Washington DC

 

 

Josh and I took a last minute trip to DC last week. We left Thursday night and returned home Sunday afternoon, so we had a very short time to squeeze in a lot of sights! 

 

We got in late Thursday night, checked into the hotel, and crashed. Friday and Saturday began 8:30 and ended midnight. It was a busy

weekend!
 
Our first stop was the National Mall. We started with the World War II Memorial (and of course, took a picture with Texas), then visited Abe, the Vietnam Ward Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.  It was 95 degree, super humid, and A LOT of walking.Then we hit the Smithsonians. We went to the Air and Space Museum, The Natural History Museum, the Botanical Gardens, and the Smithsonian Castle information center. We wrapped up the day with a Washington Nationals Baseball game. Our $14 seats were phenomenal and Josh was in heaven.

Saturday had a rough start. We woke up to realize that we didn't have power in our hotel room. We were staying at a Double tree not far from the Pentagon, so a working air conditioner and electricity were sort of an expectation. The power outage was in random rooms on random floors, and around the lobby. Knowing our luck, I am not surprised AT ALL that we were in one of the powerless rooms. Our room was hot and the bathroom was pitch black, so we didn't shower that morning. Luckily we had showered the night before, but going to bed with wet hair made for some pretty wild bed head (and putting make up on in the dark was exciting).

After trying to figure out what was going on with our room, we headed to the international spy museum. It was a fun museum, I recommend going. We got to climb through air vents James Bond style! That day we also visited Ford's Theater, went to the Navy Memorial, went to China Town, and took a tour through the Capitol building (it was just as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside). We finished the day with a "Memorials by Moonlight" bus tour. It was a two-and-a-half hour ride that allowed us to get on and off at different monuments that were illuminated, including the FDR Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and the Iwo Jima Memorial.

We had to check out from the hotel at noon, but before we  did, we took a trip to Arlington National Cemetery. I feel such a reverence for all of the war memorials, and Arlington is no different. It was a special way to end our trip, and a great way to spend our Sunday morning.

It was a crazy weekend, and it was definitely an adventure that we will never forget!



 







Cow Appreciation Day

July 12th is cow appreciation day. To celebrate, Chick-fil-A gives free food to customers dressed as cows! I love Chick-fil-A and I love costumes, but somehow I always manage to miss this yearly event. To avoid a repeat tragedy, Josh and I put it on the calendar a month ago (we really like free food).

Our initial plan was for Josh to wear an old white shirt that we would see spots on, and for me to wear a black and white dress, we figured we'd keep it simple. 

Thank goodness we went on the Chick-fil-A website and read the rules! After finding out that we would get a free meal  if we were dressed like a cow from "head to hoof" (you get a free entrée for simply wearing "cow accessories), we realized we needed to take it to the next level! 

I began hot gluing black spots to an old shirt and pair of white leggings for my costume, and found a $3 pair of white pants at a thrift store for Josh (it was an investment, we'll get that three dollars back in chicken and waffle fries!). And I must say, our costumes set the standard pretty high!

 Josh didn't have school on July 12th so we decided to cheat the system by eating all three meals that day at three different chick-fil-a restaurants. We had breakfast in Bolingbrook, (ran 6.3 miles!) ate lunch in Wheaton, and finished the day with dinner in Lombard. And now we never want to eat Chick-fil-A again. We can't wait to do it again next year!

Enjoying the Quiet Moments

Our marriages has been filled with many adventures, both spontaneous and planned; we love being on the go! 

We want to make the most of our summer by squeezing in as much fun as we can, but lately I have been cherishing the quiet moments at home. 

Whether we're getting take out and watching a Law and Order: SVU marathon or going for a walk hand in hand around our super scenic neighborhood (there are a cheap apartments as far as the eye can see!), I find myself completely in love with the moment. And I am very grateful for that! 

Our day to day life is pretty boring. It is far from being picture-perfect-instagram-worthy, but it is perfect for us! 

Breaking Tradition One Slice At A Time

Weddings are full of many traditions, some more common and popular than others. One tradition most people seem to follow (no matter how unappetizing it may be) is the practice of freezing your wedding cake and eating it a year later.

I hadn't really given the tradition much thought, until I overheard two women having a discussion about it at David's Bridal. One of them suggested eating a piece of the cake every month on the date that you were married, and I immediately fell in love with the idea.


Josh and I took home the entire top tier of our
wedding cake, and we were able to enjoy it over the course of seven months.

The first piece definitely tasted better than the last, but I looked forward to eating a slice every month regardless. 

Sharing a piece of our wedding cake was an excuse to celebrate our relationship every month. It gave us a chance to reflect on what we had accomplished, what we had experienced, and it lead to happy discussions about our future.

Breaking the wedding cake tradition turned out to be a fantastic decision for us; It brought us closer together. And even though the cake is gone, we will continue to celebrate each month. In fact, we're actually really excited that we're done with it, now we get to celebrate by eating a dessert of our choice! Bring on July 17th!

(To the right are appetizing pictures of our cake month-to-month.)









                                                                                           

A Domestic Disaster: Learning How to Cook

Eleanor Roosevelt said “Do one thing every day that scares you". I take Eleanor's wise words to heart every time I set foot in my kitchen, because I have always been TERRIFIED to cook.

Cooking has always seemed so daunting because the only way to learn is through experience. Trial and error is an inevitable part of the process, but screwing up a meal is disappointing, annoying, and a complete waste of time and ingredients!

No one really tells you where to start, but everyone expects you to automatically have the skill developed. You're handed a cookbook, pushed into a kitchen, and told "good luck!"

With the advice and encouragement of my coworkers, I've been able to successfully develop and prepare a weekly meal plan. It was sloppy at first, and wasted a lot of notebook paper, but I'm definitely getting the hang of it (and thanks to pinterest, my list is much cuter and more organized).

Meal planning is time consuming and makes for an extra long trip to the grocery store (which I HATE), but it makes the time I do spend in the kitchen much less frustrating. It has also made shopping--and eating--more cost-effective. I'm sold on it!

Lucky for me, Josh isn't a picky eater, so he will eat pretty much anything I put in front of him without complaint. He's been very supportive as I try out different recipes (that sometimes turn out weird) and encourages me to keep trying new meals.

Like any rookie who cooks, I've been documenting some of the meals I make. You may see unappetizing, not-photogenic, poorly displayed food, but I see nine little victories. Each one has lead me to feel more confident in my abilities, and I am slowly beginning to enjoy cooking.

Here's to becoming less of a domestic disaster!