Weekend Recap

Doesn't it seem like it was just Friday??  Where does the time go? I always have to remind myself:

I made the most of a low key weekend with my handsome hubby... and I'm not quite ready to go back to the normal routine :( We are still in the post-trip, giddy mood that has us smiling and daydreaming about hammocks, snorkeling, and Coco Locos. Once I finally finish the Belize post, you'll see why we were a little sad to come home.

We had an ambitious weekend in mind... drinks/comedy show Friday, Sweetlife Festival Saturday, work out/clean apt Sunday. But... yeah... none of that happened. Except the working our part {yay us!}. 

Friday night, we had a little date night at William Jeffrey's...

My first Oysters of the year. So good.

Saturday, we woke up, cooked breakfast, saw that the weather was crappy so went back to sleep, woke up again, got ready, and headed to Tyson's Corner for my first shopping experience. For the non-Virginia/DC people, Tyson's is our Galleria, and it's fan-freakin-tastic. It's nice, new, clean, and has every store you can ever imagine. We were on a mission for some summer wardrobe updates, Zeke needed some new sunglasses, and I needed some workout gear to get me back in the spirit. Ask and ye shall receive!

4 hours later, we emerged from the mall with full shopping bags and fuller bellies {thanks to the cafe at Nordstrom-- yummy food}. I can say with 100% certainty I will be back to Tyson's soon! A bottle of wine and Girl With the Dragon Tattoo kept us company Saturday night.

Today, we managed to hit up the farmers market, work out, do laundry, AND go to the grocery store. Woo hoo! I haven't cooked since the night before we left for Belize, so I picked the yummiest sounding recipes to conquer this week from my Pinterest board.

On the menu this week:

Sweet Potato Skins

Foil Packed Chicken and Artichoke Dinner 

Zucchini Boats

Fingers crossed they turn out as delicious as they look!

Ok... off to bed for this girl. But before we go... I came across this gem on my run this afternoon. I'm sure that I would be BFFE with the city worker that hung this sign...

Hehe

Hope you had a great weekend!

Autographs, anyone?

Maybe I didn't make it in the paper for sports in high school... but this month, my mom finally has a reason to be proud. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you our DC debut:

Girl's Night Out... Bring On Brunch... totally up my alley, right?
Or was Mr. Smith spotted at the Nationals game???

Look closely...

It was none of the above.

That's me on the left, looking like a catfish.
And Zeke is the floating head in the middle, pondering the mysteries of the universe.

Might not be the most flattering picture, but this bad boy is going in a frame ASAP! I guess being a P Brennan's regular has finally paid off... this was taken at Fado for the Guiness Pouring Competition that Eoghain won. The funny thing is that Eoghain took the trophy home, and the only part of him that made the magazine was his eyebrow in the upper right corner of the picture. I guess On Tap Magazine is prejudice against Irishmen.

While we might not have a fancy write up in the Washington Post's "Who's Who" section... you gotta start somewhere. I better get some beauty sleep for our publicity tour that kicks off tomorrow. For autographs, we will make an appearance at P Brennan's from 7pm-9pm. See you there!

1 Year Anniversary: U.S. Edition

Hi there everyone!! Long time no see :) I won't apologize for my blogging negligence this time, because Mr. Smith and I have spent the last 8 days soaking up the sun in the beautiful country of Belize. I'm working on a post that summarizes our ah-ma-zing trip... so sit tight for that one. We took a whopping 400+ pictures which I'm screening through.

In the mean time, I never shared the deets of our celebration at home. We are still in awe that 12 months has flown by... and what a year it's been. We had a fun-filled evening planned: gift exchange, champagne toast, cutting the cake top, then a cooking class in Alexandria.

First thing's first: Presents!

For the Mrs: Ice cream maker attachment {I forsee a lot of sorbet in our future!}
For the Mr: Shiny new Burberry tie. {Major wifey points}

Next: Champagne toast, cake cutting, trip down memory lane.

Zeke teases me because I'm kind of a sap sometimes. Ok, ok... I'm a major sap. One of my favorite "games" to play is "What's your favorite memory of {fill in the blank}?", and we take turns naming things that pop in our head. I play this with him when we're being lazy on the couch or laying in bed sometimes. I'll say random things like: our dates, times with your friends, our wedding weekend, trips we've taken, our weekends in Houston, our weekends in DC, meals we've cooked, etc. I feel like things fly by so fast, and it's always fun to take pause and think back on the experience you've had. If you don't ever do this, I suggest you try :) You'll be surprised what your boyfriend/husband says!

