Night on the Town

With so many things on a do-to list, sometimes it's hard to just go and enjoy the city where you live! JM and I love living in DC, but we have to make a conscious effort to enjoy it and not be just stuck in our own little world of getting tasks accomplished.

So in a valiant effort to do just that and to catch up with friends, last night we met up with AC & Derrick to enjoy dinner at 2 Amy's. Amy studied pizza making in Italy (although, isn't pizza technically considered a US food?). Anyway, it paid off in that this smaller restaurant is always busy. That and a great wine/beer list and it makes for a great evening out without having a hefty price tag.

After dinner, we were feeling adventurous and decided to enjoy dessert somewhere different. Across the street is a new wine place that has just opened, Enology (which as the waiter explained is the study of wine). The menus were huge and a bit overwhelming until our faithful server explained that the whole restaurant is American wines and liquor with some food such as cheese and chocolate to enhance the flavors of the wine. Funny enough, he also apologized that Tequila was not on the menu...apparently, it is still 100% made in Mexico. Since we were there to indulge in dessert, we ordered chocolate which was handmade by J. Chocolatier. It was amazing! The handmade truffles, about the size of a marble, were by no means inexpensive, but today I am already researching on the internet where I can get ahold of the coconut-lime, green tea and caramel delicacies! Anyway, it is always so fun to get out and explore where you live. Thankfully, last night was filled with good food and good friends.

Weekend Warriors!

So this weekend, JM and I sacrificed our weekend to getting work finished around the house. Not so fun, but it was very needed! We moved into our new apartment at the beginning of July, right when I was in the middle of studying for the bar, so needless to say, the essentials were taken care of, but none of the decorating was really finished.

So on Friday night I cleaned our master bathroom while JM painted the majority of the master bedroom. On Saturday, after sleeping in and trip to Home Depot, we finished the master bedroom and then worked on the bookshelf from freecycle.org. It is an old piece so we gave it a makeover to fit in with the rest of our decor.

Before picture...we had actually taken off a piece of decorative trim on the top

Here, JM is straightening out the curves for the piece to have more modern lines

Lots and lots of paint

The finished product (sorry it's not decorated...I'm not even sure it's dry)

Btw, we did decide to take the windback recliner we found on freecycle as well. It has not been such a great find as the donor forgot to mention that she is a smoker! So after a half of a bottle of extra-strength Freebreeze, it smells a little better, but as you can see from the pictures, this chair will HAVE to be reupholdstered.

On Sunday, the morning was utter chaos. Little did we know that our alarm clock was messed up so while we had slept in too late, we also did not know why we were so terribly late to church. As it turns out, we thought our clock was 10-15 minutes fast, when in reality it was 8 minutes slow...guess that explains it. Sunday afternoon we spent cleaning up our projects and hanging curtains in our bedroom (which turned out to take a great deal of time due to the metal studs that encase our window and wall).

Finally, Sunday night, in need of a break, JM and I decided to head down to National Harbor.

We ate seafood on the Potomac River and had a great time enjoying the pleasant and very mild weather. Now, if we can just get to the guest bedroom!

Spotlights On...

So yes, it really is 3:52 in the morning...you are reading that time stamp correctly and if I cared I would change it. I could not sleep because my mind was racing tonight. Don't you love when that happens?! Right as you are getting into bed, you have a thought that then starts to multiply and before you know it you have created your schedule for the next year, redefined your life's goals, and have such great advice to tell everyone in the morning all to wake up and it's some foggy memory. Well, tonight was one of those nights, but instead of letting it fade I decided to get out of bed and in front of a computer.

All of that is an intro to say that I have launched a new blog called Spotlights On... which will be feature talented people, amazing products and honestly, anything I come across that deserves being shared. I hope that the new site will be helpful, filled with ideas that inspire and that creates a network of sorts. Yes, I am idealistic now (did I mention the time?) but I do really hope that it will be lots of fun and always full of good recommendations.

Why two blogs??? You might say that I am lazy in that I do not want to spend any time cutting, gluing, or sending pictures to friends. In other words, this blog is my virtual scrapbook and will continue to be a personal account of what is going on with both John Mark and me. I decided the easiest way to share fun things was to launch another site that would be more commercial in nature and not personal. Anyway, the first feature starting this week will be Creative Women in Business. I hope you enjoy the new site!

At It Again...

