A Birthday Celebration

There comes a day when birthdays cease to include countdown to party time. While I have personally experienced the death of the countdown, it would be a lie to say I don't enjoy birthdays! I mean come on, who doesn't love ice cream cake and a little love and attention?? ;)

This year was a first for me - my first birthday without my family around. It was all on Strom to make my birthday memorable! And he didn't disappoint. I think I might appoint him lead party planner for all future celebratory occasions - he hit this one out of the park! It meant so much to see all the time and work he put into making my birthday special. (I love you, Babe!)

After attending the commissioning ceremony for a dear friend of ours (more to come on that soon!), we hopped in the car and took off for Charlottesville. What awaited us there was pretty much the most beautiful vineyard you could imagine. I hope you enjoy a peek into my day as much as I enjoyed living it! 

First stop, the amazing Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyard!

Pippin Hill is gorgeous, y'all!! F'real!!

It's like Restoration Hardware on overdrive!

And then it was off to downtown Charlottesville for a little perusing, iced coffees and in all honesty, a few smelly hippies here and there...

And topped off with an awesome dinner at The Local! (It was insanely delicious, btw! Anyone looking for a good atmospheric restaurant in Charlottesville should check it out!). 

And because I love to brag about my sweet hubby, he surprised me with the loveliest lilies I have ever seen! He's kind of wonderful! :)

Here's to hoping this year doesn't fly by as fast as all the others!!

Happy Wednesday to ya!

Engaged: Naomi & Jonathan Sneak Peek!

Music, Bad decisions & Applause

This Tuesday night brought with it a long-awaited event for us. An Evening with Ludovico Einaudi! (If you are unfamiliar with his music, be sure to at least Youtube a song or two!). Strom purchased these tickets back in the middle of the summer and it was hard to believe we were actually on the road to DC for this show. 

As we drove through Georgetown on our way to the Kennedy Center, I had to make a decision. I stared at two pairs of shoes at my feet. Cute black flats? Or cute black heels. For whatever reason, I chose the latter - these events at the Kennedy Center are on the dressier side, so why not be cute, right? Yeah... Bad idea. We ended up parking further away from the Center than anticipated, and half way there, I was choking back tears of pain. The things we do to look nice, right ladies? 

That evening we sat in the theater with the most beautiful classical music filling the air and smiled at each other. Yes, I had five dime-sized blisters literally throbbing away. And yes, I knew I had to walk back to our car. But there we were together, doing something so purely enjoyable that it made it all okay.

At the shows' end when Mr. Einaudi closed his eyes to listen to the thunderous applause that was for him only, I was reminded that there are so many things in life worth working hard for. (No, I don't mean walking in heels... but that could apply too!) If he hadn't dedicated his life to perfecting his music, we wouldn't have been there enjoying a beautiful night. His hard work was evident in each and every note he played.

It is up to us to apply ourselves in our lives. We only get one shot at this thing called life. No one owes us anything. We have been given a gift to simply be alive. It's up to you if you want to work hard for your dreams. Whether that dream is to be the best mom, photographer, teacher, or even pianist you can be. If you want your thunderous applause, it's up to you. You may never have a moment on a stage, but we will all have our turn in front of our Great God. His applause is truly all we need.

Business Trips & City Sights

I had the treat of the year Monday when my [wonderful] dad came to D.C. on a business trip. Normally, he would arrive at Reagan Int. and take the metro to his meetings, but this blessed day was all his. No meetings meant his daughter (that's me!) was able to hop in the car and spend the day with her very missed father! It sounds very cheesy in my head, but it was such a happy dream-like day (okay, it didn't sound that bad!). 

When I saw my dad waiting for us at the Roslynn metro stop, it was like the clouds parted and the sun started shining. In the dirty station. (Okay, that sounded a wee bit corny! What can I say, I love my dad!). 

We spent the afternoon revisitng all the wonderful memorials D.C. has to offer. Considering the anniversary of 9/11 was the day before, it seemed like a perfectly fitting thing to do that day. 

 My grandpa served in Korea, so he was very much on my heart and mind as we walked through the memorial.

 That center face captured my attention almost immediately. The resemblance to my grandpa is striking. 

I thought I loved my dad when I was a little girl... If only there were words to express how much that love has grown with each passing year! :)

 This was the one exception to the perfect day. Strom's flip flop broke 20 minutes into our trip. He was a great sport, but I can't imagine he enjoyed spending the next 3 hours hobbling around D.C.! Thanks to his super rad phone (and a few retail workers giving directions) we were able to locate a very uncomfortable pair of flip fops to replace the broken ones!

We completed a perfect day with a perfect dinner at a perfect restaurant! (Which has quickly become our favorite in D.C.!)

What an amazing day and an amazing blessing from the Lord! I have been waiting an entire year for a D.C. business trip for this very excuse to visit with my dad! I couldn't have loved it more! (Except for maybe the flip flop malfunction!!)