Sophia Tries to Kill Emily on Several Occasions, Fails

Richard must really love me for still letting me drive our BMW, Sophia. The following things have happened in the 6 months that I have been driving the car:

(1) It got broken into and our GPS stolen off the streets of Harlem

(2) The transmission overheated in Middle of Nowhere, New Jersey

(3) I got a ticket for HOV-exit (yes, still bitter)

(4) I got a flat tire on Monday. During rush hour. On the GW Parkway. With no shoulder. Also, our spare tire was flat and the car had to be towed.

(5) Yesterday, on the way home, a car hit me pretty hard from behind while I was waiting to turn right.

Anyway. I vote that I never drive again! Unfortuantely, I have to drive the whole month of December because Richard is staying at the law school every day until about 10 p.m.

I hope I live to see 2009!!!

Caribou Barbie Sighting!

After a fun and exciting trip to Utah for Thanksgiving (including much shopping and chatting, but unfortunately, few pictures), Richard and I set out for the airport on Sunday morning. I was secretly (ok, not so secretly) excited for this plane ride because we were upgraded to first class since we bought our tickets under Richard's dad's account who is a gold... platinum?... member of Delta.

As we were sitting down, I heard the unmistakable sound of "You betcha" coming from behind me. My ears perked and I twirled around. It's Tina Fey! TINA FEY IS SITTI---no, wait. IT'S SARAH PALIN!

I had to immediately confirm with Richard to make sure I wasn't being fooled by a look-alike. But he also confirmed that it was, in fact, Mrs. Governor herself. I immediately decided that I would talk to her while deboarding, so I spent the next 3 hours trying to figure out exactly what to say. I still remember the time I saw Bronco waiting for an elevator by himself at the Cougareat and didn't say anything to him. Regret fills my heart to this day, and I wasn't going to miss out on another opportunity!

But, here's the problem: I don't especially like Sarah Palin. I voted for Obama, and in all honestly, I have made fun of her on several occasions. Can I call you Joe? Shout out to my third-graders! etc.

In the end, I decided to hold my breath and not talk to her. Although, I should note that my decision didn't stop me from looking back to her seat to examine her adorable outfit and watch her drool a little on her travel pillow as she slept. Richard would like me to add here that I embarrassed him by "talking loudly" (I was whispering) and "staring" (a quick peek here and there).

Unfortunately for her, the guy sitting behind me decided he WOULD talk to her. Approximately 3 seconds after she woke up, he began quizzing her on... state fairs. Yes, state fairs. Which one was her favorite? Had she ever been to the Utah State Fair? What was her favorite snack at fairs? I mean, really. Clearly, she was one of his heroes and he had one chance to talk to her about international politics, education reform or homeland security. And he chose state fairs as the topic of conversation.

It was obvious that she didn't want to talk to this guy, but he really couldn't take a hint. It was good for us, though, because she was distracted enough by this idiotic conversation so that Richard could snap this photo.

Three cheers for first class!

Just call me Katie Couric

During Emily's parents' stay, Emily and her Mom spent a delightful morning at the Newseum, a museum about the media and the news.

One of the exhibits was an interactive game where you could "Be a TV Reporter." You can choose between 7 backgrounds (each with its own news story), and you take a microphone and read off of a teleprompter! Twas fun! Too bad I couldn't convince my Mom to join me, boo hoo.

Here's the video:

You know when you're driving, and..

... the commercial truck/bus in front of you has a sign that says, "How Am I Doing?" and provides a number for you to call? Richard and I were behind one yesterday and I thought, "do the pros really outweigh the cons in this case?"

Let's say the person in front of you is a bad driver, and you decide to call the number to complain. Well, for at least a few minutes, you yourself will be a very distracted driver as you either (a) write down the number on a piece of scrap paper on your wheel to call later, or (b) call while on the phone and rant and rave to an automated machine.

Sure you may feel better, but what if during that time of your distraction the driver in front of you stops very suddenly, or serves into another lane (he/she is a bad driver after all, which is why you are calling). Now your reflexes are slow and a crash is more likely, if not inevitable.

Writing about this leads me to another question -- if you do call in, does anyone actually listen to the messages that you leave? Or is it just a placating and "venting" tool to make you feel better and not lash out against the company that the truck driver was working for?

PS- I desperately tried to find a picture of a truck with a "How am I doing" on the back and couldn't. Google images failed me!

PPS- Once in middle school, my friend Amy and I called in the number and rambled on for like 5 minutes about how we thought the driver was attractive. Good times.

Our Washington DC Stay-cation

Richard and I have been living in the Washington DC region for over three months now. I still can't tell you how to get to the Jefferson Memorial from the Lincoln Memorial or what direction the Potomac is from my work (although, I did recently learn how to pronounce "Potomac" which I had apparently been saying wrong for weeks).














