Kumquats and such

Just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS to Jason for his selection to the Congressional Fellowship Program! Watch out DC, we're heading back in the fall!!

Trying to get 5 toddlers to look the same direction and smile at one time is like herding cats:

If we watch TV in the morning, it's almost always Little Einsteins , or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse  (thanks to the Weasel). But, by chance, I was watching the Today Show  last Friday and happened to hear about this great deal. You go to the IHOP website and sign up for their "e-club." You immediately get an email with a coupon for a free meal (Rooty Tooty breakfast = 2 eggs + 2 sausages + 2 pieces of bacon + 2 pancakes w/ topping) It was the perfect amount of food to share with my favorite chow-hound: And all for just a $3 tip: Did I also mention that you get a coupon for yet another free meal on your birthday?! So now we get to go back to IHOP next week:) And to top things off, you get a third free meal on the anniversary of the date you signed up for the "e-club!" Seriously, you can't beat this deal!  And for those who get way too much spam email already, this isn't one of those (at least I don't think it is!). It's been...

After an uneventful first night in Glasgow, we were kind of ready to leave Scotland, but not before a nice jog around the city and along the River Clyde. We headed back to the hotel, changed and then walked across the street to Roland Butter for sandwiches, soup, and crisps. (side note: eating in the restaurant cost approx. 50 pence more per item!) After a quick bite, we hopped in a taxi and arrived at Glasgow International Airport where we found a very unusual site: Yup, there was a grocery store inside the airport! Complete with produce and meat sections. While we waited, we had some beers at the Wetherspoon Bar and then hopped on a 30 minute flight from Glasgow to Belfast. Shortest flight ever! We walked to the Park Inn and checked in for 2 nights: Super colorful hotel! We ended up walking around the area and ended up at The Basement Bar & Grill for a great meal and some football (aka soccer). We walked back to the hotel and made a "plan" for th...

Source Ok, so it's not really an ode, but I HAD to write a post about my newest favorite meal:) As most of you know, when Jason is home, he is my personal gourmet chef on Saturdays! We typically make a trip to Harris Teeter (the "good" grocery store) and then he spends most of the day cooking for me! This weekend, we selected carnitas (Mexican pulled pork). We headed down to Hampstead where we picked up some tequila, a pork butt and yellow corn tortillas, and a few other items. Then we returned home where Jason worked his kitchen magic! When the pork was done baking in the Dutch oven, he removed it and "pulled" it in a mixing bowl. Then came the most important step: he placed the pulled pork onto a broiler pan and placed it under the broiler for several minutes until it was perfect! Here's what it looked like just out of the broiler He served it in corn tortillas with chopped onion, cilantro, cheese, and half of a lime. As soon as we sat dow...

We slept in the day after our Highlands tour and woke at 9 for a nice run around the hills of Edinburgh. We ran through Princess Garden, up to Calton Hill (the first public park in Scotland), and into a graveyard that housed the tomb of David Hume.   Post run pics:) We got back and showered quickly and hopped int a taxi to Waverly train station. We grabbed a quick bagel sandwich and then boarded the train to Glasgow. It was about a 50 minute ride. Once we arrived, we walked to the Premier Inn near George Square and checked into the hotel. Super high bathtubs would make traveling difficult if you couldn't climb over it!  We walked around a bit and got some lunch at Bar 91. We both had bacon lentil soup, and Jason had an Italian sausage burger and I ate black pudding and porkbelly salad. Then we visited the People's Palace (the strangest museum ever!) and walked around the Winter Gardens. Thankfully the admission was free, because neither was that great. It had ...

The previous day, we purchased tickets for a day trip to the Highlands, and specifically, to Loch Ness. We woke up at 6:30 and popped into a small cafe for breakfast and coffee on our way to the travel place. We left in this awesome bus with our tour guide, Greg: When we left it was still dark and we were exhausted, so we both napped a bit. We stopped at a few scenic overlooks and took some (in my humble opinion) great pictures: This is my favorite picture and I actually took it from inside the bus! It was a wee bit chilly up here:) Jason at our first stop where we used the restroom and got snacks Love the clouds in the background of this one! This picture was taken in McDonald country (the "enemy" of the Campbell clan of which Jason hails) Greg had this picture and I couldn't resist taking my own of it. It says "No Hawkers or Campbells" Now that I've mentioned the Campbell/McDonald feud, I suppose I should explai...