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!

The orchard

The Charming Stribling Orchard.
A long picker.
A smiley picker.
Reach for it!
HAPPY picking!
What a hottie.
Apples Red.
Apples Green. Great results...Apple goodness!

What the?

Can you believe it's already October?! I am anxious for the fall, but to be honest I feel like June was just yesterday which leaves me wondering where July, August and September have gone?? In an effort to remember I figured I should document a little of the past three months...a few glimpses...

JULY: Following a fantastic Fourth in the Bahamas, our VA openhouse on July 21st crept up on us. Thanks to my good friend Sara B, we pulled it off. After spending hours baking cupcakes and cutting fruit we finally had to call it good as guests began to arrive. Joseph's parents, Sam, Tim and Karen were also there. They had been road-tripping from the west and arrived that afternoon (the openhouse was at 6pm). The Richards' took care of the finishing touches while I pulled on the dress and tucked in the veil. We were all pretty exhausted by the end of it.




A BIG THANKS to Sara and the Richards' for all the help. And advice to future openhouse planners-DON'T try to do it all yourself!

The end of July also brought the end of Margo's stay in DC. She had endured three moves, several cross-country escapdes for my wedding and such, and a grueling daily commute to Reston (BFE VA). We were sad to see her go, but excited for her to get back to Logan and Utah State and all the friends and family she missed. Her last week here we went to some of the spectacular summer events that are hallmarks of DC, including The Sunset Parade at Iwo Jima


Margo, we hope you'll come see us again soon!!

AUGUST: In the thick of the summer I was sooo grateful for the shorter work hours and the long summer nights. One of our favorite August trips was to Westmoreland State Park. Here's a recap from Joseph's perspective. "Aug 20, 2007...So Maren asked if I would type a little this week so here I am.....this week Maren read about 7 of the Harry Potter books, made a ginormous cake (or maybe that was last week), I got new glasses, we started our food storage, had my math professor over for dinner, went to my company picnic, and critiqued local fisherman. I guess it was a fun week. And ps. I like my wife.

On Friday we went camping to Westmoreland State Park, and we were pretty pumped about it because we were going to go kayaking on Saturday morning...we read "Lexus and the Olive Tree" by Thomas Friedman on the way down. It was a pretty interesting book. There really isn't a fast way to get to Westmoreland State Park...we tried to different ways coming and going, and neither was very good. But we did get to see George Washington's birthplace — it was a peaceful and beautiful place.Sadly, there was a fire ban so we ended up cooking on Maren's stove, but it was still a good time. We had stuffed peppers. The bugs were out in full force and it was HOT. I think it finally cooled down around 11:30pm...then we could sleep. The saddest part of the whole trip came when we were going to go kayaking b/c it turned out that the water was too choppy and the forest ranger wouldn't let anyone out on the water! Bummer. So instead we hiked along a trail, found a turtle and took a cool picture of a frog,and ended up back at the beach. Then we had our laughs at the expense of the funny people fishing on the shore...It was a pretty relaxing and enjoyable day"...

Growing up

Everyone has to grow up sometime. I feel like this weekend was part of my "growing up". On Saturday afternoon, after running some errands with my sister I was driving home through Old Town. The traffic is often slow (which irritates me), and people always seem to pile up in one lane like little lemmings (which also irritates me). It was just such the case that afternoon, so as I pulled in to the left-inside lane and was about to cross the intersection....CRASH. My FIRST accident! My poor little malibu!! I pulled my bruised and broken car to the curb. (Luckily only the car was bruised and broken. Both myself and the other driver were not injured). I didn't really know what to do. Thoughts flew through my mind...Do I get out of the car? I probably should clear the debris from the road. Do the police just come...no, I probably have to call them. I felt like such a child. I was shaky and nervous. Mostly I didn't want to look incompetent in front of the other driver; especially because I was fairly certain he was at fault.

I got out of the car, made my way slowly over to his and just said, "well, this isn't how I anticipated I'd spend my Saturday." We exchanged information. I called Joseph then the police. And to be honest, the whole thing was not as bad as I had expected. Everyone involved was super friendly, the police officer, the other driver, and the AAA tow truck lady who was giving everyone advice about repair shops and calling in an extra tow truck for the dude's car. The officer determined I was not a fault (which wasn't too hard to deduce). My newfound "crash friend" had left his cell phone with his wife and friends. So we called them on mine. They were at a local burger joint. Nice people. We left with a hand shake and a "Good luck" to each other. Later Joseph told me how the officer had commented on how well I was doing...how grown up I was acting. I laughed and thought, if only he had seen the child within!!

It's these funny little experiences that I am somehow grateful for because they hold valuable lessons about people. I felt like I made some new friends that day. Or at least renewed my faith in humanity. Sadly, my car will be anything but renewed!