It takes an idea and a plan....sometimes.

Many say that their spouse 'completes them' or is their 'better half'.  However I have always been told that a girl wears two rings to remind herself that this is not true, but rather that I am a complete person (a complete beautiful ring by myself) and am complemented by the second ring.  So I do not say that Chris is my better half, but rather that he complements me.  More specifically he completes my ideas.  You see, I was in charge this month and well, I am just not a planner.  Naturally, I stole an idea that Chris has mentioned several months ago - going to Alexandria.  I told him this about 5 days in advance.  I also was so scared that it would be a bust of a date that I planned a mosaic glass class the next day just in case.
     
 Turns out that the mosaic glass class was overkill.  We had a blast in Alexandria.  First we visited the Masonic temple.  We aren't that educated about Free Masons and the temple or lodge assumes you have some level of understanding so we were lost for a bit.  I guess the bottom line was that Free Masons are a non-denominational yet faith-based organization that focuses on self-improvement and improving the world around you.

Then we received an introduction to the city by going to a local museum.  Honestly, I remember lots of pictures and that's about it.  No education for you regarding Alexandria this post!  From there Chris planned on going on a walking tour that he printed out from the computer.  Apparently, the man was worried the day would be a bust as well with me as the sole planner.  But I was in charge and so I kindly declined that idea and went with my own plan- a walking tour provided by the museum pamphlets at the front door.  Does it really matter that it was the same one as he had in his pocket? Nevermind I didn't know it existed before we showed up!  :)
       

I love architecture and the architecture of Alexandria truly does tell a story.  It was originally a very important port that pre-dated the creation of Washington DC.  We learned about Captains Row, which was a collection of houses on land that was created by two wealthy sea captains who added to their real estate by just adding dirt onto the riverfront.  Several very old Federal style houses were here.  Here is Chris explaining to me how they used old cannons for practical purposes like watering troughs for horses.

We also saw a tiny blue house that was 7 feet wide and 33 feet deep.  Apparently it was built in an alley to prevent people from using it without permission, and thus called a "spite house."  Another interesting architectural find were "flounder houses," which are houses with an asymmetric sloping roof.  The information on our walking tour told us that windows were not put on one side of the house because then the house was technically incomplete and saved money on taxes.  Thus it is kind of like  a flounder fish with eyes on one side of its body.

Our walking tour ended at Christ's Church where we learned much much more about Alexandria that we had every anticipated from the most interesting lady who was kind enough to show us around even though it was after hours.  This was the church where George Washington and later Robert E. Lee attended church.

Perhaps the man wears only one ring so he is reminded that he is indeed married - that he didnt just wake up from a beautiful dream?  Not sure.


In accordance with completing my ideas, who do you think finished this blog?  Is it obvious?  Either way we're a team and hope you enjoy the stories of our adventures.

Power's Out!

The night before we went to bed with thunder and lighting and ferocious winds howling outside.  The power went out sometime around midnight, but the cool air stayed in the house long enough to let us sleep through the night.  Previously our building had never lost power for more than a few seconds, even during all the snowstorms in the last few years.  And this time our building's back-up generator didn't work either so not even the elevator's were working.  First order of business was to get ice from downstairs and put it in the refrigerator.  Not an easy task when you live on the 11th floor!

Once the food was taken care of, we started planning the day.  Previously the plan was to go down to DC and go on a walking tour and visit the Library of Congress.  But since we couldn't shower and we wouldn't have a cool house to come home too, this wasn't an attractive option any longer.  Instead we decided to drive to Hersheypark in Pennsylvania where everyone else would be hot and sweaty too and there would be some water to jump in.  So we drove the two hours to get there.  And the water felt great!

On returning to our home, we discovered the power had been back on since 10AM, just after we left!  We were incredibly fortunate.  Many people went several days without power.  We had some people over to offer a respite from the heat.

