Summer

My blissfully brown husband looked down at my feet this evening, laughed hysterically, and said "white people are funny."

You see, I am currently enduring my punishment for jumping straight into a whole day in the sun after six months indoors with no buildup period. Despite my best precautions--I applied a liberal dose of sunscreen *twice*--I came back from our first canoe trip of the year looking like a deformed zebra. (My husband, on the other hand, is completely fine.) Tip: always remember to apply sunscreen to the tops of your feet when wearing Tevas.

Not that I'm complaining about my genetic inferiority (well, maybe just a little)--the cause of my troubles was overwhelmingly worth it. We whiled away a wonderfully peaceful summer's day (yup, spring flitted in and out of our consciousness in about two weeks' time) canoeing down the Shenandoah River, at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. No blackberry service, no pollution, no noise, and very few other people--just a boy and a girl in a little canoe, with the sun shining all around. (Sing it, Camp Dakani fans.) Canoeing, we have discovered, is our "thing"--the perfect activity that allows us to work together as a team, get a great workout, enjoy each others' company, and revel in all of God's glory. A great day.

I do have one question for you Virginians out there, though: what is with all the Confederate flags? We saw at least four as we floated down the river, all displayed proudly on flagpoles staked at campsites. I mean seriously--of all the things to take on a camping trip, why did so many of these people pick a tent, a cooler full of beer, a folding chair, and a Confederate flag? Strange.

Skype, and other amazing things

After sending my incredibly-good-sport-husband on a makeshift hunt for eggs--hardboiled, decorated with Sharpie, and hidden around the apartment--the two of us spent a lazy Sunday catching up with friends and family. Our chosen medium--Skype.

Now, I'm new at this Skype business. In fact, my grandmother--who has gone all the way from rotary phones and party lines to internet video phones--had to convince me to sign up for it. But she was right, as always--it's the coolest thing ever.

After taking showers and getting dressed so that we looked presentable enough to talk on the phone (*weird*), we started our morning speaking with the trendsetter herself. Among other things, we got to see the beautiful glass table my mother had made for her, and she got to comment on how much my hair had grown. From Florida. So cool!

While we were talking with Savta, my parents beeped in, wanting to talk (to "Skype"? Is there such a verb?). Apparently Savta has been after them about it too, so my tech-savvy brother set it up for them this weekend. As they have not yet been able to visit us in DC, they promptly requested a tour of our apartment. Now, I had thought to make sure we were properly clothed to talk on the internet phone (at least from the waist up), but I had neglected to anticipate the need for picking up the apartment. (The hidden flaw in the amazing Skype plan.) So Ankur stalled while I made the bed, and then we showed them around. Thanks to the internet, my mother gets to make sure I am cleaning my room, even while half a continent away.

Finally, and perhaps most amazing of all, we ended our Skype tour with a quick visit to Cousin Milap and family. In London. From across an ocean and six time zones, his mom got to inspect my tummy, see for herself that it was not expanding, and politely suggest that we get on with things.

So much family togetherness, from the comfort of our own living room! Indeed, our world is amazing. (Seriously. Click on the link--you'll be glad.)

See you on Skype!

Happy Valentine's Day

After months of go-go-go, the husband and I were in serious need of some downtime to reconnect. So my darling husband planned a secret Valentine's/Birthday weekend getaway. He told me only that we were going somewhere "historical" and three hours away. Given that we live in DC, that leaves quite a few options--I was thinking Philadelphia, Williamsburg, or Harper's Ferry. But I was blissfully and completely wrong.

Three hours away from DC, tucked in the Shenandoah Valley, lies a stunningly beautiful, cozy, romantic, charming, peaceful place in the middle of nowhere called the William Cox Inn. The website does not come even close to doing it justice. Tom and Janet, the fantastic physicians-turned innkeepers, have transformed a home built in 1770 (by the infamous William Cox) into a lovely B&B that retains its historical character with all the necessary modern conveniences. They have thought of every single detail, down to a 1700s-era book on how to be a thrifty housewife on the dresser in our room (remember to wash your teeth with clean water every day, and to mend the socks before they tear--a stich in time saves nine). We slept in the tiny original bedroom, burned a fire in the original stone fireplace, and ate all-natural food entirely produced in the on-site garden and surrounding area farms, just as it would have been in the 1700s (but we thankfully did have indoor plumbing).

