Monday: Summer Squash Risotto
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Present
New Camera
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
Guess what I got for graduation!?! My wonderful husband bought be a brand new Nikon SLR D40x camera.
It's absolutely amazing and takes gorgeous pictures. He decided to give it to me a little early so I could practice before my family comes in (also b/c he couldn't keep it a secret one second longer).
As most of you know, Nicholas's family, specifically his father and older brother, are really into photography and I've been jealous of their SLR's for a while. Plus, it was one of my favorite classes in college and I fancy myself a bit of photographer. Now, I can really take it to the next level. :)
Saturday: Zucchini Torta
Saturday: Zucchini Torta
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
Nicholas's parents were in town this weekend and we had them over for dinner on Saturday. We had a really lovely visit, despite the fact we had a plumber over for a clogged sink when they got here. But once he left, everything went swimmingly.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Happy Mother's Day...a smidge early
On Oprah today, Maria Shriver interviewed Demi Moore about her role as a mother and her own decade-long estrangement from her mother. In speaking about her philosophy of parenting, she articulated what I think is essential.
"I'm not trying to do for them what wasn't done for me, I'm trying to do for them what they need as individuals."
I've heard this idea before but never put so eloquently. I think this has got to be one of the most profound challenges as a parent, particularly as a mother of a daughter. However, I know how essential it is because it is exactly what my mother did for me. Maybe it was because her mother was so great or maybe it's because she very wisely dealt with her major issues before having me, but either way she gave me the freedom and guidance to become who I needed to be, not who she needed me to be.
Thanks for that Mom. I love you.
Camden Yards
Camden Yards
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
Last night, we drove to Baltimore to meet Nicholas's parents at a Baltimore Orioles game. We had a really great time and I ate every ballpark food I could get my hands on, including crabcake sandwhich, peanuts, lemonade and (of course!) Dip n' Dots!
The game was pretty exciting, especially when one of the Devil Rays got thrown out of the game and some guy took that as his opportunity to run the field. Pretty funny.
All in all a great first game of the summer. We're going again on Monday as part of my graduation activities.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Monday, May 07, 2007
Visitin'
Nicholas, me, Giinger and Benjamin
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
Nicholas's younger brother Benjamin came into to town with his wife Ginger this weekend. Their visit sparked a spring cleaning weekend since Nicholas's parents will be in next weekend and my family will be in for graduation. I wanted our place looking its best since they will all be seeing it for the first time.
Overall, the cleaning went really well. Nicholas was a great sport, even though I think he was really skeptical about a lot of my requests. He wiped down blinds, cleaned windows, and scrubbed down every surface I pointed to. He drew the line at removing everything off the bookshelves and dusting so I did that.
The third day of cleaning right before Benjamin and Ginger came over I decided to iron the bottom of our upholstered chair...on my leg. I swear to God I don't know why I do the things I do sometime. Nicholas even looked at me and said "Don't burn your leg." However, much like the soap/eye debacle of a couple months ago, I didn't think I was doing anything too dangerous. And, to be honest, I wasn't - until I pressed the steam button and burned the crap out of my leg.
I rushed to the bathroom and the skin had already peeled off. The burn is about two inches in diameter. I thought I could treat it myself but it started looking a bit sketch this morning so I went to the clinic. So, now I'm on antibiotics and antibiotic cream and hoping it heals quickly.
More than anything I'm just embarassed that I could have done something so stupid. I didn't expect to get more idiotic the closer I got to law school graduation. :(
Friday, May 04, 2007
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Another Big Weekend
Goodbye Party
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
The spring has brought out the social butterfly in both me and Nicholas and we have another weekend to prove it.
I had a really crazy Friday. I went to Chander's office to take muffins for my friend Jennifer's last day (she's the cute brunette pictured above). Then I went to Hillaryland in Virginia. Then I went BACK to Capitol Hill for a Chandler/Yarmuth happy hour. THEN I met Nicholas at Buca de Beppo for my moot court banquest. We sat with my competition partner Chris and his girlfriend Alice and had such a good time we basically ignored the whole ceremony.
On Saturday, Nicholas and I spent the majority of the day doing my favorite activity doing "jack shit" (as the Sweet Potatos Queen call it). That night was Jennifer's actual goodbye party, which was really fun. I'm definitely going to miss her but I now have added Boston to the list of major cities that have someone to mooch off! ;)
Today was a beautiful day so of course we went to Target! And can I just say it was a very successful trip - I got everything I was looking for and a little extra as is always the case with Target. I also went on a nice hike with Maggie and Nicholas and I went to see an absolutely wonderful movie called Paris Je T'aime.
