"I just want to see the White House"

That's what I've been saying for the last month as Andrew and I have been planning our trip to Washington, DC. I've never been, so I've been anxiously looking forward to it. And every time Andrew asked me what I wanted to do while we were there, I said that as long as I saw the White House, everything else would be gravy.

Mission Accomplished

We drove up for the weekend, so it was a short trip, but well worth it. Andrew's Aunt Anne was kind enough to host us and be our personal chauffeur, tour guide, chef, etc. I'm certain that the trip wouldn't have been nearly as fun without her! She's lived in DC for decades, so it was interesting to hear her take on history as she's watched it unfold over the years. To be honest, I'm completely fascinated by her and could listen to her stories for hours!

Saturday was spent touring the city. It was HOT, but the shade offered some relief and we were able to seek refuge in the National Gallery later in the afternoon. We had dinner with Aunt Anne at a great Italian restaurant and by that point, it had cooled off enough to eat outside. I wish I thought to take more pictures at dinner because we had a great time! And our lemon sorbet was served IN a lemon, that was frozen with the sorbet inside. That was definitely picture-worthy. I also really like how there's a view of something, no matter where you are in the city.

See the Capitol in the distance?

The Capitol Building

Korean War Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Washington Monument

The Thinker

This sculpture of a mother and child is called "Premiere Impression d'Amour" (The First Impression of Love). Isn't that beautiful?

On Sunday, we walked around town for a little while and then Aunt Anne took us to the Smithsonian American History museum where she worked for over 30 years. It was so fun to have an insider's tour! She took us through the highlights since we didn't have a ton of time and I hope to visit there with her again.

This was my first trip to DC and it was the perfect introduction. We had the best time and I absolutely can't wait to get back. Thanks, Aunt Anne, for being such a lovely host!

And yes, we went to the White House twice.

the eagle has landed

Martha's back from the Orient! I don't know when and I don't know how, but I know that SOON, we'll be reunited. And it's going to be craaazy.

Love you, Tha!

23

Yesterday was my birthday. As soon as the alarm went off, Andrew was singing Happy Birthday, offering to make me breakfast and be at my beck and call - even though he knows how much I hate mornings and respond with a mere "hmph" when spoken to. But he was persistent, and for that I love him. Here's a breakdown of the birthday events:

1. A Happy Birthday sticky note in my purse, courtesy of The Mr.
2. Lots of well wishes from friends and family.
3. The annual birthday call with Nanny Dee, whose birthday is also June 18th. Which I love and think makes my birthday 100x more special.
4. A birthday song from my mom, who said "happy birthday dear Mom...I mean Paaage" because of the confusion of the shared birthday with Nanny.
5. A birthday chat with Martha - who comes home in just a few weeks! I'm so excited I can't stand it!
6. A yummy lunch with the co-workers, complete with funfetti cupcakes and mimosas later that afternoon. And a Happy Birthday banner/balloons. (Actually, the balloons came from Business Week to promote their new edition of the magazine, but someone got creative with a magic marker and personalized them for me.)
7. A beautiful purple orchid sitting in the passenger seat when Andrew picked me up, along with the SWEETEST card ever written (and the promise to take me shopping this weekend!)
8. A glorious dinner from PF Changs. Um, splurge? Ok! And my birthday fortune read: Your happy heart brings joy and peace where there is none. How sweet!
9. A collection of birthday cards that have come in the mail over the week.
10. Scrabble. Courtesy of my lovely in-laws who sent me some play money. And since I've been wanting Scrabble for a while, we went straight to Target after dinner.

We finished the evening with an episode of Friends and then Andrew had to hit the books for a test he had today. But that was fine, because I watched four episodes of House Hunters and added some things to my Idea Book in the process. (FYI: the Idea Book is the renter's way of staying sane when you really want your own house but know you have to wait.)

So the verdict? GREAT birthday.

And when I woke up this morning, Andrew whispered "Happy Day After Your Birthday."

I'm a lucky, lucky girl.

I married a smart man

And I'm going to brag about it! Andrew's professor just told him, after making another 100 on his calculus test (he's 3 for 3, folks!), that he doesn't need to come to class anymore OR take the final. So he finishes his first session of Calculus with an A+! Now all he has to do is take the Physics final on Tuesday and he's a free man. For a week, at least, and then he begins Round 2.

Way to go, love!

the graduate

Congratulations, little brother! We love you and we're SO proud of you!

some thoughts

It's kind of a lazy Sunday and I'm really excited about that. We have plans to take a nap, go to the library and the grocery store, and maybe play some tennis. The good life, eh? I have a bunch of random thought running through my head and I'd like to disperse them. I hope you're okay with that.

1. We go to church so early, that when we come home and eat "lunch," it's usually not even 11am yet. That always throws off me off.
2. I got a haircut yesterday. Nothing crazy, but I like it.
3. Tyler is graduating from high school next weekend and that is WEIRD. Good weird, though.
4. I keep forgetting that I'm obsessed with shoes. Since we don't have any money, I like to pretend shop (fill my online shopping cart with everything I love but can't buy) to try and alleviate the desire to have 342 pairs of shoes. It actually works a little bit.
5. We have 7 weddings to go to this summer. SEVEN. Three of them already happened, but I'm afraid I'm going to forget some. A few weeks ago we lost the invitation to one and started wondering if we were actually invited, or if we just assumed that we were. We showed up and they didn't seem surprised, so I think we're okay.
6. I always think I'm doing a good job of maintaining our blog, and then I see that 10 days have come and gone since the last post. Oops.
7. Speaking of shoes, check out these cuties from Target. My birthday's coming up - any takers?

8. We had dinner with my parents/Tyler last night and it was really fun. We stayed around until 11:30 just hanging out. We love those Johnson's.

9. The washer is beeping, which means it's time to put clothes in the dryer and start another load. But, it's Sunday and I think God wants me to rest instead. Sweet!

And a Happy Sunday to you, too.