It's Christmas Time in the City!!!

Hello again!!!  This time my hello greated all of you with much less stress and much more rest :)  Exams are done and I've officially only got ONE MORE SEMESTER to go - hallelujah!  Since the last time I blogged, I've been busy getting ready for the Holidays (we did an early Christmas with Mom and Dad since we'll be in Utah for Christmas Day), but this is the kind of busy I LOVE :)  I really do think I would have made a wonderful housewife if I hadn't gone to law school :) Anyway, on Friday night we went to the Patton Boggs Holiday Party (so fun and glad I was able to go!) before heading to Fredericksburg to kick off the weekend of festivities!  Saturday was wonderful: presents, a wonderful dinner in downtown Fredericskburg, and (of course) some QT with the fam!  Thanks Mom and Dad for making yet another Christmas wonderful!!!

Look who Santa left under our tree!

 This little choir was rockin' the mall - take a listen!

The Holiday Market in Chinatown - found some good stuff here!

Em and I took a break from shopping to play some pool in Brooks Brothers :)

Our WAY overdone Christmas (as always) at Mom's!!!

The festivities continued to Sunday with Friends' Christmas Dinner...and it was dee-lish!  I told Mom that although I was never the biggest fan of the show "Friends," I've grown to appreciate its message.  When you live in the city and your family isn't right around the corner (even though mine isn't all that far), it sure is nice to know you have your own little family in your friends...and I'm grateful for each of those special people and love them all very much!!!

Em is so artsy...gotta love this veggie tray :)

Rudolph the Red Nosed ReinBEER, had a very shiny nose!

The dining room table at V's is all set for Christmas Dinner...all grown up!

Veronica helping set up the delicious spread - yum!!!

The crew (wish I could figure out how to flip this!) at dinner.

No night is complete without some karaoke :)

Well, with our last weekend in D.C. before leaving to SLC behind us, it's time to get ready for the trip and all the fun to come...so get ready for some fun-filled posts in the coming weeks :)  Until then, much peace, love, and happiness to you and yours in this Holiday season! 

Another Semester Comes to an End...ALMOST!

Why hello again - long time, no Blog :)  A little pesky thing called exams has been stifling my life lately, but alas, they are ALMOST over!  I had back-to-back exams and two papers due during the beginning of the exam period, and now I've only got one to go...and it's a 48-hour take home...a.k.a. LIFE IS GOOD!  So rather than share all that's happened over the past two weeks (other than studying my life away!) let me share some pictures, since they're worth a thousand words :)  

Em, V, and Seth at Cafe Japone for some karaoke :)

Honey is a gymnast and her favorite sport is balance beam!

 Love me pups...watch them play :)

Zoo Lights at the National Zoo...so pretty!

These apes were snuggling in their sleep...too cute!

Sweet lil' lamas :)

Anyway, all is well in this neck of the woods and I sure hope all is well with each of you!  Until the next time - much love and a happy start to your holiday season :)  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  It's been a nice weekend and I can't believe it's almost over...and that means finals are almost here :(  But luckily, they will be done and over with soon enough :)  I've been lucky enough to have Seth and all my East coast family around the last few days, and I wish it would last just one day longer!  On Thursday, we picked up Andre from the airport and headed to Fredericksburg for the weekend.  I made my mac'n'cheese, Mom made green bean casserole, and Dad made the turkey and rest of the fixings...and then we ate...and ate...and ate!  It was yummy and, as you can see, led to some afternoon naps!  

Does this look like enough turkey for five?

Dad and all the fixings...delicious!

Seth and the pups were full and ready for a nap!

After a day of Turkey and relaxing, we woke up from our comas for another day off...although, thanks to exams, I spent most of my days studying - boo!  But don't worry, I still made time to have some fun :)  On Friday night, we all went to Sakura (a Japanese hibachi grill) to celebrate the trifecta of November birthdays: Andre, Dad, and me!  It was de-lish and a fun time!  Speaking of fun times, we were lucky enough to have time to meet with our family friend, Michelle, and her beautiful baby girl, Zoe, for dinner on Saturday - they are both so wonderful and we love them :)  To wrap up our trip, we headed to Dad's on Sunday for some pancakes and unwrap his (early) Birthday gifts.  Happy 29th Birthday Dad (hehehe!) - we love you!

Mom and Baby Zoe :)

Dad unwrapping his Birthday gifts 

After a yummy breakfast, Seth, the pups, and myself headed back to D.C. (and didn't hit Holiday traffic - hooray!) to wrap up the week!  I can't believe that Turkey Day came and went already...time flies!  But time never flies to fast for me to express my gratitude the things I'm thankful for...and YOU are among them!  I've got the best family and friends in the world and appreciate it every day!

I'm thankful for Seth (especially for putting up our tree!)

Honey & Maggie are grateful to Grandma for their cookies!

