Brother. And Sister-in-Law.

So, I only have one brother, but I suspect that if I had another one Casey would still be my favorite. And he couldn't have picked a more perfect wife. I've been looking forward to him and Kim coming to visit for, oh, ever, and there was a slight second of despair today when I dropped them off at the train, knowing their visit was over. But oh, so fun.

On Friday we did the gorgeous drive to Charlottesville, where we took in a lot of Thomas Jefferson and some pretty spectacular flowers. Jason and I had only been there once, one fall years ago, when the leaves were all turning colors. It's a toss up which is prettier, spring or fall. Kim's one request for the trip was Indian food, so we had dinner at this Himalyan fusion restauraunt. The food was good, but not good enough for the hour-and-a-half wait between ordering and diving in! Good thing we like each other!

Saturday was gorgeous, and we ventured out to Eastern market for the first time of the year, then we navigated the crowds at a couple museums. Sunday we went to church and then to Korean BBQ--the first time since we discovered Il Mee with Shaanti and Adam last summer. Mmm, tasty.

We also just hung out, which is always my favorite part of any family visit. Casey and Kim like the same TV as we do, so we watched "The Office" then had them introduce us to "30 Rock," which is finally growing on me. Casey and I have always had eerily similar taste in things, and when he recommends something for me (David Crowder Band, "The Sting," "X-Files," any YouTube link he sends me, etc.), I am bound to like it, so it was pretty easy to find "30 Rock" hilarious with the two of them.

Good, good times. I'm so glad they came!

Easter Travels

It was nice to get out of Dodge this past weekend. I headed out to Idaho early in the week to travel a bit for work and attend some meetings with my boss, then Thursday afternoon Jason came out to join me for the weekend. Usually our trips to Idaho are crazyhectic, but somehow we managed to balance this one out just right--we sprinkled the weekend with a few key events (Troy's dedication, the new Brazilian restaurant in Boise, Easter service, coffee here and there with friends, celebrating Jenny's birthday) and then filled in the rest of the time with simply hanging out.



I love that my sisters and their families always spend as much time as possible with us when we are in town. We hung out on Friday afternoon and dyed Easter eggs with Cole on Saturday night, then on Sunday the whole family spent the day at my parents after church for a big dinner, egg hunt, and game time. We had a great time with Cole, Troy, and Mason, who are all getting so big--it seems crazy (and sort of exhausting!) that by the next time we all get together, at least one more boy will be running around!

By the way, don't you adore their matching Easter outfits? For more cute pictures, see the Flickr link.

Spring Project

I like to think my car has become as of late an urban pick-up truck. We are constantly amazed at what we can fit (nine 8-foot long landscape timbers in the picture). The guy at Home Depot who helped me load the timbers noted that it was an "awfully sporty" pick-up.

So, why does one need 8 foot boards? I got this crazy idea that a level and landscaped garden would be much greater curb appeal than the sloped vegetable garden we launched last year. So, I decided to construct a landscape box. I did quite a bit of research on do-it-yourself sites and thought I had it all figured out. The project is progressing well, but it took some engineering wizardry and a lot of work with a level, as you will see when I post the finished photo (hopefully later this week). Stay tuned ...

Best Day Ever

So, not only was yesterday the annual Taco Bell Reception on Capitol Hill (seriously, the day all staffers live for--the elevators were full of interns hauling as many soft tacos as possible back to their offices), but there was this too.

Yes, I'll be staying after to sign autographs.

Escape!

Post-Christmas winter was a bit blah around here, severely lacking in events to anticipate, motivation to better ourselves, warmth, etc.--in short, there was no trip to Hawaii in February this year to make cold, dark winter bearable. By the end of January we were borderline depressed, by mid-February we began to despair that the sun would ever make its appearance again...and that fear was only partly caused by working from dark-in-the-morning until dark-at-night.

The solution? Florida. Specifically, Miami, where we aired out our pasty legs and cranked up Will Smith while driving down the coast to South Beach. I'm pretty surprised that you couldn't hear my ginormous sigh of relief all the way across the country.

We got in on Friday, where we ended the evening watching TV in bed and started Saturday morning the same way (we don't have a TV in our bedroom, if you can't tell. I do love hotels). Then we hit the beach, walking a bit along the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk and then sitting and reading for hours by the pool and on the beach. Luuuuuuuurrved it. Here is me with a real Florida orange that we bought at the grocery store.

