a blog for frances

couldn't agree more.

2012-01-27T07:21:00.005-05:00

am i the only one who feels like this friday has taken ages to get here?

man alive.

but, here we are! the weekend is in sight.

i am off for a little girls' getaway to the florida keys with dana this weekend, and i hope you have something equally scrumptious planned.

whatever your plans are, here is a little something to get you started right. it's basically my favorite thing that i saw all week.

or maybe ever.

made with love

2012-01-26T08:30:00.000-05:00

i know there are people out there in the world who can pull off an entire DIY wedding.

i am not one of those people.

but, i did want a few handmade touches to our wedding, and i had two big triumphs that i am still really proud of.

one was the name card/favor coup, a combination of ideas from my handmade weddings book. i stamped paper bags (from the grocery store) with a bicycle rubber stamp, and name cards (from paper source) with the names of each of our guests.

i put a chocolate covered graham cracker (from the sugar cube in alexandria) in each bag, attached the name cards with a piece of ribbon and, voila! name cards and favors.

i was pretty proud of that one.

but the piece de resistance were these felt boutonnieres (and corsages for the ladies, with a few more flowers and no stems), also from handmade weddings.

there was quite a lot of hand-stitching involved, which has never been my strong suit, and they were definitely time-and-work-intensive to put together, but the result was totally worth it. they were unique and personal, and i loved that everyone in our family had an extra something to take home with them if they wanted to.

and that was quite enough DIY for me.

ga-ga for gadgets

2012-01-25T08:30:00.000-05:00

AWD got an iPhone a couple weeks ago, which i am surprised i haven't mentioned yet since it has become such a big part of our lives.

in fact, i've stolen (borrowed?) a page from cjane's book and started referring to the new phone as the "sister wife." i also like to call AWD and say things like, "hi, AWD! hi, siri!"

i was feeling sort of smug and hilarious about the whole thing until it suddenly dawned on me that the way AWD feels about his new iPhone is the way i feel about my new kitchenaid stand mixer. and that thing can't even send a text message.

the night we got the new kitchenaid, AWD helped me take it out of the box, gleaming and gorgeous and red, and i set it up lovingly on the counter. then i started pulling out all the paddles and whisks and dough hooks and attaching them and un-attaching them and reattaching them, all the while giving AWD an adoring play-by-play of all the wonderful things this new gadget could do for us.

i had probably been talking for about 20 minutes before i realized he wasn't standing behind me at all.

he was watching TV in the living room, and i had no idea how long he had been there.

turned out it was about 20 minutes. he had walked out of the kitchen just about as soon as the mixer was out of the box.

"i was telling you about the new kitchenaid!" i said.

"oh, i thought you were just talking to yourself," he said.

so, fine. we all have our gadget obsessions around here, i guess.

here are six words i am never sorry to hear.

2012-01-24T20:53:00.002-05:00

"how about a burger for dinner?"

yes, please.

the sweetest thing

2012-01-23T09:25:00.014-05:00

we took advantage of a monday off last week and headed to hershey, pa. also known as the sweetest place on earth.

we rode a little ride that took us through a simulation of the operations of real hershey factory just up the street...

... and at the end they gave us free chocolate.

then we went on a trolley tour of hershey...

... past the house where milton hershey grew up...

... the factory that made him rich...

... the house where he and his wife kitty lived once they were gazillionaires...

... and the school for orphan boys they founded with all their money (now a residence school for disadvantaged boys and girls)...

... and while we were riding around they gave us a bunch of free chocolate.

we also learned that milton hershey had five failed caramel business before he got into chocolate.

and we learned that when his friend mr. reese came told him about a new peanut butter recipe, milton hershey said he wasn't interested because he didn't think peanut butter and chocolate would ever be popular together, but he gave mr. reese as much hershey's chocolate as he wanted. and then he bought reese's several years later for a couple million dollars. so, oops there.

and we learned that while on a trip around the world in 1912, mr. hershey got word that business wasn't so good back home, so he decided to end his trip early. so off he went to book a new passage home, and to cancel his tickets on the maiden voyage of the titanic.

i mentioned the free chocolate right?

then it was off to make our own candy bars in a simulated factory environment where you had to wear hair nets and take off your jewelry even though all we ever touched was a computer screen.

but, our chocolate bars (with custom designed labels) were (not free but) delicious.

then it was a chocolate tasting class at hershey university (you guessed it. more chocolate!) and we even got diplomas at the end. though you had to fill in your own name.

we finished the night with dinner at the grill on chocolate avenue under the glow of the hershey kiss street lights.

a sweet day indeed.

the vow

2012-01-18T21:38:00.003-05:00

a few months ago, AWD and i were talking about how getting married is a perfect opportunity to wipe the slate clean, get rid of bad old habits and start good new ones, even if you haven't made any other major changes like started a new job or moved to a new city or something like that. getting married let's you start over right where you are, which is kind of exciting.

plus, you have a buddy to work on getting better with. which is maybe the most exciting part of all.

so we've been trying to introduce some good patterns into our married life: eating healthy meals at home, reading our scriptures together, reaching out to new friends and to old ones, that sort of thing. and, though i usually forgo new year's resolutions in favor of birthday goals, i decided to up my game this year and do both. there are some things i've been wanting to work on and be more conscientious about and i decided i better get to it while i still have newlywed motivation on my side.

here they are.

1. commune regularly with heavenly father and jesus christ. includes scripture study, family and personal prayer, magnifying my calling, serving and not gossiping at work.

2. consume less. i buy a lot of things, and i'd like to stop doing that so much.

3. create more. i feel a passion for projects these days, and i want to make more time for that. i feel really productive when i am producing a tangible thing (go figure) and that's a good feeling.

4. be consistent. i have a tendency to go through flurries of lots of good effort and progress, followed by lulls of laziness and a lack of motivation. i'd like to even that out a little bit and make some sustained strides.

i feel really good about my 4 Cs, and i am excited to see what they bring me in the new year. and because i am sure you're dying to know as well, i'll be sure to keep you posted, too.

chance of showers

2012-01-17T21:41:00.007-05:00

despite a last-minute flurry of chopping, dough rising, baking, sewing, two failed pie crusts, decorating and the emergency purchase of extra cookie sheets, we managed a lovely shower for miss angela over the weekend.

one of my favorite things about getting married was the excuse to have parties where i got to be around people i loved who loved me and AWD, too, and that is what saturday felt like as well. it is such a great joy to celebrate other people's joy, wouldn't you say?

it was also a great excuse to make these scones, these donuts, these home fries, this quiche and to try out my first ever as-seen-on-pinterest sewing project: bunting. it came out well enough i think i'll leave it up as part of my valentine's day decorations.

hurrah for love!

project(ed)

2012-01-13T08:21:00.004-05:00

we've had a pretty busy week, mostly getting ready for what is going to be an even busier weekend complete with a bridal shower for miss angela, sunday dinner with new couple friends, a saturday night double date night and a monday holiday getaway.

the good news is, all this impending hosting motivated us to get some little house projects done, including getting some of our wedding pictures into frames and hanging up this poster i got AWD for christmas (designed by my ever-talented cousin, trevor).

(pardon my reflection. this was the best photo i could get of it.)

the bad news is, as we were driving home from a frantic and rain-soaked trip to crate and barrel the other night, AWD looked at me and said, "sometimes i just get tired."

as i was frosting cupcakes last night at 11, i had to agree that i might have bitten off one project too many. but, we are nearing the home stretch and i am confident it will all have been worth it.

plus, those cupcakes were delicious.

everything but the kitchen cabinets

2012-01-12T08:30:00.000-05:00

there i was, taking a plate out of the kitchen cabinet the other day, when i realized that something looked a little funny.

had there always been that gap at the top?

and was it just me or was the cabinet sort of leaning forward a little bit?

sure enough, upon further investigation i discovered that the whole cabinet had come disconnected from the wall, and it was hanging precariously, with all my dishes inside, just waiting to come crashing down entirely.

so out the dishes came, to live on my countertop for a few days. there's nothing like all your plates stacked on the countertop to make you realize you probably have too many.

when the repair guy showed up yesterday he said, "well, god's green earth, you don't see that very often."

seemed like a bad sign, but it looks like he did the trick with wood glue and a drill and something called a brad. i am a little wary of putting all my breakables back in there but, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

the whole thing reminded me of this house where some college friends of mine lived, a classic college rental dump. we had a party there one time and when our friend frank went to open a cabinet, the door just came off right in his hand. his response:

"everything in here is a little... antique."

couldn't have said it better myself.

old, new, borrowed, blue

2012-01-11T08:30:00.000-05:00

we opted for a pretty non-traditional road when it came to our wedding festivities (no cake, no toasts, no line. thank goodness) but i really liked the idea of the "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" tradition. so i decided to give it a try. and it worked?

old was the antique wedding kimono fabric, purchased while my mom and i were in japan, that made up part of my skirt and the belt around the dress.

new was this headpiece, made by hand and divine.

blue was the perfect pair of kitten heels.

and borrowed was this necklace, which now belongs to my mother and had belonged to my great-grandmother frances before her.

it felt so special to wear such a precious thing on such an important day. i loved having a part of gram with me at my wedding, and again at our reception in salt lake, which just happened to be on our birthday, mine and gram's.

it was just right.

and now, on an only slightly related and completely non-sentimental note, do you think if you brought beyonce and jay-z's baby to your wedding it would count as borrowed and blue?

abbey road

2012-01-10T17:43:00.002-05:00

it snowed yesterday, just enough to dust all the trees and grass with sparkling white but leave the roads completely clear. so basically, my favorite kind of snowfall. and a perfect excuse to cozy up at home for the night.

so, we had EH over for dinner (i think i finally mastered black bean and sweet potato tostadas) and then drank hot chocolate while we watched the premiere of season two of "downtown abbey." (see previous effusive post here.)

the two-hour opener definitely did not disappoint, and i think i know where we'll be every monday night for a few weeks.

the biggest triumph of the night was my correct suspicions (spoiler alert!) that lang, the new valet, had post-traumatic stress disorder. AWD countered that i think everyone has post-traumatic stress disorder (too much time with the wounded warriors?). but the fact was confirmed not only in the course of the episode, but also in this very helpful webMD article.

and so, you see, "downtown abbey" is not only entertaining but educational. not to mention it should totally count as work hours. winning.

merry (first) christmas and a happy new year

2012-01-09T19:00:00.006-05:00

while i am well aware that stores already have valentine's day candy (aware because i have already bought some), i still haven't blogged about christmas so let's just proceed as if i am not terribly behind.

shall we?

we had a lovely first christmas together, as you can see in this hard-won photographic proof.

the weather in denver was divine and we had a full schedule with lights at the botanic garden...

the nature and science museum, a tour of the hammond candy factory...

IMAX movies, indie movies, lunch downtown, bookstores and ranch wear stores and lots of yummy cooking at home. oh yeah, and a full day of outlet shopping (AWD brought a book).

i have always loved going home to visit, and i love it even more now that i get to take AWD with me. it just feels good and right somehow.

on new year's eve the mama bear and i went downtown to watch the 9p.m. fireworks display (the countdown was a little anti-climactic) and were home in time to watch the ball drop and toast the new year with our husbands.

and now, here we are. the year of our lord two thousand and twelve. i have a few resolutions in mind-- to be more consistent, more conscious, less covetous-- and i have a good feeling so far about the way things could go.

hope the same is true for you, my babies.

on the twelfth date of christmas my true love gave to me...

2011-12-23T16:08:00.004-05:00

... well, christmas!

we are leaving in a few hours for denver, so AWD and i had a little christmas together last night. and it was lovely. among other wonderful gifts, AWD got me lamby, a stuffed animal i always buy for other people's baby showers and always hate giving away. but now i have one of my very own.

after we opened presents, we gorged ourselves on bluebird chocolates from grammie and grampa.

and now our bags are packed and we are ready for a white, colorado christmas.

i hope your christmas is merry and bright (as they say).

much love, my babies.

on the eleventh date of christmas my true love gave to me...

