Ask not what your country can do for you...

Nate, Mayumi, and I went into the District for Veteran's Day. We expected traffic, crowds, etc., but were pleasantly surprised. Aside from the chill (we were definitely unprepared clothing-wise), everything went smoothly. We stopped into to visit my best bud Heather in Crystal City, parked the car, and metro-ed to Arlington National Cemetary. I hadn't been to the cemetery since visiting with my great friend Steve Orrock in Fall 1998 when I interned with Orrin Hatch. Nate had been years before with family. We enjoyed the fall colors, the pageantry, the solemnity of the setting. We also enjoyed delicious kabobs at our favorite Pakistani restaurant, located hear Heather's house. All in all, a great day. I sure do miss living in D.C. Sigh. Pictures of our new house soon to follow!

Fall cutie

Mayumi may take after her father; she seems to be taking to the cooler weather without a problem. I take her out each day in the jogging stroller, all bundled up and super cute. Thanks to her grandma Rosalie, she has a darling pumpkin hat...that turned into a pumpkin halloween costume. Finally-our pumpkins. Some may say they are self-portraits. You'll notice that I included our pumpkin-portraits from LAST year (after decay and squirrels attacked Nate's). We love that photo!

The Baby-Industrial Complex

Have you noticed how many baby implements there are out there? Humans used to grow from infancy to adulthood without two sticks to rub together and now the average baby has more 'toys' than the average adult. My father, 'you only need two shirts' Roland Johnson,' would probably call this The Baby-Industrial Complex. That's what I like to call it, anyway. I am happy to report that most of Mayumi's toys were handed down to me, but still: her things occupied at least half of the space in our moving truck. Gracious! Several of these items, however, really ARE helpful--no doubt about it. See the "Bumbo" below. I give my mother and Lindsay credit for finding this item. High chair no longer needed--the Bumbo does the trick. Also featured here is Nate, WEARING Mayumi. Yes, babywearing is something I have tried to embrace (no pun intended) and we are making great strides thanks to Karma Baby and Ergo.

Not a Halloween Post (that'll come later)

Nope, just a cute picture of G.I. Nate and his best girl (and toy). For some reason Mayumi wasn't enjoying herself at the U.S. Navy Day in Washington, D.C. Nate sure did, however. Like a kid in a candy shop.

Hangin' Tough...with Lindsay

Some of you all knew my sister Lindsay invited me to a New Kids on fthe Block concert in Phoeniz, AZ. I haven't the words to describe it...but Lindsay, link to the right, can and DID. You must read her account of it!!

Attack of the Killer Rice Cereal

A picture is worth a thousand words. Enough said. (Well, let me also add that Nate and I cannot stop laughing at this picture and plan on distributing it at her high school graduation party (ala defazio)).

Prepare thyself for merriment!

"An awkward amount of twenty-first century bosoms stuffed into sixteenth century bodices..." was how the Maryland Rennaisance Festival was once described. See for yourself! Nate and I went for our second year, this bringing a post-utero Mayumi. We had a BLAST--people watching, mostly, but thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment, fabulous weather, and excellent craftsmanship. See the pictures below--"ask a hermit" (seated on the ground), "Madame Blainsworth" (crazy hat, making eyes at Mayumi), "The Rogues" (a fabulous Scottish bagpipe/drum/fiddle ensemble in the background of the picture featuring a held-up Mayumi), "cursing well" (with Nate making his best 'mad face'), k-nig-ets jousting, and plenty of wenches. A fabulous day!

Birthday Extravaganza

I had so much fun planning Nate's birthday this year. See, I like surprises. I like LOTS of surprises. So, when planning a birthday for someone, I may go overboard but I have so much fun doing it. Thanks to my dear friends Lindsay and Heather, we left Mayumi in safe hands and were able to go OUT...alone. I took Nate to a variety of places to which he had, at one time or another, expressed in going. Having a memory like a steel trap, I catalogued all of this and incorporated it into a three day birthday extravaganza. We dined at Teddy's Roti Shop (Trinadadian restaurant featuring Indian food. where they convinced us to buy an expensive "aphrodisiac drink" that turned out to be eggnog), indulged in a decadent slice of "Neil's Hat Trick"from Cake Love, went to "Family Day" at Nate's work, joined the Virginian Redneck Society at shot a couple boxes of ammo at the Blueridge Arsenal, stopped in at the National Geographic Society, and topped it all off at the Washington D.C. Film Shorts Festival at the E Street Cinema. Nate treated himself to a pedicure--his latest invention and sure to become a big hit at a spa near you.

Daddy Daughter Dates

I have a feeling that Nate's going to take Mayumi on a lot of those daddy-daughter dates. I know I enjoyed the ones I had with my own dad. Mayumi is already showing a large attachment to her cute father. She is also learning to roll over. Yes, that picture below IS blurred...because she is in motion.

Mayumi on Safari

On Labor Day, Nate and I took yummy yumi to the National Zoo. Not being a zoo person, I was surprised at how enthusiastic Mayumi's presense made me. I found myself running around, delightedly taking photos of all kinds of animals (see the lion and the capyberra (c.f. Spelling Bee) below). Mayumi, in spite of being disguised as a boy in a blue baseball cap, drew lots of attention and admirers.

Camping Queen

Mayumi, it turns out, is an excellent camper. I discovered this on her first camping trip this weekend to Jane's Island on the Maryland Eastern Shore. As you can see, she was much beloved by the other campers--friends from New York and DC gathered to celebrate Amber Henrie's 30th birthday (Amber is pictured on the far right of the last picture). In spite of Tango Tim Tanner's repeated attempts to throw her in the fire and, thus, regain the spotlight, Mayumi survived the trip (even if her mother barely survived her 1.5 hrs of crying on the way home).

I'm cute, not crabby

...which was the slogan printed on a t-shirt I saw this last weekend at the Jane's Island/Crisfield crab festival, featuring a crab derby and, far more fascinating, the "Crab Picking" competition. These ladies, most of whom have been picking the meat out of commercially gathered crabs for decades, compete each year for the reigning title of fastest picker. The ladies are given a huge pile of crabs and ten minutes to pick, urged on by the cheers of the crowd. You would never believe how fast they pick, and yet how little meat each crab yields! If only I'd had a little extra cash I

would have picked up that t-shirt for the darling little yumikins, who, in spite of being sinfully cute, can also

be quite crabby when she has a

mind to it.