In August 2007 we started on what our friends and family have dubbed as our "Big Adventure," as we venture out to Washington, DC for M to attend Georgetown and for C to teach elementary school
Can you believe it has been 2 years?We have been together now for 4, but married for 2!Holy moly!Where has the time gone?Being that M and I are both so busy I was not expecting to do a whole lot for our 2nd anniversary.I was happy to just go to dinner and have a date with M.But, that M is always full of surprises and on Tuesday, November 18th I certainly was surprised!I woke up to an envelope in the kitchen and in the envelope was a card and within the card was a patch that says “Virginia is for lovers”.M knows that I have an old duffle/back pack that I have covered with patches from the places I have been.And being that I have been or rather live in the VA he figured it would make a good addition.I proceeded to get ready for my day, gathered my bags and then hopped in the car to head to school.On the way I wanted a little taste of a piece of candy that M had made me (it was kind of weird, but interesting at the same time) so I opened my lunch bag and saw another envelope…being that I was driving I decided to wait until I got to school to open it. When I did arrive, I opened the envelope and to my surprise there were 2 tickets to Cirque du Soleil (Kooza)!What a fun night this would be…dinner at Rosa Mexicana and then to see a show!I was so excited and could not wait to tell my students….a couple of them had been and told me how amazing it was!
Hmm...who are the people under these masks???
Fast forward to the late afternoon…M and I both arrive home from our schools, M does a little schoolwork and then we are ready to go; at least we think we are.The traffic decides to back up and it takes over an hour to get to dinner!It is not even 10 miles away!Our waiter was fabulous and got us drinks (we needed them after that traffic), handmade guacamole at the table and assured that our most delicious dinners arrived fairly quickly. We made it to the show in time!
The contortionists amazed me…how do those girls move their bodies in such bizarre ways?The acrobats were phenomenal and I was continuously amazed for 2 ½ hours.What an amazing show!If you have never been, we highly recommend it!
It was a wonderful night and I look forward to many more happy anniversaries JThanks M for being the best hubby!
Happy Anniversary C & M - 2 years and you still haven't changed your minds.
What are C & M doing for their Cotton Anniversary... nothing too unusual. Their days start early (like usual) at school. Then its out for Mexican food to dinner. Fairly low-key, but should be a good time.
BUT IN OTHER/BETTER NEWS, last Saturday C & M went out to Dave and Buster's for a friend's 30th birthday party. While not usually suckers, they were Saturday night. Dave & Buster's had a photo booth that would take a couple's picture and then predict what their child would look like - how could C & M resist. C is cute and bubbly, while M is amazingly attractive and has a great personality (see, it was possible to be both), certainly their offspring would rival Helen of Troy's attractiveness.
Nope. Their kid is destined to be a freaky-looking, 1980's-corduroy-shirt-wearing hoosier. Sorry A & D and G & H, but after seeing this picture you're better off never being grandparents from these two.
Yup, that's right, C & M had no other plans this weekend so they took a romantic trip to France. Why not, D (M's Bro) was in STL; C & M wanted a vacation too.
Saturday evening started off like many other Saturday's, C & M had a cozy dinner at home before putting on their formal attire and prepping for their travels. It had been 10-18 years since either M or C were last in France, so they were really looking forward to seeing Paris by night.
While they never made it to Paris last night (C was working at Lululemon this morning, Sunday, so they had to come back at a reasonable hour), C & M got to sample nice French wines, see interesting French art and architecture and practice the French they learned on their honeymoon (to French Polynesia). All and all, it was a wonderful trip that was enjoyed by all (including M's 300+ classmates that met them there).