2011-12-22T18:31:00.003-05:00

... the national christmas tree.

on the tenth date of christmas my true love gave to me...

2011-12-22T18:23:00.003-05:00

... the lights at the national zoo.

and i managed to resist getting a bag of cotton candy. a christmas miracle!

the most wonderful time of the year

2011-12-20T11:39:00.005-05:00

seeing as christmas is this week (what?!?) i decided i might as well finish sewing our advent calendar.

my mom suggested we just put four times the candy in the pockets for the last six days to get the most out of it. not a bad idea.

luckily, we have been enjoying the rest of our decorations all season long.

and we're doing a pretty good job on our christmas movie list, too. we've knocked off miracle on 34th street (the original), home alone, how the grinch stole christmas, and a charlie brown christmas, with the muppet christmas carol, a (human) christmas carol, love actually and it's a wonderful life on the way.

dear christmas, i love you.

on the ninth date of christmas my true love gave to me...

2011-12-18T23:16:00.003-05:00

... the new sherlock holmes movie (a game of shadows indeed), at the alamo theater in winchester.

we went to visit AWD's family this weekend and celebrated an early christmas since we'll be with my family on the actual holiday and i finally got to go to the alamo theater. AWD and his sister have been telling me about it for ages. it's one of those theaters where you sit in really big, comfortable chairs and order food while you watch a movie. or, in my case, a root beer float. anyway, it's a winner and i was glad to finally get to experience it.

and, though i think i am in the minority here, i liked the movie, too. though it's hard to go wrong with robert downey, jr. and jude law. i mean, come on.

on the eighth date of christmas my true love gave to me...

2011-12-18T23:14:00.004-05:00

... a charlie brown christmas and popcorn in bed.

even on the little laptop screen (i was too lazy to walk downstairs to watch it on the TV), a charlie brown christmas is the greatest.

on the seventh date of christmas my true love gave to me...

2011-12-18T23:09:00.002-05:00

... a night out on the town with EH.

AWD has been sick the past couple off days, so like any good and devoted wife i left him at home alone with his cough drops and orange juice and hit up the downtown holiday market with EH.

we browsed the booths, got some empanadas and mini donuts from the vendors and then, because it was delightfully and unseasonably warm, ate them al fresco on the steps of the national gallery. we imagine that must be what celebrating the christmas season in california or hawaii is like.

bliss.

on the sixth date of christmas my true love gave to me...

2011-12-15T23:43:00.005-05:00

... the christmas lights at the temple.

plus a visitors center concert by violinist jenny oaks baker, accompanied by none other than our very own aunt joyce on flute (and piccolo!).

lovely.

on the fifth date of christmas my true love gave to me...

2011-12-14T06:35:00.004-05:00

... the national philharmonic orchestra playing handel's messiah at strathmore.

we were recently introduced to strathmore and we've decided it's a top-notch venue. and this performance was superb, especially the orchestra and the choir. wowie. i got a little teary-eyed during the"hallelujah chorus" and i am not afraid to admit it.

in the first presidency christmas devotional, president monson (the prophet of our church) said that the spirit of christmas is the spirit of christ, which is something we can enjoy now and every day of every year. i have been trying to think more of christ this christmas season, and the messiah is always a great reminder of what i am most thankful for.

on the fourth date of christmas my true love gave to me...

2011-12-13T21:58:00.004-05:00

... a trip to the temple on our three month-versary.

it seems impossible that three months have gone by since we were married (especially since we are still writing thank you cards), but there you have it. and the temple where we were married seemed like a pretty good place to mark the occasion.

and, to make it even more exciting, when we walked into the temple we ran into some friends of ours who were on their way to get married! hurray for love!

my wedding day was really one of the best days ever, and i love going back to the temple with AWD and remembering it. it makes for a pretty good date, christmas or otherwise.

and it also reminds me that i haven't really posted any of our lovely wedding pictures on this here blog, which seems like a shame. so i will rectify that situation speedily. don't fret.

on the third date of christmas my true love gave to me

2011-12-12T18:46:00.004-05:00

... the nutcracker at the center kennedy.

did you like my rhyme?

i took AWD to see "the nutcracker" last year for the first time in his whole life, and now that we are on year two we decided it is officially a christmas tradition. hurrah! i love "the nutcracker" and it always feels like it's really christmas once you've been.

this year's production was even better than last year's, despite some unique creative liberties (bumble bees in the dance of the flowers and "clara, the princess" instead of the sugar plum fairy. what?), but we loved it anyway.

plus, any night that starts with dinner at our new favorite burger place, burger tap and shake, is bound to be a winner.

on the second date of christmas my true love gave to me...

2011-12-07T22:23:00.004-05:00

... a day that will live in infamy.

sort of.

tonight we commemorated pearl harbor day by eating hawaiian pizza (get it?)

and watching "the final countdown," a not-surprisingly little known movie about an aircraft carrier from the 1980s that travels back in time to december 6, 1941.

the most amazing thing about it was how much the young martin sheen looks like emilio estevez.

or the other way around. i get confused.

next year i think we should commemorate pearl harbor day in hawaii itself, don't you?

apples to apples

2011-12-06T11:33:00.005-05:00

a couple of weeks ago AWD and i went to see a limited run screening of some footage of a television interview with steve jobs that had been filmed in 1995. in what has to be one of the greatest and most lucrative coincidences of all time, the footage, which was thought to be lost forever, was rediscovered in the producer's garage a few days after steve jobs died.

the interview was taped just before jobs returned to apple, though he, of course, didn't know at the time that that would happen. in fact, when he's asked about apple in the interview, he says he thinks the company is doomed and can't be saved.

so, turns out he wasn't always right about everything.

we were a little nervous that 50 minutes of steve jobs talking into a camera might be kind of dull, but it wasn't. it was wild to see him with all that hair and a full, chubby face. and he was still wearing black mock turtlenecks back in 1995. he was insightful (except for that thing about apple being beyond saving) and well-spoken, as you might imagine, and he said a couple things that really stuck with me.

1. little things can do big things. one of steve's first forays into the computer world was developing a box that could mimic long-distance dial tones so you could trick the telephone switchboard system and make long-distance calls for free. it was just a small contraption, but it could manipulate the whole big national and eventually international telephone system. it was a little thing that could do something big. i'd like to think of myself and my own efforts in that same way more often.

2. the product is more important than the process. according to jobs, it was a failure to recognize this that threatened to bring apple down in the 1990s. people thought that if you were following the process, sticking with the system, then the product had to be good. but they weren't paying any attention to the product and so the product sucked. i think it's really easy to get bogged down in procedural details that are not important, or to hide behind systems and processes and programs because they excuse you from courageous, creative thinking. i am sure i do it all the time. but i'd like to learn to worry more about what i want to do then whether i am doing it "right."

3. not as many things are as impossible as you think. well, he didn't actually say this, but this idea stuck with me anyway. it was so fascinating to me that steve jobs, right there on tape, said apple was heading down the tube and there was no way to bring it back. he thought there was no way to bring it back, he said there was no way to bring it back, and then he returned to apple and brought it back. he accomplished what he, himself, had stated was impossible. i think that is totally rad. and i don't think i am alone in saying that, if he had to be wrong about something, i am glad he was wrong about that.

on the first date of christmas my true love gave to me...

2011-12-05T18:53:00.003-05:00

the muppets on the big screen!

i got the idea for the twelve dates of christmas from here (and she got it from here) and i want to be very clear that in no way, shape or form did it come from the abc family movie of the same name starring mark paul gosselar. no way.

i have been so excited to celebrate my first christmas married to AWD and to build our own special christmas traditions and the 12 dates of christmas seemed like a pretty good one. i am already excited for lots of christmas dates in years to come.

so, for our first date of christmas we went to see the new muppets movie, and it was awesome.

an oil tycoon villain named tex richman? winning.

everyone calling kermit "mr. the frog"? winning.

jason segal singing a song with the refrain, "am i a muppet or a man?" winning.

it was a perfect start to a wonderful season with my one true love.

it also really made me want to watch "the great muppet caper," but that seems like another story.

similes, sort of.

2011-12-01T22:54:00.004-05:00

today my co-worker sent me this link.

don't go there unless you want to spend the next twenty minutes laughing out loud while you read ridiculous similes written for a washington post contest.

similes such as:

the plan was simple, like my brother-in-law phil. but, unlike phil, this plan just might work.

or, how about this one:

i felt a nameless dread. well, there probably is a long german name for it, like geschpooklichkeit or something, but i don't speak german. anyway, it's a dread that nobody knows the name for, like those little square plastic gizmos that close your bread bags. i don't know the name for those either.

i'd keep going, but I can't type without laughing all over again, and AWD is lying next to me trying to go to sleep. (someone has to be the grown-up around here) so i'll let you read the rest from the source and pick a favorite.

enjoy!

the hills are alive

2011-11-30T21:11:00.002-05:00

on saturday we went up to the AFI silver and watched "the sound of music" on the big screen.

it was a singularly perfect event (EH very rightly stated it was basically the best thing that has ever happened) and i realized for this first time how hilarious baroness schraeder is. like this exchange:

the baroness (to maria): my dear, is there anything you can't do?

maria: i'm not sure i'll make a very good nun.

the baroness (with her hand protectively on the captain's elbow: well, if there's anything i can do to help...

that's funny stuff.

and, of course, the singing and the dancing and christopher plummer were all dreamy and the whole thing made me wish i had a guitar and a pixie haircut. but, i'm also not in love with a nazi, thank goodness. so, there's that.

grate-full

2011-11-28T20:49:00.004-05:00

we had a lovely and balmy and delicious thanksgiving. how was yours?

the plan was to host a small group at our house but at the last minute we combined forces with another small group, which actually worked out brilliantly for us because 1) joni, who invited us, is a way better cook than me, 2) we had to do a lot less work including 3) we didn't have to clean our house, which was AWD's favorite part of the deal.

we had a relaxing morning (except for a mad dash to two grocery stores to procure what was certainly the last sprig of sage in the universe), a lovely lunch, and a screening of "while you were sleeping" (these mashed potatoes are so creamy!) before we headed out to gorge ourselves. i contributed bread pudding (ABK's recipe) and it was a big hit.

we capped off the night with "breaking dawn," which was terrible in all the ways i hoped and expected it would be.

so, a success. especially since we have so very much to be grateful for. most certainly too many things and people to list.

and, to top it all off, i got our christmas decorations up before the weekend was over, so the holiday partying is only going to get better from here.

the 72-day itch

2011-11-21T22:35:00.003-05:00

i am pleased to report that, as of today, AWD and i are tied with kim kardashian and kris humphries for length of marriage. i have a good feeling about this one.

to celebrate our momentous 72-day achievement, we had dinner at costco and dessert at the dairy godmother (flavor of the day: pecan pie), which some of you might remember was also the site of our first date. it seemed appropriate. perhaps if kim and kris had done something similar, their wedded bliss might have lasted a bit longer.

as for us, i think we'll keep going for another 72 days at least.

you guessed it.

