this place called home

For orientation purposes, the string of horizontal lights is the tarmac landing lights at DCA, past that is the Washington Monument whose glow is made more noticeable by its scaffolding these days. The bright orb at the edge on the right is Nats stadium, and the smaller dot about an inch to the left of that is the Capitol. All of these things look WAY cooler when not seen through the blurry lens of an iPhone, but you can't carry a real camera while running now, can you?

I'm a lover of routines. I've always joked that it's because I was raised Methodist, but the reality of it is that habits tend to impact your life in minute ways. My latest habit is running in the half hour before the sunset. I blame the fact that I hate the heat & I'm a wimp, but it doesn't hurt that that half hour or so is also one of the most beautiful times of the day.

About once a week I run pass this spunky older woman and her dog, Fenway, who I've mentioned before, and it's as if I know their story, their bond. Fenway is a loving and endlessly curious pup whose owner has full trust in her. She bumbles along inspecting and meeting whomever she deems worthy, and her owner just keeps walking (not in an abusive way, just in an understanding way) as if to maintain the aforementioned pace of their walk. Simply put, they are each other's family. Sometimes I come across Fenway & her owner as they're playing catch, utilizing a staircase & Fenway's endless energy. Other days Fenway is exploring the rocks, looking for interesting treasures and playmates. But always they're happy together, appreciating one another in their time together, as if equal friends more than owner & dog.

Lately, every time I've run through Oronocco Bay Park I've passed three old men sharing the same bench watching the water. One has a cane, another wears glasses, and the middle guy always dons the same dapper hat. It's clear that they've been friends for awhile, that they have a mutual respect for their friendship as well as their silence. They all just sit and watch the water and the ducks and the people together. And seeing them always makes me smile because in my mind they have a grasp on the importance of life and friendships, that sometimes just being in the company of one another is enough.

I've noticed that for two Tuesdays in a row a wonderful overlap has occurred: sailboats. It's almost as if all these people who own these graceful boats have reached an agreement to spite Labor Day's premature end of summer, as the first day I noticed was the day after Labor Day. I'm all for the petition if anyone asks because few things are more intoxicating to look at while panting running than 20+ white sailboats gliding out on the Potomac right in front of you. To you sailboat enthusiasts out there, I beseech you to keep it up. Please and thank you.

But the thing that I appreciate the most on my running path is the sight I get to look at on the tail end of every run. If anything can motivate me to leave my apartment in the sometimes sweltering humidity, it's the view of the Washington Monument & the Capitol across the Potomac as the sun is setting. It's being able to recognize when the Nats have a home game when a giant glow of lights can be seen to the right of the Capitol. It's watching planes take off & land overhead as they direct themselves from/to Reagan National Airport and imagining what all the people onboard those flights are coming here to see or do. Some are here for business, some for vacation. Some are fellow citizens, young and old, seeing our Capitol for the first time. Others are from foreign lands whose curiosity has led them to see what it is that America is all about. 

These two minutes of my daily run are the minutes that give me perspective, that boost my energy, and that make me smile. They remind me that this place is home for however long we live here. That this place is home for Fenway and her owner and the three old men and all the sailboat enthusiasts. That this place is a mecca for understanding and appreciating freedom in this world.

Today those two minutes will reflect on what happened in this neighborhood & throughout our country 12 years ago. After driving around the Pentagon from what seems like all angles on regular errands and trips, it's hard to think that something so atrocious could happen to a structure so mighty, but more than that, that it could happen to our home. For me, 9/11 happened half a life ago & on a tv screen, but now that I live here, it's impossible to forget. But 12 years later, this place, our home, still stands for what it was built upon: its freedoms, and that is a beautiful thing. 

posing as DC tourists (without the matching hats or t-shirts)

Around these parts, the summer season is FULL of tourists. They're everywhere: wandering aimlessly along King Street, trying to blend in at farmer's markets & parks, but fooling no one when it comes to the escalators at metro stations (unless you're intending to continue climbing the stairs or wish to face the wrath of a commuter, it's an unspoken rule that you keep to the right to allow others to pass). It's a season that makes us really glad we live in Virginia rather than the District where everything is ten times worse. 

