Oh, Happy Day!

My good friend, Tracy and her husband Jack were sealed for time and all eternity on Friday {exactly one year from their wedding day in '08}. Blaine and I were lucky enough to have been invited.
Needless to say it was a "happy day".
Love you, Tracy!

Don't Quit Your Dye Job

The other day I dyed my hair. This is nothing new. I've been dying it myself {or paying someone else to do it for me} since I was in my very early twenties. I vividly remember one specific time when the stylist asked, "How concerned are you with covering this gray?" And I replied with, "How concerned am I that I am 23 years old??!!?" Scary stuff. Anyway, although this whole dying thing is old news, it hit me {again} that it will be my M.O. for the rest of my natural life. Boo. Premature gray-ness blows big time.

Mr. and Mrs. Carter go to Washington

Well, we are back {having survived the worst plane ride ever}, we've almost caught up on all our missed TV shows, and we are ready to blog about our great trip to the District of Columbia.

Washington Monument.

Lincoln Memorial--from the Washington Monument.

D.C. Capitol from Washington Monument.

I love this guy.

This guy rocks.

Hanging out in Dupont Circle.

Thomas Circle--right across from our hotel.

Logan Circle.

Just walking around with Jakey. I think this is about where I found that Jake was eating gum from a wall. Yup--just like Elf.

The Phillips Collection. This gallery holds Renoir's one and only "Luncheon at the Boating Party". Seriously. Amazing.

Street shots.

The White House.

Jake was pretty excited about seeing the White House.

Inside the WWII Memorial. So cool.

Hanging out with Daddy.

Funny guy.

Lincoln Memorial. There is a really a palpable sense of reverence in this place.

President Lincoln's view of the Washington Memorial.

The three of us. Man, it was hot that day.

This little guy was our pal. He was literally eating out of our hands.

We tried to get him to eat out of Jake's hand, but he wouldn't bite. I think he knew Jake really wanted to grab his fluffy tail.

We're Back, Baby!

We are spending our last night in Washington D.C. right now and are loving it. Jake and I are accompanying Blaine this week while he is attending a training for work. The last time we were here as a family, I was four months pregnant with little Jake man... I thought it only fitting that we come again when I'm pregnant with Baby Carter number two. Don't you?

Ode to Autumn

Well, it's official.
This morning, when I found Jake's toesies freezing, I switched the A/C to heat.
Don't laugh, but this is kind of a big deal.
It smelled like fall; you know that smell--the first time you switch it on--that distinct scent of heat. And after a long summer of blasting refrigerated air through my house, I now get a waft of coziness in the beginning of this beautiful season.

I love the way the mountains look in the fall... I love how they are seemingly on fire with changing leaves. I love how as winter comes, their heads are covered in snow and the rest of them are still alive--green, gold, orange and red spreading out and down to the valley--their peaks high above them shrouded in frozen mist.

So, bring on the cider, hot chocolate, caramel apples, and
pumpkin pie.
October is going to be wonderful.

A few things I am digging right now:

1. Fringe. Aside from my sometimes hatred for the main character, Olivia, I love this show! I love love all the characters {especially Walter and Pacey--er, I mean, Peter}. We just finished up the first season and can't wait to start season two.


2. Ulta brand cream blush. This stuff rocks and is wicked cheap! Like, $4.00. Yeah, I'm serious.

3. Fall apples. *sigh* apples and peanut butter ... be still my beating heart.

4. Castle. If you haven't watched this show yet--you really really should. It's fun, cheeky, and stars Nathan Fillion.

5. Joel McHale. I love this man. The Soup. Community. I love that he makes fun of everything that is wrong with TV.

6. Harry Potter. Yeah... I'm finally reading the series for the first time and am loving it.

7. Ben Folds. My brother, Matt made me his version of a "best of" cd and I am kind really digging Mr. Folds. He rocks.

8. Watching E.R. while feeding Jake breakfast in the morning. It used to be Las Vegas for us... it even got to the point where Jake would stop whatever he was doing at stare and laugh at the Elvis theme song... but TNT changed their morning line-up and now we are really into the drama of E.R. We'll see how it goes.

9. The changing weather. Man, was I ever ready for summer to be over. I swear, the older I get the more crabby I get about the heat. I LOVE fall. Seriously, I love it.

10. Jake's constant babbling. He really thinks he is talking to us and I cannot get enough of it. I love the inflection he makes with his little voice and how he is trying so hard to say "Daddy" and "shoe". Adorable.