Friendless in the Big City

Well, there goes the last of them! When Layne and I first moved here, we made a number of friends pretty quickly, as it seemed like a number of young, married couples had all moved into our area at the same time and met each other at church. Since then, they have mostly moved away, one by one. My friend Amy was the single hold out with me.

As I was growing up, we moved around a lot. (A lot is an understatement. We moved annually). My mom would always remind me that when it comes to friends, you only need one. Well, I had my one and things were going splendidly until her husband got an internship in Chicago for the summer. The long, hot days of summer stretch out ahead of me and they have never seemed so lonely. I will, luckily, be really busy with work this summer and she will only be gone 3 months, but still. Three months is a long time with no true friends.

Saying good-bye right - shoving our faces full of ice cream.

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One Date was all it Took

Layne called to ask me out on our first date. I think he said something like, "Hey, I'm sorry it took me so long to call. I know that you must have had you phone by your side day and night just waiting to hear from me." Unaccustomed as I was to humor at that point (thanks again to my ex who I think never once told a joke I found amusing), I responded with complete silence. Layne pressed on, and asked me if I would like to go out with him that weekend, and I agreed.

When our first date dawned, I wasn't particularly looking forward to it. I had gone to the temple earlier that day, and while that usually makes any day pretty great, that day I locked my keys in my car. I shivered in the dwindling light of a late February afternoon, waiting for my dad to drive down so I could use his AAA card, my wet hair trickling down my neck and making the day even colder. By the time he arrived and I was back in my car, all I could think about was getting warm. I rushed into my apartment and barely had time to slip into my warmest, and unfortuately for Layne, largest, and most unflattering sweater before there was a knock on my door.

Layne swaggered in with all the confidence he had displayed the first time we met. Upon spying my roommate free for the night, he invited her along for a friend of his and our double date became a triple. We all piled into the car, and almost instantly Layne and I were in our own world. I remember that The Postal Service was playing, and we both talked about how "This Place is a Prison" reminds us of the sound of crumpling snow. His stock was slowing rising in my book...

We went to a Thai restaurant called Bangkok Grill, and after a year with a guy who was a routine patron of Applebee's, I was excited for something new. I ordered Pad Thai, while Layne got curry. I have no idea what anyone else got, because I was entirely wrapped up in our conversation, despite the fact that my roommate was right there and her date was not going so swell, and I was also friends with the other couple on the date. Because I know Layne so well now, I guarantee he asked the table their Top 5 Favorite Movies/Books/Bands, etc., his go to questions when he first meets someone. I think we did bands and movies that night, and I must have passed the test.

After dinner, we went to a comedy club where they did improv. I remember laughing just as much at the performers as I did at Layne's little asides to me, and that for some reason they had oversold and we were one chair short, so we kind of squished on to one together and I didn't totally hate having to be so close. At one point my roommate and I were in the bathroom together, and she said to me "You seem to be having a really good time!" I was startled for a second, trying to remember the last time I had had such a good time and been so happy, and then gushed back "I know!"

Later, as Layne was walking me to the door, he casually grabbed my hand and I gently pulled it away. Completely unfazed and undeterred, he simply swung his arm up across my shoulder. Who was this guy?! I didn't know yet, but I was certainly looking forward to figuring it out.

Thanks for Thanksgiving

Aahhh...


Wasn't that weekend fantastic? I know how much I loved it. Sometimes, you need a weekend to do nothing. I feel like I really needed that.

I made rolls and pie crusts with my mother-in-law Wednesday, and Thursday we all went over to a friend's house for Thanksgiving. Layne and I brought over baked brie, but otherwise the whole thing was just taken care of for us. Yet another thing to be thankful for! Friday I set out to lie around the house the whole day and that was precisely what I did. My efforts were largely helped by ABC Family's Harry Potter marathon. It was nothing short of marvelous.

Saturday we saw Frozen and spent time visiting friends. It was another great day to just relax. We did spend an hour or two shopping since the movie theater was connected to the mall, but save for a few stocking stuffers we skipped the Black Friday madness.

