She Likes Purple

Wishes

We had a July Fourth (on the third) get-together, to watch our town's fireworks from our backyard (since we can see them from our backyard, thank everything) and, alright, so we could also enjoy this delicious sparkling grapefruit sangria.

After the fireworks, we pulled out some paper lanterns*, like we did last year, and had everyone write down their personal wishes for the rest of the year. We wrote down things like travel and happiness and babies (not me, promise) and health and more gratitude and also lots of winning lottery tickets. 

Then we lit them and let them go. 

It was a wonderful moment--well, once we got over the fear of burning our town down--to see more than a dozen lanterns, covered in wishes, floating away. Now, if anyone at our party actually does win the lottery, I sure hope their memory serves them well, and they toss a few bucks our way. 

And we'll do it again in 2015.

*We bought a multi-colored pack, and you can buy a similar set on Amazon here. 

Seven

(six, five, four, three, two, [and my personal favorite] one) 

We've been married seven years today. Mike's out of town, I have a work dinner tonight, and it's Monday. Seven years ago today was a wee bit more magical than actual today. (And seven years ago today had an open bar, which today absolutely does not have. SIDE EYE TO TODAY.)

It's our copper anniversary and I had big plans of surprising Mike with fancy new copper kitchen pots, but then Molly got sick to the tune of multiple thousands of dollars (!!!) right after we got back from an international vacation, so yeah. Pots will have to wait. Instead I spent half an hour searching for pennies from each year we've been married so I could glue them into the shape of a seven. Here babe! I got you eight pennies that you can never actually spend! 

I heard a line from a movie recently (About Time), and I teared up, like the ridiculous sap that I will always be, but this is precisely how I feel about Mike. I'm paraphrasing, but...

I am so uninterested in a life without him.

Mike and I have been to St. John and Belize and Puerto Rico and Canada and all over the U.S., but it was just the other night, sitting in a booth at Chili's five miles from our house when he made me laugh so hard I was reminded that he is just my favorite place. Traveling, not traveling, drinking cheap wine at Chili's or pina coladas in Belize, paying bills or holding hands. He's it. Life is life and love is him. (Even when I need a girl's night away from him. I'm still glad he's the one waving me out the door and into the arms of a margarita with friends.)

Last year was a hard year. A lot of unbloggable, stupid life stuff, but I struggled. Stressed out, snappy, emotional, yada yada. And Mike was just there. Just asking what he could do, telling me to go take a break when he sensed I was too tightly wound, wrapping me in a hug even when he wasn't quite sure why I was so badly in need of one. I want it all to make sense and to be fixable but it can't always be, such is life, and when it can't be, he says to me the same thing over and over, "It will all work out. It will all be okay."

And it will. With him, it will.

Our lives are not always easy or fun or romantic or any of those adjectives our wedding day made us hope our every day lives would be. Very few days have that open bar, for example. 

But, damn, I'm just so uninterested in a life without him. 

Happy copper anniversary, babe! Here are a handful of pennies you can never spend, but I bet you tell me you love them and I bet you mean it. 

January Highlights

1. Mike and I went to New Orleans to celebrate my 32nd birthday, and it's going to be a tough birthday to top. It was a wonderful little weekend away. We ate unbelievably good food (August and Johnny's Po Boys, FTW!) We also enjoyed both a swamp tour and a cocktail tour. (I love this cocktail tour so much, I've now been on it three times.) More than all those things, though, we enjoyed naps and sleeping in.

2. Hosted a baby shower for Kristie! 

3. Spent some time with Mike's sister and her family. Kyle was spoiled with so much cousin time, he sulked around for days after they left. 

4. After a very fitness-light 2013, I started to regularly work-out again this month. I got back to yoga, tried a few at-home vidoes, and tested out my very first FlyWheel class. (I was offered a free month of classes to the two local FlyWheel studios, and I hope to write up a full review (+ a giveaway!) soon.) Let's just say during my first Barre class at the studio, I actually thought I might have broken a muscle. I don't think that's physically possible, but it was unfamiliar pain. I felt like an absolute rockstar after the class, but all broken muscly during.  

5. In addition to working out, I started the 21-Day Sugar Detox this month. I am only five days in as of today, but I'm a fan so far. I feel great, I've already lost a little weight, and it's kick-started a healthier year for me. (I just bought the cookbook, by the way, since it's got most of the information I thought I'd need.) 

Unpictured highlights: a happy hour with a friend who gets me, a movie and dinner date with my mom to belatedly celebrate my birthday, and our mini-Cowboy's Stadium field-goal kicker!

What To Do in New Orleans: Eat Fancy & Then Eat Not-So Fancy

Mike and I celebrated my birthday in New Orleans two weekends ago, and it was one of my best birthdays to date. We usually stay put, throwing a party or going out to dinner. It was so much nicer to say an official goodbye to the holidays and a hello to a new age in a fun city with room service and naps, let me tell you. (Recommend it to everyone!) And it was Mike's first time in the French Quarter, so it was a blast to be somewhere we'd never been together. 

It was a quick trip. We got into town late Thursday night and left after breakfast on Sunday, but we crammed a lot of fun into those few days. 

We ate incredible food, too, and our two favorites happened to be one high-end joint and one low-end one, both so delicious that I have to recommendt them to you for your next Nola trip.

1. Fancy: John Besh's August

I don't mind splurging on meals every now and then. If a meal is outstanding, I'm okay dropping a few bucks on it. My least favorite thing, though, is when we splurge on a meal and it's just so-so or even totally underwhelming. August was recommended, but it's pricey (even for lunch, which is my usual cut-some-dollars-from-the-bill trick), so I was a little weary. And it was a birthday lunch! I wanted it to be fantastic.

