making progress.

we finished printing all our invitations last night!

the gocco machine is a BEAST, but we finally got it to work and finished last night around 11:30pm.

i absolutely LOVE the way they all turned out. can't wait to send out in just a few days! and tomorrow, wedding is 5 weeks away - i'm shocked how quickly the time is passing.

TH moves into our apartment on monday and i begin nesting mode on monday - can't wait to size that place up for furniture and paint and design. and can't wait to stare out the window and spy on politicos. and can't wait till our honeymoon and all that will come - we bought our tickets early this week and are getting pretty excited about our destination.

tonight - ABT romeo and juliet at the kennedy center (love the score so much). tomorrow - tea party and general good times. sunday - church and prepping the invitations!

what are you up to this weekend?
did you like the first place you lived with your significant other? was it what you expected? i'm curious.

lunch in the district: the food cart

washingtonians: the food trucks are coming.

over the past year we've seen some pretty exciting food carts pop up around town. and there are more on their way! follow most on twitter to find their location.

my favorite food carts in dc:

1. the fojol brothers of merlindia:
fresh, spicy indian food from a truck blaring bollywood pop some days and disco music another. the brothers park their truck next to parks, lay out a few blankets, and serve indian food while wearing faux thick mustaches and turbans. the concept is silly, but the food is delicious - they serve 4 entree choices per day, the pumpkin is amazing! try a lassi pop on a hot day. get there early to avoid lines. 2 entrees and rice will run about $7. follow their tweets.

2. pedro and vinnys:
this guy has been serving delicious burritos for years - i recommend the veggie black and tan 7. He has a ton of different sauces to spice the burrito differently. he took off for awhile last year, but returned better than ever and much more appreciated by the lunch crowd. the burritos run about $6, and you can only pay with cash. he's parked at 15th and K.

3. sweetgreen:
salads and frozen yogurt. not to be taken lightly - both are amazing. thick, greek style yogurt or creative salads. they don't park near mcpherson square nearly enough for me! they also have cafes in dupont circle and georgetown. follow their twitter for location.

4. and coming soon...sauca!
looks like this truck is going to start next week! the menu looks really...expansive. and delicious. i'm only slightly skeptical, but more excited to try it out. i'm locked onto their twitter.

there's also a korean cart at 14th and L that i'm not in love with, but other people seem to like. any new trucks you've heard about?

dating in the district

sometimes being engaged feels like more of a chore than anything else. everyone always says - oh, such a fun time! but in our case, they are wrong. maybe its because i'm a lazy perfectionist masquerading as a nonchalant wedding planner. maybe its because we're planning the wedding in 3 months. maybe its because we are both dismal decision makers and cannot commit to things.

for example. TH has a dirty habit of pressing snooze button. one time, after hearing his snooze button for like the 19th time, i just sleepily cried out "come on! commit!!"

for second example. it took us 3 years to get engaged. i'm just sayin. we don't take things lightly.

anyway, wedding planning is blerg disgusting. but then you have the break through moments like being so excited about a material you found. or discovering a new way of shrinking down your favorite food to bite-sized portion. or getting the perfect band (hot jazz, duh).

but back to the dismal side - the point of this email is that in the past 2 months of engagement, i've been on like 2 dates with TH. lame. we really like going out but we're just too exhausted to ever do anything lately.

BUT. that is not to say i am not ready to tell YOU where to go on dates in this lovely city. i'm starting a new little feature on this blog: "dating in the district". and when i say dating, i mean girl/boy dates, girl/girl dates, group dates, man dates, etc. just go out and enjoy this little gem of a town. i'll just share some of my favorite spots i've found over my life in and around washington dc.

so. i'll start tomorrow. because today is almost over. and i actually should really be working right now (shhh...)

target.

TH and I were walking through target the other night.

"i really like coming here", says TH.
"yeah, me too. it's comforting", says I.
"you know why? because i can afford everything in here", he retorts.

ummm...maybe i should stop taking him with me to anthropologie? land of the $100 t-shirt.

the district: best veggie burger in dc. part 2.

i still am holding strong that BGR: The Burger Joint has the best veggie burgers in the district. Prove me wrong, DC.

oh, and i see a contender on the forefront: Flip Burger Boutique (from Top Chef's Richard Blais) is coming to Penn Quarter in the Spring. With liquid nitrogen milkshakes (conceptual food sometimes = yummy, but the jury is still out!)

love. love. love.

i hear its all you need.

i lost my wallet this weekend. a man found it on the sidewalk and tracked me down. he gave it back. i love kind and honest people.
my niece, lizzy, turned 3. jenny threw her a big party complete with dragon cake. it was so fun. i love my family.
TH and i printed most of our invitations this weekend. they look fantastic. i love him.
annie had a birthday party/dinner party/board games party at her house. it's so cozy there and always so so great to spend time with friends i love.
i love going to church and learning.

i'm in love with the world right now, not to mention its 60 degrees outside, so i'm feeling good.

i just ate 3.5 donuts so overall i can say that today is much better than yesterday.

plus i think i found a place to go on honeymoon and i walked to work this morning with TH because he works 3 blocks away from me now and yesterday we met up for lunch and he brightened up my day.

pretty much excited for this weekend, too with wedding invitation madness, lizzie's birthday party, and a birthday dinner and board games party.

pretty cool stuff.

what are you doing this weekend?

hiding.

where is that nook again? i need to crawl back into it and get away from this day. it's a toughie.

tomorrow will be more like this, i'm sure of it:

via fffound

i'm wearing everything you own!

thanks to heathbar, who got me through college with Friends, general tso's, and days of our lives.