2011-11-15T18:22:00.005-05:00

the weekend unfolded just as i suspected it might.

we saw this movie. (and liked it.)

bought furniture.

assembled furniture.

made these decorations, plus party favors made from giant marshmellows.

enjoyed a delightful baby shower (nice work, d!).

looked at more furniture.

ate here for the first time. (and liked it.)

made a not-so-delious lentil stew.

organized books and various knick-knacks on newly assembled furniture.

made completely delicious cookies (the leftovers of which were thankfully finished off by the poynter dinner crew last night).

and now it's tuesday.

the end.

thursday is the new weekend

2011-11-10T18:24:00.002-05:00

today is the best kind of thursday. namely, a thursday preceding a friday off work. hurrah!

we'll be pretty busy, i think. (more) furniture shopping and (more) house organizing, hopefully some baking, a (coed) baby shower and a george clooney political thriller.

i'd also like to read my book, clean my bathroom, wash my laundry and cuddle with my husband. (not in that order.) so we'll see what really gets done.

full report to follow.

enjoy the weekend, my babies!

the name game

2011-11-09T17:55:00.004-05:00

before AWD and i were even seriously dating i announced that when i got married, whenever and to whomever that happened to be, i wasn't going to change my name. i didn't know at the time if i was going to marry AWD or not (for the record, turns out i did), but i figured that whatever happened, he should have all the facts.

and he took it like a champ. in fact, the next day he came back to me and pointed out that he wouldn't want to change his name, so why should i want to change mine? and you better believe that tipped the marriage scales in his direction.

on the one hand, not changing my name has made my transition to marriage a pretty uncomplicated one, record-keeping-wise at least. i didn't have to change credit cards or social security cards or drivers licenses or passports or utility accounts or any of the 1 billion other things that have my name on them.

and, not to be over-dramatic or anything, but i also didn't have to change my identity. i've been myself (first and last name) for a long time and i am sort of attached.

but, that's not to say there haven't been some complications, especially at church. my name was changed automatically on the church records and i had to ask for it to be changed back. and i feel like i am always sort of apologetically explaining to people that AWD and i have different last names but that doesn't mean i don't like him. i am probably making it harder than it is, feeling like i need to walk everyone through all the reasons why i kept my name every time i introduce myself, but i do it anyway.

so maybe this is why more and more women are choosing to take their husband's names? i have to admit, i was a little surprised at that, but i suppose it provides it's own brand of simplicity.

there are obviously arguments, and personal motivations for either side, and i am not here to say one is better or more right than the other, but i am sticking to my choice for now. partly because i am lazy, but mostly because i am me and i'd like to stay that way, name and all.

obsession session

2011-11-08T18:21:00.003-05:00

basically i am obsessed with the following things:

1. the kim kardashian divorce. i simply cannot get enough. i am reading everything i can find, mostly because i still can't even understand how the whole thing happened. and now i learn that she flew to minnesota to meet with poor kris humphries and the pastor who married them so everyone could get some "closure." i am more confused than ever. the good news is, AWD and i only have to stay married until november 22nd to beat their record. i totally think we can do it.

2. herman cain. it just keeps getting better. or worse. i can't decide which. depends on your outlook, i suppose. i am enjoying watching him squirm, but i feel like he should be squirming more and i'm disturbed out how little he and other people seem to be worried about these allegations. do people not take sexual harassment seriously anymore? (this very well-written article seems to think they don't. i am starting to agree.)

3. advent calendars. i really want to make an advent calendar this year. i have been trolling the internet looking for ideas. i want it to look good but not be too hard but be nice enough to be able to use it year after year. and it needs to be done by december 1st. i am leaning towards some version of this one. we'll see.

4. menu planning. in addition to the failed goal (my fault) of commuting to work together, AWD and i also made a goal to cook our meals at home as much as possible and to take our lunches to work. we're doing pretty well and it's actually really fun. i like pulling out our big stack of cookbooks every saturday or sunday and making a plan for the week ahead. and we've made some really delicious things. (remember the homemade corn dogs?) tonight is turkey chili and corn bread muffins. yum.

5. the lost city of z. i am currently reading this book all about percy fawcett a british explorer who disappeared in the amazon in the early 1900s and all the other explorers who have ventured in after him to try and figure out what happened. from what i can tell, not all of them made it out either. such an interesting read. i would read it all day every day if i could. but i can't.

6. furniture browsing. we are slowly but surely putting together out little nest, and for the first time in my life pretty much i am paying attention to furniture. one of the lovely things about marriage is a sense of permanence about these kinds of things. i know i am not going to buy something i really love and then have to get rid of it or put it in storage because i moved in with roommates who already had one of those. it's a nice feeling.

and that's pretty much what's taking up my time these days.

how about you, my babies?

we like to move it. move it.

2011-11-07T17:55:00.003-05:00

we spent most of the weekend moving furniture and organizing the house, culminating in a saturday night date to ikea complete with a swedish meatball dinner ('cause we're high rollers like that), but we did escape long enough for a gorgeous saturday afternoon stroll through dumbarton oaks with elbert, heather and adorable baby penny.

it was a beautiful, sunny day and everything was a blooming explosion of fall colors, even the rose garden.

penny slept for most of our walk-about and then let me hold her while we all drank hot chocolate and ate churros in georgetown, but by the time anyone thought to pull out a camera she was screaming her head off, so there will be no pictures of her this time around.

you'll just have to take my word for it that she is basically the cutest thing ever. and that i was holding her for a pretty long time before she started to cry.

i swear.

noted

2011-11-02T21:00:00.003-04:00

before AWD and i got married we hatched this plan that it would be really fun to commute to work together. we could wake up, have a little breakfast, and then i would drop AWD off at the metro on my way to the office.

perfect, right?

except that to make it work, i would have to wake up at 6:30 in the morning.

i don't do 6:30 in the morning.

and so, in the nearly two months that we have been married, AWD and i have commuted to work together exactly one time.

a lot of mornings, when i am still curled up cozy in bed as AWD is leaving, i feel a little guilty about it.

a little.

but then i find things like this on the front door...

... and i think i should probably just sleep in every morning.

tricked. treated.

2011-10-31T19:04:00.004-04:00

here is my favorite halloween story.

when i was on my mission, i served in the eniwa branch. the eniwa branch put on a big halloween party every year. and, for being in japan where halloween is not really a thing, it was a pretty great halloween party. and every year for the past 10 years they had been decorating the church gym with a banner that said, "happy helloween."

so amazing.

usually, as has been well documented, i actually hate halloween. you might say that to me it is "hell-oween." but, this year we sort of got into it.

for starters we put out pumpkins on the front stoop. we didn't bother carving them but that turned out to be just as well because the squirrels gnawed big chunks out of them and did our work for us.

then we went to the ward halloween party (no offending banner, alas) and AWD even baked a pan of corn bread to contribute. luckily we were really late and only half of it got eaten because it was delicious.

on saturday, my company hosted a carnival for the surviving family members of service members who have died on active duty. AWD and i volunteered to be clowns. (correction: i volunteered us to be clowns.) it was about a 5o/5o split between kids who loved us and kids who ran away. we are counting it as a success.

and tonight we are sitting home, willing trick-or-treaters to come and take this candy off our hands, watching "it's the great pumpkin charlie brown" and having a grand old time.

happy halloween!

fall fell fool

2011-10-25T22:56:00.001-04:00

today i read this article, about how global climate change could put an end to the gorgeous fall colors of the northeast.

i hope with all my heart that this is not true.

that is all.

half yearly

2011-10-24T17:54:00.005-04:00

yesterday marked six months since briana died.

it feels like a lifetime.

i don't think about it all the time, like i thought i might. but i also never forget about it either. especially not when i really need to call her up and ask her something.

i miss her terribly.

sometimes i cry when i think about her or talk about her. and sometimes i don't.

i find that i am a much more nervous driver. it seems equally preposterous and reasonable that that is one thing that has stuck with me more than almost any other.

i am not sad. or rather, i should say that i am not sad for her. sometimes i feel pretty sad for me, though.

a day or two after briana died my then future father-in-law called and he told me this. he said that he really believed that when faith and love-filled people like briana die, whatever the circumstances are, when they get to the other side they are not sad or disappointed. they don't feel robbed or cheated, even though those of us left on earth might. instead, they see things wholly and clearly and they understand that the arc of their life is complete.

i have come to feel that this is probably true. and i would add that then they get the work on the other side. if i have felt anything over these past few (can it really only be six? so many and yet so few) months, it is that bri is busier than ever. and i think that if i could talk to her again, she would tell me not to worry about her and to get busy, too.

the thing is, i never do worry about her. i worry about me, about all of us left here. but i suspect she would tell me to knock that off as well. there is, after all, plenty of goodness and work to go around, no matter where you are.

and so, to mark the occasion, i made a batch of lemon bars (her favorite) and thought about how much i love her and all the things we'll have to talk about when i see her again.

on an unrelated note, except that it also happened yesterday, AWD and i made homemade corn dogs and oven fries for dinner last night and it was the most delicious thing. we high-fived about it, we were so proud of ourselves.

i can't decide if briana would have thought homemade corn dogs were a little bit gross or a little bit awesome. but that's OK. i'll just have to ask her about it later, i guess.

brandon, you're a star

2011-10-19T21:29:00.003-04:00

some of you may recall my close and personal encounter with the killers, which, though a while ago now, is still one of my chief cool kid cards.

so, given my close and personal relationship with the band, you can imagine my delight when this video of my homeboy brandon flowers, sharing his belief in mormonism with the entire internet world surfaced. maybe you've seen it already?

if not, check it.

way to go brandon! way to go mormons!

hustle, bus(tle)

2011-10-17T16:46:00.002-04:00

i made the quickest of quick trips to new york this weekend (as in, left d.c. at 6:30a.m. and left manhattan at 7p.m.) for ck's baby shower.

i didn't take a single picture so you'll just have to trust me that my new hot curler hair-do looked pretty cute, and that ck's baby bump is adorable. guess you had to be there.

when i was at crafty bastards a few weeks ago there were millions (exaggeration) of darling baby things and i actually thought to myself, "too bad i don't know anyone who is about to have a baby."

hello?!? duh.

but, i recovered with a little package of my favorite books for mama and the little lady, including "make way for ducklings," "blueberries for sal" and several installments of frances the badger. because, you know, i like to force my way into the consciousness of babies as early as possible.

after the shower ck and i took a walk around her neighborhood, reveling in the stunning fall weather and the good fortune our lives have been filled with lately. we also saw julia stiles and mariska hargitay. so there's that.

i got a shake shack burger on the way back to the apartment, and then i was off.

when i got home, AWD had already watched a whole season of "battlestar galactica" (dreamy!) so it was a pretty productive day all around.

i love me a friday.

2011-10-14T08:04:00.003-04:00

happy friday, my babies! even with a short week, friday seems like it's been a long time coming. and boy, am i happy it is here.

ever since we went to truckeroo, AWD has been craving another lobster roll, so we decided to make our friday night date night a trip to luke's lobster (for him) followed by a screening of "real steel" (for me). what can i say? if the review says it's everything a seven-year-old could want out of a robot movie, i'm sold.

hoping all your seven-year-old dreams come true this weekend, too.

falling slowly

2011-10-13T08:19:00.006-04:00

one stop on our wedding tour extravaganza was twin falls, idaho, where we visited my dad's side of the family and, on one particularly lovely morning, took a walk down to shoshone falls.

it was basically impossible to keep up with my grandma, but the rainbow at the end was worth it.

mid week end

2011-10-12T18:54:00.019-04:00

wednesday sure comes quickly when monday is another saturday and tuesday is like a monday and there you have it and here we are.

we had a lovely long weekend. it went down like this.

stop 1. winchester, virginia, for our fourth and final wedding reception. AWD's family put on a beautiful party at the handley library, a totally rad historic building (with a rotunda!) that also happens to be my mother-in-law's place of work. we had a great evening.

stop 2. charlottesville, virginia, where we explored the downtown mall via the funky warehouse district, and ate bodo's bagels (virginia famous!) for breakfast, the virginian (longest continuously running restaurant in charlottesville!) for lunch, and the local (nothing to say here except that it was delicious!) for dinner. we also strolled around the UVA campus, including a tour of the rotunda, aka: thomas jefferson's temple of the mind.

stop 3. louisa, virginia, for paul and kyle's wedding, during which we enjoyed ourselves immensely, but during which we did not take a single photo. it was mostly a delight to attend a wedding that was not our own, so it didn't even matter if anything went wrong, which i don't think it did anyway.

stop 4. montpelier, lifetime home of james madison, father of the constitution. the house was just rescued from the clutches of the dupont family and underwent a major restoration that only ended a few years ago, so i would classify it as a work in progress. but standing in the room where the constitution was conceived is never a dull thing, and the grounds were lovely. AWD and i decided that we are sort of like james and dolley madison, he shy and brilliant, she social and stylish. (i bet you can see it, too, right?) i loved thinking of the great and deep friendship between madison and jefferson, and was totally jealous to learn that madison spoke seven languages fluently.

stop 5. home, where we are settling back in to our married life routine. so far, we really like it.

welcome, long weekend. we're glad to see you.

