Belly-Dancing in the New Year

Decked out to Pary
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

Welcome to 2007, a year marked by one question: should or should one not go to one's 10 year high school reunion?

Okay, so maybe the success of the entire year is actually NOT hanging in the balance of that one question.

We spent the last few moments of 2006 marveling at a superb belly-dance show at the Lebanese Taverna, where we participated in Mezza Madness (translation: eating kibbeh, fatoush, and hommos until very very ill). Between dances, we discussed the highlights of the year (travel to Abuja for Jason, rereading the "Emily" books and organizing the hall closet for me) and the possibilities for 2007. Jason does not believe in making new years resolutions, but here are a couple of mine:

1. Learn to make croissants. (A very dangerous thing to do if one cares about carb intake, alas.)
2. Read something by Virginia Woolf from cover to cover. (As opposed to the frightened, incomplete dabbling I've done for the past two years.)
3. Call my Gramps and write my Grandad. (The least I can do as a grateful grandchild.)
4. Take a dance lesson. (Belly dance? Ah, but my Nazarene hips simply cannot move that fast. Perhaps I can lure Jason to a ballroom class...)
5. Fly fish. (Just once, just to try it again. Who knows, maybe I'll turn out to be a Johnson after all!)

In the spirit of newness, I've given us a whole new look. Thoughts? Hate it? Love it? Also, the photo album is enhanced as well. Enjoy!

Christmas in the East

Missy tells me I should make a pre-New Years resolution and write a Christmas blog entry before the clock ticks midnight. Since we're heading out the door to Mezza Madness at Lebanese Taverna in less than ten minutes, here goes. We spent Christmas with my family this year in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Since I took the Thanksgiving week off work to travel to Idaho this year, I got stuck with the Christmas shift this year. So, we left the Wednesday before Christmas to make the 7-hour drive west across I-68, by far my favorite national highway. My parents packed an action pack 5 days for us, including a trip to the Longaberger basket factory (where Missy won a free basket and we both tried our hand at crafting our own), to Malabar Farms -- the home of famous author Louis Bromfield and the wedding site of Humphrey Bogart to his third wife, Lauren Baccall. One evening we traveled up the dark country road to Nashville, OH to take in the most auspicious house lights you can possibly imagine (signs of snoopy and Bart Simpson put most of us over the edge), ending with a drive-by live Nativity scene. The weather unfortunately was mostly grey and wet -- the snow seems to have located itself all in Denver this year. On Saturday, we visited some old college friends of mine, Jason and Erin Moorman (and daughter Grace, a loquacious 3 year old, especially with Missy), and Chris and Buffy Fleece and kids. Missy also attended her first Christmas Eve candlelight service. Christmas day was filled with turkey, gift-opening hilarity, and the traditional viewing of the classic film, Independence Day. Much more to say, but it'll have to wait until 2007. Happy New Year!

Christmas at the Concert Hall

Enjoying the Nutcracker, Washington Style
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

We got dressed up last week to take in a little Christmas in Washington, theatre-style. On Sunday night we went to see "The Nutcracker" at the Warner Theatre downtown (Jason's first ballet experience!). The Washington Ballet Company put a twist on the seasonal favorite by turning the characters into familiar figures from American history--the Nutcracker was George Washington, the Rat King was George III, and the dances included wilderness men and Anacostia Indians. It was a fun twist and we both had a great time.

On our way home we drove past the White House and decided to stop by to see the tree. There were lots of little toy trains running around the tree, and we traipsed (dress shoes and all!) around the Ellipse checking out all the state decorations and the manger scene.

The next day we threw on our fancy clothes again and headed to the Kennedy Center. The Choral Arts Society of Washington, in which one of Jason's colleagues sings, was doing it's annual Christmas concert. We went for the first time last year and really enjoyed it, so this year we made a repeat appearance. For me, it is still a little close to Crusader Choir memories... (or is that 'Sader Choir now?)

Okay, that's enough of pictures of Missy and Jason for now...

Major Tragedy Overted

Wow. Last night we somehow lost all the pictures on our memory card--to the tune of about 300. This included a ton of Christmas pics from the last week that we had not had a chance to download yet. Luckily, my husband is a computer genius and managed to slowly recover almost all. Phew!

Gingerbread Construction

A Finished House!
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

Jason and I were wary when the invitation to the Crossons' annual gingerbread house building party popped up on email. We both remembered all too clearly last year's party, how our house refused to stay standing; how, after the third collapse, Jason was either fired from the construction crew or threw up his hands and quit; how we weren't quite sure our brand-new marriage could withstand the storms of gingerbread construction. But last weekend we threw all caution to the wind and said, yes, we and our questionable cooperation skills would love to come!

