Watson Wednesday

We've been living the lazy life here the past two days - Tuesday was filled with lots of ice and a little snow, which transitioned to nothing but snow overnight and is going to keep coming down until 10:00 tonight! Watson is great at snow days - he loves to sit on top of the fire and keep warm...

 

And - a little comparison shot from the first day of Spring two years ago and the first day of Spring this year. My how different those pictures are! Snow is lovely, to be sure - but I certainly like the sunshine and blue skies a bit more!

Happy Wednesday y'all!

Spring!

Happy First Day of Spring!

Another Weekend Recap

Another weekend has come and gone - much too fast for my liking! I feel like the weekend passed in a blur and I am sorely looking ahead to the three day weekend coming up next weekend. I'm thankful for Good Friday for so many reasons - and while a day off from work is the least important of those reasons - I'm still very thankful for it.

Friday after work, I had to contend with a company charging my account for a purchase that I did not authorize (isn't that always fun?) and so it took a little bit away from the early start to the weekend. Not to be deterred from enjoying the weekend, I sorted that nasty business out and then headed to the Alamo to meet my friend Jennie and her son Jimmy for a little dinner and a movie!

Jimmy is closing in on eleven and I always thought he hated taking pictures with me at the movies...but he took this picture with HIS phone and text it to me. We saw Tomb Raider and I mentioned in my Friday post that I knew nothing about the franchise, but I really enjoyed the movie and I'm glad to see it looks like they've left the ending open so that more films can be added. When I got home, I did a little reading before falling asleep.

Saturday morning was bone-chillingly cold; I sipped my coffee in front of the fire before throwing on some jeans and a t-shirt (with some green on it) and making my way to the salon to get my hair done. I spent the next three hours in various states of foil, funny smelling liquids and stints under the heater...but the final results were quite worth it! And I enjoyed catching up with my friend Melissa, who also happens to be my hair dresser!

After heading home to grab some lunch, I left once again and met up with my friends to explore a couple shops and get some dinner. We ate at a fairly new wood fired pizza restaurant called Oak Stone and the food was delicious! The pizza I got was called the Tijuana and had spiced beef, Monterrey jack cheese and a swirl of sour cream on top - it was so yummy! I got a cup of tomato asagio bisque soup to start and it was also to die for...and later in the evening, my Mom gifted me a lovely green macaron - in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, of course.

Sunday dawned absolutely gorgeous and of course, Watson made sure to take advantage of every available spot of sunshine to lay down and soak it all in...

After church we grabbed burgers and fries from Five Guys for lunch and then headed home to change and pick up the pup. We drove over to the Arboretum for some time wandering around in the glorious weather - it was sunny and almost sixty degrees! Watson loved every minute of his chance to explore and rolled around in the grass, greeted every stranger we came in contact with and generally just enjoyed life.

We drove the loop road around the Arboretum on our way out and while I don't think Watson would ever hop right out the window - he certainly made sure to get as much of himself out of the open window as possible. I kept a hand on him and when I finally had to roll up the window, he proceeded to plop right down on my chest and make himself comfortable.

Our final stop en route to the house was Baskin Robbins - for ice cream I didn't need but...man was it ever delicious! I got mint chocolate chip and cannoli, both were divine but my favorite was the mint chocolate chip - so, so good!

I passed the rest of the evening reading on the deck and then reading curled up on my couch. I had some leftovers for supper, took a bubble bath and had a nice chat with my Mom. The weekend ended far too soon for my liking - but then, that always seems to be the case. Oh well, the good thing about weekends is that they come around every five days.

Five on Friday

How is it already the middle of March? What in the world is going on with how quickly time moves? I know...I say something along those lines every other week! I just can't believe it's already mid-March! I'm sure I'll be just as stunned when the year continues to whirl past, but I suppose that's neither here nor there!

It's Friday and it's time for another edition of Five on Friday. I try to post about five things on my mind each Friday - and you can join in if you'd like! I link up with three other blogs; two of which I actually read, Smidge of This and Carolina Charm. If you'd like to blog about your very own Five on Friday, join in and use the logo below!

One. Winter's Last Stand - It would seem that while the first day of Spring is showing up on my calendar as Tuesday, March 20th...Winter isn't quite ready to let go of Northern Virginia. The weather forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday is snow...something like 5-8 inches of snow! While we haven't actually had any level of snow that was substantial this Winter and I like to see at least one good snow, I'd prefer it not happen on the first day of Spring! Perhaps this is Winter's last stand and after this, Spring will arrive?

