Auto Show

This weekend we hopped on the Metro and went to the DC Auto Show.

All of the major vehicle manufacturers had cars on display and representatives available to answer questions.  We were especially interested in seeing the new Subaru lineup.

Subaru was even offering an interesting sort of half-off deal with one of its Foresters.

And in case you don't yet have an adequate vehicle for the zombie apocalypse (although, I'm sure you do), Hyundai has you covered.

The award for the best demo goes to Jeep.  Jeep had created a huge indoor driving course with all kinds of crazy obstacles.  You could ride along with one of their drivers around the course in either a Wrangler or a Grand Cherokee.  It was pretty awesome to watch - and, spoiler alert - the Wrangler handles the course much better than the Grand Cherokee, although both are impressive.

Pupster Photos

Some recent photo favorites of our precious pupster.

spa day

asleep on the back of the couch

shiny pots cannot be trusted

 

nap time

my "bow" is actually
Daddy's legs behind me

snuggle buddies

winter lap warmer

helping Daddy work on the car

working out with Daddy

secretary dog

hi there!

cuddles

Donald Trump hair

And no, she's not spoiled!

Snowlar Vortex

Yesterday's snowfall was the most we've seen since we moved to the DC area.  It was our first time salting and our first time shoveling snow.  I discovered that I am a snow shoveling beast!

Here's what the house looked like before I went into beast mode.  A winter wonderland.

Our bird feeder in the backyard collected a thick layer of snow on the roof, as did our picnic table.  We think our snowfall total was at least 4 inches, but the amount of blowing snow made it difficult to gauge.

Of course, I just had to take some photos of our snow pup.

It looks like the snow might be sticking around for a while since continued cold temperatures are in the forecast.  We might need to make a snowman sometime soon!

A Very Florida Christmas, Part 3

The last part of our visit to Florida was the wedding of our good friend Jeff to his wonderful wife Meghan.

Jeff was a groomsman in our wedding and now J was a groomsman in Jeff's wedding.

J and Jeff at our wedding in 2009.

Jeff and J (in the middle) before Jeff's wedding.

This was the first mostly Jewish wedding we have attended and it was just perfect.


The ceremony, complete with a beautiful chuppah.

The groomsmen were very handsome, especially while wearing their stylish Gator kippahs.

 

 

At the reception everyone danced the horah.  I think J had been practicing because he did an exceptionally good job dancing.

 

 

And here are the beautiful (and delicious) wedding cake and groom's cake.

 

 

Congratulations, Jeff and Meghan!







A Very Florida Christmas, Part 2

While we were staying at the cottage for Christmas, we took a day trip to Gainesville.  It was so good to be back!

The weather was just perfect and campus was nicely uncrowded since it was the day after Christmas.

Our first stop was, of course, Blue Highway for some delicious pizza.  The four of us polished off a margherita pizza and a barbeque chicken pizza. 

(No photo is available due to the short amount of time both pizzas existed before being consumed).

Next, we went by our old condo.  We knew something was wrong as soon as we drove into the parking lot.

Those are metal reinforcement bars - and they are installed on all of the buildings in the complex.  Some online research reveals that the complex has been experiencing major water intrusion issues that will cost $3-4 million to repair.  A lawsuit has been filed against the developer.

Meanwhile, many of the units are vacant and bank-owned, including our old unit.  This probably should have been a frowny photo since it was sad to see our old unit empty.

However, maybe we're smiling because we don't live there anymore and we moved out prior to the unit going into foreclosure.  Regardless, we were shocked at what we found.

Moving on, we took advantage of being in Gainesville and bought some Gator gear - we each got a jacket and J got two new hats.  His old hat was about 7 years old and was certainly showing its age.  Keep in mind that these are the same exact model of hat.

We ended our trip with a visit to our wedding chapel which looks as beautiful as ever.  It's hard to believe that it's been 4.5 years since our wedding day.

Thanks for the memories, Gainesville - we hope it won't be long before we're back to visit again.

Up next: an Orlando wedding.

A Very Florida Christmas, Part 1

We had a wonderful (and warm) visit to Florida for Christmas.  We met my parents at an adorable riverside cottage nicknamed the Pineapple Plantation.

We had some excellent meals prepared by the grill master and his sous chef, complete with outdoor dining on the patio.

There was time for fishing, horseshoes, and visits to the petting zoo as well.

And since we never pass up the opportunity for a good photo bomb:

Still to come: a visit to Gainesville and an Orlando wedding.