monticello

Okay, now I'm really done catching up from the past month because this is a post about our anniversary (which was in... June). Robbie was traveling back from Kosovo on our actual anniversary and was supposed to arrive later that night, but stupid weather and stupid Newark Airport (the embodiment of hell, I'm certain) meant that his 9 pm arrival in DC was delayed, then canceled, then rebooked, then delayed, then canceled, until at midnight I got a call from Robbie who said he didn't think he'd be able to make it home that night. We were both really bummed because I hadn't seen him in over a week, and because he had some super secret plan up his sleeve for our anniversary celebration that probably wouldn't happen. And then about thirty seconds into the conversation, he was like "wait a minute, I'm like a four hour drive from DC. So I'm going to rent a car and come home right now." And he DID!! My sweet jet-lagged husband who had been awake and traveling for 30 hours drove into the wee hours of the morning so that he could meet me at a hotel and our weekend could commence as planned. Anyway, I'm just really still blown away by that because it was probably the best anniversary present I've ever gotten.

So yeah, we went south to Monticello the next day and my mind was blown again.

Let me just preface this by saying that I kind of sort of hate historic houses. I'm generally interested in the history of old houses but colonial historic houses are just not interesting to me because sometimes they're just old houses without anything of interest in it other than quaint colonial architectural details. But Monticello! Jefferson was just as kooky as Frank Lloyd Wright (and also had questionable personal conduct in some ways) but he was such a GENIUS. I have a new appreciation for the man after our visit for sure. 

First of all, the grounds are amazing—as you can tell from my pictures I was a little smitten by the flora, and it was a beautiful day with like zero humidity so it was a perfect day to be outside and enjoy nature. And we learned that though TJ fancied himself a farmer, he was horrible at it and ended up going into debt from the time and energy he invested into poor crop planning, which kind of makes me laugh. But the gardens still have many plants that are descendants of the original crops that TJ planted, which is pretty amazing! I really want to go back in the fall so that we can be there for the beautiful changing leaves—the view of the valley below is really breathtaking so I can only imagine that it's ten times more breathtaking when the leaves are different colors.

The house itself is also just really different from other historic homes I've visited from that era. From the moment you walk in you can tell that a man was in charge of all of the design elements. Haha. The foyer is covered in maps and animal pelts and random paintings and fossils, and then there's this highly elaborate seven-day clock that TJ designed himself that takes up half of a wall. Anyway, it was all put there because he wanted people to have something to look at and talk about while he made them wait for three hours in his foyer before he had time to entertain them. Then of course there are guest rooms, a library, and elaborate heating and cooling systems that he designed in his rooms that are pretty innovative for the time period. It was just a cool house.

I think that my enthusiasm also stems from the fact that our tour guide was amazing. We had some intern from UVA who couldn't have been more than twenty years old and who sounded like he still hadn't gone through puberty, but he was really funny and genuinely LOVED TJ. I feel like most people who are interested in US history and the Founding Fathers really love TJ the most because it's hard to not love him, but this guy really took the cake. Plus, I wanted to adopt him as my son because he looked twelve.

So, two thumbs up, Monticello! Even if it took us a little while to adjust to pronouncing it correctly after six years of exposure to the incorrect pronunciation (Monti-CHELL-o, and not Monti-SELL-o as Utahans would have you believe).

five years' time

I don't know where the time has gone, but Robbie and I have been married five years today. Here's one of my favorite relics from the Epic Wedding Week of 2008:

It's a note from my then-six year-old niece Esmé that reads: "Dear Hannah I love ♥ you. You are nice. Have a happy wedding. I like to play the game when I'm a baby and you are the mom. I know that you are not going to change. I love you. From Esmé. Love Esmé."

A little backstory: when I went home for my wedding, I was holding Esmé like a baby one afternoon at the beach (that's what all the cool aunts do) and at one point she said to me, "I'm sad you're going to get married, because then you will start dressing like a grown up and going on dates and you will get boring," which I of course reassured her would not happen—because, remember, I'm the cool aunt. A couple of days later she gave me this note and I melted a little bit and I think about it from time to time and about how many things have changed (for instance, Esmé probably would think it was weird if I tried to hold her like a baby) and what hasn't changed over the past five years.

Robbie and I have had a lot of fun together since we first met in 2007 and that really hasn't slowed down at all, even though we have boring grown up jobs and grown up responsibilities. We've changed jobs, we've changed our location a few times, we've changed our hair (Robbie has less, I have more). The biggest change, obviously, is the little baby that will be joining our family this fall—and what an amazingly good change that is. I can't believe that our family is growing and that it's another adventure that we get to go on together.

