Andrew Comes to Town!

First things first...although this Blog may be a day late, is sure isn't a dollar short...and luckily for me, my Monday is over and I'm ready to write this thing :)  After a busy week last week and a crazy-fun weekend, there's lots to report and not too much time to do it...so here goes nothing!

Last week was spent trying to get ahead and ready for this weekend with Seth's baby bro Andrew.  Although I did take a break to go to a movie screening at the White House (pretty cool!), it was mostly work...but never fear, the weekend brought lots of play to equal out all the work :)  On Thursday, Andrew flew in, and it was a non-stop par-tay until he left! 

Honey loved Uncle Andrew!!!

To kick off his visit, we headed downtown for dinner and drinks, and called it an early night to rest up for a day of touring the city on Friday.  Luckily for Andrew, the tour guide extraordinaire was available on Friday to take him on a tour of the city :)  His favorite spot?  The Air and Space Museum, where he was more the tour guide than I was (he is a helicopter mechanic after all!)  After a day full of sightseeing, we headed home to meet up with Mista Seth for a fun night on the town...after all, we had to show our younger bro that age is just a number :)  We started at a wine bar on U Street, followed by dinner, a comedy show, and more :)  Needless to say, we had a good time and headed home to get some rest for another busy day in D.C.

Seth and Andrew at the Riot Act Comedy Club

On Saturday, we showed Andrew what a D.C. Brunch was all about...bottomless mimosas, good food, and a nice, long nap :)  We met Amy and some of her friends to celebrate her new job with brunch at Beacon Bar and Grill.  Although we were pretty tired out from brunch (and so full we could barely move!), a little nap got us back in shape for another fun night!  We started in Chinatown and worked our way down to Arlington for some Karaoke at Freddie's Beach Bar.  As you will see below, both Seth and I had a good time and showed off our karaoke skills!!!

After making it safely home from karaoke, we hit the hay and got up for one last afternoon with Andrew!  We finished his visit with lunch in Georgetown, said our goodbyes, and Andrew packed up and headed back to Utah.  We had such a blast and hope that he (along with all of the O'Doyle clan) come back to visit soon!  In the mean time, I guess we will have to start planning our next trip out west :)  Until then, lots of love from us to all of you!

Priscilla...Queen of NYC

Hey there!  Happy President's Day (boy do I love working for a company that goes by Federal Holidays!)  I sure am glad I had off today though, I was exhausted from our weekend away in New York!  On Friday, after another busy week, Seth and I (along with a few friends) headed off to NYC to have some fun and unwind from all the craziness that is law school :)  We didn't get in until pretty late on Friday, but late is relative I guess, because midnight in Times Square is like noon in D.C. - packed and as busy as can be!  After a walk around the city, some pizza and such, we headed back to the hotel to rest up for the weekend!

The gang in Times Square

Saturday we got up and had some breakfast/lunch to give us some fuel for a busy day of touring the city.  One of our friends, Daniel, had never been to New York before...which of course meant we played tour guide and showed him all the must-see spots :)  Central Park, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Little Italy, etc... there wasn't a spot we didn't cover...and our feet told us so after the day was done...but not to worry, our big Italian dinner (and the wine) gave us enough courage/energy to pull ourselves together for a night of dancing and fun!  And to top it all off, some of our favorite New Yorker friends met us to make the night even better!

Strolling the streets of New York

Outside Rockefeller Plaza

 These street performers were pretty funny!

Seth, Me, and Daniel outside the Stonewall Inn 

The size of this dinner was ABSURD...but delish!

The two Puertoricans: Tensie (my law school wife) and me

 After a fun Saturday night, we got up on Sunday morning, ate at our favorite Irish Pub, and headed off to see "Priscilla: Queen of the Dessert."  For those who aren't familiar, the musical was directed by Better Middler and is about a group of three drag queens who are traveling across the Australian desert in a motorhome in search of one of their sons/ex-wives...it's hilarious and a must see for those who like the theater!  Man, do I wish D.C. had theater like NYC!

Tensie, Me, Seth, Daniel, and Lauren at "Priscilla: Queen of the Desert"

Well, that's about all she wrote for this weekend!  We are home safe and sound, and trying to get ahead and ready for another fun weekend...as Seth's brother Andrew comes to visit!  But until then, much love and happiness to you all :)

Struck by Cupid's Arrow

Happy (belated) Valentine's Day to you all!  I just thought I'd post a quick post to publicly thank Cupid for striking Seth and I with his arrow...I am one lucky boy, as you will see below :)

I came home to find flowers :)

Seth's surprise: Champagne, Chocolate, and Balloons

As you can see, Honey liked the balloons too!

Busy Is, As Busy Does

Hey ya'll!  Sorry I've been slacking on here lately...but I'm back in action!  Actually, school/work were dominating my life the week before last, so writing a Blog post would have probably bored you anyway :) Nevertheless, we still managed to do some fun things so as to have something to share!

For those who don't know, we love brunch!  In fact, we love it so much that we've formed a Secret Brunch Club :)  Our goal is to try all of the best brunch spots in D.C...all the while taking our mind off of law school and getting in a little weekend relaxation!  Last week (before forming our 17-member Facebook group haha), we went to Level One, and I was happy that Becca (my friend from BYU) accompanied us!  Actually, it was perfect timing since Becca leaves for Mali at the end of the month for her job with the State Department.  In other foodie news, my friend Tensie and I have turned Friday afternoons into a weekly soiree :)  We meet up to get our Vitamin D (courtesy of the tanning bed hehe) and flit around downtown enjoying the city!  This week, we went to CoCo Sala (a restaurant that incorporates chocolate into pretty much everything i serves!) and it was delicious!  So, as you can see, law school might keep me busy, but I refuse to be a dull boy with all work and no play :)

Me and Becca at one last brunch before she leaves :(

The Cocojito (chocolate mojito) - AMAZING!