Unfortunately, the movie caused us to be late to a condo board meeting, and, when we arrived, everyone seemed decided on an option of which I am extremely skeptical. (We're looking at new heating systems). However, I'm trying to be open-minded.
Anyway, a Sopranoes that confused me more than ever and an Entourage that almost convinced me it's a decent show and I'm off to bed!
Friday, April 27, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Big Weekend
Engagement Party
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
Nicholas and I had very exciting and very busy weekend. On Friday night, we went on a double date with our friends Miti and Tim to Circle Bistro. The food was fantastic and, as often is the case when we got out with Miti and Tim, the conversation was even better. Although things got pretty fiesty when they decided to argue The Wire is a better television show than The Sopranos. I mean come on people - that is not even reasonable.
Saturday was huge day because we had thirteen of our nearest and dearest over for a surprise engagement party for our dear friends Laura and Dan. The fabulous Guinevere co-hosted with us, which was a good thing because we defintiely couldn't have done it without her.
The preparation was going along swimmingly until I decided to straighten some pictures over my couch. Nicholas slightly tickled my stomach and I touched one of the two shelves hanging on the wall. Yeah, it fell down. I tried despeartely not to panic, but it wasn't easy. Luckily, we patched and painted the wall pretty easily and the pictures on the shelf hung over the space nicely.
However, this event set the rest of our schedule back a bit and we were frantically cooking and cleaning up till the last second. No one seemed to notice or care. Perhaps they were distracted my Nicholas's amazing menu. :)
He made:
homemade cheese strays (basil and parmasean)
mushroom crostini
swordfish rolls
stuffed tomatos
and we had an antipasto tray.
Even better than the food was Laura and Dan were genuinely surprsied and very touched by the gesture. They thought they were coming over for a quiet dinner party, so needless to say, their faces were priceless. Plus, Laura had never had a surprise party thrown for her so that was an added bonus.
We recovered all day Sunday then went out for another double date with our friend Jennifer and Eric to Rosa Mexicana. I had never been there before and the food was fabulous. It is really difficult to get good Mexican in DC so we really enjoyed it. Again, the conversation was great. I mean we arrived at 8 and left at 11:45!
THEN, of course, our Tivo messed up recording Sopranos (I blame you Geoffrey) so we had to stay up till the midnight showing on HBO West. It was worth it but I am sooo tired today...actually that's true of the entire weekend.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
History
My ancestry research took a dark turn tonight. My great-aunt emailed me some information I was unable to find on my own, which allowed me to go back several generations on my mother's side. While I was searching for historical records on my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, several entries in the 1860 Federal Census-Slave Schedule appeared. It seems he owned seven slaves, all adults ranging in age from 50 to 21.
For some reason, I had convinced myself that I had escaped this part of my Southern heritage. "They were just poor farmers," I told myself. "Kentucky was a border state." But, apparently, the reason I had not found any other records yet was I just wasn't looking hard enough. More searching of the Slave Schedule revealed several other family members.
I know it was naive to think that my family was not a part of this history. I proudly proclaimed that I felt more fully American after finding out so many of my family members had come here before America was even founded. However, I should have realized that this long history comes with pride and shame.
I also can't help but recognize the irony in discovering this information after a week when race in America filled the news. I guess it gives some helpful perspective. Less than 150 years ago, my family owned human beings, like property. However, that concept was so far out of my realm of reality it was all but completely unfathomable...at least until today.
Monday: Savoy Cabbage Risotto
Monday: Savoy Cabbage Risotto
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
From A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen
Monday, April 16, 2007
Virginia Tech
Most of you know me well enough to know that when I was sixteen there was a shooting at my high school. A very disturbed young boy walked into our lobby and opened fire, killing three girls. It's not something I think about everyday, but it has, without a doubt, profoundly affected the way I think.
Of course, today was different. Today I thought about it a lot.
I can only begin to imagine what the people at Virginia Tech are feeling. What has happened there is so far beyond the reality of what happened at Heath that I'm having trouble truly comprehending it. Our school had only about 550 students. Virginia Tech has over 23,000. Our shooter lived and we learned that he suffered from severe paranoid schizophrenia. The shooter at Virginia Tech is dead and all that is left is speculation. Then, there is the number killed.