However, every now and then the tourist bug bites us, too, so we play the part & galavant about seeing things we haven't in seen in awhile/ever & eating at restaurants we've been meaning to try since we moved here for months. 

A couple of months ago, we went so far as to pen a mega list of everything we've been meaning to see so that we'll finally make the effort to go. Some of the things on our list: actually seeing all of the Smithsonians, instead of just the popular ones, because frankly we don't have the excuse of only visiting for a week; having a "Lost Symbol Day" because we embrace the facts that a) we're Dan Brown nerds and b) we love that the book was based in the DC area; embarking on a ghost tour of Old Town Alexandria, thanks to the recommendation of my good friend, Sarah (Enrichment Thursday: Ghost Edition!); & hitting up some lesser frequented places like Dumbarton Oaks and the Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Garden.

Basically we got a list as long as Santa's, so recently we began checking things off. This time around we hit up the Botanical Gardens to see the corpse flower (yes, it's a real thing), the National Zoo (somehow I had never been?), the Natural History Museum, & took a few walks all around the National Mall.

^^Meet the corpse flower, which at its most alluring really does smell like rotting flesh so as to attract pollinators from miles around. We caught it on its last day of being in bloom, and as a point of reference it stood at 5' 2"^^

^^Em & I decided we might fit in quite nicely at the zoo (our husbands probably agree)^^

^^this is what resulted when I got pinned with a tail & asked to make an elephant sound. I clearly lost character fast.^^

^^However upon comparison, this guy at the Natural History museum looks far more regal than I ever could, so I've since traded in my ears & tail^^

^^reminds me of a certain Boston Terrier back home... Perhaps a relative? ;)^^

^^While trekking it to Good Stuff Eatery post-museum visit, we stumbled upon a peaceful oasis that we never knew was there (part of the Botanical Gardens). It should be understood that if I worked near the Hill, this would be my refuge from all the hulabaloo^^

^^still daydreaming about that cinnamon sugar pop tart from Ted's Bulletin^^

^^it's possible that the Washington Monument looks better with all that industrial scaffolding on it. Definitely is prettier at night from our viewpoint across the Potomac^^

^^impromptu pizza & concrete night. Our Shake Shack order probably wouldn't have resembled Frosty the Snowman on the first day of Spring had the waiter not put it under the name "Gordo"... Lizzie McGuire flashbacks, anyone?^^

^^A stroll about the Mall just isn't complete without seeing something weird. Yes, those are fish fashioned out of fruits & veggies mounted on top of cars^^

^^Yet another cupcake place beats out Georgetown Cupcake. Red Velvet in Chinatown- yum! (Baked & Wired is still our fave, though)^^

^^We couldn't pass up trying new things in Old Town, too. Killer ESP had some pretty tasty chocolate birthday cake gelato, while Haute Dogs was just so yummy. Ten points for guessing which was mine ;) #plainjane4life ^^

life lately, mostly according to my iphone

^^Missing this little nugget, despite her perfect record for scratching up my legs every time she sees me. Interpretation: I'm her favorite. Also, it's remarkable that she sat still for this picture.^^

^^He burns, & it turns to tan. I burn & return to porcelain. And so it goes. Good thing I love him lots ;)^^

^^I managed to get two holes-in-one, but neither were on the gimme on the 18th hole... Because I'm awesome like that.^^

^^I have a serious love affair going on with Old Town. Don't worry, my husband knows & has the same problem.^^

^^While wandering the streets one day I stumbled across this little beauty of Washington's. As if he didn't have enough land at Mt. Vernon... This townhouse was used as an office & a receiving house for his belated guests.^^

^^For those of you who don't follow me on instagram, I'm starting up a little stationery & paper goods business, & this was the night we bought a computer for it! Obviously I'm beyond giddy in this take but manage to compose myself for the next. More details to come soon ;)^^

^^Random fact #57: Trader Joe's has the prettiest flowers I've ever seen at a grocery store. And I hate to say it, but I think the tulip has a tight race against the peony for my favorite flower these days. I mean seriously, look at how gorgeous they are! Please note the mint julep cup that's finally claiming a purpose in my life. Might mean an excuse to buy fresh flowers for my desk on the reg... fingers crossed.^^

Hope everyone has a wonderful (and safe) Fourth of July!

random musings from old town & hometown

+ I think I'm officially becoming acquainted with the local life. Case in point: while watching an episode of West Wing {second episode, second season} the other night, I recognized the diner where the scene was filmed. It's a neighborhood diner in Old Town that has since been changed from a BBQ joint to Greek, but that's not the point. The point is that I know. Gosh the embarrassing amount of pride I felt was on the level of gooby news you hear about hometown progress, and I haven't even lived here for a year. Now that I've admitted how nerdy & dramatic I can be, let's change the subject.