Oh, but it was.

No pictures of food! Because I was too busy eating it all.

Mike and I split the gnocchi with blue crab and black truffle, and this may go down as one of the best dishes I've ever had. All other gnocchi is ruined! (Not really, I'll still eat you, gnocchi.) It was just amazing. 

Mike got trout and I got the filet, and they were both equally delicious. Everything was just all-around outstanding. We were stuffed and couldn't eat another bite or we would have tried a dessert. Mike did have his eye on the banana pudding, so another time. Maybe just for dessert and cocktails, another don't-spend-all-your-money trick.

After lunch we took naps. Also recommended.

2. Not-So Fancy: Johnny's Po Boys

We had an hour to kill between our swamp tour and our cocktail tour on Saturday, and we wanted somewhere to eat that would be fast, delicious, and a short walk from where both tours met. We used Yelp! and picked Johnny's.

(That's Mike in line! I made him wait in all the lines. Birthday perk.)

It took a while to get our food, so we had to have a couple beers. (Practically forced to!) I got the blackened chicken po boy, and it really was the best sandwich/po boy I've ever had. It was just so flavorful, the bread warm and buttery, and while it was huge, and I couldn't imagine finishing it when it arrived, I nearly did. 

It's a good thing that place isn't anywhere near me, or I'd be in some serious trouble. 

It might be our first stop when we return, though.

Ten

Mike and I became Mike and I ten years ago today. 

(Imagine a lovely picture from the last 10 days here.)

We're worlds away from that first awkward day of us, not knowing a damn thing about each other, about where we'd go, what we'd become, what little boy we'd make one day. I didn't even know his last name that day. (To my defense, it's kind of a tough one.) I also didn't know if he'd call the next day. Though I knew I wanted him to.

He did.

Happy you-no-longer-celebrate-it-though-I-still-write-sappy-blog-posts-about-it anniversary, Michael! Thanks for calling me the next day and for giving me your last name a few (hundred) days after that. 

Best tens years of my life.

My 2013

(2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Inspired all these years by Linda) 

1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before? 

Saw the Constitution, took a solo trip with Kyle (make that two!), ate biscuits in South Carolina, helped throw my company's tenth anniversary party, visited the Hoover Dam, hosted (an incredible) Friendsgiving, read 25+ books for pleasure, paid off Mike's student loans (!!!!!!), took a weekend trip to Possum Kingdom, celebrated being friends with Natalie for over 20 years, watched my son walk down the aisle as a ring bearer in a beautiful wedding, made braised short ribs, saw Mumford & Sons in concert, dined Outstanding in the Field, took Kyle on a cable car, greeted a day with yoga on the beach, drank a Boulevard Wheat in the city its brewed in, saw my mom's childhood home, started a nostalgia wall, hung out in the same room as Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler, saw "Once" on Broadway, took Kyle to his first baseball game, saw the White House, ate at Commander's Palace, drove Skyline, and so much more.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 

I nerdily counted up how much I accomplished last year, based off last year's to-do list, and it was over 50%. That's not mouth-on-the-floor impressive, but it ain't too shabby either. I'll even pat myself on the back for it.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Jen and A'Dell

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Not close to me, I can't quite claim that, but one of the writers I worked with during my time at Smart Pop Books -- Ned Vizzini -- died a few days ago, and it's actually hit me rather hard. I worked with him, albeit briefly, but I also got to meet him when I went to Comic-Con in 2011. He was gracious, kind, so funny, and just this positive presence in a sea of chaos that week.

He'll be missed.

5. What countries did you visit?

No new countries, other than my own, but I did see four new states (Virginia, Maryland, Kansas, South Carolina), and six I'd already been to (California, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New York). 

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you didn't have in 2013? 

A few more exhales, more relaxation, more belly laughs, more work-outs, less debt.

7. What dates from 2013 will be etched upon your memory, and why? 

Early in 2013 I booked a trip to California for Kyle and me, so most of the year October 12th was etched in my memory as the day we were starting our adventure. 

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?

Last year I mentioned my promotion, so this year's might feel a bit small in comparison, but I read 25 books in 2013. (Actually 27!) That's nothing to some readers, but it's the most I've read in a single year since college, maybe longer than that. I'm so proud I finally met this goal, years after making it. Just goes to show, sometimes things take a little longer than you expected, but don't go giving up on them because of that.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Oh boy, I felt like a physical failure this year. I wanted to get in shape once and for all (after years of the scale going up and down and up and down) (and up and down) and I didn't. I just didn't. It was a busy, stressful, somewhat difficult year and I shelved most of my fitness goals. I hope I can right the ship in 2014.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I got the flu/pneumonia/an upper respiratory infection this December and duddddes, that sucked. The rest of the family got it too and we simultaneously had an ice storm. Let's never speak of that weekend again.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Our Ninja blender, our king-sized mattress, a few plane tickets, and our new car (a Prius; what that car has done to our gas bill is a thing of beauty).

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

I am so grateful to have incredible people in my circle. People who are giving, tolerant, kind, funny, smart, and so much more. I'm a lucky lady for the people I get to call my people.

All that said, I got to see my stepmom for an entire week this year (it's been a while since that happened), and she was so wonderful with Kyle (and with me and with my sister and my nephew). She loves us like her own, though she's no longer with my dad. Family you choose and who choose you back. That deserves celebration.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Walter White? Well, him and a few people in my Facebook feed. 