Grandma sure spoils her granddogters :) These cookies look YUMMY!

Well, that's about all for now...my old (27 years old now!) body is getting tired and I've got a busy day of work ahead, so for me it's off to bed :)  Until the next time, I love you all SO MUCH!  xo

A Birthday Bash

Well, it's that time of year again: Birthday season :)  This weekend, we had a three-way Birthday Bash to celebrate my, Brooke, and Tensie's birthdays!   To kick off the night, a small group of us got together  for dinner at an Asian-fusion restaurant called Zentan.  It was delicious and a good choice to get the party started!

Cheers to the Birthday people!

After dinner we headed to Cause, D.C.'s first "philantrhopub," which is a bar that donates all it's profits to a charity of your choice.  We selected "Higher Achievement," a charity which is involved in academic programs for D.C.'s youth.  It was a good time and a fun (and charitable!) way to celebrate our birthdays :)

Our private room at Cause.

Tensie, Me, and Brooke :)

Jillian, Brooke, Me, and Emily having fun with my tie!

As the party was winding down, a few of us walked next door to Nellie's to see my name written up on the chalkboard (I'm friends with the owner) in honor of my birthday!  At some point, I headed home and have spent most of today recuperating from all the fun :)  And now, before I know it, the day is done and another week is here...and with the end of the semester approaching, there's lots to be done...so I'm gonna sign off and get some rest so that I'm ready to hit the ground running in the AM!  Until the next time, much love!!!

Wrapping Up Another Week

Hi there!  Last week flew by so quickly that the Blog is a bit behind!  It was a week of celebrating (post-Election victory!), but also of starting to crack down and get ready for the end of the semester!

Celebrating Four More Years with a toast :)

The girls were so tired from a long Election Night!

This weekend, Seth and I kicked off some downtime with a nice date night at this yummy, authentic Italian restaurant (Odeon Cafe) in DuPont, followed by a margarita with Veronica at El Centro...which turned into a Salsa dance club, which led to a craving for Jumbo Slice :)

Saw this pink limo downtown...maybe for my Birthday :)

Jumbo Slice!!!

Saturday was a busy day!  In the morning, a group of us played softball in a DC-wide law school softball tournament.  Although we were more like the Bad News Bears (without the comeback part), we had fun and enjoyed some beers and Bloody Mary's on the Mall!  That night we headed to NOVA for our friend Matt's performance.  He plays in a band called "Rounding Down," which plays mostly rock and had its first live performance at a cafe in Fairfax.  As you can see below in the video, Matt rocked it and we all had a good time!

Our team: "Where My Pitches At!?"

 Veronica even got to visit Wal-Mart for the 1st time!

Matt on the guitar during "Hey Jude!"

 A preview of Matt's guitar skills!

By the time we got back on Saturday night, we were pooped...so Sunday was mostly a day of rest (like the good boys we are) and a time to get ready for another week!  Time continues to fly though, and the semester is nearly done!  After Thanksgiving, we're in the home stretch and I will officially be in my LAST semester of law school...crazy!!!  As for me, that's all I've got this week...but more to come soon!!!  Much love until the next time :)

#Forward: The Best is Yet to Come!

Waking up today, I almost had to pinch myself to make sure that last night wasn't all a dream!  Last night was a historic night for our country, and personal for me.  Not only did we re-elect a President who (in my opinion) will lead this country forward in the direction it needs to go, but we also stood for equality.  In Wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin became the first openly gay person to be elected to the U.S. Senate.  In Maryland, Maine, and Washington, citizens voted for marriage equality, the first time such a vote has succeeded at the ballot box.  In Minnesota, citizens successfully defeated an anti-gay piece of legislation.  Overall, last night seemed to tell me one thing: our country has evolved and is moving in the right direction!  Now, I know that many of you are disappointed in the results, but it is my hope that we can all come together and be united again!  By putting politics aside and working together, I believe that we can move our nation forward and continue to be the greatest nation in the world!  May God Bless You, and May God Continue to Bless America!!!

A High Heel Hoopla

I can't believe another week has gone by and we are now in November...a great month, if I do say so myself :)  Luckily for us, the weather at week's end was much better than at the start and things are back to normal in the D.C. area.  In fact, thanks to the ugly weather, quite a few plans got shifted around, including one of D.C.'s most treasured events...the 25th Annual High Heel Race!!!  For those who aren't familiar, each year in DuPont Circle, thousands of people gather to watch local guys sprint a quarter of a mile in high heels (which have to be at least 2 inches!) down 17th Street.  The event is always at Halloween and raises money for historic preservation...plus, it's really fun :)

This year, I decided to enter (as Little Red Riding Hood hehe) and had a blast!  Seth, Brooke, and I met some friends for a pre-party before the big event...and, not to brag or anything, but I crushed the competition.  There were probably a few hundred runners, and I came in about 10th place :)

Quite the crowd...so much fun!!!

