Bragging on our kitchen again

We put in new countertop yesterday, which looks fantastic (and when I say "we," I mean not me but Jason, his dad, and the nice men at Counter Intelligence). The little piece of countertop that we stuck in front of the sink but could not (a) attach properly or (b) fit properly is gone, replaced by nice, clean, new stuff. Our old countertop was tan, so this stuff is still looking very white to us (the on-sale color options were quite limited, turns out), but we love it.

Today the high is supposed to be 76, and it is pleasantly rainy and fall-ish outside. My office-mate has taken her first vacation of the year, so I'm free to listen to country at my desk. "The Boys" in the front office (who are a nice and relatively recent addition to a formerly all-female office) are listening to the office voicemail and laughing at the 6 profane messages left last night by a man who had way too much to drink before calling and cussing out his Congressman. This is a weird job.

The Last Johnson Bride

In her dress
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

Isn't Jenny so pretty? She made such a beautiful bride on Friday night, and we were so glad to share in celebrating her marriage to Chad. The wedding was beautiful, wonderful, perfect. What a wonderful day!

I can hardly believe that all four of us have been married off--it was the last time the twinkle lights will sparkle in my parents' yard. (After three receptions there in 371 days, however, they might be a bit relieved!)

Now Jenny and Chad are relaxing in the Dominica Republic, and Jason and I are relaxing at home. Finally. No more trips until I go back later this fall to meet my new nephew (I can't miss that!). We are officially putting our suitcases back into the closet and settling in to stay. It is kind of exciting, thinking about living in our house instead of just doing laundry there.

And fall is just around the corner. It is worth living in Washington DC just for fall.

Halfway to Fifty-four

Last year Jason's birthday was overshadowed by The Wedding, so this year we're celebrating for days (as Missy does every year for her birthday). Today's the real day, though, so dinner was salmon ala candlelight, with a side of white pasta that we (who have been faithfully eating whole wheat pasta) ate like it was candy. I am ashamed to say that we literally licked the bowl clean. Present opening, which I anticipated perhaps even more than Jason, followed. The Isaacson book mentioned as being on Jason's nightstand was a favorite. Tomorrow we're celebrating with friends from church, which we are really looking forward to. Jason's a good sport and lets me lavish birthday on him, and I like celebrating him and and the fact that we get to head onward toward 54 together.

Arg, me matey!

Arg, me matey!
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

We're back from Jamaica, suffciently tanned/freckled and trying to get used to sleeping less than 10 hours a night. It's a lot harder than you'd think, really.

Our list of "favorite things about Jamaica" includes:
* snorkeling through schools of vibrantly colored fish
* reading 4 and a half books (between the two of us) in beach chairs
* "red-flag" drink service on the beach
* five-course meals
* sailing (especially when the wind actually blew)
* sunsets
* palm trees
* pirate stories
* rest, rest, and more rest

Check out our photos for more of the story. And beware of blinding white skin, especially near the beginning...

August

Today I took the metro in to work, which I like doing on a not-so-regular basis. I like the intricate commuting dance and the way you can tell the tourists not so much by their fanny packs and cameras as by the way they are out of step--they stand on the left side of the escalators or crowd into the metro car without waiting for people to get off or, most of all, talk to people. The non-tourists can find their way onto a metro car flawlessly, moving platform to platform without so much as taking their eyes from their books or papers. In August you can tell who is going to get off at the Capitol South stop because they are wearing badges (like everyone else) but not suits (like everyone else). It makes me feel more "in tune" with this city than I ordinarily choose to be.

More vacation photos and insights soon, but I accidentally left the camera at home today.

A Pleasant Fiction

What does one need after a first year of marriage that included putting a condo together, finishing a kitchen renovation, and traveling worldwide and multiple trips to the Northwest (for work and not-so-work)? -- Jamaica. It is a pleasant fiction. The best part is this vacation doesn't involve much thinking or decision-making beyond determining which of the three resort restaurants to select for dinner and how much time to spend on the beach. Missy has described the place as a summer camp for adults -- and indeed in many ways it is. We have opted to avoid the "partying scene" for the more reserved "relaxing scene" -- one that doesn't involve raucous pool volleyball and late night dance parties in the piano bar. Missy did take a private tennis lesson from the resort's "tennis pro" -- part of the all-inclusive package. We decided to play a bit this morning, but with the high heat, we only lasted about a half-hour (see photo). Besides an afternoon of rain when we arrived, and a bit of rain one evening -- the 80 degree weather plus high humidity beats back home for the present -- which CNN tells us is 100 plus high humidity. Washington is rightly reclaiming its reputation as a swamp. Our room has a very effective air conditioner -- which is needed for restful sleeping. The beach water here is like bath water (very similar to Puerto Rico's Vieques), and we so far have avoided major sunburn. Indeed, this is a welcome respite from the toils and triumphs of the past year. I highly recommend it.