A few for Friday

1. Did you all watch the shuttle launch yesterday? There is something so inspiring, so patriotic about watching them. You can't help but smile and say "Go America!" I thought in honor of the shuttle, I'd share some photos from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum where the Space Shuttle Enterprise is on display.

2. The weather has been super lousy in DC lately. It was 70 degrees a week ago and now it's cold and raining. But I saw that my neighbor's tulips are starting to poke through the ground and that makes me ridiculously happy.

3. I'm really in the mood to shop. That's probably not good for my checking account balance.

4. We leave for Barbados two weeks from today. This also makes me ridiculously happy.

Five for Friday (brought to you by a large cup of coffee)

1. The squirrels. Remember them from last winter? Well the little buggers are back, probably with some raccoon friends as well. This has been going on in our attic, and the attic of the lovely people across the hall from us, for at least 11 days now (it was a fabulous thing to return to from a relaxing trip to Barbados). Thus, I have not had a full night sleep in 11 days. Thus the reason why today's Five for Friday is brought to you by a heavy dose of caffeine. We're going on a stay-cation for the long weekend tomorrow, so I'm hopeful for a critter-free hotel that I can actually get some sleep in.

P.S. Remember how I was concerned about the squirrels welfare last year? Not so much this time around.

2. Have you all been reading my new blog, View from the Middle Seat? I know you have. Posted yesterday about a new fabulous place we discovered in Barbados over Christmas - but you won't read about it here! Don't forget to officially "follow" my blog for the chance to win a free print!

3. Did you know my new blog is also on Twitter at @MiddleSeatView? I'm just going to go ahead and say it: tweeting about travel is much more fun than tweeting about public health.

4. Like much of the rest of America, I have taken the occasion of the new year to get myself back to the gym & back to eating healthy. I will honestly say that I can't wait for February to roll around so all the people who bought new gym memberships on January 1 go back to sitting on their couch and there won't be a line any more to use the chest press machine. Along those lines, keep an eye out for more healthy Recipe Tuesday's.

5. Did you hear the recent news that they have messed with the zodiac signs? Changed the dates and even added a 13th sign. Luckily, I have remained a Pisces. Unbelievably, Brad is now a Pisces instead of a Aries. It's ridiculous. There's no way Brad is a Pisces! Others in my office are similarly distraught about the change... in fact I heard one coworker yell out yesterday "I don't care, I'm still going to be a Leo! I'm all Leo!" Yes. Yes, you are.

Five for Friday

1. It's back! I thought I would return to Five for Friday because I've found myself with a lot to share lately & not always the photos to do it with. So if you enjoy rambling posts to end your week, this is your place. If not, I suggest checking the ol' blog Monday through Thursday only. I'm going to warn you though: I am feeling verbose today. With that being said...

2. How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was lovely. It was spent in Ohio at my in-laws for the first time ever (the first Thanksgiving trip there, not the first time ever going to their house. Just in case that wasn't clear). My mother-in-law cooked up a turkey & all the fixin's & I made two pies. We ate in the early afternoon, so afterward was filled with much football watching & relaxing. Friday, I drove to Columbus & did some Black Friday shopping with one of my best friend's. She had a list & a plan & we pretty much stuck to both, which was shocking. Saturday was the best day of all, but that needs its own section on this post, so I'll get to that in a minute. All in all, an enjoyable Thanksgiving.

3. Saturday was an epic day in college football. Now, I know that word is thrown around a lot, but it truly was. At noon, Ohio State played Michigan in The Game. Ohio State won The Game, which means that, as of today, it has been 2568 days since Michigan's last victory over Ohio State in football (yes, there are people in Columbus who keep track of such things. Mainly the newspaper).

As if that wasn't exciting enough, at 3:30pm we had Florida State vs. Florida in their big rivalry game. My Florida State Seminoles have not won this game in six years &, quite frankly, it was getting embarrassing. But I had a good feeling about this year. For an extra stroke of luck, I busted out my t-shirt from their 2000 win (my freshman year there), & wore that in lieu of my traditional 'Nole gear. Well, it must have worked. Because they won. BIG. I think I also scared my in-laws with my manic screaming, chopping, fight song singing, running up to the TV & mimicking throwing the spear & other general Florida State hoopla. Regardless, 'twas a good day.

4. To cap off what made Saturday so great (& Tuesday & many days to come) my super, fantastic, wonderful brother-in-law brought me a whole case of my second-most-favorite* beer ever: Great Lakes Brewing Company Burning River pale ale. Not only is it 1. from Cleveland & 2. only available in the Ohio-area, how can you not like a company that makes fun of the fact that in1969 the Cuyahoga River, which runs next to downtown Cleveland, was so polluted it caught on fire. Yes, a river caught on fire. Randomly. Completely on its own. Love it & love the beer. Since we were driving back, instead of flying, I was able to bring the case home for enjoyment throughout the bowl season & whenever the mood strikes. Brian, you're a rock star.**

*My favorite beer is Great Lakes Christmas Ale which is almost impossible to find in bottles. I did snag a glass on draft when I made Brad take a wild lunch detour so we could go to a restaurant that was rumored to have it on tap. Thank goodness that rumor was true!

