Picking Up the Ball

I really dropped the ball on this whole blogging thing. To my loyal readers (all five of you)....I am sorry. I really am going to make a valiant effort to keep this thing going.

Here's a brief update on some of the things that have been keeping me away from the blogosphere the past two months:

Wedding: there have been quite a few exciting updates on the wedding front. First we booked our honeymoon and will be spending one glorious, relaxing week in Jamaica! Special thanks to my dad and Sheila for making this trip possible.

Those chairs have our names on them!

My dress arrived this past week! I cannot wait to see it in person (the one I ordered was slightly different than what I tried on) and try it on again. I'm headed to Pennsylvania in September to see the dress and finalize bridesmaids dresses. My mom also found her dress and it is GORGEOUS! We just happened to pop into Nordstrom Rack and it was the exact color and style my mom was hoping for and the only one in her size - it was meant to be! Finally, we scheduled our engagement pictures for next month. I've been having fun brainstorming the perfect outfits to wear.

Speaking of weddings...P's sister, Elizabeth, got married a few weeks ago in Richmond, Virginia. The wedding was absolutely wonderful and the new Mr. & Mrs. Haladay were glowing all day.

The beautiful bride on her way to the church

P & I having fun at the reception

Bar Exam: P took the Virginia Bar Exam this past week. He was so focused and committed to studying the past two months; I just know it paid off. Next up for him? A new job! He'll be starting at an intellectual property law firm in DC after Labor Day. I'm so excited for him!

Florida: I went to Florida for a week in June for a conference. While I spent lots of time attending riveting presentations on cost estimating (I even gave one myself!), I squeezed in some time for fun at Universal Studios and Disney with Jenny!

Getting my conference on

Jenny and I survived Universal Studios during Tropical Storm Debbie which required ponchos and using a hand dryer on sneakers. We also danced with Minions!

Vacation: P and I are going on a road trip in August. We'll be driving to Canada to spend a few days in Montreal and Quebec and on the way home we'll spend two nights in Boston. We're both looking forward to getting away and exploring new cities together.

Taylor: In June I got to spend an afternoon with my bestie Aubrey and my cute goddaughter Taylor at the Baltimore Aquarium. It was a fun day catching up and showing Taylor all of the fishies!

Checking out the fish with mom

The aquarium is exhausting

This summer has really flown by. Looking forward to what August has in store!

Apartment Perks

We are settling into the new apartment quickly. Calvin is getting used to elevator rides and we are all enjoying having more space to spread out. In addition to the extra square footage there are lots of other things we're loving:

• Walk-In Closet - need I say more?
• A kitchen with lots of cabinet space that holds more than one person
• Air conditioning that circulates throughout the whole apartment
• Sushi only half a block away
• Natural sunlight

Based on the things we are loving here you would think we lived in a dark, cramped apartment the past two years. While we loved that space and we will always think of it fondly, we are so happy with our new home.

Once we get things unpacked and set up more I promise to post some pictures!

Moving Day!

It's moving day for us and it feels bittersweet. While I'm excited for a slightly bigger apartment (hellooooo walk-in closet!) and to live in a high rise building with lots of great amenities, I'm sad to leave the place that P and I have called home for the past two years. This was our first apartment in the city and most importantly, it is where we got engaged. I know we will never forget that night and have pictures to keep the memory alive but I can't help but be a little sad to leave.

Here's hoping for a seamless, easy move!

Happy Birthday P!

Happy birthday to the sweetest, funniest, most intelligent man I know! I just know that 29 is going to be an amazing year for you!

P as a little slugger 21 years ago

*If I don't blog for a while it is because P has refused to let me use his computer after posting this picture =)

Cooking Hits & Misses

In the past few months I have attempted la few new recipes. Some have been big hits and quickly added to my cooking repertoire and others have been fatal misses that will never be tried again.