2011-10-07T10:13:00.005-04:00

happy friday, my babies!

i started the weekend last night with a gorgeous walk across the key bridge to georgetown for shopping at anthropologie with EH (our favorite) followed by a frozen hot chocolate at serendipity (our second favorite).

when i got home AWD had taken out the garbage, washed the dishes, hooked up my new printer and fixed the furnace. winning!

today we are heading down to winchester for our fourth and final wedding celebration (yep, still going!) and then we're spending the rest of the long weekend in charlottesville. i hope a really good bagel and a plantation tour are in our near future.

have a wonderful fall weekend!

fallen

2011-10-06T17:05:00.004-04:00

when we woke up on saturday morning, it was fall.

just like that.

the sky was gray, the air was crisp and clean and not bogged down with the weight of sweaty humidity, and everyone outside was wearing hats and scarves and boots.

it was wonderful.

fall has long been my favorite season. i always feel such a rush of anticipation in the fall. it makes me want to warm my home, to nestle in, to make it organized and pretty and safe and comforting and lovely so i can retreat there with a happy heart all winter long.

to me, fall feels like starting over.

i was born in the fall.

i left for college and started my life as an adult in the fall.

i left on my mission in the fall.

i fell in love in the fall.

i was married in the fall.

i love the fall.

so, while AWD was away earlier this week i made a new fall wreath and put together a little fall centerpiece and baked up the rest of my pumpkin-chocolate chip-oatmeal cookie dough. i cracked open my sweater box in the basement. i wore a pair of boots.

last night we made a big batch of bri's caramel recipe (sure wish i could have called her to ask if it was supposed to boil that much, but it looks like it came out all right so i think it was fine) and poured the extra over some perfectly ripe pears.

did i already say i love the fall?

because i do.

peek-a-photo

2011-10-04T11:29:00.004-04:00

since i won't be seeing AWD's face until tomorrow, i decided to put it on the blog today. and lucky for you, because that means another wedding photo sneak peek, this one shot by kirstin roper (who we loved, loved, LOVED!) before our reception in salt lake.

man, i could live that day every day for the rest of my life.

eating for the weekend.

2011-10-03T20:56:00.003-04:00

basically all we did all weekend was eat. and it was glorious.

on friday night, we hit up truckaroo, a big food truck festival in d.c. one of the great tragedies of working in the commonwealth of virginia is that food trucks never come out our way. i am always so jealous when i hear people talking about their food truck lunches, so i decided to make the most of truckaroo since it's basically my one shot at food truck bliss. and by make the most of it, i mean that AWD and i had three dinners: curry from fojol brothers, lobster rolls from maine lobster (maine-style for him and connecticut-style for me and totally worth the mega-long line), a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich (with brie and apple and honey!) from the big cheese and a snickerdoodle cupcake from curbside cupcake to top it all off.

yes, i felt like i was going to ralph.

and yes, it was totally worth it.

saturday morning EH and amy and i headed over to crafty bastards to check out the wares (nothing too inspiring) and then it was general conference for the rest of the weekend. the weather was gray and rainy and cold, so curling up at home and listening to such inspiring talks from such inspiring leaders was a perfect way to pass the time.

plus, we kept eating. namely, potato and leek soup, pumpkin-oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls, which did not come out as well as i had hoped, but better luck next time.

i rounded out the weekend with a girls' night out for the help (loved it) and cupcakes from buzz afterwards (always a good choice).

and now i weigh 5,000 pounds. or at least i feel like i do.

this morning i put my husband on a plane to florida, where he'll be testifying in a trial for work. (he's such a big deal!) i figured it would be totally fine because it's not like we've been married for that long and i managed to survive without him for a lot of years before he came on to the scene, but it's been less than 24 hours and it already pretty much sucks. i'll be glad when he comes back.

in the meantime, i guess i'll drown my woes with leftover cookies and a trashy novel.

since just because you're married doesn't mean you have to stop doing fun things

2011-09-29T23:44:00.000-04:00

last night AWD and i drove up to camden yard in baltimore to see the red sox play the orioles in the last game of the regular season.

i wore my red sox shirt and was a little worried about getting punched in the face, but AWD said he would call the police if that happened and there were actually more red sox fans than orioles fans in the stands, so i was pretty safe.

in fact, when the orioles made a good play and the crowd started cheering, the guy sitting in front of us looked around and said, "i didn't know there were orioles fans here. that's nice to see."

it was pretty much non-stop excitement with double plays and people being thrown out at home plate and david ortiz making an impressive, but ultimately failed attempt to steal second.

(at that moment, the guy sitting in front of us said, "what is papi trying to do, stealing a base? he lost his belly in the slide!")

it was such an exciting, tense game that what i really want to do is recount it in all its painful glory here, but the pain has been recounted endlessly today, so i'll just say that it was not meant to be for our beloved sox.

and i'll also throw in that watching them choke, again, is basically the worst.

i trace it all back to the hour-long rain delay. things just didn't go right once play resumed, started with the red sox pitcher hitting two out of the first three batters once play resumed. the sox still managed to hold on to their one-run lead all the way to the ninth inning, but with only one strike left to go the orioles got two big hits off the closer and it was all over for boston.

as the orioles were rushing the field, i got this text from my dad: "i think i will throw up."

it was a sad car ride home, made even worse by the fact that the tampa bay rays, our rivals for the wild card spot in the playoffs, rallied from a seven run deficit to beat the yankees in extra innings.

sigh.

as we were walking through the door in the wee hours of this morning, AWD hung his head and said, "well, i guess this was probably a pretty good introduction to being a red sox fan."

sad but true, husband mine. sad but true.

first day of my life

2011-09-27T22:40:00.000-04:00

the other big thing that happened around here recently (besides, you know, getting hitched) is that i turned 30. on friday to be exact.

seems like a lot to be going down at once, i know, but that's how we roll around here.

for about a year i have been talking about how i wanted to do something really big for my 30th birthday. i figured it would be something like a trip to china, but getting married seemed like a pretty big deal, too, so i went for it.

in case you were wondering or worried, i had a lovely birthday, with lots of cupcakes and lunch out with my favorite people and a big wedding reception in salt lake to cap it off.

AWD also said he would buy me anything i wanted at my favorite SLC boutique, hip and humble, and he ended up buying me everything i wanted, which was even better.

even with so much excitement, i still had a little time to think about my favorite birthday questions, and here are the answers i have for you.

what i learned this year is that if you keep an open mind, an open heart and are willing to step outside your box and trust something (or someone) unexpected, you might find just what you didn't even know you were looking for.

and, bonus lesson! i also learned that, aside from open hearts, open minds and lots of faith, there is no secret formula or magic solution to will anything or anyone into your life. when you're ready, you're ready. and when it happens, it happens, and that's that. at least as far as i can gather.

as for a goal in the coming year, i would like to love as well as i am loved and i'd like to learn to save the very best-- my best news, my best jokes, my best thoughts and my best self-- for my home and my spouse and my family. i think it is going to take some practice to learn how to be a good partner, but i am up for the challenge.

and maybe another cupcake.

wedded. bliss.

2011-09-26T23:16:00.000-04:00

i only have a very small sampling of photos from the wedding so far, but i've received some vaguely threatening e-mails (hi, kate! hi, emdawg!) so hopefully these will tide everyone over until the professionals have finished their magic.

speaking of which, our wedding day was magic, too. everything went off beautifully and just as we had hoped. i can't wait to tell you all about it.

except, actually, i can wait. for a little bit at least. because for now i am going to bed. i hope you can wait, too. but don't worry, it won't be for long, my babies. it won't be for long.

tomorrow i am getting married.

2011-09-09T23:25:00.001-04:00

and i couldn't be happier about it.

i'll see you on the flip side, my babies.

the rain in spain

2011-09-08T23:02:00.000-04:00

it turns out that three days before your wedding is not the ideal time for your basement to flood.

especially when your basement is stacked from floor to ceiling with your roommate's boxes, ready to be moved out, and your husband-to-be's boxes, ready to be moved in.

throw in a big bonk on the head while moving piles of dripping paper and cardboard to the garbage can, and you have a pretty rough morning.

luckily, we survived. and so did almost all the things. the mess is cleaned up and we still had time to make all the wedding dinner favors and go to a little engagement party at AWD's work.

i am actually pretty proud of myself for only breaking into massive and uncontrollable tears once. but, if anything goes wrong tomorrow, i'll probably lose it for good.

(no) labor day

2011-09-06T22:19:00.001-04:00

how was your labor day weekend?

i watched a french movie, went to the grocery store, went to the temple, went to the mall, went out to dinner, went to church, had my trial wedding hair and make-up done by EH and miss angela, ate a leisurely lunch at bayou bakery with EH and miss angela, picked up my wedding dress and went to the mall again.

it all went pretty well, though the ending of the french movie, "the hedgehog," was really tragic and sad. in happier news, the beignets at bayou bakery are a little piece of fried and sugared heaven.

and now we are in the home stretch! the mama bear arrives tomorrow, dad and ben the day after, AWD's parents the day after that and then the day after that is the wedding.

man alive.

i had every intention of doing a bunch of blogging this week to tell you all about the wedding preparations and all the wisdom and insight i have now as a soon-to-be-married lady, but i think i just have to be honest and tell you that might not happen. i mean, wedding dinner favors don't put themselves together, you know?

not to mention that i am obsessively checking the weather for saturday (currently 30 percent chance of rain) and the path of hurricane katia (looks like our honeymoon destination will emerge unscathed).

so, wisdom and insight might just have to wait, though hopefully i'll get some of my favorite wedding details up here before the wedding itself.

four more sleeps. i can hardly believe it.

penny lane

2011-09-01T22:36:00.000-04:00

i met my newest baby love, miss penelope, for the first time this evening.

we got in some good snuggles but, unfortunately, the only time she was facing me for a picture, she was also doing this.

not her greatest moment, but she's still pretty precious if you ask me.

and catching up with the grown-ups was OK, too, i guess.

can it

2011-08-30T22:57:00.001-04:00

my team lost the office food donation competition today.

we lost by a nose.

or, if you will, by a can.

it was quite a blow.

but, i met dana after work today for an ice cream dinner and a weeknight movie, and that cheered me right up.

irresponsible meals and irresponsible bedtimes. two of my favorite things about being an adult.

come on, irene

2011-08-29T17:28:00.001-04:00

before we get started today, i need to make a correction to my previous post.

