Category Archives: Adventures

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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The date // Pickling eggs.
The place // Home in the snow!
The reason // Stir crazy taken to a whole new level… oh, and St. Patrick’s Day, right?

Here we are, inside again in the snow! But making the best of it by pickling our little beet-red hearts out…

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The date // A quiet night in with the first few episodes of House of Cards.
The snacks // Popcorn, of course.

We’re settling back in with a slightly shorter weekend than we’d planned and a ton to catch up on before we both head back to work. So we thought we’d take it easy this week and cuddle up on the couch together for a date night in.

I’ve been slowly planting the subliminal seeds begging Mark to give in and watch House of Cards with me for a while now, so when the time came to pick a show he knew what he had to do.

He’ll thank me later, right?

I maintain that the unwanted obsession with this new show will result in hours of joy and intrigue we absolutely could not have replaced with productivity…

Or something. In any case, it’s really good so far.

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The date // We’re just gonna call this whole trip one big date. Why not?
The food // Muffaletta’s and pork belly sandwiches from Cochon Butcher for lunch; potluck, parades, and king cake (I found the baby!) for dinner.

A few quick shots from our first day spent with good friends and family in New Orleans — I’d say even if date nine might have been hijacked a bit, it’s definitely in the best possible way.

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The date // A hike on the AT.
The place // Annapolis Rock in Boonsboro, MD.
The snacks // Gatorade and pretzel sandwiches (junk food is a necessary addition to any good hike).

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the winters here on the east coast, as one is wont to do when they go through the most disgustingly cold winter in years, and I keep coming back to this guy.

… okay I’ll admit, it’s not quite so dramatic as finding buried food when you’re starving, but there’s something about deprivation that helps us to appreciate what we have (absence makes the heart grow fonder and all of the cliches).

Growing up on the west coast, I always appreciated the summer… it was dry and warm and definitely a whole lot nicer than the rainy rest of the year… but I can’t remember longing for it quite the way I do now. To the point that at the very first sign of spring I want to run out my door and dance with strangers on the street. The cold, long, dark days… banished inside… it’s enough to make anyone scream for their wondrous cheese doodles when they realize they’ve returned.

It’s that cheese doodle feeling that took us outdoors this weekend for a hike through the slushy snow, without a care about mud or frozen feet, bounding and running through the woods, just so damn happy to be somewhere north of 50 degrees and outside…

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The date // bathtub gin! (okay not exactly…)
The method // this homemade gin kit
The place // home sweet home

Mark knows how much I love a good strong gin — so this weekend he surprised me with my own little gin-making kit so I could brew it up as strong as I liked.

The kit uses vodka as a base and includes all of the juniper and botanicals you need. You just add everything in, give it a good shake, and leave it to sit for around 36 hours. Easy as can be…

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The date // a trip to the bike swap and the doughnut shop
The food // doughnuts from our favorite place in Frederick — they fry them on the spot
The place // Westminster for the bike swap and Frederick for a snack

Every date doesn’t have to be a traditional date, and our very favorites usually aren’t. They’re the dates where we get to spend a little time together doing something we both really love. And we both really love the annual bike swap that happens just up the road in Westminster.

I’ll spare you all the gory bike-nerd details — but just look at the haul I came back with below. And suuuuch good deals, you guys. We try to go every year because they’re always the best you can find…

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The date // a quick stop for fro-yo
The food // strawberry and classic tart with gummy bears and boba for her, vanilla, strawberry and blueberry with boba and cookie dough for him
The place // the park

Well hey Monday, that was quick. Hope everyone had an amazing weekend! I’m sorry if you’re a big Broncos fan. I just watch for the commercials.

… but I am a pacific north westerner, so… sorry.

This weekend was nonstop…

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