i found this article too interesting not to pass along - it cites the promises obama made during his campaign that have since been broken in the first year+ of his presidency. even though i know we don't all agree politically (as is healthy), i thought this was particularly poignant for people who either voted for him or didn't vote for him but felt hopeful after he was elected that he may stand for some worthy principles.
some of these examples are ridiculous (a tax on tanning salons does not count as a tax on families with incomes over $250K), but others are really fascinating (his campaign stance on health care reform compared to the actual bill he signed into law). i always expect political candidates (particularly those with little to no experience like our president) to be surprised by the realities of their office, and how difficult the job they've just assumed will be, but all of these lined up together was...stunning.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
tasting and track meet
last thursday night alex and i went to the big tasting for our reception at the Royal Fox! we were really excited to sample all of the food and see the place again all decked out in wedding style. when we arrived, we wandered around the whole place looking for our table, taking pictures of the styles of other tables, and smelling the delicious food. every table had been decorated according to that couple's color scheme, but the arrangements and centerpieces were all different, so we took notes on what we liked. there was even an entire table dedicated to all of the different napkin folds you can choose - i didn't even know we had to pick a napkin fold!
then came the food - there was wine, appetizers, soup, salad, sorbet, entrees (chicken, beef, & fish), sides (starches & vegetables), and dessert (white & chocolate wedding cake plus various other sweets). needless to say, by the end we were totally stuffed! we haven't finalized our menu yet, but trust me, it will be good :)
moving on to the weekend, alex and the vikings had their first outdoor track meet saturday! it was a home meet, so alex was super busy all day running the throwing events. one or more of his athletes competed in all four mens' events, and they all did pretty well! one guy actually placed in all four events - javelin, discus, shot put, and hammer. it was really fun to see alex being all official, even though i know it was a lot of work. when all was said and done, he'd been standing outside for over 9 hours!
of course, i went to watch the meet, and i came all equipped with a comfy chair, a blanket (it was cold for those of us just sitting around!), and a good book. although i had more down time then alex, i did try to find ways to make myself useful - i videotaped all of his athletes' performances and i even got to pull the tape to measure the javelin throws! all in all, it was a very long but very fun day. go vikings!
then came the food - there was wine, appetizers, soup, salad, sorbet, entrees (chicken, beef, & fish), sides (starches & vegetables), and dessert (white & chocolate wedding cake plus various other sweets). needless to say, by the end we were totally stuffed! we haven't finalized our menu yet, but trust me, it will be good :)
moving on to the weekend, alex and the vikings had their first outdoor track meet saturday! it was a home meet, so alex was super busy all day running the throwing events. one or more of his athletes competed in all four mens' events, and they all did pretty well! one guy actually placed in all four events - javelin, discus, shot put, and hammer. it was really fun to see alex being all official, even though i know it was a lot of work. when all was said and done, he'd been standing outside for over 9 hours!
of course, i went to watch the meet, and i came all equipped with a comfy chair, a blanket (it was cold for those of us just sitting around!), and a good book. although i had more down time then alex, i did try to find ways to make myself useful - i videotaped all of his athletes' performances and i even got to pull the tape to measure the javelin throws! all in all, it was a very long but very fun day. go vikings!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
housing update
in case you were curious, i thought i'd give everyone a status update on our condo-to-be (hopefully!). we submitted our offer almost 3 weeks ago, and although we were hoping/expecting to close somewhere in the 90 day range (mid to end of june), the seller's attorney informed us they are expecting to close in may! now, i have no idea how they arrived at this conclusion or if the seller's attorney has any reason to think that, but it does give us cause to hope...
if we do close in may, it might mean we've got a signed contract by the end of april, which would make us eligible for the new homebuyer's tax credit. we had thought for sure we wouldn't get everything done in time for that, and we still might not, but we're praying for God's timing on this, and if it includes an extra $8K, that would be nice :)
on a less important and more fun note, we're considering buying a sofa bed from one of my coworkers, which would mean we'd have the futon AND a queen size sofa bed for out-of-town guests (hint hint). and this is no ordinary uncomfortable sofa bed - it has an inflatable top half so it feels more like an aerobed! if this all works out, you are all invited for a house-warming party!!!
if we do close in may, it might mean we've got a signed contract by the end of april, which would make us eligible for the new homebuyer's tax credit. we had thought for sure we wouldn't get everything done in time for that, and we still might not, but we're praying for God's timing on this, and if it includes an extra $8K, that would be nice :)
on a less important and more fun note, we're considering buying a sofa bed from one of my coworkers, which would mean we'd have the futon AND a queen size sofa bed for out-of-town guests (hint hint). and this is no ordinary uncomfortable sofa bed - it has an inflatable top half so it feels more like an aerobed! if this all works out, you are all invited for a house-warming party!!!
