Crazy Calvin!

Last night Calvin gave us quite a scare. I was relaxing in the living room while P was on the phone with his mom in the den. I noticed Calvin wasn't in the room but didn't think much of it because he often waits for P outside the den. After P got off the phone, Calvin came prancing into the living room and P immediately noticed something red all over Calvin's nose and mouth. I ran to the kitchen for a wet paper towel and P ran to the bathroom to inspect (this is always our first place to look because he is known to get into trouble with the trashcan). Sure enough Calvin had gotten into the trash and had gotten a hold of my discarded Intuition razor (it is a razor with soap around the blade). There was blood all over the bathroom, it looked like an opening scene from a Law & Order episode. I wiped down the bathroom while P applied a wet towel to Calvin's tongue until the bleeding stopped. Thankfully within 20 minutes, Calvin happily went on a walk and curled up with us on the couch. P and I are doting puppy parents so this was a fairly traumatizing experience for us, definitely more than it was for Calvin. Needless to say we are now planning to keep the bathroom door closed at all times.

About 3 months old on his first night home

Checking In

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been almost a week since the last update, I worked a couple of long days last week and by the time I got home, a computer was the last thing I wanted to look at.

I left work early last Friday to spend some quality time with Aubrey in Lancaster, PA. We spent a solid 3+ hours at Babies R Us preparing her baby registry and learning about all the things the little one will need. By 7pm we were exhausted, collapsed on her sofas and ordered pizza. As usual we put on a movie but barely watched it as we were chatting the most of the time, it reminded me of our days of sharing a room on Cherry Lane in State College.

On Saturday I headed back south (with a quick trip to the outlets first) and met up with Allison in Maryland for lunch. It was a beautiful day and we had a delicious lunch at Nick's Fish House and Grill on the water. It was so good to see her (and her growing belly)! After a quick nap upon returning to DC, P and I headed to dinner at Masa 14 - we love that place! We then walked 17 blocks for frozen yogurt and it was well worth it. Since we were in the area we walked over to E Street Cinema to see the Conan O'Brien documentary and laughed so hard. It was so good. I'm not sure if it's being shown nationwide, but if it's playing near you, go see it!

After a solid 3 mile run on Sunday morning, I had a very productive day of grocery shopping, budgeting, and long overdue spring cleaning. It always feels good to declutter and reorganize.

Even though this is going to be a long work week, it ends with a 3-day weekend and Fourth of July! I love everything about the Fourth - fireworks, hot dogs, patriotism, and how alive this city comes. I can't wait to walk to the National Mall next Monday and help celebrate our great country's birthday. Tomorrow brings double excitement as I get to have lunch with my dad since he'll be in the area for work and then dinner with two of my favorite ladies, Jess and Amanda!

I'll leave you with a picture of where P and I were on this day last year......

Enjoying beers in Munich, Germany

Mr & Mrs Thomas and Philadelphia

This past weekend, P and I went to the wedding of our friends Kyle and Donavan. Kyle is one of my coworkers who I met when he was interviewing for the job. He and Donavan are also Penn State alums and we quickly discovered we had several mutual friends. They are a super fun couple and always so thoughtful and generous to their friends.

Their wedding was held at the Lake House Inn, about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia. Everything about the venue, ceremony, and reception was breathtaking. Kyle & Donavan were glowing and you could feel their love and joy for one another. I loved their music choices for their processional, Let My Love Open the Door and Make You Feel My Love, which was performed by a live musician. So amazing! The whole night was so fun and I'm so glad I got to share in the celebration. Congrats to Kyle and Donavan!

*Most of the pictures below are courtesy of those posted on Facebook*

Ceremony site and view of the lake

Stunning bride walking in with her father

Me and P as the sun set on the lake

The work crew with the happy couple

On Saturday, P and I ventured into Philadelphia for a mini vacation. We started with brunch at the highly recommend Sabrina's. Then we explored the Fairmount Park/Waterworks area before a quick trip to the art museum. After checking into the hotel (which was right next to City Hall), we spent a few hours walking around the city and taking pictures. We had a yummy dinner at El Vez and even took some cute pictures in their photo booth. Since we were feeling super full, we walked around the Rittenhouse Square area before getting seats outside of a bar for a few drinks. Before leaving town on Sunday we had brunch at The Continental and snapped a few more pictures. I loved everything about our time in Philadelphia and can't wait for an opportunity to go back.

P the photographer

On top of the art museum steps with Philly in the background

Hanging around in Philly

City Hall at night

The only disadvantage to living in the city....

....is the lack of storage space.

I dream of one day having a large, perfectly organized closet:

Or a spacious kitchen with lots of tall cabinets:

And maybe a brightly painted scrapbooking space like this:

Until then I will keep reading Real Simple and looking here to figure out how I can take full advantage of every nook and cranny of our DC apartment!

Catching Up

We had a great weekend in DC and I'm still trying to catch up on sleep. This is another random post mostly recapping the weekend and week/weekend ahead.

• Last night was the Decemberists concert at Merriweather. They were AMAZING live. If you ever have a chance to catch them, I highly recommend it. We were in the pit and had such a great view, especially of the lead singer, Mr. Colin Meloy!

I love Colin Meloy!

• If you're ever in DC on a Friday in the summer, check out jazz in the sculpture garden. It is a fun, relaxing way to kick off the weekend and enjoy pitchers of beer or sangria with friends.
• I am so excited to go to Philadelphia this weekend! Our friends Kyle and Donavan are getting married on Friday outside of the city and then P and I will spend the rest of the weekend in the city exploring. Although some would disagree, I think Philly is an awesome city to visit and live. It is a special place to P and I and we always look forward to spending time there.

