Belated Birthday

Jason had a birthday last week! We celebrated in style back in April when we spent a day at the Baltimore Harbor.  I had him take a day off of work and he had no idea what was in store. After sleeping in and getting brunch at Bob and Edith's, we hit the road to Baltimore!

First stop: The National Aquarium! When Jason figured out that our destination was Baltimore he had to think for a while as to where we might be going. Once he figured it out he got excited and said it brought him back to childhood. Neither of us had been since we were in school. The whole time we were there I didn't even need info signs because I had him around. His knowledge of sea life is extensive.

Second stop: Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse that is now likely our favorite restaurant ever. I made up for lost time not eating red meat, I'll tell ya that much! We also enjoyed caipirinhas, Jason's favorite drink which he has a hard time getting other places to make for lack of know-how. They also brought him a flan on the house!

And last, the grand finale, a Guster show. Before we left, I gave him the hint that I was taking him to something that I've always wanted to take him to. I kept the secret up until we got into the venue and he finally guessed, not because he saw signs, but because he just figured it out. Not too long before we started dating, I lucked out with some free tickets to see Rufus Wainwright, Guster, and Ben Folds (yes, I know, amazing show) and asked Jason if he wanted to go with me because I knew he liked Guster. He wasn't able to go with me, but ever since I told him he had to see them live because they were fantastic.

He loved the show, and the day. 

Happy Birthday, Husband!

Rainbows and Butterflies

Life isn't always rainbows and butterflies. But sometimes it is.

Jason took this photo during an afternoon walk with Rufus earlier this month. 

While we walked Rufus after work today, it was sunny yet cloudy and then all of a sudden the rain came, falling through the sunshine. Across the street, a little boy galloped from under a tree, threw his arms out, tipped his head back, and let the cold drops fall over his face.

We didn't see a rainbow today, but it was certainly rainbow weather. 

Mother Nature is pretty fantastic.

Change - it feels so good

You know how we've been looking for a house for the past year? Well, we're done looking for now. After nearly ten contracts written and two houses that got to the inspection stage only to find something we weren't comfortable with buying, we're through. We're staying where we are. We've been feeling really down about the house-hunt and it has been painful. So we quit. A year is enough.

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." - Maya Angelou

Over the past week, we have started talking about a new life path - something that is making me feel lighter already. We're changing things... and where we can't change them we're changing our attitude:

We are going to learn to love our little apartment. We're clearing out crap that we've been gathering in anticipation of moving which made our 600 feet feel a lot smaller like boxes and packing paper. We're going to get rid of our futon and replace it with a comfy couch. I've delivered a few (more) boxes of things I don't want to part with but don't want in the apartment into my childhood home (thanks, Al!). We'll probably buy a new bedspread, some curtains, and shelves to organize our things better in the space we have. 

We're enjoying the nice weather. No sense in dreading summer. It's not here yet. And really, the summer isn't that bad. Last summer I said I'd try not to hate it so much, and that little bit of effort really made it so much more enjoyable.

We're enjoying each other. We've been walking Rufus together each day instead of each of us doing one walk alone. Instead of having separate mornings where I lay in bed until Jason is out the door, we get up a little earlier to walk Rufus together. It's a great way to wake up and start slowly and a great way to decompress after each day.

We're bettering our health. Two walks a day instead of one with Rufus. Gym trips for Jason (a train I need to jump on too). Less takeout, more home-cooked meals. Water in our spankin' new stainless steel water bottles that don't make us feel like we're drinking plastic or BPA.

We feel better already. Rufus feels better already.

What do you do to make yourself feel better when you're feeling down?