Kumquats and such

One afternoon last week, Jason called me and said, "Hey, I know you had plans for dinner, but can you just shift it to tomorrow night?" Of course I jumped at the opportunity to skip a night of cooking, so naturally I said yes:) He arrived home early from work and we got dressed for an afternoon/evening in Old Town Alexandria. On our drive down the GW Parkway, I asked Jason to stop briefly so I could grab a shot of yet another amazing sunset (seriously great views here!). Shortly after we arrived in Old Town and found some parking. We wandered around and Jason took us to our first destination:  Reagan was sporting a coat that is borrowed from an old family friend...ridiculously cute! At Society Fair, we enjoyed a glass of wine and two different appetizers - both of which were delicious. Reagan looked so prim and proper with her fancy coat on. After our snack, we walked a block to the city square where we saw the gorgeous lights and Christmas Tree! ...

Last weekend, we decided to decorate the tree! Reagan and I put the lights on earlier in the week, so all that remained was placing the tree skirt and hanging the ornaments. Reagan climbed up the step stool while Daddy showed her how to put her ornament up: And here's the ornament she chose to hang first! Absolutely love this memory!  Before placing the tree skirt around the base, it's always best to try it on as a cape:) With three people decorating the tree, it really didn't take that long. Here's a proud little girl with her SUPER TALL tree! Once we finished decorating the interior, I asked Jason to hang some lights outside. I really wanted them in a tree out in the front yard, but the lack of power outlets made that impossible. We decided to hang them inside the back half of the carport instead! It's perfect because they provide more light than the side lamps and since they are neutral, they can stay up year round. Jason took it one s...

Last Friday evening, Cindi hosted her Bunco group in Woodbridge. She invited me to join the ladies for the evening, and I jumped at the chance to be kid-free for a night (I love you Reagan, but even mommy needs a night off:). Rick was kind enough to drive up and assume toddler duty around 2 so I could avoid the awful southbound traffic. The handoff went well and by 2:30, I was en route to Mil's house. The ladies weren't scheduled to arrive until 7:30, so we did a few errands, grabbed a snack from McDonald's, and caught up on an episode of Top Chef (where we both nearly decided that a nap was in order!). Luckily, we both caught a second wind and headed downstairs to do the final prep for Bunco. Here's the beautiful appetizer Cindi made! Gorgeous Christmas decor set up for the season (and the party!) Cindi thought of everything - name tags for me since I didn't know everyone and numbers for the ornament exchange. The setup  Favors put togeth...

Last Wednesday night, I was on Twitter and a blog I follow tweeted that there was a free concert going on at Potomac Mills! I immediately texted Mil and asked her if she'd like to come along with Reagan and I to see the Rocknoceros in concert. She said, "Of course!" So on Thursday morning, we headed down to Woodbridge, switched the carseat into the van, and drove to the mall with Grandma & Papa. As soon as we walked up to the event, we were handed reusable grocery bags, a book of coupons, and a raffle ticket. I signed Reagan up for a Kidgets Club program at the mall and she was given a chance to spin a wheel to win a prize! Waiting in line to spin the wheel She gave it a big spin and "won" a Strawberry Shortcake doll! We wandered over to the spot Grandma scoped out near a picnic table, and Reagan and Papa found a seat on the floor among the mass of toddlers and their mothers. So cute that he wanted to sit with her! The concert began...

Reagan and I took advantage of a 70-degree afternoon in December and hit the GW Parkway trail for a short run. We hit the jackpot with an absolutely gorgeous sunset over the river. I was kicking myself (yet again) for not having my camera, but the iPhone did a pretty darn good job. Starting with my favorite, here are a few: Turns out CA doesn't have ALL the good sunsets!

Last weekend, after picking out our Christmas tree and enjoying dinner with family, Reagan and I drove into DC to meet up with some of our NC friends! I met Susannah on the first day I attended Stroller Warriors. She is quite possibly the most friendly person I've ever met! And what makes her even cooler, is that she has a daughter named Reagan too:)  Susannah and her husband, Nate, decided to take a long weekend and visit DC and friends in Quantico. When we heard they were driving north, I emailed Susannah and we made tentative plans. After our long day, I was really considering just kicking up my feet around the fire pit and relaxing for the night...so glad I decided that we should go! Reagan and I parked near the National Mall, and I popped her in the umbrella stroller so we could attempt to locate Susannah and family quickly (who wants to wander around DC in the dark?!). Thank goodness for cell phones, because we were able to meet up within minutes. We walked towards t...

In years past, the Goodale family has a tradition of Christmas tree chopping. As the children grew up and moved out, that tradition has somewhat fallen by the wayside. Uncle Kevin was prepared to revive the old ax in order to provide Reagan with a proper experience...but we decided to wait one more year so she can do some chopping too! Instead of chopping though, we went shopping! In true Goodale fashion, we "tailgated" first. The initial plan was to visit a tree nursery several miles from our house; however, we ended up making a much better plan just hours before the event was set to take place. We decided that everyone should come to our house for drinks and snacks, and then we could load up a couple cars and drive 1/4 mile up the road to a nearby Methodist church to get our trees. What a great time we had...and I just love the hats! Uncle Kevin, Reagan, GG, and Aunt Lisa showing off their hats! Uncle Kevin, Terry, and Geoffrey Reagan and Aunt Lisa in the m...