We’re OK

I know I haven’t posted for a really long time, but I know some people keep up with my Twitter profile here and lots of people have been checking on us: we’re fine, although having the train you ride every day to work crash is horrifying.

I do usually ride the Red Line Metro train to and from work, but I wouldn’t have been on either of the trains that crashed- they were going into the city at rush hour, and I would have been coming out of the city (at a later hour, as well). Still, the fact that it happened at all is enough to shake you up a bit…you don’t really think that things like that happen, and then they do. Thankfully we’re safe and everyone we know is safe. One of Ryan’s staff was on one of the trains on her way to pick up her kids, but she’s fine. Not everyone is, though, and I hope you’ll join me in sending prayers/healing thoughts to those who are hurt and to the families of those that were killed.

Thanks to all who have checked up on us tonight…it’s nice to know we’re not forgotten out here in DC.

My acting debut

Courtesy of an elementary school classmate who was evil enough to post clips of our fifth grade talent show on YouTube…

Birthday Weekend Extravaganza!

Being the efficient people we are, Ryan and I get to celebrate both of our birthdays and Valentine’s Day within four days- my birthday on February 11th, his on the 13th, and of course V-Day on the 14th. Thankfully we got married in September so we can start forgoing our dating anniversary, which is February 15th.

Every year we’ve been together so far we’ve planned a “birthday weekend extravaganza”, and have overdone it with the planning (my fault) and underdid it with the fun, so this year we decided to approach things a bit differently and not plan so much (not the easiest thing for me).  It worked- we had a great few days!

On my birthday, Wednesday, we headed off to the National Zoo. It was a gorgeous day (70 degrees! In February!) and perfect for walking around the zoo. The primary reason for going there was to see the giant pandas- I still love pandas just as much as I did when I was a little kid. We then headed off to the old part of Alexandria, VA, where Ryan had tracked down a knitting store I hadn’t been to, where I got some fantastic yarn to start a scarf I’ve been hankering to make (hopefully pictures of a finished product to come soon).

On Thursday, we headed to Annapolis to take in the sights. I had been there once, briefly, but Ryan had never been. We explored the downtown area, had lunch at an Annapolis “institution” and sat on a pier near the bay for a bit, which was great.

Friday was Ryan’s birthday, and we headed up to Baltimore so I could take him to a CD store he had never been to. A total jackpot- it was a great store and we both got really good CDs. We then headed to a funky neighborhood in Baltimore, Hampden, to do some shopping and exploring. He was even kind enough to let me go to another knitting store.

Ryan had to work a lot of Saturday, and I made a nice dinner for us that night. I tried out a dessert recipe I had seen on Barefoot Contessa that afternoon and it was SO GOOD- Brownie Pudding. It’s basically an outer kind of crust of brownie and on the inside it tastes like you’re eating the batter. I halved the recipe and used an 8×8 baking dish and it came out great.

For my birthday present, Ryan got me tickets to see Avenue Q, which I had been wanting to see forever and happened to be in town last week. We went to the matinee show on Sunday afternoon and it was fantastic.

Apparently, not planning too far in advance works out well sometimes (note to self).

Ryan hangin' with the elephants

The back of my head...and a panda!

Ryan at Chick & Ruth's Deli in Annapolis

On the bay in Annapolis- it was a *little* windy

Forgot to mention...Ryan got a new desk, too

Today, my heart hurts

While the date is February 1, what my heart remembered this morning was that it was in the very early hours of a Friday morning, in the middle of a big snowstorm, when I got the call that I never ever ever wanted to get- my mom calling to tell me that my dad had died. Heart attack. Just like that, he was gone. I went to bed the night before, and life was how it had been. The instant I heard the phone ring in that early morning, I knew it had all changed.

I’ve written in this blog before about how much I love my dad and how much I miss him. None of that has changed in the slightest in the past year. The tears may not come quite as often, but I think I actually miss him more with every passing day.  I can’t even begin to count the number of times I have wanted to pick up the phone and call him, asking cooking advice or telling him the latest story of my escapades in DC. Just last night as I was talking to Ryan, I had a question that I knew my dad was the only person who would know the answer.  Sometimes the thoughts and memories are slight nudges to my heart…that one was a full-on blow.

I thought a lot of my dad when I was standing in the huge crowd at President Obama’s inauguration (which I will post about soon, I promise), about how much I wish he could be there, about how happy he would be that Obama had won, about how proud he would be that he stood for Obama during the Iowa caucuses, and about how he had the opportunity to meet him when Obama attended a worship service at my parents’ church during the campaign. I know he was watching the whole thing, presumably with a much better view than me, but I so wanted him to be on the other end of the line with my mom when I called to tell her about my experience a few days after the event.

There’s not going to be a lot, if anything, that is easy about this weekend, but I am thankful I am able to travel to Iowa to be with my family there. So on a Sunday evening in Iowa, I’ll crack open a beer, watch the Super Bowl, and know my dad is doing the same thing where he is…all the while wishing with my whole being that he was sitting on the couch next to me.

Our Honeyday

As I was sorting through pictures on our camera this morning, I realized I never posted about the place we went after our wedding. It was such a fun, unexpectedly gorgeous place, I wanted to post some pics even though it’s almost four (!) months later.

We drove from Chicago to DC after the wedding, and just had a few days after the wedding before we had to be back to work. As we were trying to figure out what to do during those days, it seemed logical to find someplace about halfway between Chicago and DC to spend a day or two (not long enough to be a honeymoon, so I was *too cutesy* and called it our “honeyday”. Cut me some slack, we had just gotten married.). With the help of my trusty maid of honor Beth, we discovered the Hisrich Hills House Bed & Breakfast and ArtFarm online. The pictures looked amazing, and luckily it was available- we called about two days before the wedding to try to make a reservation.

While I wouldn’t recommend trying to get to this place a 1AM after a long day of driving and a day after your wedding (it’s not really close to anything, with a few interesting curvy roads at the end), if you, for any reason whatsoever , find yourself in east central Ohio, STAY HERE. It was incredible.

The home was built in 1820, and when you walk in you feel like you’ve been transported in time (with added modern amenities, thank goodness).

It took us a while to figure out the nooks and crannies of the house, and finally discovered not one but two lofts, one of which was the main bedroom.

We were provided muffins, fruit, juice, and fresh eggs to make breakfast for ourselves. After breakfast and opening some of our amazing wedding gifts, we headed out. Some friends of the owner were sitting outside at a picnic table so we asked what was fun in the area to do. They recommended the Warther Museum…not sure what we were getting into but up for an adventure, we headed off. Turns out “Mooney” Warther was considered the master woodcarver of the world. He carved everything from postcards (which he actually sent through the mail) to a small-scale replica of the floor of a steel mill (including the guy drinking behind a machine in the back) to the history of the steam engine from the Greeks all the way through the 1800s.

Afterward, we headed to a few cheese shops and wineries, of which there were quite a few. The area we were in has a large population of Amish, and there was lots of great food, wine, and fun little shops.