I hope your Thanksgiving weekend was as pleasant a kick off to the holiday season as it was for me!

I am Thankful

Tomorrow I will be busy feasting on turkey and enjoying my time with family and friends. So today, I wanted to take the time to express some of what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for Layne. I know at some time in my life I must have done things without him, but I swear I can't remember how. I am thankful for his continuous support, patience, and love, and I am grateful that I have found someone who loves me for me. I am thankful for all the ways he challenges me to grow and become a better person and the hundreds of times each day he makes me laugh.

I am thankful for my job. This new job has given me heightened confidence in my abilities and a renewed vigor. I love going to work each day at a place I love and feeling as though I am making a true contribution to the overall mission of the organization. I love being a part of a team.

I am thankful for my home. It may be a tiny 600 sq ft apartment from the mid-century with no A/C, and I can hear my neighbors talk and smell the weird foods they cook, but it's mine. It is safe and it is clean and it is exactly where I want to be when I want to go home.

And I am thankful for my friends and family. The people I talk to and laugh with and enjoy when I need a moment of respite from the rest of the world. Thank you for confiding in me and loving me.



That is my life. It's small and simple, but there's room for everything I need and love. I am thankful for all that I have, and for my happiness.

Apple Festival

As I mentioned here, we went up to Philly for Layne's Birthday Week. We've been up to visit Thorn and JoAnna before, but this time we were able to squeeze in a few hours with our friend Joe as well, who is usually way too cool for us because he's in med school or some such nonsense.

When we got to Thorn and JoAnna's, we decided to get out of the city itself for the day and enjoy the Pennsylvania countryside at an Apple Festival. We drove to the middle of nowhere, got a little lost, made JoAnna car sick, and then suddenly ran into this massive crowd of apparent apple lovers. It was the sweetest little town, and this Apple Festival was no small potatoes farmer's market.

There was apple tasting, apple butter, apple syrup, apple sauce, apple cider. There was also an apple pie eating contest. We entered Layne and Thorn, but it was a lottery and only Thorn was selected. He really tucked in and received a very honorable Honorable Mention.

We finished up the day by meeting up with Joe. We all went out to dinner at a hibachi restaurant right on the water. All in all, it was a fantastic way to end Birthday Week!

Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America

That's right. This weekend, we rocked a monastery. We went because Andrew heard about it on the radio and it had catacombs and how cool does that sound?

Way, way, way cooler than it actually was.

The monk who gave us the tour droned on. And on. And... oooooooon. The tour was supposed to be 45 min. It was an hour and half! And it ended up being of the church as well as the catacombs, so the first hour was just spent going through this Catholic church as he described every detail about every single stained glass window, wood carving, and bas relief. And then he would throw in a few Biblical stories that he felt might somehow be slightly related to the story that was actually being depicted. It probably would have been a little more interesting if I was Catholic...

When we finally got to the catacombs, our excitement was at an all time high. Those hopes were quickly dashed. Little did we know, they were just a modern replica of the catacombs in Rome, made entirely of plaster and cement. It was another half an hour of slowly walking through rooms with no dead bodies, skulls, bones - nothing!

The afternoon was only salvaged because while we were waiting for the tour to begin we spent some time in the gardens and they were beautiful, so that's the part I'm sharing with you.

Absolutely amazing fall colors.

They had this really pretty dome thing - not sure what it was about.

And some arches by a rose garden. It had rained earlier, so they were still dripping.

They had this tomb down in the lower gardens, and a really cool statue of a saint up on a wall.

Fall with the Fletcher's

I thought I better share my favorite bits of fall before the winter weather truly sets in. While I hate to put away my sundresses, there is a large part of me that shivers with excitement at the idea of pumpkin treats and spice cake, Thanksgiving turkey and tying a scarf around my neck. I know I'll be kicking myself come February for ever enjoying the dropping temperatures, but I can't help but enjoy the falling leaves.