Two. Tomb Raider - I'm going to see Tomb Raider tonight and I know absolutely nothing about it. I have never seen the movies that starred Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft and the only notion I have of the movie is that it's based on a video game... to me it looks like she's a female Indiana Jones or something? I don't know, ha-ha! It looks good though and I'm going to enjoy eating some good Alamo food and spending time with my friend!

Three. A New Hairdo - Well...this was supposed to happen last week but it turns out I wasn't booked on my stylist's calendar correctly. I had huffy feelings and it was definitely a thing (I probably made it too much of a thing...) but that's water under the bridge. I'm finally getting my hair "did" on Saturday morning and I am so looking forward to it. Maybe it's a girl thing, but getting a new hairstyle always makes me feel so good! I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Four. Girl's Night - Saturday evening I'm going out with some friends from work and I am so looking forward to it! We don't have anything too crazy planned; we are planning to try out a new wood fired pizza spot and peruse some of our favorite shops. However, we always have fun when we are together and so I know Saturday night will be fun and relaxing... and of course, it's St. Patrick's Day... so that could fun too!

Five. Sunshine - Having said all this...it looks like Sunday is supposed to be 55 and sunny with not a cloud in the sky, so maybe it will feel a little bit like Spring...before Winter rears it's head again? Oh well, I suppose you've got to take what you can get when you can get it...

And that's all I've got for this Friday - hope you have a nice weekend planned; a weekend that's filled with coffee and some relaxation, mine certainly has those elements! Bye for now!

Ten Years Old

Yesterday was Watson Wednesday ... but today is Watson's birthday. When Watson "magically" appeared way back in 2009 and I took him to the vet, they told me that he looked to be about a year old. I don't have any actual idea when he was born but to commemorate the day/season he came into my life, I decided March 15th would be his birthday.

He arrived on the scene incredibly skinny, with sores under his legs but his sunshine-y personality intact. After 6 weeks of posting flyers inquiring about his owner, I (happily) gave up the search and claimed him for my own.

 

He plumped up nicely under my care and although it took a little while to coax him out of his shell, with time and love, he became the most precious little companion. He has proven over and over how smart he is, he's loving and especially fierce when it comes to his people but he never meets a stranger.

 

One of his favorite pastimes is taking a nap and he can be found most days in one of the many spots that he loves to sleep in. He'll nap in the middle of a rug, curled up in the sunshine outdoors, in one of the multiple beds that he has and in his personal favorite spot - the center of my bed, under the covers if he can manage to maneuver them! He is a lover of all things comfortable.

  

 

 

Watson is also a great adventurer - he's always up for a ride in the car and whether that ride lasts 5 minutes or 5 hours (or more...), he is always up to explore new places. When we made the move from Mississippi to Virginia, I was worried as to how he'd react but he has flourished and loves being near family and exploring all that Virginia has to offer. He has taken especially well to having four seasons to thrive in - snow is something he seems to enjoy more than I'd have ever imagined. Diving through drifts make him supremely happy.

 

 

In short - I can't believe this little guy is already ten years old. He has been the best little dog a person could ever have and while I know that he's getting older, I do so hope he has plenty of years left. He is one of a kind and will be irreplaceable one day. I love him so and can't believe he's already ten!

Happy Birthday to my Watson!

Watson Wednesday

Sometimes in life you just have to hunker down and weather the long days...even if you're a pup!

Orchids & Other Things

Another weekend in the books and already it's almost to the mid-point of another hectic week. I'm not sure what the deal is with these crazy weeks - March arrived like a lion and has continued to pace and snarl for the past two weeks - and I don't just mean the weather!

It does never cease to amaze me that right about the time that Spring is meant to be coming around the corner, Winter always threatens to make her presence known for just a bit longer... Friday was no exception. Halfway through the afternoon, snow came out of nowhere and fluttered around, covering the ground in a soft blanket. It didn't last long though, the sun came out and within mere minutes the whisper of white was gone again.

 

Friday night my Mom and I went to see A Wrinkle in Time - based on the young adult book by Madeline L'Engle - that I somehow missed as I consumed books growing up. The movie was good and the food was yummy, but the real kicker was the tie-in to the Bible study my Mom and I have been doing with the ladies of the neighborhood... The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp.

The study is ... so intense, and that's putting it lightly. The theme is about being broken (because we all are in some way) and a theme that keeps repeating is that the broken places in your life are where love will come in. About halfway through the movie, one of the characters tells Meg Murry (the main character) that "the wounds are where the light comes in"...and my Mom and I just looked at one another like - no way?!? Little cosmic reminders; winks from God if you will, all over the place - in places you least expect them.