**Perhaps if I keep using adjectives to describe how great he is, he'll buy me another case.

5. Are you ready for the holidays? How is it December already? Where has 2010 gone? Craziness, I tell you. I was scroog-ing it up until yesterday when I decided to decorate a little tree for my office & was suddenly struck with the holiday spirit. Which is good because I have a lot of baking, chocolate making, present wrapping & tree decorating to get to!

Happy Friday!

Five for Friday

1. Holy wowzers, Batman! Autumn has returned to the D.C. area in force today & I couldn't be happier about it. It was a crisp 65 degrees in the house this morning, with the windows wide open & a great breeze moving through the place. These days call for sweatshirts, jeans & mugs of coffee while watching football. Too bad it's a work day :)

2. With the return of fall can only mean one thing: the return of football season! The college games kicked off last week (very proud of OSU so far) & the NFL season kicked off last night. Brad & I are beyond excited & looking forward to a great season for all the teams we cheer for. Additionally, we (I) discovered last night that our TV does picture-in-picture, thus allowing me to watch Ohio State vs. Miami & Florida State vs. Oklahoma at the same time this weekend. All is right in the world.


Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

3. Last weekend, we were in Minneapolis visiting my grandparents & other family that lives there. We had a heck of a good time just sitting around & talking, BBQ-ing, & taking my three cousins (ages 12, 11 & 6) to breakfast Monday morning. I'm so lucky to have grandparents that are not only still alive, but relatively young. I am thankful for every minute of quality time I get to spend with them.

4. Even though it was only a four day week, this week has seemed to drag on forever. Why is that?

5. Finally, I have a special September 11th blog post prepared for tomorrow, but I just had to share the email that Brad just forwarded me from his boss:

Subject: Have a good weekend

"All:

"Tomorrow is September 11th. Take a moment as you rush through your Saturday to think about what you are thankful for.

"For me, days like September 11th are important reminders to focus on what is important and not to sweat the small stuff."

Wow. Powerful.

& she's exactly right. Take a moment tomorrow, hang up Old Glory with pride, give the people you love a hug & remember those lost nine years ago.

Five for Friday

1. Wohoo! We're back! Okay, actually that is not really something to celebrate, since it means we're no longer on vacation. But I guess you gotta work sometime, huh?

2. Our vacation to Maine & Canada was amazing! Really, amazing doesn't even cover it. The weather was crisp & cool the entire time (except for you Boston, what's with that heat?). The nature & scenery were gorgeous. We ate & laughed our way through New England & Canada, & threw in a sea kayaking trip of epic proportions along the way. I can't wait to share pictures with all of you - editing down the 1200 we took has been a bit of a bear!

3. As a gift from the vacation-gods, the weather in D.C. has been nothing short of fall-like this week. It is the only thing that made coming back from vacation a little easier. We'll return to summer on Sunday though, when it's supposed to be 90 degrees - ouch!

4. Honestly, who isn't excited about the football season being, literally, right around the corner? Our evenings have been filled with NFL pre-season games & college games start next week. There is nothing I love more than a Saturday tailgate!

5. One of the hardest things about being back from vacation is getting my sleep schedule back on track. For 10 days we went to bed when we wanted & (mostly) got up when we wanted. I have not been able to shake the grogginess this week. Hopefully a restful weekend will cure all ills.

Happy weekend people!

P.S. I know you've missed my 52 lists project - they'll be back next week!

Five for Friday

1. Sorry there has been a bit of a radio silence on my blog this week. It has been one of those weeks with no end in sight... so busy! But, it's finally Friday, which is great news for everyone.

2. I had a great time in New York City last weekend & have lots of photos to share. I even spent half a day just shooting with my Holga camera, which really was an exercise in creativity. This was one of my most relaxing trips to NYC yet, with lots of time spent lounging in Bryant Park & enjoying the breezes coming across the Brooklyn Bridge. I also saw "A Little Night Music," a Stephen Sondheim show with Bernadette Peters & Elaine Stritch. If you don't know who any of those three people are, I can't believe we are friends. It is a great show, with a superior supporting cast, so if you find yourself in NYC, it's definitely worth checking out.

3. In less than two weeks, Brad & I leave on our big trip for the year: a 10-day Royal Caribbean New England & Canada cruise. While we have things sort of planned out, if anyone has suggestions of "must see's" or "must eat's" at any of our destinations (Portland, ME; Bar Harbor, ME; St. John, New Brunswick; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Boston), please let me know!

4. Something for those of you in the D.C.-area, which I mentioned before: a few of my photos were selected to hang in the Historic Alexandria History Center and Museum Store. After a couple unexpected delays, they're finally up! I haven't been down to check them out myself yet, but that's definitely on the agenda for this weekend. They should be up until December, so stop by & check them out.

5. Finally, in typical Washington fashion, my blog is going to go on its annual summer recess for the month of August. I promise to be back in September with tons of photos to share of New York City, New England & Canada. And, of course, my whitty ramblings that you all have come to know & love.

Five for Friday

1. BREAKING NEWS: We had an earthquake this morning. I was asleep & woke up to the building shaking, & then creaking. Brad had already left for the gym & didn't feel a thing.