Saturday night we hit South Beach for dinner. After strolling around a bit, we ate at a good Cuban restaurant. I was not dressed for South Beach. And by that I mean, unlike everyone around me, I was actually dressed. In clothes. My skirt was not short enough, my shirt not tight enough (and basically not non-existent enough), I felt positively prudish. Oh, well.

Sunday it was a bit rainy and cloudy, and we determined by the pinkish hue of my skin that I'd had enough sun for one weekend, so we drove down to the Everglades and the Semanole Reservation, where we went on a buggy tour and looked at alligators. My favorite part was watching bright pink flamingos fly out of the swamp along the road.

I think a weekend in the sun was just what the doctor ordered. This is the last week in session before Congress goes out for two weeks, during which time my goal is to find my desk underneath the stacks of paper on it. It could be scary to see what is lying under there...

Sabbath Year

I started to refer to 2009 as my "Jubilee Year," but after re-checking Leviticus, I realized that it was really my "Sabbath Year." You see, the ancient Jews would sow their fields for six years, but in the seventh let it rest. After seven cycles of seven years -- in the 50th year, the Jews would celebrate the Jubilee. Well, I'm not quite to the Jubilee yet, but the idea of re-energizing the earth at the end of every six years by letting it fallow for a year is a remarkably interesting principle to apply to one's own life cycle.

It felt at times, particulary as I approached the end of the year, that I had sowed as much of myself as I could working on Sudan/Darfur over the last six years, and that the time had come to let the land fallow. The beauty of my current assignment on Capitol Hill is that it permits me to do just that -- to explore new policy areas and achieve a much more rational work-life balance. This new balance has allowed me the opportunity to go the gym more often (with a goal to condition for playing hockey), finish projects up around the house, and plan for an aggressive lawn and garden strategy for the Spring/Summer.

I must be inspired by the book I finished this week (see next entry under) and Ravi Zacharias' book, which I'm now well into. Well, that's about as philosophical as I'm prepared to get tonight. Thanks for reading.

A Book Recommendation

So, escaping to Florida for the weekend provided an opportunity to do one of the things Missy and I like best -- read on the beach. I started and finished a fabulous book -- cover to cover -- in the space of two days, and had to recommend it. "The White Tiger" by Aravind Adiga is a story of a man growing up in India. It is a tale of morality, society, murder, and entrepreneurship. If you enjoyed the film "Slumdog Millionaire," you will like this book.

Since the new U.S. strategic plan for Afghanistan-Pakistan has become one of the issues du jour in my job, I found the book particularly enlightening on the issue of governance and corruption in South Central Asia. Beware -- it contains language and mature themes, so don't wander in blindly. But if you are looking for great fiction that stirs the mind -- dive in!

Birthday ... Part Deux

Since it is about 11:30 pm on Sunday night and Missy is downstairs feverishly churning out her literature paper due tomorrow, I thought I'd blog about the rest of her 30th birthday week. People ask me how I was able to pull all of this off. I suppose it comes down to planning and a little luck.

Monday - Day of anticipation.

Tuesday - Missy's friend Dawn, who celebrates her birthday on March 17 (St. Patrick's Day!) came over with her husband Brian and brother Aaron for dinner. We made "snow on the mountain" as it is known in southern Idaho, "haystack" as it is known in northern Idaho, and a "bed of rice with various toppings" as it is known everywhere else. Missy made Dawn a cherry cheesecake for dessert. Dawn is pregnant with twins.


Wednesday - The Big Day. Home-made Swedish pancakes, tea, and Canadian bacon for breakfast. Opened up gifts from family. Dark chocolate cake celebration in the Simpson office. Bouquet of flowers delivered. Dinner out with the Kings and Gambills at Olives. More gift opening.

Thursday - Dinner out with Taiya and Rob at Lebanese Taverna. (Not birthday related, but still fun!)

Friday - Casey and Kim's flowers arrived. Simpson office lunch at a Thai restaurant.

Bye Bye Bushes

The infant days of Spring this weekend tempted us with mild warmth, so we decided to get a jump on yard work. After nearly two years of lamenting the overgrown bushes out front, I purchased a hedge trimmer and put it to good use. Having little experience in the bushwhacking business, I proceeded cautiously. After a few quick slices, it turned out to be much easier that I expected. It can be a little addictive though. Before I realized it, I was sawing down low hanging tree limbs and clearing small jungles in the side yard. Look out!