However, as I was reading the coverage, I saw a quote that made me realize how some emotions are the same no matter the scale of the tragedy.
"I'm terrified," she said. "It's gonna be so hard to walk back into class and trust that nothing bad will happen."
I can honestly say I know EXACTLY how that girl feels. I read that and realized that since December 1, 1997, I have never really trusted that nothing bad will happen. I have a profound understanding that in one second your entire life, your total understanding of what is reality and what is not, can change forever.
I would like to say that this means I value life more and I live every moment to the fullest. And, in some ways, I guess I do. If an opportunity presents itself, I take it. I rarely think, "Oh, I can try this another time," or "This won't be my last chance," because the truth is - it could be.
Unfortunately, there are also negative manifestations. I am terrified of losing a loved one in a tragic way and I know I think about it more than is normal. On more occasions then I care to recount, I have called emergency rooms looking for family members who were late coming home. Sometimes I look at Nicholas next to me at night and I start crying. In those moments, the imbalance between how much I love him and how quickly something tragic could happen to him seems too much to bear.
So, in the end, I guess the hardest part about understanding the fear they are feeling in Blacksburg is knowing that a small part of it will never go away.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Ummmm....
So, how ya been?
Oh, I'm great. Thanks for asking. Weather's been crazy huh?
...Yeah, school's been busy, just trying to hang on till May.
(awkward silence)
**************
I'm sorry ya'll. That's all I got. I mean it's not that things aren't happening but I'm just sort of uninspired when it comes to posting. I blame my friend Leslie who said we jumped the shark when we started posting pictures of our food so I'm feelin all this pressure now! I mean I thought about writing about the whole Imus thing but baby's mama! who wants to hear more about that. Plus, the sort of big happenings in my life recently have been stuff I can't share because they involve other people. (Don't worry nothing important or secret, just not blog appropriate.)
So, anyway I promise not to become one of those bloggers who whine about not posting but I just thought ya'll might want to hear something. I promise to become more interesting within the near future, or at least make something up for your enjoyment.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Sarah a la plage
Sarah a la plage
Originally uploaded by robholland.
The latest entry in Rob Holland's, my personal photographer, Sarah portfolio. Aren't you sad he's not your father-in-law?
Monday, April 09, 2007
Easter Weekend in Florida
Easter 2007
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
Easter 2007
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
We flew to Florida this weekend for the exciting Holland double christening of Elizabeth Theodora Holland and William Maxwell Holland. We got in on Friday afternoon and hung out for a while before going to dinner with the whole crew. It was my sister-in-law Jennifer's birthday so we had our first cake of the weekend.
The next day was the big event. We all did our own thing throughout the day except for a group lunch at Ted Peter's, which is worth the trip to St. Pete alone. The christening went very smoothly with everyone renouncing Satan when it was their turn. William did not seem concerned in the least that there was a strange man pouring water over his head and pressing the sign of the cross into his forehead. Elizabeth, on the other hand, wanted everyone to know that she thought this guy was a total and complete jerk. She definitely wasn't alone, as this seemed to be the opinion of most of the babies. We had a fun pizza party afterwards, although
the cold put a bit of a damper on the fun.
On Easter Sunday, we had an early Easter dinner before some of our travelers left early to return home. Throughout the afternoon, I made a point of showing Stephen that the plastic eggs contained fruit loops (the genius idea of my mother-in-law), so when it came time for the hunt he knew what was at stake. ;) I was amazed at how quickly he picked up the concept of an Easter egg hunt and it was ridiculously cute and entertaining...and VERY well-photographed.
The rest of the day was spent enjoying friends and family, with a beach trip thrown in the late afternoon. We had a really wonderful weekend and didn't want it to end. I tried to sneak a baby in my suitcase for the trip home, so I could extend the fun. Unfortunately, his mom caught me and I had to give him back. :(
Easter 2007
Easter 2007
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
I promise to post all about this weekend as soon as I can.
Here's a little baby to hold you over to then.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
What are you people trying to tell me?
Both my mother AND father called today to make sure I was not one of the protesters at American University last night. A group of students laid down in front of Karl Rove's car as he was leaving the campus in an anti-war protest.
So, before anyone else can call, no I was not there!
