My heart sank a little bit this morning when I looked at this weeks' forecast. We have been teased with unseasonably cooler weather for the last week or so and it has been amazing!! With hopes that it would continue, all was lost when I saw a lot of '8's and '9's in a long row... *sigh* Such is the life in Virginia!
Before all y'all northerners (yes, that's me trying to be more southern than I really am!) stare at me like I'm crazy for wishing fall (and the ushering in of winter after that) upon myself, remember that summer weather starts in APRIL here. It's awesome, I know! But it makes one very excited for autumn to arrive each year.
These are a few things I cannot wait for: Freshly picked apples, Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Lattes (can I get an amen??), and the ability to wear boots and scarves! And of course, cool weather that puts a smile on all our faces down here! :)
Monday night I got word that my 8:21 am flight to New York had been canceled. Oh yay. After rebooking on a flight a few hours later in the day, I thought that would be the end of my Tuesday travel adventure. How wrong I was! My 2:40 flight was delayed an hour, causing me to miss my connecting flight in Charlotte and the only option I had was to fly out at 10:30 that night.
6+ hours of waiting in Charlotte, a Code Red stand down at the security gate upon arrival, one God-awful cup of coffee from Starbucks (you know I love you, Starbucks, but you really disappointed me that day!) a friendly but slightly too flirty pilot crossing my path, and a fascinating gentleman on the plane who predicted my firstborn child (in the future!) would be a boy all lead me to a 12:30 arrival Wednesday morning!
Gosh, travel is exhausting sometimes!! Thank goodness I arrived with my luggage intact.
And thus, the ups and downs of this week!
Ups:
Finally arriving in New York! I wasn't sure I would ever get here.
Tomorrow I am shooting a 50th Anniversary vow renewal (thus the travel challenges!) and I can't wait to be a part of it!
Seeing my family after only a few weeks apart! What a blessing to be here so soon!
Downs:
Ugh. Traveling. I love visiting places, but the process of getting there sucks!! And doing it alone nearly ensures the fact that something will go wrong. Murphy's Law.
Starbucks' coffee. Can someone say nasty? Sweet Dunkin Donuts, you must come to Charlotte airport, if only for my sake!
The weather here in NY. It's such a downer. It's already summer in Virginia and this place is like a time machine. I totally didn't pack the right clothing to stay warm!
Can't wait to see what adventure my fortune cookie from last night is foretelling! I've gotten a lot of these predictions lately... :)
I wandered helplessly around TJMaxx, bored out of my mind. Nearly in tears (okay, that's my dramatic side bleeding through!). I had looked at every piece of mismatched furniture, every tea pot and ugly blouse the store contained. Twice.
Why had I asked Strom to drop me off at this God-forsaken store. (Just so you know, I'm an enormous TJ fan... we just haven't been on good terms since they stopped carrying things I actually like!). Further yet, why had I bothered to drive down into "town" with him while he had to square away a few odds and ends at school when I could be lazy-ing it up at home, Sunday style?
I stared nearly angrily at a hideous white purse and decided I had waited long enough for him to finish at school and come pick me up. I was just going to walk until my feet found him. He knew I was growing impatient, and I could picture him frantically typing away in the computer lab. Perhaps he was picturing my frown that was in fact, most certainly there. It was all quite comical, really. And 100% the way we roll!
I nearly laughed as I saw his car come into view, his crooked license plate indicating it was in fact his black sedan. I smiled and tried to hide it. I climbed into the car and tried my hardest to sound chipper and happy, disguising my recent frustration and impatience. What I didn't realize is that he wasn't done at school yet. I not-so-inwardly groaned as we headed back over for another half hour of work.
I watched him as I pretended to play around on my iPhone. He was in fact frantically trying to finish his assignment and get the heck out of there before grouchy-Regan came out. He would look over at me and smile that smile that says, "I love you! You know that, right? I'm trying! Be strong!" I inwardly laughed and my annoyance melted. Yeah, I knew he loved me. I was being a brat. I opened Facebook on my phone for the tenth time and waited patiently this time.
