Baseball and summer - they just go together

I am a fan of baseball. Well, that's overstating. I'm a fan of baseball games. I enjoy the beer, hot dogs and other food you would never admit to eating. And you would never admit to paying as much as you did for it. (A 12oz Miller Light cost $7.50?!) But there is something romantic about being at the game that I just can't resist. So when that first pitch is thrown out on opening day - you can be sure I'll be in the stands for the rest of the summer, soaking up the sun and watching the Washington Nationals suck it (like they did last Friday: 10-1 against SF Giants).

Thankfully, Stu is a fan as well ... here's one from Friday.

The 1st Wedding of the Summer!

Last Saturday my coworker, Don, and his fiance, Sherri, tied the knot in Tyson's Corner. It was a beautiful wedding at the top of the Tower Club. The view was awesome - looking out over Tyson's and northern VA. The wedding was small (about 40 people), which is great because small weddings are more intimate and you get to know people better.


One thing I learned from this occasion was that Stu and I share the same affliction - chronic lateness. It seems that we are always about 15 minutes behind the rest of the world. It's part of growing up in the South and in Texas (when did anything start on time in Houston?!). But we both agree that it's a good idea to be on time when the ceremony for the 40-guest wedding you're attending is only 25 minutes long and your presence (or absence) is noticed. Thanks to Stu's driving, we were at the wedding right before it began. Hopefully that will be the case for the rest of the weddings this summer...


Here is a picture on the balcony at sunset. I have to say, we make a cute couple! ;-)

My little brother isn't so little anymore ...

I flew to Houston, Texas over the weekend with Stu to watch my little brother graduate high school. The ceremony was great and I'm so proud of his hard work! He is planning on enlisting in the army at the end of the summer so say a little prayer for him.

It was a wonderful but hot weekend. Stu had a great time meeting my family and they really enjoyed getting to know him better. It was hard to say goodbye but the 92 degree, 98% humid weather helped a little. ;-)

Wilbur

Imagine walking into your boyfriend's graduation party ... you're excited because he's worked so hard for this, and everyone is there - including his parents, brother, and all his friends who live in the area. And everyone is saying hello and giving him their congratulations, and you look to where everyone is staring ...

Front and center is an entire, 55 lb, pig, spinning around on a metal spit over a pit of coals.

I have to say it was a bit like a train wreck - I just couldn't look away. And I didn't have the reaction I expected either. I thought I would look at it and think, yummy! But instead I was feeling for that animal (nicknamed Wilbur) and thinking about how he died.

I've long since been of the mindset that we were meant to eat meat. I back this up with my degree in genetics. And common sense - look at our teeth, lettuce is not meant to be our primary source of nutrition. Additionally, there are certain proteins our bodies require that we can only get from eating flesh. But I digress.

Being the good Texan omnivore that I am, I've always enjoyed salad and steak. But this past weekend, I felt a little understanding for the vegetarian's plight. It is a little distressing watching the animal you are about to eat roast for ten hours. It makes it very real that something had to die for you to be fed.

All that being said, after my shock wore off, and Wilbur was ready to be eaten, I chowed down. And he was delicious. Definitely worth the effort. Everyone else thought so too - there was very little leftover. However, I didn't take any pictures of the pig on the spit - I thought I'd spare y'all that reaction.

So, I learned that I love meat, but I don't want to be a part of the killing process.

And I'd prefer it to be cut up into small pieces before I eat it. Like, I don't want to say to myself, "Wow Wilbur's hind quarter is really tasty!".

Stu's graduation party was a blast, and the ceremony was great too. Here is a picture of us next to his project.

Basilica

Once upon a time I was a singer. That is, I sang in choir and took voice lessons for many years. I had the privilege of being a part of a high school choir that was very good and won multiple awards. It was a lot of fun and I miss all my choir friends from ten years ago. Shout out to Annalise ;-)

Last fall I decided to start singing again in the choir at my church. Again, there are amazing singers in the choir and it has been so much fun being a part of such a talented body of people.

This week we performed at the Basilica in Washington, DC. It was a great time, and singing with the orchestra was a whole new experience for me. Not to mention, the Basilica is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever visited.

Stu and my roommate/landlord Marie came to watch me perform. We almost didn't make it because of crazy DC traffic but Stu saved the day with his speed racer driving and I got there just in time to get onstage. I'm so glad they came and it was a great night.

Stu's Thesis

You might have noticed that Stu has been MIA from my blog lately. Not to worry - there's no trouble in paradise - he's been working very hard on his master's thesis in architecture so we haven't been able to see each other as much.

Stu has been working on his masters for two years and specifically his thesis for more than a year. His design takes Tyson's Corner and reworks the roads and landscape to create a city center with a dome and mixed use properties. It's centered around the idea of the metro line being extended through Tyson's and out to Dulles airport. It is a great design and very impressive.

I'm very happy to say that Stu defended his thesis on Wednesday and it went great! His committee members liked his idea and how he executed his project. They had lots of great compliments and said his project might receive honors at graduation!

I was fortunate enough to be able to take the day off from work to watch Stu's defense. His parents drove up from South Carolina to attend as well and afterwards we all went out to lunch. It was great meeting them and getting to know them better.

I look forward to Stu's graduation next weekend and the subsequent "pig roast" party (they are literally roasting HALF a pig!). I can't wait to post those pictures!

Anne visits!

My best friend Anne and her husband Brian recently moved to Massachusetts. They left right after my birthday in April. Thankfully, Anne has a lot of family and friends in this area so she has lots of reasons to come back and visit.


Her brother and sister-in-law are expecting their first child and Anne was back this weekend for one of the baby showers. While she was in town I got to see her and catch up with her. Even though we talk almost everyday, it just isn't the same as getting together. We went went out to dinner after church and got margaritas and got caught up on everything. It was so great seeing her and I can't wait to visit them this summer in their new house!

I also went to the Reston Pet Fiesta this weekend with my friend, Molly, who also has a miniature schnauzer. Diego was totally wigged out by all the animals so we only stayed for an hour or so. I snapped this shot of him on the way home. He was so hot and tired! As soon as we got home he laid down in the shade in the backyard and took a nap.

I laid out by the pool for a few hours Saturday. It was so nice to just lay there, listen to my iPod, and not think about anything. I look forward to a lot of that this summer!