As the other details of the Valentine's Day weekend fall within the marital privilege, you get to read all about the food instead--and the details here just have to be relayed. Janet, a culinary genius, served a romantic four-course Valentine's dinner and the two most amazing breakfasts I have ever tasted. The food just kept coming and coming... On Friday evening we were greeted with a hot pot of all-natural tea and homemade scones, followed by local pear port and organic chocolate. Breakfast the next morning, served in the original 1770 dining room, consisted of baked local pears with nuts and cinnammon, blue-ribbon-winning light-as-air biscuits with fresh butter and homemade jam, local organic grain hot cereal (Ankur ate both of those), homemade oatmeal pancakes, and apple and cheddar omlettes made from eggs gathered that morning from the many free-range chickens roaming the property. A long walk with their two Golden Retrievers along the river on the beautiful property was necessary just so that we could make room for dinner. Speaking of, for V-day dinner, we devoured a hearty pumpkin stew, heart-shaped goat cheese ravioli, winter salad with dried cranberries, apple-stuffed free-range chicken, and a trio of romantic desserts--bread pudding, chocolate cake, chocolate-covered pears, and homemade coffee ice cream. And our (sad) parting breakfast was baked local apples, more of the scrumptious homemade biscuits, scrambled eggs with fresh cheese, and ginormous waffles. My mouth is watering just typing about it.

Our time at the William Cox Inn was full of amazing food for the stomach and for the soul. It was wonderful to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and spend time reconnecting with each other. Make your reservations today, and tell Tom and Janet that we sent you!

I Heart Visitors

One of the best things about living in DC: people want to come visit us!

During the entire time we resided at our palace in the frozen tundra, we received a grand sum total of three out-of-town visitors: Parents R., Cousin Kay, and Former Roommate Jennifer. Those visits were fantastic, but we were really starting to question our desirability, or at least marketability.

All that has changed, however, with our recent relocation to a new (and slightly less snowy) address. I guess it's true what they say in the hotel industry--"Location, Location, Location."

Before we even had started unpacking our boxes from the move, we had our first out-of-town visitor--Lawyer Lincoln. (We therefore dubbed our spare bedroom/office the "Lincoln Bedroom.") Soon thereafter, we got to entertain Mayor Mike and Former Roommate Jennifer, visiting from the land of Oz, and Sooner Karen, taking a break from Where the Wind Goes Sweeping Down the Plain. In early December, our Acquaintances from Australia put DC on their world tour, and we got to show them the sights and sounds of our nation's capitol. Sister Ami delighted us with a visit over Christmas and New Years. Last week, Other Former Roommate Jennifer and Boyfriend dropped in from the Tarheel state. This weekend we are expecting--completely independently--Ankur's Former Roommate Justin and my Former Roommate Cassy, both of KC(ish) fame. And next week, Best Friend Rachel (coincidentally, also a Former Roommate) will be gracing us with her presence. And that's all in only three months! (I guess I can't really complain about DC being lonely anymore, can I?)

To those of you who have visited, thanks a ton--we've loved having you. To those who have already booked your rooms for the coming weeks, we hope you have a pleasant stay. And to those of you who are thinking about visiting, there's a surprisingly comfy air matress with your name on it! But you better hurry... this hotel may be relocating to a new location sometime in the near future!

In an effort to encourage repeat customers, we would like to solicit some feedback from former visitors and suggestions from others. Where should we take our guests in this massive city? Our typical tour involves a night walk around the monuments, a scrumptious dinner at Regent Thai, and a trip to the National Archives and Natural History Museum, time permitting. But we would like to branch out. To previous guests: What worked? What didn't? To any of you current or former DC-ites: do you have any suggestions for cool and/or off-the-beaten-path venues in the area? Good dining? Fun daytrips?

(Yes, this is my devious plan to get you to post comments. Suggest away!)

A Snapshot

Two mzungu lawyer sister-in-laws are sitting on a couch, adorned with much gold jewelry and red dots on their foreheads, drinking indian tea and eating chevro. One turns to the other and says: "when you dreamed about being an old married woman, is this what you pictured?" They laugh, and together appreciate their wonderfully unpredictable lives.

Happy Birthday Ankur!

On this day in history, many years ago, my best friend and soulmate was brought into the world. To celebrate the momentous occasion, we 1) went to McDonald's for lunch (his request); 2) went to Whole Foods and explored (also his request), and 3) had a little get-together at our favorite local Thai place, followed by cake and Rock Band at home (a surprise). And so many people called and emailed and facebooked--it was a really nice, low-key day spent reconnecting with people.

