D.C., the promise of fall, and family reunion

D.C. Did you know they have "taxation without representation" on their license plates? A and I couldn't decide if they were meant to be funny or a bit snide. The highlights were the National Building Museum, where we learned amazing things about concrete, the Holocaust Museum, because I've always been interested in that stuff, and Union Station's yummy sushi. Things that I would not have missed are the humidity (I'm afraid I was a bit whiny) and the fact that D.C. was surprisingly rundown, in my opinion. It was great to see J and his friends, who are truly great, especially C and D who let us stay with them in their nice apartment.

I must note that I was especially lame in D.C. I slept a lot, especially during times when others were socializing. I feel quite bad.

Even though it's August it feel like September here, as it has almost all month. I actually picked up some red and yellow fallen leaves toda. The upside is that I LOVE September, that's right, LOVE. It's my favorite month. It makes me feel all newly-sharpened-pencil, I-have-a-new-Trapper-Keeper-anything-is-possible, get-a-new-day-planner-cause-I'm-planning-out-my-life.

Big brother JJ and his girlfriend KK are in town... so great to see them. I'm not very good at phone calls and he is not very good at email so we don't talk much in the interim. We're having a family fun blowout weekend at the cabin this weekend, so I'm resting up. Well, I guess if going out with husband and his co-worker E is resting up, then I'm doing that.


Family reunion at the cabin... it looks like 95, actually was more like 65. My brother and his girlfriend tried to get in the water but immediately got out after diving in because it was so cool they were shaking.

Blue lake and rocky shore, the champagne of beers, and a broken toe

Ely was everything I hoped it could be. We spent the main part of the day doing things outdoors - canoeing, hiking, running The Most Gorgeous Run in the World - and spent the other part reading, eating tasty food, hanging out in Ely, and just sitting and staring the beautiful lake.

Most exhilarating moment - taking a sauna and then running out in the 45 degree chill and rain to jump in the freezing lake.

Saddest moment - When Husband broke his toe portaging the canoe, putting an end to his much-beloved daily runs.

Family fun moment - Hanging out with Husband's cousins the first night, having Husband and his cousin E get into the type of hijinks they were famous for as kids.

Sweetest moment - sharing carrot cake with Husband and toasting each other on our 2nd anniversary.

Sobering moment - the row after row of empty liquor and beer bottles on Sunday after our weekend with friends M and B. As M would say, we "lived the high life."

Tomorrow it is D.C.-ho as we embark on a very unplanned adventure... we don't have any agenda, and haven't talked much with the friend we're visiting, and are staying with some of his friends who we've never met...

I'd also like to note a visit yesterday and today by good college friend J.C. and his girlfriend... although it's been awhile it feels as if no time has passed. It's great to see him again.


Our first harvest

Staying up past midnight

I've discovered the secret to exploring the night time, one of the goals on my seasonal self improvement list: start later. We keep starting gatherings at 7 or 8 and finding ourselves tired by midnight. But if you start later, before you know it it's 2 a.m. Husband and I hung with out a couple from his cast (including the guy I find attractive, detailed in the "embarrassment of the day" from the Where I fantasize about the perfect bed linens entry), and they came over around 10 and we ended up talking until 3:30. So they stayed over and we rounded it out with breakfast at Perkins in the morning (it had been years. They still do a decent oatmeal). It was different hanging out with 19-20 year olds, though. They didn't watch the same sitcoms as kids as we did. 3:30 a.m. is more the norm than the exception. And we did feel strange with the whole alcohol thing - do we offer, or no?