Guapos, Mandy, AND Super Bowl?!

A fabulous weekend! Friday night, I went with coworkers for the annual dinner at Guapos. We had many margaritas. And a lot of fun. I wish I could have stayed longer, but alas, I was one of the first to leave. Guapos is one of those times when I don't like taking the train. I can't wait till our Guapos dinner next year!

To make the weekend even better, Mandy came down from New York on Saturday! We both met up with Guzel downtown and headed straight for cupcakes at Hello Cupcake. They were a very tasty appetizer before heading to dinner. Dinner was at Marvin on U Street - wow. It was fantastic! We all agreed that we were very glad we had made reservations ahead. Even at 6:00, the line to get in was out the door (while we just scooted right by)! We chatted, laughed, were girly - it was great! Even better, I got to stay in DC overnight!! We rounded out the weekend with crepes for breakfast at Napoleon, where we were joined by Maeve, Anne & Stu.

And as if the weekend couldn't get any better... THE STEELERS WON THE SUPER BOWL!!! Nate and I drove up to Philadelphia Sunday night to watch the big game with his family. I'm so glad we could be with them through all the ups and downs of the game. We were all excited, scared, and thrilled together with each play. And the end was spectacular! All in all, a wonderful weekend!

I think I'm still full

What a great weekend! My dad came down for a lovely visit. Friday night, Nate went to a Drive By Truckers show in Towson, while my dad and I went to G&M for crabcakes. I may not be a fan of crab, but I know where to take a guy who is! We followed a tasty dinner (I had the Chicken a la G&M) with Tropic Thunder back at the house. We were both crying tears of laughter.

Nate joined us on Saturday for a mid-day performance of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. They were featuring Haydn's "Military" Symphony 100, and Dvorak's Slavonic Dances. Both were amazing performances, with a hilarious conductor. Even Nate enjoyed it! We followed the Symphony with a three course lunch at Sotto Sopra. Delicious.

Not to let ourselves get too hungry, Nate, Dad and I drove down to DC for dinner with some great family friends, the Mulhollands. We met up at the Army Navy Club - jacket and tie required! - and yes, we ate some more. We had such an enjoyable evening though, they were kicking us out of the place by the end of the night.

By the time Sunday came around, Dad was packing to drive back up North. We were all too full for him to stay any longer anyway!

Pittsburgh's Going to the Superbowl!!!

We're from the town with that great football team,

We cheer the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Winning's a habit, not only a dream,

Go out and get them Steelers!

Happy Birthday Maria!

Nate took his sister, Maria, to the Villanova-Louisville basketball game. We are sad that Nova lost by ONE point, but are quite sure they have a great season ahead of them! I can't wait to go to my first basketball game in February.

Chicago

Just after New Year's, Nate and I jetted off to Chicago for the wedding of our friends, Ben & Julie. What a fun city! We visited the Art Institute and ate real deep dish pizza during the day on Friday. Then we made some new friends on a pre-wedding bar crawl Friday night. We even met up with the bridal party at the end of the evening.

The wedding on Saturday was absolutely lovely. Weren't the ring bearers adorable? After the ceremony, we hopped on a bus for a cocktail hour, followed by another bus ride to the reception. We made more friends on the buses, and had a blast at the reception. No one wanted the dancing to end!

Merdog

Riesling might be afraid of water, but this dog isn't! My parents made this carving for Nate and me for Christmas. And it might be the most special Christmas present I have ever received. My father handcarved the merdog, and my mom painted it. They made one of each of the dogs in the family! What a wonderful present!

Snow Puppy

Riesling loves snow! Nate and I weren't too pleased to drive through a blizzard to get to Boston for Christmas. But seeing Ries's delight with the white fluffy stuff made everything better. It was so funny to see her pounce on the snow - which was up to her shoulders!

Bad Bash 2008

Our annual holiday party was a success! Santa graced us with his presence once again and the fun began. We were also pleased to count some new arrivals among our guests: 6 month old Caroline and 4 month old Owen. We can only imagine what next year will bring!

Dogs in Trees

We spent Thanksgiving in Harrisburg with Nate's family. Fun was had by all, as was demonstrated when we all started climbing the big tree. Even Riesling came up!

Steelers Nation

The Steelers beat the Redskins 23-6. And we were there to celebrate! It was a great game, made better by all of the other Steelers fans filling the stands. Go Steelers!!