It was only a 3.6 & actually felt more like a freight train going by or a fighter plane flying low overhead - both things which happen relatively often. I got up, turned on the TV (which wasn't reporting anything), checked Twitter (which had a few posts) & went back to sleep.

Such a random event for this area!

2. I hope you've been enjoying the photos from our visit to Cleveland - I've enjoyed sharing them, since it was such a personal trip for me. Stay tuned for a continuation of the Americana theme this afternoon :)

3. Next week, I will be in Atlanta for work on Tuesday & Wednesday - pretty excited to experience the Westin "heavenly bed."

Friday morning, I'm headed to NYC for a long weekend - watch for a special "New York City version" of next week's Five for Friday. On my agenda: a sunrise walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, a visit to The Strand (can't wait to see the 18 miles of books!), discount tickets to a show & dinner at my favorite restaurant.

4. I'm looking forward to both these trips, but not nearly as much as I'm looking forward to cruising away from the stresses of life with Brad on a nine-night cruise in just 27 days!

We'll be spending time in Portland, Maine; Bar Harbor, Maine; St. John, New Brunswick, Canada; Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; & Boston. We have a sea kayaking tour lined up in Bar Harbor, a visit to Peggy's Cove fishing village in Halifax & a whole list of things to see in St. John. Best of all, we will have three "days at sea" to sleep in, enjoy the adults only solarium pool & lounge, maybe get a (overpriced) massage & generally relax & unplug.

The best part? No flying involved! We cruise out of the Port of Baltimore!

5. I just realized the sweater I'm wearing at work is inside out. Luckily it's just a black cardigan. I think it has just been one of those days :)

Bonne weekend!

Five for Friday

1. How 'bout that LeBron James, huh? I know, I'm sick of hearing about it too. So I'll just make one comment on it, to Dan Gilbert: the font you use means everything. Comic Sans? REALLY?

2. As you saw from yesterday's hot dog post, our trip to Cleveland was indeed epic, despite the LeBron decision hanging over the entire city (see exhibit A below).

We ate so much, my stomach literally hurt until yesterday. Things we ate that made my stomach hurt: pizza (x2, including once at the ballpark); beer (x a lot... ); hot dog with bacon and cheese, chocolate milkshake and cheese fries (all for lunch on Saturday); nachos (at the ballpark, but on a different night than the pizza); ice cream, regular (x2); ice cream, sundaes (x2). Pepto anyone?

3. Another highlight to our trip was going to see two Indians games, one of which they actually won! For a team that is 33-52 headed into the all-star break, we were really excited to see a winning game. Plus it was Brad's first game at Jacob's Field (I'm sorry, but it will ALWAYS be the Jake to me), the weather was perfect and our seats for both games were great.

4. This wouldn't be a traditional "Five for Friday" post if I did not comment on/complain about the weather. It is sunny an average of 66 days a year in Cleveland, leaving you an 82% chance of it not being sunny during your visit. Guess what? Bright blue skies every day we were there! What are the chances? Of course, then we came back to 100+ degree temperatures in D.C. this week, so perhaps it was the big man upstairs reminding us to enjoy sun and 80 degrees while we have access it!

5. Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention probably the best part of our trip to Cleveland: the Happy Humper. No, I'm not talking about some adult store or badly titled x-rated movie. I'm talking about this:

The world's most dangerous/thrilling piece of playground equipment ever. When I was in elementary school, we'd pile onto this thing way beyond capacity and have the time of our lives. Fingers were squished, flesh was pinched and more than one tush was burned on the black rubber. Yet, it was pure recess bliss. I was sure that the school district had wisened up sometime in the past 20 years and taken out this childhood play thing.

Nope! There it is, in all its glory, on the playground of Ella Canavan Elementary School (a fine educational institution, I might add). It even has a twin. Warmed my heart.

Five for Friday

1. Hot: – adjective: 1. having or giving off heat; having a high temperature: a hot fire; hot coffee.

Ridiculous –adjective: causing or worthy of ridicule or derision; absurd; preposterous; laughable: a ridiculous plan.

It has been ridiculously hot this week in D.C. Like unbearable. Like competing with the hottest days from when I lived in Florida. And it's only mid-June. Yikes.

2. It may be hot, but it's never too hot for a bike ride. Or at least that's what Brad says. Last Sunday, he rode a metric century (that's 63 miles) in the Tour de Cure. Despite the 93 degree heat, he finished in 4.5 hours. I am so proud of him! Next up for him: a full century (yup, 100 miles) in early October in Maryland/Delaware. Let the training begin!


3. Sometime this weekend, we're going to see Toy Story 3. I have already admitted my love (and weepy tendencies) to Pixar movies, so I'm really excited to see this one. Hmmm... now I want to watch the movie "Up!" Perhaps it will be a Pixar movie marathon weekend. I mean, what the heck else can you do when it's so ridiculously hot out?!

4. Next weekend, we will be in Cleveland for the fourth of July (BTW, how the heck is it July already?!). On Friday, I will be hanging out with an old friend (and by that I mean we've been friends for a long time, not that she is old. Because she's not. Since she's the same age I am!), while Brad and his brother spend the day at Cedar Point. Since I spent time being scared out of my wits at that place last summer, I feel no need to put myself through that torture again this summer. Besides, I need a pedicure. Feels like a fair trade off to me.