+ After introducing our guys to the wonder of Despicable Me this past weekend, I think Emily & I have made the case to see its sequel in theaters when it comes out this week. It's been awhile since I've heard 4 adults belly laugh as hard as we all did watching that animated movie. All I'm saying is as long as Agnes & her obsession with fluffy unicorns is still in the script, I'm golden. And just to spread the fun facts around, anybody else think it was hilarious to see "Bank of Evil, Formerly Lehman Brothers" over the door? Gets me every time, but probably because Lehman Brothers was founded in my lovely river city, Montgomery, AL.

+ Speaking of Montgomery, my recent brief stint in that fair city was nothing short of wonderful. Mainly because it tickles me pink that downtown has become so cool! Cool enough that we felt compelled to support the hometown team & buy two Biscuits t-shirts for ourselves & a Biscuits hat for a friend at the Biscuit Basket in Riverwalk Stadium. Sadly the one we bought wasn't a real biscuit hat {picture a cheesehead in the form of a biscuit}. #hometownpride

+ And why might you ask did I disappear for over a week after I said that I was coming back? We hit up Seagrove Beach with my former roomies {my parents} for a week. And it was awesome, other than the sunburned shins I managed to get as well as a frisbee induced skinned knee {clumsy Kat strikes again}. If I get my act together around here, I'll post some pictures of our adventures. Did I mention I reclaimed my honor at goofy golf... by almost 20 strokes? Boom. Roasted. Sorry husmate.

+ Finally, I'm in the market for any and all interesting documentaries to watch on Netflix. Every now & then I have this overwhelming itch to watch something incredibly involved & academic & possibly propaganda-esque that can quell my thirst for fixing all the world's problems. Lately I've watched documentaries on Arlington Cemetery & the Honor Guard of the Unknown Tomb {their jobs are intense, I kid you not}, the growing social divide between the wealthy 1% & the rest of us & what power politically they wield {this documentary has forced me to add Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged to my reading list just to be better informed of their argument}, & dramatic food movies that cause me to actually eat better & buy what seems like 80% or more of my grocery list from the perimeters of the grocery store rather than the maze of the middle aisles {for you foodies out there, a wonderful (& short) book to read is Michael Pollan's Food Rules: An Eater's Manual. Seriously, so good. Next on my list is his In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto}. So hey, any fellow nerds or people passionate about something that have some good documentaries up their sleeves, please give me suggestions to watch for my late night viewings! 

short term memory: memorial day at arlington

So it's time to catch up around here on the blog. No shame here. You may see things that we did a few weeks back but hey, it's a personal blog & personally I don't want to forget the things we did, because let's admit it: this will be the closest I ever get to scrapbooking. That's just not going to happen. So here we go people! First up: Memorial Day

^^ This picture is actually really cool. When we were strolling about we had no idea what USCT stood for, but that night when we watched a National Geographic on Arlington {nerds, I tell ya!} we learned that it stood for the United States Colored Troops who literally fought for their freedom during the Civil War ^^

^^ because cupcakes never last long in the presence of a Berry ;) ^^

We spent our first DC Memorial Day by following the masses to Arlington Cemetery, but the cliche aspect of it fell away as soon as we stepped out of the metro station portal. While trying to enter the gates, we were given a handful of red roses from a precious little boy scout & no explanation as to what to do with them {we quickly figured it out}. But can you imagine? Nearly every person who entered the gates that day was handed a few roses & seeing them trekking all over the cemetery was something almost romantic.

