Happy Easter!!

via

This is a part of one of my very favorite Easter hymns: 

via

And don't forget to enjoy a few Cadbury mini eggs today along with me :)  Happy Easter everyone! Let us rejoice and be glad for God's gift to us!

1000!

I never thought when I started my blog that I would hit 1,000 page views, but here we are, plus a few extras!  Thank you to all of the people who have popped by here to read my blog, even if it's just for a few seconds.  

I'm really enjoying coming up with new ideas for posts, and having a lot of fun with all of the random posts as well!

Now we'll wait til 10,000 or some other obscene number for a milestone post!

K March, You're Out! :: H54F

Usually I start this post earlier in the week and edit it as the week goes on, however, this week has flown by and I'm here Thursday night all, "huh?!"

1.  I made this delicious tomato tortellini soup for dinner. 

2.  I got mah hair did, and I love it.  We went for a ombre look with a nice, cool blonde on the ends.  I love it, yet somehow have no photos of it!

3.  I had a great run last Saturday of about 2 miles, minimal walking involved so that was good!

4.  Watched Zero Dark Thirty.  It was awesome.  Watch it. That is all.

5.  Also watched the whole second season of "Girls" on HBO.  Didn't like it as much as the first, but it was pretty entertaining!  Thank you, Comcast "Watchathon"-now through the end of the month!

Update ::  Bonus high five :: We went and scouted a loft apartment we may sublet and LOVED it.  We are doing paperwork tomorrow, so hopefully it will be official soon.  more space + less money each month = amazingness 

TBT #5

So today's gem comes from when I was about 4 or so probably.  This was taken on my Grandma and Grandpa's farm, which is where our whole family spent Christmas Day.  We would drive up early in the morning and then all of us kids had to wait until after dinner, so like 3 or 4, to open our presents.  It was awful at the time!

I look pretty pleased that I managed to nab a pecan pie cookie thingy, so go me!

gots me a cookie, suckas

JT Love

Ladies and gentlemen, as if you couldn't love Justin Timberlake more, I present to you this ridiculous video of him doing 5 shots of tequila and being amazing at golf:

Now go have a great Wednesday!

Whhhhat did we do this weekend?

That is a very good question--and here is the weekend catch up that I *thought* I posted yesterday.  Clearly I was a little behind.

had to take a pic of the area i parked in at the airport....so confusing.

ice cold vodka soda and gin&tonic bevvies after dinner Friday-outside.  bc it was 75.

en route to our friend's house for dinner saturday-cabbed it so no one was harmed while taking selfies

a weird amount of boy wrestling happened. whyyy?

then a little bit of a tree got found and used as a ninja weapon/skipping accompaniment

i hate snakes and this made me very happy.  i would buy something made of snakes (like a hat or clutch purse) just to BURN IT. 

I also got a couple of horrible mosquito bites that are really testing my patience.  And yes, you all needed to know that.

Nom :: Tomato Tortellini Soup

Last night I made the most delish and easiest soup!  I pinned this one a long time ago from Mrs. Schwartz's Kitchen, and it got rave reviews from the hubstigation too.

Here is a photo of the finished product in our bowls:

And here is the recipe, as adapted from Mrs. Schwartz's Kitchen:

2 cloves of garlic, minced/pressed
2 tblspns of olive oil
1 lb. or less of low-fat ground beef (I used 90/10)
4 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of fat free half and half
2 cans of reduced-sodium tomato soup
1 can of crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of skim milk
1 tblspn of sun-dried tomato paste
1 tsp. italian seasonings
2 tsp. onion powder
a couple of shakes of salt
9 oz. cheese tortellini (we used the fresh tortellini from Buitoni)
Shredded Parmesan cheese to taste

Steps:

1.  Pour olive oil into bottom of stockpot and add in minced garlic.  Brown garlic.
2.  Add in broth, half and half, soup, crushed tomatoes, milk,and tomato paste.  Also add in the seasonings, onion powder, and salt.
3.  Brown ground beef in a separate pan (hint here--I think adding a little diced onion in would add good flavor to the soup, but I didn't try this!) and once browned, add into stock pot.
4.  Once the soup is bubbling and simmering a bit, add in the tortellinis and cook according to the package directions (mine took about 8 minutes)

Serve in a bowl topped with parm! We had it with the "Biggest Loser White House" salad and crusty bread! Bc I love carbs, and make no apologies.  I run so I can eat carbs! Enjoy!