5. I am ridiculously (seems to be the word of the day kids) excited about going to Cleveland. I only hope that I have not set my expectations a wee-bit too high :)

Five for Friday

... or not. It has been an exhausting, busy week at work. So I'll just post some cheery, summer-like pictures instead :)

Because what says summer more than...

Five for Friday - the "obsessed edition"

As we finish out our week here in, I find myself loving/obsessing about a whole handful of things that I clearly must share with you.

1. My new "piano"
Actually not a piano, but an electronic keyboard with touch sensitive keys that when you strike them a little hammer hits an electronic sensor, just like a real piano (minus the electronic sensor).

We went to the bike store last night to get Brad some gear for his ride this weekend, and were walking to Moe's (which now serves whole grain tortillas. holla!) for dinner when we walked past a music store. You know, your run-of-the-mill shopping center music store with kids honking on clarinets in the back, racks filled with books of etudes and scales, some random accessories for all your high school musical instrument needs... and some random keyboards of varying quality.

Since I grew up playing a real piano, I have always poo-poo'd keyboards. They never felt right to me; even the ones with weighted keys always felt too plastic. But because we live on the fourth floor in an apartment, with no end to that in the near future, having a real piano is just not a reality right now. So it's a keyboard or nothing. I had sadly resigned myself to it being nothing.

Until I randomly sat down at this piano last night (I refuse to call it a keyboard. A keyboard sounds like I should be standing in the back of an 80's hair band, rocking my graphic t-shirt and long stringy hair). I grabbed a book of sonata's (the same 17-minute long ones I used to play in high school) and sat down. And played. Played as if not a single day had passed. As if it hasn't been almost ten years since I seriously sat down at a piano. I was instantly transported back to that empty auditorium in 11th grade solo and ensemble where I kicked the butt of that ridiculously long Beethoven sonata, scored myself a superior and a spot in the state competition.

Anyway, back to last night... I'm sitting there, playing away, hardly listening to Brad and the sales guy talking, vaguely hearing words like "last one," "older model" and "clearance price." Before I know it, the piano I'm playing is mine. I may or may not have actually hugged it in the store (okay, I did) and squealed like a school girl.

It has pedals and a beautiful casing and a built in metronome and, best of all for my neighbor's sake, an outlet to plug headphones into. We go back to pick it up on Saturday afternoon, once they box it up all pretty. Hopefully Brad wasn't planning on anything productive happening Saturday night (or Sunday. Or any night next week). Because I have a whole book of sonata's to relearn.

2. these awesome city prints

I stumbled upon these this morning and have the urge to buy one for every city I have been to, frame them in simple black frames and line them up across my living room wall.

Heads of State, you guys are awesome. My only hope is that they continue to churn out all the awesome places in this country (world?).

Oh, and right now, they have a print for sale with benefits going to clean up efforts in the Gulf. If that's not a worthy cause right now, I'm not sure what is.

3. Cleveland
Long before I lived in our nation's capital, and before I became a beach bum Floridian, I was born in Cleveland.

The "Mistake by the Lake" seems to always get an unfair bad rap. I think it's actually a grand place, filled with amazing ethnic food, hard working people, some amazing cultural sites (hello? Cleveland Orchestra? Cleveland Museum of Art? Severance Hall? awesomeness.) and one of the best small breweries in the country, Great Lakes Brewing Company (Burning River used to be my happy hour staple). Perhaps now best known for the misery that their professional sports teams bring to fans (please don't leave, Lebron! And Tom Izzo, seriously?), one scoop of Mally's ice cream will bring a smile to any downtrodden Indians fan (62 year drought since the last World Series win? only the Cubs can claim a record worst than that!).

Over Independence Day weekend, we're headed to see my brother-in-law in Rocky River, catch a few Tribe games (I suppose going to more than one gives me a better chance of them not losing by 10+ runs) and check out all my old haunts. It is going to be a grand old time.

4. my husband

Duh, he's awesome. Just read the list above and this should be obvious: he bought me a piano. He lets me decorate our house with crazy travel-themed stuff. He's taking me to Cleveland. HE BOUGHT ME A PIANO (okay, still a little excited about that one).

He's the most selfless, loving, forgiving, sweetest, nicest person I've ever met. He mingles with my large Italian family with the same ease he mingles with politicians. And he mans the bbq grill like no one's business. He's riding in the Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure next week - 63 miles on Sunday morning (I'll be camped out at Panera with my coffee and wifi).

Oh, he also organized a big volunteer day for his office today. They're doing a mock disaster drill where they learn how to set up and run a mass shelter (you know, with the Red Cross and PB&J and cots and everything). I volunteered to be a victim; he said my services were not necessary. I volunteered to fill the roll of "aggressive member of the local media." While I would have been perfect, my services were again turned down. Probably better for them... there is a lot of pent up frustration you can harbor after doing media relations for over four years...

Anyway, Brad = awesome. That's all there is too it.

