Stephen & Leslie

When we did our pre-marital counseling last spring, our mentor couple told us that we would be lucky to find “couple friends,” you know, friends where we both like both of them equally. James and I feel so blessed that we have several couple friends here in DC. We feel especially happy to be besties with this couple. Not a week goes by that we don’t have dinner with them, or watch movies, or play games, and James and I feel a little lost if a weekend comes around and they are out of town. When Stephen and Leslie told me that they were engaged, I promptly burst into tears. I am so excited to share some of their engagement pictures today, and I am sharing way too many because I just love these two so much.  Can’t wait for October!!!

Perfection.

Last Friday night James and I got burgers at Five Guys went to go see The Great Gatsby. (Have you seen it yet? My response: “It’s just like the book – I LOVE IT!” James’ response: “It’s just like the book – I hate it.”) We headed home afterwards and sat on our porch drinking minty strawberry lemonade while the first spring storm rained down around us, until rain started blowing in and forced us inside. We got up early the next morning to meet friends for brunch at Founding Farmers, so early in fact, that James insists it was just normal breakfast and not brunch. When we got home, I went in to the bedroom to grab some chapstick… and woke up almost two hours later. (Those are always the best naps, right???) The rest of the day was spent paper writing, cleaning, and puttering around our little home, until friends came over for dinner and more minty strawberry lemonade was consumed on the porch. We played cards until midnight, laughing and eating strawberry shortcake and wishing for summer. Through it all, I Instagrammed way too many photos of James looking like grumpy cat, a trade-off he made in exchange for no photos on date night. (Can I just say that by the end of the day and successfully getting the agreed upon 10 photos, I was totally burnt out on Instagram. Sheesh. James wins. ) On Sunday we followed church with BBQ in Old Town, calls to our mothers, and a lazy Sunday afternoon that had all the best elements of relaxation, which is to say, naps, more minty strawberry lemonade (because we are obsessed), walks, mindless television, and chocolate chips eaten straight from the bag.

At the end of the weekend, we just couldn’t stop saying it: “This was a perfect weekend.”

But why? We didn’t do anything super exciting, didn’t go anywhere really flashy, didn’t dine at a glitzy restaurant, see a show, or throw an awesome party. We did get all the laundry folded, the bathroom scrubbed, the groceries restocked, and the bills paid, but we didn’t have an adventure, or do anything objectively exciting. Instead, we got sleep that restored, ate food that satisfied, and hugged friends that are loved. We did the work that needed to be done so it didn’t consume us the rest of the week, laughed the deep belly-laughs that leave you breathless, and talked with the ones that we miss on a daily basis. We spent the weekend together. Not running separately in pursuit of a million different things, but being close to each other and delighting in the mundane fun of ordinary existence.  And that is perfection.

What does a perfect weekend look like for you?

(PS- that picture is one from Stephen and Leslie’s engagement shoot. Check back tomorrow for all the rest!)

What I’ve learned from 24.

I wasn’t going to write a post where you all saw how incredibly addicted to a couple TV shows I am, really I wasn’t. And then I saw this really exciting news and I got so excited that I had to share. 

I know that the rest of you watched 24 back in the early 2000s, but I was busy  designing clothes for my American Girl dolls and convincing my parents that we should get a pony, so I have a little catch-up. James and I started it a couple months ago, and I am a little addicted. I mean, how can you stop watching a show where one man will save us all from looming terrorist threat SO MANY TIMES IN ONE DAY???? I mean, when does he go to the bathroom or eat??? Oh wait, he’s Jack Bauer — he has already dominated all bodily functions and feeds off his own adrenaline to keep going. And once you start watching an episode… you have to watch another, and another, until you too have spent a day in real time stressing over terrorists. This is a big deal for me, since my favorite tv shows ever are more along the lines of Gilmore Girls, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, and Boy Meets World.  But something about the whole world hanging in the brink of disaster, Jack Bauer’s flagrant disregard of the law, and unapologetic evil of the bad guys that was possible in the early 2000s (now we get all concerned with “understanding their stories”), is just really hitting the spot while I grade papers and tests.

I have learned a lot of valuable lessons from 24, and I have a few to share with you today, prompted by my excitement that it is coming back, the fact that we watched wayyyy too many episodes last night, and the fact that I am bored with the writing of my own final paper… which doesn’t bode well for the professor who will have to read it.