Notwithstanding the seduction of the buzzing blade, we were able to make good progress. We cleared away ugly oversize branches and gave our bushes a bit more shape before they start growing in earnest. Missy especially disliked the two hedges that guard our entry steps like imposing terra cotta warriors, choking off views of the flower beds about burst with tulips. So, with the additional help of a sabre saw, bye bye bushes.

This photo shows the shapely round hedge I created -- and the missing spot in the far left corner where I sawed away a despised bush.


The remains of the bushes ...


Next project: expanding the vegetable garden, building better tomato cages, and installing a do-it-yourself drip irrigation system paired with a moisture sensing timer.

Basement Redux

Forgive the blogstraveganza, but our goal for the weekend was to get the basement finished...or at least to a point where we can post pictures to respond to Shaanti and Jenny's requests for updates. If you remember from way back in 2007, when we moved in, our basement looked like this:

Seriously, check out the exterior brick, the sweet paneling, and the creative insulation hanging down from the "ceiling" (cuz, yeah, there is no ceiling). You can't see it in these pictures, but my favorite is the clip-on desk lamp hung from the "ceiling" to provide extra light. Awesome.

Today, our basement looks like this:

Please excuse the ridiculous placement of the pictures, which are NOT cooperating at ALL.


We have (with lots of help) sheetrocked, moved doors, put in light fixtures, shifted plumbing, installed a new sink and lots of cabinets, painted, and built a laah-haah-haht of Ikea bookshelves. We now have a utility room that is not only functional but quite pretty and a library that puts to good use the space that we have, until recently, been referring to as "that little in-between room where we have the futon."

Since it's still a small space and hard to capture in photos for those who haven't actually been here, I've made a little video of the "tour." If it's not here now, check back later--I still need to post it. I will not be watching it, as my voice on video is scary.

There is still a little finishing work to do, including building the real workbench at the end of the room, finding a rug and wall hangings for the library (I'm totally open to ideas!), putting knobs on the cabinets, etc. But overall I consider this project officially complete. Perfect timing, too--this weekend the weather was very grumpy, but gardening season is right around the corner, we already have seed packets and hedger in hand!

When I can get the computer working properly, I will post more pics of the new space on flickr on the sidebar.

Surprise Launch of Birthday Week

I quickly learned that for Missy, birthdays are quintessential events. On my birthday, I prefer a quiet and relaxing night at home. For her, this is inconceivable. As such, I begin planning for Missy's birthday weeks in advance (it is not hard to forget, as she continually reminds me of the upcoming big day about once a week, starting the day after Christmas). In the past, Missy has also spread her birthday over several days, celebrating with her friend Dawn (who has a birthday the day before hers), and then traveling to Idaho for a follow-up celebration with family, usually at Red Robin. The latter not being the case this year, and it being the big 30th birthday, I knew I had to start the week off with a bang.


As social coordinator of our church group, Missy had already planned to have an after-church lunch today (March 15). To her surprise, I concurred with her recommendation to hold the event at our local Red Robin (while a fine establishment -- it is not my favorite restaurant spot). After she sent out the invitation to our class, I hijacked the event by sending a subsequent invitation that turned it into a surprise birthday party. I stumbled on a perfect solution. I essentially let her do the planning for the lunch, while I surreptitiously arranged decorations and a dark chocolate cake (her favorite)! Everyone in the class kept mum and Missy was caught completely unaware. Her decorated seat, complete with helium filled birthday balloons, was fit for a queen.

And so begins birthday week 2009. More to come ...

Bustin' a Move

Last weekend's other activity involved a dance floor and some very rhythmic clapping by a strict, sorta-scary salsa instructor. Our friend Steven's birthday was on Saturday, so we celebrated by heading downtown to Adams Morgan for salsa dancing lessons and Cuban food at Habana Village.

So, dancing really isn't, to put it mildly, Jason's "thing," and when he dropped me off to go park the car, I wondered if he wasn't just high-gearing it back to Virginia and away from anything resembling a disco ball. There are times when I really miss being surrounded by Nazarenes, and this was one of them--to say that "Jason doesn't dance" to our Baptist friends just elicited confused looks, not understanding nods ("ahh, he's one of those") and whispered references to "Nazarcising." Sigh.

Regardless, we had a good time learning our 1-2-3...4-5-6s, and at the end of the night we had managed to avoid flattening each other's feet. (On the other hand, who is actually leading the dance is still under debate... :)) And we were rewarded with really good food afterwards! Steven is a photographer (like, a real photographer), so kudos to him for all these shots, and thanks for sharing with us!

