Summer Wanderlust

As mentioned yesterday, one of my FAVORITE things to do is travel AND one of my favorite ways to relax and de-stress is to daydream about travel. Few things make me happier than curling up on the couch or at coffee store and looking through a good tourbook, watching the travel channel and researching destinations online. It's my own personal way to check out of the hectic activity of everyday life and look forward to the moments when my only concerns are what road to wander, which beach towel and book to pack, or which flavor gelato to taste! Our world is so big- full of so many different types of people, food, culture, art- and I would love to see it all!

So far this winter/spring, we took a last minute getaway to Philadelphia, but due to weather and work, we haven't explored as much as we did in the fall (Annapolis, Williamsburg, Hershey, Hiking in Shenandoah, Virginia Beach, etc) BUT, we have several fun trips we are planning for in the upcoming months. Most of our trips are planned for late spring/summer, but we hope to squeeze in a Thanksgiving trip as well! Our goal was to squeeze in friends, family and "us" time and split vacation days between lazy beach/mountain days and busy days of venturing to new cities and towns...relaxation AND adventure.  I am pretty excited for all the happy moments coming this summer!

OUR 2014 TRIPS INCLUDE:

(1) Ocean City, MD Memorial Day trip with church friends

This is our grownup version of a college beach trip -- a couple houses, a bunch of people, cheap price, tons of snacks and beers and colorful beach towels, one big fun weekend hanging out with friends. Dave and I are even splitting up - guys and girls houses, ha! We know some people, but not everyone, so I am excited that we have the chance to meet new folks and relax for a 3 day weekend!

(2) Smoky Mountain getaway with Dave's family

We are meeting Dave's family for a 4-5 day getaway in the Tennesseee mountains. His mom rented a great cabin and all of the kids and grandkids  are coming from Mississippi, Georgia and Virginia to meet in the middle for a week of relaxing and family time. Although we will spend plenty of time shopping, exploring and enjoying outdoor activities like hiking, fishing and maybe rafting, there will also be down time to play with our nieces in the pool, read a good book on the large deck or catch up with Dave's sisters over wine in the hot tub.  I love busy city trips where you cover a lot of ground in a short number of days, but I also love to have a relaxing trip each year where you slow down, rewind and uncharge. A beach or mountain getaway is the best place to slow down!

(3) Annapolis Anniversary Weekend

8 months ago, Dave and I took a day trip to Annapolis (about an hour away) to celebrate one month a marriage and get a break from city life. We fell in love this quaint town. I loved the water, the preppiness, the sailboats, the cute stores and restaurants. We vowed we would go back for an overnight trip and spend the weekend. Our first anniversery seems like a good time to return to this adorable little harbour town. We have big plans of boats, crab dinners, gelato, strolling historical streets and shopping.

(4) Toronto/Niagra Falls

If the family mountain getaway is our relaxing trip, then our trip to Toronto will be our busy high paced adventure.  Dave kind of picked this year's vacation and I was okay with Toronto, but now that I have read up on the city, I am REALLY excited.  We wanted to get away internationally, but we couldn't afford Europe this year and this was a way to do a international (technically) trip without going overseas.  We will fly into Buffalo and see Niagra Falls first, then head to Toronto for 4 days. Its a city with a lot of famous buildings, theater, good cuisine and a variety of neighborhoods with fun personalities.

(5) New York Thanksgiving trip

It's always been a dream of mine to do Thanksgiving in NYC and see the Macys parade.  We can't fly home Thanksgiving and then fly home at Christmas, so we will most likely always spend our Thanksgiving holiday up here and/or make a trip somewhere nearby. Last year, we hosted dinner (with the help of Marley and Bech) for friends, so this year our goal is to go to NYC and see the parade and Christmas decorations.  This was going to be a 2 family trip with my sister, brother in law and nephew, but someone (cough cough) had to get pregnant, so it looks like it will Dave and me enjoying the holiday lights and decor in NYC (unless anyone wants to join us!!)

