Fulfilling an adolescent dream of sorts

 The other week we drove out to Atlantic City, NJ to spend an afternoon near the ocean.  Without getting into too much detail, I've wanted to visit Atlantic City since I was a teenager.  As an impressionable 16 year old I was inspired by a few musical geniuses hailing from NJ.  They made Atlantic City sound like a rockin' place.

It wasn't so rockin' after all.  My expectations were too high and I ended up being disappointed.  It's considered the "Vegas of the East coast" but it's actually a small ocean-side town with unimpressive hotels and casinos for old people.  Seriously, I think Clark and I were like the youngest people walking on the boardwalk --and through casinos-- that day.  And smoking is still allowed in casinos, too! Bleh.  The only redeeming qualities of Atlantic City are the boardwalk and the ocean.  I bet in the summertime it is quite nice to hang out on the beaches.

The boardwalk in all it's glory.

The lonely benches.  And Clark.

It was just a little too chilly to get our feet wet, or even venture out onto the sand barefoot.

We thought it was hilarious that they had a Wild West display.  Seriously, I think people from the East coast really do think that the West is full of cowboys and Indians and that people still get around in horse carriages.

A sampling of the hotels in Atlantic City.  These ones aren't too shabby, but they aren't nearly as impressive at the monstrosities on the Vegas Strip.

Until next time, AC.

We may head back to Atlantic City for a beach day in the summer.  Or maybe we'll head to the Delaware beaches instead.  Supposedly the beaches in Delaware are quite nice and less crowded than the beaches in NJ.  Anyone care to join us?  We'll pay the tolls.

Halloween in Baltimore

I am going to preface this post by asking if it is weird that I am dedicating an entire post to photos of cute kids that aren't mine?  No, not the slightest bit weird?  I didn't think so either.

After our short stay with Scott and Dagmara in Alexandria we drove up to Baltimore to spend Halloween with the Kyle Tobler family.  We made an excellent decision and would highly suggest that any Toblers available next Halloween make the trek to Baltimore, regardless of mileage, cost, etc, etc.  It is totally worth it, you have my word.  It was a blast, and I have never, ever seen a neighborhood so committed to trick-or-treaters.  Seriously, adults hanging out on their front lawn with a bowl full of candy and keeping warm with a fire pit/chiminea and a beverage of choice.  That's how they do it in the Rodgers Forge neighborhood.  I have never seen sidewalks so congested with trick-or-treaters and parents/guardians.  It was a blast to experience.  

Our afternoon started off with a walk to a nearby park.  Charlie and Greta became instantly infatuated with a neighbor's dog.

And at the park, they had a lot of fun swinging, see-sawing, and playing in the dirt and on the slides.

Such cute kids!

I just love fall colors! Seriously, is there anything better than fall foliage and the anticipation of winter?

Kim and Kyle's next door neighbors.  Go hard or go home.  They do NOT kid around.

Annnnnnnnnnd, the cutest Snow White and Optimus Prime of the Halloween season!  I accidentally called Charlie Megatron.  Big mistake.  Apparently I don't know/remember enough about Transformers to recall the difference.

Just a little bit awkward (Clark).

So the neighborhood puts on a little parade every Halloween before trick-or-treating begins.  The kids and parents all meet up in the park and then parade around.  But apparently this year there was no official announcement or gathering, just a grassroots effort to continue the tradition.  Still, there were several families that gathered in the park.  Greta met up with her friend Caroline, who was also Snow White!

Some of the kids Charlie's age were playing and told Greta to wait in the...whatever this jungle gym thing is called.  So she did.  Very patiently for a few minutes, might I add.  Until she realized that the big kids had gotten distracted and weren't coming back for her.  This is, quite possibly, my favorite photo of the day.

I'm so bummed this turned out blurry.  STOP MOVING SO FAST EVERYONE!

Kyle, Charlie (Optimus Prime NOT Megatron), Kim and Greta (Snow White) pre trick-or-treating.

My alter ego Ratasha.  I pulled off the unibrow and mole so well that Kyle didn't even notice after I drew them on.  How many people do you know that can pull of a unibrow this well!?  Oh, Ratasha.  I'll see you again next Halloween.

Super sexy $.99 pants from Ross.  Ratasha waited two years to wear these.  The outfit will be more complete next year.  And maybe she'll even wear skanky heels, in spite of the cold weather.