4 Years Ago...

Time passes so quickly but at the same time it feels like we have been married much longer.  This is the first year we were unable to getaway for our anniversary.  No, the love or energy is not fading.  Leigh's school is keeping her very busy.  Besides, most people just go out for dinner for their anniversary, right?  Either way we resolved to make it extra special in two years.  Next year we're both likely to be busy again since I'll be in intern year and she'll be in clinicals for her school.

Tonight we went to Seasons 52, which is a chain restaurant, but a very good one.  They have really good, fresh food that is also very healthy.  And they have live piano music after 6 pm.  What could be better?  Our review?  We loved it.  The appetizers, entree's, and desserts were all delicious.  It was simple yet fun.  Rather than a bunch of things to do, we just spent the whole evening on dinner and enjoying conversation (and the piano music of course).  

Crossing off that DC Bucket List

Since Chris just finished his last clerkship last Friday and Leigh just finished classes, we both actually had the whole day off to have our date.  We are still trying to do the things we haven't done yet in DC.  Today you could say our theme was "American History."  We started at Ford's Theatre:  visited the museum, listened to the ranger talk, and watched the short production called "One Destiny."  The museum was small enough to absorb it all, but not so small you get bored quickly.  We also visited the Peterson house across the street where President Lincoln died after being shot.

For lunch we wandered down to the mall and the Museum of the American Indian.  We tried a buffalo burger and pulled buffalo sandwich.  They also had good sides including frybread.  We recommend it for lunch for those at the mall during lunchtime.  And if you're a federal employee you get 10% off.  On the way home, we went to the Museum of American History for the first time and viewed the exhibit on the presidency and first ladies.  Finally, we went home and watched "The Conspirator," a recent movie about the plot to kill Abraham Lincoln and the trial of Mary Surratt following the assassination.  Based on my reading it was very historically accurate.  It was really fun to see the scenes filmed at the places we had just visited in the morning.  And since it is recent and filmed by Robert Redford it isn't boring!

Another Dinner Date

Another restaurant we have always wanted to try is Addie's.  It is one of Rockville's more famous restaurants and is annually in the Washingtonian's list of best places to eat.  It is run by the Black family who have several restaurants throughout the DC area.  To be honest, we weren't that impressed.  It was very good, but did not leave us dying to return.  We would recommend Newton's Table over Addie's.  Still good though and we crossed it off our list of restaurants to try.

Valentine's Day

February has no 30th, but conveniently it has Valentine's Day.  Since our lives are busy and we can't always take the day off, this was a relatively quick date.  Just dinner.  We are leaving DC in a little over a year though, so we want to try all those restaurants that we always say we want to try.  Tonight we went to a small restaurant in Bethesda called Newton's Table.  Every dish we ordered was amazing!  We highly recommend it to anyone.  Since life is busy, forgive us for the short entry.  Enjoy!

Rockville Warehouse District

Ok, this isn't the official name of a specific place, but we felt it was appropriate. There are trendy neighborhoods close by in Bethesda and even within Rockville. Walkable, master-planned communities are all the rage as evidenced by Bethesda, Rockville Town Center, Reston Town Center, the new North Bethesda area, and the upcoming White Flint development. But underneath it all is decades of history. Many neighborhoods are lined with cookie-cutter brick homes from the 1950's. And Rockville has always been a place to come for shopping. Not trendy boutiques, but furniture, mattresses, and car dealerships. It is the land of strip malls

lining congested Rockville Pike.

As we have lived here we have discovered many wonderful businesses in a run-down strip mall or based out of an old warehouse. So for this 30th our idea was to experience this not-so-pretty, authentic Rockville. For dinner, we went to a Vietnamese restaurant named Pho Hoa recommended by a friend. We tried to browse an adjacent thrift store called Nami, but apparently they are closed on Mondays. Also, there is a nearby art store called Huckleberry Fine Art in an old warehouse that has wonderful originals and limited edition prints by artists like Rob Gonsalves. Finally we headed across the street to another strip mall and tried the Blu Water Day Spa for pedicures and manicures. It is very inconspicuous but receives top awards and reviews from the Washingtonian magazine.