So for most of the summer, we were in Georgia. Part of why I say most, is because in addition to moving stuff from Utah to Washington D.C., I took a trip with mom in July to New York. Her best friend Gail, lives on the border between New York and Connecticut. It's a very nice little town and her neighbors include many stars. It was pretty impressive driving up there and seeing the size of some of those houses.
So we went up there because Gail's oldest daughter, Dara, was getting married. She and her (now husband) fianceé Jesse had been together for 8 years and decided it was time to tie the knot.
And as best friend to the bride's mother, we got to stay with her at her house. I've been up there a few times, but mostly when I was little. This time I could really appreciate her and her house. It's not everyday that you walk past someone's office and see 4 Emmy awards.
This was a MUCH needed break for my mom. She hadn't seen Gail in a few years despite regular calls and checking up on one another. It's hard when you live across the country from one another.
At the Rehearsal Dinner at the Horse and Hound Inn
Gail converted to Judaism when she married Steve and they raised their daughters that way. There was even a funny moment when I was trying to locate the correctly colored knife for my cream cheese for my bagel (so stereotypical New Yorker....and SO delicious. Those things are like crack. I ate waaay too many everything bagels while I was there). Mom had warned me before I went up there to be careful about which silverware and dishes I used since Gail keeps her kitchen/house Kosher. As I was asking which was the dairy knife her daughters were like, what? When have we ever been kosher?
Anywho, the wedding day finally arrived and it was absolutely beautiful. Dara was GORGEOUS in her dress and Gail was beaming she was so happy.
But as soon at the glass was broken and the wedding was complete, it was party time! I kept the young lady on the left company as everyone went to get drinks and hors d'oeuvres. She and I had a nice chat and I kept her well supplied with food, drinks and company.
It was also the first time that mom had been able to meet with some of her college buddies in a number of years. So we had to take a picture.
Soon it was over and we had to return to normal life *sigh.* I needed some time in the D.C. area to look at apartments and mom needed some grandbaby time, so we stopped in Maryland and spent some time with Cam and Ale.
It was productive for me and very fun for mom. But we did have to go back and so we headed back to Georgia. Someone had rather missed me and took over my lap as soon as I got back.
The summer offered a few other fun activities. I was able to play again with Callanwolde Concert band! It was such a great experience to be playing my bassoon again, and it also offered Drew an opportunity to (finally!!!) hear me playing. Unfortunately I never got a picture of the group, but here's one of the church where we rehearsed in Decatur.
As Drew was doing summer sales again, we were once again able to hang out and work with Tim and Connie. We had been telling them about Cafe Istanbul for a while and so we finally went one night and got to see the belly dancers while enjoying the wonderful Turkish food.
August saw our return up north to Washington D.C. to begin our graduate programs. It's also nice because we were a lot closer to some really awesome people:
This was the first time Drew was able to make Ethan laugh
One thing we loved about being in Utah (one of the few things) was that we were close to a lot of Drew's family. Multiple cousins and his sister were at BYU and so it was nice to get to know his side of the family better. But I'm glad that we got to switch things around so that he can get to know my family better.
We started school (him at American, me at Georgetown) and I just couldn't get over the beautiful old buildings on my campus.
I'm not trying to brag, but it IS pretty beautiful at Georgetown. Also there was much enjoying the weather since it would have already snowed in Utah by then. It was WARM. *happy sound*
August was still rather warm and so a certain fluffy puppy had to get a haircut.
Looking twice his size
Hating us
Finally seeing how much his belly grew while we were at my parent's house.
September saw us really starting to get to know our apartment/Arlington and our schools. We both feel that we are at the absolute perfect schools for us. It's a nice feeling to really feel like we're at a good place. And Drew was born for law school. And Kirby was born to find the absolute CLOSEST that he can cuddle with you while still occupying a separate space.
