domestic diva?

ok - so i'm definitely borderline ocd when it comes to certain things... cleaning, list-making and maybe now magazines. for the past 3 years i have hoarded every single issue of martha stewart LIVING. my MIL got me my first subscription right before stephen and i were married in 2005, and i've been hooked since. maybe it's my subconsious desire to embrace my inner domestic diva or just the beautifully arranged glossy pages that capture my attention - i dunno, but i'm fan.

i guess i was first introduced the unattainably perfect lifestyle of MSLO back when i was planning my wedding - i threw out all my other bridal mags when i found how much better martha's were. they really are something. now here i am - 3 years later - with stacks and stacks of issues that i swear i'm going to reference but then never do. the problem is whenever i recall something i read in one of the issues, i can never remember just which one it was in...frustrating! so rather than pulling out all 36+ copies and flip through each one, i decided it was time for me to consolidate and organize.

with my husband's skeptism in tow, i started going through each issue and ripping out pages of practicality or inspiration. as i tore each page from the binding i felt a mix of guilt - i'm destroying my pristine magazines! - and of progress - finally these things will be of use! although this took forever, it wasn't so bad when i combined the activity with watching march madness or whatever was on my dvr. yay for multi-tasking.

once i got all the pages free, i sorted them in categories, trimmed all the rough edges and strategically placed 1-4 pages in sheet protectors...depending on which pages i definitely wanted to see. with multiple trips to office depot, i was finally able to get all the page covers, binders and dividers i needed to complete the job...sigh.

after working on the project on and off for the past 3 weeks, i can say now that i'm FINISHED, and i'm oh so happy with the results!!! here's a glimpse of the end product:


4 binders in all, here are the breakdown of my categories...just in case any of y'all are as crazy as i am and want to pursue something similar

MONTH - 12 dividers - one for each month with relevant pages placed within (ie. valentines ideas in february, halloween in october, etc).

INSPIRATION - 5 dividers: good things/crafts - health - beauty - style - travel

HOME LIFE - 4 dividers: housekeeping (sub tabs - cleaning, laundry, tools, how-tos, resources) - organizing - entertaining

INDOOR/OUTDOOR - 2 dividers: decorating - gardening (sub tabs - flowers, arrangements, fruits/vegetables, how-to's, landscaping)

culinary adventures.

wednesday nights. usually i look forward to a nice relaxing evening at home, but this week it was about getting together with girlfriends, anna and kim. while stephen had a guy's night planned, consisting of smoking cigars and talking foreign policy, no doubt, i was glad to have as equally as interesting plans for the evening.

although i probably see kim on a weekly basis, it had been over 2 months since i last saw anna. considering that her boyfriend and much of her job in development at the FRC takes her out to colorado, she took advantage of overlap and spent 6 weeks out in colorado springs to grow her relationship and meet with current and potential donors. what a lucky arrangement but we're certainly glad to have her back with us for awhile :)

at kim's suggestion, we decided to try some wine-tasting sessions at local restaurants in dc. our first pick was bistro lepic but unfortunately tuesday nights just didn't work for us. so instead, we opted for vidalia which offered sessions every night of the week. after kim picked me up, we made our way into georgetown and spotted stephen on his vespa on his way out - so sexy, honey! we walked around m street for while, made some stops in MAC and sephora, and enjoyed the beautiful weather before making it down to 20th street to meet anna at vidalia.

upon entering, we made our way to the back of the restaurant where the wine tasting spread lay... tonight's wine was chardonnay - love it. with 2 california selections and 1 french, we chatted with the sommelier (and restaurant manager) about the nuances fine wine. i think i asked him a billion questions but really learned so much - everything from the effect of oak barrel age on taste to tannin levels causing headaches. apparently i should try a barbera d'asti or d'alba wine for a more drinkable red - who knew? it makes want to actually take an official wine tasting course - maybe during our upcoming trip to napa valley this summer!!

we had such a great evening together - especially with the very exciting news of anna's recent engagement to rick! july 12th, it is! initially we just started out with appetizers at the bar - split ceviche (we're talking mini octopus, scallops, crab here) and fried frog legs with garlic/parsley sauce. the head chef stopped by to make sure everything was a-ok with us ladies - very nice fellow. well, apparently, he was taken with anna and before we knew it, she was back in the kitchen with him making our own special entree! as she picked the ingredients he whipped together the pasta dish...commanding the respect of everyone else in the kitchen (yes, sir) as anna relished the unique experience! a few minutes later, out they come with 3 plates of anna's special dish - orecchiette with mushrooms, vidalia onions and bacon. even the woman next to us thought it looked so good and asked for it herself! it truly was amazing...especially it being on the house :) sometimes i really love being a girl.