Total cost of a romantic evening in France:
Gas for the Volkswagen - $0.30
A new bowtie for M's Tuxedo - $10.00
Refills for C's hair care products (estimated price) - $7.50
Two tickets to the MBA Formal at the French Embassy in DC - $100.00
A romantic evening in France, while only having to travel 3 miles - Priceless
Aside from silly costumes, October 31 also means its time to tell the annual family Halloween story, affectionately referred to as “The Apple Story.”2008 marks the 14th telling the story, so I hope you enjoy this year’s as much as the prior ones (and yes, the story still ends abruptly).--M
One Halloween during in the 1970's, while my father was at Wash U, he and his roommate were in their room relaxing, when all of a sudden they heard a knock on the door.
Not knowing who or what to expect, they answered the door and were surprised to a little kid (instead of the ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ running women they were hoping for).After a few seconds of staring at each other, the kid finally shouted “TRICK-OR-TREAT.” H (my dad) and his roommate were temporarily at a loss for words.They lived in a locked dorm in the middle of a college campus and were not expecting any Halloween visitors.
H told the munchkin to hold on while they looked for candy. Well, they did not have any candy, sugar or anything close.After searching high and low, the sweetest item available was a Schnucks-aquired apple.So, H presented that apple to the kid as a treat.
As you may know, the 70’s was a decade of change – people used to hippies and political protests began doing the shuffle and disco.Furthermore, food, once thought safe, was now under suspension of tamper. Aware of this potential danger, combined with the caution all youths should show towards strangers, the kid inquired, "How do I know there's no razor blade in there or anything?"
My dad, trying to defend his family name, instructed the little hooligan that he and his roommate are good people and that there is nothing foreign in the apple. "Oh yeah, well then bite the apple and prove it," said the little brat. Oddly complicit to a ten year old, H bit the apple and pointed out the kid that there still was no razor in the apple.
Still not believing, the kid replied, “You knew where to bite! Bite here instead!" As proof of his good-standing, H took another bite of the apple. Then just as my father extended his arm to prove to the pint-size punk that the apple was clean, the kid grabbed the apple, turned, walked down the hall and went into the stairwell, never to be seen again.
About 3 weeks ago, C & M realized they missed their annual fall camping trip - dang busy-ness. They have not been camping since the summer excursion to Cumberland Island, GA. Numerous attempts were made to try and piece a time together to go with some childhood friends, but everyone's schedules were too conflicted for now.
Therefore, C & M have taken the initiative to go camping on their own (like normal). They'll be heading out Friday, Dec 5 (after school of course) and returning Sunday, Dec 7. HOWEVER, THEY NEED YOUR HELP - like a good Choose Your Own Adventure book, the decisions are too great. They are taking recommendations on cool places to camp/tour in the greater VA area - shoot them an email or post a comment with a recommendation. Winner gets a present from the destination; keep in mind they've been to Assateague Island already.
It’s November 1st and you are probably wondering, “So what were C & M for Halloween” and “did their costume winning streak continue?”
While I could tell you what we were, it would be so much more worthwhile (and simple) to just show you…And yes, for the fourth consecutive year we won "Best Costume" at our respective party.
We were a Franzia (wine in a box) truck and dispensed Franzia from a box... the truck had working headlights and taillights.
The truck by the Wine Box Sylvia Driving the Franzia Truck
C & M in the Franzia Truck at the Party
D was at the party with gf K -
(He was Sam Adams and she was the St. Pauli Girl)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
WHAT WERE YOU FOR HALLOWEEN - LINK TO YOUR COSTUME AS A COMMENT.
Be scared. Yup, that's right, very scared. Since our second month of dating, C & I have been an unstoppable Halloween costume couple winning prizes at every party/function we attend (as my parents will likely note, the H's have always had great costumes - if they're nice they may even upload a photo or two).
In 2004: The plug and socket (they've since started making them commercially)
In 2005: The Sun and the Stars (featuring a glowing sun and twinkling stars)
In 2006: A gigantic pair of Scandals
In 2007: We took the year off, because we had house guests.
In 2008:It's a big surprise!!! But I will give you a hint... it involves a really big box. Hmm, what could it be? Don't ask, because we won't tell - you'll just have to wait and see.