AWD's beautifully wrapped birthday present came from my mom and my dad. and, while we are giving credit where it is due, the present was actually wrapped by amazon.

i'm glad we have that sorted out.

and now, a recap of our hurricane weekend!

actually, it wasn't too exciting, which as i have stated before is pretty much the perfect way for a natural disaster to be. though an earthquake and a hurricane in one week is pretty epic stuff, if you ask me.

the biggest excitement of our weekend was actually friday night, before the storm even started, when AWD and i went to a production of "uncle vanya" starring the ethereal and lovely cate blanchett. she was stunning and captivating and the rest of the cast was superb as well. we loved the whole thing. and, in retrospect, i think a depressing russian play is just the way to start a weekend of impending doom.

we took most of the precautions that were recommended: got bottled water and some extra food (aka: brownie mix), found a flashlight, moved all the porch furniture to the basement, checked all the spouts and gutters. i even tried filling the bathtub with water that we could use to flush the toilet in case our water supply was cut off for some reason, but it turns out you can't plug the drain in our bathtub. so, there's that.

the rain started saturday morning and basically fell and fell and fell all day long. we spent most of the day cleaning out AWD's apartment and packing up his stuff, and then finished the evening with movies and pizza and popcorn at my place.

and the rain kept coming and the wind kept blowing, but that was about it. the power went out while we were asleep and was back on before we woke up, no branches fell on our cars or our house and the really loud noise i heard in the middle of the night was probably a transformer blowing and not a gunshot like i thought.

an earthquake, a hurricane and a homicide all in one week probably would have been too much to handle.

by yesterday the rain was over and the sun even came out, but it was cool and lovely and the neighborhood streets were full of people coming out of hiding. it was really nice, actually.

and so, we weathered irene.

and, in case you were wondering, so did our resort in the turks and caicos. though the whole event did scare us into buying trip insurance. maybe i should add my LED flashlight to the honeymoon packing list?

they say it's your birthday

2011-08-26T08:16:00.000-04:00

yesterday was AWD's birthday.

when we were first engaged and talking about wedding dates, i was very much opposed to having our wedding close to anyone's birthday. mostly because i really like to make a big deal out of birthdays (mostly my own), and i didn't like the idea of an anniversary overshadowing the birthday fun.

but, like the rolling stones teach us, you can't always get what you want and so here we are, getting married right smack dab in the middle of both of our birthdays, with only two weeks on either side.

luckily (hopefully?) this is the only year we'll actually be getting married two weeks after AWD's birthday, but i am sorry to say this time around the madness of last-minute wedding planning did get a little bit in the way.

but also luckily (hopefully?), AWD is a pretty low-key birthday celebrator, so a surprise dinner at rasika (where we have been trying to eat basically since we've been dating), a little gathering of some bennett cousins (welcome home, thomas!) and some presents (my mom wrapped hers, i didn't wrap mine) did the trick.

and, i let AWD open a few wedding presents for good measure.

dear, AWD. i sure am glad you were born.

five point eight

2011-08-23T22:36:00.000-04:00

all morning i was wondering what i could blog about today because there just wasn't anything exciting going down.

and then we had an earthquake!

my office is on the 11th floor so we felt plenty of shaking and swaying, though for some reason i was convinced it was because a semi truck had driven into the side of the building. which might explain why, when everyone else rushed to take shelter under doorways and desks, i rushed to the window.

i am sorry to say that i have no explanation for why my first theory was that a semi had driven into the side of our building, except that i didn't know they had earthquakes in virginia. though why i thought a semi driving into the side of the building with a secure perimeter was any more likely than an earthquake in virginia (i mean, they seem equally improbable) remains a mystery, but i propose that we just move on from this particular line of discussion.

(sidenote: this is, in fact, not the first time i have had a mix-up like this. when i was on my mission in japan there was a pretty big earthquake in the middle of the night one night. my companion woke up all scared and i told her that i was 100 percent positive it was just a semi driving by and there was no need to worry. i fell back to sleep instantly, she was up all night worrying and when we walked out onto the street the next morning and saw broken windows and damaged buildings everywhere, i realized my semi truck theory had been mistaken. and i felt sort of bad. but only sort of.)

since i didn't even register what had happened until after it was over, i pretty much skipped the panic part. which was good i guess, given my propensity to overreact to things.

so, we evacuated (luckily i had it together enough to grab my diet coke), sat outside reading people's hilarious twitter updates about the quake and its aftermath, went back inside when we got the all-clear and then went home.

the traffic was awful.

some of my co-workers had lots of broken dishes and cracked walls, but we escaped with a few crooked pictures (still hanging) and nothing else.

a little anti-climactic in the end, but i guess that is the best kind of earthquake.

and now i am off to bed, hopefully for a semi and quake free sleep.

this was my weekend. how was yours?

2011-08-22T23:45:00.000-04:00

friday night a storm rolled in with thunder so loud you thought the sky might split open right above your head.

it was the perfect kind of night to curl up with AWD, a sewing project and a little "friday night lights." so that is exactly what i did.

saturday dawned sunny and warm, so we loaded up our bikes and drove out to antietam to bike the battlefield. the only thing that could have possibly made the day better would have been if we had remembered to bring sunscreen. i am rocking a pretty sweet farmers' tan that better be gone by the wedding.

we stopped at the most luscious farm stand on our way out of town for fresh peaches and corn and squash and zuchini bread, and then made our way to winchester for an early birthday celebration with AWD's family.

it was nice to get away from all the wedding madness and spend some time thinking about things other than mini cupcakes and seating charts and dress fittings.

actually, who am i kidding? i love thinking about mini cupcakes any time.

rain and other showers.

2011-08-17T18:54:00.000-04:00

i had a bridal shower last weekend and it was lovely.

the original idea was to have a picnic shower at hains point with croquet and bocce ball and general outdoor merry-making. but then it started pouring rain (are we seeing a theme in weekends around here lately?) so we moved the picnic inside. and that was delightful, too.

EH, being the party planner extraordinaire that she is, knocked it out of the park with the most adorable details and little surprises. included my new a&f shirt. clever, huh? and ck sent cookies as big as your face from new york and miss angela brought a big bunch of cheery yellow balloons and it was just the best night.

of course, mostly it was the best night because i got to spend it eating and laughing with so many of my favorite ladies (including laura on the computer! miss you!). every single person there was a person i just really adore. i felt so lucky.

one of the questions someone asked me during the present opening/question-and-answer period was what i am most looking forward to about being married. and this was my answer.

i have felt so overly blessed my entire life to be surrounded by such kind and talented and unique and loving and giving and forgiving friends who have loved me for me and who always had my back and my best interests in mind no matter what. when it comes to friends i have always been rich beyond measure, and even when i have felt a little lonely i have never truly felt alone. i consider this a great miracle.

and from those friends i have really learned how to be a friend and how to be a giver and what i am looking for as i gather the people i want to be around me. i really think a lifetime of good friends prepared me to choose a partner for my lifetime.

so what i am most looking forward to about being married is getting a friend like that and a husband all rolled into one.

there is, of course, other stuff i am looking forward to, too. but my parents read this blog. and so do AWD's. so i'll leave it at that.

(wink, wink.)

obladi, oblada.

2011-08-15T23:20:00.001-04:00

the weekend started out splendidly.

we went to see "wicked" at the kennedy center. AWD and i were first-timers. we l-o-v-e loved it.

saturday morning i made it to the gym (this is a monumental thing) and then we did a bunch of yard work. the tree out front looks like a tree again instead of a wild bush, and the pernicious weeds along the fence line are gonzo. (for now.)

then we had lunch at tacklebox with the wheeler/hellewell clan, and it was so delicious that it didn't even matter that we had to drive to cleveland park and walk through the rain to get there. (the closer tacklebox in georgetown burned down, you see.)

but, just a few minutes after we got home, isadora, my beloved iphone, took a swim (in my toilet, if you must know) and everything sort of went downhill from there.

first, the blue crabs game was cancelled because of the rain that had been coming down all day. this was quite a blow.

so, we decided to go to the prince william county fair, instead. but by the time we got there it was dumping rain again, and the rides were starting to shut down.

the only thing left to do was hit up the new cafe rio in manassas, which isn't so bad, really, but when you were expecting fireworks at a minor league baseball game, or corn dogs and fried snickers bars, fast food mexican is sort of a let down.

things took a slight turn for the better on sunday afternoon, when i resurrected isadora long enough to download all my phone numbers and calendar items. she actually put up a good fight. she even let me talk to emdawg, as long as i kept her plugged in and on speaker phone. (isadora can be a little demanding.)

but, her last gasp came to an end. so today, with a heavy heart, i went to the at&t store and came home with flora, my new iphone four(a). she joins me thanks to my dad's very generous relinquishment of his upgrade, and so far we are getting along pretty well.

and so, as the beatles would say: life goes on.

it's friday, friday. gotta get down on friday.

2011-08-12T15:55:00.000-04:00

does anyone else feel like the days and weeks are just zooming by? i can hardly believe it is friday. again. already. bah!

the biggest news of this blink-and-you-missed-it week is that AWD and i got our temple recommends. we can get married for real! a temple recommend is a little piece of paper you have to show to get into a mormon temple. you have some interviews and some people sign it and then you are good to go. to get married in a mormon temple, you need to get a special, one-time temple recommend. and, as of last night, AWD and i have said special, one-time temple recommends in our hot little hands.

naturally, we went to buzz for cupcakes to celebrate.

then we remembered we hadn't eaten dinner, so we had some sandwiches, too.

we've gotten a couple pieces of really great marriage advice throughout our temple recommend interview process, but i am going to save that for a separate post. so, stay tuned.

i also accomplished one other critical wedding task this week, namely finding a cupcake vendor for our salt lake reception. that was the last big piece that i needed to fall into place and now that it has, i am feeling pretty good.

looks like we are having a wedding!

wedding planning has been pretty fun lately, actually, and i have found some things i really really love that i want to share/brag about, but i am going to save those for a separate post. so stay tuned.

and that's probably enough dwelling on the past, right? let's look ahead to the future!

we are going to see "wicked" tonight! i've never seen it, and neither has AWD, and we are really excited. hurrah!

we are also going to see everyone's favorite minor league baseball team, the maryland blue crabs, play tomorrow night. these annual blue crabs outings are basically one of my favorite things ever.

and, because i have been bit by the nesting bug, and bad, i am going to do some work in the yard saturday morning. i was walking around the neighborhood earlier this week, thinking how homey and cute all the houses looked, and decided that i wanted my house to look like that, too. so, i am going to start by pruning back two seriously overgrown trees and go from there.

there are also a few wedding projects on the horizon but, you guessed it! i am saving those for a separate post. so, stay tuned.

happy weekend, my babies.

the final countdown

2011-08-10T18:07:00.001-04:00

exactly one month from today i will be a married lady.

if that sounds impossible to you, don't worry about it. it does to me, too.

i have been reflecting a lot on my rapidly disappearing single days and years lately, putting my experiences in their proper place and perspective, packing them up to bring them with me on my next adventure.

there is lots to share, and hopefully i'll get to it all. but tonight i would like to share this.

a few months ago AWD and i were talking to a church-related grown-up who shall remain nameless and, after congratulating us on our engagement (which was still fairly new at the time) he looked at me and said, "kind of makes all that time seem worth it, eh?"

and because i couldn't believe that he had just said something like that, i didn't really have a very good response. i think i sputtered out something like, "it didn't actually feel that long." which is true (for the most part), but it's still not a very good response.

what i should have said (and what i will say if anyone ever says that to me again, mark my words!) is that "all that time" would have been worth it whether i had met and fallen in love with and gotten engaged to and eventually married AWD or not. my single years don't retroactively have meaning and value just because he came along and put an end to them.

which isn't to say i am not terribly glad that he did.

but i am also confident that i would have found ways to be terribly happy even if he hadn't.

the fact is, i have carefully reviewed the past many years of my life, searching and scouring and turning over stones and demanding honesty from myself and my emotions and my conclusion is that i do not regret a single moment of it. i wouldn't change a single thing. it was worth it then, it's worth it now and it will be worth it forever independent of anything and anyone else.

and i feel really good about that.

in particular, i have been turning over this idea in my mind.

i feel like a lot of mormon women who are "older" when they get married say things like, "i wish i hadn't spent so much time worrying about getting married when i was single!" which is a pretty easy thing to say when you have come to the end of the tunnel and you don't have to worry about that anymore, and it always seemed a little silly to me.

of course, there was no way to know then how i would feel about the same thing now, but since i am not really one for suspending judgement, i didn't.

and now that it's now i can honestly say that i wouldn't change a thing, including the time i spent worrying and wondering and crying and pleading and hoping and losing hope and finding it again.

i wouldn't trade it and i don't regret it because i didn't know then what i know now.

and, more importantly, it is part of my experience and my experience is part of me. and more importantly than that, it is a part of my experience that forced me expose my vulnerabilities, confront my insecurities and learn how to trust heavenly father and jesus christ in new and more powerful and personal ways.

in short, faith is never wasted. it is often the struggle that matters oh-so-much-more than the outcome. and my struggle gave me faith. a faith that i am so grateful to be able to carry forward, packed away with all my other lessons and experiences, ready for the next adventure.

i work hard for the money.