5. Cary Grant

Because it has been a few weeks :)

Five for Friday

1. I was going to start this post with an apology for not doing a "Five for Friday" last week by saying "Sorry I didn't post last week, we were in ______." But then I momentarily forgot where we were (answer: Ohio for Brad's ten year high school reunion). Do you think that's bad? Perhaps it's a sign we've been traveling a lot lately. Or that life is insane. Or that I'm getting old.

2. So yes, we were in good ol' Marion, Ohio (small town, about 90 minutes north of Columbus) last weekend for Brad's ten year high school reunion. It was a fun time had by all, filled with extremely cheap drinks (Hello $2 Blue Moon!), reenacting where Brad fell and broke his ankle his senior year, and extremely bad dancing to old songs (the "Thong Song" and Justin Timberlake. Hello 1998). But it also made me glad that I am boycotting my ten year reunion, which is at the end of July. Since I have a desire to really only be good friend's with one person in my class of 680 (or 630. or 640. something like that).

3. Summer has officially arrived in D.C. Too bad spring decided to skip out on us this year, as a sunny, 65° day is really the best...

4. I forgot the highlight of our trip to Ohio: strawberry chip ice cream at Graeter's. Mega yum. Really, summer isn't complete without a scoop of strawberry chip. I even splurged and got the waffle cone. I justified it by having a salad for lunch the day before. One day I will open a Graeter's franchise in D.C. There are so many Ohio people here, I wouldn't even have to change the flavor name from "Buckeye Blitz" to "Peanut butter chocolate."

I ♥ you Graeter's - you make my summer complete.

5. This weekend we are headed out of town, up to the Big Apple. We'll be meeting a bunch of my family there to celebrate the life of my great-grandmother. She always enjoyed the finer things in life, like awesome Italian food and a good glass of red wine, so I know we will be toasting her in style!

Five for Friday

1. So, as planned, my brother David arrived this morning (unfortunately one of his bags did not, thanks United. It was not very comforting when the guy at the baggage office said "Are you sure it's not out there [on the belt]?" Um, yes.). But anyway, it's great to have him back on U.S. soil and I'm sure he's sound asleep and exhausted from traveling for, literally, over 24 hours.

Oh, and his reaction to my sign: "Wow... um, did you make that?" Clearly, my artistic ability won him over.

2. Tonight, Brad and I are going to hear a talk by Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert. I AM SO EXCITED!! (sorry about the caps... I get a little excited talking about this) I just finished Bourdain's book and, well, I love to eat, so it just seems like the perfect thing to do. Too bad it means ditching my brother his first night back in the U.S. :)

3. Tomorrow night, we are ditching him again and heading to see Brad Paisley in concert. This is actually our fifth year in a row seeing him, as he seems to tour pretty much all the time (I'm sure his wife (who was the daughter from the "Father of the Bride" series!) is loving that, since they have two little ones). It's always a fun time and maybe we'll get lucky this year and it won't 1. rain and 2. have nightmare-ish traffic (but I'm not holding my breath). Check out this photo I dug up from the 2006 concert - scary!

4. So, as you saw, last Saturday's trek up to NYC and back was indeed successful. It was such a great day, spent leisurely strolling through the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit at MoMA, having a nice leisurely lunch at La Bonne Soupe on W. 55th Street and enjoying a leisurely few hours in relaxing in Central Park, reading and journaling. The overall theme for the visit: leisure.

5. Dunno much else, my brain is fried from being up all night checking the status of my brother's flights (yes, the neuroses about flying extends beyond just when I'm the one traveling).

Bon le weekend!

Five for Friday

1. Remember the old adage "be careful what you wish for"???

Remember back in January when I posted how I was missing my brother, but that was okay because he was done with his military service in July and there would be a happy homecoming?

Well, July turned into next week and the "happy homecoming" part has turned into him coming to live with Brad and I for a few weeks. It's a little scary and nerve-wracking and exciting all at the same time. The scary part: how are three adults going to share one tiny bathroom? The nerve-wracking part: what is he going to do while I'm at work all day that doesn't result in our condo being burned down? The exciting part: I get to spoil him/re-do his entire wardrobe!

If anyone has any fantastic ideas for a big glittery sign I can meet him at the airport with, I'm all ears. I'm going for maximum embarrassment here - and yes, I'm already considering a small battery-operated tape player which will be playing patriotic music!

2. Tomorrow, I am embarking on a crazy, one day journey up to the Big Apple and back. Why so much travel crammed into one day? Well, because our life is a little insane right now (see #1), but a certain Mr. Henri Cartier-Bresson has an exhibit at MoMA which I have no choice but to go see.

Who has the best husband? Clearly, I do. Since he's:

1. getting up at 5:45am to take me to the bus stop (which is a random street corner in Rosslyn where apparently a reputable bus company is going to pick me and my fellow intrepid/cheap travelers up),

2. coming to pick me up at said bus stop/corner when I get back at 10:00pm,

and, most importantly, 3. going to clean like a mad man and reorganize the house for our unexpected guest.

Wohoo for Brad!

Wohoo for awesome-world-traveler-and-photographic-genius Henri Cartier-Bresson!

Wohoo New York City!