And by the way, walking around Arlington armed with roses to place on headstones can send some serious goosebumps down your spine & remind you of what was at stake every time one of these soldiers died. Since the Thursday prior, every headstone {& we're talking a quarter of a million by the way} had been decorated by members of the military with an American flag in a tradition known as "Flags In." But the roses? That was the cherry on top. What an incredible picture of both military & civilians honoring the fallen. 

After spending a few hours wandering around the grounds, we walked across the Memorial Bridge to have a little picnic near the Lincoln Memorial & enjoy a good dose of people watching... Which eventually lead us to a cafe near our apartment where we immersed our nerdy selves in our books for the rest of the afternoon {because Dan Brown's Inferno waits for no man}. Which now that I think back on it, can we go back to that day? Perhaps we'll make that a tradition of ours ;)

remember the time... {vol. IV}

I mean really, can tulips be any more beautiful? Such simplicity & no thorns to speak of, truly the best flower out there, or so I think anyway ;)

{lately}

+ husmate told me before he went to bed one night that he had a "fun" surprise for me in his lunch container, & little ole me, hoping the fun surprise would be some sort of chocolate dessert item, unzipped it to find around 30 barely used ziplocs from all the turkey wraps he took to work {& all I heard was snickering coming from our bedroom?}. That, sir, was NOT the fun surprise I was hoping for. I think you owe me a cookie. 

+ we discovered just how incredible it is to start our runs from Gravelly Point Park & run towards the District? We ran until we reached the Arlington Memorial Bridge & looked to our right & spotted our memorial friends, Washington & Lincoln, from across the river. I don't know if our views while running could get any better... & to top it off, we turned around in time to throw the frisbee at the park as the planes took off over our heads & the sun set around us. Terrific end to a weekday. 

+ we started quoting Gus & Shawn on the reg from Psych? Personal favorite: when they mock Simon Baker on The Mentalist. Truly some of the hardest laughter & quickest one-liners we've had in this beauty of a marriage. It's even funnier when our friends, Emily & Josh, join along. You know that's right.

+ we came across our favorite Old Town pup to date, the ever curious Fenway, who got so easily distracted during her walk with her owner that they got separated by a quarter of a mile. I suppose I can understand what the distraction was: a bright orange ball lodged in the rocks of the Oronocco Bay Park is totally more important to pay attention to than one's owner. But I hope I never forget that Fenway's hilarious owner called her from afar, yelling, "Come here ya, idiot!" in a lighthearted voice & Fenway looked up with a look of "Oh! Whoops. I'm coming! I'm coming!" and bounded on to catch up with her. Now that's a true understanding between master & dog right there. 


{auld lang syne}

+ husmate delivered that awesome proposal? Yeah, you still have a reserve of brownie points from it. ;)

+ when late April would mean chaco weather, shorts season, & the occasional sunburned nose? We aren't quite there yet, but honestly I can handle long sleeve t-shirts, jeans, & fleece pullovers this late in the game so long as the triple digit degree days are limited. I drink too little of water & have too thick of wavy/curly hair to enjoy the weather that is overly hot & humid summer days.

meet our third renter

Lo and behold, I look down from my computer late last night and see the mysterious creature (as usual husmate is asleep). And you guys, I had quite the internal battle of wanting to scream and sighing with relief after finally discovering what the creature was. Thankfully for husmate's sake, I chose the quieter of the two & he continued to sleep on through my dilemma. Let me give you a bio to see if you can guess why:


+ Length: 4-5", tail included

+ Number of legs: 4

+ Color: Greyish-brown

+ Reptile, insect or mammal: mammal

+ Other distinguishing features: whiskers, a short pointy nose, two little ears, quick as lightning, extremely shy

+ Cultural references that make him seem more cuddly than bully: Ratatouille, Mouse Trap, Stuart Little, Tom & Jerry, Mickey Mouse, Mighty Mouse, Speedy Gonzalez...


Yep, our third renter isn't a lizard....... it's a mouse.

The funny thing is I've been joking with husmate the last few weeks about getting a kitten. Maybe we can get a kitten to hunt the mouse?!? Yeah, I doubt it. Also, my periphery vision is now hypersensitive and has caused me to have little mini heart attacks when I see the tiniest movements caused by things like my hair & my movements being reflected in a mirrored side table... This mouse is going to test the barriers of my sanity. 




