Recap of the past 2 months: Part 2

In mid-April, we had the pleasure of hosting our good friends, James and Beth during their visit to DC. We had such a great time touring and we made many wonderful memories in the process!

 The Washington Monument never gets old...

Inside the Library of Congress...incredible!

 Outside of the Supreme Court...Beth was so excited!

 Oh hey there Obama, mind if we hang out on your lawn?!

 So gorgeous!

 View from the top of the Newseum...a must-see in DC!

Part of the Berlin Wall inside the Newseum

The weekend of April 21, I had the privilege of traveling to Mississippi for my dear friend Leesa Marie's wedding. It was so special to be there with her and see her marry her best friend, Jackson! I had never been to Mississippi, and the entire experience was incredible...Southern hospitality to a "T"!

 Leesa Marie and I on Friday morning after I arrived. All of us girls stayed in this GORGEOUS B & B. The owner was a delight...he told us the entire history of the house and town. On top of that, he went to high school with Elvis Presley!

 Our home for the weekend!

 The beautiful bride and I at the rehearsal dinner

 Leesa Marie and Jackson, simply glowing!

 Leesa Marie wore her mother's wedding dress...it was so beautiful!

 One of the reception food tables

 The incredibly delicious cake!

 I helped pass out "oaks lily" drinks to guests when they arrived at the Banks House for the reception. 

So fun!

Friends from the Kanakuk Institute: Sarah & Caroline

My super-creative friend Ngoc helped me make this cute wedding gift for Leesa Marie using one of her and Jackson's favorite songs :)

The following weekend, Tim and I visited Kansas to see family and friends and attend the 5th annual Sabethapalooza celebration at my parent's house! I'm very thankful to my parents and brother for putting it all together! This event has become a tradition, as our college friends come from all over the country for a big reunion!

 Yes, it's a donkey

 New event this year: 2-man saw race!

 Winners!

 Best friend Kristin came all the way from Illinois

 

 3 of my 5 bridesmaids!

 The girls

 The guys

 Bull-riding time!

Tyse & Tim!

 The rodeo announcers

 And the clown/bull-fighter, of course!

 My husband stayed on for 8 seconds!

 The crowd anxiously watching :)

 Happy 30th Birthday, Erik!

 The next morning: we are sleepy, smoky-smelling, but so happy to all be together!

 My mom surprised Tim & I with cupcakes to celebrate our 1-year engagement anniversary!

She's the best!

Recap of the past 2 months: Part 1

Annnnd I'm back....after 2 months of not blogging (yes, shame on me!). We have been so busy that I  haven't had the time to sit down and post. So now it's time for the big one...I'm going to try to recap the last 2 months!

First off, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom in mid-March and WOW were they gorgeous! This year marks the 100 year anniversary since Japan gave the United States 3,000 cherry trees.

The view from our balcony and "our very own" cherry blossom!

I have made a couple of new recipes recently:

Falafel Pie - MMM...took this to work for a lunch party and came home with nothing! They all devoured it! I adapted the recipe to my taste, so my version includes a falafel crust topped with roasted red pepper hummus, then dill tzatziki sauce, and tomatoes, spinach, cucumbers, and pickled turnips.

Mexican Sweet Potato Skins - Holy moly...these babies are GOOD, so good that I made them 2 days in a row! I didn't have chipotle peppers so I subbed red peppers, as well as Greek yogurt for sour cream, and added a little salsa for some kick.

Mediterranean 7-layer dip and homemade pita chips- I never buy pita chips at the store because they are always expensive and I think they are too salty...so I made my own using some pita bread from our local Mediterranean Bakery. I brushed each pita with olive oil, then topped with a variety of spices: cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic, etc. They were a hit at our Easter celebration with friends!

I had the honor of helping my friend Cynthia celebrate her birthday. Gracie and I met her for lunch at Rabbit Grill in Arlington and had a great time! She even got a free birthday cupcake from the guy behind the counter :)

I love Rabbit Grill...they have one of the best veggie sandwiches I have ever tasted! It is made up of roasted onions and red peppers, grilled zucchini, pickled red onion, cucumber, romesco, and topped with a grilled pineapple.

 

Something else that brightened my week was a sweet picture from a sweet little girl named Hope. She is the daughter of one of my co-workers, and Tim and I absolutely adore the whole family. These pictures definitely brought a smile to my face!

 

Several weekends ago, Tim and I got up on a rainy Saturday and decided to visit the Eastern Market in Capitol Hill. This place is packed full of yummy-looking produce and goods. You can also buy lunch from vendors...I can't wait to go back!

The weekend of April 1, Tim and I decided to take a much-needed weekend getaway trip....which conveniently included his half marathon race in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  :) Tim has a goal to run a race in every state, and luckily we are close to several states here on the east coast. Here are some highlights from our trip:

Our snack packs for the road trip:

All ready to go: cranberry/almond/cashew mix, apples, oranges, bananas, peanut butter, white bagel & peanut butter (Tim's pre-race meal), and kale smoothies!

Atlantic City Half Marathon on the Boardwalk:

Woohoo! Tim finished 60/751 males, and 77/1989 overall with a time of 1.36.37...a personal record!

 

We were fortunate enough to have a little bit of time to do some sightseeing while we were there.

We took the ferry from Delaware to New Jersey...it was cold and windy, but fun!

 A really old light house with lots of steps that we didn't go up :)

 These little towns had amazing old houses!

 The boardwalk in Lewes, Delaware

A gigantic, old mansion!

To be continued...