Hand-in-hand, we left the building. Assignment completed and printed (we really need to buy a printer so this stops happening!). We pulled into Starbucks. Placed our order. Brought our coffees (okay, mine was a latte!) outside and sat in the spring breeze. He smiled. I smiled. He gets me. No matter how bratty I can behave, the man gets me and loves the sass out of me!
Fast forward an hour or so to the scene in the kitchen. The room smelled of sauteed onions and peppers as I put dinner together. Dave Barnes was crooning some old school tunes on the iHome that reminded us of our dating days. We sang along (me more dramatically so of course!) and every ounce of my formerly bad day melted away. A silly upbeat song of his came on, and at the right moment, spoon-turned-microphone in hand, turned around and sang it to him. Danced around the kitchen like dork and watched him smile and laugh away. I grabbed his hand and we danced like fools. Literally. Like fools. Like girls at a Justin Bieber concert. (I'm not kidding!!) The things he does for me!
The song came to an end but the laughs kept coming. I came in for a hug, feeling as if I couldn't love him any bit more than I did right then. He gets me. No matter how dorky I can act, the man gets me and loves the nerd out of me.
No photos today - I was busy living the moment! But here's an entirely cheesy video of the silly upbeat song! Enjoy the visual of two nerds dancing around a kitchen! :)
This past week has been spring break in our house. It's been nice having my hubby around and not losing him to his studies! Alas, that has come to an end, but we have some pretty fun memories of Strom's week away from classes! Our favorite being our trip to Washington D.C. with our friends Brandon and Breanne. The second we learned they hadn't been to the city yet (both are from the same general area Strom is in WA), we started planning our adventure together!
It was a complete blast that included many touristy stops (how can you not hit a few of those up each time?) and a few new ones even to us! From war memorials to museums, food markets to Georgetown, we had a wonderful -albeit rather hot!- adventure in D.C.!
I grew up adoring New York City, but D.C. is quickly becoming my favorite city!
If you're thinking to yourself what the heck...? I should inform you that we had a hunch that on the surprisingly hot spring afternoon, the bananas in the car would not make it through the day. Therefore, the men took it upon themselves to be sure they didn't go to waste. We laughed so hard watching the scene unfold that it was hard to keep the camera steady!
We journeyed into Arlington National Cemetery... A most sobering experience.
Spring is out in full force in D.C.!
A quick resting stop on the Mall before we continued on to the National Archives!
A much needed refueling stop at one of the many Starbucks around town! (I love me some Java Chip Frappuccinos! Feel free to keep the calorie count to yourself, thank you!)
After exploring the Museum of American History 'til closing time, we rested in the grass before heading out to dinner at The Old Ebbitt Grill!
Let the Washington adventures begin! Are you ready?
My absolute favorite location in all of Seattle is Pike Place Market. Yes, it's busy as could be and a bit of a tourist destination, but the farmers' market lover (and photographer) in me can't get enough of the colors, smells and visual stimulation it has to offer. Love it.
We - all ten of us! - made our way through the seemingly never ending market, enjoying everything in sight (making sure at all times all four boys never made their way from it!). Although I wanted to purchase everything in the market (especially the flowers!) the only purchase made that day was a single avocado!
So get ready for a ton of photos! I couldn't help myself! :)
Believe it or not... these insanely beautiful flowers run between $5 and $15 a bouquet. Unreal.
I love that young man!!
Does the photo on the right look at all familiar? Does the movie Sleepless in Seattle ring a bell?
Is that not the cutest little smile Thad has on his precious face??
Thee Pike Place fish market! The boys loved the fish being thrown around! And I'm not afraid to admit, I did too! :)
Precious little Zeke!
The gum wall! How disgustingly awesome is that?
Logan with his Uncle Strom!
Jude has won my heart. He's about the sassiest little manly man I have ever met. And I love it.
Yup. I'm a goof and I'm not afraid to show it! (That's for you, Cerissa!)
What is Seattle without a little Starbucks?
A little soft in the focus department, but I love this photo!! :)
And in honor of the missing member of the family (who lives in Alaska) Barbi, this is for you! You were missed so very much!