2011-08-05T08:22:00.000-04:00

low: i was at the office, in a meeting, by 7a.m.

high: i ate these (not all of them) for breakfast.

weekend plans include "cowboys and aliens" and a bridal shower.

and probably a nap to recover from this morning.

wednesday. whirlwind.

2011-08-03T16:08:00.000-04:00

when i got to work today i had an e-mail in my inbox from EH.

subject line: in a hurry this morning?

attachment:

sigh.

i really need to manage my morning schedule better.

shipping out to boston

2011-08-02T21:51:00.000-04:00

we spent the weekend in boston (like jet-setters do), visiting my big little brother and showing AWD around town on his inaugural visit.

basically, if there is a thing to do in boston, we did it.

we walked around my old campus, saw fenway park, had breakfast on newbury street, went to the aquarium, walked around faneuil hall and quincy market, took a duck tour (not to mention that i drove the duck), strolled through the public garden and rode a swan boat, ate dinner at the union oyster house and had canolis from mike's pastry in the north end for dessert.

that was just saturday.

deep breath.

on sunday we went to harvard square, harvard yard, my old chapel and longfellow's house.

and then, as if that wasn't enough (because it was), AWD was in the hot seat at family gathering facing questions like "so, why do you want to marry frances?" which, i might add, he answered very well.

we were on a plane back home about 36 hours after we landed, but we loved every minute of it. and, most importantly, AWD and the big little brother loved each other.

boston wins again.

root, root, root for the home team

2011-08-01T23:56:00.000-04:00

it was mormon night at the nationals tonight, so AWD and i headed to the ballpark to watch the home team defeat the atlanta braves.

the game was OK, but the stormy sunset sky was spectacular.

cheeseburger in paradise

2011-07-28T18:57:00.000-04:00

my burger craving has been raging out of control, so i finally gave in and got a burger bowl yesterday at big buns.

it was pretty good, but a burger on lettuce is just not the same.

smitten kitchen

2011-07-26T17:45:00.000-04:00

in the wake of my dental surgery and subsequent weeks-long soft-food-only diet, i seem to have lost my ability to plan and prepare a decent meal. my trips to the grocery store have been few and far between, and my culinary creativity has been pretty lacking.

it's been a little sad.

but i got back on the horse last night, as it was my turn to host the poynter crew for our monthly dinner. i made the mama bear's gazpacho recipe, plus grilled pizza (pear and gorgonzola (ABK thought it was apple and gouda but that's OK. these things happen), peppers, mushrooms and artichoke hearts, and peppers artichoke and prosciutto), and homemade peanut butter cup ice cream for dessert.

we scarfed everything down so fast i don't have any pictures, so you'll just have to take my word for it that the meal a) really happened and b) was delicious.

i should also mention that key players in my triumphal return to the kitchen were AWD's blendtech and EH's grilling skills. and her pizza pan.

it felt good to be back.

lose the battle, win the war

2011-07-25T18:03:00.000-04:00

we pried ourselves away from the television and our heat index-induced coma and headed out to manassas this weekend for the 150th anniversary re-enactment of the first battle of bull run.

they say it was a steamy 80 or 90 degrees when the battle was fought.

it was a steamy 100-plus degrees when we watched the battle be re-enacted.

i am not going to come right out and say that this makes civil war soldiers wimps, but i think you can see what i am getting at.

put it this way. we saw two re-enactors pass out from the heat. but we didn't pass out from the heat.

so there.

we also saw one guy get bucked off his horse, and then his horse bolted.

i do not think that guy is a wimp.

it was hard to get really close to the action, but here is what it all looked like from our perspective.

all in all, it was pretty cool. in the age of insurgent warfare it's sort of hard to imagine soldiers lining up on a field and shooting at each other until one side wins, but that's basically what happened.

i also learned (or perhaps re-learned) that it was the battle of bull run (or the battle of manassas if you happen to be a confederate. i'm not judging) where stonewall jackson got his nickname. before then he was plain old thomas jackson, which is what i plan to call him from now on.

and i learned that if you sweat enough the color from your grey jersey knit dress will transfer onto your undergarments, so it was a pretty informative outing all around.

the best part of the whole day was when a confederate regiment walked by us and one of the soldiers shouted out, "on to washington city!" (in character, presumably), and the guy standing next to us shouted back "how quick can you get there? we need a lot of help. you guys might have the right idea after all."

i guess it's like the old saying goes: if at first you don't secede, try, try again.

hands down, best abbey i've ever seen

2011-07-21T16:31:00.000-04:00

i realize that we are sort of johnny-come-latelys on this, but AWD and i started watching the british miniseries "downtown abbey" and basically we are obsessed.

the drama! the intrigue! the delightful british humor! the joy of imagining yourself as a turn-of-the-century aristocrat!

it's pretty much all we've been doing for the past three nights (every time we finish our last episode of the night AWD says, "so. what are we doing tomorrow night?" like he even needs to ask), and i don't even feel bad about because with a heat index of 115 degrees (that includes 1,000 percent humidity) what else are we supposed to do but lie around like slugs watching TV?

nothing, that's what.

a stitch in time

2011-07-20T19:31:00.000-04:00

is it too late to talk about what we did this weekend?

no? good.

for one thing, we ordered AWD's wedding band. it's a looker.

for another thing, we also solved the mystery of the missing wedding invitations, which means that furthermore, we restored my mental well-being. i mailed those suckers today and i can't even tell you the sense of relief i feel. well, actually, i can tell you. the sense of relief i feel is monumental. even if nothing else gets done, we can have a wedding.

three cheers for that.

also, we had brunch at kramer books, and went to the u street farmers' market, where we saw this sign.

which was appropriate because then we went to see the new harry potter.

the relief AWD felt at finally seeing the movie was, i gather, akin to the relief i felt at finally mailing our wedding invitations. i am pretty sure he said something like, "now i can get back to living my life."

our review of the movie is two thumbs up. we laughed we (i) cried, we (i) clapped and it all wrapped up very nicely.

maybe even more nicely for us than other people because after the movie we went to a harry potter-themed birthday party and had homemade butter beer that we (i) loved.

sunday we hung out with jen who was up from georgia to win soldier of the year (yep. we roll with high rollers) and then sunday night i left for a quick work trip to indianapolis. i was back approximately 26 hours after i left, which is sort of just the right length of time for a work trip, i think. i mean, if i could just stay in those cozy hilton beds all day long, i would be happy for work trips to stretch out indefinitely. but, since i can't, 26 hours just about does it.

the only other news i think you're missing is that my stitches came out, but still no burgers for a few more weeks. i've graduated to solid food, which is good news, but i still have to cut it up and chew it on my back teeth, which is starting to be a pain.

i am back to brushing my teeth and kissing, though, which were my favorite two anyway.

first we got engaged. then we took a bunch of pictures.

2011-07-14T21:55:00.000-04:00

the wedding invitations are stuffed! and my sanity is restored.

of course, now i am fighting the urge to rip open every envelope to make sure that i gave the right inserts to the right people because i have myself completely convinced that i didn't.

but, my dutiful and cheerful helpers (thanks, EH! thanks, miss angela! thanks, janelle!) assure me that i was very organized (first time ever) and that everything is just as it should be (i'll believe it when i see it) and that all is well (this is probably true).

i will say that, though the wedding invitation process is basically the least fun part of the whole wedding process, it did get done a lot more quickly and with a lot less heartburn than i was anticipating.

unless, of course, all those envelopes have been stuffed incorrectly. in which case i will die.

so, to distract me from this current panic, let's look at some of our engagement pictures! i don't want to spoil the surprise for any of you who will be getting one in the mail, so i won't reveal those.

i will reveal these ones, which we took outside the dairy godmother frozen custard shop, site of our first date.

and i'll reveal these ones, which we took around georgetown.

and, how about these ones, which we shot around dumbarton oaks, one of my favorite spots in all of the district of columbia.

and those are just the outtakes. so you can imagine how great the ones are that we are actually sending out. if i put the right one in your envelope, that is.

first we got engaged. then we had a party.

2011-07-12T23:21:00.001-04:00

i just finished addressing quite literally hundreds of wedding announcements. and AWD did hundreds, too. because we are getting married, remember?

we had a little party to celebrate this whole business of us getting married a little while back. basically, it looked like this.

{all photos by the lovely and lustrous dallas graham.}

as i am sure you can deduce, it was a lot more fun than addressing hundreds of wedding announcements.

in fact, it was a dream.

it's all happening.

2011-07-07T17:35:00.000-04:00

lots of big stuff is going down around here, my babies. lots of it.

1. i have a new car battery. it was expertly installed last night by AWD and the old auto is running like a champ. i might be imagining it, but i think my car actually got stronger. it feels faster and smoother than ever before.

2. i have wedding invitations. i just picked them up from the printer. they look awesome. stuffing them into envelopes is going to be less awesome but for you, my babies, i'll do it.

3. i have no more antibiotics. i've been taking antibiotics three dreadful times a day since the day before my surgery, which was now one week and one day ago, and today i took the last one. this feels like a milestone. the next milestone is my stitches coming out. countdown: five days. this is also the countdown to eating a burger, brushing my teeth and kissing. i am looking forward to these things roughly the same amount.

what's your big news?

less-than-bossy-pants

2011-07-06T22:20:00.000-04:00

last night i finished reading "bossypants" by tina fey.

i did not love it.

i liked it all right because it was sort of like reading one big long episode of "30 rock" and i really like "30 rock." but "30 rock" also has alec baldwin and sometimes matt damon and jon hamm and i don't need to read "30 rock" because i can watch it, so "bossypants" was a little bit of a let-down. i just wanted more substance, more truth, more tina and less liz lemon.

one time i watched tina fey give an acceptance speech for an award that was a big deal because she was only the second woman ever to have won it. and she talked about how great the day would be when you couldn't even count how many women had won this award, or how many african americans had won that award or how many anyone had won any award because it would all just be so normal and fair that it wouldn't matter anymore.

i really appreciated her attitude of humility and thankfulness, but also not taking things more seriously than they deserve and allowing for the amount of work there is left to do.

but i also feel like sometimes we can treat things not as seriously as they deserve and right now it is a big deal when tina fey wins those awards and she is the first or the second woman to be doing those things and in order for the rest of us to get there, too, we sort of need to know more about the trail she walked and how she blazed it.

and sure it is going to be different for everyone and sure some advice can be annoying and sure, maybe she didn't want to burden us with her unsolicited opinions but then what is the point of writing a book? and is an unsolicited story about your terrible college "boyfriend" or your husband having a panic attack on your honeymoon any more valuable just because they are hilarious?

there were some near-honest gems, but mostly i just wanted her to give me more. more of what it is really, truly like to get in front of the pack and lead it well.

maybe jack donaghy can help?

you're a firework.

2011-07-05T19:59:00.000-04:00

we saw some fireworks last night. they looked like this.

and then i saw some more fireworks today when paul had to jump my dead car battery in the garage at work and accidentally let the two little clamps touch each other once he unhooked them from the car.

yesterday's fireworks were better.

crooked teeth

2011-07-04T09:38:00.000-04:00

happy independence day, my babies!

i hope you are enjoying a day off work to celebrate and relax.

as for me, today feels pretty much the same as the last five days, which i have spent sleeping in, watching movies, drinking smoothies and eating slightly overcooked macaroni and cheese.

i did make it out of the house a couple of times for "transformers: dark of the moon" (totally worth it), the grocery store (totally worth it) and a dress fitting (totally worth it) and i've had tons of diligent visitors and caretakers, so things are not going too badly.

and now are you ready for the gory details of my surgery?

as a tribute to our founding fathers, here you go.

i actually only remember bits and pieces because i had two valium, two sleeping pills and some nitrus oxide before the whole thing went down. but they tell me that the doctor harvested a pretty big piece of tissue from the roof of my mouth, then peeled back my bottom gums, put the new piece down there, folded up my existing gums and stitched the whole kitten-caboodle together.

awesome, right?

because my existing gum tissue was as thin as a piece of tissue paper, the whole thing took a little more than an hour and a half. whether i'll still need some teeth extracted and replaced with implants remains to be seen. luckily, by the time the doctor makes a decision, AWD will already be married to me and he won't be able to get out of it whether i have wacky fake teeth or not.

i'll have my stitches for another week, but the recovery has not been too bad. little pain and almost no swelling. mostly i've just been really tired and my smile looks funny. oh, and i can't really brush my teeth (though i can use diluted mouthwash) so my mouth tastes pretty awesome.

and that's the recap from here. AWD, my hot compress and i are probably going to hit up a movie this afternoon and then head downtown for fireworks at the lincoln.

hope your day has some patriotic fun in store as well.

lions and tigers and gum grafts. oh my.