March Birchbox Review

Let's see what Birchbox mailed my way in March:

Plum eyeshadow by MAKE :: I like the texture and the color, not sure it's one I'd commit to though.

Primer by MAKE :: this was the only thing I wasn't so crazy about.  Smelled a lot like sunscreen (derp it is SPF 30) and didn't seem to provide a great base, at least for me.

Nick Chavez Color Saver, Sulfate-free shampoo :: I am on the fence with all sulfate-free shampoos.  My hair never feels quite as clean, and sometimes I feel like the roots are weighted down a bit more.

Nail file by Madewell :: straight to the purse, super cute pattern and had a nice sleeve on it to keep it clean and safe.

Swish shaving cream :: I got the blueberry scented one, and I liked it!  Doesn't have the usual lather I like in a shaving cream, but it's a fun trial sized thing!

Overall, a good month by Birchbox.

March Madness :: H54F

Friday, Friday!! I have *so* many highlights that five is just not gonna cover it this week!

1.  I finallly got my May Book this week!  If you have never visited the May Designs website, you need to.  Like, now.  Isn't it adorable?  I am just in love.

2.  Friday this week = finally seeing my hubstigation again, who has been away for work all week. Yay!  The apartment has been lonely.

3.  March Madness has begun and it's exactly as awesome as I hoped.  I love it!  Oh, you're asking if I watch college basketball all year?  No, I don't.  And I have zero shame about enjoying MM but not religiously following it the rest of the year.  Brackets have been created between my husband and I in our own little Yahoo Sports fantasy land, dinner of winner's choice on loser's wallet is on the line!

4.  I got a really great fortune cookie fortune:

5.  I finished a few devotional series on my Bible app this week, and I've found them to be very helpful and reassuring.

6.  I maybe? Ok, yes really, gave myself a pretty cute manicure this week.  The color is called Island Coral and it is by Sinful Colors.  It looks a little more reddish-orange in the top pic, but the coral colored awesomeness comes through in the second 

Ok, so I only needed six, but I still had to go one over!  Have a great weekend everyone!

TBT #4

Throwing some shoulder at my 8th birthday party--it was a dress up tea party, and I totally rocked an awesome gone with the wind fabulous look with matching crown/veil!

haters gon' hate

The Liebster, Round Dos!

Ok, so a few days ago (about twelve really), Sarah at Limited Space Organizing nominated me for Liebster and I did the first part of it which involved me answering her questions and giving 11 random facts about myself.  You can find the full post here.  I did some "Liebster research" if you will, to see how it all began...and it looks like it has evolved and changed a lot and continuously does so-I answered Sarah's 11 questions in the first post and gave the eleven random facts there as well, and now I will share some of my new favorite blogs and pass it on!

So I've decided to share the love to the blogs I've been reading most frequently, and that I really enjoy-Does that make sense?  Here we go:

http://lettersandlipstickblog.blogspot.com/
http://thewayiseeitmomblog.blogspot.com
http://pastelsandmascara.blogspot.com
http://www.lovelivedwellrepeat.com/
http://www.idkmybffjes.com

All of these are blogs I have found through the High Five for Friday Link up at From My Grey Desk.  Mostly a lot of random clicking and finding funny/interesting posts that resonate with me in some way! So hopefully I will develop more of a readership with other blogs and vice versa over more time.  I'm *very* new to this and obviously totally awkward about the whole thing.

Which, ironically, or hilariously, or really it's just "fate"-my list includes one blog, Love, Live, Dwell, Repeat., that just re-nominated me for a Liebster!  Honestly, how flattering and cool to have two nominations for this within a two week's time span, thank you Jackie!  I will also answer Jackie's questions in today's post too.

Here are my eleven questions:

1.  What is your favorite part of blogging?

2.  Where would you most like to travel to/vacation at?

3.  What is an accomplishment you are proud of?

4.  Favorite website?

5.  How would you describe your style?

6.  What is your favorite season of the year?

7.  Favorite item of clothing in your closet?

8.  What is your most beloved beauty/skincare/hair product?

9.  One goal for 2013?

10.  What is your favorite "wind-down" activity?

11.  What are your three favorite movies?

My answers to Jackie's 11 questions:

1.  What unexpected thing have you learned from blogging?

That I'm never going to be the blogger who posts pics of "all my cute outfits"--I greatly admire those who can and do that, but I've tried it out and meh, not so much for me!  I started out thinking of how great that would be, and nope, nope, not gonna happen.