So the obsession with freecycle.org continues! Today I am picking up some photography items for a friend and tonight JM and I are going to an apartment to view and then decide on a wingback recliner...should be interesting!

As for the bookshelf we picked up the other night, it is getting a makeover this weekend so I will post before and after pictures. But for the new chair, does anyone have a clue as to where to learn how to reupholster furniture? I figure with JM's mechanical mind and my creative mind that somehow we could accomplish it, but I am also thinking we could in be way over our heads! So that is all for today...off to clean the house (ok, apartment) and then keeping on with the job search.

Don't forget about the giveaways listed below!

My Newest Obsession- Freebies!

So for the first bit of free, my friend Kelly and a set of her super adorable baby items are being given away through On the Dot Creations , a blog that is celebrating their six month cyber anniversary. Kelly's company, Alacrity Designs is being featured as Giveaway #4 so please follow the instructions and visit her and other's Etsy sites. For all you Chi-O's there is the cutest owl stationary under Giveaway #3!
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My newest obsession is freecycle.org. On this site you join your local group and all the sudden you are a part of a network of exchanging free items. There are all kinds of things posted: furniture, books, moving boxes, a piano, toys, clothes and home furnishings. Last night I made my first exchange! John Mark and I went and picked up a bookshelf. I have to say it was very interesting ringing some one's door bell and then them giving you their furniture without ever even mentioning any kind of payment. We thanked them for the all-wood, very nice book shelf and they thanked us for hauling it away.....awesome!!!!

I Love New York

So to celebrate my birthday (and since JM had work there) we decided to venture up to NYC for my birthday, August 14th. NYC is wonderful! I lived there for a couple of months in 2001 and it was so much fun to be back! Although DC is a great and very lively city, nothing beats the energy of NYC...so much so that you can get over just how dirty it is. Early Thursday, JM and I were brave and took the Chinatown bus...which was fine, but we will probably pick another bus line next time.

On Thursday we stayed at the Le Parker Meridian, which was very chic and at a great location (close to Central Park). That night we met my sweet friend Mia and went to dinner at Butter (which should sound familiar to all you Gossip Girl fans). Dinner was a great birthday celebration!

We finished the night up at Times Square so that I could take some city pics.


Friday while JM worked, I went to Central Park and took LOTS of pictures. The day started cloudy, but ended up beautiful.

That afternoon I was able to meet with my high school friend, Emily and we enjoyed catching up. It is always so much fun to see an old friend! I am always amazed at the relationships God has blessed us with. Emily and I had not seen in each other in over six years, so it was such a fun reunion! We met up to enjoy froyo at Berry Wild. Apparently cupcakes are out and all-natural/"sour" frozen yogurt is all the rage. Trust me, this stuff tastes nothing like TCBY. After a great time with Em, I headed to ABC Carpet and Home, a must-see in NYC. I only made it around the first level before having to leave. Everything was gorgeous and way to pricey, but this is one of those places where you leave feeling so inspired.

Friday night we stayed with Mia and went to dinner with her and her sister Christina, who was my camp counselor at Kanakuk my last year and my friend who I helped with her fashion line, Candid Couture. That was another very fun reunion since I had not seen Stina, Stina, ballerina since before law school. We dined in style at Gramercy Tavern, which I was reminded often was the number one rated restaurant. Dinner was amazing as Christina is somewhat of a celebrity there. John Mark and I were introduced to the majority of the managers, wait staff and bartenders. And of course the food was awesome!

Saturday, Mia and I headed to C.O. Bigelow where I picked up one of my favorites, rosemary mint body wash, which I can no longer find at Bath & Body Works. We walked through the Union Square Market and later along the 6th Avenue street market where I found a super cute shirt from one of the booths and had to rein myself in from buying more!

John Mark made his way to the Apple Store on 5th Avenue where the entrance is a huge clear cube. (The man has his priorities!)


We all met up for a late lunch at Shake Shack, where even at 3pm there was still a huge line around the park to the stand alone burger shack that I dare say beats an In-and-Out Burger. Hmmm, let's just note that I woke up the next day craving one....so good!

Finally, we had to get back on to the Chinatown bus to head back to DC. With the DC to NYC route only being about four hours JM and I plan to spend much more time in NYC, especially with such great people to visit!

Nater-Tater-Butt!

