B Travels to DC

This past weekend was a flash and in the best of ways.

I won't bore you with all of the details, so I will share my travels with you in a very orderly, Type-A-med-student-husband-approved way.

1. It all began with a seven hour road trip with two of my fifty-year-old board members. It was awesome. We stopped every hour to pee and ate schnitzel along the way!

2. I got to Georgetown around 5pm and checked in at the hotel all by my lonesome. I was antsy and excited, so I decided to go for a walk and explore a bit, and yeah, mother nature happened. Torrential downpour sans umbrella.

3. I ducked into a Hagen Dazs for refuge and was guilt-ed into spending $4 on a sorbet that I took three bites of before the rain temporarily let up, inducing me to chuck the sorbet and hightail it back to the hotel. I spent the remaining few hours before Marg arrived painting my nails and watching Twilight movies.....

4. 9pm - Margaret arrived. We went to Thunder Burger. OMG. My burger was so delicious. And the fries?! And the aioli for the fries!? I can't. Marg had a gin martini, dirty. I had a vodka (duh).

1. Marg thought it was a WONDERFUL idea to go see Jessica the psychic. I can attest to this being a very bad idea indeed. We walked up the narrow stairs and into the woman's living room where her eight year old granddaughter was playing on an IPad with a cat snoozing under the chair. "The Psychic" then charged Marg $10--since the $5 special had just run out..............--and proceeded to stare at the ceiling while she read Marg's palm..................................... and got EVERYTHING wrong.

2. Elizabeth got in at midnight so we called it an early evening and got up bright and early Saturday to go explore the Eastern Market on Capitol Hill. I didn't take any pictures there because I was too busy obsessing over the incredible jewelry stands! W will be getting me earrings from one stand for Christmas :). I will post those later.... After the market, we introduced Marg to the US Capitol, which she had confused with the White House. She kept saying, "Where's the big black fence that you stand in front of?????? Its so much bigger than I remember!!" Lawdy.

3. We walked through the sculpture garden on the way to the Natural History Museum.

4. Fall colors in DC on our way to the Natural History Museum and the Hope Diamond.

1. Lunch at Paul's, a favorite bakery. Marg and I split the biggest, most delicious raspberry macaroon we had ever seen. Mmmm.

2. NATIONAL ZOO. OMG. BEST IDEA EVER.

3. Flamingos! My new obsession.

4. The tiger was very agitated.

1. Dinner at Bistrot du Coin, another favorite. Cotes du Rhone was the beverage of choice.

2. WE FOUND CAP!!! Margaret, Elizabeth, Me, Cap at a rooftop bar.

3. View from the rooftop.

4. Of course, we had to stop and love on the DCPD Clydesdales.

1. Elizabeth escaped early on a plane Sunday morning. Margaret and I thought it would be a great idea to ride bikes all over Georgetown after the previous evening's antics. It actually was awesome! I was very surprised that we were able to stay upright the entire time. We had brunch on a patio by the river with Margaret's BFF, Carrie and then we parted ways. :(

2. My conference began that night at a palatial building near Dupont Circle called Anderson House. It was filled with elderly women drinking gin and scotch. The final day of the conference found me at Gunston Hall Plantation, eight miles south of Mt. Vernon. It was incredible in all of its colonial charm.

3. Napoleonic Bee necklace I purchased at the gift shop and am now obsessed with.

4. Came home to my fluffy daughters and sweet W who is another year older.

Great trip ladies! Let's do it again soon!

-b

B on the Road Again

I am off--yet again--this weekend sans the medical student. I know you all must think I am quite the absent spouse, but I am becoming more and more convinced that the old adage, "absence makes the heart grow fonder," might indeed be true as well as a necessity when it comes to NOT murdering your med student husband.

Now, I am going to shock you all when I confess that I will be leaving W for five days this Friday, which also just so happens to be his 29th birthday. Terrible, right? I should be so ashamed of myself. In fact, I totally am, yet it did not deter me from scheduling my girl's reunion in DC this weekend.

You see, dear readers, I get to hang out with two of my dearest friends in one of my favorite cities.

At Margaret's Kansas-themed going away party. I was the state insect. She was Glenda.

This is Elizabeth. We were doing what we did best, barhop in CHS, SC.

You see, I was heading to DC this weekend anyways for a work conference that starts on Sunday and ends on Tuesday. I am notorious for turning work trips into fun getaways, hence this weekend's obvious girl-time theme!

Margaret currently lives in NYC, and when W and I were there visiting in April, she told me that she had purchased a Groupon for a round-trip bus ride to DC. Knowing that I went to DC often for work, we decided that my next work trip should coincide with her using the Groupon. We are so economical.

I haven't seen Elizabeth since a few months after my wedding, nearly 3 years ago. RIDICULOUS. So, we thought we would make it a true reunion. You see, all three of us enjoy visiting one another.

Elizabeth and I visited Margaret when she lived in Denver.

This weekend is sure to be thrilling. I have barely recovered from our whirlwind weekend in Lewisburg and the hazy late-night we spent at the Greenbrier and its cave-like casino on Saturday (geesh), but I wouldn't miss this epic girl's weekend for anything (even for W's birthday, apparently!!!!).

Coincidentally, Cap and J will also be in DC this weekend, so I have convinced Cap that she must stay with us and even stay on with me through Tuesday. J just doesn't have a say.

Can you spot Margaret and Elizabeth? Hannah from the Birmingham trip is in there, too!