Jeez, people. Sure, I protested at an Old Navy or two in college but that hasn't been my style for a long time! ;)
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Cherry Blossom Festival
Cherry Blossom Festival
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
Today before work I went down to the Tidal Basin to enjoy the Cherry Blossoms at their peak. It was a perfect Spring morning and the crowds were at a managable size. I was able to walk all the way around the Bain and enjoy the blossoms and monuments in all their glory. I also ran into Yoko Ono along the way. Go figure.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Prom 2007
Prom 2007
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
We have had a really fun weekend. Last night, we went to the last Law School Prom ever! Barrister's Ball, as it's more popularly know, is pretty much just like real prom only with lots of legal drinking. My group of friends has really embraced Prom for all its worth.
Every year we've rented a party bus that takes us from our friends' house (our headquarters, as it's popularly known) to Prom. Then it parks out front and basically acts as our own personal VIP lounge. Pretty awesome. Our first year we were the only ones with a party bus, but of course imitators quickly followed.
We usually meet at headquarters for snacks and lots of pictures. Leslie and Laura really took it to the next level for our last prom by setting up an actual prom backdrop (as seen above). We also decided to order tacky prom garters , which were also widely photographed (see Flickr).
Then, we headed over to Mellon Auditorium and danced our butts off. We really had a blast and time just flew by. Soon, they were playing the last song and we all got back on the party bus. We had grand plans to go out to bars afterwards. However, our aging status really became clear, because as we all got off, everyone started saying goodbye and heading home for the night. So, we just decided to all get back on the bus and have the party bus drop us all at our houses! I think it was an appropriate end for our party bus run honestly.
We also had a really fun time Friday night. We went out to a nice dinner then to an improv tournament at a local gallery. If you remember, we are trying to branch out and do more than just go to the movies every weekend. So, this was a fun and unique thing to try. It was actually pretty funny and we might try an improv club again some time.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
I own a lot of clothes
Closet Clean-up
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
At the start of every season, I always try to go through my closet and get rid of things I haven't worn or are worn out or can't figure out why I bought in the first place. This year I decided to actually count what I own as a little extra mental motivation.
The Grand Tally:
75 shirts
24 skirts
18 sundresses
16 blazers
8 trousers
8 jeans
5 cocktail dresses
Pretty depressing and that's after I got rid a bunch. There were several pieces that I haven't worn in awhile but I just couldn't get rid of because...well you never know.
What I did instead was a tip I heard a long time ago. I turned all the hangers out and then when I wear something I'll turn the hanger right side in. I'm telling myself I will absolutely get rid of anything not turned around by next spring...but well you never know.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
A Complaint Free World
Now, I know this is going to shock many of you but I was watching Oprah yesterday and I thought she had a really good idea. Well, actually, she featured a pastor from Missouri who had a really good idea. He and his church give out purple bracelets with "A Complaint Free World" on them. The little bracelets come with a challenge - go 21 days without complaining. Here are the rules:
1. Begin to wear the bracelet, on either wrist
2. When you catch yourself complaining, gossiping or criticizing move the bracelet to the other arm and begin again.
3. If you hear someone else who is wearing a bracelet complain, you may point out their need to switch the bracelet to the other arm; BUT if you’re going to do this, you must move your bracelet first!
4. Stay with it. It may take many months but when you reach 21 days you will find that your entire life is happier, more loving, more positive and more abundant.
So, I've decided to take Oprah and the good pastor up on the challenge. I don't have the pretty purple bracelet but I have one from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial I'm going to use. I figure what better inspiration to stop complaining.
I suppose this will affect my posts pretty dramatically as there will no longer be lists of rants about celebrities, people's fashion choices, or not being in Paris. ;) I'm also guessing this will affect my marriage because Nicholas thinks the challenge is stupid BUT has decided every time I ask him to do something I'm complaining and he should point that out to me. (Again, he can do this consequence free since he's not wearing a bracelet).
More importantly, I'm hoping this will affect my general disposition. I'm coming up on a pretty big transition in my life. During past transitions, I've had a tendency to get down on myself and slump into a "woe is me" phase. I'm hoping this little bracelet will help me focus instead on the thousands of blessings in my life and remember that, even in periods of uncertainty, I really don't have much to complain about.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Holy baby's mama!
So, no big secret I am a huge fan of Battlestar Galactica. Huge. Massive. Love it. Sunday night was the season finale. We actually didn't watch it yesterday because we were busy watching Planet Earth. (Amazing! But that's another post.)
Anyway, we just watched it and can I just say?!? Holy baby's mama!
