An Elle of a Week

Another week has flown by in my life. Before we know it, Christmas is going to be here, and we'll be celebrating the dawn of 2012. Such a scary thought! I'll be 24 in just a few more short weeks. No longer allowed to compete in the Miss America system. hah! (Yes, that used to be a goal of mine.)

The field ops division (young folks) have started playing Trivia in Arlington once a week, and let me tell you... we need to stick to our day jobs. Most of you know trivial knowledge is NOT my forte, and apparently with all our smart heads put together we still don't have enough knowledge to compete with the trivia regulars that chant "G O Graph-y" and other random "call-backs" when the announcer says certain terms. But we have fun, none-the-less. Amber and I were excited to find this random tele booth outside of Union Jack's in the mall where we play trivia.

However, when Amber went to open it so we could get fun photos inside the booth, we were terribly disappointed to find that the tele booth doesn't open and it won't, in fact, transport us like all the magical tele booths in movies. Sad day! :(

Where would I have wished it transported me? Hmm... good question. Too bad your not allowed to tell wishes if you want them to come true. ;)

Wishing wasn't necessary for our next ladies theater adventure. We'd gotten seats way in advance, no need to worry about getting our pretty little heads or bottoms wet due to the nasty rain the day of our outdoor theater venture at Wolf Trap. Legally Blonde! We made sure to dress in our girliest attire (no, I didn't wear pink although I would've if my dress was clean) and got ready for a fun evening at Kara's darling new condo that would rival my old roommie Sarah Marion's Nantucket inspired dorm rooms.

After a tasty home-cooked meal we journeyed the short distance to Wolf Trap National Performing Arts Park, the only National Park with that designation. I took a photo of the front of the car too, but they asked that I not post it eventhough it's ridiculously cute!

This photo of the stage is contraband, so shhh, don't tell on me! We had a great view, for relatively inexpensive tickets, and the show was a blast. The singing was very musical theater (some of you will get that comment), but overall the performance was hilarious and fun.

We packed some food and bevs to go, and had a little snack picnic during the show. So fun! Oh, and I finally got to wear my Calvin Klein maxi dress that I bought for 4th of July, but took a month and a half to find time to hem it a full five inches to wear with flops. I felt very boho-chic.

Amber was the epitome of Elle for the evening with her pink heels, blonde hair, and pink chihuahua bag. And being the huge fan she is she bought a sweatshirt from the gift shop, and surprised us all with fuzzy-top pens like the ones Elle uses on her first day of law school.

As cheesy as the show was a little wine was necessary, and we found the perfect amount in the to-go mini bottles many grocery stores carry these days. I think this photo is a little ridiculous, but Amber thought it was the cutest ever, so... Amber, this is for you. :)

Our lovely front seat crew, Kara and Melissa!! Yay for a fun night to round out a wonderful week!

Brooke comes to the big city

I'm hoping that maybe, just maybe I can finish this blog post without throwing my laptop from the third floor window of my home. It has become painstakingly slow. And I've wiped virtually everything off of it. The time from window to window, link to link, or photo to photo is so broken that I keep a book by my side to read in between the breaks. By the end of August, I will have a new computer, and that is a promise! According to this, I have an extra day, since in ThinkPad time it is currently 9:01 PM, August 08, 2010, as opposed to 9:24 PM, August 09, 2010.

Happier news though... I had my first family visitor of 2010. YAY! Brooke came for a visit Thursday through today, and when she drove in I was giddy with excitement. She arrived after the heavy rain storms on Thursday night in the hot and sticky night air. I gave her the option of pizza or burgers as our options were limited due to the time and our grumbling stomachs. She chose burgers so we headed to Good Stuff for a burger, fries, and a toasted marshmallow shake. And there began the calorie/fat/grease rollercoaster that had my stomach flippin' more than Top Gun does.

Friday she headed off to the metro after I left for work on her first metro trip ever... alone. And, she did WONDERFULLY. I mean, who would've ever thought she was capable of any less. She got to see almost everything she wanted to see while I was at work, which worked out perfectly, leaving us with relaxing "hang out" time mostly sightseeing free the rest of the weekend.

Christina joined us for a Young family brunch around the corner from my house at the fantastic Belga Cafe. <3 We had a delicious breakfast feast before heading to Eastern Market for an afternoon of shopping where Brooke and I picked out our dinner for the evening, grocery-store-free. Once Brooke and I arrived home we rested weary feet while watching some movies and starting some homemade bread and dulce de leche (recipe courtesy of my friend Maria at Capital Chef).

