We’re in for a heckuva snowstorm this weekend, with the forecast calling for 23-35 inches. 23-35 inches! I saw earlier today that Chicago has only had two 20+ inch snowstorms since 1886…and this is our second in two months!
Thankfully Ryan’s store will be closed tomorrow and we have plenty of food and drinks (and DVDs and CDs and yarn) to get us through. As long as we don’t lose power (knock on wood), we’re all set for getting snowed in. If only we didn’t have to shovel…
One of the things I like best about having my office on Capitol Hill and a lot of meetings in downtown DC is that when I walk in just about any direction for more than a few blocks (which is quite often), I pass by things like the White House, the National Archives, the U.S. Capitol, and other really amazing places. One of my favorite places to walk past is the Newseum, which has glass cases in front where they display the front page of a daily newspaper from every state and several other countries every morning. I always take a look at the papers from the states in which I’ve lived (Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois), and see what else is happening across the country and world through a non-internet-based lens (I also highly recommend the museum, which is well worth the admission rate if you’re ever in DC).
But last night, the star of the evening for me was the Capitol. I decided to walk to my sewing class, which took me past the Capitol right when the sun was lowering behind the horizon. The colors of the sky were really gorgeous- enough so that these shots taken with my iPhone show pretty clearly how lovely the view was.
I miss the Midwest terribly, but moments like this make me remember what a blessing it is to have the opportunity to be where I am right now.
I’m not usually someone who is big on new year’s resolutions, but for some reason over the past week or so it’s felt right to think about setting some goals for 2010. Nothing huge or life-changing necessarily, but things I’ve wanted to do for a while, things I know I like to do that I feel I should do more of, that kind of thing. In no particular order, here are some of those things:
Revive this blog to write about the things I want to do this year (and some other stuff, too)
Cook more, and utilize the ridiculous amount of cookbooks I have by cooking different things than our regular menu items
Take a knife skills class
Learn how to use my sewing machine
Learn new knitting techniques
Get in to an exercise routine
Read more- 52 books this year
Watch less TV
As of now, the third day of this year, I’m off to a pretty decent start. So far I have:
Written this post only four days after my last post.
Made a roasted turnip and winter squash soup from one of my cookbooks (Love Soup by Anna Thomas- I modified the recipe to fit what I had in the kitchen), along with a side of kale (the first time I’ve ever used it!) with cannellini beans, garlic and rosemary
Signed up for a knitting class- the Bohus hat, I can’t wait (thanks to an early birthday present from my amazing husband)!
Kicked off New Years Day with a long walk on a lovely, sunny day.
Finished The Good People of New York by Thisbe Nissan (which was pretty good. I wish the characters would have been fleshed out a little more, but I would recommend it).
The TV? Well, I’ve watched a decent amount these last few days before going back to the office, but mostly for something to do while I knit a cabled scarf (cabling being a new technique for me in the last month) and type this post (Iron Chef at the White House? That’s kind of a given for me).
I’ve taken quite a break from this blog, but with this post I’m committing to revive it for the new year- posting with a focus on books (with a goal of reading 52 books by the end of the year), cooking (I have a new KitchenAid mixer and Cuisinart food processor to play with, thanks to my in-laws and husband!), knitting (too many projects in the works to even think about), and other random things, and hopefully an occasional music guest-post from Ryan.
In the meantime, here are some highlights of our 2009:
A full house of friends for the inauguration in January, including Scott, and Jason and his wife Jodie. The inauguration itself, while COLD, was amazing.
A birthday weekend extravaganza in February that ranged from seeing pandas at the National Zoo to a knitting store to Annapolis to an awesome CD store in Baltimore.
A wonderful visit in February from our friends Monica and Todd during a short break from their mission trip to Honduras.
A spring break visit from my amazing friend Beth in March.
Ryan spent time with his family in Madison during April…a much-needed break from Starbucks craziness!
I traveled to Wisconsin in July for our yearly family gathering at my aunt and uncle’s cabin in Wisconsin- it was cold this year (highs of 55, in July!), but a fantastic time. I don’t just say that because a trip to the Leinenkugel’s brewery was involved.
Ryan’s family came to visit us in August for a week, with lots of sightseeing, game-playing and fun family time for all.
We celebrated our one year wedding anniversary at the end of September with a weekend trip to Delaware (the first state!). We even managed a side trip to Philadelphia for part of an afternoon.
Our house was busy during October, with an extended stay by our new friend Sue, a long weekend visit from our friend Laura, and another visit from Ryan’s family, this time to celebrate his mom Lettie’s birthday.
Our household grew in October as well, with the addition of a third cat, Wrigley. She’s adorable, crazy and a bundle of energy.
November brought a promotion for me (official title: Director of Advocacy and Policy) and a visit from the ever-lovely Amy Johnson over Thanksgiving.
I was able to be with my family in Iowa for a long weekend before Thanksgiving and spent a lot of great time with my nieces and nephews.
December was a busy month that didn’t afford a trip back to the midwest for Christmas…we missed our families a lot, but had a quiet, low-key Christmas at home. Also, I knit a sweater for Ryan!
And last, but certainly not least, we welcomed a new member of our family into the world- we are proud to be the aunt and uncle to Everly Suzanne, born to Katie (Ryan’s sister) and Shawn just this past Monday!
It’s been quite a year, stressful and crazy, amazing and blessed. Happy New Year to all…see you in 2010!
