More Adventures With Dan and Jenny

Dan and I visited the nation's capital this weekend. It was lovely until the rain came. We spent a few hours at the the Natural History Museum and then made our way over to the American History Museum. In order to do so we had to buy poncho's that cost more than my first born child; however, it was worth it to be a little bit more dry than had we not. Ironically, we have a plethora of rain coats and umbrellas at home getting no use.

Some of the highlights of our trip were Julia Child's Kitchen as well as the Dorothy's Ruby Red Slippers from The Wizard of Oz (saw them a few months back but this time I got a picture)

And a very funny story, albeit not quite as funny as the last time we went and Dan "talked" with the squirrel that attacked him, happened as follows:

A random mother and son were walking through the exhibits:

Boy: What's this?

Mom: I dunno, what does it say?

Boy: I dunno, I can't read! (With his cute speech impediment, it came out more like "I dunno, I can't weed")

So funny!

Also, we ate at the Good Stuff Eatery (http://www.goodstuffeatery.com/). Chef Spike from Season 4 of Top Chef's very own burger joint!

It was yummy and the atmosphere was what you would expect from a TV icon. I highly recommend it.

Also, we became a walking advertisement for the Smithsonian since our ponchos had it written all over it. We had about 10 or so people ask us where we got them. I am no kidding, almost everyone who past us while we were wearing them inquired. That was pretty funny.

All in all, a great time and I am so gosh darn proud I actually blogged about it!

Until next time.

Alice in Wonderland

This looks very cool. I am always so intrigued when Johnny Depp is in a new release because quite frankly, he always does a stellar job. So, enjoy this wicked awesome trailer from the new movie Alice in Wonderland:

Doppleganger

I am currently reading "The Time Traveler's Wife". It's a good read.  A long read. But a fast read. That's neither here nor there. The point of all this is to say I came across a word I had never heard or read before. 

Doppleganger.

I, of course, had to look up the definition.

Any double or look alike person. 

The word is also used to describe the sensation of having glimpsed oneself in peripheral vision, in a position where there is no chance that it could have been a reflection.

Now normally I would not care one bit about this. But it came a day or so after I had my own doppleganger experience. 

I was at work, the girls were napping. I was naturally put-zing around on the internet and glanced out the window, to see a girl loading up her Jeep. And the longer I stared at her, the more I was like, "She looks like me. That could quite possibly BE me!! Is it?"

It was a strange out of body experience. As I watched her shift various items in her Jeep, I was sitting there thinking of how this must be what I look like to other people. 

I mean we are talking about the same hair color, body type, nose, side profile, paleness, and shoulders. 

I had to get over the fact that she was sorta dressed like Princess Leia...I figured she must be dressing for some convention or something along those lines (something I would never do) but besides that, she was me!

Crazy.

Jon and Kate.

So, I swore I would not make another comment on the whole Jon and Kate fiasco of 2009; however, this recent video I found was so hilarious, I had to share it. And then this got me to thinking...so I had to share my thoughts.

I was so upset when I heard things were going awry with their marriage. It bothered me for so long and now, frankly, it's just a waste of my time. I just felt like we, as viewers, were betrayed by them. I mean, it's not like the show was scripted and some writer decided to end the 10 year marriage during May Sweeps to increase viewership. What's worse is that this marriage is (was) real. And now it's over. Just like that, it's dissolved. I feel like they made poor choices. They let fame and money get in the way. They became self-centered. They put their children FIRST in their marriage, where children do not belong (it should go God, spouse, children in that order). They made themselves, their kids and their lives out to be idols. They pretty much destroyed themselves and got paid for us to watch. I feel so gross having even given them much of my time in the first place. What a waste of my time! 

However, I must say that at the onset of this show, I was excited to see a couple who talked about how important God is in their family and even carried on about church events and throwing up Bible verses on the kitchen cabinets. It was refreshing and I actually admired them for their willingness to show that they loved God. But then, it turned into this dirty mess. I am ashamed for them. I realize that we all make mistakes and I shouldn't judge too harshly; I guess I am just so incredibly disappointed. Anywho, that said....ENJOY THIS VIDEO:

Top Ten Time

I know I always say this, but I can't believe how much time I have let pass before updating. This used to be something I looked forward to doing in my day and now it feels a little like school work. I think it is in large part to the fact that I have two children in my care as opposed to just one. When I finally have down time, I find myself wanting to read or nap instead. Actually, yesterday I took a little nap in Evie's toddler bed with her. Yep, all 5' 6" of me in her 3' bed. Best sleep ever. 