The photos are mostly for the kids enjoyment, and I know some of them are a little funny, but they make me smile thinking about the kids making the same bread the week before.

I look like a caricature here, with a giant head, big eyes and a small body. Makes me laugh...

Brooke's awesome action shot that makes it look like the whole cookie sheet is spinning.

I wish you could smell it...

Can you believe a can of fat free sweetened condensed milk could yield such ooey gooey goodness after a 2 hour boiling water bath? Both recipes are incredibly easy and delicious. They were perfect for our lazy Saturday afternoon.

Sunday was a bit more active as we journeyed to church, the Iwo Jima Memorial, the Netherlands Carillon, NGA, and the Kennedy Center. We swung in Iwo Jima and Netherlands on the way back to the house from church.

I hadn't actually walked up to the Netherlands Carillon before, I'd just seen it from afar and above. It certainly yields some beautiful views for such an industrial looking monument.

After grabbing a quick bite at the house we hopped the metro to the National Gallery of Art for where one mother saw a unique chalice that was used in the early Catholic church and told her children it was "The Holy Grail." Brooke and I just looked at each other and laughed. Some people aren't worth correcting in those situations. Speaking of the holy grail, can you name this biblical character?

And Converse ladies, can you name this famous sculpture that bears the same name as something we all hold dear?... NOT a valkyrie (don't you DARE guess that)!

I'm so delighted Brooke and I share common cultural interests, since I've been here almost a year and no one has ventured into the NGA with me. Thanks Brooke!

Brooke did her research and found us a free Latin Jazz concert at the Kennedy Center, which I did not have high hopes for, but I do enjoy occasionally being proven wrong. We were treated to a toe-tappin' and shoulder shakin' good time by Christopher Washburne and the SYOTOS band with special guest and 89 year old living legend Candido Camero. It was fantastic (and I don't say that often about music especially when admitting I'm wrong)!

Stealing a view of Georgetown's waterfront

Thanks for coming to visit, Brooke! It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend visit, with just the right amount of exploring, bonding, and vegging. Who's my next visitor?

Food for thought

My time has been occupied by so much lately that cooking dinner is often low on the priority list, and by the time I get home I'm generally not hungry anymore. However, that does not mean food is void from my life... just my refrigerator. Fortunately, with my move to the house in the city, I'm within a short walk to several places of culinary inspiration. Two of which are owned and operated by the same guy.

Many of you know I'm a huge Top Chef fan, although I've not been able to watch the DC episodes this summer. I've been very delighted to discover that several of the Top Chefs live and work in my new neighborhood. One of them being Spike Mendelsohn, owner of Good Stuff Eatery and the new We, The Pizza. Good Stuff is where I went with Lucy and the girls the 2nd weekend in July, and it is home to some of the best, most mouth-watering burgers you'll ever put in your mouth. That being said... I go there for their salads. :) Seriously... they're delicious. After the gym on Tuesday, I walked the 12 or so minutes to pick up take out. I planned on eating half of the salad and saving the rest for the next day's lunch, but it was so good, and I was so hungry that it didn't ever make it to the fridge.

When I found out that Spike was opening a new pizza place right next door to Good Stuff, I knew I had to call my co-worker and fellow culinary-adventurist Son to go check out We, The Pizza. We had to wait in line for it, but it was worth the wait in the cool Saturday afternoon. All the slices have clever names that I can't now remember.  I ended up with a "For the Greek in Us" slice of deep dish and a slice of Forest Shroomin'. Son got a buffalo chicken and blue cheese and a spinach artichoke slice. We tasted all four and they were each delicious in their own way. We topped it off with the We, The Pizza brew that I actually wouldn't recommend. Next time I'm trying a soda from their soda-jerks. Here are some pictures from our adventure.

Chef Spike in the flesh

Each pizza slice is garnished with fresh herbs and hand-mix oil and cheese.

Take a moment to read the sign if you can.

Now, I'm hungry! That greek slice was sooooo good. So, we ate our pizza and jetted off to Chinatown to watch Inception, which I highly recommend if you've not seen it yet. One of the best movies I've seen in a long time. It takes a lot for a movie to truly keep me guessing, and this one was.

Friday night Christina, her friend Kate and I grilled/made dinner for ourselves, and enjoyed some fun conversation. We learned we are even more alike than we previously thought. The menu for the night: Chicken breasts on the grill with avocado, tomato, and cucumber salsa accompanied by mixed greens, grilled peaches topped with goat cheese and honey drizzle.

Great food, great fun, and now, I'm hungry so I must leave. xo