(Ironically--or, maybe not so ironically--on Thursday night we were making dinner and decided to do an impromptu dance session in our (unfortunately window-filled) kitchen...and couldn't remember a single thing. Those Nazarene roots run deep...)

So, Bruce Willis Called Today...

Yeah. Just thought I'd share. Usually I hate constituent calls, but when the constituent starred in "Die Hard" and "Armageddon" and is, let's face it, really hot, well, I try not to complain.

In other news, it is officially March, which means that in one week the flower beds went from covered in snow to this:

We had an absolutely gorgeous weekend of 70 degrees and sunshine. March weather is a lot like the stock market--it rallies for a couple of days, then it plummets again. Sadly, there's a chance that we will wake up to snow again tomorrow. Sad face.

It was an action-packed but delightful weekend. On Saturday morning Jason tolerated me prancing around, getting ready for a tea party (tea party!) with some friends from church. We had a book club where we read "Pride and Prejudice" and the proceeded to talk about everything BUT the book for three hours. So. Much. Fun. I want the book club to keep going. Does anyone have good reading suggestions?

I had to rush out so that Dawn and I could give ourselves an early birthday celebration and go get massages and pedicures. Mmmm...I like this tradition. (And so does a doubly pregnant Dawn!) We have back to back birthdays, and when we lived together we always celebrated over breakfast--when I turned 26, we had an "Incredible" breakfast. Massages is probably a good substitution... Oh, and for the record, I didn't actually talk to Mr. Willis, the intern did. That's what I get for making the interns answer the phone at work.

Scoring One for Green

The final night of the six-week ice hockey drills class climaxes with a full 90 minute scrimmage - the most highly anticipated session -- and quite a step up from the 30-minute scrimmages we normally do.

My first go out on the ice was exhilarating. I played right wing and pulled up on the right side of the net just as a sweet cross-ice pass slid my way. I one-timed it for a goal -- putting the green team up 1-0 in the first minutes of the game. The momentum surged from that point, and by night's end, we destroyed the blue team by a final score of 9-1. What a game!

It is hard to believe that less than one-year ago I decided to get out on the ice for the first time and learn basic hockey skating lessons. I still surprise myself each week when I strap on the pads! I can't wait for the next six weeks!

March Comes in Like a...Polar Bear?

This is the view from our house this morning. I absolutely love snow...in December or January, even February. But NOT IN MARCH. Unbelievable. On Friday, when it was 61 outside, I started jabbering to Jason about how we should get out and do some weeding around our tulips from Amsterdam (which are peeking out of their bed). This morning we have five inches of snow and counting. Un.Be.Lievable.

One nice thing about the snow is that we are not going in to work until nine this morning, even though we got up and dressed as though we were leaving at 7:45. That means a little time to drink tea and blog before heading back into the "hot zone" that is work these days. As Jason-the-Blogger aluded to recently, I have been basically living at the office the past few weeks. Mom called me on Friday night when I was still at work and jokingly (I hope) suggested that I am a workaholic. Ha. There is not a workaholic bone in my body! It's just that there are so many hearings to prepare for and meetings to take a constituent letters to respond to and tops of desks to find... There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though--today (if we ever make it into work) we have a new staffer starting, and I'm already feeling much better about my day!

In other news, we are inching closer and closer to finishing our big basement project, which is very exciting. Mom was here last weekend, which was fabulous as always--we ate at Chili's and went early-birthday shopping and generally had a good time. This past Saturday we went to the Melting Pot with some friends, where we consumed copious amounts of cheese and chocolate. And I'm really hoping that school is cancelled tonight because of the snow (which would make snow in March all worth it)--even though it looks like grad school might be redeeming itself this semester (more on that later).

Whew! I think I'm all caught up! If it IS going to snow, at least I have been able to make a reappearance on the blog!

Getting Out There

Ice hockey is not one of those sports you just wake up one day and decide to do. That is, until they build a new ice hockey rink one mile from your house where the red-hot Washington Capitals practice. Ironically, ice hockey is one thing I never played while I lived in Toronto (although floor hockey and ball hockey during recess were regular staples). So, with a new rink in my backyard and the need to find something to keep me physically active, I signed up for skate and play classes about a year ago. It wasn't until the week after Christmas that I took the final plunge by investing in all the equipment (knee/shin pads, pants, chest pad, elbow pads, helmet, gloves, socks...). There was no turning back. So late every Wednesday (from 9:15 pm - 10:45 pm) over the last four weeks I have been learning to skate/shoot/pass and then scrimmage with 30-40 other guys (and gals!) who love the sport. It is a workout! One guy told me he dropped 20 pounds last year just from attending this class once a week. Despite the late hour, I feel energized (and gloriously sweaty) once it is over.