14. Where did most your money go?

If you added it all up I bet taxes, Kyle, our mortgage, and then our car. Being a grown-up is expensive.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Late summer and fall were jam-packed with adventures, starting with a quick trip to Vegas, then a Mumford & Sons concert, then a Kansas City trip with my mom and sister, then celebrating Mike's birthday, then a Charleston trip with the internet, then a week-long California trip with my favorite four year old, then a once-in-a-lifetime experience dining Outstanding in the Field, then celebrating Halloween with the cutest astronaut there's ever been.

It was like a three-month period of excitement. I needed a long nap after it was all over, and my wallet needed a break too.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?

Fall Out Boy's "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark." It might not be your indie song of choice, but it was Kyle's favorite song of the year. I bet I played it 200 times, maybe more. I'm going to insist we play it at his wedding, and I bet he rolls his eyes so hard at me, they fall right out of his head. 

I'm going to miss age four.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

Happier: Clawing to happier
Thinner: Clawing to thinner 
Richer: Richer, in the right ways

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Always the same (when will I learn): work out, go to bed at a reasonable hour, go to yoga more often, bite my tongue when harsh words are on it, smile, breathe, enjoy life. 

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

All the opposites of #18. 

20. How did you spend Christmas?

We woke up at 7am on the dot, opened gifts (a lot of Legos and Hot Wheels in our house!) and then packed up and headed down to New Braunfels with Mike's parents to celebrate the holiday with Mike's sister and her family. We opened more gifts upon arrival and then relaxed before a delicious steak and shrimp and mashed potato dinner. There was champagne too. 

I ended the night reading my new Kindle in bed. 

It was warm and wonderful.

21. Did you fall in love in 2013?

I fell in love with the biscuits in Charleston (what a place), Boulevard Wheat, Breaking Bad, reading (again), age four (before age four-and-a-half gave me a run for my money), Raylan Givens, Washington DC, and the Smitten Kitchen's braised short ribs.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Justified, Breaking Bad, The Good Wife, and all those crappy Bravo reality shows that let me zone out for an hour or twenty. 

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

Nah. 

24. What was the best book you read?

Incredibly tough choice, but I think I'd say Wild (which was ironically the first book I read this year).

"It seemed like a long time and also it seemed like my trip had just begun, like I was only now digging into whatever it was I was out here to do."

I couldn't relate to the exact experiences of the author, but could I ever relate to what it feels like to be broken and what it feels like to heal yourself, one painful step at a time. What it feels like to be alone and scared and then to dig deep to find whatever courage is needed to keep going. What it feels like to make absolutely awful choices and then to make better and better ones until you forgive yourself.

I just absolutely loved it, and I'm so glad I read it.

Honorable mentions: The Rules of Inheritance, Eleanor & Park, The Snow Child, and Me Before You

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I sucked at discovering new music this year, so, hey! What new music did you discover?

26. What did you want and get?

Time with my sister (two trips!), solo trips with Kyle (two of those too!), a trip with Mike (DC in the springtime!), a new bed (king-sized baby!), a new car, and a Friendsgiving dinner at my house. 

27. What did you want and not get?

There will always be something.

28. What was your favorite film of 2013?

I try to go with my gut when I answer these "favorite of" questions so The Way, Way Back and Gravity. I also loved End of Watch, though that's from 2012.

And, I fought the crowds to see Catching Fire on opening night and wasn't disappointed. 

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 31 way back in early January, and the Aggies won the Cotton Bowl (just for me, I like to think). We had friends over to watch the game and ordered pizza and drank beer to celebrate. 

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

I've been saying winning lottery ticket for years now, and I'd never turn one of those down. But, also, I think if I could have set more boundaries between work and home, that would have made for a more satisfying year. I brought a lot of work stress home with me, and my boys just deserve better than that.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2013?

"Buying a lot of cute shoes until she figures out how to get to the gym regularly."

32. What kept you sane?

Mike, reading, writing, Natalie, baking, champagne, a clean house, talks with great girlfriends, weekends away, that little boy of mine who has the best laugh in all the world.

33. What political issue stirred you the most?

I think until all 50 states allow all consenting adults to marry, my answer will be marriage equality.  

34. Who did you miss?

If you don't live in driving distance, I miss you. (Same answer as the last two years.)

35. Who was the best new person you met?

There are a few new authors of mine that I think really high of, but also the parents of the other players on Kyle's soccer team. They're just really decent people, and I'm glad to share the sidelines with them for so much of the year.  

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.

Some people are going to find what you do (whatever you do) absolute crap. They're going to make fun of you and roll their eyes and think they can do better. They'll try to make you feel small because they feel small (or maybe just because they suck) and they can really ruin your day or your mood or your confidence if you let them.

Never let them.

Happy 2014 to you and you and you.  

One of the best weekends of my year

I can't imagine finishing the year without writing about a trip I took in September, a trip to Kansas City to celebrate my sweet mom's 65th birthday. (Feel free to gush over how good she looks in the comments. I totally agree with you.)

We'd been planning this trip for years, no exaggeration, which is actually the way I prefer to plan most trips. (I randomly call Natalie to talk about our 2018 Friendiversary. I'm thinking Nashville or San Diego.) My mom was raised in Kansas City, and I'd never been. A milestone birthday felt like the perfect excuse to pack a bag, get in the car, and celebrate my favorite lady.