1. Trust no one. There are all spies. Or they know spies and don’t know they are spies and will accidentally turn you over to terrorists, who are lurking everywhere, all the time.
2. If Jack Bauer says to trust him in a super intense and ragged voice, and he will do so at least five times per episode, you should, even if it involves breaking  a lot of laws and risking the lives of countless individuals. Otherwise, the entire safety of America/the world will be in jeopardy.
3. David Palmer for president, for life. I now feel the need to sneer at all political hopefuls and inform them that they are no David Palmer. It makes me want to find and elect him and buy Allstate insurance. 
4. Behind every David Palmer, there is a Sherry Palmer…. don’t ask how she gets things done because you don’t want to know. Like maybe she yelled at your political enemy so ferociously that he had a heart attack.
5. Kim Bauer is always bad news, 100% of the time. Stay away from her, and people like her, or you will get killed/maimed/lose limbs in trying to save her from her own idiocy. (I tried to find a picture of Kim to put here, but she looks kind of trashier than I want on my blog… which proves that there is really only one reason they keep her on the show.)
6. If you suspect you might be like Kim Bauer, do not ever follow your instincts. Do not go after escaped terrorists alone, do not decide that dark deserted alleys look inviting, and for the love of all that is good, just obey when someone smarter than you (which would mean everyone) tells you to do something.
7. If you think you won’t give up important facts no matter how much someone tortures you — you’re wrong. You have not met Jack Bauer. So just do it early so I can take a pillow off my face because those scenes are a little much for me.
8. Los Angeles is a horrible place. After a couple seasons of 24, I am confirmed in my decision to never go to L.A. for any reason. It is unattractive and dangerous. You never know when you could be innocently driving along the free way and SUDDENLY GET CAUGHT IN A HIGH SPEED CHASE WITH TERRORISTS AND DIE, or be just doing your daily stuff and find out you are at risk for a high contagious air-borne super virus, or find out that there is a bomb about to go off.  Basically, L.A. is just bad news and I have decided to increase my chances of happy healthy living (read: not being killed by terrorists) by never going to this city. (I realize that D.C. isn’t exactly far off the list of top targets… but it has yet to have many seasons of a suspenseful show dedicated to all the ways I could innocently die here. 

I am pretty pumped to watch the new season of 24 for many reasons, but one of the biggest: smartphones. This is going to seriously revolutionize stuff. I am also secretly hoping that Kim dies in one of the seasons I haven’t watched yet because I just can’t take her anymore.

Are you a 24 fan … or where you one when it actually came out like a million years ago?

I am my mother’s daughter.

Today our pastor preached an especially god Mother’s Day sermon, which is to say that it didn’t talk specifically to mothers. He recognized the role of parents in general, but also of all women in the Christian community – single, married, widowed, young, old, childless, adopting, expectant, etc. He reminded children – of all ages, but specifically older children out of the house – to try to recognize all the things their parents taught them.

I am definitely my mother’s daughter. We look a lot alike, talk alike, do the same hand gestures, and repeat the same expressions. She taught me that bigger hair is better hair and that you can never have too many shoes unless they are uncomfortable ones. She taught me that you should always clean your house and do your nails before going on vacation and you should never run out of hairspray. She taught me to dress to fit my body type, even if it isn’t in style, which is why the Stone women have been rocking princess cut dresses for a long time and there is no end in sight. She taught me how to set a table, clean spots of the walls, and how to make perfect pie crust. She taught me that notes are best left on chairs in the middle of the entryway where people will trip over them and that cards should always be homemade from pictures clipped from magazines. She taught me that mud is for playing in and poising ivy is for avoiding. She taught me that you can never wash your hands too many times and you always need pockets for tissues. She taught me to talk to animals and pick up trash that other people avoid. She taught me to always look for imperfections when I am shopping and then haggle for a deal as if we still lived in a bartering economy.

She also taught be that “the best way to be happy is to put others first.” She taught me that there is always a way to share your faith, even at birthday parties or work. She taught me that I am a child of the King and that I should stand up straight and act like it. She taught me that you should include everyone, even if you don’t want to. She taught me that you do what is right even if everyone else wants to do something different.