And...success! Part pre-party internet research, part overt politeness to each other, part really good chili provided by Mrs. Crosson to keep us patient, we managed to stand up this nice little gingerbread home. And eat lots of marshmallows and M&Ms while we did so.

(Note: It is possible that our success was in part also due to proper delegation of tasks--Missy made the house and Jason took the pictures.)

We finished off our weekend by throwing our first Christmas party--mostly work colleagues and a few other dear friends. It was great fun, and we now know we can fit about 40 people semi-comfortably into our place. Let the partying begin... ?

Christmas Tree Hunting

Timber!
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

We went crazy this year and decided to get in touch with nature instead of just finding a tree at the local Home Depot. To our delight (and, it must be confessed, surprise), we had a wonderful time "tree hunting" and came home with a perfect little tree to decorate with lights and things. We also felt pretty pleased with ourselves at being able to get it in and up without a) displacing most of the furniture, b) tainting everything we own with sap, and c) failing to get it into the stand multiple times.

Our house is feeling pretty Christmassy now, and I actually ALMOST have all the gifts wrapped and under the tree (I'll try to get "Our Home at Christmas" pictures up in a day or so). I really have no excuse, as I have only had two days of work in two weeks. It is really remarkable how little one gets done when one is home all day. And it is really remarkable how relieved one is when one's husband gets home in the evening...

Cole-dorable

Cole-dorable
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

I'm sorry, but this is too cute for words. It's like having a really sweet doll. That laughs. And cries. And poops (at which time he can be given back to his mother).

We went out to dinner tonight. When we left the house it was 72 degress outside and I carried my jacket. We got home about 20 minutes ago and it is now 55. Apparently the weather realizes that we cannot go get our Christmas tree tomorrow wearing shorts. I appreciate its sympathy.

Class of 2001

Class of 2001
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

"Our Trip to Idaho," Part 2. We left McCall and drove down the mountain, straight to Nampa and the campus of Northwest Nazarene University. There we donned nametags and shared hugs (and introductions of spouses) with my old college cronies. I must confess, I'd been looking forward to our five-year reunion for quite a while, and we had a great time. It was fun to see old friends and reconnect with people with whom I'd spent four significant years of my life. I loved the moment when, watching "Grandma Dave" take to the drums just as he did many times starting our freshman year, Amanda turned to me and said, "Yep, it's still funny."

After our reunion lunch we spent some time catching up with old friends--cheering on the basketball team at the homecoming game, discovering new coffee shops in Nampa, drinking tea and eating at Red Robin, adding to the collection of "Senate Pictures" and dissecting "Tess" during our "reunion bookclub," confessing that I've been reading other people's blogs, and reliving ridiculous memories. I've said this before, but it is so wonderful to discover that you still connect with people you knew in a past life.

Thanksgiving at the Cabin

The Family in the Prow
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

Our most recent trip out west will have to be spread over a couple entries. According to our pictures (again, posted at the right), we should have a separate entry simply entitled "Cole," as he is the subject of about 90% of the pictures. I blame Granny, who stole my camera for a while. And Cole, for being the most adorable creature on earth.

We have added a few people to the family this year, and after all the hoopla and chaos settled down it seemed like Thanksgiving was a good time to take stock of things and, basically, count off. So we packed up, shipped out, and landed at the new cabin for a week of being together...in a calmer sense than we have all year.

The cabin, of course, is beautiful. It was like a dream come true to have us all there and all healthy (yes, it's been that kind of year). We had a really relaxing few days centered around Cole, and then the aunts, uncles, and cousins joined us for a festive Thanksgiving celebration. Deee-lish! This was my first Thanksgiving home this millenium, and I enjoyed every bite. And the leftovers.

As we curled up on couches with our full bellies Thanksgiving night, snow was falling softly outside the windows. I wished we could have stayed just one more day, but on Friday morning, Jason and I packed up to head to Nampa for the long-awaited five year reunion of NNU's Class of 2001...

Shutting Down Shop

Team Otter in the Capitol Dome
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

Strangely, I find it hard to believe that this long ride with Team Otter is coming to an end. Today Congressman Otter cast his last votes in the U.S. House of Representatives. As he begins his tenure as the 32nd governor of the great state of Idaho, the rest of us are packing up shop and preparing to take a dive out of the nest--for most of us, this is the first real job we've held.

To mark the end of things, today the boss took the staff on a highly-coveted tour of the Capitol Dome. We got up close and personal with the Apotheosis of Washington and became intimately reacquainted with our fear of heights! DC law ensures that the Capitol remains the tallest building in Washington, so we had a spectacular view, despite the lingering haze from the morning. It has been an honor to work for this boss and a pleasure to work with these people. They have been my family here for the past five years, and I can't help feeling a little homesick when I think that we only have a couple days left together...