2.  What is your favorite food and drink?

I could probably eat pasta every day if it wasn't so rotten for me.  And I love red wine-Malbec, Merlot and a good red blend, please!

3.  Dogs or cats?

I want both!  But dogs, for now.

4.  What is your most successful DIY project?

I don't know if I have one yet!  I have never done a big "makeover" project since we are in an apartment.  But, I am proud of the state art I made for our living room:

5.  What is your favorite accessory?

My wedding ring, cliche, I know.  But I don't feel dressed until it's on.  

6.  Favorite band when you were 15 and favorite band now?

I think when I was 15 it was probably Creed.  And now...I would say I've been jamming to a combination of The Lumineers, Justin Timberlake and Rihanna.

7.  What is your dream job?

I would eventually like to teach at the college level after ten or so years in my sector.

8.  The farthest destination you've traveled?

I believe Rome, Italy...Europe in general is the furthest for me.

9.  Favorite recipe you've made recently?

I made a great pot roast in the crock pot last week that we loved!

10.  Which actor/actress would you like to play you in a movie about your life?

Jennifer Lawrence because she has a great sense of humor, not because we look anything alike!

11.  What is your worst habit or guilty pleasure?

Reality TV-and I'm not ashamed!  I love my Real Housewives and Teen Mom 2 nights.

Ok, so to sum it up for those I've passed it onto, here are the rules:

1. Share 11 things about yourself
2. Answer the 11 questions given to you
3. Choose 11 fellow bloggers to nominate (or however many you'd like). The nominees must have under 200 followers. Tell them in a comment in their blog.
4. Think of 11 questions to ask the bloggers you have decided to nominate.
5. Thank the person that nominated you and link back to their blog.

Weekend Round-Up

Busy, busy, busy weekend.  Well sort of.  We did a lot, but luckily none of it was "mandatory", if you know what I mean.

Friday evening we went to happy hour at one of our favorite places, The Ginger Man, in the Village.  If you're in Houston and looking for a bar with an extensive beer list, and no liquor, it's a great choice.  Get the big pretzel and sit outside!

Saturday morning I worked a little, and then we went to our friend's house for a little St. Patty's day gathering, where I made a french toast casserole, and hubstigation made his famous breakfast skillet.  Both were received with high accolades!  I will post the french toast recipe soon--I'm thinking of doing a series on a certain day of the week with a recipe I'm making/recently made.

We went to a few bars in the afternoon/evening/night and came home to eat tacos we picked up (Very Irish of us, yes.)

Sunday we got to run a ton of errands-fun ones though, like buying him new Sperry's, me new sweatpants, and a couple birthday gifts.  I also got this shirt from GAP, which I love and can't wait to wear!  It's part of my "wear less black" project.  We also got some new books to read, including World War Z, The Town, and I got a macaron baking book, to start on an item from my 30 for 30!  We went to IKEA too, which was "fun" as usual. But I did get some really cool 4x6 prints that I want to use in a future project (not sure what that will be yet...)

It's Friday, I'm in Love :: H54F

Here are the usual 5 of the week:

1.  Went to my first ever crawfish boil this weekend at a friend's house.  I hate seafood, but the corn, mushrooms, garlic and potatoes were delish.  I tried a crawfish to be a good sport, and of course didn't like it, but that's ok.  Here are some photos from it:

save meeeeee

it's butter, it's butter, it's butter!

just a few crawfish!

10 hours later....

2.  Slept for about 10 hours Wednesday night which felt ah-mah-zing.

3.  Had a great job interview this week! *snaps, snaps, snaps*  Not sure the position will really work, but we'll see what happens.  Interviews are always great practice for knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are.

4.  These "chips":

TRY THEM NOW.

 5.  I got my Birchbox this week--and it was "meh" again.  I received a primer, a dark plum eyeshadow, some shaving cream, a nail file, and God bless them for not being able to send me a box without...SHAMPOO.  Honestly, more shampoo?!  The shampoo is not shown because I already put it in our shower--that way I actually test them out.  Otherwise I end up being in the shower thinking, "oh crap, now I can't use it til next time!!!"  Reviews on these guys to follow.....

Linking up with Lauren at High Five central!

TBT #3

This one is going to be s h o r t and sweet.  My girlfriends moved into an apartment off Michigan Ave. our junior year, and to celebrate they threw a "no clothes" party, so basically we had to wear garbage bags.  I fashioned THIS beaute below out of a good ol' hefty black bag and some red saran wrap!

please note the can of pringles in the foreground/light pink boozy drinks on the table

It's hard not to miss college days for a minute when you remember a night like this one where you did something utterly ridiculous with your best friends.  Cannot believe this was 5 years ago, maybe even 6?? Pretty pleased with my big ol' bow though y'all!

