Snowicane 2009

The Snowicane landed in DC Friday night. (Also called the Snowpocalypse.) Emily was already snug in a hotel room at the Hotel George near Capitol Hill. I was less snug finishing my last final for my third semester of law school. Once I finished my exam I headed home packed up for our second annual stay-cation in the city. After a few minutes of frantic packing so that I could get me and Octavia (our scooter) to the metro station before the snowicane got going in full force.

I made it safely to Emily and the Hotel George after a stinging ride on the scooter. The rest of the evening was spent watching weather forecasts exclaiming, "Worst storm of the century!" "Lock up your windows and doors, we're in for the long haul!" "One million inches for sure!" Looking out the window of our hotel room confirmed, in part, the forecasts.

We woke up in the morning to several inches, but we had great plans for our stay-cation, so we bundled up and forged into the winter wonderland.

The metro escalators were dusted with a healthy layer of snowdrift.



To our dismay, the Smithsonians were all closed. But that didn't keep us from touring the city. Here's a couple of pictures of us in front of the Smithsonian castle.



We trekked past the Smithsonians and on to the Washington Monument. (Can you see it to the left on the first picture?)



And finally, we made some snow angels.




























So, now we are still at the Hotel George waiting for the Metro to offer above ground service, or for the buses to start up service again. Otherwise, we will be staying in the city for always and forever.

Top 5 Best GRE Words

The GRE is over and done with... horah! horah! I made a vow immediately after taking it that I would no longer try to incorporate silly GRE words into my every day life anymore, because (a) I was probably using the words incorrectly some of the time, and (b) it tended to make me sound bombastic.

However, I have a special place in my heart for these 5 special GRE words that I will never forget (sadly, none of them were actually on the test, but no matter):

(1) Quaff- Official definition: to drink (a beverage) copiously and heartily. Why I love it: Kristen and I were reviewing some GRE words on the way down the Florida Keys a couple of months ago, and came across this gem. It was sort of a running joke on the trip, and last week I received a frantic voicemail from Kristen saying she was "going to quaff some alcohol" if I didn't call her back immediately (joking, of course). Also, it makes me think of ducks.

(2) Hummock: Official Definition: A small hill. Why I love it: As soon as I read this definition, my two completely adorable nephews (with the last name Hill) flashed into my mind. My sister cleverly added on to these nicknames, and they are now known around our apartment as Chop and Squash Hummock.

(3) Gossamer: Official Definition: any thin, light fabric. Why I love it: The day after I learned this word, I was rereading "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" for the 80th time and they use this word twice within like 2 chapters! I had been reading over it for years without stopping to think about what it meant. I was so excited that these words were actually used in real life!

(4) Pariah: Official Definition: an outcast. Why I love it: The sentence in Barron's for this word is "If everyone rejected Mariah Carey, would she then be Mariah the Pariah?" It made me laugh and momentarily contemplate a job as the person who comes up with vocabulary sentences. I have since reconsidered this career choice.

(5) Avuncular: Official Definition: of, pertaining to, or characteristic of an uncle. Why I love it: First of all, it's just a fun word to say! Secondly, it inspired the Peterson Family Mascot: "The Avuncular Canadians." [T-shirts and more info about this mascot to come]

Merry Christmas!

Editor's Note

If you wrote me a comment in the last blog, I have responded in the comments section!

...And we're back!

Okay, okay. Let's skip the formalities - I know we have been noticeably absent from the blogosphere for the past few months. I've been wanting to update for awhile, but it seemed like the more time went by, the more daunting the task was to retroblog, so I wouldn't... and the vicious cycle continued until 5 minutes ago [for some reason, watching Donny Osmond perform on Dancing With the Stars suddenly inspired me, for what reason I know not].