This was my favorite round of the game so far. After we cut the cake and were enjoying our champagne, I asked him, "What's your favorite memory of our first year of marriage?" We sat and thought for a minute, and both agreed that April 9, 2011-April 9-2012 was one of the best years we've shared thus far. Some of our favorite memories and things we are thankful are: We had the wedding weekend of our dreams thanks to our wonderful and loving parents, spent a week being pampered in St. Lucia for a picturesque honeymoon, have enjoyed learning the nuances of changing from boyfriend/girlfriend to husband/wife, love exploring our new city, trying new restaurants and cooking new recipes {thank you Pinterest!}, have hosted several fantastic visitors, have traveled back to Texas quite frequently for family visits/friends' celebrations, are extremely happy in our careers, are making new friends here, became Aunt Kate & Uncle Zeke to a beautiful niece, my best friend had a beautiful healthy baby boy, we've attended all major sporting events in DC {baseball, hockey, football, basketball}, I crossed a half marathon off my bucket list... I could go on and on. We we were once again reminded of how truly blessed we have been- we couldn't thank the man upstairs enough.

After our toast, we headed to a Thai cooking class at AuDela in Alexandria. We've always had the itch to attend a class, and I know absolutely nothing about cooking Thai food, so it worked out perfectly! Even though it was a demo {not hands on}, we still learned great methods, got some recipes that we can't wait to try at home, and ate some delicious food. Chef Coulon might be from Louisiana, but he sure does know his Thai.

Cooking chicken for the soup. 

His suggested coconut milk- some brands are garbage.

Explaining the importance of soaking sticky rice before cooking it.

Marinating the beef. I like his stlye- he doesn't go by exact amounts.
He prefers "method cooking", aka go with your gut and add as much or as little as you like.

Add onions/peppers, and simmer. 

Chicken, Coconut, and Ginger Soup. Seriously- one of the best soups I've tasted.

Beef with Sweet Basil and Jasmine Rice. Surprisingly sweet with a spicy kick from thai peppers.

Mango Sticky Rice with Coconut Cream. No words needed except YUM.

My biggest take away from the class was confirming my renegade kitchen habits: cooking isn't about exact amounts and following rule books- you really can get creative and make something your own. That's what I love about it so much... once you know some basic techniques, you're able to apply them to different dishes/meats and play around with the outcome. I learned some cool basics for Thai that I'll definitely throw into my routines.

All in all, we had a great beginning to the anniversary celebrations. Up next: 1 Year Anniversary: Belize Edition!

Xoxo,

Kate

Avery's Bucket List

I've put off writing this post because it just breaks my heart to accept that this is really happening. But sharing it will help spread Avery's story in hopes that you will share it, too.

Last Friday, some very dear friends of ours, Mike & Laura Canahuati, received some unthinkable news. They have a precious 5 month old daughter, Avery, was slow to hit certain physical developmental milestones, and her doctors started worrying. After multiple tests, lots of prayers, and gut-wrenching weeks of waiting for results, their sweet baby girl was diagnosed with an incurable genetic disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or SMA. It attacks her muscle development and will prevent her from walking, moving her arms, and eventually attack her lungs which will lead to her death. The doctors told Mike & Laura that she might live another 18 months, but in reality it could claim her precious little life at any time.

This is the part that I hate about growing up.

Engagements, weddings, pregnancy announcements, births... it's all so exciting until things like this happen and it drags you back down to reality. I'm not naive enough to think that babies are all born perfect and none of them are sick. But I am hopeful enough to think that it won't happen to people I love.

Last night, I read the email from Mike with Avery's diagnosis. I kept refreshing it, scrolling down, and re-reading it to make sure I wasn't skipping over words or missing something. I must have read it 15 times to make sure I was seeing it right. When we heard she was having tests done a few weeks ago, we just *knew* that everything would turn out fine, the doctors wouldn't find anything wrong, and life would go on as usual.

One of the hardest things about reading his email was how beautifully it was written. Mike displayed so much courage, love and strength towards his wife and their sweet baby. It is humbling to know someone who is so strong in the face of sheer tragedy. But... knowing Mike and Laura, this didn't surprise me one bit.

I still remember when I found out Laura was pregnant... it was a year ago yesterday to be exact. I remember talking with them at our wedding reception and noticed Laura was surprisingly calm for 9:30 pm at a party with an open bar, and she didn't have a glass of wine in her hand. When you become our age {and you're in our group of friends}, that can only mean one thing... PREGGO!! Like a good, polite friend, I didn't ask her any tacky or obvious questions in front of everyone. I waited until she turned around and asked all of our girlfriends ;) Sure enough, we got a text a few weeks later confirming the news, and we couldn't have been more excited for them.