There may be other day trips/weekends to the beach squeezed in, some Saturdays spent travelling to nearby towns, weekends spent in Pennsylvania with my sister, brother in law and nephew...and maybe a girls 30th birthday trip for one of my good friends, but these are our "planned" adventures. And, as I said earlier, daydreaming about our upcoming vacations calms my stress and makes my heart happy!


SIDENOTE: When we got married and moved to DC, someone (although I can't remember who) gave me the advice that each year, Dave and I (and our future kids) should reserve a few days to take a trip we want to take. Otherwise, all our vacation days could quickly be used for large family vacations and many trips home to Mississippi...which are wonderful, but give us no time to explore together. We are good about taking weekend getaways and day trips, but we really want to take a trip each year, so we had to balance all our commitments this summer to make it happen (and to make sure we still left ourselves with a few days to go home at Christmas!) Making it all add up was tough but we did it -- plus with the family getaway, we had to compromise with lots of schedules! We were careful to plan the Toronto vacation over a 3 day weekend where we would only need 2 additional vacation days. Likewise, Dave's family trip is a Wednesday through a Sunday, so we only took 3 days there. The Memorial Day beach trip and the Annapolis weekend getaway require no days off work, just weekends! It took a lot of planning-- and comparing schedules with Dave's sisters and their families - but I am glad we were able to make both a family trip and a "just us" trip happen.


So these are my travel daydreams at the moment....getting eager for all the fun days of far off (and no so far off) adventures to come...mixed in with a couple Mississippi trips!  Where are you travelling to this year?

MIGHTY

Today, for the first time ever, I participated in a fun friday exercise called "Five Minute Friday."  The exercise is listed every friday on Lisa Jo Baker's blog and I've seen other bloggers participate, but I never have. The concept is pretty simple-- you're given a topic and you are supposed to spend five minutes writing a short focused post on the topic, no worries of perfection or what others think or how it sounds, just what comes to mind. As y'all know, I haven't been the best blogger recently (due to time constraints) and I am trying to get back into it-- I can give 5 minutes (or in my case, 8 minutes because I didn't set a timer) Oh, and feel free to link up too.

This week's prompt was: MIGHTY.

MIGHTY.

Honestly, I don’t feel very mighty at the moment. I feel pretty small and weak.  I have work, but not a position I would like yet. I’m watching others around me hurt- and wait- and suffer…and there is little I can, other than love them, pray for them, encourage them. That makes me feel not very mighty; it makes me feel helpless and stuck.

Despite feeling helpless, I, do, however, feel grateful…grateful to have work, a sweet husband, an income, a home, friends. So, I don’t feel sad or distraught, just a little stuck. I have my rough days, but I am so very happy.

I’m the type of person who keeps pressing on (which is a beneficial trait to have in a tough town like DC) but I am also the type of person who feels overwhelmed and discouraged very easily.  I have to give myself a lot of pep talks to help myself feel strong enough to face certain situations or to keep going when the going gets tough. And, sometimes I have felt like a failure to myself and others for not being the type of person who pushes through without tears, who keeps a straight face and doesn’t show stress, pain or frustration.  I press on, but I don’t do so very mightily. I press on, weakly, in fear.

But, here’s the thing. I don’t have to be mighty. I really don’t. Scripture tells us that when we are weak, then He is strong and that HIS power is made perfect in OUR weakness. What a comfort!! It’s okay to be weak because my weakness is just an avenue the Lord can use to show HIS MIGHT. In fact, I think the best examples of His power are always shown in hard rough weak times. So, I am clinging to HIS MIGHT in day to day life and the best I can do for others is to encourage them to do the same. My might comes only through trusting and holding on to Him.

The Lord is MIGHTY. He will FIGHT for us…we need only to be silent. Maybe the safest place for me to be is at my weakest.

De-stressing, Travel and Planning!