After taking the kids around trick-or-treating, Kyle decided to move their chiminea to the front yard like the rest of the neighborhood.

Charlie took over Clark's ACDC horns and proceeded to pass out the candy.  And when the candy ran out (literally like 10-12 bags worth) Charlie decided to offer up Greta's candy to trick-or-treaters.  Only we were under the impression that he had donated his candy.  Sneaky little guy.

We had a fantastic time and were so happy we could see the kids in trick-or-treating action!  Thank you Kyle and Kim for allowing us the opportunity to spend Halloween in Baltimore! 

Day out in D.C.

Well, we visited both sides of the family over Halloween weekend.  The perks of having family within 3 hours!

We spent a day in D.C. with Scott and Dagmara, and of course it was the day it snowed all over the East coast.  So, of course it was rainy/snowy in D.C.  Walking from the metro stop to the Capitol was miserable.  I managed not to throw a massive tantrum since Dagmara was so calm and composed as we walked through the chilly streets of D.C.

Here's a description of our day via photos:

U.S. Capitol tour.

Waiting for our tour to start.

You know, I totally don't remember the names of any of these rooms.  They all seemed to have statues and were quite aesthetically pleasing.  I was digging Abe Lincoln's statue.

Capital dome with two different camera settings.

Another lovely room with statues.  Please take note of the kid hanging out in the fire place, left corner. My only question is, where are his parents?

Another pretty ceiling and dome.

Getting ready to walk through the tunnel to the Library of Congress.

Creeper Scott in the background.

Dagmara and Scott consoling each other.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe because Dagmara always turns away from me when I try to take her picture?!

The beautiful columns and ceilings of the Library of Congress.  You actually can't take any photos of the library.  

Aw, the nation's capitol.

After a quick lunch at Quizno's we toured the National Air and Space Museum.  Behind Clark is the Spirit of St. Louis.

This is the plane that Amelia Earhart flew before her tragic disappearance over the Pacific ocean.  I think this is the plane she flew to England from Newfoundland??

Clark found an owner's manual for a space shuttle.  How novel.  Clark has actually owned a Haynes owners' manual for every car he's owned.

The next morning Clark and Scott completed an extremely long and grueling game of chess. I may or may not have encouraged Clark to make a few unfortunate moves.  I'm no strategizer.  Seriously though, this game took 1.5 hours. 

It was a beautiful day out, so Clark and I finally took some photos for this year's Christmas card.  Thanks Dagmara and Scott for your cooperation in helping us capture our "Classy Christmas" picnic.  If y'all are lucky, you'll see more of where this here came from as Christmas nears.  

We look forward to seeing more of D.C. on a less wet/dreary day.  Thank you Scott and Dagmara for your hospitality and for the amazing pumpkin pie and goulash.  Dagmara, your culinary skills never cease to amaze me.

Clark's birthday!

We celebrated Clark's twenty-some odd birthday yesterday!  We're in denial about aging, nevertheless, twenty-some odd sounds much nicer than the truth!  I had to spend most of the day in class, but I think I made it up to Clark by taking him out to eat at Baby Blues BBQ here in University City.  It was pretty awesome.  Oh, how I wish I could eat mac n' cheese everyday with every meal.  Clark ordered a rib platter, I ordered a smoked chicken platter.  We both won.

After dinner we drove out to Target so I could buy Clark one of his highly anticipated gifts: a scale (Yes, a scale. Clark has been a running fool lately and his clothes are not fitting.  So naturally he's curious about his current weight).  I'm really not a bad wife, I just didn't have time to run all over town and buy him gifts.  In addition, it's harder than you'd think to sneak out of the house for anything but school when your husband is at home everyday, questioning your every move.  

Here's a couple of photos of Clark with his spoils.  The scale ended up being a dud.  According to this scale, Clark weighs 240 lbs and I weigh 170.  We'll be returning this scale for an electronic one shortly. This old school scale is NOT good for our self esteem!

Notice the Penn hat.  Gotta have my man represent my institution of higher education somehow. I made sure to buy him the style he liked.  The one gift I was sneaky about this year.

And nothing says I love you like a 7 quart crock pot.  

I love you Clark!  So much so that I bought you a crock pot.  For your birthday.