Weekend Adventures: Shenandoah

This past weekend, Dave and I went to Shenandoah River State Park with some church friends, and by church friends, I mean we originally knew 2-3 people out of the 20 or so people there, but now we know a lot more!!! So glad we went.  I am alone during the day and see Dave in the evenings and occasionally a friend, but not working has given me a LOT of alone time.  At first, after a busy spring, this was wonderful....now I have grown to dislike it! So I was glad to spend time with people.

Dave and I arrived about 9:30 Saturday morning and took a hike then ate our picnic lunch.  At that point, we were able to catch up when some other people who arrived and were hiking.  We spent the rest of the day hiking and hanging out with people in the cabin.  That night we all cooked out and made s'mores. It was a little cooler, so the weather was perfect for sitting on the deck and chatting and enjoying a good glass of wine :)

 An overlook on one of our hikes

Hiking with my favorite guy

Shenandoah is beautiful and we drove back on Skyline Drive so that we would see even more views!!  We hope to go back this fall and see the leaves changing and maybe even camp again in the fall weather!

Views on our Skyline Drive

Around the Neighborhood: La Tasca

Dave and I are doing a fairly good job at exploring our new "hood" and by new hood, I mean Rosslyn/Courthouse/Clarendon which is a part of the Rosslyn Ballston Corrider (the series of neighborhoods/metro stops in Arlington between Ballston and Rosslyn)

We love our little area of town (Courthouse) and from Courthouse, I can walk less than half a mile to Rosslyn and less than a mile to Clarendon.  Since it all runs along two main streets (one way streets running parallel to eachother), you easily walk between neighborhoods and can't tell.

Courthouse has restaurants and bars and Clarendon has even more so I think we will be exploring for awhile!!!

While Marley and Bech were in town, we went out to eat in Clarendon at one of my family's DC favs, LA TASCA.  Technically, La Tasca is a chain restaurant in the metro area, but it's not a national restaurant so I see it as a DC original :) Their specialty is spanish tapas and sangria!! I have eaten at their Chinatown location, but never at the location near our apartment.  Marley loves La Tasca because we ate there over two years ago....BUT she was very pregnant at the time so she didn't get to enjoy the sangria and has been dying to go back.  Marley is a researcher like me and found out that La Tasca has a happy hour until 7:30 on weeknights so we decided to go early for the deals and introduce Bech, Dave and Bech's parents to this Braden Family Fav!!

We took advantage of the weather and walked to dinner where we enjoyed discounted pitchers of sangria (we had one made with sparkling wine!!) and 4 dollar tapas!  Their happy hour includes 4 dollar beers, 18 dollar pitchers of sangria, and a list of about 12 tapas that are marked at 4 dollars!!  We tried several and even picky Dave found some tapas that he liked :)

The only problem with going for happy hour was that we weren't there when the flamenco dancers were performing. They usually perform on weekend nights but not til later.

I hadn't been to La Tasca since we moved here and I am glad to have revisited this fabulous restaurant! I think the 4 dollar tapas, cheap sangria and ability to walk to dinner will make this a place we visited often, especially when we have visitors (hint hint: let me lure y'all to visit us in DC with tapas!)

Picture Perfect Day: Wedding Pictures!

So, our wedding pics are finally ready! So fun to see pictures of our happy day! I plan on doing a few posts on the wedding, but I have been waiting until the pictures were ready (and until we have the disk so it may be awhile).  So hopefully within the next month or so, I will do a wedding recap and share all the details.  Until then, you are welcome to check out our video here. It doesn't have all the proofs, but it has several pictures.

here are some of the pictures in our video...

Getting ready.....

Time with my sweet groom....

Bridesmaids and sisters...

Jack....

Time to party....

It was fun to get our pictures back! (particularly since we got the proofs on a day last week when I was feeling bummed about being back in DC, so it was a fun pick me up!) I'll try to sit down long enough to recap our wedding sometime in the future, but no promises now that I am employed :)

EXCITING NEWS!!!

So, some exciting news...

This Thursday, I accepted a job!! 

As of September 5, 2013, I will be employed again!  I am starting a legal clerkship position a lobbying firm downtown, BGR. BGR is a conservative leaning (although technically non-partison) lobbying firm started by southerners 22 years ago. A clerkship is kindof a job between an internship and a permanent longterm job. Clerkships are usually positions for law students and recent law school grads, so this isn't a forever job for me.

However, it is a position I can take to get my foot in the door and a position where I won't be answering phones, etc.  The clerks work for the General Counsel and conduct research for the 20+ lobbyists.  I was hoping to find a position that would provide a chance to use my legal research skills in a more legislative way so I am very excited to start my new position.  Also, the counsel encouraged me to keep interviewing and applying elsewhere (on the side) and said that he knew I wouldn't want to be a clerk forever so if I needed to set up interviews during the work day or if I got a job and left, that would be okay.  Also, the commute is great...a short walk to the metro then 9 minute train ride to a metro station that is underneath the building I will be working in. As you can see, this seems to be a pretty ideal opportunity for me!

 I'm very grateful and very excited.  BGR is a top firm and I am glad I will be learning from the best! It was at the top of my list of places I wanted to work so I am so excited to have this chance!!

So, although last week started out rough, full of unpacking and having to adjust to being back in the city and away from friends and family, it ended on a pretty good note.  God's timing is good.  All during Dave's job search, I prayed God would open doors to the place that was best for us -- a place where we both had opportunities, could make friends, found housing. I had kept my head up through the move and job searching, but was very down last week.  He was good to give me a job even when I was mopey and doubting.