Happy Holidays!

Greetings! I hope that you all had a wonderful, warm, and merry Christmas and a happy Hanukkah. We have been having a lovely time here, although we have definitely missed our friends and family back home.

DC has been an absolute ghost town these past few days. The office was open but deserted, parking was plentiful, traffic was tolerable, lines were short, lunches were long, the blackberry was not buzzing... in other words, it has been entirely pleasant! When everyone clears out to go home for the holidays, it becomes even more apparent that no one is actually *from* DC, and that home is somewhere else entirely.

In a strange fit of ambition and nostalgia, I cooked my first ever holiday feast--turkey, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, grandmother's secret macaroni and cheese recipe, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top, and pumpkin pie (with healthy doses of cool whip of course). In a small Christmas miracle, everything actually turned out properly. Rachel and Oz and Jeanne, you can stop snickering now.

Other than eating far more than I thought was humanly possible, we have been enjoying spending time with Ankur's sister, who is up visiting for 10 days. Ankur has been showing her around DC, and on Saturday we all took a day trip back in time to Williamsburg, VA.



May your days be merry and bright!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a few things I am thankful for this year:

-My wonderful husband, and a wonderful first year of marriage
-My colorful (and wonderful) family--and getting to spend Thanksgiving with most of them
-My Savta
-My BFF Rachel, now only 2.5 hours away
-All my fantastic friends, near and far (Lincoln, here's your shoutout--you are included here)
-My Godson
-My new job, starting on Monday
-My old job--the best job I'll ever have
-Memories of the trip of a lifetime
-The Constitution
-Living in the land of opportunity, and being able to take advantage of it
-Change! =)
-And of course, turkey and macaroni and cheese and pumpkin pie...

New Plan

In case the economy keeps going on this trajectory, we have a new plan:

Urban Chicken Farming

It was actually Pat and Elisa's idea. Anyone else want to join?

Making an effort

Recently, I had a g-chat conversation about the election with a good friend of mine. The conversation caused me much consternation, but not for the reasons you might think. After discussing the historic nature of the election, the potential SCOTUS nominees, and the fantastic acceptance speech, the following exchange took place:

me: I wish you were in DC
it's pretty cool here right now
the energy is amazing
Him: WHOA
I'M PRINTING THIS OUT
AND DISTRIBUTING IT TO ALL
I believe that was a (partially) positive assessment of DC from Melanie

Well, that got me thinking.

Have I really said nothing positive about DC? Ever?

And what does that say more about--my own attitude, or the city?

Sure, this is not my favorite place in the world--it's no Gimmelwald. Sure, I still do not really understand these "city folk"--I am still very much a country mouse at heart. Sure, I miss my family, my friends, and my quiet, convenient, friendly, comfortable, familiar, chicken-fried kind of home.

But nobody put a gun to my head and forced me to move to DC. (Indeed, we're ponying up a pretty penny to live here.) We came here for a reason, and there is a reason we didn't pack up and go home after the first week. So I think it's about time that I put in writing--for public distribution--some of the good things about living here. In no particular order, here are 10 positive things about DC:

1) It's an exciting place to be right now. This is where everything is happening--the turnover in government, the Supreme Court, the home of the new 700 billion dollar hedge fund, the G-20 meetings, the protests, the parades--and the energy is high.

2) There are tons of people our age, everywhere. For the most part, they are excited about life, and they are doing something with it.

3) People come to visit. We already have a full slate of houseguests planned, despite the fact that they have to sleep on the couch or an air mattress.

4) No matter what kind of food you're in the mood for, you can find it within walking distance. Thai, Indian, Ethiopian, Peruvian, Malaysian, Italian, Mexican, Steakhouses... anything.

5) There are actually some decent country radio stations here.

6) There is real diversity--ethnic diversity, religious diversity, political diversity, financial diversity, sexual diversity, etc. Along with that diversity comes acceptance--we don't have to worry about being an interracial couple, we don't worry about having a funny name, we don't have to defend our religious or political choices, and we get to learn a lot about other people.

7) I never have to drive. My feet or the metro can take me anywhere I want to go.

8) I don't have to plan meals in advance--I can just walk across the street to the grocery store and get what I need that evening.

9) You never have to worry about places being closed at 9pm.

10) I may not have my own little piece of land or my own garden, but I do have a pretty neat backyard: My trees are the Japanese cherry trees, my pond is the reflecting pool and the tidal basin, and my statuary are the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.

There. I feel better already.