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Back from the midwest

I wrote a nice long post about our vacation, and blogger ate it for breakfast.


So, now I'm putting up a test post after getting Google
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Bad Request
Your client has issued a malformed or illegal request.


I'm back. That's about all I have to say at the moment.

Burgers n Things and Bee Stings

Well, the anniversary cake was a success! I kept it simple and I think I’ll be making more cakes as the occasions arrive. As far as occasions go, our 10th wedding anniversary was wonderful. Sushi, ring shopping, cake and champagne! It was a really great day.

That was last weekend, then for the 4th of July weekend, we left out of DC to escape the fireworks for a daytrip to Shenandoah National Park. It was a perfect day for a picnic. Jason packed the sandwiches and snacks and we loaded up the car! Leia seemed extra excited to go on a car ride. You know how dogs are.

On the way into the park, Jason and I decided to stop at Burgers ‘n Things. It’s a small building on the side of road in Sperryville, Va that sells burgers, fries and drinks for those hungry travelers coming out of the park. Even though we packed food, we fell victim to the smells and got lunch. Yum!

We drove to Elkwallow picnic area off Skyline drive (at about mile 25) and instantly wanted to camp overnight. However, with the state of the economy, it seems “camping” is the default family vacation and the campsites were full for the weekend. (All of the reservation sites were taken.) We’re going to try to go camping later this summer though.

We stopped near the small supply store at Elkwallow before finding a picnic area, and while Leia and I waited for Jason to come out of the bathroom, Leia got stung by a bee. For the rest of the afternoon, she tried to gnaw off her back leg – poor pup. We still got a bit of relaxing in, and both can’t believe we haven’t been back in so long.

The drive home always seems longer than the drive there, but it was a really enjoyable daytrip and I hope to go back very soon.

"Attempt" is the key word.

I ordered a book today...albiet a cookbook. Well, not even a cookbook, a "cake"book. Yes, a book filled with instructions on how to bake, frost and decorate your own fancy cakes. I can't wait for it to arrive. I have no idea what special tools I'll need, how many eggs will be required or how fat I'll become from taking up this pipe dream of mine, but I've always wanted to bake and decorate a real fancy cake. Ordering this book was the first step.

Over the years, I've perfected many recipes. (Some are still in stages of perfection, like the perfectly frosted cut-out cookie, and lemon cookies.) But, etched in stone are: my perfect chocolate chip cookies, a darn good pumpkin pie...and recently (thanks to C.H.F.) the fluffiest pancakes in the world! Yes, my secret baking quest will always be there. I'll always want to buy more powdered sugar than I need at the store, and I will always have the dream of filling my kitchen with the smell of something sweet and delicious.

So, in an ATTEMPT to say aloud "Let them eat cake!" and be "oh so crafty" and also edible... I am going to try my hand at a fancy cake. I hope. I have to read the instructions first. And if it doesn't become a fancy cake, perhaps fancy "cupcakes" instead. I also got the new Martha Stewart cupcake book that just came out. The funny thing is, I don't really want to eat the cakes, I just want to make them and take pictures of them (chance are I will be eating some though - who am I kidding.) I only wish I had the recipe of the cake that Jason and I had for our wedding. That cake was delicious!

Goodbye Goldie and other signs of change.

Had to say goodbye to a longtime fish-mate of mine. The Golden Severum we named "Goldie" who swam like a grump for 10 years in our 55 gallon fish tank. We bought those two golden severums way back when we were in Illinois. I think we got them at a pet shop in Champaign, IL. They always had better shops and eataries there - and Jason and I would make roadtrips to get homebrew supplies, shoes, pet supplies and eat lunch at this wonderful resturant called The Great Impasta. God I miss that place. Remember the noodle salad? To DIE for. So, Jason and I estimate that fish was around 10 years old. And from some quick research, thier life span is 5-10 years, so that fish lived a long time! As I mentioned, the other severum died a long time ago. The funny thing is there are fish in that tank even OLDER than the severum. Two silver dollars and a sucker fish. Plus this little (well now it's pretty big) red-eyed tetra which has managed to survive somehow. For the first time ever, I witnessed that little tetra swim out into the middle of the tank. Funny - he'd never do that with the Goldie in it's path for fear of being eaten. So, that big yellow fish is off to a better place, leaving my 55 gallon very empty!

The strange thing is, we were just about to move that fish tank and put it behind the couch. That plan is still in the works, and now it looks like I will be revamping the entire tank. I was thinking of just taking it down all together, but Jason talked me out of it.

On another note, I'm feeling all grown up and sophisticated these last few days. We painted our bedroom over Memorial Day Weekend and it's looking great! We went with a brownish/bronze called Tiki Hut. We also got two new bedside lamps. So for a total of two cans of paint and two new lamps, our bedroom has a whole new look! I really like the way it turned out. I'll have to post some pics.

Speaking of change, the construction on the 14th street bridge hasn't started yet. Meaning, the nightmare hasn't started yet. Jason now uses the metro to go to work so I'm using his car for my commute - it is awesome! However, I'm not looking forward to the construction. It will begin any day now. Ugh.

Thanks to the following things that make me smile:
1. Pretzel Goldfish
2. Leia
3. Coleslaw
4. Strawberry shampoo
5. Arctic Bars
6. Jason's car
7. new paint
8. Kung Fu Panda
9.