30 for 30

Well, 30 for 30 is not only a great ESPN documentary series, but also the title of my "30 before 30" list.  Because 30 for 30 is easier.  To be honest, I am not (at least right now) afraid of 3-0.  Maybe it's because I have so much time, or because I had a quarter-life crisis and 25 and things turned out great!

I got a lot of inspiration for this list from the Huffington Post piece, which I mostly disagreed with, but it's a list of ideas and not necessarily things that you can "do".  Other lists I read that loosely inspired the idea are here, here, and here.  Honestly, I googled "30 before 30" and got about a million hits.  It was interesting to see what other people would like to accomplish vs. what I would like to.  For instance, I have already made over five types of Christmas cookies in one year, baked a triple layer cake, DIY-ed things on Pinterest, gotten a Master's degree, and lived in a different state from where I was born (two actually!).  But, I have never run a long race, bought a home, or taken up a new hobby as mid-twenties gal.

So, my list is very reflective of pushing the limits of what I know I can do (cooking, baking, DIY, going out to eat) and things that I have never tried (running for real, buying a home, sewing):

1.  Adopt a pet
2.  Run five 5K races
3.  Run a half marathon
4.  Cook a multi-course (six? seven?) dinner party for at least six people.
5.  Actually become good at painting my own nails
6.  Go to Europe
7.  Cook my way through a whole cookbook (minus seafood recipes--my list, my rules)
8.  Make my own chocolate candy (not a bark, something more involved)
9.  Buy our first home!
10.  Make a Food Passport for Texas with 30 entries and stamp off each entry!
11.  Bake four colors/flavors of macarons.
12.  Re-learn Spanish/get Rosetta Stone
13.  Go to the dermatologist!
14.  Visit New Orleans (preferably during Mardi Gras)
15.  Begin/continue paying off my grad school student loan debt
16.  Learn to shoot a gun properly
17.  Own a total of eight place settings of our wedding china and the stemware to go with it (currently have 2 settings, 0 stemware)
18.  Buy a sewing machine and learn how to use it
19.  Visit New York City
20.  Complete one DIY project that requires staining, a hammer and nails, power tools, etc.
21.  Watch the IMDb Top 250.
22.  Rent a dress on Rent the Runway for a wedding/event
23.  Learn to golf finally!
24.  Go carb-less for a week.
25.  Have a Louis Vuitton Speedy 30. (This is my "something ridiculously expensive that you bought just for yourself" item.  And I've been obsessed with this bag since my first "real" job when I was 22.)
26.  Get a Sunday subscription to the newspaper (I love reading the Sunday paper and would rather just have a subscription, plus it's cheaper this way!)
27.  Read 30 new books (Including some from genres I would not usually read)
28.  Go to one yoga class a week for at least three months.
29.  Actually do one of the 400 million mason jar DIYs I have pinned!
30.  Begin going to church regularly

I have about 3 1/2 years to get going on it, so let's hope for the best.   I plan to update every time I do something relevant to the list-i.e. finish a new book, register/complete a 5K, buy some china (hahaha), etc.  I will not bore you every month with the payment details of my student loans.

Nom :: Pepper Steak

image via


We received this cookbook at one of my bridal showers-it was one I registered us for at Crate and Barrel, and they still have it!  You can find it here.  We have made several recipes out of this book, and most have been hits!

Last week, the hubstigation made the Pepper Steak recipe from the book---it was delicious!

Ingredients:

1 tblspn dry sherry or rice wine (we used rice wine)

1 tblspn water

2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 lb. thinly sliced beef (we used about 3/4 lb. or a little over of flank steak)

2 tblspn soy sauce (we always use low-sodium soy)

1 tblspn chicken broth or water

1 tsp dark soy or molasses (we didn't have either and just added a little extra regular soy in)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

3 tblspn vegetable oil

1 tblspn chopped garlic

2 tsp chopped fresh ginger (we didn't have this, so we just left it out!)

