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Christmas 2008

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Christmas 2008

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Ryann's fall break visit

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Washington International Horse Show!

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Out to dinner for Joe's dad's birthday

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Joe and Hugo on our fall camping trip!

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A cute little cabin

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Beautiful Virginia!

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We will be in Springfield December 28th through January 4th and are excited to be re-united with so many of our favorite people in the world. Unfortunately, Hugo has outgrown any carry-on travel bag so he won't be able to join us. He is nearly 25lbs! We were really looking forward to introducing him to everyone, but it seems you may have to come to us to meet our "little" boy!

Besides Christmas festivities with my family, Joe's Skinny performance on New Year's Eve, and Ryan and Mary's wedding on January 3rd, we're leaving our schedules open and flexible, which will be a much-welcomed departure from our normal routine. I expect numerous trips downtown, many meals at our favorite eateries, and mug after mug of hot coffee to keep us warm in between.

Our dear friends Evan and Kerstin flew into DC from LA after a series of unfortunate delays on Saturday, August 16. From the airport, we went to Old Town Alexandria for dinner on the patio/sidewalk at O'Connells and then some yummy ice cream at Pop's. On Sunday, we got to visit Eastern Market for some fun shopping before going to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Dupont Circle for pretty much the best meal of our lives. It was Restaurant Week so we got to eat what would normally be about a $100 meal for $35.08 each, which was lovely.
On Monday, Joe and I had to sadly return to work and Evan and Kerstin took on the DC monuments. Monday evening Joe prepared a yummy cedar-planked salmon with fresh green beans and corn on the cob.
Tuesday, Evan and Kerstin headed back to the city to see the Newseum (the funnest place in the world for us newsies) and the Holocaust Museum, which is another must-see in DC. After they attempted to see/read as much as possible in these jam-packed museums, we met up in Georgetown for dinner at Mate', a sushi place with latin influences, where they serve half-priced sushi from 5-7 on weekdays.
Wednesday morning, we woke up as early as possible to head to Virginia Beach where we met up with Ryan Jones and Zach Fortner for a few hours of fun in the sun. And we were glad to see BJ who joined us for dinner later.
I hope Evan and Kerstin enjoy the rest of their week in Virginia Beach. We were sad our time together was short but had such a good time sharing thoughts on everything from policy to past Evangel chapels. I hope we can set up another visit in the near future, preferably a ski trip!

The summer is whizzing by and we still haven't had time to build a base tan before heading on vacation next month. It's been a fun and eventful summer, even as it passes quickly. Aaron and Lisa came to visit for a week in June, just in time to meet Hugo, our new Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy. My mom and dad came for a week in July and we so enjoyed seeing the sites around the capital, even in the sweltering heat, as well as relaxing at home together just like old times.

In August, we are excited about Evan and Kerstin coming to visit! We are planning trips to trendy metro DC spots as well as a day at the beach to meet up with old and beloved Evangel friends. On the 23rd, we will head to Ocean Isle Beach, NC for our third year running at the same beachhouse. We look forward to celebrating Amanda's homecoming from Chicago, Joe's 26th birthday (on the 27th) and Ray and Tiffany's first wedding anniversary on September 1st. We're blessed to always have so many reasons to celebrate life!

8/7/2008 5:54:30 PM - 002024804968
We are going to rock D.C. like its never been rocked before. (On a reasonable budget, of course.)

8/7/2008 4:31:23 PM - 002024304025
Nice house.  Do you ever miss the basement?

8/7/2008 3:04:02 PM - 000074653540
love the site, love Hugo, love you guys!