Corn Dog

Puppy is corn dog.

He even ate it across the cob like a human.

It was almost as fun as watching him eat watermelon down to the rind.

Almost.
Hoping we see some of the watermelon-eating pup this weekend at the LAKE!

Dry DC Days

We have been SO LUCKY because the weather in DC has not been very DC-like at all. We have had a few yucky humid days, but also quite a few gorgeous dry(ish) days. Yesterday was one of them, so we took advantage. We started our day early with a belated Father's Day breakfast with my dad and little bro who are back in town after a trek to Seattle and Utah to visit family and friends. Jason and I headed downtown afterward to visit the Crime and Punishment museum and then took a nice long walk to Founding Farmers for a late lunch. My favorite thing about this restaurant is their homemade ginger ale (you know how much I love my ginger drinks) which is spicy and refreshing. Jason tried their orange soda which was pretty tasty too. If I didn't love the ginger ale so much I would try all of their yummy drinks, but I think I'm stuck on it for life. After tweeting about it, a friend linked me to this homemade ginger ale recipe which I must try!

I wish DC had more beautiful summer days like yesterday... We'll keep on wishin'...

P.S. Dear future children, it's okay with me if you don't get my hazel eyes and get your daddy's gorgeous blue eyes instead.

California Dreams

On Wednesday night we went to our first true pop concert ever.
Katy Perry!

Dancing, costumes, lasers, fire, bubbles, confetti.

We had so much fun!

It was also the most diverse audience I had ever seen at a concert. The show sold out to people of all ages, all races, all walks of life. Guys with gray and white hair, couples in their 50's, couples like us, groups of elementary school girls (and boys!), college kids...
I thought that was so cool.

Between the two of us, if we had a contest to see who crushed on Katy Perry the most, I'm not sure who would win.

Such a fun night!

A Quick Trip to Glorious NYC

Made a very quick trip to the city that never sleeps last weekend.
Ate the NYC must-eats in my book: pizza, bagel, babka.

Saw the girlies: Ali and Ashbo and got some much-needed catch-up time with each of them!
Minus Kerri... I'll catch ya next time, busy worker-bee!

And I saw Ashbo's AMAZING APARTMENT for the first time

oh my goodness it was to die for

with a gorgeous gate outside

two marble fireplaces

with built in bookcases surrounding one of them

the highest ceilings

with gorgeous molding details

the most beautiful parquet floor I've ever seen

nearly floor to ceiling recessed windows (remember the ceilings are TALL)

and indoor shutters that folded out of the recessed walls 

to. die. for.

I'll be back sometime this year...

...along with Jason on his VERY FIRST trip there.

It probably won't be in the winter like I was hoping

but nevertheless, I can't wait to show it to him!

Cooking with Bundaberg

Can you tell what that is I'm loving on and drinking while cooking?

No?

It's a bottle of nostalgia.

I drank Bundaberg's Ginger Beer constantly throughout my months in Australia. I got large bottles of it before long bumpy bus trips across the country to prevent carsickness (along with my trusty Bonine when the ginger just didn't cut it). It is one of the food/drink items I frequently talk about missing because it was the best ginger beer I've ever had.

I want to say I discovered it in the Outback, but I can't quite remember. I can picture the shop I bought my first bottle in, on the side of a dirt road. The shop had a run-down quality to it, but you could tell it was well-loved and cared for just the same. It had creaky, dusty wooden floorboards that let you know it had been around for a while. I remember it was very, very early in the morning and there were only a few of us in there - the few that had just hopped out of a bus that was about to embark on a road trip. I remember a friendly Aussie telling me to, "give it a go" instead of the ginger ale I was reaching for because it had real ginger pieces in it. After that, I drank very large bottles of it at a time.

I miss Australia so damn much it hurts sometimes. I was just talking with my boss this afternoon about how I would move there in a heartbeat if I didn't have family here.

Thank you, World Market, for making me a super happy girl and carrying my bottle of nostalgia.

Favorite Toy

You know how babies seem to love things you wouldn't expect, like the boxes their actual presents come in rather than the present itself?

Forget bones and kongs! Our pup loves water bottles!

Over the weekend while we were at the lake, Rufus grabbed any unattended water bottles he could get his paws on and chewed them up.

We're loving that it's lake weather again!