2011-06-28T23:12:00.000-04:00

i knocked off work a little early yesterday and met mom and AWD at the national zoo.

i have been wanting to go to the zoo since i moved here, and have been thwarted many times, but yesterday i triumphed. naturally pretty much all the animals were asleep or hiding somewhere where we couldn't see them, but mom bought me a bag of cotton candy and AWD bought me a panda bear lunch bag, so the trip was definitely a success.

today we took mom to columbia firehouse in old town alexandria, where we'll be having our wedding dinner. she loved the space and i loved stuffing stuffed myself with my last solid food meal for a while. tomorrow morning my gums and i go under the knife.

so, unless i can find my way through the vicodin-induced haze, it might be radio silence around here for a few days. or it might be a lot of entertaining, nonsensical posts. i'll surprise you.

wish me luck!

engaging

2011-06-27T22:30:00.000-04:00

it was a big weekend around here, my babies.

it all started when the mama bear landed on friday night. any day that the mama bear is in town is a good day no matter what.

on saturday, the ever-so-talented and always gracious and graceful dallas graham hit the scene to take our engagement photos. after emptying my whole closet and haggling all morning over what to wear, i basically never want to choose another outfit as long as i live. the good news is, once we were dressed it was all smooth and delightful sailing. we hit up the dairy godmother (scene of our first date) where all the passersby wished us well, the C&O canal in georgetown with some bikes in tow, and dumbarton oaks with everything gorgeous and blooming.

we did sort of run out of ideas for how we could hold hands or link arms or gaze at each other lovingly in new and creative ways, but it was also a totally fun day and i can't wait to see the finished product. we got a few sneak peeks and they looked pretty great. that dallas, he is like a wizard with a camera lens.

saturday night was the long-anticipated engagement party. we sent out postcard invites for the big event, designed by laura and EH. they were a big hit.

to give you a sense of how much of my time and energy this party has been occupying over the last week or so, let me tell you this. i baked on batch of cupcakes every day for a week for a total of around 96. all of which were stored in my freezer until they were consumed saturday night. i never, ever thought i would come to this point in all my livelong days, but i never want to bake another cupcake again ever.

AWD strung the trees with lights, we fired up the fire pit (debut) for some s'mores action and the backyard filled up with people we love. it was the best thing ever. and, i am pleased to report, totally worth all the work and the stress and the baking. dal-pal was on the scene to take pictures of that, too, so stay tuned.

we rounded off the weekend with an impromptu dinner with all the bennett cousins to help us polish off the leftovers (we almost did it!) and enjoy the gorgeous outdoor weather. i crawled into bed sunday night happy, happy, happy.

hope your weekend was just as glorious, and that your week is off to a good start!

i wonder if kim kardashian feels the same way.

2011-06-23T20:59:00.001-04:00

planning a wedding has not been as fun as i wanted it to be.

i have enjoyed some parts of it, but a lot of it has just been stressing me out.

between the wedding stuff that has to be done rightnowthisverysecond, a totally crazy work schedule and my impending dental doom, i've gotten so stressed out that the thought of eating food makes me sick to my stomach.

upside: my wedding dress will fit for sure.

but, i am happy to report that things took an uptick today in the wedding planning department.

for one, my amazing wedding shoes came and they are perfect. even AWD likes them.

for two, we got our first wedding present! (thanks dana and dan!) and we love it.

for three, i found a bunch of crafty stuff and patterns that i had been looking around for. so now hopefully i can start the more fun, creative stuff.

for now, though, planning a wedding is not my favorite.

though getting married sounds pretty great.

how rare a possession, now with postscript!

2011-06-22T21:15:00.000-04:00

i have been on my soap box for a while now about the broadway musical "the book of mormon."

basically, it leaves me fuming.

from what i can tell it is vulgar and rude and mocking and i like to think i would be just as offended if it was a play about someone else's religion.

i am particularly peeved that the creators claim they actually love mormons, which is why they wrote and produced a play that makes light of everything we hold sacred and dear. sort of like when you mom tells you that boys make fun of you because they secretly have crushes on you.

well, i am here to say that no boy who ever made fun of me turned out to have a crush on me and the creators of "the book of mormon" are full of crap. if they love us so much, why don't they just leave us in peace?

i also take issue with the media attention the play is getting, since every article written about it quotes a token, open-minded mormon who says there is nothing wrong with the play and actually it's hilarious! when actually those people are almost always a non-praticing unbeliever who just holds on to the title of mormon because it brings them notoriety and keeps them relevant and shocking in moments just such as these.

so, imagine how pleased i was when AWD forwarded me this article, media coverage and from a non-mormon no less, saying just what i think and feel about the stupid book of mormon musical.

nice to know i have at least one ally out there.

postscript: i would like to clarify one thing (thanks, julia!). and that thing is that there are plenty of people who are fully practicing, believing mormons who have no problem at all with "the book of mormon" and i don't think there is anything wrong with that, or with them. i just don't happen to be one of them. i still maintain, however, that there are some media mormons out there who are cashing in on the whole hoopla and making us offended mormons sound like leave it to beaver-era prudes with no sense of humor. and that's pretty offensive, too.

i probably should have also mentioned originally that i really liked the church's official response to the musical which was, basically, that "the book of mormon" musical might entertain you for a few hours, but the book of mormon the book will change your life forever. plenty of people with plenty of room in their lives for both, but i am just going to stick to the one.

postpostscript: i've never done a postscript before. how was it?

rain, rain, here to stay

2011-06-17T18:48:00.000-04:00

we fell asleep last night to rain and lightning and thunder that were really close. it was lovely. and, since EH and i watched "the sound of music" last night, i sang "my favorite things" in my head and felt quite content.

we woke up this morning to sunny blue skies. it was perfect.

and now it has clouded over again and the rain is coming down, just in time to curl up for friday night.

this morning i made three to-do lists, one for today, one for tomorrow and one for sunday. there are lots of things to get done these days and i was starting to panic (my dad says watching me panic is his favorite spectator sport) but now i feel much better and i am gearing up for a productive weekend.

i hope yours is lovely, too, my babies.

hotlanta

2011-06-16T20:56:00.000-04:00

after all that dental drama (still freaking out, btw), let us return to happier times, shall we? namely a recap of our memorial day trip to atlanta.

i have to say, my trips keep getting better and this was no exception. it was a perfect vacation. and here is how it went.

we started off with brunch in the hip warehouse district of atlanta, which we think is called midtown, at a place called west egg. it was delicious.

then we headed downtown.

first stop was the world of coca-cola. as you can see, the line was out.of.control.

question of the day: how come the coca-cola company can get a coke to anywhere in the world, but they can't manage a simple line?

once we got inside, it was all customer-worship brainwashing. what is the secret ingredient in coke's secret formula? you! the loyal customer! what is the best way to get through your problems and worries? buck up and drink a coke because you love coke and it loves you back! there was even a spot where you could write out your "coke story."

the tasting room was the best part (they have some good soda in south america), though all of asia was squirting out plain soda water, which was sort of a disappointment.

our souvenir was a fresh coke, bottled right there on the premises.

next stop was the aquarium, which is one of the biggest aquariums in the world. or has the biggest aquarium in the world. anyway, it's big. and full of amazing creatures. we even crawled through a tunnel for an up-close look at the penguins.

then we took a walk through centennial park. there were scads of little kids playing in the fountain. it was darling.

and then it was off to turner field for the braves vs. the cincinnati reds. i am pleased to report that my first-ever baseball crush, chipper jones, hit in the winning run. we will ignore the fact that it was in the 13th inning. and that it took that many innings because chipper kept dropping the ball. literally. either way, it was a perfect night for baseball.

saturday night we drove to athens, home of university of georgia, a sign that refers to the "war for southern independence" and a cannon that is always pointing north. you know, just in case.

athens is also not too far of a drive from stone mountain, a massive carving of general robert e. lee, stonewall jackson and jefferson davis, etched forever in a massive stone outcropping. stone mountain is 40 times bigger than mount rushmore. or something like that. put it this way: you can set up a table and eat breakfast on lee's shoulder. we walked around the grounds, watched a movie about the making of stone mountain, did our best to impersonate the carving and then took a tram to the top for a pretty spectacular view.

and for monday, we saved the best for last. namely we fulfilled EH's life-long dream with a visit to the cabbage patch babyland hospital, where cabbage patch dolls are born.

this place is no joke. you walk through a door that says "admitting," you sign in, all the staff are dressed like nurses and every inch is covered with cabbage patch dolls. we even saw two deliveries while we were there! mother cabbage pulled through like a champ. we spent a lot of time walking around and cuddling our favorite babies, ahem, dolls. i even did a little children's hairstyling. it was a magical morning.

we finished up with a quick visit to the atlanta temple, and jimmy carter's presidential library.

and then we were off.

and that, my babies, is a perfect trip to atlanta.

i love you, too(th).

2011-06-14T21:35:00.000-04:00

i had a totally terrible trip to the periodontist today, during which i thought i was going to be scheduled for a minor soft tissue graft but during which i was instead scheduled for a major gum graft with the very real possibility that one of my teeth will still have to be extracted and replaced with an implant.

i cried.

so, to cheer myself up, i came home and made a strawberry summer cake. which promptly overflowed out of the pie dish and all over my oven, then got too brown on top and then sank in the middle.

i wanted to cry.

instead i went to kitlit book club where we discussed my all-time favorite, "the search for delicious," which was luckily everyone else's favorite, too.

i felt a little better.

but, when we came home we were overwhelmed with the aroma of burned pastry dough, and then i got sort of sad again.

i think i'll just go to bed and see what tomorrow brings.

karma chameleon

2011-06-08T22:31:00.000-04:00

i just remembered one other interesting thing that happened in minneapolis.

(unless you're into national guard resiliency and military budget cycles.)

i found someone's credit card at the airport.

there it was, just lying on the escalator.

so i picked it up and called the number on the back.

it was actually a big rigamarole (didn't know how to spell that word until now) because i had to type in the card number, which was fine because i had the card in my hand, but then the recording on the other end asked for the billing zip code and i obviously had no idea what that was. and the recording on the other end was not very helpful in sorting out the issue.

but, when i finally got a person, he was very helpful. he was also indian. and, let's face it, probably in india at that very moment.

i explained to him that i had found the card, and wanted to make sure it was cancelled and all that honest and moral junk.

and then the conversation took this turn.

"i am thanking you so much for doing this honest thing and turning in this card. most people would not do such a good and a moral thing. usually, when people are taking the card, they are going first to the gas station because there you do not have to sign when you use the card. then maybe they are getting some electronics or something like this from best buy."

ok, makes sense. i guess.

but he wasn't done.

"but you are a good and a moral person and you are not doing these things and so this card is going to bring something good to you."

for a brief, shining moment i thought maybe the marriott rewards visa card had some sort of reward for honest, moral people like me. but, it turned out i was just getting a lesson on karma.

it went on.

"it is probably not going to be a tit-for-tat. maybe when the good thing happens you are not even noticing it. you are not thinking, 'oh, this is because i did the good and the moral thing and turned in the card.' probably it is not related and maybe it comes in a long time, but this card will bring you something good."

as a person who has had my identity stolen twice, i can only hope that the good that card brings me is immunity from people who are not so honest and moral as myself.

but i would take a pulitzer prize, or maybe a pony, too.

meanwhile, back at the ranch.