So here you go: Top 5 Things That Have Been Taking Up Our Time:

1. Running: Richard and I ran the Baltimore Half-Marathon [not pictured for a reason, i.e. red faces and crazy hair] with our friend, Britni. Richard did amazing and finished under 2 hours! I had pulled my hamstring a few weeks before, so I didn't do quite as well as I wanted to, but we had lots of fun [okay, that was a lie. It was not fun running it... but it was fun after, and it is fun to think about now!]. I also ran a 5k with some friends from church a few weeks ago. I am now getting ready to run the Illinois Half-Marathon in May with Kate [although, let's be honest, the real reason for going is to see my little hummocks!].




In related news, we joined a gym - Ballys! Richie and I have a standing date to go spinning on Wednesdays and yoga on Thursdays. I must say, it makes my week to see Richard ceremoniously "cradling his leg" with a soundtrack of running water [he's actually quite good] - I knew I married him for a reason. Girls like guys with skills.

2. GRE: Okay, you've heard enough about this, so I will not say anymore except that I take it on December 5, and tell anyone who will listen to me that I am sooooo ready for it to be over! I don't even have the energy to pepper this post with will-only-be-seen-on-the-GRE-and-not-in-real-life words. You're welcome.



3. Dinners at the Petersons: We made a goal to have friends over for dinner once a week. It's been really fun for many reasons: [1] we can't afford to actually DO things with people and this is something social that we can afford, [2] I get to try out some fun new recipes without having tons of leftovers, [3] We have greatly honed our Boggle and Scattergories skills, and [4] we've enjoyed getting to know law school and church friends better!

4. Law School "Stuff": I am lumping Richard's life into one bullet point, because to be honest, I only vaguely know what he does all day. This is what I do know: he is getting ready for finals, doing stuff for Moot Court and the law journal, and interviewing for externships for next semester. Busy guy! I'll let him comment if he wishes to elaborate further.

5. Making fun of Sarah Palin's new book - Just kidding.

5. Delighting in the successes of BYU Football - REALLY just kidding. Although, how 'bout 'em Horned Frogs? Power to the MWC!

The Real #5- Work: My fab boss Sarah is currently MIA on maternity leave [okay, so I guess she's not technically "Missing in Action" since I know exactly where she is, but Mya is now performing on Dancing With the Stars], so I am now solely in charge of PRing 12 hotels in the area. It's been really busy, but it's also been really fun. Also, I'm going over to Sarah's house on Sunday to bring her some dinner and [more importantly] meet baby Christopher, my work-nephew!


What the next couple of months will bring us:

1. A final, quick trip to Omaha for Thanksgiving
2. Going to Utah for Christmas, including an extended trip to St. George [my first time there!]
3. A painted bedroom! Richard promised he would do this as soon as finals are over. There will be pictures [if he does a good job].
4. Lots of fun Christmas parties and dinners

kbye.

RyLu's Wedding

Richard and I went back to Utah for Labor Day (story for another day), and while we were there, we were able to download some pictures from Laura (my sister-in-law) and Ryan's wedding last month.

At the morning brunch before the wedding

The happy couple, just married!

Some family pictures

The Coldstone bar, yum!

Utah Trip

As most of you know, we just returned from an excellent 10-day trip to Utah for my SIL's wedding and a side vacation down to Lake Powell.

Here's our 10 Top exciting events from the past 10 days [in no particular order]:

1. Laura's Wedding! Of course, I have ZERO pictures of this, but hopefully will soon!

2. Eating ice-cream at the Creamery on 9th at BYU:

3. Eating lunch at Cafe Rio, yummmmm

4. Meeting our ADORABLE niece Stella

5. Eating the top layer of our wedding cake (Richard thinks it still tasted good, Emily does not)

6. Hanging out at the Petersons' pool and waterslide: Check out the pool house Richard's dad built for the wedding reception and my new, short hair!

7. Wakeboarding and surfing at Lake Powell for 4 days

8. Going to see Harry Potter: Even better the second time around! We are a happier family than we look in this picture :)

9. Playing card games every night: We learned some really fun new games!

10. Spending lots of quality time with family!

Now we are home and ready to welcome in the new school year. Three cheers for a great vacation! Thanks, Petersons!