remembering

last night I spent some time with some of the girls that are in my ward. Most of them I have only met in passing at church or at other activities and don't really know that well. It was fun to get to know them and talk about how we all ended up here and other girl stuff {over crafting, of course}

I'm one of the newest newlywed in the group and so they all were asking questions about how we met, where we got married, and of course - how he proposed. and its funny because lately all of our stories have revolved around the sealing and the reception and the honeymoon and such because HEY, WE JUST GOT MARRIED! WOO LOOK AT US! - and I won't lie, I love talking about all those things! they are such happy memories and fun times, who wouldn't?

But probably my favorite story I got to tell was how M proposed. When we got engaged we went back to a place that had known us, has been there the previous year and a half we were together, and had probably already known it was going to happen {bc M spilled to beans to everyone BUT me} and to be honest, people already expected grandios from M and tears from me so it was fun to tell people who haven't known us very long. I hadn't told the story for a little bit and all those emotions I felt at that moment, and the days thereafter came flooding back. The butterfiles and the happy tears and those moments where we would just look at each other and be like "AH WE'RE ENGAGED?!?". It was so new and fun and fresh. I love remembering that story and that time in our lives that really wasn't that long ago at all {but sometimes feels like for-ev-er!} And all the oo-ing and aww-ing just reminded me how lucky I am to have this husband of mine :)

pictures from the day after we got engaged, in Central Park.

p.s. for the proposal story click here

p.s.s. for the pictures of the proposal click here

p.s.s.s. I just realized its exactly 10 months today since we got engaged! how fitting.

sickness

seriously, it sucks.

that is all.

el templo

we love that the DC temple is 'our' temple now.

p.s. m said that it was ok we kissed in front of the temple bc we are already married. just sayin.

we also love that Ashley & Jared live 10 minutes from the temple and cook us dinner when we go :)

Jazz in the Park

 on the last friday of the free jazz in the sculpture garden on the national mall, we had a picnic of au bon pain sandwiches, utz cheetos and farmers market peaches {which i'm missing so much right now!}

oh yea and a walk down to chinatown for a nice cold DC :)

the end :)

lets take a few seconds to breathe

taken on the day we got our marriage license. {when I was still very much breathing}

So many of you know that when we moved out here to DC M started grad school {which sidenote, he LOVES!} and I started a job at the CFPB {or Consumer Financial Protection Bureau}. Phew. Ok.

I didn't even begin to know what that meant when I accepted the offer. I had an inkling of idea of what the day-to-day duties might be, but nothing solid. You want to know why I agreed to quit a job that I loved and move across the country {and not just because it was obvious I needed a job and M was going to school near}? Because I believed and felt a passion for what the CFPB was all about. The mission of helping the american people. The drive for making sure the 'big bad banks' don't fool us all again. The epic idea of transparency! {you're kidding!} I wanted to be a part of all that.

Well I am, and have been for almost 2 months now. I can't believe its only been that long. Literally its felt like 6 or maybe even 9, but definitely longer than 2. And it has been a series of up & downs {hello, its a startup!!} {and also hello, they changed my job duties drastically- in a good way!!} but I can honestly say how grateful I am for that mission, the very reason I accepted this job - because without that I don't think I could justify 10 hour days {leaving when its dark and getting back when its dark!?} and endless projects and to-do lists and long phone conversations with bank executives. but I do, because I think it is worth it

it also doesn't hurt that my husband doesn't get home until 9 PM and so I don't even have to start cooking dinner until 8, :)

But sometimes I need a few seconds to just breathe. To sit and think and laugh with my husband. To do the things I love outside of work. To just be. 

There are several ways to do this I think, and everyone is different, but I am employing 3 methods over the next week or so:

1. COOKING and BAKING! - On the menu this week: mini chicken pot pies, chicken tortilla soup, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and chocolate silk pie! mmmm, fall!
2. a mini getaway & time with friends - this weekend the hubs and I are going to go to the Annapolis Sat/Sun to look around, eat good food and do whatever the heck we want. Just an hour away and free nights stay and we've got that mini getaway {seriously, I didn't mean for the rhyming, just go with it} and then pumpkin carving/pumpkin seed baking/scary movie watching with our fave couple Ash & Jared! wooooo!
3. exercise! - my darling husband created a {reasonable!!} workout schedule for me, and I'm going to STICK TO IT, dangit.

So here's to breathing!

Adventures in DC

On Labor Day we decided to explore the city with some friends {who we didn't get pictures with/of, oops} and even though M & I have already seen all of the sites, Cate & Wyatt just moved here from Boston and hadn't had the chance to {and the new MLK memorial was open too, so what the heck.} 

It was supposed to rain and ended up 1) not raining and 2) being hott! We also went to my very favorite place in DC for milkshakes - Good Stuff Eatery - so I was a happy camper. It was a lot of fun, we definitely love DC!

:)

Let's just get it out there - I'm not a sailor

So M has an aunt and uncle who live in Baltimore and they also happen to have a sailboat. So last weekend they oh so graciously invited us out for a weekend of sailing fun. Now, neither of us has ever been sailing before, and let me just say this: M was excited, and I was terrified I would vomit. I have terrible motion sickness, in that I have to take a {non drowsy} dramamine every morning when I wake up because I take the metro to/from work. I also get sick on car trips, airplanes, and... boats. But since the dramamine seemed to be working for me on my metro rides {i could read the Express!} I let myself get a little excited.

And it was awsome right about this time.... 15 minutes in

And then the wind decided to kick it up to 30 knots and that's when my dramamine also decided to stop working.

So the pro-sailors {Aunt + Uncle} so graciously decided to change our course and stop off in Annapolis, halfway to the desired destination.

They had this amazing friend there who let us raft up {sailing term!} on calmer waters. We walked around downtown Annapolis, had dinner at this great italian place and had a bonfire.

After a calm night's sleep on the boat {1st for everything!} we had pancakes in the morning and had a verrrrrry much calmer sail back to Baltimore.

So, although I am not a sailor, M definitely got the hang of it. Looks like a hobby he will take up on his own! ;-)