2 cups thinly sliced green bell pepper strips (we used a green pepper, red pepper, and yellow pepper)

Instructions:

1. Combine the sherry/rice wine, water, and cornstarch and stir to dissolve cornstarch.  Add beef & toss to cover evenly.  Set aside.
2. Combine soy sauce, chicken broth, dark soy, salt, sugar, and pepper, and mix.  
3. Add one tablespoon of oil to a large skillet/wok and then add the garlic and ginger.
4. Add in peppers to the skillet and let them cook until they just begin to soften, then remove back into a bowl.
5. Add more oil, if needed, and then add your beef in. Let it cook until it's no longer pink, and then add the peppers back in.  
6. Add the soy sauce/broth/salt/sugar mix and toss the beef and peppers in it until it is coated. Peppers should be tender but not limp, and the beef should be cooked through when you pull it off to serve.  
7. Time to nomnomnom!  We ate this over half a cup of brown rice in a bowl and it was perfect!

our version

The Liebster! Round Uno

So, on Tuesday, a name-sharing new blogger friend of mine, Sarah at Limited Space Organizing nominated me for a Liebster award!  How incredibly surprising and nice to be recognized as a fun new blog!  Here are the rules of the Liebster:

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog and link back to theblogger who presented this award to you.
2. Answer the 11 questions from the nominator, list 11 random facts about yourself and create 11 questions for your nominees.
3. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 11 other blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen.
4. Copy and Paste the blog award on your blog   

Sarah's 11 questions for me:

1. (Obligatory) Why did you start blogging?  

Good question.  I had been reading some great blogs that I found via Pinterest (find me here) such as Kate @ The Small Things Blog and her sister Lauren's blog, From my Grey Desk.  So those inspired me a bit, and then my husband had always said, "You're so funny (sometimes), you should just start a blog and write about junk!"  Well, it was something to that effect.

2. What is your favorite thing to organize?
*big smirk* I would say I like to organize my personal agenda the most.  Our desk is a federal state of emergency area-I use it for working from home and we use it for our "stuff"-bills, etc.  My cabinets have things piled on top of each other...mess.  Just a mess.

3. What kind of friend/person are you?
I would say I'm a damn good friend, who is lucky to have a posse of equally amazing ladyfriends scattered all over the country now.

4. What is your favorite piece of clothing to wear?
This varies *so* frequently, I can't even begin.  Right now I'm digging my long skinnies from American Eagle that create a perfect cuff to go with flats or heels. 

5. What is your favorite project you have done?
Well, I'm not really a project expert, as I mostly DIY things I have seen on pinterest!  But, by far, my favorite and most used are my coasters-scrapbook paper modge podged onto 13-cent tiles from Home Depot!  Love the "party animal" paper-get it....animals...in party hats...!!

y'all are jealy for sure, i know, i know!

6. What is the best piece of advice you can give someone?
I don't think I should be giving anyone advice! I am not Oprah.  But, I will say that that becoming friends with my mom and not just being mom and daughter has been a wonderful experience, and I recommend it to anyone.

7. What is your favorite book and why?
 I actually had to go to my Goodreads page to see what I like.  The problem is that I almost always enjoy everything I read, as evident by my 3.88 average rating of over 100 books.  I love any book that has a transforming power to it-teaches me something new about the world/past, takes me on a journey (Harry Potter is probably my favorite in this sense), or just makes me think about things in a new light.

8. How did you come up with your blog name?
Well, my name is Sara.  And I live in Texas now.   And part of it was just trying to say "this is me, and how I live, and I also live in Texas, which sometimes is starting to play a role in how I live my life now."  

9. What is your favorite thing about blogging?
Yeesh, I guess having my own "place" to go really.  And tweaking my colors/layout constantly.  And deciding if I should go for it and get a professional design.  Not yet probably.

10. If you could eat any food for the rest of your life what would it be?
I could legit eat french toast and bacon all day, every day.  

11. What would you do if someone gave you one million dollars to spend however you like?
Honestly, I would buy a home (something reasonable but awesome), pay off my student loans, and save/invest the rest.  I'm boring like that.  Wait, I would also buy a Louis Vuitton Speedy 30. 

11 random facts about me:

1. I have known my husband for 13 years, and we met at a little league baseball field.  He played, and I sold concessions with my bestie (also my maid of honor 13 years later!)