Workouts are required with all my food intake...
see the heart sweat stain? :)

With all the galavanting around, we still make sure to have some family time :)  Last night we drove to Baltimore to celebrate my Aunt Tita's birthday, and man was there a lot of good food!!!  My stomach can't take all this eating...but a boy's gotta do what a boy's gotta do :)  Oh, and since we are talking about family time, you will see from the video below, our little family is quite silly...but we sure love each other, silliness and all!

Seth and Honey go Bollywood :) 

Other than family time, we are very luck to have so many amazing friends :)  As a matter of fact, we had an impromptu party last night and had a great time!  Although the initial plan was to meet and visit at our house and then head out on the town, the winter weather (and Metro rail work) put a kink in our plans and forced us to stay home...but it sure made for some funny stories :)  

All our girlfriends LOVE Seth...but not as much as I do :)

Well, that's about all I've got this week...plus, it's bed time and this boy has lots to do in the morning :)  Until next week, much love!

Happy Birthday, Honeychild!

Hey there everyone!  Hope this mid-Monday Blog finds you all enjoying the start of what will hopefully be a wonderful week!  My week is off to a great start (even survived an a-hole cab driver almost running me over), so things are good :)

This past weekend, after a BUSY week of school and work, Seth and I headed to dead Fred to see Mom and Dad, and to get in some (even if it was only a little) R&R :)  Mom, Seth, and I used our gift cards from Santa and went to Massage Envy in the afternoon (soooo relaxing!) and then met Dad to go see "Iron Lady" (which was pretty good!)   After the movie was over, it was back to D.C. to get some sleep and rest up for...Honey's Birthday :)  I can't believe we have had our little bundle of joy for a year now!  She has brought so much joy to our house, I can't even explain it!!!  We had a brunch in her honor, and even made her a special birthday treat (as you will see below)  We love her so much, and wanted to send one last Happy Birthday to our Honeychild :)

Honey, making a wish :)

She scarfed down her treat faster than you could say "cheese!"

Well, that's about all I got for this week, but until the next time - much love!

This Semester is Going to be "Taxing!"

Hey everyone!  Sorry this is a little late, but this past week/weekend was crazy-cray!  School has officially kicked in and is really starting to consume me...I'm taking 17 credits, working as an Extern and Dean's Fellow, and volunteering with VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program)...so needless to say life is a liiiiiitttttle busy!  In fact, I spent most of my Saturday and Sunday in training for the VITA program - but I am officially certified and ready to do some taxes :)

Although most of my week was spent doing school, I sometimes make the tradeoff of sleep in favor of a little fun :)  A.K.A. I'm tired, but smiling!  One of my best friend's from law school and I have officially established "Revenge" night (an amazing show on ABC!) to served as our midway break for the week...and boy will I need that this semester :)  Seth and I were also able to make it out to a friend's birthday party this weekend and even did some Salsa dancing afterwards with some girlfriend's - fun times!  And luckily for us, we made it home just before the snow/ice hit, so I think it was God's way of saying he was glad we went out to have some fun :)

These glasses even made sweet ol' Seth look like a creeper :)

Honey looked so cute walking on the ice :)

Speaking of ice and snow, I forget how wimpy we are in DC when it comes to weather!  On Sunday night, I got a call from my boss at my externship saying that we would be opening 2 hours late on Monday (even though there wasn't really any snow), but I wasn't complaining ;)  My first day at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) was great, and I am really excited for the externship!  My boss, Ty, is actually a friend of mine, and everyone else is really friendly and fun...so I think it's going to be a great time!  As for my work, it is a lot different than what I was doing in the Courts, but it is super interesting and I like it a lot!  My first day, I did everything from reviewing potential legislation in Oklahoma, to vetting Judges, to drafting testimony - and it's all for issues that I believe in :)

My office - right outside of DuPont Circle

Cheesy pose, but love the fleece my summer firm sent me to keep warm :)

Well, that's about all of interest I can think of (we were actually pretty boring this week!)  I hope that everyone's week is great so far - and hopefully it only gets greater :)  Love you all!

Hi Ho, It's Back to School I Go!

Hey there everybody!  Well, it's one week down and a semester more to go...but all is well and so far, so good!  My first week of school was fairly laid back since I set-up my schedule to allow me to ease back into things (only three classes, with two more starting this coming week, and my internship starting the week after next).  Given the easy first week, however, I took advantage and had a fun MLK Holiday Weekend :) 

Between the Alabama football game/party on Monday, a tanning date with my friend Tensie on Wednesday, and various and sundry other things, the week flew by!  On Thursday (which is like my Friday!)  I went to dinner at the Melting Pot with some law school girlfriends and then ended the night at our weekly Bar Review - and boy do these law school kids know how to blow off steam haha!  On Friday night Seth and I met our friend Whit (who is in town from Utah) for dinner and drinks...we sure do love having visitors!

Gotta love the Melting Pot - yummm!!!

To kick off the weekend, a few of us got together for brunch at Level One and, thanks to their delicious food and potent unlimited mimosas, our brunch turned into and all day affair - football, dinner and drinks, and dancing!  Even though it was totally last minute, it was really a fun day :)  In fact, it was so fun that we almost overslept our date with Marge today...but luckily we didn't!  So, after racing to get ready, we met Marge for a wonderful lunch to wrap-up our weekend...and then came home to take a nap :) 

Me, Abby, Daniel, Allen, Lauren, & Seth at brunch.

Well, that's about all for now, but I hope all is well and that you enjoy a wonderful MLK Day tomorrow :)  Ciao!