Happy Birthday Baby!

This one is for my other love....(besides those cupcakes).

Joseph celebrated his 26th birthday today. I was so excited I had a hard time sleeping last night(of course. I'm weird about things like holidays and celebrations). We had strawberry crepes and eggs for breakfast and wished that we could just take the day off. But, seeing as how I have already used 21 of my alloted 10 vacation days (do remember that I got married this year) that wasn't really an option!

After work we met up for a quick dinner at this little Mexican place by my office, where I presented the hubs with the previously blogged about cupcakes. Of course I was far more excited by them than he was, but you can't argue that they are divine.

The evening ended with a show at the Wolly Mammoth Theater in DC, where we saw a one-woman show based on a teacher's experience in inner city schools dealing with No Child Left Behind. We went with the inlaws (who are fantastic) and really, really, really liked the play. To any DCers, we would highly recommend it.

And I am now typing this post as a little tribute to the handsome man that is the reason behind all these celebrations!! So...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, honey.

For the Love

Cake Love, that is.

Today is Joseph's birthday, and because we are going with his parents to a play tonight we won't really have any time to have the traditional cake and ice cream at home. So...I hopped on the metro to U Street to a favorite little bakery of mine and picked up a few of these babies.

Inside this little box



Is a delightful treat, ready to satisfy the biggest of sweet tooths (uh, that would be me).

Four mouth-watering flavors: Chocolate buttercream on chocolate, strawberry-chocolate, raspberry-chocolate, and German chocolate on chocolate. They're for my husband, but let's be honest...

if this were staring you in the face could you say NO...to just one tiny little bite?! I think not.

And, once again, Cake Love does not disappoint.

Holiday Happenings

Okay, so I've been off the blogging bandwagon for a little while, but in an attempt to jump back on this may turn into a "super post."

The holidays this year were particularly wonderful. It may have something to do with the fact that I now have someone particularly wonderful to share them with. Some of the best parts were spending time with family and friends, seeing old friends, shopping for Joseph (does it ever get better than spoiling your sweetheart?), eating mounds of delicious holiday treats, and enjoying the outdoors and a white, white Utah Christmas.

Seeing fall meet winter is a beautiful thing. An early snow in Virginia put us in the Christmas mood...
As the holiday treat cravings set in I invited some USU alum friends over and we had a great time making peppermint bark, caramels and other goodies.


I also got to catch up with an old friend, Anne Marie. I loved meeting her sweet baby, Jaclyn and enjoying some good laughs. Good friends and good memories are some of the sweetest parts of life.

Then it was on to Utah for the festivities. Snowmobiling.

There was a lot of this.....

and some of this...

And of course there was this.....

Christmas morn and the family pajamas (Designed and produced by yours truly...8 pairs of pjs...never again)!

Christmas Dinner

We've been friends since kindergarten, and even though we may only see each other once ore twice a year, we never skip a beat. I was so glad Shayla stopped by to say hi.
Getting all dressed up for dinner is the tradition at our house. Actually any excuse to get dressed up is tradition at our house :)
I also got to see my friend, MaryJo and her beautiful family. The Floyd Farnsworth family made a pit stop in Duchesne and had the famous pre-Christmas clam chowder. As well as Eric, another family adoptee.
And at the end of it all, I think this is how we all felt :) After all his hard work, the old elf was just tuckered out!

What's your flava?

Looks like I'm a strawcolateberry. Tipped off by Brooke, I took this little flavor quiz. But since some of the questions had multiple answers that fit me, I took it twice (with both sets of answers). And according to the results, I am pretty much irresistible...hahaha!

7 Things People may or may not know about me....

I've been tagged. This one's for Tia :)

1- I have never pierced my ears. A shocker to many, but around our house you couldn't get your ears pierced until you were 12 (the age of childhood maturity). At that point I had already passed along so many cute pairs of earrings from birthday presents, etc. that I just didn't really care. And as I got older I also realized it was one more thing to worry about when waking up in the morning....matching earrings to the whole outfit, and heaven knows I've never really been an accessory person, so I've remained 'hole-free.'

2- When I'm home alone I really hate using the bathroom if the shower curtain is closed. Random I know (sort of embarrassing to admit), but I think it comes from a childhood fear of scary things lurking behind shower curtains.

3- I never really watch TV. I can't even remember the last time I turned on the television and channel surfed to find something I cared to watch. If I do turn the TV on (for background noise or something) I just end up leaving it on whatever Joseph was watching previously....which is always ESPN :)

4- I dream of having my own cooking show. More recently I was joking with my sister about how I could produce 'Cooking and Calisthenics' so avid cooks could burn those calories while whipping up their favorite creamy dish...sound like a hit?!

5- When I was a kid I would skip out on my dentist appointments...and hit up the candy store instead (let's hope my mom never reads this).

6- I have always been fascinated by dinosaurs, so much so that I thought I would become a paleontologist. My dad used to take me to paleontology classes in Vernal, UT. The career goal wore off (thankfully), but the interest has remained. So for the rest of you dinosaur lovers out there, check out the latest dino discovery. Joseph and I actually attended a presentation about this at the National Geographic Museum (my husband really is the greatest)!

