Anniversaries, Acorn Squash and Authors, Oh My!

It's been too long - we know!  So sorry for the major delay in posts.  We're not quite sure anything is actually going to slow down until November 24th, 2012...so we're just going to have to squeeze in a post or two, where we can!  Don't leave us though - we LOVE our blog readers!!

This past weekend, Wes and I celebrated our 2 year dating anniversary.  We both agreed that it already feels like much longer - in a good way.  :)  Our weekends are pretty packed with checking items off of the wedding to-do list, but we were able to sneak away for a nice lunch and dinner on Saturday, to celebrate!

     We ventured over to Old Town Alexandria on Saturday afternoon and stopped at a local Irish Pub for their brunch.  They have a secluded rooftop dining area that we found!  We literally had to climb over chairs to get out of our nook, but it was super cozy!

 

Later that evening, with Wes doped up on cold medicine (such a good sport), we headed out to Birch & Barley, one of our favorite DC restaurants, for a delicious dinner.  No joke - their food is ridiculous!  Check out their Early Autumn Salad:  Arugula, Acorn Squash, Red Apple, Walnuts, Pickled Rutabaga, Bleu Cheese.  Don't even get us started on their Homemade Mac & Cheese.  (drooling)  

 

Don't we look cute in our matching blazers??  We were both too stubborn to change.  

p.s. that's the jacket I was wearing when Wes proposed - you know, the one with teeny tiny pockets that I somehow squeezed my hands into, thus having pterodactyl arms in my engagement photos.  :/ I decided to keep my arms down for this shot.

 

We made it to the National Book Fair on Sunday so that I could meet my favorite children's author/illustrator - Peter H. Reynolds!!  If you have children, work with children, or enjoy reading books that inspire, you should definitely check out what he calls his "creatrilogy" series.  The books are The Dot, Ish, and his latest Sky Color.  They're all about creative expression and the potential that we all have - he challenges kids to "make your mark, and see where it takes you."  I usually read The Dot or Ish to my kiddos and then teach them how to make "scribble stories," which are stories that begin with just 1 scribble.  I'll usually make the scribble for them ahead of time and then they have to create a picture from the scribble.  After the drawing is complete, they write a story to match.  Try it with a kid in your life - it's really interesting to find out what their little brains see, that we may overlook.  :)

That's it for now - check back for Shower pics soon!!