Brooke, Me, and Seth post-race.

 The rest of the weekend was fairly low key: date night on Friday and movie night with Emily and Veronica on Saturday.  The rest of the time we spent doing school/work stuff and enjoyed some R&R....hooray!

Seth and the girls...they love Daddy Seth :)

Well, that's about all we've got for now...but I look forward to a post-election Blog next week - and hopefully it will be a happy post!!! :)  Love you all - now get out and VOTE...and may the best man win!

A Happy, Hurricane-filled Halloween

Howdy everyone!  This Blog comes to you on a Monday night courtesy of Hurricane Irene J  School was cancelled today AND tomorrow (as was Seth’s work – hooray!), so I’ve had a ton of extra time to piddle today – a.k.a. Blog time!!!  And after a busy week last week, I’m loving this extra down time to recoup from a fun-filled weekend!

This weekend, we celebrated Halloween with our friends…and it lasted the whole weekend J  To kick things off, we headed to Poolesville, Maryland for the infamous Markoff’s Haunted Forest.  The haunted forest is an outdoor haunted house that takes about 15-minutes to walk through, obstacles and all.  This was our third year going, and it never gets old.  It’s about an hours drive to the middle of nowhere, but well worth the effort.  We always start by having dinner at the local tavern before heading in to get scared.  This year was the first time for many of our group, and everyone seemed to enjoy it!  After heading back from the forest, we all stopped in Bethesda for a little fun at Veronica’s favorite pub J

Brooke, Matt, Veronica, Seth, and Rachel at the Haunted Forest.

Me, Emily, her sister, Matt, and Doug at the Haunted Forest.

On Saturday, we hosted a party at our place, so most of the day was spent preparing for that.  To make it even better, Whitney, one of our girlfriends from Utah was in town for a conference, so she was able to join us for the festivities.  The party was really fun, and we even sponsored a drink making contest, with a prize to the person who made the most spooktacular cocktail…unfortunately, mine was a little too strong for most people, so I did not emerge victorious hehe!  After winding down here, we all headed downtown for some dancing in DuPont.  It was fun and we got quite a few compliments on our costumes…they were so good, we even got asked several times to take pictures with people J 

Snow White, Jasmine, the Queen of Hearts (back);
Maleficent and Sleeping Beauty (front)

Rachel, Veronica, Me, and Seth (a.k.a. Genie) at Madhatter...so fun!

Sunday was recovery day, and Veronica even stayed over and watched TV/ate Mexican with us (a perfect way to spend your Sunday!)  We took her home just in time to avoid the first bad weather from lil’ Miss Sandy.  Speaking of which, other than the on-and-off power situation, we’ve enjoyed a nice, stormy day in the casa…and are excited that we get to enjoy another whole day at home tomorrow too!  In fact, depending on the transit situation, we are all planning to have a hurricane brunch tomorrow…so wish us luck J

Veronica was, erm...recovering :)

Seth and Maggie enjoyed a long Sunday nap :)

Well, that’s all for now!  Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers throughout the hurricane.  We were very blessed to have been impacted in such a minimal way and hope that those who were really affected are OK!  Much love to them (and you, of course) until the next time!

It's Almost Time for Halloween!

Hello again!  It's been another busy (but fun!) week, and time continues to fly by!  To start it all off, we welcomed our newest niece, Kennedy, to the family...and boy, she is precious!!!  Congratulations Jay and Tina...we can't wait to meet her!!!

Baby Kennedy :)

With such a wonderful start to the week, nothing could top it...but the rest of the week was pretty great too, so that's a plus :)  Between some happy hours and time with friends, the week seemed to fly by...which is good, because it meant the weekend came even sooner!  Speaking of which, the weekend started with a bang: Kathy Griffin's hilarious comedy show at DAR Constitution Hall!  For those of you who aren't familiar with her, she's a red headed comedian whose jokes are mostly about celebrities -- and we LOVE her!  After the show, we went for a stroll downtown and grabbed some pizza at District of Pi (the best Chicago style pizza outside of Chicago!)

Kathy Griffin...great show!

A (somewhat blurry) shot of the White House at night.

Taking a stroll in Downtown D.C.

Saturday, in the spirit of elongating Halloween as much as possible, we had our first of many Halloween parties :)  It was actually a lot of fun: great food, pumpkin carving, and good times!  We always enjoy spending time with our friends...we always have so much fun!!!

The table of tricks and treats...so much yummy food!

Pumpkin carving reminds me I'm not much of an artist.

The result of our pumpkin carving...can you tell which is mine?!

Well, as you can see, it's been another busy week...and now we're all pooped and ready to wrap things up and get ready for another week!  

Couch snuggle session :)

She looks so sweet while she's sleeping...but don't be fooled hehe!

That's all for this time, but have a great week and we'll check in again next weekend with many more pictures and stories :)