As it grows colder, the Fletcher's become even bigger couch potatoes. We love to curl up and sip hot chocolate with white, pillowy, mountains of whipped cream. And then a little bit more whipped cream. Just to top it off. We're all about scary movies and popcorn and lots and lots of blankets.

When we go out, we try to soak up the last little bit of decent weather. I never fail to feel a smile steal across my face as I watch the falling gold and orange leaves dance through the air to the ground. And the sound of them crunching underneath my boots is potentially the most satisfying noise in the world.

A few weeks ago, I dragged Layne to a combo pumpkin patch/apple orchard in the countryside. As you can see, the rolling hills of Virginia were gorgeous.

Amy, Andrew, and Emma came with us and we attempted a little photo shoot, but Emma was not having it after about two seconds.

What an adorable brat, right?

BIRTHDAY WEEK!

We do birthdays big around here.

(Well, Layne's birthday anyway. I have always hated my birthday because it's smack dab in the middle of December and everyone is always so busy with the holidays, and then in school we always had finals, and my mom just had me celebrate it a month later in January with my little sister's birthday so I have no real connection with the day itself.)

But back to... Layne's Birthday Week. If you think 28 is too old to still be making a fuss out of your birthday, you are kidding yourself. I ADORE Birthday Week! I've been in charge of it since we've been married and at the beginning of October I begin badgering Layne with gift ideas and to make a  list of restaurants for us to try, etc. We even bought a Birthday Menorah (one candle for every day of the week, and one to grow on!) We partied hard all last week, so here is one giant recap for you!

Saturday - Coffee cake and bacon for breakfast. Mini shopping spree at the Leesburg Outlets and through Georgetown. We went to a French restaurant for dinner called Bistrot du Coin where the bartender spilled beer on us and we both sent back our entrees because they were totally gross. The appetizers were ok, but we stopped at Wendy's on the way home and ended up having foie gras and chicken nuggets for dinner. #FoodieFail

Sunday - FOOTBALL was the theme of the day. We did our usual Sunday Steak Night and watched the heartbreaking game and tried a new brie and took it pretty easy. I made lemon bars from scratch to redeem myself from some recent kitchen blunders and Layne loved them. So even though the Skins lost, I consider the day a "W."

Monday - Got rescheduled for this week. 

Tuesday - Our Halloween celebrations always squeeze their way into Birthday Week, and this time was no different! We went to our ward Halloween party as the Ratatouille cast. The ward mission was hosting and we're ward missionaries, so we spent the whole party helping kids pop balloons and pin the face on the pumpkin. Afterward, we got peking duck, which had been on the list for a while and did not disappoint!


Wednesday - BIRTHDAY DAY!!! This is usually the day Layne gets his biggest gift, but we're still waiting on it this year. I got him a new iPad. We repeated at The Palm again for Birthday Dinner, but it was so good last year, how could we not?


Thursday - As scary movie lovers, we finally watched the original Halloween together for the first time. We also gorged ourselves on candy. I <3 candy like a small child.

Friday - Layne hit the town with his friends to watch the Wizards home opener. Sadly, they blew it in the fourth and Layne was let down by another Washington team, but the company and wings were good enough to save the night.

Saturday - A trip up to Philly! I'll recap that in a separate post.

Now Birthday Week is over and I'm so sad! I really love making every day into something special.

What are your birthday traditions?

Little Baby Emma

My friend Amy asked me to take pictures of her little baby girl before she was born. I was incredibly honored, but even more terrified! I don't take pictures of people, and I did not want the responsibility of once-in-a-lifetime photos! The day I took pictures was a little too cloudy, but I tried my best to deal with the low lighting and get some decent shots of the most beautiful baby you have ever seen. It has been more than a few months now, but here are some of the shots from back in April. I know they could be so much better, but I thank Amy for taking a gamble on me and letting me be a part of such a special event in Emma's life.

It's belated, but welcome to the world Emma Louise Harrison!