Someone This Way Flies!

IMG_0790
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

Another flight to and from Idaho--but this time it was Mom and Dad coming our way instead of us going theirs! They stayed with us last weekend, and we had a wonderful time--a few touristy things, like the International Spy Museum (Missy's pick for Favorite DC Spot), the National Portrait Gallery (recently reopened, and turns out there's a reason they named the metro stop "Gallery Place"), and George Washington's home at Mount Vernon. Just a few weeks ago the new interpretive center and museum at Mount Vernon opened up, and we closed the place down on Saturday...and made ourselves hungry enough to eat a buffalo. We also went to a Caps game and just hung around some. Though Mom has made a habit of visiting me a couple times a year, recent family events have made it impossible for her to come since she was here with Grams and Gramps last November...and it's been years since Dad was here. It was wonderful to have them, and I must confess that, even though we will see them next Friday as we wing our way back west for Thanksgiving, I was a little sad to drop them off at the airport.

I am currently enjoying the first day of a delightfully long weekend. With the election behind us, my colleagues and I spent yesterday tossing papers. I think I filled the first dumpster by myself, throwing away five years of work (turns out I'm quite a paper rat, and an old intern stopped by yesterday to say hi and bemoaned that all the filing she'd done for me two years ago was sitting in the bottom of said dumpster). When I told Jason last night that I felt like I was afraid nothing would be left to show for my time in the Otter office, he suggested that I write my name on the wall--"Missy: 2001-2006." A thought... Now that Team Otter is actually moving on, after months of treading water, I am getting ready to move on too. Actually, I really should get moving on my novel, but unfortunately I decided to read all six Harry Potter novels again before I started. I finished book six a couple days ago, but I still find that when I close my eyes I am really at Hogwarts...

note: Jason really was part of this weekend, despite the picture. Blogger has refused to attach additional pictures to this entry, so go look at our flickr album for a more complete visual recounting. Sorry Jason!

Look who's going to Grad School!

Admission Letter
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

I am pleased to report that Missy received her admission letter to George Mason University's Master of Arts in English program, with a concentration in Professional Writing and Editing. GMU is in nearby Fairfax, VA, about 11 miles from our home, and classes start in late January. There was never a doubt in my mind that Missy would be admitted -- she certainly has an exceptional writing style as often evidenced on this blog -- and I can certainly play the boastful husband. The best part is that as a Virginia resident, she qualifies for the much discounted "in-state tuition" rate, which make me think I paid way too much for my graduate education. I suppose now we might become GMU Patriot fans, which as those of you who follow NCAA action will remember, turned out a surprising yet stunning performance during last year's March Madness. Now if only the Redskins could play to inspire ...

Halloween

IMG_0751
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

I have to admit, I was pretty excited for Halloween this year. No, we did not dress up as Napolean Dynamite or the Two-Headed Michael Scott, and we did not party raucously around the Beltway. Instead, we have been holed up in our little condo waiting anxiously for miniature ghosts, witches, and Elmos to come knock on the door. I have never had trick-or-treaters come to my door before. (Well, that's not entirely true, as a few came last year but I had not been planning to be home and didn't have any candy, so I had to turn all the lights off and hide. I watched through the peephole as little girl cursed our door in spanish. Yikes!) It was like an epoch in adulthood.

Plus, no cursing of our door, so we can expect a pleasant 2007.

On Saturday we went to Elizabeth's for her annual pumpkin carving party. The party was full of artists, and our little pumpkin (top in the picture) felt much less self-conscious once we got him home away from all the fancy pumpkins. It was fun to see Elizabeth, who recently moved back to town, and the night was blustery and sort of ghoulish. Dawn and I agreed that it was very Halloweeny. I was full of extra shivers, as I finished reading "Dracula" last week. Incidently, Jason would not let me read it a) before bed, or b) any time he wasn't home, as I once woke up screaming about vampires. But it was very good.

NaNoWriMo

Okay, Scott, you've convinced me:

Where We've Been

Your turn...

Breakfast with the Riches

Breakfast with the Riches
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

Last week I got one of those emails that makes me smile a little wider--Oxford friend coming through town! Ryan Rich and his wife Lindsay were headed back to Charlotte, NC, from Pennsylvania, and they stopped by for breakfast on Sunday. It was fun to reconnect. I really enjoy discovering that old friends are not just friendships from the past caught up in "remember whens" but are also friendships very dear and relevant to the here and now. Plus, it was delightful to get to know Lindsay better.

Our weekend looks pretty unexciting to outsiders--well, and to Jason--but it was a pivotal one for me, as I finally cleaned out and organized the hall closet. The hall closet has been the bane of my existence since we got married--you know, that one closet stacked so high with unlabeled boxes shoved in haphazardly that it is impossible to get to the one thing you need right. over. there...? Well, now it is vacuumed, neatly organized, and, thanks to the inspiration of Andrea, labeled. I'm so happy.