2011-06-06T17:30:00.000-04:00

i am back!

back from colorado. back from atlanta. back from minneapolis.

back.

and it is good. good to be back.

there are lots of pictures of atlanta coming soon (ever seen a cabbage patch doll "delivery"? you will!) and the only thing that you might find interesting about minneapolis (unless you are into traumatic brain injury research and advances in prosthetics technology) is what was possibly the most embarrassing incident of my professional life in which i meant to pull out a handful of challenge coins to hand to my boss to give out to the roomful of marines we were meeting with but instead pulled out a handful of coins and a tampon.

winning.

i came back to much nicer weather here than i left, so we've been grilling and strolling around the neighborhood and EH and i planted some flowers and a little herb garden. if you need mint or rosemary or parsley or cilantro, we're your girls.

i think AWD and i have also finally picked a place for our wedding dinner (worst.project.ever), and i had my third dress fitting, so looks like the wedding is still on.

winning.

i'll say it again.

it's good to be back.

midnight train to georgia

2011-05-30T23:11:00.000-04:00

back from atlanta.

stop.

visited world of coca-cola, georgia aquarium, centennial park.

stop.

saw braves play.

stop.

chipper jones still dreamy.

stop.

also visited athens, stone mountain, cabbage patch babyland general hospital.

stop.

unpacked, re-packed and off to minneapolis tomorrow.

stop.

more soon.

full stop.

traveling pants

2011-05-27T15:59:00.000-04:00

are you ready for the next installment of "where's frances?"

tonight EH and i are off to atlanta (and hopefully there will be electricity when we arrive) for a long weekend in the gentle south. i have never been to atlanta so i am pretty excited about it. and not just because atlanta has coke world.

we get back on monday and i'll be home for approximately 12 hours (for reals) before i head off to minneapolis on business. i suspect i will have to do laundry all night if i have any interest in taking clean underwear to minneapolis.

which i do.

and then maybe i'll get to stick around for a while.

or maybe i'll find a magical pair of jeans.

or maybe both.

who knows?

on love, marriage and paul walker

2011-05-26T18:02:00.000-04:00

i have been browsing unmentionables for my wedding trousseau.

if you know what i mean.

i also signed up for a personal trainer today.

these things are related.

because i would like to have a flat stomach when i don unmentionable items from my wedding trousseau.

if you know what i mean.

have i already said too much?

i have also been thinking about this.

(don't worry, it's totally PG.)

while i was in colorado last weekend i had breakfast with k8 and we got to talking about dating and engagements and marriages and i confessed that, even having now gone through the process of finding someone to spend the rest of my life with, the process remains an absolute mystery to me.

i think i just assumed that, once i had actually done it myself, i would be able to describe it-- what it feels like and how it happens-- and, even though everyone's life and experience and circumstances are different, i think i probably thought there might even be a chance that i could offer some type of informed insight.

instead i am just as baffled as i ever was-- let's face it, maybe even more baffled-- about how it is that a man and a woman meet each other, fall in love with each other and decide to be with each other forever.

i literally open the door sometimes to find AWD standing on my doorstep and think to myself, "now what in the world is he doing here?"

it still feels completely weird to me that he is around to stay.

weird in a good way, though, since i don't want him to go anywhere.

and so, as it turns out, my big piece of wise-engaged-lady insight is this:

there is no magic formula and no silver bullet solution.

there is no guarantee and there is no foolproof plan.

there is only hope and effort and faith and then one day a miracle.

a miracle that unfolds something like this.

one day i woke up and thought, "i like AWD so much i think i love him." and then one day i woke up and thought, "i think i love AWD so much i want to marry him." and then when he asked me i said yes.

and that, my friends, is all i know.

helpful, eh?

i went to see "fast five" last night and it was uh-mazing. i know you probably think that the fifth installment of a car heist franchise with vin diesel and paul walker as the top-billed stars is doomed to fail, but i am pleased to report that you are wrong.

it was awesome.

and just moments after i finished watching it i executed a beautiful, perfect parallel parking job on a crowded, busy street in old town.

coincidence?

i should think not.

westerly

2011-05-18T20:45:00.001-04:00

i am back in the west for the third time in three weeks. i really should start signing up for frequent flier programs.

this time it's for work, namely colorado springs for the warrior games. colorado springs where it is currently dumping rain with a side of tornado warnings.

my only consolations are a king sized bed, a big flat screen and room service.

so, actually, i am not doing so badly.

i've loved you so long

2011-05-17T19:37:00.001-04:00

i made briana's favorite shortbread recipe the other night.

it came out both crumbly and slightly underdone, which remains a mystery. but, everyone said they were delicious and when people say that something i made is delicious, i always decide to believe them.

i really wished bri was around so i could call her and ask if it was normal for her favorite shortbread recipe to come out both crumbly and underdone.

and when i am driving home from work i really wish that she was around so that i could call her and catch up like i used to do.

but, otherwise, i feel so much peace and calm and normalcy that sometimes i wonder if i am doing something wrong. am i not grieving correctly? not grieving enough?

should i be doing something more? more crying? more talking? more... more?

i think the answer is no.

we all grieve in different ways, which i know in the abstract but am learning in real time.

over these past few weeks, though, i have felt like if i could talk to bri right now she would tell me not to worry about her at all. i get the impression that life is busy and happy on the other side.

turns out life is also pretty busy and happy here. which is just the way i want it to be. and, i think, just the way bri wants it to be, too.

bookend weekend(s)

2011-05-16T15:47:00.000-04:00

AWD and i spent last weekend in salt lake. it was marvelous and i did not take a single picture.

i did eat breakfast at the blue plate diner and lunch at the beehive tearoom and dinner at the market street grill (but not all on the same day). and i did spend lots and lots of time with lots and lots of relatives and AWD did live through the whole thing and even said he liked it. and i did cuddle babies (and stayed a safe distance away from other babies who had the flu) and i did celebrate mother's day with my own beloved mom and i did love every minute of the whole thing.

oh, and AWD did propose (again!), this time with my real ring (hurrah!) and i did say yes (again!) and now i can't stop staring at my ring finger all day long. thanks to the stealth photography skills of AWD's sister, we do have a few shots of that thing going down.

then it was a week of catching up and being sick for both of us (i lost my voice. awesome), which was not nearly as fun as basically any alternative, but it was back to party time this weekend.

well, actually, first there was a lot of sleeping. also i finally unpacked my suitcase from last weekend's trip (i'm speedy like that). and then it was party time.

because, you see, robert graduated from his masters' program at GW this weekend. this gave me an excuse to say "con-grad-ulations!" in an ironic, TV announcer voice. and if that is not a party, i am not sure what is.

it also meant that we ate celebratory burgers at ray's and then, because robert was wearing his gown (and medal!) all weekend, we all decided to wear gowns, too. we had some difficulty keeping a straight face. as you can see.

we also watched "high school musical" because it was the only remotely graduation-related movie streaming on netflix. and no, there isn't actually anything about a graduation in it.

sunday was the big ceremony on the mall. we all came prepared for the promised rain and ended up sweltering and burning in the sun instead, but we saw robert on the big screen and mayor bloomberg gave the commencement address, which was pretty cool. i always forget how short he is. also, he tells bad jokes.

and that brings us to today, the highlight of which was donald trump's announcement that he will not be running for president. so that's a load off.

and now i am ready for another weekend.

big jet plane

2011-05-06T14:54:00.001-04:00

in the ongoing saga of what might be the worst travel karma ever (in other words, mine), when i flew to utah last week i missed my connecting flight thanks to a delay in d.c. and ended up spending the night in phoenix.

but not before i had a major emotional breakdown at the front desk of the drury inn. poor rick tried to soothe me with a pool-view room, but i am sorry to say there was nothing much that could be done.

i am back off to utah in a few hours, this time for a planned-ahead trip for doobie's wedding, and a mother's day rendezvous with the mama bear, and i am keeping my fingers crossed that things go a little more smoothly.

but, i am bringing extra snacks just in case.

today was brought to you by the number five

2011-05-05T23:30:00.000-04:00

we celebrated cinco de mayo as close to mexico as we could get. namely, the totally sketchy mexican restaurant by our office where i once killed a baby cockroach (in the restaurant, not the office).

seems pretty authentic, right?

(i mean, not all of us can be this lucky.)

ole!

take my breath away

2011-05-02T17:59:00.000-04:00

this might have slipped your mind, what with the royal wedding and osama bin laden being killed (thanks, obama!) but saturday was the 25th anniversary of the release of "top gun."

one of the best days in the past 25 years?

perhaps.

AWD and i celebrated the momentous milestone with a special screening of the movie in the theater. doesn't get much more awesome than that.

the dialogue was a little worse than i remember, and i had forgotten (or perhaps never noticed) how much homoerotic penis talk there is, but the fighter jet scenes and flying sequences were totally rad, especially on the big screen, and i couldn't help dancing in my seat and clapping and cheering.

one thing that was exactly as i had remembered it, in all good ways, was the beach volleyball scene. oh, pre-couch-jumping tom cruise. you were a stud.

and for the first time ever i didn't cry when goose dies (spoiler alert, i guess). so either i am growing up, or my heart is colder than it used to be.

we finished up the afternoon by losing the car in the massive tysons corner parking lot. we wandered for almost half an hour through two parking terraces before we finally found it. funny now, though i was in a pretty bad mood about it then.

but, just start humming "danger zone" and almost anything seems not so bad.

hats on

2011-04-29T17:42:00.001-04:00

i pretty much spent the whole day editing a new business proposal and looking at pictures of the royal wedding.

except not really in that order, and definitely not in any kind of even proportion.

i spent way more time on the editing.

duh.

(not.)

and i don't even feel badly about it, no matter what this article says. (turns out i am pretty un-american, because i know very well that picture is of chelsy davy, prince harry's on-again, off-again girlfriend. personally, i think he should date pippa middleton, but no one has asked me. yet.)

also, a note to all my wedding guests. please feel free to wear head adornments that look like any of these.

happy weekend, my babies. i hope it's royally good.

best buns

2011-04-26T15:41:00.001-04:00

what is it about the airport that always makes you want to eat at cinnabon?

please. enlighten me.

spring sprang sprung

2011-04-25T23:04:00.001-04:00

spring has been a fickle mistress of late, teasing us with warm weather and then dumping cold and rain without thinking twice.

the weekend started out gray and drizzling, which was perfect weather for bananagrams and warm chili at bus boys and poets.

but then the sun came out and the sky was blue and the breeze was blowing, which was perfect weather for bluebuck pancakes at eastern market and flowers blooming everywhere (you smell lilacs these days at every turn. i am in heaven) and laura's first bite of an apple since she got her braces off.

it was also a great day for a shopping trip at anthropologie, one last hurrah before laura's employee discount is gone forever. AWD thought it was fun for approximately 1 minute. robert promptly fell asleep in the corner.

the tulips at the temple are amazing, too.

we made grilled pizza for easter dinner and ate it sitting on blankets on the lawn with people we love. it was perfect.

yesterday and today i was flooded with phone calls and e-mails and text messages and even an in-person lemon bar delivery (thanks, emilie!) and my burden felt so lightened by all the people who were thinking of me, thinking of bri and honoring the pain of loss and the importance of human connections. i had been feeling so far away and a little bit alone in the past few days. now i feel loved and remembered and and it has made such a difference.

so, thank you.

after work i walked across the key bridge to georgetown to buy something beautiful and new to wear to the memorial service. it felt so good to be outside, face to the sun, surrounded by people. many of whom were wearing those weird running shoes that look like socks. can someone explain those to me, please?

i leave tomorrow night for my beloved salt lake, where i expect to give lots of hugs, get lots of hugs and share lots of memories to celebrate my beloved briana. i wish there was no reason for me to go, but i will be glad to be there.

i think i'll eat my lemon bar on the plane.