Now I'm getting all emotional—I blame the baby. But here's to five more wonderful years with my best buddy Robbie.

outward together

Love does not consist in gazing at each other 

but in looking outward together in the same direction.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

* * *

I posted this quote a few Valentine's Days ago, but it bears repeating. It's one of my favorites and I have it hanging up on our fridge, too. This morning, and I guess several mornings over the past few months as I look at the fridge and see this quote, I have been thinking about how its pertinence has changed for me over the years. We were in a pretty different place three years ago—I had just started grad school, we were still newbies on the east coast, and there was so much unknown about our future, and I don't think we cared that much because we were so entrenched in what was happening right then.

Now, looking outward together seems so much more important than it did then. I only kinda know what the next year or so has in store for us (that's not any kind of announcement shrouded in vagueness, by the way), and knowing how to do things together and making compromises and bearing one another's burdens makes looking outward towards uncertainty a lot easier, if that makes sense. And each decision we've made together over the past few months has just meant a lot more than it used to. This is what being a grownup is all about, I guess.

I love you, Robbie. Thanks for looking outward with me.

summer boy

Robbie loves summer more than anyone else I know—I've never seen anyone look as sad on Labor Day as he does every year. So we celebrated his summer birthday today in style. A half day at work, an afternoon kayaking on the Potomac, hanging out in our bathing suits looking for more water to splash around in, and rounding out the day with dinner with great friends was a pretty good itinerary, I think.

The things I enjoy so much about Robbie are hard to articulate in a silly blog post, and most people who read this blog are well-versed in Robbie 101. He's exceptionally nice and selfless, for starters, and deserves all the celebrating he can get on his birthday. But just now Robbie just said to me, "I need to call my family back, especially my mom. This day really should be a celebration of her." (Good point!) 

Oh Robbie. You are the nicest and I love you.

four years of marriage has been this fun

Truly, I think this picture from our wedding reception really expresses the fun I've had being with Robbie for the past five and a half years. 

Today's our fourth wedding anniversary. Robbie woke up this morning with a fever of 101 that lasted much of the day, so plans were put off and we had a low-key night with a nice dinner and a milkshake (for me). And now we're going to bed (seriously). But sometimes, when your life is normally non-stop moving and shaking, a quiet night in and going to bed at nine pm with the one you love the most is pretty much the best thing ever.

wedding belle

Another weekend, another whirlwind trip to California. This visit was for a very happy occasion, to see my BFF Melanie marry her love Jacob. My parents and I went together to the beautiful sealing at the LA temple, where Robbie and I were married three years ago. The sealer was even the same man who married us! I spent all Saturday with Monrovia friends at wedding festivities dressed as a bridesmaid (you know, for Halloween), and by the time I flew home last night, I was exhausted. But it was a happy kind of exhausted.

I was a little sad to leave the southland—I am always sad to leave my family, and this was a particularly short trip, but I was also sad to leave 80 degrees and sunshine. Apparently I missed out on DC's "Snowtober." Not too bummed about that—Halloween weekend is TOO EARLY for snow.

the bread and the knife

Today is Robbie's birthday. My brain has been completely elsewhere and I've been crabby for the past couple of days—I can't explain it. I just really wasn't on top of it for planning what to do for Robbie today. (Also—Sunday birthdays are kind of a bummer, no?) It all came to a head this morning when I woke up early to make Robbie breakfast and things just kind of started falling apart. Like, literally. My ebelskiver batter was sticky and the buttermilk smelled like it was rotten. (I don't think it really was, in the end. Buttermilk is just stinky.) And I was trying to be awesome and bake Robbie a beautiful cake and when I dramatically pulled the bundt pan off the cake and said "Ta da!" we watched in horror as the cake collapsed in on itself in slow motion because it wasn't cooked all the way through in the middle. I immediately dropped my oven mitts and burst into tears. I blame being tired and late for church for that part. But Robbie is great. He just gave me a big hug, scooped the remains of the cake into a dish and said, "We'll just bake it later and have a fruity loaf instead!" And it really wasn't half bad. (He's eating some of the fruity loaf in the picture.)

That is a long and rambly example of what is awesome about Robbie. He is so positive—always—and his cheerful attitude is the best antidote for a bad mood. I can't stay mad or upset for very long around him. He is the yin to my yang, the cheese to my cracker. (?) I think we work well together. And I just can't imagine life without him.

whether times are good or bad, happy or sad

Celebrating three years of wedded bliss today. A few weeks ago someone referred to us as the "newlyweds," which made me laugh. I think that we lost the rights to that title a while ago.

a nice day for a white wedding

Sorry if all my pictures are bad, but I ultimately judge the awesomeness of an event by how few pictures I end up taking.

