happy memorial day!

Though there's only a few hours left to Memorial Day 2013, I hope it's been a good one and that the rest of it is just as good. In my case, this weekend was one for the books. I'll fill you in later this week... but know it involved lots of mileage, sunshine, and laughter.

dog meets snow.

Last weekend, a group of us went up to Pennsylvania for some fun and relaxation. We were a little worried about how our Panamanian dog would react to a massive amount of snow... He's obviously been around snow here in DC but nothing more than a couple inches. We should've known better than to worry. ;)

a glimpse of my california.

//my favorite little man showing us all how well he can eat// 

No words can really describe how good it felt to go home a couple of weeks ago. Though it wasn't the first time I went to California since moving out here, it was the first time I visited my family and friends in the bay. We packed so much in during the few days we were in town, driving up and down 80 many many times. I'm so thankful that Dave and I have such loving friends and family who took time out of their days to make sure they had some free time for us. Here are a few of my favorites taken on my phone.

//visiting sudwerk and old friends// 

//i popped the question and asked her to be one of my co-MOHs// 

//the boys reunited// 

//senorita bread//

 //i want to get back to my city by the bay//

//next year!// 

//visiting refuges has to be one of my favorite parts of traveling now// 

 //buster insisted on riding shotgun with dave on the way to the airport//

a day of presidents.

A few weeks ago, our dear friend Mindy came to town. We decided to spend the day doing touristy things none of us have done (there are still so many more things in DC that Dave and I have yet to see/do). I'd been dying to check out the National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum and decided that should be on the list. The other thing? Watching A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theater. Good planning all around!

We ended up taking two of the free tours at the Portrait Gallery. One looking at Civil War art in the American Art Museum and the other exploring everything the National Portrait Gallery has to offer. I highly recommend taking the tours if you ever go. You learn way more than you would just walking around the place alone - though I'm sure everyone but me already knew that. My favorite part was the section with portraits of all of the presidents. Some looked lifelike... while others didn't. They were all great though!

The production of A Christmas Carol was incredible. It's one of my favorite Christmas stories, yet I'd never seen it live. So exciting! It was a little eerie at times to know that I was sitting across from where the infamous event occurred, but I got over it pretty quickly. Ford's Theater is absolutely gorgeous. I love how small it is and how you have a pretty great view from wherever you're sitting. Since we bought our tickets pretty last minute, the three of us ended up having to sit separately. Another new experience... being sandwiched between strangers during a play. In the end it doesn't matter - I mean, how often do you really talk to the person next to you when so engrossed in a play?

And completely unrelated... how cool is this?

macy's thanksgiving parade.

Yes, I know this post is going up weeks after the parade occurred. Yes, I know I've failed at updating this blog lately (I'll do better this week, I promise!). Yes, I know it's technically called the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (Dave and I fail consistently calling it the "thanksgiving parade"). Doesn't matter... In the end, I have tons of photos to share! But before I do, head over to The Magnolia Pair to check out the sweet feature Miss Britt posted.

//oh, kermie!!//

//mr. fallon and the roots//

//karmin//

//i personally think the washington nats presidents look waaaay better//

//all bundled up//

//poor sponge bob...//

//papa smurf//

//aye aye, captain mickey//

//and of course... SANTA!!!!!//

And can I just say how thankful I am for this guy right here?! I couldn't imaging a better person to share new experiences with, to have fun with, and to just plain spend my life with.

here it goes again.

Been a crazy past few days. Thanksgiving was great until I started to feel icky. Now the dog isn't doing so well either. We did catch A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theater last night - pretty amazing! We did take tons of pictures on Thursday at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade... I'll post them soon! Just trying to get life back in order.

Until then... enjoy this video that I somehow escaped. Seriously, how have I never seen this amazing piece of work?!

stars and stripes.

I hope you guys had a great 4th of July! Dave and I spent the day in the best way possible... going with the flow and not really having solid plans beyond a BBQ in the afternoon and fireworks at night. Breakfast and a crossword puzzle, gym, BBQ with family, fireworks, homemade popsicles. Not too shabby for our first 4th in DC.

a taco tuesday valentine's day.

Hope you guys had a great Valentine's Day. While I don't believe you should only show appreciation for that special someone one day a year, I do like the fact that Valentine's Day exists. It's like birthdays. You should celebrate life every day, but having one day each year serves as a fun reminder.

This year, we decided to continue our tradition of doing something ice related. Well, we realized once we were at the Verizon Center that we were continuing our tradition. Up until he went to Panama, we went to Disney on Ice every year (they like to roll through Sacramento during the week of vday). Back to the story... We went to see the San Jose Sharks play the Washington Capitals Monday night. My home team versus my soon-to-be-new-home team. Sharks won!

Yesterday, in the tradition of Taco Tuesday, we made delicious ranch chicken tacos as our Valentine's Day dinner. We've made these tacos quite a few times before and absolutely love them. We finished up the night drinking wine and watching some good tv while cuddling.

Perfect Valentine's Day in my book.

P.S. Yesterday's embarrassing moment of the day. And when I say embarrassing, I mean EMBARRASSING! So I'm standing at the metro in Ballston and a guy asks me if the train coming up goes to East Falls Church. I start thinking hard... East Falls Church. I know I've heard of it! But darn, I feel like he's on the wrong line for that one. I say "I don't know" and then he goes up to the guy next to me and asks the same question... "Yes". I hop on the train only to realize EFC is MY STOP! I felt like such an idiot. I texted Dave while on the train telling him the story and how I was contemplating staying on the train until the next stop and then waiting for the next train to bring me back. That's how silly I felt! I ended up deciding the extra time wasn't worth it and I had to buck up. Knowing he was getting off of that stop and that we were on the same train car, I waited until he exited and then quickly ran off the train and hid behind the stairs waiting for him to go down. Why I was so worried about what someone I'd probably never see again would think about me, the girl who got off at the stop that she said she didn't know about, I don't know. 

Oh well. There's my long, sad story.

Oh! And Mr. Weatherman said it was supposed to snow yesterday. NO SNOW! I was so excited for a snowy Valentine's Day. The only time it snowed was last Saturday and I missed it! We were in Baltimore when the snow came down in Arlington... No snow in Baltimore that night and now no snow yesterday. Sad times. 

we sometimes fail at life.

Here's our Christmas/Chanukah/Happy 2012 card... that we will not be sending out because at this point... I think you get why. But the sentiment remains.

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a ruxin new year.

Welcome, 2012!

Happy 2012! I pray that you guys are having a great new year. After Christmas with my family in the Bay, I made the trek back to SD to ring in the new year with my love. We went on a few dates to Applebees thanks to our gift card Christmas gift from Kuya Russell and Ate Joyce, visited with Aunt Eva, Mama, and Papa, enjoyed the beach, and saw friends. We greeted the new year by partying at the Catamaran in PB, followed by walking back to our friend's house with a pit stop for some carne asada fries. YUM! They made amazing leftovers the next morning. Oh, and he let me wear his socks because my feet were hurting and PB streets are gross. The trip was interspersed with me catching up on The League (a must watch if you haven't seen it yet) and us attempting our best Ruxin face on multiple occasions. I failed. Big time. Thanks to Groupon, we had the best dinner at a Voce del Mare in La Jolla. Risotto allo Scoglio is amazingly delicious even if it looks and sounds less than appealing. He gave in and let me get a Big Mac one night. Oh, we even made ice cream from bananas! You must try it. Thank you, Pinterest, for forever inspiring me to create new things.

SD New Years 2012