after we practically licked our plates clean, we sat around and caught up on life together. between anna's wedding planning and kim's fun boy stories, it was a wonderful time with friends. however it wasn't long before we were surprised with yet another gift from the kitchen - this time a display of artful truffles! we devoured them so fast (so good) that they came out with yet another! we were beyond spoiled by this place - you bet we'll be back (and that they got a big fat tip).

so if you are ever in dc, looking for some great food and obviously great service, be sure to say hi to our new friends at vidalia!

cherry blossoms.

my favorite season in dc? cherry blossom time, no doubt. this year they bloomed a tad bit early since we've had such a mild winter, but the timing of this weekend's festival could not have been more perfect. although still a bit chilly, the crowd was out in full force as usual - whether on foot or by car, you are at best crawling around the tidal basin. but we didn't mind so much this year...

and you wouldn't have either if you were enjoying the sights from the vantage point of a porsche boxster. that's right - top down, windows up and heat crankin' - the best way, as i have come to realize, to take in the pretty pink display. you see, the night before, stephen was the best man at our friend's wedding...and mark needed someone to take his car as he and his new bride, amy, drove away to their wedding night in their limo. so being the best man, stephen had the distinct duty of taking the porsche home for the night. although mark was a bit nervous (obviously), stephen assured him it was in good hands - after all he first learned to drive stick on the autobahn of all places! i'm not sure if that's so reassuring...

either way, the next morning stephen needed to drop off his tux downtown, so why not make a detour down independence ave?? seemed brilliant in my book as well. so we cruised around dc in the sleek roadster, grooving to my favorite lenny kravitz song - i'll be waiting (btw, looooove his music video for this - what a talent!) and enjoyed a lazy sunday drive. afterwards we stopped by our go-to sandwich shop a la nantucket, jetties, and ordered the usual - the surfside with fresh squeezed lemonade.

it's days like this that really make me love this city. especially via a borrowed friend's boxster - so thanks mark!

unexpected easter.

i can't believe it's easter. i mean, really??? i know this year it's early - in fact it hasn't been this early in last 85 years. maybe it's the timing or maybe it's being convicted of the fact that so much of the "easter holiday traditions" are based on pagan origins - either way, i just haven't been that into it. don't get me wrong, i love easter for the sole fact that it reminds of our savior's ultimate sacrifice, then resurrection - the power of GOD to bring life to deadness - but that's about it. easter bunnies, easter baskets, easter dresses, easter eggs... ???? no desire this year.

so this weekend, instead of doing typical easter activities, it's been pretty low key. i have to admit, i have been preparing for spring - i am excited about that! this past week stephen and i stopped by the garden center and picked up fresh herb seedlings, pansies as well as a gardenia bush. i spent the end of the week into the weekend getting our flower boxes prepared, refilling the bird feeder and sprucing up our patio furniture while trying to add splashes of royal blue to our outdoor decor. i finally painted over an end table and made covers for our ugly plastic chairs with my favorite oil cloth fabric. so pretty.


stephen and i also decided we needed a new wii game. although we love love love wii sports and guitar hero, we were both itching for something a little more interactive. MORE? yes, more. so we splurged and bought dance dance revolution! so much fun! not only do you get to act like a dancin' fool in the privacy of your own home, but you certainly break a sweat - especially in workout mode where they count how many calories you've burned! i heart DDR.

after attending chuch in the evening (glenn's sermon on living the resurrected life was very very good), we went to dinner with our friend john and his girlfriend marsha who was in town visiting from california. we had such a great time chatting over beef brisket and discussing a variety of spiritual topics. all in all, i thought it was a great easter weekend - without the expected easterness. maybe next year i'll actually be inclined to at least dye a batch of eggs!

let's go hoyas!

for some reason i just haven't been too into basketball this year, but now that it is march, i'm starting to pay that much more attention to the sport. back in the fall, stephen talked about wanting to get season tix to gtown's home games, but i quickly talked him out of it. i mean, would be really go to every single game - no way. he could always use his student discount to go to any game he wanted, when he wanted. so with georgetown coming into the big east championship, he jumped at the chance and got us some decent tickets at a great price.

as we metro'd our way to the verizon center in chinatown, the excitement built as hoya fans packed themselves into the trains and toted their pride in grey and blue. however, the louisville fans were also in full force, especially as we had to make our way through the sea of red clackers on the way to will call line. bring it on!

before the game, gtown's alumni association had a great spread set up at bar louie's right next door. being included in our ticket price, we were sure to take advantage of the fresh fruit, mini sandwiches and toasty brunch items, not to mention our 2 free drinks :) classy, convenient and satisfying - very impressive.