3. I dunno... what else? How could there possibly be more because, lets face it, #1 and #2 are, well, HUGE.

4. Oh! I will give a shout out to some recent new parents. My cousin-in-law Mindy, after being pregnant forever, gave birth to the cutest little boy last week. A friend and coworker of mine, after being on total bed rest in the hospital since February gave birth a few weeks ago to the two cutest twin girls ever and both girls got to come home this week. Added bonus? She already sent us a thank you note for our baby gift - you go girl! My friend's Mike and Kerri are expecting their second any day now (and are in the middle of changing jobs and moving to Wisconsin). So many babies! Such good birth control - sorry Dad ;)

5. I would be remiss not to mention the continued pain of Cleveland sports fans everywhere. In what was arguably the most important game ever for the franchise, the Cavs lost last night to eliminate themselves from the NBC playoffs. Just depressing that the best time in basketball falls to the Cleveland sports curse. Additionally, the 13-19 Indians should be pretty much paying me to attend their games by July. And we won't even discuss the Browns... ahhh, the joys of being a Cleveland sports fan, or as one of my friend's said "A 'there's always next year' sports fan."

Five for Friday

1. Woot! It's Friday!

2. Next Friday, Five for Friday will take a brief break, because Brad and I will be causing all kinds of trouble visiting my bestest friend Mark in Ft. Lauderdale. I am beyond way excited to get my toes in the sand again!

This sand:

which I actually admitted to enjoying last year, even though, by nature and breeding, I'm a Gulf-coast kind of a girl.

Hopefully we'll lunch here: because how can you beat the view? Well, I guess you can beat it, actually...

ohhhhh Carib beach bar... I love you.

Anyway, I am most excited to go to Ft. Lauderdale to see this guy, who I love, who has put up with my antics for the past 15 years, who I don't get to see nearly as much as I'd like, who has turned me into a texting machine, and who always shows his guests a good time!

Woot!

3. Tuesday night we went to see the Washington National Opera's production of "Marriage of Figaro." It was Brad's first opera. He was a brave boy and I think almost enjoyed it. I, on the other hand, LOVED it and have decided that it has been way too long since I've been to the opera. How we could ever live in a city that didn't have great performing arts is beyond me.

4. I have just been informed that since the majority of my office is out of the office traveling today, the remaining staff will be caravaning (can you caravan on the Metro?) up to the Washington institution Ben's Chili Bowl for lunch. Despite living here for five years, I have never been to Ben's . Perhaps this will be the summer were Brad and I do all the things we've never done in the five years we've lived here.

By the way, a neat fact: the only person to ever have their name added to Ben's famous "Eat's Here Free" sign? The Obama family. They join Bill Cosby as the only names on that list. Reportedly though, when President Obama visited there, he paid :)

5. Woot - it's Friday!

Happy weekend folks!

Five for Friday - something different

Since I'm totally not in the mood to write today, I thought you I would just post some rather random photos from our trip to Vegas. Happy weekend everyone!

the Venetian

the Luxor

Brad hanging with the Benjamin's (his birthday winnings) with his birthday cupcake

Wynn and Encore - taken from the monorail - isn't the sky cool

City Center

Mandalay Bay

New York-New York

moi :)

Five for Friday - Vegas style!

1. Our trip to Vegas was great. I have never been to another city in the world like it, and honestly don't know if there is anywhere else in the world like it! I looked at Brad when we were in the airport and said, "Well, you must be happy. We've finally visited somewhere that I don't want to move to!" He was indeed happy. Not that we didn't have a great time, I just can't imagine living it 24/7!

2. I went in with pretty low expectations as far as my luck at gambling. I've only done it once or twice before and found that my luck wasn't so good. This trip was indeed no different. I blew through my little stash fairly quickly and was content to walk away and go find things to take pictures of when the game wasn't going so well. Brad, however, is totally a different story. We sat down at a $.25 slot machine, he put $1 in and two pulls later had won $100. Yes, folks, you do the math. $.50 bet. $100 win. He gambled maybe $19.50 the rest of the trip, but his luck also went down, so he definitely came out the big winner. I just think the gaming gods were shining on him for his birthday.

3. If you have never been to Vegas before, like I said in #1, it is really unlike anywhere I have ever seen. It's like a giant amusement park. Nothing is reality, there are no clocks anywhere (seriously!), you can go from being in New York to Paris to Venice to Bangladesh in a ten minute walk. Most amusing were the other people. During the day they were fanny pack and tennis shoe wearing, souvenir buying full blown tourists. At night they all turned into 21 year olds with short, short skirts, lots of cigarettes and way too much to drink. And then there are the folks who stand on every street corner and hand out flyer's for...ahem... ladies of the night. But this is a family blog, so we won't go into that here :) Lets just say they were very non-aggressive, but very annoying.

4. We ate like KINGS when we were there. Two fantastic dinner's, two totally different experiences. And some awesome frozen yogurt from the Mandalay Bay for lunch one day. Friday night we went to Craftsteak, the Las Vegas steakhouse branch of Mr. Short-Bald-Top Chef-Host Guy, otherwise known the superstar behind Craft restaurant's, Tom Colicchio. I came to learn that Craftsteak in NYC is no more, which I feel is a darn shame because our meal at this restaurant in the MGM Grand was absolutely fantastic. World class. Maybe the best steak I have ever had. We had a tasting menu, which, unlike the tasting menu's back east, they don't let you choose one item from each course. They bring out four or five items, family style, for each course. Thank goodness I wore my pants with room in the waist!

