Thursday, March 31, 2011

matt wertz & ben rector concert

Ohhhh my goodness, I think I could spend all my days at Jammin' Java and it would be totally ok.  I practically do anyway.

On Monday night, Molly and I saw Matt Wertz and Ben Rector!  I think I've gushed about both of them on here before, but as is the case with pretty much everyone we see at Jammin' Java, they were amazing live!

But I am not amazing at taking pictures of us.



Hello, light-up bar.  You are lovely.


Ben Rector came out first!  Funny story about him... one of the girls we randomly met in Times Square on New Year's Eve (who we still keep in touch with) went to the University of Arkansas with Ben!  So, we definitely made sure to talk to him after the concert and name-drop her.  It was much better than, "Ummm... hi, I'm Lauren... you're lovely, please take a picture with me."  Which I also said.



This guy is also named Ben, but he works at Jammin' Java and is one of Molly's crushes-from-a-distance.  He gets to see her sparkly smile sometimes.


When Matt came out, Ben was his keyboardist (is that a word), so we got to enjoy him for the whole concert!  What a nice surprise.


There's Matt!


Ummm, I do have a favorite.  It's probably obvious.






And of course, they sang Free Fallin'.  Who wouldn't?  I promise I'll eventually upload videos... YouTube is just way too slow with the loading!


Here we are Mickey-Mousing it up with Ben!  He was a super nice guy, and Molly may or may not be in love with his gingham and wool cardigan combo.  I just want every guy I know to have his hair.


We also joined Matt Wertz's Mocha Club, which, for the cost of a few mochas a month, is currently helping women in Ethiopia escape a life of prostitution and learn practical, sustaining skills.  It's a fantastic organization with a bunch of contributing artists (including Lady Antebellum!), and we got Matt's new CD for free after joining!  Sounds good to me!  Literally.

If you ever get the chance to see these two in concert, GO!  They're both amazing, Christian guys with beautiful voices and a ridiculous ability to entertain.  And you'll dance your socks off.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

weekend visitors

So, I mentioned last Friday that Amanda came to visit me this past weekend, and we had tons of fun!  Molly's friend from college, John, also came to visit from Hampton, VA, and it was just a blast.  We were silly and stupid and crazy for 48 straight hours.

On Friday night, we went to Il Porto in Old Town Alexandria for dinner, which is one of my faves.  All of their dishes are ridiculously good, and the interior is just adorable!

On Saturday, Amanda and I spent pretty much all day at the outlet mall in Leesburg, and we were super successful!  Banana Republic in particular was having some huge sales, so Amanda hit the jackpot there.  We were definitely ready for dinner at Dukem by the time it rolled around!

On Sunday, the four of us slept in and went to Whitlow's for what I consider to be the best brunch in the city!  We had to wait an hour for a table, but the food is always worth it, and it's where all the beautiful faces go after a tiring Saturday night, so there's no shortage of people to watch and talk about!


My friends are also extra fun to take pictures of.





After brunch, we went on a wild goose chase for some European ice cream bars at Wal-Mart (unsuccessfully), then watched basketball all afternoon!  It would have been a lot better if Carolina had won, but I'll be honest, I'm really glad I can pull for Butler no matter what.  I think if Carolina were playing Butler in the finals, I would be seriously sad for whichever team lost!  But now I can just hope Butler will avenge their heartbreaking loss to The University of New Jersey at Durham last year.

Then, we watched The Hangover and had to say goodbye to John.  :(  I took Amanda back to the airport early the next morning, and that was our weekend!  Super fun and always better when company comes!

dinner at dukem

On Saturday night, Megan's boyfriend, Tony, was visiting from Grand Rapids, so a bunch of us got together at an Ethiopian restaurant on U Street called Dukem, and it was both really delicious and really a new experience! 

Here's a group shot, courtesy of Mindy!


From left to right, that's John (my friend Lauren's fiance), Mindy, Scott (Amy's fiance), Amy, Megan, Tony, me, and Amanda!  So glad she got to meet some more of my friends!

All of the food is served on or with these, which I thought were just some seriously ratty napkins at first.  Turns out, they're like salty, fluffy tortillas that you tear into bits and use to pick up your food.  They're not bad!


I got the Beef Tibs (not tips, which was weird to say), and they were delicious!  Especially with the fresh tomatoes.



Megan, Tony, Amy, and Scott all got these sampler platters that also looked delicious!  But that yellow stuff is actually not corn.  Just FYI.  (And because Mom asked, that yellow stuff is actually just yellow peas.  The rest of it... you got me.  Except the tomatoes and the beef tibs.  Those I can identify.)


Afterward, we went dancing at Marvin, which was a really fabulous club with a really terrible DJ who couldn't play more than one song written after the '90s.  We knew them, but they didn't make us want to drop it like it's hot.  Probably a good thing, though, because we all thoroughly enjoyed our dinners!

Monday, March 28, 2011

happy kitchen things

Oh my, what a fun weekend it's been!  But it's going to take me a day or two to sort through the pictures, so in the meantime, here are a few "good things" (thanks, Martha) that I don't think I've told you guys about!  Not surprisingly, they involve our kitchen, which Molly and I have agreed is our favorite room in the house.