I just found this image from the latest dolce and gabanna runway show, and it reminded me of that Friends episode where joey puts on all of chandlers clothes to get back at him for...something...anyone remember?

"you hide my clothes? i'm wearing everything you own!"

see - i'm not the only one who watches Friends, apparently. thank you d&g.

if only i didn't look over my finances this morning...

pair these with some black tights and a navy or green sweater?
i'm dying.

the weekend.

monday holidays are the absolute best.

friend, jess, came on friday and stayed through last night. she is a MIRACLE WORKER.
that girl worked her fingers to the bone to make my wedding dress look unbelievable. I'd share some pictures, but the dress is under lock and key until the wedding day so TH doesn't see. But she snip snip snipped and sew sew sewed, and I'm ecstatic. This is why I love my talented friends - they can see your vision and make it happen!

friend, leslie, designed some wedding invitation graphics and sent them my way yesterday. TH and i just stared and stared at them. so so perfect and lovely! i designed the layout, text, and font over the weekend, so they are just about ready to go. hope they are, because we are printing this weekend with our gocco printer. we bought out invitation stock last night from papersource, and there was another bride in there with her mom. TH whispered to me "hey, check me out, i'm a good fiancee, doing this stuff together". and i was like, yes you are. he's been so great on all this. so calm when my brain is about to explode.

friends, robbie and hannah, took us on a whirlwind tour of georgetown suitary. we ended the night with cupcakes from georgetown cupcake. note: toasted marshmallow, not a fan. but robbie and hannah? yes. and you know what? i like getting advice from the marrieds, ok, i like it! it makes me feel better to know that other people had to plan a wedding once and it also was full of follies. yeesh. how many days til march 6th?

also this weekend there were two parties, one of which i hosted, and they were equally fun. i love friends crowding around in a small space, catching up, laughing, dancing, etc. i have such a great support network here, and i feel so lucky!

in case you care, wedding planning is actually coming along quite nicely, save a few details, but lets focus on the good, mmk?

oh also, pizza paradiso has the most amazing can't-stop-thinking-about-it special pizza right now - butternut squash, brussel sprouts, pine nuts, and parmasean. just go and get it.

aaaaand...that's it.

travel.

you know how here in the states, we have travelzoo and kayak and travelocity for travel deals?

where do people in the UK/europe look to find deals?

i.e. 6 nights in capri $753 from london including flights!

we want to find a good deal out of london, if possible! thanks lovelies.

happy today.

i'm not normally a daisy girl, but i couldn't resist these! i love them in the cute blue vase, too. flowers should make you happy, and these flowers have the happiest personality i've ever encountered (i agree with you kathleen kelly).
and this song and cute homemade video has been making me happy all day:

today i am home.

diet coke? check.
sour patch kids? check.
japanese snack mix with wasabi peas? check.

going to finish this paper today if it kills me? check.

sometimes work is just like grad school. i just need to revert back to my grad school ways - sleeping odd hours, eating junk food, and all my papers sprawled out on a big table. that should get the job done.

if anyone wants to meet me, i'm walking to mcdonalds around 2 to get a big fatty diet coke. i learned this summer that mcdonalds makes the best diet cokes and has the best big straws to get maximum diet cokeage. it's SO good.

xoxo

ps guess who is in nyc yesterday and today? TH. womp womp sad trombone. i hope i get to go back soon. but lucky me 2 of my lovelies from nyc are coming this weekend to visit! dance, dance, dance - it will be SEW fun!

i'm restarting my new year.

resolutions

be ambitious
take control of me
help others

dinner with friends.

is there anything better?

these nights spent with friends, laughing and learning from each other - i really value them so much. especially after i realize how many strong, independent, and ambitious women that are in my life. these women have been so influential and inspirational for me. there is nothing better than seeing a woman happy in life, confident, and willing to share her successes with others. i aspire to have these strong qualities in my life and i'm so grateful to have such lovely, simply wonderful friends.

ps: eamonns chippery, though lethally greasy, is the best fish and chips i've had in dc area, or maybe even this country (although to be fair, i generally don't eat fish and chips.)
if you're feeling brave, head next door to the PX, a psuedo-speakeasy. i haven't worked up the courage to check it out yet, but someday!

news.

did you see that sarah palin is now a contributor on fox news? and that she said fox news is the most fair and balanced news source?

thanks for the chuckle this morning, SP!