Last night, Missy and her mom (who flew in to visit us) stopped by to see me in action and snapped the photo. So, here is the proof. It is never too late for an old dog to learn a new trick. The key is just getting out there.

Houseguests

We always enjoy having visitors -- especially family! We hosted my (Jason's) parents over the just concluded three-day President's Day weekend. The visit served a double purpose -- spending quality time with mom and dad and finishing up odds and ends from the basement finish project I started with my dad last August. Besides sharing a delicious Valentine's Day dinner at home that Missy cooked, we also visited the Pentagon memorial (to the 9-11 victims) and the Air Force memorial. It was my first visit to the Pentagon memorial. It contains a bench for each person who died at the Pentagon on 9-11. It is a relatively new memorial -- one I suspect will be an important spot in years to come -- especially for educating the generation that will have no memory of that tragic day. My mom noted that she has reached the point where the sixth graders she teaches have only a faint memory of what happened on September 11.

In terms of the basement project, we made great headway. We were able to re-route the plumbing for an outside faucet that was inadvertently attached to the hot water line, and install new electrical outlets and switches for light fixtures. The rooms are really starting to come together. I will post photos soon.

Next up: Missy's mom. She arrives tomorrow night!

A Week Away: An Overdue Report

Let’s face it, traveling is exhausting! Last week involved a late-night flight to Boise, an early-morning flight to Portland, a drive to the beach and back, a back-to-Boise flight, a road trip through Idaho’s Second Congressional District, and, finally, a window seat on a 767 bound for Washington Dulles. In spite of the fact that I am still exhausted, and in spite of the miles traveled, there were several good and wonderful things that happened during last week, including:

1. Sisters. (And Mom and Aunts and Cousins): My dad is the nicest. He picked me up at the airport at 11:30 last Thursday night, then took me back at 5:45 the next morning, all so he could see me for the fifteen minutes we had together on the freeway each way. Over the weekend, we held the first annual Sisterhood Retreat at the Oregon coast with the aunts and cousins on my mom’s side of the family. We had a fabulous time together—playing games, laughing, catching up, freezing on the beach, eating chocolate covered Rice Krispie treats, etc. My time with my non-Idaho extended family is all-too limited, and I’m so glad I was able to be there for the weekend together!

2. Meeting Baby Mason: It may have been a Sisterhood Retreat, but it was also a Weekend of Little Boys. Shaanti and Jenny brought their boys for the weekend, so I got to lay eyes and hands on six week-old Mason. Love him. He is a brick—so solid and thick, and I think he weighs as much as seven month-old Troy!

3. Visiting with Grandad: I would prefer not to admit how long it has been since I last saw my Grandad, who will be 90 in September. It was good to visit the Farm, where many of my favorite childhood memories are set, and to watch Troy eye Grandad’s long beard with very sincere interest…
4. The Parade of Nephews: Until recently, the boys pretty much lived separate little lives, running around in the same circles but not caring much that the other existed. But recently Cole has discovered that it can be fun to make Troy laugh, and Troy has discovered that Cole is pretty much the coolest person ever. Troy smiles all the time, but he really only bursts out laughing when Cole says “boogaboogaboo!” It will be fun to watch them become better friends as they get older. In my severely jet lagged state, I love to just sit and hold both of them in my lap.

5. Coming Home to Jason: We had a great week of work—traveling from one end of the state to the other, and meeting with lots and lots of people—but oh I was ready to come home! How nice to see Jason’s car pull up at Dulles and pour myself into the passenger seat!

Employed (with a job to do)

After several weeks of training, extensive networking, and anxious waiting, today I (Jason) accepted a Fellowship position with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations (on the minority/Republican staff). For those of you who never read your government textbook, the Constitution of the United States vested the "power of the purse" in the legislative branch (not the executive). So, while the President and the federal agencies spend the money, they don't get it until the Congress appropriates it each year. The appropriations committee has wide jurisdiction, including having most recently worked on the stimulus bill. It is arguably one of the most powerful and important committees in the Congress. I'm looking forward to this new challenge.