* for those of you who might have possibly thought this was a weird way to announce we're having a baby, we're not. We're being held captive by a mouse. That is overwhelming enough. 

a petition of clemency

Since moving to Old Town and seeing the Washington Monument, the Capitol, and the Old Post Tower on the reg from across the Potomac, we Berry's felt it was only appropriate to watch all seven seasons of The West Wing to properly introduce us to our new surroundings. And seriously, I forgot how addicting good that show really was.

And how appropriate that the episode of President Bartlet issuing pardons would come up around Easter... To recap, Bartlet is considering 36 petitions of clemency but is surrounded by sticky conditionals: poor timing in the lead up to his SOTU; the delegation of reviewing the petitions without looking like any heavy consideration is occurring; the relatively low number of pardons issued by his contemporaries vs. a noticeably higher average by Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, & FDR; assurances that all selected petitions (referred to as "packing peanuts") are non-violent & serving minimum sentences; that all the "packing peanuts" don't scream too much of a political move in one direction or the other; worrying about what the chosen will look like on the cover of the Times... In other words, so much red tape. 

And poor Donna. She drew the short straw in having to review all the files on the 36. She sees them as more than a number: people with families, trying to make the best of desperate situations. Donna even meets the affluent family of one of the 36, who are so desperate for their son's pardon that the mother begs for the mercy of President Bartlet. But that pesky red tape barred any opportunity for his pardon at the moment ("maybe in the spring when the dust settles" as Leo puts it) & in the end, he kills himself. 

Could you imagine that? All those steps to ensure your forgiveness? To start anew? This stuff happens in real life. All because one made a terrible mistake. Damned for life {sounds a lot like Jean Valjean's life in Les Mis, doesn't it?}.

But then, there's a reciprocal story. It's the story of Easter. A story that deals with a pardon of the spirit rather than the flesh. A presidential pardon can only clear one's name, but for a soul-cleansing, look no further than the Cross. 

Skipping over the part about God sending his son to experience all of the trials and pains of the world (aka the Incarnation, John 1:1-2, 14), Christ did a rather preposterous thing {weirder greater than coming to earth in the first place}: he died... as a criminal in the eyes of the Law. But wait... Our perfect King, a criminal? 

Yes, yes. As I think many of us forget throughout the year and remember riiiiight around Passion week, Christ was quite the peaceful protestor. What he preached was a rebellion of itself {albeit a semi-quiet movement}, even though the God Incarnate knew all along that he was fulfilling all the previous covenants & Scripture from the Old Testament. The primate minds of the humans just couldn't comprehend... Not even his disciples fully knew what was going on & were confused even up to Christ's acknowledgment of the events to come {heck, they were confused until they saw him again on the third/fourth day}:

"Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them,

'We are going up to Jerusalem, 

and everything that is written by the prophets

 about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.

He will be handed over to the Gentiles.

They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him.*

On the third day he will rise again.'

The disciples did not understand any of this.

Its meaning was hidden from them,

and they did not know what he was talking about."

Luke 18:31-34

Poor guys. They just didn't have a clue. Meanwhile, all the teachers of the Law and Pharisees were running around trying to catch Christ out on something he said. Anything to prove that he was a fraud... In their eyes (as in everyone else's), the Law was the Law. Uphold it or be cast aside. After playing a few rounds of Jeopardy! and Christ answering their vindictive questions with profound answers questions, the chief priests & elders got sick of their reindeer games and went with a different approach: cleverly arrest Jesus & kill him! So they checked their calendars & decided it was best to avoid their scheme during the Passover Feast as that may cause a riot among the people (Matthew 26:1-5). Always gotta tiptoe around those politics, you guys. Plus, they caught a lucky break by the name of the traitor Judas (a supposed disciple) who did all their dirty work for them.

So now we have a criminal caught up in a bad trial of false witnesses & evidence with the Sanhedrin. Eventually two witnesses appeared that had something of merit: they had heard Christ say "I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days." (Matthew 26:61) Needless to say, Christ eventually received his death sentence after admitting to being the Son of God (& they spit on & struck him*). So Christ was shuttled to the governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, who had the authority at Passover to pardon a prisoner. But as this is a reciprocal story, Christ doesn't get pardoned; Christ does the pardoning. Instead Barabbas, a notorious prisoner, got the golden ticket, & Christ was flogged* and handed over to be crucified. 