weekend = success

we made it through the weekend. breathing returning back to normal.

wedding reception friday night for alan and marci. all my favorite people in one room, could not have been more fun! they know how to throw a party!

engagement photos all day on saturday with joshy brown, and we went everywhere. he is so so talented, and we were all super brave that day - temps in the 20's, brisk winds, and lots of frozen appendages. but made it through and we already got a few back (you can see more on facebook) and i'm so excited to see the rest of the photos. we love you josh!

in front of the capitol, on frozen pond.

near union station.

jimmy t's, our fav little brunch spot.

saturday night we warmed up - a cozy night at annie's, all snuggled up watching fantastic mr. fox and snl (so funny this season).

sunday parents came over and we planned out some wedding details. all things went well and i feel less stressed out now. yay for families living close and being so great! and hooray for friends who are so kind and helpful and tell me jokes to ease the stressful times.

this week is going to be great - lots of plans with friends, a little wedding stuff, and then a party and jess in town this weekend! hoorah!

happy news.

we got the apartment.

capitol hill, here we come! cannot wait to make this place our first little home.

happy weekend!

busy bees.

TH took a break from sugar for his new years resolution. today he had a coke. i couldn't be happier. this means we get to start eating desserts together again and i don't have to hide in a dark room while eating my chocolate cake. phew.

i feel like i've been complaining a lot lately, and so my new years resolution is to be more positive and optimistic. i probably won't be able to do it though. haha i kid, i kid. i am looking forward to being a happier, more fulfilled person who doesn't worry about little stuff like planning a wedding or finding an apartment or writing a paper for work. sure, they're big things, but there are people to help out and i don't need to do all the worrying and stressing alone. friends!

this week we've been busy apartment shopping, but i think we may have found one! keeping my fingers crossed.

tomorrow's a big big day. engagement pictures! joshy is coming down to take them. i had all these great places picked out to do the photo shoots, but its like 20 degrees outside = too cold for all day outdoor shoot! so who knows where we'll end up. maybe we'll do it in an ikea showroom. just kidding, but that would be pretty awesome. "take on of us on the flookenbjort!"

then sunday its mom and th's parents over for lunch to do some wedding planning.

i will be SO glad when march 7th gets here!

looking for apartments is miserable.

stress level = high
apartments found we love = 1
apartments found we love with rent too high = 1
other apartments i've found that match that apartment = 0
knowing what to do next = low

did that make sense? no? i remember all of my friends who've talked to me about the difficulties of finding an affordable apartment in dc that's also not scary and gross.

so tired. just give me a lease to sign already.

well-deserved.

yesterday, as i was leaving work, i started running to catch the bus.

i tripped.

i fell. hard. on the freezing cold sidewalk, right on my knee and stubbing my big toe. i laid on my back for about a minute it hurt so bad and it was so cold, too!

i got myself up about a minute later and i couldn't hold back the tears. i started sobbing. like face grimaced, tears falling down face, making sounds, crying. homeless people even asked if i was ok.

i called TH. "(inaudible hiccuping and crying)" "j, what's wrong?", TH asked. it took me about 30 seconds to get any words out. "my knee hurts!!", i cried, feeling silly as the words came out. i cried and sniffled on the phone for about 5 minutes, then hung up. and cried walking down the street.

i think i was mainly releasing stress from holidays and wedding stuff. i wasn't really hurt (so i thought)...so i went to georgetown. after all that pain and crying, i needed to shop and eat a cupcake. i deserved it, don't you think?

now today my knee is one big black and blue mess! and my toe is black and blue and looks like a big ugly sausage. i keep checking on it to make sure it hasn't fallen off - so far so good.

send well wishes my way. i could use some comfort!

new mexico = new year.

december was tough. i love the holidays, but for some reason (wedding. its the wedding) i've been too stressed out to deal with most things, including holidays and families and friends and anything at all really. i mean, i couldn't even get out of bed this morning, thus i was late to work. good thing i didn't make any new years resolutions about being on time to things.

anyway, despite december being a tough month, the trip to new mexico was a breath of fresh air. it was so needed. i loved seeing the world in a different way, getting out of city and commuter life for a few days. and plus everything smells SO AMAZING in new mexico. they say its the pinon wood everyone uses in their fireplaces. it has this sweet, spiciness and makes the air smell so good. man. we also got to eat some new mexican food from little anita's - veggie burrito with green sauce and sopapillas with honey for dessert! i ate way too much and we all played a lot of games and TH's brother and sister-in-law threw a great new orleans new years party with king cake, cabbage rolls, black eyed peas - the works! i had such a good time, even if it was only slightly warmer out there then here(like 35 degrees instead of 20). apparently the desert gets cold, too (i should've paid attention in elementary school instead of writing all those love notes to boys!) but it was incredibly sunny every day and i geeked out every time i saw a solar panel (which was actually a frequent occurance). here are some pictures to prove (sorry no solar panel pics). (omg enough with the parentheses already, gnomie!)