There was one glorious, perfect catch to all the fun we had planned for so long. My sister was coming too, but my mom had absolutely no idea. See, we planned and plotted and lied and schemed and then LIED SOME MORE because my mom's one true wish was having the three of us together and we couldn't give her that gift without making her sweat a little for it. We told my mom that my sister had a very pressing work deadline, and it was around her own birthday and her husband had big plans to celebrate and she just couldn't possibly make it, no matter how happy it would have made my mom to have us all together. LIES ALL LIES. She bought a plane ticket and met us in Kansas City, and the surprise was a highlight of my entire life.

(It was so very difficult to drive eight hours to KC with my mom, without ruining this huge surprise. I deserve a trophy.)

We stayed at the lovely and delightful Southmoreland on the Plaza in Kansas City (side note: I'd recommend this place to anyone, anytime, it was so absolutely perfect and charming and also in walking distance from the town's plaza) and they happen to have a fun happy hour every afternoon around 4:30pm or so. I convinced my mom to sit outside on the deck around that time on the day we arrived, knowing Rachel was on her way from the airport (my texts to Rachel were all a lot like this: "WHERE ARE YOU, ARE YOU CLOSE, HOW CLOSE?" "I'm two miles closer than when you texted two minutes ago." I was excited, what can I say!). Anyway, I told my mom the staff was going to bring our wine after it chilled, and then I plotted with the staff to have Rachel deliver the wine herself, as soon as she arrived.

I didn't want my mom to see Rachel walk out, so I tried to distract her with very interesting conversation. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of any interesting conversation TOPICS, very bad timing on my brain's part, so I brought up the one topic I knew my mom would be willing to engage in: PRINCESS DIANA. Seriously, the only person my mom loves more than Adam Levine is Princess Diana. "So, how old were Diana's boys when she died?" This is a very strange quesiton for anyone to ask ANYONE on a girl's weekend, but my mom didn't bat an eye. She answered, quickly, as Rachel walked out with our wine.

(I can now say with much confidence that I can con my mom into anything because I was acting so ridiculous and so sketchy and going in and out and taking phone calls and texting and blaming it all on "oh, gosh, I have to take this work call INSIDE, AWAY FROM YOU" and TALKING ABOUT PRINCESS DIANA'S DEATH and she had absolutely no idea anything was up. She didn't suspect a thing. My sweet mom.)

Oh, it was so wonderful.

We've had our times, the three of us. Crying, screaming, clawing, angry times. We've hated and hurt, and I often wondered if there would be anything on the other side of all that dark stuff. Would we ever sit around a table, just us three, sharing drinks and smiles and laughs and love? This trip was our answer. We would. 

It was perfect. 

(Okay, the Aggies lost to Alabama while we were there -- I teared up at the dinner table and my mother and sister lost like half the respect they had for me -- so we'll call the weekend as near to perfect as you can possibly get when your football team loses a huge game.)

I think we need to do this again, just the three of us. Maybe for my 35th birthday, which is in three short years.

I better start planning.

Well, he can't very well be Superman next year

It wasn't until I looked at Kyle's last three Halloween costumes all together like this that I realized we've sort of projected some very cool careers onto him. No pressure, buds!

I'm thinking doctor next year.

Halloween was a lot of fun. We stuck to our neighborhood, which is one place we actually haven't trick-or-treated before. It was nice to finally say hello to neighbors we haven't met in the four years we've been here.

At one house, Kyle walked up to say "Trick or treat" and the man said, "Well, do you want a trick or a treat?" Without pause, Kyle said, "I just want candy."

You heard the boy! 

He got so much candy, in fact, that if he has a piece a day, we should be through our stash just in time for next year's trick-or-treating. I better help him with some of that, I think. 

Four years later, and we finally win at fireworks

We moved into our house four years ago, right around July Fourth, and that first year I vaguely remember watching a few fireworks from our porch, where I didn't enjoy them as much I prayed my way through that they wouldn't wake up then-five-months-old Kyle.

I don't remember being able to see the fireworks too clearly, or at least I assume that I couldn't see them too clearly, because the next year we piled into the car and headed to the big, open field and festival our town throws in honor of the holiday and where we could (or so we thought) better see the fireworks show. 

The year after that, we drove a couple blocks and watched them from a big, open parking lot because we got a late start.

Last year, we headed back to the festival. 

This year, Kyle was a little timid about the whole thing, though. He doesn't particularly like loud noises (who can blame him? I find loud noises rather annoying), and he didn't seem all that excited about going to the festival just to listen to loud noises, no matter how many bounce houses we promised him. We invited my mom and Mike's parents and some friends over and told everyone we'd just play it by ear, either pile in the car and head to the festival or try to see some of the higher fireworks from our backyard. In the meantime, I made festive sangria (possibly the best sangria I've ever had; make this TODAY) and Mike bought sparklers and poppers to keep everyone entertained. (Kyle doesn't like loud noises, but he absolutely loved those poppers. So much so that Mike had to go out and buy more the next day. I don't understand four year olds either.)

Sangria. Seriously, so good.

For whatever reason -- those vagueish memories from 2009? our own unimpressive intelligence? -- we just assumed our backyard wasn't the best place to see them, and that we'd certainly make DO, if we had to, but it wasn't ideal or anything.

But we did end up staying home and BOY were we wrong about our backyard. We're idiots, basically.

We can see our town's fireworks show PERFECTLY. PER. FECT. LY. We had fold-up chairs and blankets and drinks and it was the best July Fourth holiday I can honestly remember. The festival is fun, but walking into our backyard without any of the crowds or parking hassles is WAY more fun. Like so much more fun we're never going to the festival again, sorry town festival! 