In the next stage, the soldiers dressed Christ up in a robe, a crown of thorns, & a staff and mocked* him saying "Hail, king of the Jews" and spit on him some more. Once they'd had their fun, the soldiers crucified him & placed his written charge above his head: This is Jesus, King of the Jews. And pretty much anybody and everybody insulted* him: the soldiers, the passersby, even the robbers flanked on either side of him on their crosses {their personal favorite was reminding him of his power to destroy a temple, yet his inability to save himself from the cross.. Oh ye, of little faith!}

And so, he died* at the hands of the Law. Oh, and the temple broke in two, a sort of earthquake-thing happened, tombs broke open & many bodies of holy people were raised back to life (Matthew 27:51-53), causing the centurion to exclaim, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

But the chief priests & elders weren't done quite yet {they're very thorough}. They didn't want any funny business going on with the ever loyal disciples, so they posted a guard at the tomb to prevent anyone from stealing Christ's body & falsely proclaiming he had risen again on the third day. So on that day, there was a violent earthquake & an angel of the Lord came and rolled back the tomb stone {thwarting their plan of keeping it sealed shut}, which totally gave the guards a fright & caused them to pass out. The angel told the women (who had come before the angel's arrival) that Christ had risen! And to pass the news along to his disciples and Peter that he was going ahead of them to Galilee (Mark 16:6-7). 

But even that wasn't enough for the Eleven to cause them to believe. No, it took Christ coming to see them personally for their eyes to be opened and see that all they had hoped & learned through the Scriptures was true. But hey, at least they got it eventually, unlike the chief priests and elders who paid off the guards to spread the story that the disciples came in the dead of night & stole Christ's body to give the illusion that he rose from the grave (Matthew 28:11-15)... I told you they're very thorough.

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel [...]," declares the Lord;

"I will put my law in their minds

and write it on their hearts."

[...]

"For I will forgive their wickedness

and will remember their sins no more."

Jeremiah 31:33-34

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,

but to save the world through him."

John 3:16-17

So while it may not take a grand jury, perfect political timing, or an extensive general counsel's office to grant you a pardon, do remember this: your forgiveness doesn't come without a price. The Son of God came here to this place full of everything that Heaven is not to teach us a new way of life through his light & truth. During his time here, he demonstrated for us that the two greatest commandments were truly something to live by, to love God & love people. And then one day around the Passover Feast, he fulfilled every prophesy and scripture about the Christ in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms by being crucified & rising again three days later. 

He loves you that much. To die for you, and to bring you a new covenant with God full of grace.

**Most of the story came from Matthew 26 & 27 and Luke 24

the cameron: a ghost of a dream

For about two hours yesterday, husmate and I were living in a beautiful dream of home ownership. 

It was a blissful dream full of mortgage payments and manageable HOA fees. A brand new condominium that would have been all ours. Never before lived in {heck, not even built yet}. Five blocks from the metro station. A newborn residence project right in the heart of the booming Old Town North. We would even be able to decide a few of the details. Some were standard, like hardwood floors, marble countertops, & spacious closet space. And you know, a heart can soar or break over the size of closet space in big city dwelling {I kid you not, my southern friends}. This apartment would have even met the ever-elusive LEED standards. A dream, I tell you, a fantastic dream!

But then we awoke from this dream, just like we tend to do. Slowly, like the grains of sand trickling from an hourglass, the tiny flashes of details vanished {like furniture arrangements & paint colors}, and eventually all we were left with was the ghost of a floor plan. 

The time isn't right for us to own a place yet. But one day... Until then I'll just live in my imagination and consider adding an addendum to the section in Ecclesiastes about time:

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

{a time to buy and a time to rent}

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Upon reflection, buy vs. rent is probably a bit worldly for such a meaningful section, but I think it goes a step further on the whole "search and give up" bit. Regardless, it is not time. But I know that the Lord's plan will reveal itself to us when it is time, and what a sweet time that will be.