So I guess I am pretty proud to be my mother’s daughter. 

Humidity is Hair to stay.

Once upon a time, there was a time when my hair could look awesome on a regular basis. That time was called April, maybe you remember it here from mere weeks ago.

But now May is here.

Despite the fact that this May has been drizzly and unimpressive, it has ushered in just enough humidity to release my hair from all semblance of order or beauty. The frizzy mane is here till fall. Every year this happens, and every year I am equally unprepared and saddened. I usually continue in denial for a couple weeks, pretending that the way I style it in the morning will hold all day, and into the next day. It worked a couple weeks ago so it should work now…. right???

WRONG.

Thus, until October, it’s goodbye Beyoncé waves…. hello summer updos! Here are some of the ways that I hoping to wear my locks this summer, along with those maiden braids that I can’t stop wearing:

 If I do leave it down, I will probably have to resort to this method to force those ringlets into place. Sigh.

On another note (can you tell that I just need a serious hair talk/intervention?), I am at that horrible stage that every woman knows well: shaggy bang stage. My bangs are pretty long right now, and by that I mean flopping all over my face like an unkempt puppy. But it also means that they are long enough to start thoughts of growing them out. Any thoughts? Are bangs in this season? HELP. I have a haircut scheduled in a couple weeks and some big decisions must be made…

How do you keep your hair looking great during the summer months? Give me all your updo/magic product secrets! Especially if you live in DC, because then you understand that looking awesome in an airconditionless swamp is tricky…

*Hair links via  my Pinterest.

Spontaneous Spring

This past week of cold rainy days made me a little distressed that we would skip spring and go straight to summer. I am willing spring back for a couple weeks more by sharing some glorious glances of spring around DC from last weekend.
^^^Hooray for the primary colors!!!! You will always be my favorites.^^^And of course, what would spring be without an ee cummings poem?

^^^Oh look — baby birdies from those pretty eggs! James has given me very specific instructions on not removing them from the nest and trying to domesticate them… but that doesn’t stop me from watching  and squealing!^^^

What has this spring been like for you? Any favorite signs of spring?

Gluten Free Gluttony

You all have probably figured out by now that I am not exactly one to ascribe to the grain free craze that has swept the nation. Yes, every single one of us would be healthier if we ate less pasta, bread, cupcakes, scones, and Totino’s Pizzas. This is just plain old logic. I did the primal thing in the months leading up to my wedding and I did indeed loose weight, have clear skin, and feel awesome.

But donuts.

And Italian food.

And CAKE.

Which means that on the whole, James and I eat more veggies, meat, and fruit than carbs… but I’m not one to turn down a burger or some delicious pizza, even though I acknowledge the superiority of the grain-free diet. I will just suffer in bloated silence every so often and run some extra miles.

The grain free craze has taken over the cooking world and restaurant scene. And some of it is really good, mainly the stuff made out of butter, or the stuff that didn’t have flour of any sort to begin with. But for a lot of it… don’t you try to feed me sawdust and call it cake. Blasphemy. Just give me some ice cream and drop this charade.

However, this past weekend I ate my words… literally. I had the joy of photographing Christine and Craig’s beautiful wedding, which culminated in a dessert bar that was totally grain free, mostly sugar free, and absolutely delicious. Her sister and father made the cakes (let that sink in) and I would never have guessed that they were missing my favorite cake ingredients, which is to say sugar and flour.  Caroline is finishing up a degree to be a nutritionist and she keeps up a blog with grain free and sugar free recipes that you really should check out. To start with, I encourage you to try the chocolate cake with buttercream frosting and coconut flour cake with lemon curd that she made for her sister’s wedding. My personal favorite was the lemon one, a conclusion arrived at after eating big slices of each, purely for scientific purposes.  Grain free or not, you should  make these cakes as soon as possible and then eat them totally guilt free because hey, they are practically good for you, and they are definitely some of the best cake I have eaten in a long while.

^^^No big deal… just the Maid of Honor assembling the wedding cake during the reception without getting whipped cream on her dress… a feat of which I would surely be incapable.^^^ Are any of you all gluten free? Sugar free? Any other diets that make you feel awesome? (Oh wait… diets are so 1999… now we all have “intolerances” instead…)