While C is out of town (she's visiting our newly engaged friend Suzanne in Cin City) I get some alone time to do the things I've been wanting to do but couldn't. Usually, I rally the troops for a night of poker or a nerd party (no one showed up to my last nerd party other then D). Last night was no exception to the C-less outings; I got to partake in some cheese-less pizza, beer and sports. Yup that's right, cheese-less pizza, because I'm dairy-special.
Because of C's gluten intolerance and my lactarded-ness pizza is usually not a food found in our apartment (except for the Red Baron one that's been in our freezer for 10 months waiting for someone who likes pepperoni, cheese and gluten to eat) or ordered into it. Without C, what would normally be a crustless jumble of toppings and sauce became a delicious meat-loaded cheese-less pizza! Add in a couple of gluten-loaded beers, a terrible Mizzou game, a disappointing Red Sox win and a generally not-funny SNL episode (no surprise) and we had a 3-person party at a buddy's house without C.
What's on tap next time C's out of town & I don't have finals/midterms...I'm thinking a tour of the Hanover Pretzel Factory and a trip to America's oldest brewery. If you have other gluten oriented ideas/recommendations, please feel free to pass them along.
So, this will be a short post, because I have either talked to you or you have probably looked at my pics on ofoto or facebook already. But, I did it! I successfully completed the Komen 3-Day Walk in DC!!! It was a phenomenal journey and I would highly consider doing it again. I feel as if I made a difference. There were just over 3,000 walkers and together we raised $7.3 million! On my own, I raised over $2600 - with a few friends still saying that they need to donate. I wonder what I will hit by the time it is said and done? Even when I was getting tired, my spirits were high and I just kept on moving. After awhile the pain in your feet goes away, maybe it is all of the moleskin (layers) providing extra cushion or maybe it is just that my feet were tired of being achy so they just stopped. Regardless of whatever I was feeling I was on a mission and I felt like I was not given a moment to feel down, tired or to think about what the hell I was doing. I did a few training walks before the journey began, but really I think it is all of the walking that M and I do around DC and Arlington, along with the pilates and yoga that I do a few times a week - that is what strengthened me as a person and gave me the mental strength along with the core strength to stand up and put up a fight against breast cancer.
M was surprised as to how energetic I remained throughout the walk when he visited, but honestly I could not help it. From the crew that got us pumped to cross a street, to the phenomenal women and men I was walking with, how could I get down? One could say that I did "get down" in the streets, as the music was blaring I would do a little dance as I strutted my stuff across an intersection :) I drank more Gatorade than I could ever imagine...I think I might have had a Gatorade baby growing in my belly at a few points - but it kept me hydrated so I can not complain. I had not had Gatorade since I was a little kid (when they only made yellow) and I do not plan on drinking it until my next 3-Day (yeah, I said it...I would definitely consider taking this journey again)...the truth is that I despise Gatorade - but when your body needs electrolytes, you give your body electrolytes...I think I have enough in me to keep me going for a good long while.
Sunday might have been the most exciting day as I got to walk through our neighborhood of Arlington! Lululemon even put up signs (posterboard was courtesy of M) in the windows! The mannequins even got dressed up for the occasion too! It was wonderful to see my friends and to know that I had so much love and support. That is about it for now, the pics tell the story with their captions and I am sure the next time you see me I can tell you the story better than it would be through a silly blog!
If you did not get to see my pics you can follow this link:
This morning, very early, C & her friend Katie started their 60 mile, 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk.
If you are in DC and want to watch and cheer her on as she walks, per the race, she will be at the following locations at some point during the time span (call me at we'll coordinate - her cellphone will be off 90% of the time).
9:30a m - 1:30 pm SE Corner of Key Bridge - They're walking by school; it was very considerate of them to do this, now I won't even have to stop studying for finals.
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to dinner. Fairly low-key, but should be a good time.