2.  I hate seafood so much.  It's an issue of texture for me. Yes, I will try it.  But I will probably hate it.

3.  I am trying to learn to run!  Yes, I feel it's a "learning" situation.

4.  I love going grocery shopping.

5.  I am a person who says everything I like is "the best" "my favorite", "love it so hard", etc. 

6.  I love Wisconsin sports-go Packers, Badgers, and Brewers!

7.  I'm obsessed with Pottery Barn and can't wait til we have a house one day so I can do DIY PB projects.

8.  We are hopefully getting a dog this summer!

9.  I feel like 26 is a weird age-I'm an adult, but not really?

10.  I hold/am(????) a Master of Public Administration.

11.   I'm working on integrating more color into what I wear (yes this is a real thing/problem I have). 

And the 11 blogs I'm sharing the love to:

Y'all this was my most difficult part!  As a *very* new blogger, I really have focused on developing my ideas for my content, and trying to stay away from too many other blogs for fear of imprinting a little!  This has lead me to a bit of a drought in reading new, and smaller blogs.  Often times I find myself drawn to blogs that have massive followings.  I am working on this for Round Dos, which will follow soon, I promise!

March Take Two :: H54F

You guyssss....here we go!

1.  Ok well I've been using my new purse a lot this week--it's appropriately warm enough in Houston for colors like this in March/it makes me happy so I don't care.  Props to my husband for getting me such an awesome Valentine's Day gift.

find it here

2.  Went on an "ok" run last Saturday.  But had a good textual convo with my friend who has run a few marathons about the stamina/push it mentality and feel good about where I am.  As I've said before, I think running is somewhat of a learning curve, but I like pushing myself to go further and do more.

3.  My new shoes:

4.  Snaps for getting a call for an interview!

5.  Nommest dinner of the week made by Bryan.  Pepper Steak recipe from a cookbook we got at one of my bridal showers.  It was so good-lots and lots of flavors!

omnomnomnom

6.  Gotta be real, I have a sixth this week!  Sarah over at Limited Space Organizing put me up for the Liebster!  I was really flattered, and I'm having a lot of fun getting that post together for sometime this weekend/early next week....it may be coming in parts!

Linking with FMGD of course!  Happy Friday, y'all!

TBT #2

Today, the only two pictures that seem to exist from my 21st birthday.  I had been going to bars for a couple of years at this point, but it was extra special because now I didn't have to *worry* about going to bars!  Chicago seriously had one of the most fun bar scenes for college kids and my girlfriends and I definitely lived it up.  My birthday was on a Tuesday that year, and a bar, Joe's on Weed St. had $2 pitchers, so we went there.  We actually went there  A LOT of Tuesdays, but at least for this one we had  a real reason to be out on a Tuesday!

A foursome affectionately known as the "M Girls" in college.  Please note the awesome sparkly crown made by the girl who would be my Matron of Honor almost 5 years later.  (I can promise neither of us thought we would ever be married in under five years from this date!)

A surprise  b-day cake and Sparks before going out to the bar!

There you have it!  I'm sure there are more out there, but for now, this will suffice!  Let's be honest, I'm sure the other photos aren't as flattering.....

D.C. in 8 Hours or Less

Well I had some writer's block so I thought I'd share some photos and quips from my 8 hour trip to D.C. in November.  I was in Baltimore for two weeks for training and I had one Sunday off to do as I pleased!  So, I took the train to D.C. and wandered around all day.  Note:  I had breakfast at my hotel in Baltimore that morning, and ate a late lunch of a Diet Coke and a Nathan's hot dog on the fly so there won't be any awesome food pics below :(

waiting for the train and wearing my new cognac boots!

 I started out at The Smithsonian American History Museum and saw lots of awesome stuff-but quickly!  So I just saw the "big highlights" I guess.  I don't have any photos of the first ladies' inaugural gowns, but they were amazing to see.  Dorothy's ruby red slippers were away on display somewhere else so I missed those!

Babe Ruth autographed baseball

*the* hate Lincoln was wearing when he was assassinated  

Then I went to the National Holocaust Museum-where taking photos is not allowed, but it was the most powerful place I visited.  I spent the longest amount of time there-about two hours-over anywhere else.  Honestly I could have easily spent a whole day there.  

After the whirlwind museum tours I started at the Washington Monument and worked my way through all of the monuments at the mall. 

Lincoln...he's been so hot lately

Washington Monument from steps of the Lincoln Monument.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument

Vietnam War Memorial

"proof" pic I sent to my hubby

Washington Monument at night (and instagrammed) while I was walking back to the  subway

I got a great little taste for D.C. seeing as how the last time I was there I was 9 and got the flu!  I would love to go back and try out some restaurants, go to the Georgetown area and see more museums.  I think about 3-4 days would cover it! But it was a lovely 8 hours.