with minutes to spare before the opening jump, we found our seats in the upper deck and got ready for some stellar ball playing. it was a tight game between the cards and hoyas from beginning to end, but georgetown prevailed and clinched their 2nd consecutive big east regular season championship under JTIII's leadership. plus it was so fun to see all the star players altogether on the court - ewing, hibbert, jwallace, rivers, etc - some for their very last time at home. the victory was especially sweet since it was GU's senior day.

i got some great shots with my camera and even took some fun video clips. the resolution is not as great as i had hoped but here are two of them -


1st one of the key 3 pointer which turned the game back into gtown's favor in the 2nd quarter


2nd one of them awarding of the championship trophy


love them hoya hoops!

griffin house.

i love live concerts. especially in small venues... squeezing myself through the crowds, climbing closer and closer to the front of the stage, to be able to look into the eyes of the talented musicians before me, to see them obliviously sweat-soaked, basking in the thrill of performance, to feel the hard/soft/quick/slow beat resonating deep within my chest, to have lyrics touch my soul and melodies stir my heart, to rock out and dance like nobody's watching.... just to live in that moment. i love it.

oddly enough, this is really a new thing i have come to discover about myself. so when my good friend claire sent out an email earlier this week about her latest band crush coming into town, i was all over it! stephen might have had plans with "the boys" but that wasn't going to stop me. besides, he's not as into live performances...except maybe when it comes to sports - figures.

anyway, it's a good thing i bought my tix online because by the time we showed up at jammin' java, the concert was well sold out. it's been forever since i've been there, but it's such a great venue - and brings me back to my old homebase in vienna, va. aw, memories. it wasn't long before we all linked up, with half of our cg present who decided this wasn't an opportunity worth missing... not many of us had heard of griffin house (yes, that's his actual name) but a year of claire's praises was convincing enough to bring us together!

after the band, sons of william, opened for gh, they then joined him as back-up. during their opening act, the one girl member handled the bass guitar, which was literally as big as she was! but could she play... she switched to electric with gh and just jammed - seriously, amazing.

over the course of the evening, we all fell in love with griffin's songs and stage personality. one thing that struck me the most was his at-ease approach to the mic... i have to say, chewing gum while singing and playing the harmonica certainly helped add to this vibe. gh's music could probably be classified as folk rock but pressed the limit in genres with many of his songs.

i found it even more endearing to find out my favorite song (the guy that says goodbye) of his was actually written about my friend's roommate's friend...you got that? claire almost died with jealously when she found this out as it is such a beautiful song - and i'm right there with her!!! it's funny how the mere touch of relevance makes music all that more powerful.

in short, i'm hooked. i just bought 3 of his cds on itunes, including his most recent release, flying upside down, that won't be on shelves for another 6 weeks. so if you are looking for some good new music, check him out. i say anyone who garners inspiration from the legends of johnny cash and tom petty are a-ok in my book. oh and did i mention he's been on tour with mat kearney?! yep, he's a keeper.

p.s. random but remember this commercial from valentine's day a year ago? that music is griffin's...waterfall. brilliant!

stryker mgs.

my father-in-law sent out a great email this afternoon about his involvement in the creation of the army's stryker series. and since i'm FINALLY feeling myself again after 10 days of unrelenting sickness, i thought i'd celebrate by posting a tribute to this fine piece of machinery. it really does deserve to skip my long queue of well-intentioned retroactive posts...sigh. for those who don't watch the military channel as much as our household, you're in for a treat.

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Dear Friends,

In 1999, I had the privilege of working with a team of some of the Army's best colonels to develop the requirements for the Stryker Family of Armored Vehicles in order to fulfill General Shinseki's vision of a rapidly deployable brigade combat team that could go anywhere in the world and fight with lethality, manueverability and sustainability while affording the infantryman a degree of protection. We designed the Stryker and a totally new brigade combat team organization optimized to fight this weapons system. Shortly thereafter, I was named the TRADOC Systems Manager for the Stryker and the Future Combat System and had the opportunity to see the Stryker through the source selection process and into the fielding of the first Stryker BCT. Today we have 6 Stryker BCTs in the Army and they have performed magnificently in Iraq.

The Mobile Gun System is the last of 10 Stryker variants to be fielded. It has a stabilized turret, auto-loader, crew of 3 Soldiers and fires High Explosive, Armored Piercing, Bee-Hive Anti-personnel, and a new bunker/concrete busting round. The main gun is a 105 mm cannon with auxilliary machine guns. All the crew sit below the turret line for increased protection. It still has some bugs to be worked out but this completes the journey we began in 1999.

The video is pretty impressive. Hooah!

Joe