Friday, March 19, 2010
popular girls' names - who knew??
today i was taking a sporcle quiz on the 100 most popular girls names in 2000 (it's friday, after all). there were some i expected - emily (1), sarah (12), katherine (36), ashley (8), kayla (20), jennifer (37) - and several i did not expect - emma (3), hannah (4), abigail (6), brianna (17), victoria (25), trinity (59). and then some other names didn't even make the list - meredith, heather, anne, christina, lisa.
now i know i'm not around a lot of kids, so i have to ask you teachers,do you have any maya's (79) or destiny's (32), or ava's (19)??? i think sporcle may be a little off base on this one...
now i know i'm not around a lot of kids, so i have to ask you teachers,do you have any maya's (79) or destiny's (32), or ava's (19)??? i think sporcle may be a little off base on this one...
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
wedding website up and running!
two posts in one day - crazy, i know - but this was too important not to put up! i have finally finished our wedding website - our registries are up, hotel information is up, and a few pictures are up. take a look when you get a chance, sign the guest book, and if you have any problems with anything, please let me know! Here is the link.
wishing i was in williamsburg...
days like today make me wish i was back in college - it's one of the first real days of spring, sunny, 65 degrees, just a few puffy white clouds in the sky, and all i want to do is take the afternoon off, go outside and read or nap or play cornhole...maybe all of the above. i want to take a spring break trip to the OBX, wake up late, drink tea on the porch, wear sweatshirts on the beach while playing bocce, and then cook dinner and play games with friends.
whenever i start feeling like this, although i miss W&M and all it meant to me, i am also incredibly grateful for my time there, because i really feel like we lived our college experiences to the fullest. miss you all and wish we together to enjoy the weather :)
whenever i start feeling like this, although i miss W&M and all it meant to me, i am also incredibly grateful for my time there, because i really feel like we lived our college experiences to the fullest. miss you all and wish we together to enjoy the weather :)
Monday, March 15, 2010
super fun weekend
this weekend was a lot of fun - alex and i got to hang out a lot and do some pretty cool stuff :) saturday morning, we met at a little diner called Seven Dwarfs for breakfast - for anyone that knows alex, this will come as no surprise, but for those that don't, you should understand he LOVES diners. loves them. and so for Christmas, my brother had gotten him a gift certificate to this little diner. when we got there, it was something straight out of the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding - the Dancing Zorba anyone? the owner was Greek, a lot of the waitresses were related to him, and as he was running around clearing tables and seating people, he's shout "opa!" for no particular reason. i kid you not - it was awesome. the food was good and inexpensive, and we were excited because the gift certificate is going to last us for another saturday morning breakfast!
after breakfast, we headed out in the drizzle and 45 degree weather to walk in a st. patrick's day parade for my boss. although you'd think the weather would have dampened our spirits (and our clothes), it did not! we came prepared with rain coats and the comradery of the event made it a lot of fun. when we got there, we didn't realize how far the start of the parade was from where we parked, so we made a mad dash through the crowds to get to our group just in time. i think that little run helped keep us warm too :)
after the parade, we got to our main task for the weekend - registering for wedding gifts! i have to say, i was totally psyched for this process - who wouldn't want to peruse a few stores picking out presents for your future life together?? we picked cookware and bakeware and small applicances and bedding and bathroom stuff...the list goes on, and we're really excited about everything we selected. although it took awhile (several hours on saturday AND sunday - alex was a trooper), it will be worth it in the end. we're excited about building a real life and home together, and although the "stuff" is a very small part of that, it allowed us to really picture our new life - and it looks awesome :)
after breakfast, we headed out in the drizzle and 45 degree weather to walk in a st. patrick's day parade for my boss. although you'd think the weather would have dampened our spirits (and our clothes), it did not! we came prepared with rain coats and the comradery of the event made it a lot of fun. when we got there, we didn't realize how far the start of the parade was from where we parked, so we made a mad dash through the crowds to get to our group just in time. i think that little run helped keep us warm too :)
after the parade, we got to our main task for the weekend - registering for wedding gifts! i have to say, i was totally psyched for this process - who wouldn't want to peruse a few stores picking out presents for your future life together?? we picked cookware and bakeware and small applicances and bedding and bathroom stuff...the list goes on, and we're really excited about everything we selected. although it took awhile (several hours on saturday AND sunday - alex was a trooper), it will be worth it in the end. we're excited about building a real life and home together, and although the "stuff" is a very small part of that, it allowed us to really picture our new life - and it looks awesome :)
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