I'm going to be busy the next two weeks, unpacking and setting up house, but after that,  I will be working downtown at this lovely building......

the beautiful lobby!

I can't wait!! It feels like we will be starting our DC routine now-- both working, involved in church, making friends.  Glad to make this city our home!

PS Y'all know this southern girl is already thinking about which outfit to wear on the first day.

Moving!

I've had a busy 2.5 weeks.  Flew home to pack, say goodbyes, load up and then made the 2 day journey to DC where we unloaded our stuff. I spent the trip in the car with Marley and Jack -- and Jack was always very excited to get in the "Big Truck" on gas stops!

 hanging out with friends in Jackson

Playing in the BIG TRUCK

 Saying goodbyes was tough, but I am glad I had the opportunity to do it. Otherwise I would have had to say goodbye to everyone at the wedding.  Mississippi is a special place and it was hard to leave, but I was eager to see my Mississippi boy after 9 days apart so I was eager to get back to the city.

Enjoying friday night with my FAVORITE guy

After unloading, we spent one day in DC where everyone was able to recover and I had an interview. We then had Friday night tapas and sangria at one of my favorite DC restaurants, LA TASCA. 

Jack loves hanging out in the neighborhood with Uncle Big Dave

The next day, we headed to a small town near State College, Penn to help Marley and Bech move their stuff into their new house.  Their house was cute and HUGE -- we all got a laugh out of how much more your money will get you in a small town v. DC. It's a precious little town that I think they will enjoy.....BUT the one drawback is..... its hilly (which is adorable but not the most fun when moving!!)  We ended the night by trying out a restaurant in State College (the town ten minutes away where Bech will be attending school)

Unpacking in Pennsylvania

Dave and I spent the night before driving back to the city.  We took a different way home so we could see more of Pennsylvania and we made a pit stop at Hershey, Penn. (more on that stop later) 

Hershey, Penn

Since getting home, I've done a lot of unpacking and settling back in, and I will be honest, it's been tough. Dave and I were just starting to get settled into our life here in DC, but going home made me aware of how much I miss Mississippi.  Part of me didn't want to go home for a week for this very reason---- I haven't been here long enough for it to be home, so going back to my former home was just confusing.  However, I missed Dave the entire time I was in Mississippi and was eager to see him again...so my trip to Mississippi made me realize that he is my home now, wherever we live.  Even so, coming back to a house full of boxes, no job and days that weren't busy with friends and family was difficult.  I've had my moments of doubting the move, but have mostly tried to enjoy our adventure, but this week I was a bit less positive. Finishing unpacking some boxes helped: its amazing how much happier you feel when you can see your floor!!! Also dinner plans with friends from MS and a camping trip this weekend with church friends has my spirits high again.  And as much as I love sweet Mississippi, it is good that I won't be going home for a few months....by then, DC will be home and involve a job, friends, a decorated apartment, a routine.  

UNPACKING....halfway there!

RECIPE: Taco Macaroni

Last night, I tried a new recipe. I like macaroni, but I never see it as a main dish. However this dish adds meat and taco seasoning and we really liked it.  Its a quick meal, served with some fresh cut veggies!

INGREDIENTS:

6 oz macaroni 

1⁄2 lb lean ground beef 

1⁄2 packet taco seasoning 

2 oz Neufchatel cheese 

11⁄2 cup 2 % shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare noodles as directed on package.

2. Brown the beef and drain.

3. Add 1/2 cup water and taco seasoning to beef and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Stir in neufchatel cheese until melted.

5. Add pasta to a casserole dish.

6. Stir in 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese.

7. Top the noodles with beef mixture and stir to combine. (I failed to stir it, but it still turned out fine!) 

8. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

9. Bake for 15-20 min at 350 degrees.

Dave liked it, even ate two servings.  It was so simple and I was even able to prepare it then cook it later.  (As if thats necessary now when I have TONS of free time, but I am always thinking future because when we both work, we will be getting dinner together after 6pm each night!)

Plus I was able to cut the fat some by using lean beef and light cheese! I will for sure make this again!

RECIPE: Swiss Chicken

I've had only one horrible cooking experience since we got married.... it was a swiss chicken recipe gone wrong.  We ended the night with frozen pizza.  To be fair, dinner wasn't burned or cooked incorrectly, just not a good recipe.  The recipe I tried included a half cup of wine and the wine did not seem to cook out properly, so it tasted like we were drinking hot white wine with our chicken!

Finding food that is simple enough for Dave YET still something I like is a challenge at times and I was convinced that if we tweaked this recipe we would both like it!! BONUS POINTS that it is easy and something we can cook easily when we are both employed!! I took my sister in law's recipe and my recipe and doctored it up a bit to come up with a recipe that we definitely liked!

INGREDIENTS
4 thin chicken breasts
4 pieces of 2 % swiss cheese
1/2 cup cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp melted butter (to keep the fat down, we used "I can't believe it's not butter")
1 - 1.5 cups stuffing

STEPS
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Arrange chicken in a lightly greased baking dish.
3. Top with swiss cheese.
4. Mix broth and cream of chicken soup together and pour over chicken and cheese.
5. Pour stuffing on top of mixture.
6. Drizzle melted butter on top of stuffing.
7. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

It turned out really well, served over brown rice with veggies. We definitely liked the version WITHOUT wine better than our original attempt and will make it again.