Unlike other areas of our house, we've really focused on using primary colors in the kitchen, and we all have a hard time remembering what life was like before this clock, which was all of $10 at... where else?  Our good friend, Ikea.  He uses one AA battery and practically screams hello every time you walk in.


We also have fridge letters.  Yes, the same ones you constantly rearranged when you were five and the same ones your mom used to hang your peewee Picassos.  The Target lady actually asked Molly and me if we had children as we were buying these, and we had to explain to her that we are not, in fact, married to each other.  We just like to spell things sometimes.


And sometimes they are just a happy mess under our coupons.


Please come over and leave us a fridge message!  Happy Monday!

Friday, March 25, 2011

amanda's here!


It's too bad I have to be at work today, but I'm looking forward to a weekend full of shopping and eating delicious food and laughing at inappropriate times!

Also, please watch this clip from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  Especially if you hate Duke (who lost last night!  Woohooooooo!)


Props to my sister for sending that to me!

Happy Friday!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

vinegar glossed chicken

It's no secret these days that Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn is my mom's new favorite cookbook, because she's given it to pretty much everyone she knows!  I was flipping through it Tuesday night before I went to the grocery store, and Molly and I made attempt #1 at one of Lucinda's recipes last night.  It was delicious!  And it's really no surprise, because she is Martha Stewart's food editor, so that makes her infallible.


We took our first crack at Lucinda with the Vinegar Glossed Chicken!


Here's the recipe!

Ingredients (makes 6-8 servings):

1 cup best-quality red wine vinegar
2-3 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
5.5 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (or boneless skinless chicken breasts)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed (and it will be needed!)

Directions:

1.  At least 15 minutes but up to 2 hours before cooking, combine the vinegar, garlic, and rosemary to marinate.

2.  Thoroughly season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.  Heat a 14-inch skillet (or two smaller skillets) over high heat and swirl in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the skillet.  Place the chicken in the skillet.  Don't crowd the chicken, leave space around each piece.  Work in batches if necessary.  You should hear an immediate sizzle when the chicken pieces hit the pan.  Don't move them, it takes a couple minutes to sear the chicken so it doesn't stick.  Brown all sides, this will take 10 minutes per batch.  Regulate the heat so it stays high but does not burn the chicken.  Place all the browned chicken back in the skillet.

3.  Add the chicken broth and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Lower the heat, simmer, and reduce for 15 to 20 minutes.  Increase the heat to high and pour in the vinegar mixture.  Swirl the pan and stir around as the vinegar evaporates to form a simmering glaze, 8 to 10 minutes.  Serve immediately or reheat with some extra broth.

We paired it with Lucinda's sweet potato wedges (with cumin, red pepper flakes, and salt), which were delicious!  But she also recommends polenta or mixed veggies.


YUM YUM!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

book club!

A couple months ago, Amy and I started a book club at work!  I will be the first to admit that I'm not a huge reader of anything but chick lit (which I devour), but it's actually pretty fun to get together once in a while and discuss a deeper book with some good office girlfriends.  The first book the club read was Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins, which I heard had some crazy characters along the lines of a cracked out sugar packet and a witch doctor lamp or something like that.  (I made those up.  But they're just as crazy.)  Needless to say, I didn't read it, and the book got mixed reviews.

But now, we're reading The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff, and I'm enjoying it so far!


It weaves the story of Ann Eliza Young, the 19th wife of Brigham Young, into a modern day murder mystery that takes place on a polygamist ranch in Mesadale, Utah.  Ann Eliza Young actually ended up leaving Brigham Young and crusading to end polygamy in the United States, but since I haven't finished the book, I'm not quite sure how it all fits together yet!  With shows like "Sister Wives" on TV these days, it's kind of interesting to read about how all that stuff actually "works" and how the Mormon culture really despises what this particular sect of the faith has done to its reputation.  In the Baptist church, we sort of dismiss it as a cult and don't talk about it too much, so I just think it's interesting to read a little more about it, even if half the story is fictional.

Also, they apparently made a Lifetime movie out of this book, so I feel a Friday night movie party coming on!  If any of you have read it, don't tell me how it ends!  But do feel free to recommend other books we might read next!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

praying for our troops

My mom let me know over the weekend that her cousin's son, Jack, has been sent over to Libya to provide air support with the Marines aiding in Operation Odyssey Dawn.  Since heading over there, his flights on an AV/-8B Harrier Jet to and from the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsage have appeared on Fox News, and we're all praying for his safety as he and his crew aid the American humanitarian efforts against Moammar Ghadafi.

In the last 30 seconds of this video, you can see him land his Harrier Jet on the ship...



So, I hope you'll include Jack, his crew, and all of the Marines sent to the Middle East recently in your prayers, too!  Semper Fi!

Please also pray for Molly's mom, Cerri, as she's having routine surgery today, but will need lots of rest and help from family and friends throughout her recovery!

"The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—  of whom shall I be afraid?

When the wicked advance against me to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me, even then I will be confident."  Psalm 27:1-3

Monday, March 21, 2011

casey's marathon

 My cousin, Casey, has officially qualified for the Boston Marathon!!!

