Category Archives: 52 Dates

The date // A glass of prosecco and a very, very long nap.

After a marathon evening of baking and a fantastic first Sunday at the market, Mark and I celebrated with a bottle of prosecco given to us by the sweetest friends, then laid down for what was meant to be a quick catch-up of a nap…

We woke up the next morning.

Okay so marathon might even be an understatement, Saturday was a really long night… we’re still working on getting a system down for pumping out loads of pies in a little home kitchen, and we had a lot of last-minute prep to do for our first day, but the good news is that now I think we should be set. Our signs are painted, our labels are printed, and we learned a ton that should help us move much faster next week.

And hey, after oh, say 14 hours of sleep, I don’t remember the last time I felt so rested… what’s better than that?

Happy Monday! Thank you all so so much for your support on our announcement last week, we’re so excited to be able to share our journey and our dreams with all of you.

Now tell me — how was your weekend?

The date // The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival
Why // Sheep, wool — clearly, it’s pretty awesome.

Really though, we try to go to the sheep and wool festival every year because it is pretty great, even if it does make me feel like I need to take up knitting… and maybe get a loom.

This weekend was just as restorative as I’d hoped. We spent Saturday browsing and picking out a few new plants at the festival, then curled up under the covers and started (a bit late but hey…) our first season of Breaking Bad.

Sunday we pulled out the grill and gathered with good friends and good food to spend a beautiful warm evening outside. It was just what I needed to reset after so many busy weeks, and left me even more excited for what’s to come.

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The date // A walk in the park.
Where // Baker Park in downtown Frederick, with coffee from Dublin Roasters.

This weekend was intense. Super busy, a little stressful… so rewarding, but nonetheless, by Sunday afternoon we were in need of a little break. It was a gorgeous day, so we picked up two iced coffees and went for a walk in Baker Park.

We wandered past the park’s pretty outdoor amphitheater (which I usually associate with the coldest of cold Christmas shows that I try my darndest to avoid every year — like the cold weather Scrooge that I am). Everything has turned back to green and, just like the grass that’s been hiding under a thick layer of snow for so long, my poor pale skin was so happy to see the sun, I think I could’ve sat in those bleachers all day.

Tell me, what were you up to this weekend?

To those in the mid-west and south, I hope you and your loved ones stayed safe through the storms.

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The date // A little drive around northern Virginia.
The places // Tarara Winery, Catoctin Creek Distillery, and Fire Works… because pizza.
The verdict // The lady likes the gin.

After a thoroughly dangerous trip to the Restoration Hardware outlet (extra 40 percent off what?) Mark and I found ourselves with a gorgeous 70 degree day and a choice… go home like responsible adults, get our chores done, and eat a healthy meal… or wander around northern Virginia for a few hours, drink some wine, sip some rye, and stuff our faces with pizza to the tune of some drunk guy at the next table with an overwhelming amount of testosterone (his words // *winning).

We took the long way around, caught each other up, made jokes that were only funny to us… then wandered on home to relax before drifting off to bed.

… because who wants to be a grown up anyway? I’d rather have the gin.

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The date // Custard!
The place // Jimmie Cone
The choice // Vanilla with rainbow jimmies for her, chocolate/vanilla swirl with chocolate jimmies for him.

This weekend we saw our first 80 degree days of the year… the perfect spring kind without humidity or thundering rain. On Sunday, we wandered around our beautiful little town, bought some records, ate dinner outside, and took our first trip to Jimmie Cone (a local institution that’s packed from April to October every year).

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I just don’t know how I ever lived before there was custard in my life.

And I’m so glad the cold winter is gone…

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The date // A visit to Wayne White’s exhibit at York College.

“Follow your heart, and your pleasure in art. Don’t do what you think is going to be making you money, or what you’re parents want you to do, or what that beautiful girl or guy thinks you should be doing. Do what you love. It’s going to lead to where you want to go. Go out there and make the world more beautiful. I know you can.” — Wayne White, “Beauty is Embarrassing”

Mark and I have both been so inspired by Wayne White’s life and work that when we heard he would be doing a one month residency at York College, just a little over an hour up the road, we knew we had to go. Wayne himself gave a talk on Wednesday that I’m sad we couldn’t make, but I was ecstatic just to get to see his exhibit.

We went late on Saturday — meaning we were a little late to see his new Civil War exhibit (we’ll have to make another trip of it — maybe with Austin next time), but also meaning we had the whole place to ourselves…

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The date // Escaping the cold and the rain.

I’m not entirely sure that this qualifies as a date, but we did spend almost the whole weekend together, under the covers with a cup of hot cocoa, trying to pretend it wasn’t still snowing outside.

And for a while there, it wasn’t. It was just a downpour of rain. Then Mark went and mentioned how crazy it would be if all of that rain were snow and I swear he jinxed us all.

But that’s okay, we had a nice weekend, warm inside… we only ventured out a couple of times for supplies, yoga and a trip to the gym, and in between we started watching True Detective, which has me totally hooked. Anyone out there watch?

Don’t tell me how it ends! But do tell me how your weekend was!

The date // 1/2 price bottles of wine at Monocacy Crossing.
The food // Mussels, steak, arugula salad and crab & corn fritters — all amazing. My diet is not thanking me today.

One of our favorite places in Frederick, just down the road from our house, is a restaurant called Monocacy Crossing. It’s a cute little cabin on the side of the road with a cozy warm bar and a gorgeous sunny patio, depending on the season. Everything they make is delicious, and as an added bonus, on Sundays they have 1/2 price bottles of wine.

So after a busy week, Mark and I decided to hole up in that cozy warm bar and share a bottle and a tasty meal.

And super bonus — we caught the end of that great Kentucky upset while we were at it, probably the one and only win I actually picked.

Tell me, how was your weekend! Did you fill out a bracket this year?

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