Can't WAIT!

-b

A Most Successful Sunday Funday

This past weekend promised to be a major flop. After weeks of nonstop running around like a crazy soccer mom on a mission--these women are INSANE--I decided that this past weekend would be lazy, peaceful, calm.

I forget that deep down in the very depths of my soul, I am one of those crazy soccer moms, minus the snotty-nosed brood for the next couple of years, who have only one speed and no time for lazing.

Friday morning, I felt the itch. It starts on the back of my neck. I start to get antsy. Soon, I can't sit still. I can't focus on anything for more than a few minutes. I am so over work. I check the clock. 1:17pm. Damn. I check that the intern is steadily working away like a good little intern. Cue major guilt trip at my ADD onslaught. The thoughts begin.

Oh, W.

We should do something tonight.
I wonder if anything is going on.
God, I would love to go to a pumpkin patch.
Maybe, we could pick apples on the way to the pumpkin patch.
The flea market is in the morning, too.
Google things to do, charleston wv, october 2012
There's a chilli cook-off downtown tomorrow!
And fireworks!
There's a pumpkin festival 30 minutes west of here.
LET'S DO IT ALLLLLL.

Pies and Pints Pizza Date Night: Chicken Gouda and Mushroom Garlic.

And so, we did most of it. I had to work for a few hours on Saturday, so that saved our weekend from becoming one, long, drawn out activity.

Don't get me wrong, I love wanting to do things and actually having things to do, but it does get exhausting. Ask W.

Our Friday ended up with some light shopping and date night that consisted of pizza and beer. Awesome.

W glows in the dark at the State Museum.

On Saturday, we visited the flea market, which is honestly ALWAYS disappointing, but some lady bought a box of toys at a WV flea market a few weeks ago and found a $150,000 Renoir painting. I think I will keep being disappointed. After that we crashed a Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome on the Capitol grounds because we decided to be sheep and follow the crowd. We decided to tour the State Museum instead.

Ahhhhh, the Farmer's Market.

I went into work for a few hours, which offered W some relief. Then, I left W to his studies and went searching for accessories for this weekend's trip to the Greenbrier Resort. Swanky. More on that afterward...... It was extremely unsuccessful but no less satisfying. I also stopped by the Farmer's Market, you know, Heaven on Earth. I bought some fall essentials for the museum and the 150 demons elementary students coming for a tour this Friday. Pumpkin, check. Indian corn for the corn toss, check. Knobbly gourds for the gourd roll, check. Cheerios and yarn for the redneck birdfeeder craft, CHECK! Bring it, children. You WILL be entertained.

Kale and chicken and rice with carrots for dinner Saturday night.

On Saturday night, we watched incredible fireworks over the river. This town loves it some fireworks. I think the mayor must require fireworks for all events within city limits. Its like that 30 Rock episode where Jack gives broadcast television a spectacle not unlike the Oscars or a terrorist attack, The Rockefeller Center Salute to Fireworks. I think fireworks might be peak for this town. I am not complaining.

Exhibit A:

Cute, right? She was very tall.

Exhibit B:

Yes, these are fireworks cascading off the bridge into the river. Ah-maz-ing.

The fireworks were a part of a classic car show that happened all freaking weekend and closed down major roads and disrupted my life for far too long for a few hunks of rusted metal. I am not a classic car fan. The fireworks were, in my opinion, the most worthwhile part of the car show.

Sunday dawned and was sure to be a lazy day. It was cold. It was drizzly. It was perfect couch potato weather. But the soccer mom in me was waging a war on inflated food costs and had her Diet-Coke-loving heart set on a trip to Sam's and the dreaded Walmart. She quickly packed up W and bustled him off for a morning of bulk-shopping. Her pony tail had never swung more happily than speed-walking the wide aisles of Sam's as she handled the sturdy packages of 36 count paper towels and double stacks of paper plates and directed W on the proper placement of the precious savings in the cart. This soccer mom left Sam's with 36 rolls of toilet paper, 24 rolls of paper towels, 9 thick cut pork chops, 40 chicken tenderloins, a red wagon wheel of Brie, a carton of baby portobella mushrooms, 2 cartons of half and half, a gallon of milk, cereal, two 6 inch stacks of flour tortillas, and several Bolthouse smoothies and coconut waters for a mere $100. Happy soccer mom.

Hello, my name is Lo, and I am the most adorable kitten-cat you've ever seen. I like bathtubs--especially wet ones.

Walmart was and is always a terrible idea. But this fateful Walmart trip united soccer mom with her new lover.

Behold:

Lover, Mrs. Meyer's All Purpose Cleaner.

W and I spent a few good hours scrubbing the house from tip top to bottom with this delicious concoction. The lavender scent left the soccer mom in me drunk on sparkling cabinets, damp floors, and freshly vacuumed furniture. It was a warm and fuzzy feeling. W even felt it, too.

Then, it was only right that I don an apron and roll up my sleeves to begin on the evening's menu. Pot Roast. It was incredible. I used Pioneer Woman's recipe here, but added a few of my own ingredients like red wine, mushrooms, potatoes, and peas.

This is W's. He likes his on white rice. I am watching my carbs, so I went without the deliciously pearly grain.

Sunday night ended with an episode of Once Upon a Time (a show that I once loved; that W scorns; and that I too am beginning to think is a little bit ridiculous; what do you think?) and W's famous chocolate chip cookies. YUM.

How was your weekend?

Picture overload right? Right.

-b and soccer mom