The rest of the night was uneventful - I tried to take a selfie with my dog and it didn't really turn out, ha-ha! I started reading a new book (The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah) and the rest of my Friday night passed with me quietly turning pages...

Saturday dawned absolutely gorgeous and I woke up...before 7:00 AM! Not intentionally, mind you - it just happened. I showered and had my coffee and breakfast before we set out for Fairfax and the Metro! And y'all - would you believe it, we managed to snag one of the new 7000 Series Metro Trains (and I only know they are called that from the video on the train...) for our ride in!

The US Botanic Garden has an exhibit that runs until April 8th called Orchid Spectrum. The exhibit features some of the 30,000 species of orchids that exist on every continent except Antarctica; the orchids are suspended from the ceiling, wrapped around arches, climbing trellises, potted here and there and everywhere, there are orchids on absolutely every surface.

I took a few pictures y'all - although in this case, "a few" means something like 70+ pictures of flowers. Everything was so beautiful, especially with the gorgeous blue skies and sunshine pouring through the top of the greenhouse!

It was hard to capture the orchids suspended from the ceiling - I feel like the picture above was the best shot of the overall display that I managed to take. The rest of the pictures, well they are orchids of every shape, size and color imaginable...

  

  

  

  

 

A quick break in all the pictures to tell you - there are still more pictures! Ha!

 

 

  

 

And of course, just in case all of the above pictures weren't enough - there are still just a few more...

 

  

 

  

There were also plenty of plants throughout the Botanic Garden that weren't orchids and they were perfectly lovely too. In the hall devoted to medicinal plants, there were the most gorgeous flowers called Angel's Trumpet - and it's easy to see why. They also had a huge cacao tree in the main entrance and multiple different landscapes filled with flowers and plants. The US Botanic Garden is always the most lovely place...and it's right in the center of the busy city, but as soon as you step inside the city dissolves away.

Given that the weather on Saturday was so lovely, my Mom and made our way slowly down the Mall and took in the gorgeous day. We were certainly not the only people doing that; there were people everywhere and the food trucks were out by the dozens! My Mom got herself an ice cream cone to snack on as we walked along the Mall toward the Smithsonian Metro station and I snapped pictures as we went. I love our nation's capital and I hope that no matter how long I live in the NoVa area, I'll never lose my "tourist" mindset of taking it all in!

Wouldn't you know - when the time came to hop back on the Metro, somehow we were lucky enough to get yet another of those fancy 7000 Series trains! If there were ever an occasion for #blessed - I feel like getting not one but two shiny Metro trains is one of those occasions.

We cruised through Fairfax and to our very favorite Mexican restaurant of all time - Chuy's! They seriously have some of the best food and when I suggested eating a late lunch there last week, my Mom immediately agreed! Our server was not 100% on his game but the manager came to our aid, our food was delicious and we even got two coupons for free queso the next time(s) we visit! Talk about a precious gift.

We grabbed some muffins from a shop called My Favorite Muffin; breakfast for Sunday morning, and then we headed back into the mountains and home. If you've never gotten muffins from My Favorite Muffin - I'd recommend them. All ours were delicious!

Saturday night was a rather slow night ... I ended up watching 3/4 of Dr. Strange before going to bed much earlier than I'd planned to. Crappy sleep on Friday night and Daylight Savings Time probably both played a part in that but I slept like a log and amazingly I didn't feel like I was dying when I woke up on Sunday morning!

Sunday morning my parents joined me for church at Abundant Life (check them out here) and the guest speaker was phenomenal. We met up with some friends...and they introduced us to their friends and we all ended up talking well past the end of the service. We ended up grabbing lunch at Roma's (Italian) and stopping in at the Spring Open House at one of our favorite stores - The Miller House.

Sunday was another gorgeous day and I actually spent a portion of the afternoon laying on the back deck in the sunshine...after watching baseball, of course. Granted, the breeze made it a little cool but with my black windbreaker on and soaking up the heat from the sun, it was really quite pleasant.

I passed the rest of the evening chatting with my younger sister, reading, hanging up my newly framed panoramic shot of Nationals Park and just preparing for the work week. It was a good weekend and I am so looking forward to more weekends filled with new adventures...and happily, it will only be a few more weekends and I'll be back at Nationals Park. And with that joyful thought, I'll end this post!