Our dear friends Adam and Allison were married this past weekend. I can safely say that we've all been waiting for this day to come for a long time (they were dating when Robbie and I got engaged three years ago!) and it was such a beautiful, fun day full of friends and love. And I kept on reminding Robbie about how much fun I had when we got home. "Robbie, we had such a fun day today. I love you. Don't you love today? Do you love me? Did I tell you I love you?" I think my asking him probably got old for him after a while.

Anyway, the ceremony at the DC temple was beautiful, and Allison looked stunning, and Adam looked so handsome. The reception was at this cool huge barn in Maryland, and it was the perfect night to be with friends and enjoy the special day together. Perfect weather, perfect setting, perfect everything. Is it weird to be obsessed with someone else's wedding? Don't answer that. Also, there is this really great Pennsylvania tradition (Allison's family is from PA) of having a table full of homemade cookies at wedding receptions—like, made by the family, Every Last Cookie. So many cookies of all kinds, ones I've never seen before, and so little time to eat them all. Luckily, they handed out bags to take all the cookies we wanted home with us. And we did just that, and ate them all, and I'm wishing that I had more to nibble on right now.

It was a glorious weekend. I felt so relaxed and happy. Robbie and I danced our little hearts out (both of us! miracle of miracles!) till we were sweaty messes and we loved hanging out with Lisa and Hunter and some of our other old college friends. Sometimes I miss those college years, but I am so grateful that we have those friends close by to share those memories and create new ones. (Cue cheesy music... now.)

Flowers: they make everyone feel better

When you exit the Foggy Bottom metro station, there are usually people of all kinds peddling their wares—the Express people handing out free newspapers, the stinky hot dog cart lady, the umbrella salesman, and, of course, the flower man. The flower man probably makes a pretty penny because there is a hospital right next to the metro station, and because he has a sign that says "Flowers: they make everyone feel better." And how can you disagree with that? It's a close contender for my favorite flower slogan, the other two belonging to the flower shop by our house, which has two awesome signs out front proclaiming "Flowers are the glory of God," and "Our flowers bring special blessings."

Anyway, Robbie brought a pretty bouquet of flowers home on Saturday. And flowers make me feel better, and they give me special blessings. And they make me feel glorious, so I guess that everyone is a winner.

I know that not everyone is a fan of Valentine's Day. I am a recent believer in the holiday. I never liked it in middle/high school. The student associations sold candygrams that would be delivered to your 5th period class, and I probably got a candygram only a couple of times. If they weren't so ostracizing, I think I might like the concept better, but I always felt like I was missing out on something (which is why I like the elementary school tradition of giving valentines to everyone in class). I've gotten over my middle/high school awkwardness and bitterness of not having a spray-painted carnation to carry around all day and now I celebrate my love in the form of red pants and red fingernails:

Sure, I guess I'm playing into this whole commercialization of love, but we could all use a little more love in our lives. Today I feel the love from my family, my friends, my husband, and by golly, the weather (it's SIXTY-EIGHT DEGREES outside!!!).

Let's give three cheers for love. Or, at least for red pants and glorious weather.

If you care about love

My sweet friend Kate (who loves supporting the postal service and does good deeds like leaving treats on your front porch in the middle of the night) is in a contest to win free wedding photography (she gets married in March to her love Regan!) from a great photographer. I might be biased but their entry is the cutest of all the couples on the site. They just need enough votes by the end of the week to win!

And wouldn't you know it, YOU can help!

Go HERE!!!! to vote for Kate and Regan (couple #4) and consider it your service for the day! And then tell all your friends to do it too. Not to be bossy or anything but two things I love are friends and free things, so this seems like a really good deal.

Goals

(image via)

Robbie and I talked a little bit about compassion last night for our mini FHE. Interestingly, compassion is one of the 12 core values that you're supposed to teach the Cub Scouts over the year. (I'm learning so much already!) If an 8 year-old needs to learn to be better at it, then so do I.

I've been having some stress issues this past week and have developed a bit of a short temper, something that could be avoided with a little compassion. (Waking up to my alarm on time has also helped immensely.) I've also been thinking about compassion as I've gotten to know the people in my life a little better and learned to love them a little more. I could always use a little more compassion in my life.

I'm working on it!

Now, I am quite married

The only reason for this post is to let you all know that we watched The Young Victoria on Friday night, I cried three different times, and Robbie laughed at me. I know that most readers of this blog can sympathize with that situation. I haven't watched a chick flick in sooooo long and it just felt good to cry a little when Victoria proposed to Albert and to have a couple crush on dead historical figures. (I had that couple crush before I saw the movie [they really loved each other!!!], but Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend are way more attractive than I'm sure the real Victoria and Albert were.)

