DAD Visit

I've finally stopped being a derelict and contribute something to our blog. My father came into town for a few days on really short notice, but it was a great surprise! He's retired so when he gets an email offering a great package on airfare and hotel rooms he can jump on it.

He came in Thursday night and I had to work all of Friday, and Saturday and Sunday morning, so we had to cram in visiting time around that. The three of us drove through DC, ate at Ben's Chili Bowl and stopped by the African American Civil War Memorial, walked around the Washington Monument just in time to see a new protest piece, went on an Old Town Alexandria Ghost Tour, and ate at numerous restaurants around the area. Saturday morning while I was stuck at work, Sarah gave my dad a tour around the National Zoo (one of the few places that he declared he had to see this time around) and he was thrilled. She can elaborate more on it, but he was particularly enamored with the "fancy pigeon."

Then on Monday when I actually had the day off, we went to Mount Vernon and toured the house and grounds, paying special attention to George Washington's farm animals. After a quick lunch we drove to Annapolis to check out the Naval Academy. We flashed our IDs and got free access to the grounds. The visitor center and campus are beautiful. We spent a few hours touring the grounds, stopping at the chapel to look at the crypt of John Paul Jones.

We returned, met up with Sarah, and my father took us to dinner. We dropped him at his hotel and said our goodbyes. It was a great four days of running around with my dad, at times very randomly. Above everything else, my father is a storyteller, and we heard many gems about his life. His stories are worthy of their own blog or book!

Home (for now)

I can't believe it has already been NINE whole months since we moved in to this little apartment. Time seriously flies. To be honest, I've had a kind of 'love-hate' relationship with this place. I am not a fan of how far away it is from everything. (And by "far" I mean I have to take a bus to the Metro, so I guess I am being a tad dramatic.) I wish that the neighbors were a little friendlier. Ben doesn't particularly enjoy those nights when there is not a parking spot to be found.

But I do love how homey our little 750 square foot bungalow has become. I love shopping for house decor (which makes trips to Target dangerous). I have even started to become something of a craftster.

Case in point:

1. 6 in 1 Photo Cube


Looks like your average photo collage, right? WRONG!

Hoping to capitalize on his love of puzzles, I made this way cool six-sided photo cube for Ben as a Christmas gift. It was pretty easy to make- six photos, twenty wooden blocks, and some spray glue was all it took!

Instructions are here.

2. Pom Pom Wreath

Last fall, I made a traditional-looking wreath complete with raffia, mini gourds and other cute things appropriate for the season. After a long, dreary winter (at least it seemed that way to this California girl), I decided it was time to welcome spring with a fun and festive door decoration. Hence, the pom pom wreath:


I had never seen or heard of such a thing before stumbling upon one on a design blog. It was cheap to make (~$15) but was a little time consuming. (I have discovered that making pom poms is a good mindless activity to accompany Netflix watching.) And be forewarned: yarn trimmings get EVERYWHERE.

Instructions are here.

And while I recently splurged a bit on this adorable duvet set- and believe me, that was only after weeks of deliberation- I normally try to be very thrifty. In fact, my favorite little too-cute-for-words bird frames were just $2.50/each on sale at Michael's. (That's baby Porky-pork scarfing on some strawberry in the photo.)



On another note- I am going to try to do a better job documenting our D.C. adventures. Over the past week or so, we have explored this place, attended this cool event, and checked out some pretty flowers here. Life is good- but I'm definitely ready for spring!

~S~

Trainspotting: Where is the Love?

Note: For some unknown reason, Google was blocked from my computer for the last few weeks- but now I am back, and in a big way!

Overheard at Rosslyn Metro Station, during rush hour, from scruffy teenage (emo?) boy:

"I mean why would I EVER want to watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? I mean other than that one time..."

(Source)

I wish I knew how the subject of their conversation turned to that feel-good family film (it's from 1968, for cryin' out loud). In any case, don't be hatin', kid. Embrace your inner love of rascally anthropomorphic cars.

~S~

Happy Valentine's Day from NoVA!

Who is that peeking out of a cozy sweatshirt pocket to say "Happy Valentine's Day?" It's Porkchop, come to bestow some good cheer! Actually, I think she could care less if any of us have a good V-Day. All she cares about it eating (as much as possible) and sleeping. She's such a selfish little pig.

But I hope that you have a great Valentine's Day! I even made some dorky homemade valentines to celebrate:



~S~

Snowed In: Day 4 1/2

In case you haven't heard- D.C. has been hit by one of the biggest snow storms on record. Snow started pouring down on Friday morning and didn't stop until late Saturday, dumping a total of 24 inches in Alexandria. The metro area has been furiously trying to dig out for the past three days, but progress has been slow. Work was canceled today and yesterday and tomorrow isn't looking good either- considering that ANOTHER storm just blew into town and is expected to drop another 10-20 inches on us. Help!!!

Sure, a "snow day" SOUNDS like tons of fun, but to be honest, I am bored out of mind. Being trapped in a little apartment gets real old, real fast. I am suffering from cabin fever in the worst way. There is only so much that one can do with 750 square feet at one's disposal. Every inch of me wants to go on a hike or climb a mountain or something outrageous like that.


So far, I have:

1. Cleaned the house- and washed a massive pile of dishes in the sink.
2. Did some laundry.
3. Made a snowman. And a mini-snowman.
4. Went sledding. (Okay, these last two were really fun.)


5. Played with Porkchop so much that she probably just wants some alone time by now.
6. Made some (really really cute) Valentine cards.
7. Made some really good food- namely the most delicious hamburgers yet, some steaks, cinnamon cake, and pumpkin-berry-pecan pancakes. Yeah, not the most healthy of days...
8. Drank. Wine. A lot.
9. Played two games of Scrabble. Won two games of Scrabble.
10. Watched There's Something About Mary and Chicago. Both solid movies.
11. Watched Seinfeld.
12. Watched Saturday Night Live, which caused me to get this terrible song medley stuck in my head.
13. Worked out in our apartment complex's little gym- which allowed me to watch this terrible reality show on MTV called "For the Love of Ray J."
14. Started reading a new book- "Game Change." I am learning more than I ever wanted to know about the 2008 election. Nice.
15. Read a lot of blogs.
16. Tried to be productive and finish some work projects.
17. Researched a dentist. (I know, exciting stuff.)
18. Dug the car out of the snow.
19. Found too many things that I want to buy on Etsy.
20. Rode shotgun as Ben got stuck going up a hill- which I would like to point out was not my idea at all. I also was there when Ben got stuck pulling out of a gas station. On both accounts, he was able to get us free and thereby impress himself with his manliness. But before you judge, you people must understand that this is serious ice and snow that we are dealing with. Serious.

Right now, I hear a couple of snow plows outside and I hope that they are able to finally make some progress, but there is only so much that they can do by pushing the snow around into new piles.

I would try to catch a flight back to Cali, but all the planes have been grounded due to the weather.

Drat.

~S~

Snowmaggedon: The Aftermath

Now you know why we haven't been able to answer the phone...

Just kiddin'. But we did receive a total of 24 inches of the fluffy white stuff over the last 36 hours, which even topped Snowpocalypse '09. The storm definitely delivered! Cabin Fever is starting to set in. Help!

~S~

Text Messaging is Fun Again!

This is an actual text message that I received from a friend back in California. I repeat, this text is real:

OMG!!!! I just saw a guy skateboarding down the street with a goat on a leash!

(Image via JTP Design)

Well, California is a glamorous place! I wish I had been there to see it...

~S~