The Hits:

• Skinny Taste Chicken Parmesan - This chicken parmesan recipe from Skinny Taste is so good and so easy to make. You most likely have most of the ingredients already on hand. I use a thin slice of fresh mozzarella instead of the shredded mozzarella that the recipe calls for and it is sooo good. The leftovers are just as good!
• Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe & Spicy Sausage - There are a couple of different versions of this recipe but this Shape recipe is my favorite. It isn't the quickest meal to prepare but it's so worth it. I love the kick that a spicy turkey sausage gives and the nutrients that the broccoli rabe adds. I think this would also be good with bigger pieces of onion and red peppers.

The Misses:

• Mozzarella and Cherry Tomato Salad - this should have been fool proof. I bought fresh mini mozzarella balls that had been marinated in olive oil and various herbs and planned to mix in some cherry tomatoes for a quick and easy version of a Caprese salad. I don't know if it was the herb mixture the mozzarella had been marinating in or the fact that the cherry tomatoes weren't quite ripe, but something about this tasted off. Next time I will stick to a traditional Caprese salad.
• Buffalo Chicken Pizza - I had such high hopes for this pizza recipe that I saw on Pinterest. It seemed so simple: blue cheese dressing, buffalo sauce, chicken, and mozzarella cheese. The first noticeable problem with this pizza was that the layer of blue cheese dressing combined with chicken that had been marinated in buffalo sauce was just way too runny. The dressing kept running off the sides of the crust before I even moved the baking sheet to the oven. The second major problem was that the mozzarella cheese just wouldn't melt. I have used reduced fat cheese before on pizzas and never had any issues until this time. I kept it in the oven for 7 minutes longer than the recipe called for and eventually gave up trying to melt the cheese so the crust wouldn't burn. P and I didn't even eat half of the pizza before we decided it was just no good.

It looks deceivingly good

Despite a couple of misses, I am still determined to keep building my list of go-to recipes and experimenting in the kitchen.

Packing Blues

Two weekends ago it hit me that our move was less than three weeks ago. While relaxing one evening I said to P, "I suppose we ought to start packing soon." After procrastinating another two weeks the packing will be in overdrive this weekend as we prepare to move next weekend. Since our apartment is pretty small (less than 650 square feet) we don't have that much stuff to pack, but the process is never quick and never fun. Ever.

It wasn't until I started moving to different apartments during college that I really experienced what it was like to pack during a move. Having grown up in a military family, we were spoiled by the movers coming in, packing everything up (especially the dreaded kitchen), loading the truck and meeting us at our next destination. I hate having to wrap every water glass, every plate, every frame, etc. in newspaper. This time it feels especially painful since we are only moving 0.3 miles to our new apartment.

Maybe a glass of wine or a Skinny Girl margarita will help cure my packing blues...at the very least it will make the process a little more fun!

Graduation Weekend

We kicked off P's graduation weekend with a Nats game on Friday night. Even though the Nats did not win, we had a fun night hanging out with friends at the game and celebrating at the Pour House on Capitol Hill.

P getting a picture with GW himself in honor of his new alma mater

Amanda and I - we had so much fun that night!

On Saturday P's parents came to town and the official celebrations began. That evening we all attended the Law School's Dean Reception at the Air & Space Museum. The museum was completely open so we had lots of fun walking around the exhibits while sipping wine and tasting yummy food

P and I on the second floor of the Air & Space Museum

Sunday started bright and early with the school-wide commencement on the National Mall. P's best man, Matt, had come down from New York to celebrate the graduation and joined us on Sunday morning. Before heading to the graduation area we stopped by the Capitol for a few pictures.

P and his best man, Matt

With the graduate

This year the graduation took place on the west side of the mall with the National Monument as a backdrop. 

It was a beautiful day for an outdoor ceremony

P on the Mall waiting for his degree to be conferred

After the ceremony on the Mall we were joined by P's sister and her fiance and my dad and his wife Sheila for a delicious brunch at Old Ebbitt Grill near the White House. Then we all headed to GWU's campus in Foggy Bottom for the Law School ceremony. By 5:30pm P had officially received his Juris Doctorate!

Us with P's family

Us with my dad and Sheila

While it was an exhausting weekend, it was one filled with lots of love and pride for the graduate. After four long years of working full-time and studying, it was an amazing feeling to hear his name called and see him walk across the stage. Congrats again P!