Alot of my friends have super cute kids, so until JM and have one of our own, I'll just have to publish pictures of my nephew! Here is my new favorite picture of him!

Photo courtesy of Melodye Crosland (aka, way to go Marms, you are putting your new camera to good use)

Kickin' it in Cabo!

So JM and I just got back late Sunday night from a fabulous vacation in Los Cabos, Mexico. We had many reasons to celebrate our trip, Deighton and Adrian's wedding, me being finished with the bar, and on Sunday JM and I celebrated being married for six years!

We stayed at a great all-inclusive place, the Riu Palace, which is where Deighton and Adrian got married on Friday (8-8-08). It was beautiful! Let's just say that within minutes of checking in we were greeted with great margaritas! That first day we took the time to check out the resort (which was huge) and the ocean. We learned after a quick swim why the ocean there is typically not recommended for swimming....I had fun getting all that sand out of my bathing suit. Too bad the water was just so beautiful! That night we met up with everyone for a great meal at the resort Japanese restaurant. Then for a nightcap I went with JM and Adrian horseback riding on the beach.

The next day started with breakfast in bed. Those who know me know that I am obsessed with room service!!! The rest of the day was all about the pool and laying out in the water! We alternated between Mojitos and Pina Coladas....YUM! The resort was amazing in that someone was always there to assist you, take your drink order and there were plenty of sun chairs. Best of all, when we got tired, hours after a big buffet lunch, we just went back to the room, cooled down, and ordered a snack or two. At the risk of totally sounding like an alcoholic, we were also amazed that in every room there was a refrigerator full of beer, sodas, and water and also a mini bar of liquor in upside down bottles. I decided to poor myself some scotch just to try it (never have) and upon drinking it, started to choke, couch and could barely swallow it....ah, free is nice because if you don't like it, you just poor it out (which I promptly did). That night was the rehearsal dinner which was at the resort steakhouse. The food was fabulous and it was fun to sit at a table with Deighton's other married friends....even the singles' table was not laughing as hard as we were!

On Friday was Deighton and Adrian's wedding! JM and I hung out by the pool in the morning and then I went to help the bride and bridesmaids get dressed (my favorite part of a wedding). I got some great pics and became quite a master of getting sashes tied just right.

We then went down the beach for the ceremony which of course was beautiful! D&A were awesome and so excited to finally tie the knot!

After the ceremony, we had the entire gourmet Mexican restaurant for the reception. Adrian's Mom surprised the couple with a Mariachi Band when they first arrived. Then we ate like pigs on such amazing food and watched the cutest slide show of D&A. Finally, we all headed over to the discotheque for dancing and drinks. The couple had their first dance, family dances and then totally surprised us (and anyone else who has never been to a Mexican wedding) by breaking this huge bag of toys/favors....I don't even know what to call it. There were hats, sunglasses, glow bracelets, flashing tiaras.....if for even one second you thought you were too tired to dance, this changed your mind! It was hilarious seeing everyone looking crazy and dancing their tails off! Little did I know that this is a Mexican tradition where the weddings go until 6am in morning. I think D&A lasted until 4am, at which point JM and I had been asleep for a couple of hours!Saturday, most of the guests had to leave early on the charter so only a handful of us where still at the resort. We met up with D&A for lunch and then JM and I went with our friend Josephine on a snorkeling/tour trip. We took a glass bottom boat to a nearby beach, Santa Maria, and snorkeled for about an hour. The fish were amazing, although at one point I swear they were following me and I got a little freaked out. After snorkeling we took the boat to Lover's Beach which I think is the most southern tip of the Baja Peninsula. OMG, it was so so amazingly gorgeous!!! We took as many pictures as possible and were mesmerized by the waves crashing into the rocks. Oh, and there were also seals all laying out on a rock. John, Deighton's little bro, refers to them a dogs of the ocean since they love to play and bark.

After our trip, we decided to go help D&A move their luggage into their honeymoon suite. They are staying at the Sheraton this whole week and Adrian gave us a tour. It is also a beautiful resort and of course we took pictures.

That night we went out on the town. We ate dinner at a great taco place and then took a tour of the nightclubs, including El Squid Roe.

On Sunday JM and had a great last meal at the resort and then caught a plane back to DC. We were so sad to leave...but after gaining 5 pounds I guess it was time. Can't wait to vacation again in Cabo! Happy wedding D&A!