Saturday night we went to an Italian seafood restaurant at the Wynn called Bartolotta. This place couldn't be more different than Craftsteak, in its own way. It was fru-fru and fancy, and the attention to detail was amazing. They didn't just serve you clams, they served you clams that are ONLY found in Italy. They didn't just serve fish (the entire fish, which they filleted right at the table), they served fish ONLY found in the waters around Italy. Best of all, when I told the sommelier that I thought we should have white wine, since we were having fish, she laughed and said "The Italians drink red wine with everything. If you like red wine, that's what you should drink" (my kind of lady!). The highlight was the fact that we sat outside, in a semi-private cabana with a view of a lovely koi pond. That's the view there below. First rate, Mr. Wynn, first rate.

5. The best, best, best thing about Vegas? Hands down? The Bellagio fountain show. AMAZING! We watched probably four or five shows on Friday night, from different points around the lake and then from the top of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris hotel across the street. Absolutely amazing. Breathtaking. I could have watched it all night. The best part? It's free. The worst part? There isn't a worst part. Go! See it! Go JUST to see it!

I'm almost done editing pictures and I promise to post a bunch soon. If you follow me on Facebook, you've gotten a little sneak peak already :)

Make-up Monday: Five for Friday

1. Sorry I didn't "Five for Friday" on Friday. See, it was just a crazy busy day.

First I worked out with my personal trainer.
Then I had to clean the house like a mad woman because my Dad was coming into town.
Then I had to take a short nap.
Then I had to pick him up at the airport.
Then I had to let him take me to lunch (mmmm... thai!).
Then I had to do a little shopping with him.
Then I had to pick Brad up at the Metro and drop him off at church for Good Friday Mass.
Then I had to drop Dad off at his hotel.
Then I had to take our car to get the oil change.
Then I had to twirl around outside because the weather was so nice.
Then I had to go to dinner with two of my bestest boys. But the first place we went hardly had any fish on the menu. So we had to go to another place. Where we ended up dining outside in the beautiful evening air and having awesome food.
Then I had to fall exhausted into bed.
*whew!*


2. I have decided that I have a special place in my heart for the tourists riding Metro this spring break season. You all have really outdone yourselves this year. Last week during my commute:

- a guy broke up with his girlfriend on the train on the way to the airport*

- a momma tourist decided that a crowded train at rush hour was the perfect time to teach her four year old tourist daughter to read. "The... cat... walked... down... the... ro-...oad.. to... the..." Momma tourists apparently forgot that four year olds learning to read only have one volume: loud.

- a tourist family with no less than six tourist children stood right by the doors on a crowded train at rush hour, refusing to let those of us who know how to follow the rules ("When boarding, please move to the center of the car.") through

- countless tourists families could not figure out that their mobile phones do not work in the tunnels and thought that if they spoke louder, perhaps a satellite would come into the tunnel and make their cell phone pick up a signal.

- my personal favorite: tourist woman sits down next to innocent commuter across the aisle and starts complaining loudly about, well, everything. Innocent commuter actually listens (psychiatrist perhaps?) and upon getting off at our stop, turns to me and says "I have no idea who that woman was, she just sat down and started complaining!"**

*they may have been locals. Still worth including on the list, if you ask me.
** this may be tied for first with the soldier who got off at my stop after being babbled at by a ten-ish year old the whole ride and said "that kid wouldn't shut up the whole way!"


3. On a more positive note, we had a lovely Easter. It was extremely low-key, which is about the best thing in the world.

4. We saw an amazing show at the Kennedy Center on Saturday afternoon. Tyne Daly playing the original opera diva, Maria Callas, in Terrance McNally's "Master Class." It was fantastic. Really, not enough adjectives to describe it. The acting was great, the writing was stupendous and the opera singing was tear-inducing. Makes me super excited to go see the real opera at the end of the month! And thanks to Dad for springing for tickets and having the idea. It's a production we almost certainly would have skipped. And that would have been a shame.

5. This Friday's Five for Friday will probably be postponed as well. We'll be traveling to celebrate Brad's birthday... the secret location has been revealed to him... but I'll keep it a secret a little longer :)

Five for Friday

1. Great call yesterday by Brad and my Dad on missed When Harry Met Sally quotes.

Brad's contribution:
Harry Burns: "I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

Harry Burns: You realize of course that we could never be friends.
Sally Albright: Why not?
Harry Burns: What I'm saying is - and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form - is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.
Sally Albright: That's not true. I have a number of men friends and there is no sex involved.
Harry Burns: No you don't.
Sally Albright: Yes I do.
Harry Burns: No you don't.
Sally Albright: Yes I do.
Harry Burns: You only think you do.
Sally Albright: You say I'm having sex with these men without my knowledge?
Harry Burns: No, what I'm saying is they all WANT to have sex with you.
Sally Albright: They do not.
Harry Burns: Do too.
Sally Albright: They do not.
Harry Burns: Do too.
Sally Albright: How do you know?
Harry Burns: Because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her.
Sally Albright: So, you're saying that a man can be friends with a woman he finds unattractive?
Harry Burns: No. You pretty much want to nail 'em too.
Sally Albright: What if THEY don't want to have sex with YOU?
Harry Burns: Doesn't matter because the sex thing is already out there so the friendship is ultimately doomed and that is the end of the story.
Sally Albright: Well, I guess we're not going to be friends then.
Harry Burns: I guess not.
Sally Albright: That's too bad. You were the only person I knew in New York.