After the show, we even lit and released some lanterns we'd purchased a few months ago, inspired by our trip to Puerto Rico (minus the almost-burning-buildings-down part, that wasn't very inspiring). My particular lantern ripped pre-flight, but I will not read too much into THAT or what it might mean for my wishes. 

It was a wonderful night, and Kyle did great with the noise. He kept saying, "It's not THAT loud!" It was such a perfect holiday, and the rest of the weekend was great too. 

I hope yours was equally wonderful. 

Also, next year, fireworks watching in our yard. You're invited. 

 

Texas is growing on me

We now have In-N-Out Burger, Trader Joe's, and these views an hour-long plane ride away.

(It's not the Carribean or anything, I know, but it's not half-bad either.)

Okay, so we likely always had these views an hour-long plane ride away, but I had never hopped on a plane with my kid to see them before this past weekend.

Hard to tell if Kyle enjoyed things, though.

We traveled down to Port Aransas for our niece's first birthday. Even though the celebration fell on Father's Day, Mike already had a motorcycle race planned (with his dad) out of town, so I decided spending the holiday with the rest of his family was the next best thing to celebrating with him.

Kyle's four, but it was actually our first flight just the two of us, and I couldn't have asked for a better, more smoother flight experience on the way down (we'll ignore the flight experience on the way back, when American Airlines told us we couldn't get on an earlier flight unless we paid $75/each). On the way down, though, the lovely AA worker waived our baggage fees and let us jump the security line. Oh, airline companies, why do you have to keep us on our toes! Anyway, Kyle was a champ for all the traveling. I don't know how a four year old can channel such patience, but he was a total inspiration to me on the trip. 

It was a quick weekend away (we were gone from Friday morning to Sunday evening), but it was just what we needed. It felt like a real vacation with sandy feet and sun-kissed skin and reading on the porch of our beach house and early bedtimes (and very early mornings, which was less vacation-y than I would have preferred KYLE) even though we were gone less than three days.

I hope Kyle remembers this mini-vacation, holding hands while we walked to the beach each morning and building sandcastles and splashing in the ocean. I hope he remembers slathering sunscreen on his tiny legs and cannon-balling in the community pool, but I'll remember for us both, if he doesn't.

The only thing better than the trip itself was the company, which is the best truth of all the best trips, isn't it? Doesn't matter where we go, not really, just who we go with.

Washington, DC: Part One

Our DC trip snuck up on us (as you might remember, we quickly went from a June Alaskan trip to an April DC one), and as we rode the shuttle from the parking lot to the terminal at DFW, I snapped a picture of us that kind of hiliariously summed up our preparedness for the trip.

We look so confused! And tired! Are we...going on vacation or are we going into a stressful work meeting? No one can be sure.

Anyway, the flight itself was thankfully uneventful. We got into DC, grabbed a Super Shuttle, and finally arrived at our hotel. (Quick travel math: Dulles arrival + Super Shuttle ride + Dupont Circle hotel = A MILLION TOTAL TRAVELING HOURS.) We booked our hotel room at the Topaz Hotel through Kristin, a blog friend who does travel advising, and when I mentioned to a few people that it was a Kimpton property, they told me you could request a goldfish be delivered to your room. 

A goldfish! 

I was quite excited by this because I think what our travels have really been missing is pets. I did have a brief panicked moment right before I got to the counter to request the goldfish because what if my friends had steered me wrong? What if they DIDN'T offer free goldfish and I requested one and things got awkward?

Thankfully, there was no issue and Spike (what I named him) was delivered to our room without incident.

(From top to bottom, left to right: Mike and me at Good Stuff Eatery, us in front of the beautiful Capitol building; Spike, our fish!; the Library of Congress)

After we welcomed Spike to our room, we headed out for another Spike. Spike's Good Stuff Eatery! The burgers and fries were just so-so, sadly, but the milkshakes. Guys, THE MILKSHAKES ARE GAME CHANGERS. 

Mike and I split a mini-toasted marshmallow shake and then went back two more times on our trip to enjoy our own, non-mini-sized ones.  

(MINI IS TOO SMALL)

After dinner, we walked around the mall, catching our breath at every turn. To see this place come alive in front of us, a place we see in movies and in pictures and in textbooks was just incredible, I nearly cried a dozen times. Maybe it was the history major in me, or the eternal sap, or both, but what a breathtaking part of our country. I felt really lucky to be there.

We stopped in the Air & Space Museum before it closed that day and then we headed back to our hotel room. 

We made it back that night to enjoy the complimentary happy hour in our hotel lobby (ANOTHER reason to only stay at Kimpton properties from now until forever), and I requested one glass of wine to enjoy in the lobby and one to enjoy in our hotel room. Yes, I requested two glasses in one hour's time, and I was a little hesitant to do this. Was that...overstepping the complimentary happy hour boundaries? When I went up to ask for the second glass, I said, "I'd like to take this glass to our room. Is that...can I...IS THAT ALLOWED? SHOULD I PAY FOR THE SECOND GLASS." The happy hour bartender got a glimpse into why I rarely drank in high school. I am very much a rule follower and I have a deep fear of authority. I didn't want to break any rules! HAPPY HOUR RULES! LIKE THERE IS SUCH A THING!

Anyway, I think I took a long bath and then crawled into bed at 7:30pm that night, where we watched a movie, ordered room service dessert, and remembered why vacations are so lovely. 