It's nice that Robbie doesn't care if we watch chick flicks from time to time. And that he SUGGESTS renting them! Thank you, Hamill sisters, for raising him well.

Team Hamill

Thanks to everyone yesterday for your happy anniversary wishes! To be honest, the day didn't start out great--I missed my train, and then I remembered that I had left my lunch on our kitchen counter, which was a tuna sandwich. STINKY. But then work was fine and Robbie met me on campus to walk to the waterfront in Georgetown for a nice dinner at Farmers & Fishers. I didn't know that this place existed (because most of the restaurants by the waterfront aren't really that good but have amazing real estate so they stay open), but it's owned by Founding Farmers, which we visited a few months ago. Anyway, I liked F&F more because of its location (the river is so lovely!) and it seemed less crowded than Founding Farmers... it was Monday though, so we just got lucky and didn't have to worry that we didn't have reservations.

(erm...)

This is really embarrassing to show you guys but look what we got as an appetizer:

Oh, you can't tell what that is? It's CHOCOLATE DIPPED BACON LOLLIPOPS. We are SO gross, I know!!! But my curiosity got the better of me (and you know I won't say no to bacon), and Robbie was like "Okay, guacamole or bacon pops?" Hahaha. The waitress said it's a really popular item, and Vosges does sell a bacon chocolate bar, so... we went for it. I'm laughing just thinking about how gross it was. Okay, not gross, but eating three of them was kind of gross. Eating it with the apple was good. And the bacon tasted like camping. But whatever. I know that at least one person will appreciate that we ate it.

After dinner we walked to Baked and Wired and got a cupcake (that I still haven't eaten yet because the bacon pop sufficiently grossed me out for the night), walked along the C&O Canal and across the Key Bridge, and then headed home for a long night of packing and cleaning and selling our junk.

It was a great day. And as I was grumpily sweeping up dead bugs in our basement late last night, I was thinking about the best things that marriage has brought to me, and one of them is a better sense of humor. Robbie makes me laugh all the time, but the more important thing is that he helps me laugh at myself. I can be such a pill (like when we're walking in heat and humidity across the bridge or when I'm sweeping up dead bugs) but he always reminds me that he's here to help me and to make me realize how ridiculous I can be sometimes.

Thanks, Robbie. You and I make a great team.

The best two years

We've been married two years today!


IMHO, being married is really fun, probably more fun than a two-year LDS mission. The end.

I just remembered

Robbie told me he loved me three years ago today. I don't know why I remembered the date. But there you go.

Home is wherever I'm with you

My latest earworm. The whistling is just so catchy.

Tim was just saying on his blog that even though he likes living in New York City, he doesn't consider it "home." And it got me wondering what "home" really is for me now. I think the song is right; it's wherever I'm with Robbie. But what is it for people who move a lot? Or who don't have spouses/boyfriends/girlfriends/roommates? I'm just curious.

On a less philosophical note, I suddenly have an intense desire to go on a road trip through the desert, or go camping or something. Or hang out with Robbie. I always want to hang out with Robbie.

I'd better lay off the Killing Curses

Sometimes I make faces at Robbie from across the room to try and make him laugh. Tonight he told me that I overdid it. "You looked a little like Voldemort just now," he said.


You win some, you lose some.

Celebration!

Guys! Thanks for all of your comments on the last few posts. Some of them made me laugh out loud (Courtney's "make a family night" suggestion in particular), and all of them made me happy to have great friends/family with great suggestions. So thanks.

I've been caught up in the stress of the semester. So much to do! And so little time. So I'm going to take a page from Rose's book today and list some things that I'm celebrating right now to remind myself that life, in fact, is awesome.

(my celebration dance... really, look at this picture for more than 2 seconds and try not to laugh.)

-School is out in two weeks!
-New Salt-Water Sandals! No more cracked soles for me, at the cost of looking 3 years old. But I don't even care!
-8 hours of sleep last night after a week of wonky sleep patterns!
-It's supposed to get up to 70 today!
-Jimi Hendrix on repeat! I love this song today!
-My BFFFL Tim and his doggy are coming to stay with us next weekend!
-My cousin Hannah is coming to Virginia in May!
-My friends both near and far!
-My boss isn't in this morning!
-Robbie is done working late nights (for now) after tonight!
-Summer is coming!

I'm sure I could think of a million more things to list.

What are YOU celebrating today?

I'm just curious

What do you do when your friends live so far away and you miss out on EVERYTHING? I'm serious.


And what do you do when your old roommate looks like a silent film star? (And what do you do when you remember that all your wedding photographer gave you was thousands of unedited images that you got a year after the event? That's a story for another time. Still bitter.)