One of the ways I make it through busy or stressful times is by daydreaming of adventures to come! I love travelling and new experiences, and I also love planning! Where others might just enjoy their vacations, I enjoy the trip AND the process! Daydreaming and planning for getaways is ALMOST (but not quite) as fun as the destination itself!

During a broken engagement and the stresses of the first year of law school, I spent countless hours researching, thinking about and planning a backpacking trip to Europe. I would allow myself the occasional evening or weekend afternoon spent reading travel books and spent my entire Christmas break watching the travel channel. Seriously, my mom and I watched every "passport to Europe" episode twice!!

 Likewise, during my first year out of law school when I was new to Jackson and still making friends,  I planned a trip to Eastern Europe with a dear friend.

Last year, whenever Dave and I would stress about where he would land a job, where we would move, getting the wedding plans together, etc, I would send him texts counting down until our honeymoon trip, saying "45 (40, 37, etc) days until San Fran and Napa" Yes, we counted down until our honeymoon, not our wedding. What can I say? I am a girl who loves to travel (and luckilly I married a boy who loves to travel as well!) When there was no certainty of where we would live and when we would have to move, I found comfort in the certainty (and excitement) that we would be married and travelling together in X number of days!

And that's why, I loved this past Sunday!! After the gym, chores, errands, laundry, we splurged with our time and spent a leisurely hour reading travel books and drinking coffee at the bookstore. We have a few getaways coming up this year that we have been saving up for. Thinking ahead to a warm summer getaway with family, celebrating our first anniversary or exploring a new city brightens even the chilliest winter day (and yes, today, on the 8th official day of spring, we have a CHILLY wintery day) and de-stresses me when life is busy or hectic! Sunday is usually my only day off each week, and planning future adventures with Dave was the perfect way to enjoy it!

Although we are both super busy these days, I make time to daydream about adventures. I spend time on the metro flipping through guidebooks and go to bed dreaming of travel! Poor Dave will be going to sleep and I will annoy him with questions about what he wants to do on our trips, what hotel we should book and where we should eat dinner. Planning for future adventures is a stress reliever for me - it's a good distraction, it's fun and it focuses me on fun times ahead!

We have a few upcoming adventures planned-- and I will share more about that later this week!
 Do you enjoy planning and dreaming about upcoming adventures or just seeing where the road takes you when you travel?  For those daydreamers and planners, what adventures do you have coming up?

DO NOT BECOME WEARY

I know it's been awhile since I blogged...and I am sorry about that. I am going to try to blog more regularly, but fair warning: I'm pretty busy, so it might be sparse on this blog for awhile.

Life is busy right now-- for a lot of different reasons: Work and part time work (I took a part time evening and weekend job to help put more money in savings, will quit this when I find a better full time job). Dave is studying for his licensing exams (and passed his first one!). Travel (went home for a wedding). My Jr. League project and finishing up first year requirements. Three sets of company in town over 4 weeks (Clearly this is FUN busyness, but busyness just the same!)

On top of that, we have had a lot of snow the past month and a few challenges -- both personal challenges and the challenge of a heavy heart for several people I know who are struggling.

All that to say, I am physically and emotionally exhausted. And, as a result, I've been a bad blogger...which is probably a good thing as I tend to not be the most positive when I am so worn out. (Dave likes to mock me and say, "That's my Katy, such an optimist!")

I don't get to see my friends or husband nearly enough....so I am ready for life to slow down. I'm ready for lazy evenings curled up on the tv with Dave, happy hour with friends, date nights, exploring different neighborhoods in DC, cooking new recipes, reading good books (wasn't one of my goals for 2014 to read more??) and going to the movies. If I can survive the next couple of months, life will slow down a bit.

Sometimes I feel guilty about being busy and tired. I don't have enough time to give to others or enough time to rest and I don't even have time to cook meals that often anymore (thank goodness for the premade meals at Trader Joes!)  Recently, there have been several articles published criticizing Americans for idolizing busy. The accusations is that we are too busy, putting emphasis on what we do and accomplish rather than people.  Also, some people think "being busy" is a way to make ourselves feel like we are important.