(When I told Mike that a book, a bed, and a glass of wine is basically my favorite scenario, he said, "You know, you could read and drink wine in bed at home ANY TIME YOU WANT." I hate when he makes so much sense. STOP MAKING SENSE, MIKE.)

The next day, we slept in and met Caitlin (!!) for lunch at Sweetgreen, which was absolutely delicious. Texas, go ahead and open a handful of these. We also got a tour of Caitlin's office. She works at National Geographic and Mike suggested I apply. If he thought my commute NOW makes me bitchy!

(Us, at National Geographic! This was just the hallway. We're very bad at choosing photo backgrounds.) 

After lunch, we headed back to the mall and walked around a lot. We had dinner reservations, so I told Mike that the one thing I absolutely had to do before dinner was see the White House. 

Guys.

We saw the freaking White House, and I had to AGAIN stop myself from tearing up. The White House! (I'm like the most cliche tourist there ever was.) President Obama was sadly out of town this day, which explains why he didn't come out and invite us in for dinner. 

Two little boys were standing beside us as we snapped pictures, and one said to the other, "What do you think is INSIDE there?" The other, "Probably a really big tennis court." 

From there we walked to dinner at Zaytinya with Mike's uncle, aunt, and cousin. (Seems like we had JUST eaten lunch, I know, but I swear there were MILES of walking between lunch and dinner. So many miles. We were so tired and hungry by the time dinner rolled around.)

Dinner was fantastic, and I recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a meal in DC. Favorite dishes: hummus, the crispy Brussel sprouts (OMG, these were amazing), and the crab cakes.

When we got back to the hotel, we headed next door for a drink at the Tabard Inn where we saw Janet Napolitano, although we only KNEW it was her after asking the waitress who the Secret Service dudes were with. Still, DC, you are so charming with all your politicians, just having drinks in the same bar as us. In Dallas, I've seen David Archuleta and Jake Pavelka. NOT THE SAME.

(At Tabard Inn, cocktails and flash photography)

The next day we headed out of town, and Mike had no idea where we were going. I TOTALLY surprised him. That's part two, my friends. Check back sometime in August for that recap.

Easter 2013

Easter is one of my favorite holidays, which I know may sound a little strange. I'm not a very religious person, but I do believe deeply in a few things and one of those things is the power of the people I love to make me feel wholer. 

I had a house full of those people this morning, and I felt it very good.

Including these little dudes, who dominated our egg hunt AND our confetti egg stash. 

We thought it might storm during our brunch and egg hunt. Sometimes Texas can surprise you in the best, most sunshiney ways.

I hope your day was just as warm, literally or otherwise.

***

Oh, and these beer biscuits that were on our Easter menu were DELICIOUS and you should make them immediately. 

My Easter Brunch Menu

I've hosted an Easter brunch and egg hunt for the last three years and it's one of my favorite traditions. Fine, it's because I serve mimosas. Guilty! Anyway, here's what else is on my menu:

(From left to right, top to bottom: 1, 2, 3, 4)

We're also having deviled eggs, fruit, and bacon. Juice and coffee, too. 

What are you having? 

Friendiversary

When we were 11, I made Natalie buy best friend necklaces. Like, all the time. You know, the really cool yin-yang-type necklaces that turned your skin green ten seconds after you put one on. I made her buy about a million of them.

It's not easy to be friends with me, but this lady has it down. She's been doing it for 20 years. 

Good, bad, really good, really bad. She's been there. And even when she wasn't there, she was there. Maybe especially then.

In college, I was having big issues with another friend. I was sad about it, so I called Natalie. When I got engaged at 5am, I called Natalie. (Fine, Mike made me wait a couple hours, so it was more like 7am.) On my honeymoon, when Mike was snorkeling and I was bored of my (really not fit for beach-reading) book, I called Natalie. When I found out I was pregnant, I called Natalie. 

She hated the term "friendiversary" that I said about a million times over the weekend. She hated it but laughed while hating it. I like to think that while Natalie and I are so very different, we always find a way to laugh. I like to think that's our language. 

When Natalie and I were in middle school, we lived just blocks apart. We'd walk to each other's houses, nearly every day, through our neighbors' yard. Over the course of four years, we created a ditch in that yard. We walked so often through it, we changed it.

This is Natalie's friendship, in a nutshell. It's changed me. 

Twenty years. Man, that's a long time to be so lucky.

Fun Things

Some super fun things: 

1. I got a Target gift card for my birthday (thank you, in-laws!) and instead of spending it on laundry detergent or groceries, I bought this purse. I really love it, and I would really love to link to it but where my love for Target is mighty, my love for Target's website is NONEXISTANT, OMG IT'S THE WORST.

2. After I passed on seeing Mumford & Sons when they came to Dallas a few years ago -- when tickets were something like $25, of course -- I swore I wouldn't make that mistake again. Anywhere in the state! I'll go anywhere in the state to see them, I swore! Or one state north, turns out. They'll be in Guthrie, Okla. this September and Mike and I are going. The concert is part of their small Gentleman of the Road series. I'm extremely excited, even if it seems like we might have to camp since hotels in the area are all sold out. I'm trying to convince Mike to buy a tent big enough to house a comfortable armchair. He has not stopped rolling his eyes at this idea since.

3. A couple years ago, I was in San Diego for Comic-Con and I got in a day early for set-up. There was no air-conditioning in the convention center that day and I was so tired when I left that I basically stumbled into the Hopping Pig to kill time before dinner. (Here's a whole list of my San Diego dining highlights!) I ordered a Lagunitas IPA because the brewery is in the town my stepmom and brother live. But, I loved it! Since then, I try an IPA every now and then and more so over the last couple months. I told my co-worker this, and she brought me a couple bottles last week, after a tough, stressful week. We've worked together for almost six years, and I would be such a mess without her. I would say that even if she didn't bring me beers.

