit. I was, however, probably the one who spent the most money once inside the stores.

I stopped in Kim Kardashian's shop, Dash . .



. . and spotted the nearest Anthropologie after wandering the cobblestone streets. {I picked up a cute blue blouse and salmon-colored corduroys at the Chelsea Anthro the next day.}



This boy loves him some shoes, and he was wishing he could create his own Nikes at the Sportswear shop.



As is to be expected when visiting NYC, we sought out some really good pizza, and we found it . . and waited a long time for it at Lombardi's. I didn't know until we got there that it was America's very first pizzeria. It was delicious!





My favorite meal of the trip was at A.O.C., a French restaurant in Greenwich, that we stumbled upon after my blocks-long quest for Magnolia Bakery {I think D heard "I'm pretty sure it's this next block" x5} - not because they're my favorite cupcakes, but because . . it's so cute!

We ate by candlelight, somehow not stuffing ourselves with too much bread, and I enjoyed the Risotto de la Mer with shrimp, scallops, salmon, thinly sliced carrots and a balsamic glaze. I will attempt to make this at home {with the help of my roommate, most likely}.



In addition to Ground Zero, Christmas windows on 5th Ave, and all that shopping, we also had fun at Chelsea Market. Don't ask how many bakeries we visited, though.



We also walked through the Hell's Kitchen flea market, admiring the vintage clothes and trinkets, but not buying a thing.



We sat on a bench in Central Park sipping our City Bakery hot chocolate . .



. . and then headed to Rockefeller Plaza for some memorable and expensive ice skating. The tree wasn't lit yet, but the atmosphere was still pretty magical . . in my opinion. I'm not sure D had stopped thinking about the cost yet. :)





We walked through Times Square, Dylan's Candybar, and the Union Square Holiday Market during our trip, and we ended it all with the best breakfast ever at Locanda Verde in Tribeca.



Hellooo hazelnut french toast, I miss you.



Oh, how I love New York. It's taken me awhile, but I do.