I actually agree with these viewpoints to an extent...but sometimes busy is necessary and temporary. If I am always this tired, then I will make some big changes, but for now, I feel that my busyness is short lived and good.

Galations 6:9 tells us to not become weary in doing good because at the proper time, we will reap the harvest.  And that's where my comfort is found: I believe that most of my current busyness- long hours of work, Jr League projects, saving, jobsearching, Dave's studying -- are all good things that can be done in a way that glorifies the Lord.  Despite this temporary state of weariness, I know we will not regret this busy stage of life.

I think one of the best ways to fight weariness is by having a grateful heart.  Part of why I am so tired is because of good things: a job, opportunities to serve, company in town, etc. What blessings! Also, having less free time makes me grateful for the time I have to relax by myself or with others.  I don't have as many evenings with Dave, so I am really grateful for date nights and Sundays.  The occasional HH or lunch with friends lifts my spirits.  Catching up on missed TV is such a treat.  Having visitors and getting much needed "friend and family" time is wonderful and needed!

So, that's why I've been MIA.... Life has been busy which is both stressful and good, all at once!  I have a ton of pictures and plenty of posts in my head and hope to post more regularly again, although I make no promises!

And, if you, too, are feeling weary and too busy...remember that busy isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes we are busy doing good. Tasks like working late hours to save or finish a project, donating time to a charity,  late hours up with a newborn or studying for a class may keep you busy and tired for a short time, but those same tasks could be good...and we are told to do good.

Oh, and P.S., if you are a praying person, can you say some prayers on my behalf? I would like to find a different full time position soon that pays enough that I don't have to work part time in order to save. I know the Lord is opening up doors and I can't wait to see where He places me, but I pray the answer comes sooner rather than later and I pray I have endurance and patience while waiting!

Little Gems

I've had a ton of articles I've read in the past month and thought, hmmm, I want to share that-- and yet I keep forgetting (and I am forgetting several today) I used to have a post on Wednesdays (on the old blog) entitled "What I am reading Wednesdays"-- I would like to start that again! Here are a few little gems on the world wide web these days (yep, I said world wide web, hello 90s!)



"All the single ladies" (and men)

(1) I loved this article on singleness-- It offers no real "advice" or formula, just honest discussion! I's just good to hear people be honest about the ups and downs of singleness.  I think for me, the hardest part of singleness wasn't even the singleness itself, it was the way singles were portrayed....according to multiple Christian articles, people are single longer these days because they don't want to grow up, they're selfish, afraid of commitment, etc.  There is an implication that singles just don't want to grow up....that's not always true. Singleness can be tough enough without being made to feel like you are selfish and refusing to grow up! Clearly, I could make this discussion into its own blog post, so I will stop, but read this article!  You will find little nuggets of truth in it!

(2) What's the one thing you should tell your single friend? This article will reveal that the best thing you can do for single friends is take action. Telling them they are too picky or need to be okay with themselves isn't always helpful.  Introduce them to your other single friends, pray daily for them, actively include them as opposed to become a 'couples only' type of friend.

(3) I enjoyed this article on why single girls are a lot of things but maybe not fabulous.  Although, you are welcome to call me fabulous whenever you want-- I hope I was a fabulous single, a fabulous married, just fabulous in general!! I plan on writing about this article a little more in the future.



A little Married GEM...

Here are ten things happy couples do!  I was glad to read these tips-- some are simple enough and some, while simple on paper, are probably more difficult to practice (see #4 and #5) But they are good goals to strive for-- and I was pleased to realize that Dave and I already do several of these suggestions (particularly 1,6,7,9) Some of the suggestions I know we do (be proud to be seen with your spouse), but I never actually notice us doing, ha (I never think, I am so proud to be seen with Dave today, but maybe I will start to make a mental note of how proud I am of my husband!)


