A lil' Diddy 'bout Atlantic City

Hey again! Another week has gone by and it's time for the weekly update before I hit the hay tonight :) I'm actually not as tired as I thought I would be after a weekend in Atlantic City, but I still need my beauty rest so I'll make it quick :)

This weekend (after a fairly busy week at school), Seth and I headed off to Atlantic City for Brooke's brother, Sean's, graduation from Coast Guard training.  All of her family flew in for the weekend, so of course we had to head up to meet them! We actually got in just in time to play a little bit before resting up for a full, fun-filled weekend!  On Saturday, we got up and hit the tables for a while before taking a break from our sorrows (thanks to Bally's!) to go see "The Hunger Games!"  :)

Coolest margaritas ever: instead of salt on the rim, it had Salt Air!

A view of the Boardwalk from our room.

After taking a break from the city for a bit, we headed back for dinner and then went to the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum. It was pretty fun: fortune telling, spinning rooms, and lots more crazy things...I felt right at home :)  Then, to end the night, we all went to a comedy show at the Tropicana - and and it was actually super funny!

Finally, someone who made Seth look short :)

This lady read my fortune!

The Throne of Love said Seth was "exciting!"

This room spun around, so you could barely walk straight to exit!

On Sunday, after a fun 36 hours, we got up and had breakfast with Brooke's fam before hopping in the car and heading for home! It's always fun to  get away, but it's also just a nice to pick-up Honeychild and have a nice, relaxing Sunday at home...which is exactly how we spent the afternoon :)  Unfortunately, Monday is just around the corner, so it's time to buckle down again and get 'er done!  But never fear, I'm sure next weekend will bring fun too...especially since a little birdie told me it was someone verrrrry special's birthday :) Until then, however, much love and wishes for a wonderful week!

Spring Break!!!

Hey there again everybody!  It's been a wonderful Spring Break, but it's back to the grind tomorrow...so before it starts, I figured I'd send out an update :)

After getting back and recuperating from a fun-filled trip to South Carolina, I faced a week of...catching up, relaxing, and fun! :) I don't feel too guilty though, because the week before was crazy and exams are coming up...so I kind of deserved it :)  As a matter of fact, I even went to work on Wednesday and was able to participate in a film screening for "Stop Bullying: Speak Up!"  The event was sponsored by Cartoon Network and was geared towards local children and teaching them how they can put an end to bullying.  At the event I had the opportunity to meet Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (U.S. Secretary of Health  and Human Service), Don Lemon (CNN Anchor), and the President/CEO of Cartoon Network.  It is great that more and more people are taking the bullying issue seriously and I encourage all of you to watch the video (it's about 30 minutes) and share it with others, especially those who have children: http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/promos/stopbullying/index.html

The panel, including Don Lemon and Kathleen Sebelius.

The rest of the week was spent playing catch-up (and even getting somewhat ahead!) and taking some me time/having fun!  Between lunches and dinners, I made sure to get in my daily exercise (and tanning for good measure!), especially given that my 50-mile race is in just four weeks!  We even got to have a special celebratory birthday dinner for Amy and met her at her favorite Italian restaurant in Old Town Alexandria...fun times!

Amy's Birthday Bash

To wrap up the fun, I got a call from a friend of mine in L.A. who was in D.C. for the week on business and we met up so that I could play tour guide! I sure am glad that people come and visit, because it gives me a good reason to go out and see the city myself :) Also, Saint Patrick's Day marked three years since Seth and I first met...and thanks to the luck o' the Irish, we are still a happy family and so grateful to have found each other...as Rihanna said, "we found love in a hopeless place!"  

Seth and Honey: my happy little family :)

Until next time, much love and may the luck o' the Irish find you all too...ciao!

Down the Freeway and through the Swamp, to G-Mom's House we go!

Hey there ya’ll!  My Southern roots have taken hold (for a little bit at least) thanks to our visit to South Carolina J  After making it through a crazy busy week (one of the busiest yet!), it was time for SPRING BREAK…so next thing you know, we packed up our stuff (along with my sleepless self) and Seth and I headed south of the border! 

South of the Border...literally!

Jen (one of my best girlfriend’s since high school) and I happened to have coinciding Spring Breaks this year, so we decided to meet in the middle and arranged a trip to see G-Mom and Tony (Jen’s grandparents) who live in Bluffton, South Carolina.  I hadn’t seen them since they moved down there from Fredericksburg, but when I walked in the door, I saw that they hadn’t changed a bit…freshly baked cake waiting for us, along with friendly smiles and big hugs!  Seriously, I can’t overstate how amazing the two of them are (they are basically my adopted grandparents!), and they were the best hosts you could EVER ask for J  So, after saying our hellos and eating some cake, we all hit the hay to rest up for a fun weekend!

