Rubbins Racin'

I had my very first Nascar experience last weekend at the Brickyard
400. I must say, I had a blast!!! Hands down best place to people watch!
We were very lucky and had garage and pit passes and we
also got to meet “The King” Richard Petty and the driver of the HBP
car – Elliott Sadler. He was very personable and nice. I never
realized how loud the cars were and how fast they went! Elliott told us
he would go about 203mph!!

If you haven’t ever been to a race, I highly recomend it!

Orange Dream

I have found my new favorite summer drink! On July 4th weekend AK’s mom and her friends made Orange Dreamsicles and I couldn’t get enough of them! They are super easy and already come pre-made with vodka already in it! Friday’s makes them and you can find them at your local liquor store. All you need is a blender and some ice and you have a refreshing summer drink!!

A Year ago..

A year ago today I walked down the aisle to find my prince charming with a big smile on his face! I can't believe we have been married for a year! What a fun and exciting year it has been. :)

I'm looking forward to all of the memories we will make in the years ahead!

P.S. - He is really excited about the cooking class!

A Nation of Fun!!

We had the BEST time in D.C. I absolutely loved everything about this town! The food was amazing, the people were all extremely nice, and the town has so much to offer!

We ate and walked, and ate, walked some more, went to a museum, walked, ate, etc.
A perfect mix!

We visited many areas of the city, capitol hill, downtown, Chinatown, and Georgetown. We went to the Holocaust Museum - very interesting, but somewhat disturbing, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, WWII Memorial - we found AK's grandpas information, very neat!, White House, the National Museum of American History - also very interesting!

Barrack row - all the top generals in the U.S. live here

Now to the restaurants...

WOW! DC has soo many to choose from, but we had the best list from a local!!

Mac and cheese from Ted's Bulletin - HANDS down best I've ever had!

The second night we ate at the Old Ebbitt Grill, also very tasty!!

Finally, we ate at 1789 in Georgetown, dessert was fantastic!!

We went and had after dinner drinks at a cool place in Georgetown, called Billy Martin's. It is supposedly were JFK asked Jackie to marry him. A very chill place with fantastic bartenders!

If you have not been to D.C. since your 8th grade trip, I highly recommend you go back! The town is thriving and there is something for everyone!!

D.C.

SO PUMPED!! AK and I are off to D.C. for a mini vacation on Thursday.

I am so excited to visit our Nation’s capital!
(I sound like such a dork)

We have a lot planned, and thanks to Lauren we have some great places to eat! I’ll post pictures next week when we get back! Off to pack and finish the laundry!!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Fourth of July

Isn't this the cutest table setting!
photo from here

I can’t believe it’s already time for the fourth of July! Where has the time gone? AK and I are loading up and heading to Nashville on Friday for the weekend. We have a family cookout on Friday, Saturday we get to meet sweet Baby Trey!!! (Really Excited), and Sunday we will enjoy the fireworks downtown on AK’s parents boat.

Some Random but Interesting Facts about Fireworks from Real Simple:

• Fireworks first appeared around 1000 A.D., in Chinese religious ceremonies.
  Various metal salts are used to create the colored explosions. Barium makes green, copper makes blue, and aluminum is responsible for the sparkle.

• Smiley faces, words, and logos. Fireworks have expanded far beyond the classic palm tree. To make different shapes, a chemical mixture is glued to wax paper in the form that it will take when it explodes. Next, the paper is put inside a spherical shell made of cardboard or some other paper. Several are fired off at the same time to give the appearance of three dimensions, says John Steinberg, a vice president of the Pyrotechnics Guild International.
  
• The United States imported around $217 million worth of fireworks in 2007, with $207 million of that coming from China, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Be Safe and Have a Happy 4th!!

The Fam

We had such a nice weekend! AK’s older brother and his girlfriend, mom and dad came up for a visit. This was the first time we have had family come for a visit so it was great to have them in town. We had a lot of fun showing them around Columbus and visited the neighborhoods of German Village, downtown Dublin and the Short North.

We ate and ate until we just couldn’t eat anymore!

The Rock Filet at The Elevator -
you grill it yourself on a 375 degree rock

Group Shot at The Elevator

AK and I in German Village being silly!