D.C. has also exposed us to some wonderful treats. For my birthday I got a free cupcake...so of course that turned into 7 cupcakes...a 1/2 dozen plus my free one from Sprinkles. I had heard how good they were and they didn't disappoint. I still prefer Georgetown cupcake, but Sprinkles will completely satisfy if the line is too crazy at GC.
We also went out to dinner for my birthday with a certain munchkin and his parents. It was fun to see Ethan so happy and I caught this wonderful picture below:
The poor kid had no idea that Drew was going to give him lime a few minutes after this
Georgetown has some interesting stuff every now and then. They have various memorials for different things, art exhibitions and farmer's markets on the grounds. Here is another of those situations.
And of course since I have Sprinkles represented, I need to show a shot from Georgetown Cupcake. It was the Pumpkin Cheesecake and it was the absolute best thing I've ever eaten. It was magic and sugar and happiness all rolled into one.
And I finally got a REAL fall!
The end of September also meant the end of the swimming season. :( But we all got together and swam one last time before the pool closed. It was also neat because it was Ethan's first experience in the pool.
He doesn't look happy here, but he did love it
Drew and I also finally ventured out and found the Arlington farmer's market. It's so nice and filled with lots of yummy foods. They have what seems like EVERYTHING and it is a great Saturday morning activity.
So Cam and Ale had been considering getting a dog for a while, but Ale wanted to wait until Ethan was a bit older. Then Ale saw how well behaved and awesome Kirby is, and she got the bug.
So with barely a week's notice, I went up with them to pick out a schnoodle puppy from Pennsylvania.
And thus Hugo became a part of the family
It was a fun drive and I was glad that I was able to help them out with picking the best puppy for them. (Even if I did warn them that it would be easier if they got an older dog). We ended up getting the dog from an Amish woman who is a dog breeder. She is apparently elected by the community to use the internet so that they can sell the different dogs. It was definitely an interesting experience.
First family photo
Since Hershey was on the way back, we decided that a stop was in order.
So. Much. Chocolate.
It was just a short stop and we were soon on our way back.
Hugo was very cuddly and quickly learned to snuggle in the closest lap.
Kirby however, was not as fond of Hugo as Hugo was of him.
But they kept one another entertained with the various toys and games of tug of war. 
I wasn't going to do anything for Halloween, but then I saw this outfit on clearance for $3 so I had to get it. It was just too cute. This is the only picture I have of him where he isn't looking mad/confused/desperate to get out. He did NOT like it.
As the cold weather came in, so did the beautiful leaves. It was such a nice fall. One of those ones where you can be in hoodies and it's crisp and drinking hot chocolate is nice but not necessary because you're not freezing yet.
It's also great cuddle weather.
Drew and I decided our anniversary weekend that we would FINALLY go and see something in DC. It had been too long for us to have not done anything. So we went to the American History Museum. I remember vaguely disliking it when I was younger, but I thought it was fascinating this time around.
Michelle Obama's Inauguration Ball Gown
Sparkley
A (replica of?) stone from the Nauvoo Temple.
October was nice, but we were really starting to hit the grind with classes.
Mom and my mommy/daughter date at Joe's Crab Shack
It was a cloudy, but nice day at the temple.
The Bride and Groom with the Bothwells
The family
It was a neat experience and also was wonderful for me since I was able to meet one of Drew's foster uncles. Drew's grandparents had fostered a few kids and two in particular are considered family. Ron and his wife had been living in Brazil before coming back to the states. He is such a gentle soul and there was obvious love between the brothers.
So we came back to D.C. and right before Thanksgiving, I had my concert for the Georgetown Orchestra. Well, right before the concert I tripped over a loose brick (so not totally my klutzy fault) and fell into a bush/the bricks. It made for an interesting warm-up for the concert as I had to get ice and paper towels since my lip and neck were bleeding. I was able to get it under control and do the concert while icing my mouth at various intervals. It was quite a shock for Drew to see me since when he dropped me off before the concert I was whole and not bleeding. I just kept joking that I'd say that it was his fault. (Like Drew could ever hurt a fly). It's healed nicely and thankfully I don't have any scarring.
