Category Archives: 52 Dates

The date // A picnic at home.
The picnic // Bread, cheese, pickles, heirloom tomatoes, and other assorted goodness from the fridge.

Since we don’t really know how to take a weekend easy, no matter how we try, this weekend was much like the rest. Baking pies, shooting an engagement session for some of our best friends, selling pies, cleaning up our mess, and then crashing completely.

So this Sunday, since (see aforementioned crashing…) we felt like staying in, and the dark clouds outside seemed to be cheering us on, we decided to stake out a lazy little picnic on the floor.

We gathered up bits and pieces here and there, some leftovers, some just waiting for the right time to be eaten, and put together quite a little feast if I do say so myself, complete with a delicious bottle of wine we picked up while scouting the best local vineyards for Field + Foundry.

Maybe it’s obvious, but our favorite dates are always the ones we have at home, when it’s just us, a cozy blanket, a bottle of wine, and some time to catch up on everything we haven’t had the chance to say in the middle of such a long, busy week.

(And of course, a sneaky puppy waiting in the wings, hoping we might take pity and throw a piece of cheese his way…).

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The date // Newport

As is usually the case with vacation, it’s taking me a little bit of time to come back to the real world. And to be completely honest, because of some bad news we received upon our return I’m not sure I want to. But setbacks pass, and if there’s one thing they’re good for it’s making you even more grateful for trips like this.

I have so much more to share from our three days at Folk Fest, but for now I thought I’d focus on some of the quieter moments in Newport. The ones we really, really needed.

These past few months have been all go go go, so the chance to sit back and relax, share a bottle of wine, stare at the water, and bike over to see some of our favorite bands play in one of the most beautiful venues I’ve ever seen was more than appreciated. It was everything we needed to recharge, and as it turns out, build back our strength to weather the storm that was waiting for us back home.

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The date // A pilgrimage to the original Jimmie Cone
The bonus // An amazing night with friends, old and new

We all fall into our little routines… our happy places, or sometimes just our comfortable places.

Ice cream is most certainly one of ours, especially in the summertime (but let’s face it, always too). Want to do something special but don’t have plans? Ice cream is the answer – or at least an answer we consider – almost every time.

And I’m pretty okay with that. But there are other routines I’m less fond of.

DC has a routine. A go to work, come home, check email before bed and go back to work kind of routine. Maybe you’ll hit a bar somewhere in the mix, socialize with folks who work on the Hill or at a nonprofit like you… talk about work, because who knows who you might meet. Every drink is an opportunity.

… the problem is that I’ve never been one for opportunism.

When I moved to DC to go to George Washington, everyone I met was gunning for the same internships, then the same jobs, and the ones who weren’t seemed even more lost than I was. Trying to find their place in a world that wasn’t catering to them, that might even have felt like it was working against them. A world where the first question you’re asked when you meet someone new is “what do you do” and the second is “where did you go to school?”

But it’s not just the monotony or the intimidation that forces folks back into themselves. In most cases it’s also the fear, or even the true belief, that they are legitimately alone.

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The date // Curling up for a night on the couch.

Sick always seems to come at the most inopportune time.

But then when is there ever really an opportune time?

These past few days have been slow for me, moving at half speed while my body forces me to slow down at just the time I wish it would sit back, shut up, and hang tough.

But there is at least something of a silver lining, in that the sick has afforded Mark and I a good chunk of time to snuggle up on the couch. We’ve been able to keep up with the latest crashes and dropouts on the Tour (wo this year), watch a few more episodes of Breaking Bad, and jump into the new season of Masters of Sex… perfect activities for the dark summer storms that have been swirling outside our window all week.

(Do a little anti rain dance to ward off the storms on Saturday for me, will you? We can move our party inside, but the outdoor location is so gorgeous I’d just hate to have to.

… then how would we roast s’mores?)

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The date // A hike up Old Rag in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The snack // Hand pies, a baguette we snagged from the market, a little cheese, and the best apricots ever at the summit.

Yesterday Mark and I put everything else in the world on hold. We packed a bag, pulled on our boots, and drove to the Shenandoah National Park to finally tackle a trek we’ve been talking about for years.