Encouragement

(1) I love this article on Crooked Love so much.  Like the author, I love friends, family, significant others strongly too and am fiercely loyal. So, when I am close to you, I am going to fight for you and be a loyal friend.  The problem with loyalty and strong love is that its devestating when you feel others aren't as loving or loyal to you.

The author writes,

I think I trust too much and believe that people are always going to love me as deeply as I love them. It doesn’t always work out that way, which means that sometimes I am left with the question that haunts us all:“Was it worth it?”

I must confess, there have been many times in my walk with Jesus that I have wondered if I have wounded Him enough for Him to ask the same question. He doesn’t see it that way, I know. But was I worth all of this?

Personally, sometimes I wish I was less loyal, loved less deeply, because it puts you in a place to often feel let down. I often ask if it was worth it, but this article reminded me that Jesus was far more loyal and loving than I can ever be-- and I certainly didn't deserve His loyalty. So, although I have learned to have some boundaries, I do think it is worth it for me to risk loyalty and love-- after all, Christ loyally loved us when we didn't deserve it. (Now, how to love well WISELY is a whole other question that I still don't know the answer to!)

P.S. One of my favorite attributes about Dave is that he is fiercely loyal too. I don't think I could marry someone who wasn't.


(2) This is an older blog post, that I read awhile ago, but I looked it up again. I have friends with struggles and storms in their lives- and I was wondering how to pray for them. This article breaks it down! Likewise, I too, am job searching and this has taught me how to pray for my own circumstances too.

Home and Living

(1) For those (like us) who are decorating on a limited budget-- or who love antiques or midcentury furniture which is of course, going to be "used", here are some tips for buying used furniture!

(2) Also, here are some easy "IKEA HACKS" to try, no tools involved!


DC Living

I heart DC. I don't love the cold weather in DC, but fortunately for me, I love hot chocolate and DC has some top places to enjoy this delicious treat on cold days. Last week, I tried some cocoa from Oyamel with 2 of my sweet friends. They sell their cocoa by the mug or by the pitcher!! I certainly want to hit up the other places on this list during the remaining weeks of winter!

Warm Breaks and Rest

Last month was challenging and frustrating and difficult….and COLD. I mean really cold—snowed a few times (one time it was 6 inches), stayed so cold that the snow couldn’t really melt much so that we had about a week and a half of snow on the ground, cold temperatures (below zero and in teens or lower most of the month) and even colder wind chills (the lowest was -12 degrees). Nothing makes a sad mood even sadder like a few weeks of freezing cold temps!  The cold weather led to lots of nights spent inside, just Dave and me, watching movies, cooking dinner and bundled up! I hit my max on freezing temps, scarves, puffer coats (which might possibly be the best present I received this year for Christmas), gloves and inside time!!

However, the first two days were of February were a welcome break from the cold harsh weather. Sunny weather with temps in the high 40s and even low 50s! Dave and I tried to soak up every bit of sun and warmth before the cold temps, rain and snow return.

My (our) weekend was spent enjoying coconut French toast*, strolling through our neighborhood- walking to my “errands” instead of driving, sipping coffee and chatting up at the coffee shop, getting my hair cut, exploring a neighborhood we haven’t spent much time in yet (Adams Morgan), taking off my big puffer jacket for a couple days, enjoying a date night with drinks at Georgia Brown’s and dinner at Lincoln, thumbing through books at Barnes and Noble, making homemade cookies for the super bowl party (and eating a few ourselves), making shredded barbecue chicken in the crock pot and sipping drinks and watching football with friends on Sunday evening.

 My SHORT haircut. I wanted a more adult haircut and requested shoulder length. I don't hate it, but I think a couple inches longer may be the perfect length for me.

Exploring a few shops in Adams Morgan

 Saturday Happy Hour at Georgia Brown's

My cute date and me at Lincoln (delicious food!)

We have spent so many evenings last month watching Netflix on our couch and covered up in multiple layers, so getting out of the house was so enjoyable!

