Cars, Boats and Birthdays

So, this blog post is a little overdue and its due to the fact that I have been incredibly busy these past few weeks. So, lets flash back two weekends ago when my mom came up from Sweet Home Alabama for a visit to the District.

We started off by going to dinner at Lincoln. I had heard good reviews about the place. So, I took a chance and took my mom to a place that we had never been before. The decor alone won me over with the penny lined floor, hanging Mason jar lanterns, and massive original modern paintings of Lincoln himself. The delicious food that came hot off the line put the icing on the cake though. The menu is full of small plates, but don't judge the flavor by the size of the plate. We started off with one of their seasonal Mason jar dishes, house rolls with sea salt and gingerbread butter. Then John and I went 50/50 on an order of Jumbo Maryland Lump Crab Cakes (Avocado purée, organic baby watercress, poppy
seed vinaigrette, spicy chili aioli) and Farmhouse Macaroni and Cheese (Mornay, smoked gouda, cheddar, herb gremolata). All of it was amazing, but the creamy mac and cheese sold me. The menu changes with the season. So, count me in to visit again this Fall.

After our meal, we took a short stroll over to the White House to catch a glimpse of the American landmark before the sun went down. Then, it was back home for the evening. The next day we ventured to Georgetown to show mom the sights and eat at our house guest staple, Good Stuff Eatery. Then we started our voyage to Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. After walking up and down the boutique lined historic streets, getting a sweet treat at Lavender Moon Cupcakery, getting our art fix at Torpedo Factory Art Center and soaking in the views of the waterfront- we boarded a water taxi to National Harbor. My mom had requested long ago to take a spin on the newly opened 165 ft high Capital Wheel. So, that's exactly what we did. The National Harbor itself was a bit touristy, full of chain restaurants and stores, but the Ferris Wheel was pretty exciting. The seats are actually glass encased rooms that offer breathtaking views of the Harbor. It was a unique experience and one that I'm glad was included on the weekend's itinerary.

Lavender Moon Cupcakery- Cherry Chocolate Pinot Noir Cupcake? District Darling approved.

"The Awakening" sculpture at National Harbor

The next day after church and brunch at Zorbas, my mother requested to go to the National Botanic Gardens. It had been on my to do list for a while and I was happy to get a glimpse, especially since Sunday usually means less tourists. On the way over, I remembered that the Bartholdi Fountain and park was next door, which features a stunning fountain crafted by the same artist who sculpted the Statue of Liberty. So, we made a pit stop before walking across to the Gardens. Both were absoultely beautiful and true D.C. gems.

The next week consisted of my birthday week festivities. Well, actually the festivities started the week before when my sweet coworkers threw a birthday party for me at work. They even gave me presents, including a bike bell for my new bike! One of my friends threw me a birthday cook out (I ended up making a stellar pie for it-recipe to come!), another friend took me to Chik-fil-a for my birthday eve meal and an amazing amount of my friends came out to the Nats game last Thursday to celebrate my actual birthday. Then, on Friday we rounded out the week by eating dinner at home followed by a laid back dessert outing to Larry's Ice Cream. So, needless to say, my first birthday in the District was an absolute blast and I am so grateful to have met some awesome people in the short amount of time we have been here.

Sweet gifts from my coworkers

Missing a few and featuring a few photo bombers in the 3rd row, but such a fun group!

Larry's- cappuccino chip and banana split. Yum!

Saturday I spent the majority of the day attending my Reiki certification class in Takoma Park. That evening, after a long day of meditation and reading,  my friend Hannah Beth treated me to a post birthday dinner at Pupatella. The pizza comes certified from the Verace Pizza Napolenta, a unique nonprofit which promotes the tradition of artisanal Neopolitan pizzas. After toasting to birthdays and good pizza with some old fashioned bottled Cokes, we continued to celebrate at the nearby Northside Social. While there, we split a freshly baked double chocolate pecan cookie and washed it down with a cold glass of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice to cut the sugar. The next day, I finished up my Reiki training and can now say that I am certified in Level I Reiki! Hooray!

Capricciosa- Sautéed mushrooms, marinated artichokes, prosciutto cotto (ham) & fresh mozzarella

This week is turning out to be just as splendid as the past few, especially since I kicked it off by going to Muggle Mondays last night. I can honestly say that one of my all time favorite drinks is Butter Beer. That paired with Harry Potter at the Black Cat- perfection. So, here's to another fabulous week in the District!