Late last summer, Mike and Laura came to visit us in DC for a few days. I was SO excited that we were going to get a whole weekend with them!! But naturally, in the back on my mind, I was thinking... "Crap... what do we do with a pregnant friend??" Laura was one of my first friends to ever get pregnant or have a baby, and I remember being so nervous! Would she be tired, hungry, grouchy, bored, I don't know??? What do pregnant people do?

Surely enough, when they arrived in town it was like nothing changed. All that worrying for nothing. We had such an awesome time, Laura was such a trooper, and she made me realize that being pregnant isn't scary. I also quickly realized that Mike was incredibly sweet, attentive, and basically waited on her hand and foot ;) Here are two of my favorite pictures from the trip:

Mike's first trip to H&M.
 Piled high with baby girl's clothes. 

Laura and Avery's first Metro Ride

The thing that stood out to me was the genuine excitement they shared their little baby, and how much they loved her already. As I mentioned in the blog post about their visit, they made the whole "having a baby" thing look easy.

They are already role models for us on "how to be a cool pregnant couple"... and they continue to be role models in how they are rising above Avery's condition and making the best of it.

To help raise awareness about Avery's story, Mike and Laura started a blog called Avery's Bucket List. I encourage you to check it out so that you can educate yourself on SMA, help them raise awareness, and send a few suggestions for the bucket list their way. Please pray for them and the tough times they have ahead.

To Mike, Laura, and Avery- Your courage and strength are an inspiration to us all. We love you.

Easter Weekend 2012

First and foremost, Happy Easter! I hope your day was a great mix of celebrating His resurrection, hunting eggs, eating candy, and enjoying family time :)

We had a great weekend and celebrated everything above, mixed with a little birthday celebration, pre-travel planning, cooking, and relaxing.

Friday, I made a post-work visit to Nordstrom's to shop for swimsuits. With our anniversary trip less than a week away {!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!}, I realized it's time to stop avoiding the bad lighting and three way mirrors in dressing rooms and get a suit already. I've gone shopping twice, searched vigorously online... all resulting in failed attempts and severe depression about no longer being 22 and having zero skin color.

If you're not a girl, you can skip ahead to the baseball picture below. If you are a girl, and you are anything larger than a B cup, you will know exactly what I'm about to discuss. Excuse me while I get on my soap box for a minute.

One of the biggest problems I face every year is finding tops that fit properly. Target and Victoria Secret are the two worst perpetrators. Cheap and cute doesn't always translate to functional or long lasting. And Victoria Secret's sizing is... well... just not made for real people. I don't know what woman they use when making patterns the suits, but she certainly doesn't exist in nature. Also, stores that don't sell separates are... just... stupid. The worst is falling in love with a suit online only to realize you can only buy a small top with a small bottom. Last gripe- I was so excited about J Crew's suits and the fact that they have larger cup sizes, but when I went to the store to try them on, I quickly found out that their suits consist of two sheets of thin fabric, no support, and the straps aren't adjustable. Clearly not gonna happen.

I read several glowing reviews of Nordstom's selection, and to my delight, it was all true! It's one of the first places I've been where they have tops marked by cup sizes, you can buy separates for pretty much everything, and they have a good range of prices. I ended up finding the perfect suit that fits well, is flattering, supportive, and didn't break the bank.

Too bad the abs don't come with it :-/

If you're anything like me and get incredibly frustrated when it's time to shop for beach gear-- I highly suggest you pay Nordstrom a visit. *Small disclaimer- be cognizant of price tags when you try on. My #1 choice ended up being a $200+ Betsy Johnson beauty that my husband would have killed me if I bought. I'd rather not spend our anniversary dead.*

Now, where was I?

Oh yes, the weekend. After shopping, I was exhausted from a long work week, so I went home, put on PJ's, and caught up on DVR while I waited for Zeke to come home. We planned a quiet night in... He spent all day with his Baltimore office at the Orioles opening game.

Rough life, I tell you.

Saturday, we did slept in a little bit, Zeke cooked some fantastic omelets, and we spent the afternoon knocking out housework, laundry, and errands. Saturday night, we headed to Old Town, Alexandria to celebrate our friend Brittany's birthday. We met for dinner at Virtue Feed & Grain, then ended the night at O'Connell's and some other random basement bar. We wanted to go to church in the morning, so we were on our best behavior and were the first one's to leave. #maturity

Sunday, we woke up as planned and went to the Easter service at Trinity Episcopal Church down the street from us. On the way home, we stopped by the store and picked up a few things for dinner this week. I've found some awesome recipes {on Pinterest, of course} and am excited to try them!

Tonight's diner inspiration was a from a blog called Apron Springs. How can you NOT want to make this dish??

I followed the recipe as a guideline but tweaked a few things:

- Seasoned the shrimp with Bobby Flay's 16 Spice Rub, then marinated it in pineapple juice, wine, oj, olive oil, ancho chili powder, salt, and pepper for 30 minutes.