I’m not stupid. Spring is not yet here and won’t arrive properly for another 2 months. Saturday, I looked ahead on my weather phone app and saw 3 days with snowflakes or ice in the next week and a couple more with rain. On Saturday, I knew the winter was indeed coming back, but I chose to ignore that fact and live fully in the temporary pleasure of sunshine, warm(ish) weather and time with my husband and friends. I needed a break from winter (as did almost everyone else in DC) – and the Lord was good to bless us with a short respite from the cold wintery weather! Although I am sad to see the warm weather go, I feel refreshed and ready to deal with the remaining winter days – not to mention, HOPEFUL that spring is indeed coming again in the near future.

More importantly, I feel like this weekend (Saturday, particularly) was a welcome break from job searching, personal frustrations, circumstances, chores, etc. I took a break from life’s stress and difficulties for a day or two, knowing that they would be waiting for me on Monday morning. I’m a big believer in continuing to push forward when life has hard moments, but I also believe sometimes you have to take a break to enjoy life’s blessings and regroup. An evening of good conversation, a glass or two of wine, a delicious meal, a funny movie, laughter or maybe even an early bedtime can do the heart wonders. Taking a break from life’s stresses won’t solve all your problems, but it will give you a chance to rest before diving back in.

This past Saturday, I enjoyed the “break” from winter in more ways than one. I am thankful for a God that gives rest to the weary (and warm weather to the cold!)

** Coconut French Toast was not a special recipe.  It is simply the use of coconut milk instead of cow’s milk when making French Toast. It was an improvision because we were out of milk. However, it did give the toast a slight coconut flavor which was refreshing so it motivated me to look up this recipe and this one  too.  Dave loves him some coconut, so I think I may have to try this one lazy weekend morning!

Bring on 2014: Goals and Hopes

So, today, 27 days (now, 30 days as I drafted this post and never actually posted it....) into the new year, I am finally blogging about 2014 goals and resolutions....just a little late! Maybe blogging consistently should be on the list :)

Instead of one big goal, I have several small ones this year.  Lots of little things I (and in some cases, we) want to accomplish in 2014. I like goals ---particularly goals I can control when other factors in life aren't so easily controllable....like eating habits, exercise, saving, goals to read more or drink more water, etc.  I ran my first half marathon because I needed a goal.  I had just moved to Jackson and didn't have many friends yet and certainly didn't have a boyfriend or husband, so I decided to run a half marathon.  When I felt like I wasn't "accomplishing" my other life goals, this gave me something to strive for!

I also have a few goals ("prayers") that I can't make happen.  I can make strides but I have to hope, pray and trust that God can and will provide. Goals like these are more difficult, but so much more rewarding---- because you learn so much about the Lord and his faithfulness while waiting and working and praying for these goals to be met.

2014 goals:

(1) Eat healthier and work out more.  Let's start with the most obvious new years resolution.  Dave and I both have marriage bellies that we are working on losing. Fat and happy right?? Well, not so much fat, but chubby....so lets stop it now before we become fat! We also joined a gym and have been going about 4 times a week for the past 2-3 weeks.  I don't want to do anything drastic---but we are eliminating some of the junk we've been eating and hopefully dropping a few pounds while eating healthier.

(2) Read more....1 book a month. I read less now that I am married. I think this is due to the fact that reading is a solo activity and I have spent a bulk of the past 6 months hanging out with Dave, meeting new people or working.  But, I've been reading more this month...and would like this to average out to one book a month (atleast)

(3) Pray for my single friends to meet spouses.  I used to pray fervently for myself and friends to meet godly men. I haven't been as committed since I got engaged and married. Prayers for others to find spouses and have good marriages are just as important as prayers for my own marriage, so I have been striving to pray for my favorite single ladies and gentlemen this year.

(4) Save more.  Dave and I were just making it the first few months here, so no money was being added to our savings account.  Then I got a job and we finished paying for the move-- and we have finally been able to start saving the past couple months.So our goal is to continue this....saving some each month....and hopefully, once I have a better job, saving even more!

