Where The Boat Leaves From [And The Best Day of Hugh's Life]

IMG_0631

Friday night, as we walked across the bridge to Georgetown to see Iron-Man 3 (which was awesome), Hugh and I decided that we’d rather sit near the water in the sunshine, fishing and/or reading, than stay at home and do chores. So the next morning we hopped in the car and off we went to where the boat leaves from.

We took the boat out to test a fishing contraption my cousin had fashioned. The boys did all the work, I just enjoyed the ride and occasionally got in the way.

IMG_0602

IMG_0612

IMG_0604

IMG_0605

IMG_0606

IMG_0610

Hugh even got to steer us through a crab pot mine field.

IMG_0613

Back on the dock, I braved the chilly breeze through a couple beers while watching a snorkel operation to scrape some barnacles off the boat and Hugh began to tackle his new tackle box.

IMG_0620

IMG_0615

IMG_0623

IMG_0622

Then yesterday — the day he now calls the best day of his life — Hugh set up shop on the dock and put all his new fishing knowledge into hours of casting, baiting, tying, re-tying, and trying every lure in his box…

IMG_0632

…until finally

IMG_0630

IMG_0628

IMG_0629

Hugh caught a striper off the dock, which has never been done before. Yes it was too small to keep, but next year that fish is going to be tast-y.

After the excitement, I went back to my post — reading in the boat where the breeze couldn’t get me.

IMG_0624

And admiring my surroundings.

IMG_0631

Prepping For Troyssie’s Wedding

This time last week I was in Pennsylvania at Jessie’s childhood home checking off the final to-dos and counting down the hours to Jessie and Troy’s wedding.

I road-tripped up with the happy couple and their pup Dexter, leaving my beloved behind to finish ticking and tying his audit (I don’t know accounting things, but I assume that’s what he was doing). Troy and Dex shared the back seat.

IMG_0528

IMG_0530

IMG_0531Our first order of business, according to the three-page check-list the bride was clutching, was to assemble the welcome bags for out-of-town guests’ hotel rooms. In the midst of the operation, however, Jessie’s dad alerted us to a herd of feral mini horses with a bunch of foals down the road. Jessie wasn’t impressed, but I begged enough and off we went to visit the baby horses.

IMG_0536

IMG_0534

IMG_0535

Back at the ranch, we packed up the groom and the welcome bags and headed a few towns over where the wedding was taking place to run some errands (lunch, tuxes, etc.) and drop some things — and Troy — off at the hotel.

IMG_0537

IMG_0540

When Jessie and I returned to her parents’ house, we played with the dogs, went out to dinner, and played with the dogs some more before attempting to get a good night’s sleep (which Jessie failed to get, despite my best efforts not to snore).

Friday morning it was time for nails with Troy’s sisters, nieces and nephew, followed by lunch, reception set-up, ceremony rehearsal, and a beautiful rehearsal dinner.

IMG_0557

IMG_0553

IMG_0563

IMG_0562

Jessie was calm and beautiful all day Saturday. We got our hair and make-up done in the bridal suite, Jessie ate chicken fingers, I cried when her mom and I zipped her into her gown and again when I put her veil on … and again when her dad came in for the first time.

And when we got to the church nice and early as the incredibly organized bride had planned, I had time to go double check a few things in the reception space leftover from the first double-check. I ran across a field barefoot in my bridesmaid dress and glamorous hair and make-up, the sheep in the churchyard baa-ed at me, and it was worth it. After tidying a few details I got to scurry back and share pictures with the anxious (in a good way) bride.

IMG_0567

IMG_0565

And she was happy.

IMG_0571

Before I started my walk down the aisle, I turned to Jessie and told her that I love her. The joy between her and her dad in that moment right before the wedding was incredibly sweet.

Jessie and Troy’s ceremony was beautiful, and I was so happy for them that I did the gator later that night at their reception.

 

 

I’ll upload actual pictures from my actual camera sometime soon. Probably.

Photodump: An Hour on Foot in Rosslyn

On Sunday we had exactly one free hour before our weekend with Hugh’s sister (visiting from New Orleans) was over, so we meandered through our neighborhood, marveled at the intricate yarnbombs, popped into the Artisphere and soaked up the [chilly] spring sunshine.

We also wandered into the super creepy parking garage where Bob Woodward met with Watergate informant Deep Throat. Hugh and I have walked past this garage a million times, but I’ve never gone in because as I said — it’s creepy. And the specific parking spot where they met is on the furthest underground level in the creepiest, darkest corner.

IMG_2162

IMG_2166

IMG_2167

Fist Bump for Marriage

Yesterday, when I was asked by a coworker how my weekend was, I found myself excitedly describing it and its events as “really, really awesome!” 

“It was a great weekend!” I exclaimed.

Sure, Friday night’s spaghetti by the fire while watching The West Wing with the Hughsband was really relaxing, especially after trudging through snow and slush for two days. Saturday got off to a slow start as I battled my malfunctioning computer to finish designing some bridal shower invitations, but it turned around when Mom and I headed to Jessie’s dress fitting (and veil buying) appointment followed by the obligatory stop at Chik-fil-a.

But it was Sunday that made the weekend.

Sunday started slow, relaxed, and late just like Sundays should. I made coffee, Hugh made eggs, and we caught up on some DVR over a leisurely breakfast. Since Hugh had not been home on the weekends for a while now, I had gotten used to this leisurely Sunday breakfast dragging into a leisurely Sunday afternoon, and before I knew it I’d made very little progress on my to-do list.

But that’s where Hugh makes up for what I lack — he makes lists and conquers them while I tend to keep a mental tally which is easily ignored. So, we made a list.

It was a daunting list, especially the top priority task — cleaning the desk. Our office area desk in our bedroom has probably not been clean or organized since we moved in well over a year ago. It had quickly become a place to just throw things that had no other home — stacks of both useless and necessary mail, a couple lap tops, a camera lens or two, and a multitude of writing utensils. It was a daunting, ugly, disorganized mess.

Hugh had begun the clean-up Saturday while I was out doing matron-of-honor things, but I enthusiastically joined the effort Sunday, organizing all my design and craft supplies, leftover wedding supplies, and really leftover wedding everything. Once that was done, I was on a roll and we didn’t stop organizing and cleaning (though we’d planned to run a bunch of pretty boring necessary errands right after breakfast) until it was done and we were sitting at the desk reading amazon reviews with no clutter and no distractions around 4 hours later.

By the time we left to [successfully] return things to Bed Bath & Beyond, [successfully] return things at Old Navy, browse the craft store for some upcoming needs, and hit the grocery store for Sunday night’s dinner, the “office” side of our bedroom looked like this:

image1

image2By 6 p.m. Hugh had another fire going in the fireplace and The West Wing queued up on Netflix while I put Sunday dinner on plates.

Before lugging our dinner operation into the living room, we paused in the middle of the kitchen to discuss how awesome we are.

We had tackled a task we’d been putting off forever. We had run a bunch of boring errands really efficiently. And we had done it all without letting it take over our weekend.

Hugh put out his fist and as I triumphantly bumped it with mine I exclaimed teamwork! and Hugh responded

“Marriage!!”

Yes, it sounds like a boring weekend. And I’m sure my re-telling of it to coworkers over lunch and to whomever else here in this post is just as boring as the chores we got done.

But the point is — it was never not fun.

We listened to music, we encouraged each other, we tag-teamed chores seamlessly, at the end of the day we felt really productive and it never felt like work.

And for that, I think, marriage deserves a fist bump.