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;

yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

I know that there is nothing better for men

than to be happy and do good while they live.

That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--

this is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 3:11-13

*for reference, a 650-750 square-foot apartment around here goes for the same cost as a two-story brick house in our home states. I kid you not. 

& in case you missed last week:

remember the time...

late night ramblings: a society too big for its britches

note to self 

recipe for the BEST chocolate chip cookies

remember the time... {vol. I}

{lately}

+ Saturday midday rolls around, and it occurs to husmate & I that we don't know where his apartment keys are. We check his jeans, jacket, & and the bowl that sits on our dresser holding all his miscellaneous stuff... which turns up nothing. On a whim I tell him to check our door... wellwouldn'tyaknowit? FYI, we haven't used that door since 5 pm the previous day... Glad we have such trustworthy neighbors. Oh, and that we're brilliant and on top of things 24/7.

+ While mindlessly perusing IKEA and all its Swedish cleverness, I look over & catch husmate setting all the kitchen timers to go off in ten minutes time. We're talking at least 15-20 of those annoyingly high pitched things. I. am. mortified. I stomp off as fast as I can in any direction away from the ticking time bombs as to distance myself from any ensuing embarrassment. Meanwhile, husmate creates a stake-out one section over so as to witness the cacophony of sounds and the innocent victims who will undoubtably be confused by all the commotion. I married a forever 9 year old. I am convinced of it.

+ We went from having one Victorian chair & a coffee table in our den to adding a big ole comfy couch, a reading chair, & a side table in the course of a day. And we hung pictures?! It's as if we finally moved in two months later.

{auld lang syne}

+ So in order to move to Alexandria, husmate & I puffed out our chests & decided to move ourselves in a u-haul. We are adults, hear us roar. So everything's going great, and we're in the process of moving our old couch onto the truck. After walking backwards up the u-haul ramp, husmate is trying to be all Superman-like by opening the door while maintaining his hold on the couch. Andddddd he falls off the ramp. It is both slightly frightening & hilarious at the same time, but I am proud to say I was concerned for his safety wayyyy before I started laughing. The best part? The couch ripped his jeans from his belt loop all the way to his knee, and the rest of his pants had already been packed.

+ It was something of a joke back then, but I think husmate's friend, Dr. Nic, might have been right: Nic said that I would fall in love with husmate due to the fact that he could recite pi to the 50th decimal place. Said it had something to do with my nerdy behavior (Cue my inevitable blushing cheeks). But I did later that year. Hook, line, and sinker, and I suppose it might have stemmed from that little comment.

scenes from the cold month of january

So I promise we haven't intentionally gone quiet here on the blog, it's just that it is January. And with January always comes the quick disappearance of a month and a bit of a haze as to how that happened. There's always such a build up to Christmas and New Year's that once they're both over, it's like time keeps going on around us and we're all still standing still. Or at least that's how I feel about the month of January. It's too bad I feel that way, too, considering my birthday falls in January...

To make up for the lack of posts, here's a recap of all the things we were doing in our absence here. We strolled around the District the day before the inauguration and admired the long and plentiful line of porta-potties on the National Mall (we're talking thousands). We tried new places to eat around Old Town Alexandria and the District, like the Crumbs cupcake above (who can pass on a yummy red velvet cupcake? Not this girl). I've been making a lot of doodles trying out new fonts. We've taken lots of walks around our new neighborhood admiring all the old and pretty brownstones. Husmate joined the oxford-wearing-cool-kids party (another score for wifey and her influence!). I made my first pie by trying out this yummy Chocolate Chess Pie recipe from the delightful 1canoe2 blog to (quite randomly) celebrate National Pie Day (not to be confused with the ever important Pi Day on March 14... Nerds unite! 3.14159265359...). I mailed a fun little happy to my sweet nephew. And I celebrated my birthday with a delicious breakfast at Founding Farmers and pink tulips from the husmate (Side note: I will be reporting back on our second experience to FF for their red velvet pancakes. Yes, you read that correctly- red velvet pancakes).

And now you're all caught up on our whereabouts for January! Best wishes for better accountability for blogging next month (fingers crossed)!