So, allow me to catch up over the past month or so:

1. Went to Wisconsin to visit with Dan's family. (We also drove all 13 hours)

2. Went to Summerfest in Milwaukee and saw Guster play. They rocked!

3. Dan and I celebrated 8 months of togetherness fun.

4. Came down with a wicked sickness...ended up being just some virus, but one that caused a high fever, chills, headaches, body aches, sore throat. Oh and chest pain. A looooot of chest pain, I could barely breathe. So, yeah that was fun.

5. Super excited to see Harry Potter, hopefully in the next week or so.

6. Working as a "stay at home mom" has it's advantages including, going to the gym, pool privileges, and free cable/internet access.

7. Being a "single parent" is also a ton of long, hard, laborious work. It get to the point where I

pass out when i finally sit down for a break. 

8. Checking off my summer reading list with books like Salem Falls, Plain Truth, and The Host.

9. It's hot outside.

10. I love that since the DTV change we have new cable stations with all my favorite shows!!

REALLY???

This morning I decided to take Evie and Suzanne (now 3 months) to the pool (ie. the parental summer social scene). And by "decided" I mean I was "guilted" into it by their mother. She has this way of making me feel like I should do something because she thinks it should be done. Well, that's another blog entirely. This one is dedicated to the fact that the neighbor Heather seems to think I am incapable of remembering my charges. 

Allow me to explain. 

One time Evie was playing out in the backyard, er, alley. No yards in the city. Just concrete. Heather was out as well watching her three children (although I am reminded of how she mysteriously disappears for a few minutes every so often, leaving me alone with all her kids and my own). When she walks outside she will inevitably panic and ask me, 

"Where's Suzanne???"

This usually causes me to freak out for .2 seconds as I try to remember, where in fact Suzanne is. Usually I have her strapped into the stroller, bouncy seat, or car seat nicely displayed in the shade so she is out of the way, but visible. 

So, today when we were at the pool she once again started up some general conversation. She interrupted her own dialogue with, "WHERE'S SUZANNE???" 

Um, over here under the umbrella.

Now I am unsure of the reason why she seems to need to ask me this EVERY time. And I am also unsure as to why it bothers me so.

There are several reasons for this. Possibly, she herself always freaks out when she realizes one of her children is missing, running into the street after a ball, climbing the very TALL fence, or hanging out of the open third story window (all of which I have seen with my own eyes). Possibly, it's because she believes I am incompetent at my job. It's hard to be sure. 

Sweatin' To the Oldies

We just experienced the most amazing weekend. I really don't know how Dan and I do it, but often times I sit back in amazement of how each weekend is more enjoyable than the last. It started out with a nice, lazy Friday. The kind of evening you love to share with someone close. We had some dinner out and then a movie at home. It was the perfect end to a very long week. 

Saturday we had a birthday party to go to and a wedding. We basically barely made it to Chris' 30th birthday party (due to some Bay Bridge beach traffic) before we had to turn around and go to Ben and Halley's wedding. Luckily, the wedding was not too far from Katie and Chris' house, so we were able to crash there after a long night of partying and visit with them in the morning. 

The wedding was on this beautiful plantation that was pretty enormous. We had to be shuttled from the parking lot to the ceremony site! 

The wedding was wonderful, but the sun was BLAZING. Even under a tent. The bride and groom provided all the guests with a bottle of water and a fan. Even so, it was still so stinkin' hot. And the sweat only had just started to pour. 

While we waited for the wedding party, we enjoyed some amazing appetizers and spirited drinks. My friends and I had a great time laughing and getting extremly silly. Largely due to the buzz I am sure we were all feeling. 

Dinner was also great. Good company and a lovely vegetarian entree (everyone else had the filet) made my evening just perfect. 

Then came some dancing.  Probably a full 3 hours of dancing. And sweating. If any of you know what I look like when I come home from a nice 7 mile run at the gym, then you will know how much I can sweat. I was probably even MORE sweaty by the end of this evening. I had sweat in my eyes! I know attractive, right?? Good thing that Dan was also dripping in perspiration and our friends were glowing as well. 

There's something about sharing unique experiences with friends that totally bonds you. And memories like this are just the start of long, beautiful friendships. I thoguht that my life was pretty much over when college ended. It felt like I could not even imagine moving on and finding a new way of life, especially without my good friends right alongside of me. I feel blessed to know I have found some new friends here in Baltimore, but it also makes me love and appreciate the friendships I have with my lovely college friends.