(5) Find a job.  The job search is finally beginning to wear on me.  I know some things happened that I couldn't control --  namely, a government shutdown, but constantly looking and/or being rejected is starting to get me down. The past couple weeks have been particularly hard-- a couple rejections where they narrowed it down to me and someone else and hired the other person because of more experience or because that person was from the Congressman's state (which its hard to disagress with home state allegiance!) Not only do I want a job so I can start my career here, I also know that certain futuristic things like home buying, etc can't really happen until I am employed in a better position for awhile. This is just one of those goals I have to trust that God will provide in His own time. I can apply and network and search, but in the end, He will open the right door. So, when jobs fall through and I'm disspointed, I take a day or two off and drink a glass of wine and watch tv then get right back at it.....

(6) Remember the Lord's faithfulness. I remember telling myself (on the week of my wedding) that I wanted to always remember that the Lord is faithful to provide and sustain us. I was experiencing His provision (after many prayers) and wanted to never forget His faithfulness in the future.  And, now, I am definitely praying that I see the Lord's faithfulness now and that when discouraged, I remember His faithfulness in times past.  That is my goal for this year (and for every year).

(7) Be a better wife.  Like #6, this is not just a 2014 goal, but hopefully an ongoing goal.  I am still learning how to be a wife, but my goal this year is to be more forgiving, more loving, use more kind words, serve more, etc. 

(8) Run a race.   I want to run a race of some length --- it could be a 10k or a half marathon or a ten miler.   I just want to get back into training for races. 

(9) Pray expectantly....and keep up with a prayer journal.  I've been writing prayers, requests, answers, praises in my journal over the past few weeks and plan to continue. I want to watch the Lord work in my life and in others--- writing prayers down is a great way to remember the Lord's faithfulness (#6)

(10) Make a DC Bucket list and accomplish several things off the list this year.  We live in such a great area.  I want us to enjoy and take advantage of this city. We really did explore the city at first, but the longer we've lived here, its felt less like a tourist destination and more like our home -- which is great, but it also means are weekends now include more chores, rentining movies, cooking dinners, etc than exploring.  I've listed some things I want to do in the city and am going to encourage Dave to list a few "dc goals" too... we can slowly begin marking things off our "DC Bucket List"  Some of the "to dos" on my list: go to a play at one of the many theaters;  pick a neighborhood we want to explore and make a day of it -- walk around, shop, visit tourist sites, grab dinner or coffee, etc; go to union market (and/or eastern market) for breakfast and shop for our dinner items -- meat from the butcher, cheese, veggies- then cook a lovely meal from what we bought at the market that day (buying food at the market to cook that same day feels so urban to me!); go to an outdoor concert at Wolftrap; when its warm, get drinks on a rooftop bar in DC; go to the Virginia wineries together; go to  the H Street Country Club-- a bar with miniature golf on the inside. The list goes on! Some things I have done, but Dave has never done; but many things I haven't done either! I'm excited to further explore my new home!

(11) Travel.  Weekend trips, day trips and hopefully Toronto/Niagra Falls this coming fall. We love to travel and realize that its easiest without kids so we should do more of it now!

(12) Make weekly goals. (and thus, better manage our lives and schedules)  I think lofty year long goals are great, but I am a big believer in making lists...and then trying to accomplish about 3/4s of the list.  I did this a lot in law school, and I've started doing it some in DC.  These aren't always exciting goals -- for example, one of my goals for this week is "sew buttons back on Dave's coat"  and "take clothes to the dry cleaner" But, my list also includes a couple fun items like "plan a date night for Dave and me" (last weekend we were busy so busy with meetings and work and chores that we just rented a movie and cooked in, so this week my goal is that we actually go out in the city for a few hours and have fun!) Having weekly goals is a great way to get the small things done in life!

2014 got off to a rocky start- and to be fair, it is hard to top 2013, BUT I have high hopes for this year! Excited to see where God leads us in the coming months!