Dad's contribution: "I'll have what she's having." Did you know that line is actually spoken by Rob Reiner's mother who plays the woman in the deli who is definitely envious of the turkey sandwich that Meg Ryan is eating since, just prior to this line, Meg Ryan was faking a, well, you know what.

Classic.

2. I've decided that I'm probably going to work a picture of Cary Grant into a post at least every two weeks. He really brightened my day yesterday. Thanks swooner (my new nickname for him).

3. The weather here is disgusting today. It's only fitting that it should be pouring rain, since it is one of my best friend's at work last day. This makes me terribly sad. In fact, I've decided she's not really leaving, she's actually just taking a REALLY extended vacation. She'll return one day. Hopefully.

4. My personal trainer kicked my butt this morning. It hurts to type. This is what I get for telling him I wanted to work harder. Might be a long day...

5. Brad's parents are in town this weekend. We never seem to know what fun activities to do with them. Yet we live in this city with loads of free and cheap and fun stuff to do. The only thing really out is movies or performing arts. They just need some more exciting touristy things to be built. Somehow we always end up just sitting around and walking around Pentagon City Mall (the bane of any locals existence at this time of year due to the massive school groups that take over the entire place). So DC peeps that read this blog, I need suggestions. I know there's stuff we're not thinking of. Oh, and don't you dare suggest Cherry Blossoms. Because we all know that every tourist in the city of D.C. will be there this weekend!

Five for Friday

1. Ahhhh... she returns. After a few week hiatus from five for Friday, I thought I'd take a shot at it this week. Not that I really have any more to say than I did in the previous Friday's that I skipped because I didn't have anything to say...

2. So, my birthday was Wednesday. I turned ripe ol' age of 28. And this year, I felt old. Now, I know, there are many of you out there (friends, co-workers, etc.) who are telling me that you would kill to be 28 again. I just feel like my life is going by so fast. There's so much I want to do. So many places I want to travel. So many things I want to experience. So many things I want to learn. Yet, I spend every day sitting in an office, cranking out press releases, followed by reluctantly going to the gym after work, followed by a so-so dinner, followed by going to bed way too early for someone my age. The next day, repeat.

I need to shake things up a bit, I'm just not sure how. What I really want to do is quit my job, empty my savings account and then go bum around Europe for a few months. Something tells me that Brad may not exactly be on board with that plan though. Other suggestions that are less drastic/expensive/non-marriage-wrecking are more than welcomed.

3. Despite the previous post, I did have a good birthday. I got some great presents, including some cookware from my Dad (boy, you know you're old when you're asking for pots and pans for gifts!) and a camera lens I've really been wanting (sorry Penn Camera, just lost you my rental business every time we go on a trip!). We went to our favorite French bistro in Alexandria, where our favorite waiter gave me way too many complimentary glasses of champagne and "upgraded" wine pairings. This was followed up by the cutest little cake from one of my favorite bakery's, Cakelove. I won't share any pictures from me opening my presents (b/c I was slouching on the couch (see too much champagne above), so they all make me look about 20 lbs heavier than I actually am), but here's one of my super cute cake:

4. The weather lately has been heavenly. 70 degrees and a bright blue sky. I even noticed on my walk home from the Metro last night that some of the dogwood trees are blooming. Which then had my reciting quotes from one of the most all time quotable movies, the "American President" (Michael Douglas? Annette Benning? Surely you've seen it. Fantastic movie from the late 90's. I especially enjoy it when they re-write the entire State of the Union merely hours before the speech.).

President Michael Douglas, on the phone ordering flowers, says to florist: "What's the state flower of Virginia?"

P.M.D.: "Hang on" (intercoms assistant) "What's the state flower of Virginia?"

Assistant Janie (hand over intercom, embarrassed she doesn't know what the state flower of Virginia is, asks the older, wiser assistant): "What's the state flower of Virginia?"

Older, wiser assistant: "It's the dogwood."

Janie, back on intercom to P.M.D.: "It's the dogwood."

P.M.D. to the florist on the phone: "It's the dogwood." ...."Really? Janie! The dogwood is a tree not a flower."

Janie looks at older, wiser assistant who says: "Actually its a tree and a flower."

Janie: "Sir, its a tree and a flower."

P.M.D. "The dogwood is a tree and a flower, I'd like a dozen please. Really? No dogwoods?"

Ohhh... I love that movie. I could go on quoting for hours.

5. Not much else to say. I need to hang curtains this weekend. We'll see how that goes :)

Happy weekend everyone!