Happy Election Day

Happy Election Day, everyone! I’m off to vote first thing this morning, and then a friend and I will be spending the afternoon working as volunteers to help drive fellow voters to the polls. Even though I don’t usually go into great detail about my political views here on this blog, those who have been following for a while can probably make a pretty good guess about where I stand on a number of issues, especially given my Halloween costume from last year. :) 

Yes, to those who know me, it's no secret how passionately I feel about the results of this election, but regardless of my own views, I also feel strongly that everyone deserves the chance to make his or her own voice heard. Therefore, I hope that tons of my fellow Virginians will also head out to the polls today to take a stand in this tight presidential race, not to mention the state and local contests that are on the ballot. 

This is actually my first Election Day since leaving my job on Capitol Hill, and while that definitely feels a bit strange, I’m still very excited (and nervous) to follow the results late into the night, no doubt with a glass of wine (or two) in hand! 

Are you taking part in any Election Day festivities or volunteer activities, and will you be following the returns tonight? 

Thowback Thursday: Let Me Call You Sweetheart

Happy Thursday! I hope you all had a great Halloween! Despite having tons of candy on hand, we only had about 10 trick-or-treaters come to our door last night, which means that:

* I inevitably snacked on way too much of it myself.

* My husband’s co-workers can look forward to lots of sugary goodness in the coming days.

As we now look ahead to November, I’m also throwing back to the past by linking up with Sunshine at Such Life in the Tropics to share an old photo, along with a few fun facts that relate. Since Halloween was just one day ago, and I also have a family trip to Hawaii coming up very soon, I thought the following picture from our honeymoon cruise a couple years ago would be especially fitting.

1) Our June 2010 honeymoon cruise around the Hawaiian islands marked my first time visiting any of them, and I'm especially excited to head back again, both this month in celebration of Stephen's parents' 40th anniversary and then again next summer, when his sister will be getting married on the Big Island. The Big Island and Kauai by far stood out as my favorite islands during the cruise. 

2) This photo was taken the first night of our trip, when we had dinner at one of the ship's specialty restaurants, this particular one featuring an Asian-fusion theme. The restaurant staff told us it was one of their long-standing traditions to take a photo of each newlywed couple wearing this set of silly dragon masks. They also brought us a special honeymoon cake and gathered around to sing a rendition of "Let Me Call You Sweetheart." 

3) We came back to this same restaurant again another night of the trip, this time to visit its sushi bar. To this day, the sushi we ate that night is the best I have ever tasted! The second best was eaten at a little hole-in-the-wall place in my Southern California hometown, which is not coastal, but apparently still manages to attract some outstanding sushi chefs.    

Want to join in the Throwback Thursday linkup? Grab the badge above, and have fun sharing! 

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween, everyone! After an especially stressful past few weeks, Stephen and I will be closing out the month of October with a relaxing evening at home – just us, the kitties and a big bowl of candy to hand out to neighborhood trick-or-treaters.

I hope you all have a great fright night and are ready to welcome November! Can you believe that the holiday season is already just around the corner? I know I sure can't! 

Hurricane Sandy aka ‘Frankenstorm’

As a kid, I remember once watching a documentary that outlined two potentially devastating hurricane scenarios for the U.S. One was a hurricane barreling down upon New Orleans, and the other was a storm tracking up the East Coast and into New York City. I can hardly believe that in my short lifetime, I’ve already lived to see both of these instances play out with varying degrees of damaging effects.

Here in the DC area, Sandy rolled into town yesterday, bringing rain, wind and flickering lights, but fortunately nothing more serious, at least in our neighborhood and those immediately surrounding. I know that for millions elsewhere, however, things took a turn for the much worse, with devastation including widespread flooding, property damage, power outages, blizzards and even the loss of life.

Image Source: NOAA

So, even though the worst may now be over here in our neck of the woods, my heart and thoughts go out to those who are still dealing with the disastrous effects of this storm, as its impacts will no doubt be ongoing throughout the coming weeks and months. To all my friends on the East Coast, I hope you will continue to stay safe, and to my friends elsewhere, thank you for checking in with us throughout the past several days. Peace and love to you, now and always! 

DC Up Close: White House Fall Garden Tour

My first weekend back in DC found the fall season in full swing, including on the South Lawn of the White House, where the grounds were opened up to visitors for the annual White House Fall Garden Tour. Even though the crowds were massive, the 65-degree weather and abundant sunshine made for an amazing afternoon, as did panoramic views of the gardens, surrounding monuments and, of course, the White House itself.

The Kennedy Garden 

The White House 

National Monuments

The Rose Garden 

The Kitchen Garden 

Has the fall season reached its peak in your area? Which annual activities do you most look forward to? Have a fabulous weekend, friends!