So, my days of employed unemployment come to an end. I've tried to use the time productively, filling each of my waiting hours with the selling of old furniture and other items on craigslist and overseeing the finishing and painting of the walls in the basement. But alas, I'm not made out to be a house husband and I'm ready to get back into the thick of it. And for Missy to come home (she's been traveling since last Thursday). On Monday we start our commuting lives together.

What I do all day ...

So apparently heading off to a one-year Congressional Fellowship is not as simple as one might think. After two weeks of excellent orientation seminars hosted by the Brookings Institute (which ended last Friday), I am officially "on my own" to land an assignment in a cramped office on the Hill. Office space is at a premium, so most Fellows are squeezed in -- with the option of a desk by the front door or in the broom closet (literally, I'm not kidding). This is quite a departure from the cushy offices with sofas and large windows that I and my fellow Fellows (is that how you phrase it?) are used to back in our home agencies.

It has been several years since I've had to dust off and update the old resume and start interviewing. It has been a revitalizing experience (yes, I know more than just Sudan). I have an advantage of course -- the State Department considers this Fellowship a training opportunity, so they continue to pay my salary (good news in this job market). You'd think offices would be clamoring for the free labor. Indeed, if they can dig out from their overwhelmed email boxes and overflowing voicemail to return my call -- they are doing well. Case in point: It is now 7:25 pm on a Friday night and Missy is still at work. Since her boss became a ranking member on the Interior Subcomittee of the House Appropriations Committee, her job has taken on a whole new dimension.

So, at the moment, Missy and I have had a bit of a role reversal (sort of). After a "hard day" of pounding the pavement job searching (sending emails, networking over coffee, an odd interview or two), I come home at a decent hour, make dinner (chicken tortilla soup is brewing in the dutch oven), and write on the blog. I could get used to this.

Inaugural Chaos

There were two pretty sweet moments today when I felt like it was worth leaving our house at six a.m. in frigid weather to brave the crowds and watch history in the making. The first moment was when we reached the 14th Street Bridge, where traffic was being diverted from all of the DC-bound interstates, leaving Virginians with no way to drive into the city. Ah, but we had an "Essential Congressional Support" pass, and when Jason and I and my coworker Kaylyn and her husband arrived at the baracade, Jason simply pointed to our special reflective sign in the windshield...and the police cars pulled out of the way, letting us onto the bridge--the only time I'll ever be the only car on northbound I-395. Pretty sweet.

And any cool factor was balanced out by the chaos of driving down Independence Avenue, where the crowds pressed against the car so much that the Chief of Police had to basically escort us down the street.

The other most awesome moment was finally getting to our seats (after over two hours in line) and looking behind us to see the masses of people waving flags. Let's be perfectly honest, I was there for history, not for Obama, but it was a pretty breathtaking sight. And there is something awfully majestic about watching the peaceful transferral of a power so great. My boss generously gave his staff great seats, but Jason, Patrick, and Chris (who came down from New England)--as well as the friends and family of my coworkers--weren't so lucky. Even though we left so so early, they never made it through the mob-like security line. Jason ended up watching the inaugural speech from my boss's office. At least he was warm. Brrrr! Thank goodness for the Shaanti's hand-me-down fleece-lined pants, circa 1996--they kept me warm during the last inauguration, and they didn't let me down today.

What an amazing moment to witness! And now I can safely say I am never going to another inauguration again.

As a fun side-note, our house was full of revelers, since Sean and Jill decided last minute to drive down and sleep on our floor the night before. Also, I figured you might want to see pictures, which are scattered here and will hopefully soon be on Flickr. I also uploaded a video of part of Obama's address. You'll have to excuse the jittery cinemography, but my teeth were chattering.

Cold Snap

It’s a balmy 14 degrees outside, so we’ve given up any pretense of going outside the house today in favor of curling up by the fire and burying ourselves in blankets. When it crept into the single digits (with a wind-chill factor of negative something) last night, we felt very grateful for a warm home and a down comforter and previous owners who replaced the windows. Last night after I put together the menu (yes, I write out a menu every week, and no, I will not apologize), I glanced over it one more time and realized that we are having soupish items five times next week (and I will be putting the le Creuset pot that Jason spoiled me with for Christmas to good use). Brrrr!