4. Natalie and I are headed to College Station later this month, to celebrate being friends for 20 years. I get sappy when I think of Natalie because, well, it's Natalie. She's known me two-thirds of my life and there is really no one who has seen me through so much and still come out the other side to like me, except my mother. I don't know quite how to articulate what it's like to have a friend for so long, through so much, except to say that at some point she (thankfully) became a certainty. She'll be in my life forever. So, we toast that truth in our college town next month, over greasy potatoes and cheap drinks and, lamely but wonderfully, sleeping in. Twenty years! 

5. Mike and I were planning an Alaskan trip this year. A dream trip! But, siiiiigh, dream trips are not free. We just couldn't afford it. So, we swapped our tickets for a closer-to-home, much more affordable DC trip. We're still really excited about it. I've only been for work and something tells me the convention center isn't top of the must-see DC list. We have a lot of wonderful people offering us great tips, but if there's a must-try restaurant or an off-the-beaten path suggestion you think we should absolutley know about, let me have it! I love travel spreadsheets. Let me add your picks to this one. 

6. My mom turns 65 this year (she looks at least a decade younger, I know) and we've decided to take a girl's trip to Kansas City to celebrate. This is where she's from, and a place I've never been, so I can't wait to go. I can't wait to see where my mom grew up, where she went to school, and to just see this lovely new place through her eyes. I think there will be a bottle of champagne (or a couple cold beers; she's into beer lately) and a lot of good conversation in store for us. And a new map pin for me! 

7. I'm hosting a champagne-inspired dinner sometime in the next two months, and I'm excited to invite some of my favorite ladies to my house for a dinner with a bubbly theme. Here's my Pinterest board, but are there any recipes that really need to make this menu?

A (Couple) Pins of the Month

I had a goal (on my to-do list this year) to choose one pin a month that's been gathering dust on my Pinterest boards and attempt to tackle it. It could be anything, really, from a DIY project to a local restaurant I've been wanting to try. Annnnd then I failed right out of the gate because January was pin-less. I know! But, hey. My list, my rules. I still get to cross that bad boy off if I finish 12 pins by December and since I did TWO in February, I'm back on track. 

Phew.

(I also might attempt Janssen's Pinterest challenge, so there's an extra six. I will basically own Pinterest by 2014.)

Pin of the Month #1: Dinosaur Egg Party Favors 

(original pin)

I won't quit my day job to create dinosaur egg party favors for a living, but I still think this was a solid attempt. Even Mike was impressed, and that's saying something.

I bought clear party favor bags (at Michael's), candy rocks (I bought 2 bags, which was a good amount for about a dozen favors), and tasked Mike with printing the notes (front and back) on regular ole printer paper. Then I folded evenly and stapled. I would have preferred a sturdier stock, but this was a night-before-the-party project, so. 

Pin of the Month #2: Kyle's Party Shirt

Turns out, I really like buying Kyle shirts to wear to his birthday parties. Here's a snapshot over the years. (Minus his third birthday, when I didn't buy him anything special except a few hundred balloons.) 

I pinned a few possible shirts for his party, and purchased the winning one about two weeks before his party. The seller was awesome and put it in the mail the day after I bought it, since I left a note about when the party was.

In fact, all the Etsy sellers I've bought his party shirts from over the years have been great. Here are links to each: first birthday, second birthday (we had a small family party, with a transportation theme, so this airplane shirt was perfect), and fourth birthday. 

I know, hitting purchase and calling that a Pinterest project might feel like a stretch, but I often (LIKE, WEEKLY) pin things I'd like to buy one day only to forget all about those things and wind up just dropping $50 at Target on similar (but less awesome) things instead. 

So, there you have it! One post with a lot of references to pins. 

Kyle's Fourth Birthday Party

I love birthdays, as you likely know, and I really love the birthdays of my boys. (And, yes, of Molly. We bought her a big piece of delicious cake last year and I know it was delicious because I ate it all. That was a good day.) (I totally thought I blogged about Molly's last birthday and intended to link to it but, nope, around her birthday I was blogging about Taylor Kitsch and Whole Foods smoothies. NO WONDER SHE SIDE-EYES ME SO OFTEN.) Anyway, what's tough about Kyle's birthday is that February is Texas' usually coldest but also most unpredictable weather month. One year, we reached insane freezing temperatures for like a solid week. (I really thought I blogged about that horrible icy week of terrible cold but nope. I'm apparently a poor excuse for a blogger.) This year, it was 68 degrees the day before his party. The day of his party, of course, it was cold and overcast and windy, and I was super grumpy about it. 

Like really fucking grumpy. 

I went to Target that morning to buy all the things I still needed to buy (and many things I didn't still need to buy) and just stomped around the store and tweeted about how grumpy I was and stomped some more and then comfort bought a pair of earrings. (This was after I had already comfort ate a donut from Kyle's donut cake.)

The party turned out a-okay--as these things just turn out, of course--especially in Kyle's adorable four-year-old eyes. He was happy the entire time and he ran around outside in the cold, with his friends (and even without a coat!), and laughed and laughed and laughed. And laughed.

(That bottom right picture is candy grabbing post-pinata breaking, in case you thought we encouraged a kid brawl or something.)

