Funnier than usual

I don't remember the exact exchange (and it was most definitely inappropriate) but the scene in our apartment circa 1:00 a.m. this morning had the two of us laughing on the couch, taking a break from work.

"My we are punchy," I noted.

"Yes, we are funnier than usual," responded Greg, and his turn of phrase made me laugh all over again.

Archival footage from my old apartment - and again, not exactly sure why we were laughing

So that is where we are at this point in the week - in the throes of my applications and his final project for a class - sleep deprived and funnier than usual. Very glad to have this guy around this week and every week.

Homestretch!

Touches of the season in two cities

This year marks my 6th Christmas season in DC and as my cab pulled into Union Station this morning, I was reminded of one of my favorite pieces of the season here, namely, the beautiful wreaths that hang over the entry to the station at this time of year.  These decorations have been the same for the last six years and yet they always surprise and delight me the first time I see them - a clear sign that the holiday season is here!

I am in Baltimore today and walking down from Penn Station I was similarly enchanted on this gloomy day by the illuminated snowflakes and christmas wreaths hanging from the lamposts on either side of the street.  It is really fun to see glimpses of the seasonal traditions in another city as a weekly visitor.

Little joys like these are helping me to maintain my sanity during another stressful week of application craziness.  I have TWO applications due within the next week, one this Friday and one next Monday.  I have a lot of material to draw and definitely feel that these applications are significantly more manageable than the first, but I know it's still going to be an intense little stretch here.

I hope your Tuesdays are going well and that you are also finding small bits of the season that make your days bright!

Thanksgiving in Pictures

I had such a wonderful long weekend at home, which I think is best captured by some snapshots from the weekend.  We had amazing meals, great conversations, watched movies and lots of college football, drank many glasses of wine and celebrated my parents' anniversary with dear family friends.  I can't wait to be home again in a few short weeks.  For now here is the weekend in pictures:

Pug cuddles during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Perfectly golden turkey fresh from the oven

My adorable parents making gravy

Thanksgiving table - complete with turkey butter sculpture

Canine cleanup crew - this barely needed to be washed

"Baby" brother and a cat who never met a fleece blanket he didn't love

 All 5 of us at the anniversary party

Hokie colored flowers from Greg for the UVA-VT game + touch of Cavalier Pride

Late night glasses of wine on the last night home

It is always hard to leave home but it is also so, so nice to come home to this apartment and to Greg and Leo, which balances things out.  I hope that you all had lovely holidays and that your week is off to a good start!  So excited the holiday season is here!

Home

I realized on the bus ride yesterday that I had somehow not been home since Christmas last year.  I cannot believe it has been that long.  I saw my family at regular intervals between graduations, moving Russ into his apartment and various other trips, which I believe is why the fact that I had not been home to this wonderful house for nearly a year managed to escape my attention until now.

Home.

It is so good to be here.  There were huevos rancheros for breakfast and (of course) a full, hot pot of coffee when I came downstairs this morning to set up my office for the day.  Now I get to work at the table in the sunroom across from my dad, who is definitely my favorite co-worker yet.

Taking care of business

Mom just left to grab Russ from the train station and then the clan will be complete...all seven of us in the same place for the first time since May! I appreciate that fact more and more each year.  Tonight I'm grabbing an early drink with my friend Alix - who I have now known for 22 years (!) - and then settling in to a cozy night at home with the entire family.

One final bit of news - I got invited to interview at Berkeley and Greg and I booked flights this morning for a trip out in mid-December! Still pinching myself on that one and pretty much bursting with thankfulness all around today.  Safe travels to all who are heading home today and Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Post-application & weekend report

Hello! It feels so good to be back after the craziness of last week.  It was a rather painful and sleep deprived process but I am proud to say that I have submitted my first business school application and feel very happy with the overall package.  I have several more to do over the next couple of months but getting over the hump with this first one was an important step and I think the others will follow much more easily.  For now I'm keeping my fingers crossed about this one.

via

I spent almost the entire weekend in Old Town, Alexandria, which is an area where I always mean to spend more time. It is absolutely charming and was the ideal back drop for two days spent hunting for the perfect wedding dress for my dear Katie.  There were many beautiful options to choose from but I think we finally found the main contender yesterday afternoon.  It was so fun to spend the weekend watching her play dress up and moving one step closer to visualizing that big day coming up in July.

Sadly, the one casualty of the weekend was my phone, which somehow managed to get stolen on Saturday night.  Apart from the general sadness over it being stolen in the first place, it seems that my photo stream was not properly backing up so I may have lost many of my pictures, though I'm working to see if there is something to be done on that front.  A new phone will arrive at my parents' house tomorrow, just a few hours before I do, so it is really not so bad after all.

I hope your weekends were lovely and theft-free! Also, can you believe it is Thanksgiving this week? I can't wait to be on the bus home tomorrow evening.

Quick hello

Hello friends! I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend (and long one some cases).  I wanted to pop in with a quick note that posting will be light this week because, per usual, I am running up against a deadline.  In this case, it is for my first b-school application, which is due at midnight on Thursday.  EEK!

Hello handsome

Until  I click "submit" on Thursday, there will be a little stretch of radio silence here, so for now I will leave you with this picture of Leo, who always seems to sense when I'm stressed and loyally assumes his post, curled up on the bed in the office, to keep an eye on me.  Bless his sweet little soul.  I hope your weeks are less stressful and your time management is more skilled than mine!

Founding Farmers

On Election Eve, Greg and I treated ourselves to dinner at Founding Farmers to celebrate three years together.  It had been on our list of restaurants to try forever and I'm so glad we finally made it happen.  It may have been a Monday night, but the restaurant was bustling and definitely seemed like the place to be.

Fantastic craft beers & cocktails + chalkboard paint? Love it.

Founding Farmers is all about well-sourced, made from scratch, eco-friendly cooking and the meal was absolutely fantastic. To start, I strongly recommend the "Smears, Dips and Table Breads," which involves fantastic grilled bread, Green Goddess Dip, Romesco Sauce and Pimiento Cheese.  Simple and rustic and yet incredibly elevated in terms of flavor - can you tell I'm still thinking about it?  We followed that up with an enormous chef's salad (Greg), scallops with butternut squash risotto (me), and per our server's recommendation, finished things up with an amazing order of beignets, complete with raspberry, caramel and chocolate dipping sauce.

A little blurry, but had to share . . . seriously, this is not to be missed!

All is all, the experience totally exceeded our expectations.  Beyond the delicious food and drinks, the service was wonderful and personal.  I had mentioned that we were celebrating in the open table reservation and at the end of the meal we learned that the restaurant had bought our first round of drinks as a result! It was such a nice and unexpected gift.  I have heard that brunch is also fantastic, so I think it is safe to say that we will be back soon to investigate . . .

Happy Friday everyone and have a wonderful weekend!