AppleFest

Apple Festival 2006
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

"...Please meet your party at the Big Red Apple."

My favorite catchphrase of the weekend. Dawn and I took our husbands (we have husbands!) up to Pennsylvania on Saturday for the annual National Apple Harvest Festival. We drank cider, ate fried apples, and got our picture taken with--what else?--a giant apple. It was good fall fun. I didn't know that Pennsylvania was the Apple Capital of the World. (Since they were using Washington State apples to make cider, I am still quite skeptical...)

The Fest was outside of Gettysburg, so we took a little spin around the battlefield. Dawn and Brian had never taken the tour. Plus, I've been anxious to go back and see the view from Little Round Top in autumn ever since I was there in the spring ten years ago. It was absolutely lovely, and we came back with red noses and fall-happy hearts.

In other weekend news, Jason and I rented the first 12 episodes of "The Office" and proceeded to watch all of them within two days. We laughed so much and so loudly that I'm surprised our neighbors didn't come a'knockin'. It more than made up for the embarrassing loss by the Redskins (perhaps our football interest is waning...).

Idaho 2006: Take Nine

Cole and Aunt Missy
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

Needless to say, Cole and I had a good time getting to know each other. His aunts and his granny spent a lot of time passing him back and forth, especially during his lunch at Red Robin (first of many). Shaanti is doing great--I was complaining to Jason that when we went shopping she, brand-new mother, looked so put together and I looked like a scrub! (it IS nice to be back into the same state as my wardrobe!) :)

After smothering Cole with kisses, Jenny, Mom and I drove up to McCall to check out the new "cabin." I put that in quotes because it is more like a lodge or a villa than a cabin. (Jenny stood by the door to give a proper sense of scale in this picture.) It is soooo amazing, and we are going to have the most lovely Thanksgiving there next month. When we got there we found a mountain bluebird in the fireplace, and, after many screams and ducks, we finally got it to fly out the door.

Oh, and the IHA conference was good--especially with Mom there. But not as good as my adorable nephew...

Columbus Day Weekend in Ohio

Small Family at Fiesta Mexicana
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

While Missy headed to Sun Valley, Idaho to present the latest on healthcare legislation to the Idaho Hospital Association, Jason flew to Ohio to visit his family. His brother, Justin, is the operations manager of a new Candlewood Suites hotel in Polaris (just outside of Columbus). Jason and the rest of the family got the full tour -- including the privileged behind-the-scenes exclusives, such as the pump, fire, and phone switching rooms. Justin exudes pride in the successes he has had in working to launch the new property, despite all the kinks including 120 alarm clocks going off at midnight (two nights in a row), leaky dishwashers, and other hazards associated with a new start. He is clearly on his way to the top -- he secured a substantial increase in reservations the day of the tour (and associated revenue) landing a 20+ room reservation for 30 days while his sales manager and general manager were on leave.

The balance of the weekend was spent viewing dad's latest property acquisitions and renovation projects, lunching at Landoll's Mohican Castle, playing a rousing game of Scrabble, and watching the Washington Redskins embarassing defeat to the NY Giants. We also went to see The Guardian at the Mount Vernon movie theatre (a compeling tale), and wrapped up the visit with lunch at Fiesta Mexicana.

It was nice to get away and spend time with the family again, regaining those Ohio "roots" (Justin bought me an OSU Buckeyes hat and blared the fight song in his truck on the way to the airport), and enjoying time out of the hustle and bustle of our daily life in the nation's capital.

At the Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkin Picking
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

It's finally October, the best month to be a transplanted Washingtonian. We ventured outside of the Beltway today and into the Maryland countryside (lots of Maryland for us lately, huh?) to our favorite farm for some produce pickin'. There are lots of little "fall festivals" around here, places you can take your kids to give them a little exposure to the countryside--hay rides, pumpkin patches, farm animal petting zoos, etc. Our country excursions are a little tamer, and we usually head up to Rock Hill Orchard at least once a year to pick berries or apples.

Besides, I don't pet cows. Just ask my dad--if the cows get out, I will be hiding under my bed.

As it's the end of raspberry season, pickings were slim, but we managed enough to make a pie or so. Then we picked a couple bags of apples (now that Congress has FINALLY recessed for campaign season, I have great ambitions of making applesauce) and a couple nice little pumpkins.

I love fall here. The tree outside our window blooms pink in the spring, and now its leaves are trembling with anticipation at turning brilliantly red and gold. Autumn makes it worth living here during the rest of the year.

In other news, the Redskins just won. And Cole has opened his eyes...