We chose a dinosaur theme--and by we, I completely mean me because I pushed the theme on Kyle like the overbearing, birthday-obsessed mom I unapologetically am--but it was still my favorite theme ever. (And, don't worry, Kyle really liked it too.)

We set up pools of sand on the porch for faux-fossil digs. I buried a bunch of tiny plastic dinosaurs in the sand and let the kids take home whatever they unearthed.

Mike drew dinosaur feet on the front walk with chalk. (I just have to quickly give a shout-out to Elizabeth, who I stole the party idea from last year, and when I asked her where she found her dinosaur feet, she said, "Oh, I drew them with chalk" and I immediately thought THIS IS WHY ELIZABETH NEEDS TO LIVE IN TEXAS. I could stress eat donuts and she could just calmly fix my party problems.)

One thing Kyle chose all on his very own was his donut cake. We went back and forth on his cake for a while and he finally said, "I want donuts with candles." At first I thought we'd just buy two donuts, stick four candles in them, and call it a day, but then I decided donuts sounded good for everyone. And they were good for everyone. I could use one of those donuts right now, truth be told.

It was a good day, and when I put Kyle to bed that night, he told me that he loved his party, that he had the best day, and while I still have memories of grumpily stomping around Target because of the stupid effing clouds, the bigger memories are the ones of Kyle grinning.

Kyle grinning trumps a whole lot. 

He's four! I still can't believe it.

Four

Kyle is four years old today.

Ever since Kyle could walk, we've ingrained in his head that he must (EVEN IF I HAVE TO YELL VERY LOUDLY AT HIM) hold our hands in the street or in a parking lot. The yelling worked, because he does just that, reaches up for one of our hands whenever we hit the edge of a road.

Yesterday, after I picked Kyle up from school, he talked about the cupcakes he'll bring to his class today and about how good he listened to his teachers, and he grabbed his sweatshirt off his coat rack, all by himself, as he does, and it was all so simply how our lives are. Our lives, our routine, this is our normal. As we walked outside and reached the last step before the parking lot, he was talking up a storm ("Mommy, I have an idea, let's put a candle ON TOP of my ice cream tomorrow."), and he naturally reached up for my hand. Right before I took it, I just looked at him, this kid of mine, with his shaggy blonde hair and sunny smile, holding his hand up to me and I tried tried tried to remember it all. This one particular moment, this one particular boy, this one particular life. 

I never thought life could be this simple, this bright, this beautiful and, oh, I never thought I'd have such a perfect boy to reach up for my hand, to walk through parking lots and life with me.

I've wanted a lot in my day, but oh my goodness is Kyle a million times more than I ever thought I was worthy of wanting.

Happy fourth birthday, buds.

My oh my, do we love you to the moon and back. 

Thirty-One

I turned 31 yesterday, and it was a lovely, perfect, warm (on the inside) day.

I love birthdays and while I know that's not a universal feeling--just ask my husband who grumbles through his day each year--I still wish for you a birthday like I had when your day rolls around. We all deserve tacos with extra hot sauce and the fancy kind of champagne and co-workers who buy us flowers and in-laws who buy us Target gift cards and best internet friends who surprise us with a book straight off our to-read list and husbands who clean the bathroom while we lounge on the couch. Or, whatever your favorite things happen to be. Yes, that's what we all deserve on our birthdays: our favorite things. 

I'm about to bring this post down, after all that sweetness, you've been warned. See, every year, on my birthday, I think of a girl I went to high school with. I knew her, was friendly (enough) with her, and we even ate lunch in the same group for a semester when we were dating guys who were friends. We then went on to the same college, and we were waved-hello-from-across-campus, kind-of friends. We weren't close, by any means, but I knew her. I knew her.

She died right after she graduated, in a car accident. 

I don't know why her death hit me as hard as it hit me or why it stayed with me for so long. Why it's still with me, in a way.

See, every year on my birthday, I think of her. I think that she will never see 26 or 29 or 31. I think that her family would do anything to see her at those ages and that it's cruel, in a way, to complain about my own age when a girl I once (admittedly, barely) knew will never know the privilege of being 31. 

I don't know why her death stuck with me when countless tragedies happen every day, every minute. When Connecticut just happened last month. But every year on my birthday I think of her, and I think I owe it to her to enjoy this privilege of aging. 

This all sounds a little superior of me, I fear, especially when complaining about aging is normal, it doesn't make any of us wrong or awful or ungrateful. I think of her every year, though, and thinking of her keeps me from thinking about much else besides being glad to be whatever age I happen to be. 

I am 31 now, and I am just so glad to be.

Last night, at age 31, while Mike bought me queso and margaritas and Kyle held my hand. Yes, glad to be, indeed.

Girl's Night

I bought some high, high heels a while ago (I'd link to that post if I weren't typing this from my phone) and told Kristie how impulsive and ridiculous such a purchase was. I work in a casual office. I grocery shop, go to three-year-old soccer games, and blog in my spare time. None of these activities require high, high heels.

She's a great friend, though, that lady. She organized a "wear your fanciest shoes" girl's night out, where cocktails and dessert were also encouraged.

I was really tired a couple hours before leaving. I also have a scratchy, kinda sore throat. I thought that sitting on my couch sounded so much better than high, high heels and even dessert with good friends. I was wrong, thankfully.

It was a good decision, the shoes, the friends, the night. Lesson: try to say yes more to shoes, to friends, to dessert.

(Oh, we also saw The Bachelor's Jake at our restaurant. I can add him to my Dallas-area reality star spotting list, which also includes David Archuleta.)