1 Step Closer...

We waited...

We celebrated...

Wes rearranged...

And now we're one step closer to being New Yorkers again!

Hugs from Nature

Yesterday morning while driving home, we were lucky enough to watch the sunrise.  ...a benefit of leaving our apartment at 4:45am (insert yawning faces here).  Anyways, Wes captured this pretty awesome pic somewhere along Route 15.  I thought we'd share it with all of you.  Enjoy the natural beauty!

Anonymous Parking Lot Bully

Here's a short story with an important message for your Thursday afternoon:

Title:  Pay the Opposite Forward

Characters:  Jaime, Wes and the anonymous Parking Lot Bully

Setting:  Lee Highway/N. Kirkwood Rd. intersection inside a Nissan Rogue

Plot:

Jaime's Tuesday began early at 6 a.m. with a refreshing yoga class.  This was a particularly rewarding class, as she was able to get into a new yoga pose that she'd been reaching for in the previous several weeks.  As she drove home, excited to share her accomplishment with Wes, the beautiful morning sun was peeking over the horizon.  This is going to be a good day! thought Jaime, with a happy smile on her face.  

Arriving home to a still sleeping Wes, Jaime went about her morning business of checking her favorite blog, practicing that pose again to be sure she really had it and preparing a few special packages to be mailed home.  

Fast forward an hour or so...

With the sun now higher in the sky, pouring down over Arlington, Jaime drove Wes to work in her Nissan Rogue, when the unthinkable happened.  As the car eased to a stop at the intersection of Lee Highway and N. Kirkwood Rd., Jaime's eyes were drawn to an unfamiliar object flapping underneath the driver side windshield wiper.  "Wes, there's something on my windshield!  What could it be?!" she cried out in panic.  The always cool, calm and collected Wes replied, "I'm not sure, why don't you get it?  The car is stopped at a red light, after all."  And so, with nervous hands, Jaime opened the car door slowly, reached around to the front windshield and retrieved what appeared to be a ticket.  And this is what she found: 

Folks, if your reaction was anything like Jaime's, it went a little something like this...

(I'll spare you the expletives that poor Wes had to suffer through for the remainder of our drive, and just say that I probably would have been happier had it actually been a parking ticket.)  

Back to the story...

Jaime wasn't quite sure why this incident, which was probably hopefully someone trying to be funny, bothered her so much, but it did.  Sure, life in Arlington could be trying, but she was usually able to laugh these things off.  This time, it was something more.  But what?

As she drove back home and ever so carefully parked her car back at the scene of the crime, it dawned on her - it was just plain MEAN!  Maybe she was parked like a "jacka$$;" honestly, she couldn't remember if she was perfectly parallel with the yellow lines or not, and figured she probably wasn't, but did that mean that she should be subjected to such bullying??  What if I had just heard some terrible news and wasn't focusing on parking like a perfect citizen?! she thought, blood boiling.  

Marching into Potomac Towers mad at the world, Jaime suddenly realized how much she was letting this coward mean bully get to her and thought that instead of allowing him/her to ruin her entire day, she should take the advice that she gives to her 1st graders when confronted with a bully: use an "I message" and let it teach you to be kind. 

And so, not having the actual Parking Lot Bully in front of her, she imagined a disgruntled Virginian, mustered up the most assertive voice she could and spoke out loud to the imaginary bully:  "I feel angry when you put mean notes on my car," and then spent the remainder of her day trying to be kind to others.   

It's official...

Checking things off!

As previously mentioned, we had a fantastic trip home this past weekend.  Obviously, seeing our AWESOME family and friends was the best part of all, however, we were also quite productive.  Here's what we accomplished for the wedding in just a few short days:

1. Engagement photos!  Read a little bit about our super fantastic photographer, Chelse!
2. Met Inna - the hip seamstress.  More fittings to come!
3. Found the hotel - The Brookwood Inn
4. Met Pastor Jack - the Man who will make us an honest couple.  We LOVED him - he really helped to bring all of our ceremony ideas to life!  
5. Used our glorious drive back to VA to brainstorm some exciting, top-secret details for the big day!

Hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend - full of chocolaty surprises!

Zebra Donkey

Did we tell you?!  We saw a striped donkey on the way home last Friday!  Well, assuming Zebras aren't roaming free in Northern Virginia.  Then again, we are talking about Northern Virginia (those of you who have visited, know what we mean).  Anyway, we drank to the striped donkey tonight!

Trader Joe's always comes through!

Wes used our new automatic wine opener (thanks Ashley & Ian!).

Which would you be?  

Holy Sheetz, Gas is Cheap!

That's right friends, $3.37!

Happy Wes!

Redundant Odonym's

1st Avenue and 1st Street - the nexus of the universe?

In a Seinfeld episode titled "The Maid," Kramer makes a panicked phone call to Jerry when he finds himself, quite literally, at a crossroads.  "1st and 1st - how can a street intersect itself? I must be at the nexus of the universe."

We've recently discovered this anomaly to be true, while navigating our way around Northern Virginia.  Not only do multiple streets carry the same name, but if you stay on one road long enough, it will eventually have 3 new names!


Take for example:

• Lee Highway & Lee Jackson Memorial Highway:  Two main routes that happen to intersect with each other.  And pay attention, because Lee Highway will change it's name to Fairfax Blvd. while in the city of Fairfax, but then back to Lee Highway once outside.  The same can be said for Lee Jackson Memorial Highway - apparently it's Main Street in Fairfax and then switches to the Little River Turnpike, once past the city.  Plus, you can't even rely on the Rt. numbers because those change, too! 
• Springvale/Baron Cameron/Elden St/Centerville Rd/Walney Rd/Westfields Blvd./Poplar Tree Rd/Stone Rd - which is one length of road with different route numbers, therefore the names must change, of course!  If that wasn't confusing enough, there is another Poplar Tree Rd. less than a quarter mile away from the one previously mentioned, with absolutely no relation.
• Aline Ave/Old Courthouse Rd/Gosnell Rd/West Park Dr./Galleria Dr - total length of the road is just over 3.5 miles, yet because it curves in a semi-circle, they felt the need to rename the road at each bend!

It's safe to say that one day of driving in Northern Virginia can leave you feeling like this...