Help Getting Out of Bed in the Morning

Sometimes (ok, a lot of the time) I have a hard time getting up in the morning. This is particularly a problem when I have to wake up to catch an early flight, or something similar, because usually I'm going to bed late and I have the added anxiety that I'll sleep through my alarm.

What works for me is to set my "water alarm" in addition to my regular alarm clock. Chuk makes fun of me for this, but it totally works. I drink a full glass of water right before going to bed and then when the alarm goes off I have extra motivation to get up and out of bed quickly rather than hitting the snooze button.

When you can't get a full night's sleep, how do you make sure you get up on time?

Two Years

Because we celebrated on Sunday, our actual anniversary was low-key. We ate some Five Guys burgers at a park over-looking the Potomac. We read our marriage ceremony aloud to each other after dinner. We went to Trader Joe's and bought flowers and cheesecake. We went home and exchanged gifts. Then we ate cheesecake and watched The Amazing Race.

And of course, we made up. I think re-reading our vows helped Chuk to recognize his wrongs. Reading this helped me realize mine.

The Weekend

Tuesday and Friday nights, we had a friend staying with us as he house hunted in the area. He took us out to dinner Friday night to celebrate him finding a house perfect for his family and Chuk getting into grad school. After dinner we came back to our place and I made strawberry shortcake for us all.

Don't let the fact that nobody ever makes strawberry shortcake trick you into believing it's hard because it's not. You know I'd never do anything difficult, right? Just make batch of biscuits and add a little sugar to the batter before baking. I don't even cut them out; drop biscuits are fine. While the shortcake is baking, cut up your strawberries, sprinkle them with sugar and stick them back in the fridge. The whip your cream. Again, not a lot of work if you use a mixer. By now, your shortcakes should have finished baking. Layer the cooled shortcake with the macerated strawberries and whipped cream. Let everyone ooh and ahh over your labors; don't tell them it only took you 20 minutes.

Saturday, we went to Rebecca's game night. The food was delicious and the games were so fun. We brought roasted asparagus and a Caesar salad. There was so much food I can't even begin to tell you what all there was. Then we played Taboo and Smart Ass, which were both big hits. (Some tips about Smart Ass: The box lies. This game is lame as a two player game. For a crowd, it is way more fun to play without the board.) Rebecca also invented another cocktail. It tasted like red hots. Yum! I'll share it soon. Sunday, we walked around the Tidal Basin to look at the cherry blossoms then went out to a pre-anniversary seafood dinner. (Lobster, shrimp, scallops, crab cakes, oh my!)

When did I get crows' feet?!?!

Don't let the pictures fool you; Chuk and I have been in a fight since Thursday night. He made me so mad, but we already had plans for the weekend, so we still hung out even though I'm giving him the cold shoulder. Our anniversary tomorrow should be interesting. Let's all hope he comes to his senses, begs my forgiveness, and then gives me the best present in the world. (Because, you know, that happens so often.) Oh marriage! It's not fun every second of every day, but don't get me wrong, it's still worth it.

Free Download: Cherry Blossom Photos

Cherry blossom season (all one week of it) is my favorite time in Washington. Everything is beautiful and smells good. It is truly one of the best things about living here. I love it so much that I got married during cherry blossom season.

If you feel the same way about cherry blossoms that I do, you can download free cherry blossom pictures from National Geographic. We all agree NatGeo employs some of the best photographers in the world, right?

I'm thinking about printing some of the photos out and framing them and putting them on the shelves in our dining "room".

Sometimes I'm Nice

We all want to show our loved ones how much they mean to us, but often we don't have a lot of time or money. Here are some ideas of what I do to make Chuk feel special every now and again.

I make him a big lunch and write a sentiment on the napkin.
(Clockwise from left: Banana, PB & J, celery sticks, strawberries, chips, salsa, napkin)

Write a thank you note to him (because really he's nicer than me.)
This is an index card I folded in half and drew a heart on with crayon. It doesn't have to be complicated to be thoughtful. He must like it because I made it months ago and it is still sitting on his desk.

Last week, I made him brownies from scratch. (They're not pictured because they're long gone.) This recipe really doesn't take very long. There aren't very many better ways to someone's heart than through baked goods.

Do you have any ideas for cheap and quick ways to let someone know they're special?

Taking the Sting Out of Sunburns

I'm not going to lecture you; I know you wear sunscreen, but sometimes $h!t happens. The best way to take the burn out of a sunburn is to rub white vinegar onto the burn with a cottonball. I know it sounds crazy, but it totally works. It works even better than aloe.

The second day we were in Florida, Chuk and I both got sunburns that we didn't notice until later in the evening after we had gotten back to the condo. We applied vinegar and slept with it on. We were stinky, but we didn't hurt the next day.

Highlights from Our Florida Vacation

Meeting baby Callie and visiting with dear friends.

The view from our screened in balcony.

Shrimp dinner

Bike ride

Setting sun

Sunset

Plus lots of family time, swimming, pina coladas, board games, ice cream, rest, and quality time with my love.