On Saturday, Jen, Seth, and I headed to Savannah, Georgia (only about 20-minutes away from their house) to check things out.  Seth hadn’t ever been south of Virginia, so in a matter of hours, he had visited three new states (North/South Carolina and Georgia).  After arriving in Savannah, we had to drive around forever to find parking, because our visit just so happened to coincide with their annual (and WELL atteneded) St. Patty’s fest…and it was pretty cool…there was a concert, green beer, and lots of fun!  We took a stroll down the river walk (with a Wet Willy in hand, of course!) and then walked uptown and visited a local establishment, Jen and Friends, in honor of our friend Jen…but we ended becoming friends with Jen and her friends (literally) and learned all the places to visit in Savannah…and it’s surprisingly a fun little town!

Savannah, here we come!

Jen and I at Savannah's pre-Saint Patrick's Day festival - fun!

Seth and Jen at Seed, Savannah's organic martini bar.

After a fun day in the city, we headed home for G-Mom’s famous spaghetti!  She remembered I liked it, so she made the noodles and sauce from scratch…and it’s especially nice since she can’t even eat the spaghetti due to her gluten allergy!  I sure am glad she made it though, cause we scarfed it down and enjoyed every second of it J 

G-Mom's Spaghetti...ah-mazing!

On Sunday, G-Mom and Tony gave us a tour of Bluffton (Tony is the City Manager) and showed us all the sights, while also convincing us why we need to move to Bluffton J  After our tour, we headed to Hilton Head Island, and boy was it pretty!  Even though it was overcast, the weather was SO nice, and reminded me of how jealous I am of anyone who lives around palm trees (I miss them!)  Once we finished our tour, we headed home to eat some more…can you see a theme developing here?  G-Mom is famous for feeding her guests, and spent the day before cooking and baking all our favorite treats (which we gladly ate, and even got to bring home with us!): a cheese log, cookies, brownies, etc…  For dinner, we had homemade strawberry-lime margaritas before heading to their favorite Mexican restaurant…yum!

Hilton Head's famous lighthouse.

Seth, Jen, and I hanging out in Hilton Head.

Me, Seth, and G-Mom - all ready to go...and goodies packed too!

When we woke up today, we were both bummed to have to say goodbye, but are so glad that we got to spend a fun AND relaxing weekend (we both needed it!) with Jen, G-Mom, and Tony!  Luckily for us though, we will get to see more of them soon between Jen’s graduation from optometry school in May (Florida trip!) and the 50-mile race (yes, 5-0!) that we are running in Virginia next month…but those are both stories for a different day J  More Spring Break Updates to come, but much love until then!  

An Inspiring (and FUN!) Weekend!

It's that time again - another week down, another week closer to Spring Break :) :) :)  And what a week it was...crazy busy with school (typical!) and playing catch up from too much fun :)

To wrap up the school/work week, I attended the HRC (Human Rights Campaign) Board Meeting (it's the company I work with this semester).  My job for the Conference?  Taking minutes...and boy did I work my little fingers to the bone...all 13 single-spaced pages worth!  But although my job was to take notes, I really did enjoy the Conference and left feeling so proud to be working with HRC in the fight for marriage equality!  Most of the time was spent reviewing the organization's strategic plan, but we had a really interesting program during lunch that was full of wonderful speakers...including Governor Martin O'Malley, the Governor of Maryland.  I was so honored to meet him and left feeling inspired by his speech!  For those of you who don't know, Governor O'Malley introduced the marriage equality bill that just recently passed in Maryland! Now, with Maryland (and Washington state which passed a similar bill recently), that's 8 states, along with D.C., which allow marriage equality...and with the momentum on our side, true marriage equality is only a matter of time :)

Hard to see, but this is Governor O'Malley inspiring the crowd :)

After the Conference was over, I met Seth and our friend Tensie (law school wife #1) for dinner and drinks before heading to Mixx, the Conference's after-party.  Good times!

Most of the rest of the weekend has been spent study, study, studying like a good lil' law student...but Saturday night I rewarded myself with a break to go to my Aunt Tita's 70th Birthday party, followed by a house party at our girlfriend Veronica's (she is another of my few law school wives!)  We had a blast, and enjoyed getting to see everyone - good food, good company, and good times!  Plus, Seth even got to practice a little bit of his español :)

Dad, Tita, and Seth at the Party.

Happy Birthday Tita!!! (If you haven't tried tres leeches cake, you haven't lived!)

Veronica and Me...post-karaoke and games :)

As for now, it's Sunday night TV time (I'm trying out a new show called GCB...short for Good Christian B's...and I kinda like it!)  Time to wrap up, but until the next time...much love!  Spring Break, here we come...in 4 days :) 

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!