As long as it warms up to at least 30 by the inauguration on Tuesday, I really like cold weather. A winter without a cold snap feels makes me feel a bit incomplete—a friend recently compared herself to a tulip bulb, who needs freezing temperatures so that she can bloom in the springtime, and I completely agree. And tomorrow it may snow… After seven-plus years, I’m getting used to DC weather—snow comes in January, spring comes in April.

Last weekend I almost posted a nice entry about how we spent the rest of our Christmas vacation, but when I went to save it, it deleted instead. I’ve tried twice to recreate it, but it isn’t working. So here’s the summary: dinner parties, sweats, butternut squash risotto (see picture), hockey gear, wedding album, watching House. It was lovely, and while there are great things to look forward to in 2009 (new opportunities at work, leaving our 20’s behind, over-the-phone garden planning with Shaanti, and an anticipated visit from Casey and Kim in the spring), I kind of wanted to stay in that little in-between stage a bit longer.

But 2009 has come upon us in a rush. Going back to work was like jumping right into the fire. My boss has been swiftly become more senior and more influential in Congress, which has provided me with some really cool opportunities…and a lot of late nights at work where I leave an unfinished to-do list longer than the one I had when I came in that morning! I can feel any resolutions to introduce balance into my life oozing out… Jason just completed two weeks of orientation for his fellowship program and is working to land himself in just the right spot on the Hill. We’re beginning to adjust to our new morning routine of commuting together, and I’ve been awfully thankful that while I work late, Jason has been mastering the bus schedule and cooking dinner each evening. And really, really grateful that we have a nice, long weekend ahead of us.

Ringing in 2009

After ringing in the new year until early this morning, we decided to celebrate the coming of 2009 the old fashioned way--by sitting by the fire with new January magazines and the Post, drinking tea and coffee, and staying in our pajamas until 3*. It is possible that the neighbor saw me in my pjs, yikes**.

Last night we had some friends over and sat around the table eating baked potatoes with chili and all kinds of other toppings. When we bought our dining room table last year, I insisted that we get one that would expand as much as possible, even though we have a little dining room and had, at that point, never had more than three dinner guests at once. For some reason, even though we live a continent away, I feel compelled to have a table at which my entire family could eat (and enough place settings on which to feed them). Ridiculous, I know, but it has paid off twice this week--first with the Oxford folks on Tuesday night, and then for potato bar New Year's Eve. This is a fun picture, except it is minus cutely-pregnant Dawn (maybe that's her eye?).

We spent the rest of the evening munching on goodies, drinking wassail, and enjoying the last lights of the Christmas tree before counting down to midnight by the light of Steven's iPhone. Welcome to 2009!

* Okay, so actually I was in my pjs until 4:40.

** Truthfully, there is really no doubt that the neighbor saw me in my pjs--of course he walked out his back door as I stepped outside for the only time today to help Jason get the Christmas tree out the door. I quickly slunk back inside without saying hello.

An Oxford Union

To my utter delight, Oxford reunions (of sorts) have happened more frequently these days, as though we have realized that those of us who live within a tank of gas or less don't have to wait for a momentous occasion to see each other. But this was the first time that a reunion coincided with a union--the greatly anticipated marriage of Sean and Jill, who have been friends since our days on Canterbury Road but recently decided that they would very much like to spend the rest of their lives together. (See the last chapter of Anne of Avonlea for reference, which was aptly quoted during the ceremony.)

We left Ohio on Saturday after breakfast with Mom and Dad Small, Justin, and Grandmom. Early afternoon we hit the Pennsylvania Turnpike and headed east toward Harrisburg, where we arrived in time for dinner and lots of good catching up with Chris and Angie, good friends who moved from Arlington a couple of years ago. We went to church with them on Sunday and hung out a bit with their pack of adorable kids (almost-five year old Joshua took pictures, but we left our camera in the car :( ), then drove to Carlisle for the wedding.

Jill and Sean's wedding was simple, heartfelt, and lovely. We Oxford folks spent the reception doing what we do best: talking, deeply and thoroughly. Near the end of the night (we closed down the place!), Jason suggested that perhaps since we weren't dancing, we could move to a different table that wasn't near the dance floor so that we could hear each other! We talked late (late) into the night, and then decided to keep going by having dinner at our house on Tuesday! I have already tried (and failed) to put into words how I feel about this crew. Laura perhaps put it best by saying that we awaken within each other something that is dormant with everyone else, and it is so nice for those parts of us to come out and play. You can imagine, then, just how happy Sean and Jill's wedding made us.