- Made the "salad" with 1 avocado, 2 small vine ripe tomatoes, 1 can crushed pineapple, 1/2 small red onion, 1 handful of cilantro, salt, pepper, and cumin to taste.

- Skipped the dressing and tossed the cooked shrimp in honey for a sweet glaze. 

So basically, I changed everything. Ha. The one thing I loved was the presentation, so I tried to duplicate the dish as close as possible. It turned out to be an Easter Sunday Success!! If you love shrimp, avocado, and citrus, you should definitely give this a whirl.

Good stuff.

Signing off to watch our Sunday night shows.... sweet dreams!

Steak, Wine, More Steak, More Wine.

Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting some wonderful guests at Chateau Smith: Jessica, Lauren, and Cody. 

Jessica, one of my BFF's, made her third trip to visit since we've moved. She wins the frequent traveler award... and major friend brownie points ;) She had a work event Thursday evening and conveniently stretched her trip out until Sunday. Lauren and Cody were DC first-timers. Lauren is a teacher, so she had last week off for Spring break, and they decided to use their time wisely and spend Friday-Tuesday with us.

Hosting a group is fun, but it comes with certain pressures. You want to make sure that each visitor has an amazing trip that they will always remember. We genuinely appreciate when friends/family make the trek to the East Coast, so we want to show them the best time possible. When we were contemplating plans for the weekend, we knew this one would be a little tricky. Since this was Jessica's third visit, she's "been there, done that" on the touristy front. A trip to the Smithsonian and National Mall was not in the cards. 

Lauren and Cody, however, were first timers. The good news what that they were strategic with their planning, and they booked their trip through Tuesday so that they could sight-see while we were at work, and could spend the weekends playing with us. 

We had the prefect week/weekend planned... {or so we thought!}

Wednesday: Kate/Jess dinner at Founding Farmers in DC

Thursday: Jessica's work event {Open bar, tequila, mariachi band. Duh.} then bar hopping in DC

Friday: Dinner at Ray's the Steaks in Clarendon, potential bar hopping after

Saturday: Chartered bus trip to 3-4 wineries in Loudon County, Virginia, who knows after

Sunday: Brunch, possible Sunday Funday

Monday: {Day} Lauren/Cody sight see, {Night} Movie at Arlington Cinema Draft House

Sounded awesome, right?! Too bad...

Wednesday: Jessica booked her flight into the wrong airport, landed late, and we missed dinner.

Thursday: Event was *awesome*, bar hopping turned into one drink and a fat steak dinner, then home by 10:00. 

Friday: Took Jess shopping and sight seeing in Georgetown. Lauren and Cody's flight was 3 hours late AND Delta lost their bags temporarily. No steaks, bar food at P Brennan's instead.

Saturday: SUCCESS! Made it to 2 wineries, were back in time for a make-up dinner at Ray's the Steaks. Well worth the wait-- some of the best steak I've ever had!

Sunday: Brunch happened, but no Funday. We all drank water, then came home immediately to sleep again. Home cooked pasta dinner by Kate and Lauren.

Monday: Dinner and NCAA Championship viewing at P Brennan's.

Even though everything didn't go exactly as planned, we had a fantastic weekend. Thanks again for visiting, everyone!

Wednesday: Post- event drinks with bestie at POV  

The ridiculously delicious  28 oz prime rib with lobster mashed potatoes at The Occidental.
{Jess and I split this, of course}

Jessica's first Food Truck Friday! 

Overall: not a top 5 favorite, but the Mac and Cheese was stellar!!

Quick trip to the Georgetown campus-- so pretty!

I'm officially obsessed with this house and I can only see the front door.
If only I had $2 million. Sigh....
#lifelongDCrenters

Enjoyed spring flowers 

Saturday- Chartered winery tour in Louden County

First stop: Bluemont Winery 

Easy, Jess. There's enough to go around. 

Lauren & Cody enjoying the scenery

He's the king of the world! With an empty glass :(

Second Stop: Sunset Hills <3 

Pretty outside patio

I see you! 

Jessica trying to finagle earlier reservations at Ray's the Steaks. In spanish.
"Si, si, si. A la ocho. Si si si."

A must every time: car bombs at P Brennan's before dinner

Sunday night home cooked dinner! Pasta making lesson with Kate & Lauren.
She's a natural! Cody-- I think your wifey needs a stand mixer ASAP ;) 

The finished product-- fettucini with sweet italian sausage and peppers in vodka sauce.

Monday night: Eoghain/Lauren bonding.
This one's for you, Rob!!

Tuesday, we came home to an empty apartment, and 11 emptier bottles of wine.
Great weekend!