7- I could spend all day in a sporting goods store (like REI) or a homeware or decorating store (like Crate and Barrel). I guess I just like being able to enjoy the pretty things outside and having pretty things inside too!

And I am tagging: Heather, Jody, Mary Jo, Melissa, Brooke, Kami and Diana

Bed, Breakfast, and Chocolate

Last Thursday I was surprised to find an evite from Joseph in my inbox. I was even more surprised at the title, "Bed, Breakfast, and Chocolate." The invitation was for a weekend stay at a Bed & Breakfast and a visit to Hershey, PA. I was floored....I'm a sucker for surprises, and Joseph, well, he's not such a sucker for them :) So the fact that he had gone and made all these arrangements (without me knowing) and then gone to the trouble to create his own evite...haha, I couldn't get the grin off my face for the entire afternoon. We left straight after work on Friday. The B&B was in this incredibly charming place, Skykesville, MD (not so charming name). We arrived on the hour to church bells ringing and had dinner at an old train depot turned restaurant. Then we settled in for a warm winter's nap in the adorable vintage style house. The rooms were named for the seasons and each had it's own vintage flair, we were in the winter room. One of the common room areas had old pinball and arcade games, pretty sweet. The breakfast was delightful, the sleep absolutely restful, and the large jacuzzi whirlpool bathtub a dream. I am definitely recommending to any of you east-coast blog readers, this is a place to put on your "to visit" list.

Party??

I didn't really plan on having a Halloween party, but at the last minute I suddenly realized I wanted to do SOMETHING. Tuesday I surprised Joseph with Halloween decorations and a spooky salad. The following day I emailed some guests (uh my sister, her roommate, my husband, and a friend) and then started devising a little ghoulish menu. For dinner Sara and I whipped up ginger pumpkin soup and some little cheesy biscuit sticks (add a slivered almond as a 'nail') that I like to call witches fingers and for dessert frosted sugar cookies. No Halloween would be complete without watching Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. I don't know how much of a "Party" it was, but it was a nice little get-together and didn't keep us out too late....as was the case the year before. The truth is I really can't wait to have kids to dress up in darling little outfits and parade around the neighborhood until their pillowcases (that's what we used to use) are so full they can hardly heft them.....oh boy, the things I have to look forward to!



Who wouldn't be excited for that! The little bee is my friend's niece, I took trick-or-treating last year..
Halloween Last:
He's the orange metro line, and I am cut off (the top of my head is at the bottom left of the photo) From last year with my friend, Lori!

Leaf Treader

I love this poem by Robert Frost. To me it carries the essence of fall. Of the cycle of the seasons--from brilliant blooming greens to falling foilage in golden yellows and orange. The seasons are such a beautiful symbol of change and renewal in life. I know that many times I feel, as Frost says, "Autumn-tired", but if I just take a walk to enjoy those beautiful fall creations I always come home a little more renewed. Joseph and I recently had a chance to see some of the East coast's beautiful fall on a bike ride we took along the Rock Creek Parkway.

I have been treading on leaves all day until I am autumn tired
Lord knows all the color and form of leaves I have trodden on and mired

Perhaps I have put forth too much strength or been too fierce from fear ...
I have safely trodden underfoot the leaves of another year

All summer long they were overhead more lifted up than I
To come to their final place in earth they had to pass me by

All summer long I thought I heard them whispering under their breath
And when they came it seemed with a will to carry me with them to death

They spoke to the fugitive in my heart as if it were leaf to leaf
They tapped at my eyelids and touched my lips with an invitation to grief

But it was no reason I had to go because they had to go ...
Now up, my knee, to keep atop another year of snow.
--Robert Frost

Where to go for the best apple butter....

If that question has recently crossed your mind, look no further!
THIS WAY TO THE FESTIVAL!!
A few weekends ago Joseph and I went on a litle romantic excursion into the Shenandoahs. Sparked by an article in the Washington Post discussing romatic getaways for working couples, I suggested to Joseph that we drive off into the countryside that coming weekend (is it sad that I get most of my "activities" from my daily, and constant perusal of the news?). We decided that as fall was just around the corner we should hit up the Shenendoah National Forest Annual Apple Butter Festival, followed by a visit to a local orchard to pick some of our own apples. The trip was a delight! From the wildlife along the way to the wild time at the festival, we enjoyed seeing, smelling, tasting, and even lending a hand while experiencing one of nature's best treats.

Joseph took advantage of his time there and got in on the action. The apples are boiled in these huge pots until they are a nice mush. Add the right blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and a bit of sugar and you've got the best apple butter in three counties. It's amazing what you can learn from chattin' with the locals.
Gettin' Down and Dirty at the festival! I loved this kid, the char streak on his face and his grubby little fingers clutching his burger...
This is Rose. Rose is in charge of peeling the apples that are chopped up and tossed into the huge cauldrons of bubbling apple butter. What a woman!

Among the other talented craftsman at the festival, I liked watching the basket weavers. I particularly love the fashion statement: "while this may look like a girly-man's work, I ain't no girly-man."

Seeing wildlife these days is such a treat. Living in the big city really makes me miss my country-girl roots, although I do not miss the fear of hitting one of these guys on the road, I'm not so sure that's a very good trade-off for the traffic.

The purple mountains (that's what they call mountains out here) and the blue sky added to an already perfect day!