After a 2 1/2 hour drive through some of the most beautiful country around, we started our 5 hour round trip hike straight up the hill — something Mark warned me was coming, but I had no idea.

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The date // Watching the sun go down over Harper’s Ferry.
The snack // Custard, for the second time that day…

One of my very favorite places, especially in this area, is Harper’s Ferry. We try to get there at least once a year to hike Maryland Heights, wander around the colonial town, and of course, eat some custard at Swiss Miss.

On Sunday we’d planned to make it up to Maryland Heights for the sunset, but made it just part of the way there before the sun started to fade, so we stopped to enjoy the rest of the day on a big rock in the middle of the Shenandoah River, just off the C&O Canal that I still swear we’re going to through-bike, and watch the AT through-hikers, who I still swear we’re going to join…

One of these days, when we can both work on the run, which is just what we both dreamt about as we sat there watching the sun dip beneath the clouds.

P.S. We’re halfway there! The year is flying by so fast.

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The date // Wine, cheese, and at least an attempt to relax on Father’s Day.

It was the weekend just before a vacation, so you already know it wasn’t exactly serene. Add Father’s Day and a Sunday market to the mix and we found ourselves searching for even the tiniest bit of time to carve out for ourselves.

I won’t say it was much, but in between shooting posts, selling pies, and getting Austin safely to bed, on Sunday evening we popped open a bottle of wine and sat down for a few minutes together.

Sometimes even the tiniest moment can be just what you need.

Earlier in the day, Austin and I gave dad some pretty prints for Father’s Day. Digital photos make it so easy just to file things away that we hardly ever print anything anymore, so we decided to order a few of our favorites for him to put around the house, in his office, or wherever he’d like.

All in all, it was a crazy day, but a good day. And soon we’ll be on our way to Salt Lake for a little bit of work, a whole lot of fun, and hopefully something that looks a little bit more like an actual break. (Although we’ll see.)

Tell me, what were you up to this weekend? Did you find any time to relax?

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The date // A little Tony’s party with friends.
The food // Much too much good stuff… we brought pie, croissants, and a baguette.

I don’t always catch the Tony’s, but it’s really a shame. As a kid, my dream was to go to Juilliard. I never even applied – and I’ll admit that today I still feel a little pang of jealousy when I see a great show. But I also feel so terribly proud of my friends who have followed their dreams, and so very lucky that life has led me down the road it has. So I have no regrets… but sometimes, I don’t watch the Tony’s. Unless, of course, one of those amazing friends of mine has a viewing party.

We spent our Sunday morning at the market (another great day!) then came home to a little bit of clean-up and a nice long rest cuddled up on the couch. When the evening rolled around, even though the urge to stay right there was strong, we pulled ourselves up, dressed in our comfiest best and headed out to our party. And I couldn’t be happier that we did.

Sometimes we spend so much time avoiding a something, for fear of any bit of discomfort, that we completely forget just how much joy that thing can bring. I never did follow that dream, I found new ones instead, but my love for it will never die. I will always be that nerdy kid hanging out in the green room, singing songs from Rent and cheesing over Stanislavsky. And I will always love watching a good show.

Did you watch last night? How frickin’ awesome was Neil Patrick Harris as Hedwig? I think I might need a trip to New York.

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The date // Cozying up with a good book and a snack.

Lately, since we have so little, we’ve really been working to take advantage of our off-time to relax and enjoy the moment… and rather than just zone out in front of the tv, we’ve been loving the chance to grab a good book and take turns reading chapters out loud.

As I mentioned last week, we’ve both been meaning to get into the Game of Thrones books for a while, and reading together is so much more fun than just moving along at our own pace.

Of course we’ve been watching the show (and if you have too, don’t even talk to me about last night, I’m still so upset…) so, so far, the story isn’t much of a surprise, but it’s been fun to dig a little deeper together and stop to talk and ask each other questions… or dream up elaborate theories about how it’s all going to turn out. As if we could ever guess.

(Although it would be nice if one day this damn story would stop breaking my heart… you know, for a while. Is next week going to be even worse? Ugh I can’t even stop talking about it myself…)

Do you ever read to each other? We never had until now, and it’s so amazing!

P.S. See the rest of our 52 dates series here!