This weekend, I went down to Raleigh and got to see her run in the Tobacco Road Marathon, where she finished in 3 hours, 25 minutes, and 49 seconds, which means she kept her pace at a 7:51 mile the whole way!  INCREDIBLE!  She not only placed 127th out of 1052 runners, but she beat her previous personal best by 17 minutes, and she looked amazing at the end.  I could hardly believe she had just run 26.2 miles!  She ran track and cross country for Clemson, so we all knew she was fabulous, but even a bunch of collegiate atheletes never make it to Boston!

There she is in the light blue shirt!  We followed her around to different mile markers, so this was 11 miles in...


Her friend, Kelly (in the green and white shirt) had already qualified for Boston but decided to run with Casey anyway to help her keep pace.





We saw her again at mile 17 and then caught up with her at the end!  Her husband, Bo, met her at several mile markers with his cooler full of energy drinks and pickle juice (to prevent cramping).  He did a great job!  All the runners got those crazy-looking foil blankets at the end to keep warm.  The temperature was 50 degrees and perfect for a marathon, but I'm sure it was chilly when they all stopped running!


Getting her mom on the phone!



 And then she got in line for a well-deserved massage... I'm sure she's super glad I took these pictures, haha!



 We're all very, very proud of you, Casey!  Can't wait to hear about it when you finish Boston!

Friday, March 18, 2011

st. patrick's day

What a fun St. Patty's Day!  Most of the people in my office took the whole "wear green" thing very seriously, so we all looked extra festive yesterday!  After work, Megan wanted to go see a free Bollywood dance show at the Kennedy Center, so Amy, Lauren, and I met Molly at the Foggy Bottom metro station and took a free shuttle over to the KC.  We also met Lauren's fiance, John, there.  After waiting in a ridiculously long line that wrapped all the way around the building, we were a few feet away when they told us all the seats were full!  NOOOOOOO!!!


So, we decided just to head to Georgetown for dinner, which I was pretty excited about because the chances that I would get to see some of Thursday night's tournament games skyrocketed about 8000%.


We ended up at Old Glory, which is a fantastic barbecue place on M Street.  They pretty much let you pick whatever kind of barbecue you prefer by putting a bunch of different sauces on the table, so of course I snatched up the Eastern Carolina sauce!  But I also cheated on my roots a little and had some Memphis sauce, too.  I can't help it, Interstate Barbecue outside of Memphis made a lasting impression on me a few years ago.

Plus, Molly and I got to revisit the place we first met last July!


And I had my first green beer!  I was a little afraid of the "green teeth syndrome", but somehow I miraculously escaped!


So, I'd still call that a pretty successful St. Patty's Day!  Happy Friday... I hope your bracket is still intact!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

it's madness, baby!

It's the mooooost wonderful tiiiiiiiime of the yeeeeeeeeeeear!!!  It's TOURNEY TIME!  (Ok, I admit, the beginning of football season is my favorite.  But this is still pretty darn exciting.)

So, here's my bracket!  (Click on it to make it bigger.)  I imagine a few of you Ohio people are going to take issue with my East region, but I don't give a flying buckeye.


Ok, but instead of justifying each of my decisions, which I'm pretty sure would bore you to tears and make me fall asleep here at the computer, we're just going to make another bracket together.  The Mascot Bracket.  We'll start with the weirdest/creepiest mascot in each region.


Representing the East region, we have Gunston, the George Mason Patriot?  Really?!?  What about this mascot is a) intimidating, b) red, white, and blue, or c) not something you wouldn't mind your five-year-old snuggling up to at night?

In the Southwest region is the Akron Zip.  Or the Akron Kangaroo.  Or the Akron jumping dog with MC Hammer pants and restricted movement.

Weighing in for the West region is the Hampton Pirate, a puffy character who is remarkably white for an HBC school.  Also, jury's still out on whether that's the correct way to hold a sword.  Looks a little unwieldy to me.

And checking in for the Southeast region is a Gatorade lawsuit waiting to happen.  St. John's Red Storm may be one lightning bolt zag away from having to legally spend half his time asking you if it's in you.  Or contending that his better is better than your better.

I'm going to confidently assume that one round with the Hampton Pirate is going to have the George Mason Green Fuzz on the hunt for his pacifier and Teddy Ruxpin, despite Hampy's poor sword skillz.  Let's put the Pirate in the finals.

The other regions are a little more complicated.  It's Zips versus zaps.  A creature unequivocally foreign to the Ohio area versus a bird with more facial tattoos than Mike Tyson.  The Zip can jump, but the Storm can fly (maybe?).  St. John's in the finals.

So that leaves us with Mr. Water Retention taking on Red Bird Lightning Wings in the finals.  Challenger of the High Seas versus Oddly Colored Storm.

Well, I mean, let's be honest.  The bird's gonna drown that sucker.


Honorable Mentions:

The UCSB Gaucho, with a mustache that would make Chris Hansen nervous.


And the Richmond Spider, with about four too few limbs and a widow's peak that would make Eddie Munster jealous.


Regardless of who wins this year, I hope you all filled out your brackets and are ready for the madness!
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