Me and P in Philly in July 2009

• On Friday night we tried the Spanish tapas restaurant, Oyamel, with our friends Nisha and Mike (their wedding is in LA in October). The table was unanimously disappointed with the food. Something just didn't taste right. The traditional margaritas were good but the special Oyamel margarita with salt foam tasted like ocean water. We will not be going back.
• We're seeing these guys in August at Wolf Trap. It is my sixth time seeing them and I'm just as excited as the first time. I think P has lost some of his enthusiasm for them (he's on round seven or eight), but they always put on a great show.
• Matt is coming! He moved to California from DC but will be staying with us while in town for work. He and P have known each other since high school and he's been such a great friend to us both. I'm looking forward to catching up with my other reality tv junkie.
• Calvin's birthday is this week! We're not sure the exact day, but we know he was born in mid-June. It's hard to believe that he is already four years old. He is such a sweet puppy and I'm so thankful to have him.

The birthday boy

• I'm headed here in July for a week long conference and am super excited that P will be able to join me for part of the week.
• Finally, since Father's Day is this weekend I wanted to give a special shout out to my dad! He's an amazing guy and loves his daughters unconditionally. I'm so glad he is in my life and am always grateful for his love and support. Happy Father's Day!

Dog Days

The dogs days of summer have arrived in DC. It has been in the 90s the past two days but felt like it was well into the 100s. I am already looking forward to the fall!

While the heat may be miserable, there are some things I can't help but smile about:

• Painted toe nails. It may be one of the only things I like about summer. There is something so great about seeing brightly painted toe nails in a pair of sandals or open toe heels.
• TheBalm Betty-Lou Bronzer. A friend of a friend recommended this for Aubrey's wedding last weekend and it is AMAZING. It will keep my face looking sun-kissed all year!
• Lovely dresses from Anthropologie that I cannot afford. I'll be watching for these to go on sale:

• Spending more time in these now that school is done:

• Bravo Reality TV shows. They are disgustingly addictive. I love all the housewives and Top Chefs. But I try not to make P watch them (too much).
• Side hairdos. They are a classy and easy way to keep my hair off my neck and back during these hot days. I LOVED how the updo I chose for Aubrey's wedding turned out. I'm hoping to figure out how to do some of these others on my own.

Back of my hair for Aubrey's wedding

• And of course evening walks and quality belly rubbing time with the blog's namesake.

And the beat goes on....

As I mentioned in P's birthday post, he is a big fan of music, especially indie and folk music. I had been an avid music listener before we started dating, but he has opened my eyes to many more artists and songs. The area of the city we live is within walking distance to two great venues: 930 Club and Blackcat. In addition to those we have frequented shows at Rock and Roll Hotel and 6th and I Synagogue. Outside of the city, we have gone to concerts at Wolf Trap, Jiffy Lube Live, and Merriweather Post Pavilion.

This upcoming Saturday we'll be going to see M. Ward, Dawes, and Bright Eyes at Wolf Trap. I have been a fan of Bright Eyes since P and I started dating. I could play their song "First Day of My Life" over and over. Fingers crossed they play it on Saturday (confession: as much as I love hearing artists new music at concerts, it frustrates me when they don't play fan, well this fan's, favorites). I've also been listening to their new album, The People's Key, and while it is not as folk-y as their previous albums it is just as good and either way it should be a good show.

People's Key album cover

On Monday we will be seeing the Decemberists at Merriweather Post Pavilion. While I'm excited to see them perform their new album, The King is Dead, I would love to see them play Hazards of Love. That album was genius. When they were on tour in 2009 they played the entire album start to finish as it tells a story in sequential order. I also recommend their 2006 album, Crane Wife. Unfortunately we won't get to see Jenny Conlee (the Decemberistsr keyboardist/accordion player) since it was announced last month that she has breast cancer and would miss the May/June shows while she recovers from treatment. Here's hoping she has a speedy recovery and is able to join them on the road soon!

The King is Dead album cover

Some other artists I've been into the past few months are:

• Adele - the 21 album is genius
• Yeasayer - their sound is perfect for the summer
• Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - just check them out, you won't regret it
• Arcade Fire - they didn't win the Grammy for nothing
• Alexander and the Fam - this is Mr. Sharpe's other personality and just as good
• Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr - we saw them do a free concert in our neighborhood last month and I guarantee they'll be huge by the end of the year, check out their song "Simple Girl"

Now my music selections are probably a little dated compared to P. He reads many music blogs and always knows the latest and greatest. Once his summer semester ends hopefully he will guest blog and share some of his favorites.

What music are you into these days?

Mr & Mrs Emig!

This past weekend was Aubrey and Brent's wedding in Gettysburg, PA. I met Aubrey the first week of our freshmen year at Penn State. We quickly became inseparable and have had so many great memories together. I had the privilege of being her maid of honor on Friday.

Aubrey and Brent met almost two years ago at his sisters wedding. After a first date over ice cream they quickly fell in love. Brent proposed in May 2010 after another ice cream date. The whole weekend was absolutely beautiful and showcased their devotion to God, family, and friends. I could not be more excited for them and am looking forward to meeting baby Emig in the fall!

Here are a few pictures from the weekend.....

Me and Aubrey at the rehearsal

Just married!

Bridesmaids!

The silly groomsmen

Me and Heather

The happy couple

Best Man, Groom, and MOH

Me and P at the reception

Aubrey and Brent's wedding was the first of five weddings that P and I went and/or will go to in 2011. My roommate and friend from Penn State, Sarah, was married in March. In less than two weeks we will be traveling to Philadelphia for one of my coworkers weddings and will then have a break for a few months until two more weddings in October (one in LA and one in Pittsburgh). We are so excited for the opportunity to celebrate with our friends and family during their very special days.