Now, this may be partly due to the fact that, well, I am a stereotypical female with a horrible sense of direction, a husband who enjoys driving me everywhere and a GPS that -- most of the time -- leads me, guides me and walks beside me.

But I am determined to get to know my new hometown better! When Richard and I first moved in, we got round-trip vouchers for a river cruise from Old Town Alexandria to Georgetown. Since they expired on November 2, and it was one of those rare Saturday afternoons where Richard could take a break from studying, we decided to do the whole tourist thing in Old Town Alexandria and Georgetown. It was probably in the top 10 best days of my life.


First of all, Old Town Alexandria is SO beautiful in the fall! My sister came down last Tuesday, and despite the horrible weather, we ate a wonderful French meal on King Street (in the heart of Old Town). Thanks Carma! But when we went down on Saturday, the weather was perfect (75 degrees, not windy), and the leaves were changing on the trees. I couldn't believe all of this is a 5-minute drive from our house.

After walking around Old Town for awhile, we hopped on our boat to head to Georgetown. While we were there, Richard met a recently-graduated law student from Michigan who had the same professor that Richard has! He promised Richard that he would send his outlines from the class (which he did), and according to Richard his outline is amazing and has really helped him! What a fortunate coincidence.

When we got to Georgetown, I decided that I would do a photo shoot of model-Richie. My favorite is the first one. I love the leather jacket!

Finally, it was time to go back home, boo. I did get some great shots of the sunset over the Potomac though (PA-tome-ICK). Basically, it was so much fun to "discover" our own city. I know I'm always dreaming of going places (Australia, Argentina and Romania to name a few). But there is seriously so much to do here in our own backyard! I love Washington DC!

Happy "Howl"oween!

Last night, the Hotel Monaco Alexandria put on a "Happy Howloween" doggie costume contest to end their weekly summer "Doggie Happy Hours."

Sarah and I spent a lot of time trying to get the media to cover the event, and it was a huge success! We were expecting about 50 dogs (and, of course, their human companions) and got well over 150 dogs there!! This is great because the contest was benefiting the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, and we were able to raise a lot of money for a great organization.

I was working the registration desk -- by myself, most of the time -- and spent spend several hours trying to get everyone and their dog (literally) ready to go. But it was a lot of fun and totally worth it. I might LOVE doing special event planning and promotion.

The AWLA volunteers were dressed up as beekeepers, and brought 5 adorable puppies in need to adoption dressed up as bees. I am, and always will be, a cat lover but last night I wanted to adopt about a million puppies. So cute!

We had 4 prizes to give away for the event. Here are the winners for your Halloween enjoyment:

“The Best Dressed Couple” Award
(Awarded to the Most Creative pet/owner costume)
Owners Name: Nachelle Wilkinson
Dog’s Name: Koda
Breed: Jindo
Costume: Top Gun/Naval Aviator


“The Most Glamorous Get-up”
(awarded to the dog who best lets out his/her inner diva)
Owners Name: Beth Connolly
Dog’s Name: Isabella
Breed: Tebetin Spaniel
Costume: Designer Diva






















“Best Political Pooch” Award
(awarded to the best politically-themed costume)
Owner: Nicole Cerguitella
Dogs: Mischa & Spencer
Breed: Coton & Mini Labrador
Costume: Sarah Palin, a Moose and Joe Six Pack




















The “Top Dog” Award
(The Grand Prize for best all-around costume)
Owners Name: Kevin Kelly and Patricia Andronicos
Dog’s Name: Scooby
Breed: Labradoodle
Costume: Gangsters

Tonight, I am working another event that Kimpton is hosting (the 4th event in 3 days, mind you... it's been a busy week!). This one is a Alice in Helixand (human) costume party at the Hotel Helix.



Happy Halloween from the Petersons!

Habib Winners!!!

My sister had her baby on October 15 and, as my nephew so graciously reminded me on the phone last night, I have not yet awarded my prizes to the winners of his family "guess the weight/date" game.

The winner of the weight..... DAVID BYLUND!!! (guess: 7 lb. 8 oz., actual weight: 7 lb. 10 oz.)

The winner of the date...... ERIC BYLUND!!! (guess: Oct. 15, actual birthday: Oct. 15)

As mentioned in the e-mail, part of the reward is "knowing that you love your future son/nephew/cousin/grandson more than anyone else in the family!"

But that's not fun.

Here are more prizes:








Thanks for playing, everyone!

We love you Joshua!

PS- For those of you that are confused where the name "Habib" came from, Joshua's older brother Spencer often says "off bib" when he is done eating. But it comes out sounding more like "Habib," hence the in vitro nickname for our newest addition.