The beautiful result
For Thanksgiving, we decided to go up to Rochester to visit his dad. It was such a nice experience. I love spending time with his Dad and Nancy and it was the first time that we were really able to spend one on one time with them...really ever. We had some great talks and Drew had some great geeky moments with his dad.
The food before it was devoured.
While we were there, his dad also took us to go see Niagara Falls. Neither of us had been before so it was a neat experience. And now I can FINALLY say that I've been to Canada. Woot!
Tesla...because Tesla.
After freezing for an appropriate amount of time, we decided it was time to head in for some food. After seeing the routine fare on the menu, I saw to my delight, a certain Canadian delicacy: poutine! I had always wanted to try it and it did not disappoint. It is the PERFECT comfort food. I'm normally not a gravy person, but this is just wonderful. It all melds together in carby goodness. Why do we not have this in America? Why?!
Beauty
Unfortunately, since it IS upstate New York, we got quite a bit of snow (eew). This was just one night of it.
Kirby was NOT a fan of this much snow. It was routinely over his head. However, he had the right idea about how to warm up after coming inside.
That fire burned almost the entire time I was awake. I love heat.
Unfortunately, the end of Thanksgiving break meant the beginning of finals. It was Drew's first law school finals (the evil things that they are) and so he was really stressed. Luckily all of my classes required papers so it just meant a lot of research (which I had already been doing all semester AND as a part of my job). It was still rather nice when I was walking into my building to notice this mural on the brick. It must have taken a LONG time to do. Thankfully it was up there for at least a month and was still there when we got back from the Christmas break.
So we made it through finals and made the long drive down to Georgia (with 2 dogs in the car since Cam and Ale were in Mexico X.X) Driving with those two was AWFUL. Kirby doesn't do well in your lap, so he's better in his carrier. Hugo HOWLS at the top of his lungs if you put him in the carrier. However, it's dangerous to hold him in your lap because he gets carsick and throws up. Not a good combination for a 11-hour drive. But we made it and got to spend Christmas in the south.
This year was special for a few reasons. My grandparents had a rough year health-wise and so it's always nice to have them healthy at Christmas. We also got a neat opportunity to take a five generation picture. We were able to do that before with my great grandmother, Grandma Gina, but since she's passed, we haven't had the opportunity. Well, Brandon, my oldest second cousin (first kid of my oldest cousin), his fiance had their baby boy a few months prior to Christmas. So of course she barely got to hold him the whole night. It's also interesting to think that at 22, Brandon is the oldest one in the direct line to become a first time parent. Grandma was 20, Uncle Don was 19/20, Cousin Stacey was 19/20 and Brandon was 22/23.
Great moment with Drew and Mema
Great-great Grandpa
Five Generations
It was really nice being at my parent's house for part of the break even if it WAS a bit crazy.
Yes, there are five dogs there....
This is a regular adorable occurrence
See?
Though we didn't spend Christmas with my parents (it WAS Drew's mom's turn finally), we did have a post-Christmas, Christmas. It was rather fun.
We also had a fun experience with Kirby. It was the 1 year mark from when we got him, and he was about a year old, so we figured we'd just make it his birthday in December. Our friend has a tradition where they give their dog a cheeseburger on their birthday. We normally don't give Kirby too many people food scraps, so when he saw that we were giving him the burger, his eyes got SO big.
And it was gone in 2 minutes flat. He was SO happy.
Even though it was short and we were only able to do lunch, it was great to see Cam and Ale on their layover from Mexico. It was neat because I now have a picture of all of us at Christmastime for 3 years in a row. Hopefully we can keep this picture tradition up.
Of course, we had to ring in the New Year in style. With fireworks and some nice sparkling grape juice. It was a great year (even if sadly we only *kinda* left the country once).
No comments:
Post a Comment