(Stop reading now if you haven't seen it!)
Starbuck is alive! More Cylons! What does it all mean?!?! Then came the worst part...
"Returns in 2008"
WHAT?!? People it's March! M-A-R-C-H! As in the third month of the year - out of twelve. I'm never going to make it.
I mean I guess I have Dancing with the Stars, The Sopranos, Big Love, Weeds, Spiderman 3, the 7th (and last) Harry Potter book, the fifth Harry Potter movie, and the whole Democratic Party Primary to keep me occupied till then. BUT STILL!
Let's go fly a kite
Let's go fly a kite
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
We went to the Mall yesterday to fly a kite. It was a beautiful spring day and there were several other kite flyers out. The wind would die down every once in awhile or change directions. But, overall, we got it up several times and had a great time.
Then, a police officer came over and told us to bring it down. We couldn't figure out why until we started walking down the Mall and three helicopters zoomed overhead. Apparently, old Dubya was coming home, once again spoiling the fun for everybody. ;)
Sunday, March 25, 2007
My Mother the Superhero
It turns out librarian's deserve their action figure status, or at least my mom does. :)On Friday, she emails me to tell me I'll never guess who's in her library... Steven Jones*! Steven Jones spent most of our time together in high school thinking of new and creative ways to sexually harass me. He said filthy things to me, rubbed against me, and repeatedly made me cry. Well, my mother remembered this harassment vividly and when he came in to HER library, she decided this was her chance to let him know how she felt about him.
"Steven Jones! I just want you to know that you harassed my daughter, Sarah Stewart, in high school. You said nasty, filthy things to her and I did not appreciate it. I only hope one day you have a daughter that some boy says dirty things to, so you know how it feels!"
I believe his response was. "Uh...I don't remember saying things like that. I'm so sorry." Apparently, he was pretty polite overall, which I guess isn't surprising since he's now longer an obnoxious 16-year-old . But still, I think it's pretty awesome that my mom gave him what for! He was so terrible to me, he totally deserved being called out - even if it was several years later.
*Names have been changed to protect the guilty, but sufficiently embarrassed.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Things I brought back from Paris
- An ever-increasing bread addiction. I used to be happy with a slice of whole wheat. Now, I want a baguette with every meal.
- A 10:30 bedtime. Because of the time change, I 've just never pushed myself to stay up later. The plus side is I wake up at like 7 and get a bunch of stuff done. Of course, then I blow off the rest of the day because "I was SO productive this morning."
- A complete and total lack of motivation. Why can't I just walk around and shop and eat all the time?!?
- A growing disdain for American's complete inability to dress themselves. True, French people wear some truly wacky things but at least they are trying!
- A new awareness of architecture and how truly different American architecture is.
God, that was exhausting...anybody got a croissant?
- An ever-increasing bread addiction. I used to be happy with a slice of whole wheat. Now, I want a baguette with every meal.
- A 10:30 bedtime. Because of the time change, I 've just never pushed myself to stay up later. The plus side is I wake up at like 7 and get a bunch of stuff done. Of course, then I blow off the rest of the day because "I was SO productive this morning."
- A complete and total lack of motivation. Why can't I just walk around and shop and eat all the time?!?
- A growing disdain for American's complete inability to dress themselves. True, French people wear some truly wacky things but at least they are trying!
- A new awareness of architecture and how truly different American architecture is.
God, that was exhausting...anybody got a croissant?
Thursday: The box says it all
Thursday: The box says it all
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
Can you tell we haven't been to the grocery since returning from Paris?
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Top Ten Things We Learned in Paris
Paris
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
Paris
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.
10. Actually, French women do get fat.
9. Anything, especially snails, tastes good when you soak it in butter and garlic.
8. Dora the Explorer is just as creepy in French.
7. The French are having ALOT of sex.
6. Relatedly, all the children they are having from all the sex are universally adorable...and very well-dressed.
5. "You can wear a cheap shirt from H&M with expensive jewelry and you look fabulous. You wear Dior but cheap jewelry and you will look awful." Fabulous Parisian lady who succeeded in selling me expensive jewelry.
4. As far as we could tell, besides waiters and waitresses, Parisians never actually work.
3. Nobody starts dinner till 9:30 at night (perhaps related to the previous item).
2. Gnawing on a huge French baguette is considered lunch.
1. Anything worth doing (for example, bread, wine, cheese) is worth doing well. :)
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