Cross-country Christmas

We spent the week before Christmas in Eugene, OR and were able to catch up with the friends...

The Rodmans (above) and the Shaws (below).

And family we haven't seen in far too long...

Nick and Kim and our new niece Leah (above), Jim and Amy and Payten (below).

The Davis family (minus Erik who's serving his mission in Brazil).

Christmas morning/afternoon we opened presents in several shifts (which explains the multiple wardrobe and hairstyle changes). It has been predetermined that baby girl is going to share our BYU/Oregon allegiance.

Christmas evening we hopped on a plane... and flew all night long... to arrive in Virginia for Christmas part two with my family. Different state, different day, same clothes. After hardly any sleep. But never too tired for presents.

My sweet sisters.

And Jake, his professional wrapping job, and his adorable girlfriend, Maddy.

And a few shots of my rapidly-growing belly. I swear it gets a little bigger every day!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Revealed

It's a...

BUMP!!

And...

We're thrilled to be having a little girl!!

Our "20 week" baby girl is healthy and active and actually measuring 1-2 weeks BIG for her due date. So she may be arriving in April instead of May!

While the bump is still small, it definitely popped out over the last week. And thankfully, I'm feeling the best I've felt in months! (Besides that most food is still icky and smelly.)

Now we're off to Oregon for Christmas part 1.

Grateful

We had a small but wonderful Thanksgiving this year with my parents and sister.

I think it was the first time in years I didn't cook a thing! I'm so thankful for being close to home and being spoiled by my mom.

And I was so grateful that the worst of my sickness has past so I could enjoy the holiday feast! Here are my first official "belly shots" at almost 17 weeks. Still not much of a bump to speak of (although had I taken these after dinner it might have appeared differently)...

The Richmond Restaurant Post

After a few recent requests, I've finally gotten around to compiling a list of our favorite Richmond restaurants. Over the last 3 1/2 years we've tried quite a few local eats and I thought the results of our experimentation might come in handy for someone else. I've included some of our favorite dishes and I'll also include a few favorite spots outside of Richmond...
(click on the names for a link to the website)

Richmond:
Cous Cous- Mediterranean/Moroccan (hummus platter, saganaki, manchego fritters)

Tarrant's Cafe- little bit of everything (mahi fish tacos)

Mosaic Cafe - local/healthy options (gouda bacon mac and cheese, Shem creek pita, cranberry slaw)

Edo's Squid- Italian (eggplant parm, penne with sausage and broccoletti, vegetable lasagna)

8 1/2- Italian (Edo's take-out counterpart)

Ipanema Cafe- Vegetarian (gouda grilled cheese, sweet potato fries)

Palani Drive- wraps/quesadillas (Shenandoah, Hummus tabbouli, Durango, Pesto Chicken)

Baker's Crust- cafe fare

Urban Farmhouse Market Cafe- local/organic salads, soups, and sandwiches (Q-Bleu chicken, roasted red pepper and sweet potato soup)

Garnett's cafe- sandwich shop

Ettamae's Cafe- lunch/bruch (cumin pork manchego)

Osaka (the one on River/Huguenot Rd., not Short Pump)- Japanese, sushi

Cafe Rustica- "European comfort" (crab cake platter)

Cafe Caturra- gourmet soups/salads/sandwiches

Belvidere at Broad- "eclectic American"/organic

Julep's Southern Cuisine- fine dining (bacon-wrapped filet mignon)

The Black Sheep- southern

The Boathouse- American, seafood (recommended for ambiance, the food is just decent and pricey)

Cafe Gutenberg- European influence (I had to include this one on the list even though they recently closed, it was probably our favorite place in Richmond, the Gutenburger was to die for, hoping they someday re-open)

Comfort- southern (lunch prices very reasonable, pulled pork, mac and cheese, squash casserole)

Lehja- Indian (pricey but excellent, tikka masala, garlic naan)

Umi Sushi Bistro- Japanese/sushi (we LOVE sushi and have tried a lot of places in the area, this is one of the few worth returning to, right across from Short Pump mall)

Millie's Diner- American with a latin flair (go for brunch- omelets, frittatas)

Thai Flavor- Thai (favorite pad thai in Richmond, located close to home in the Innsbrook shops, take-out available)

Farmer Johnson's Country Kitchen- down-home cooking, sourced by local farmers

Anokha- Indian (our favorite Indian in Richmond, tikka masala, shrimp tandoori skewers, lunch is a great value)

HogsHead Cafe- Southern/BBQ (pulled pork or chicken sandwich, sweet potato fries, shrimp po' boy, favorite BBQ sandwich in Richmond)

Station 2- American/gourmet burgers, local (one of the better burgers in Richmond, sweet potato tots are awesome, brunch is yummy, too)

Mediterranean Brick Oven- Mediterranean (hummus, tabbouleh, souvlaki, shawarma, skip the Italian half of the menu)

Sette- fire-roasted pizza/Italian (try the Church Hill or the Chesapeake)

Azizas on Main- Lebanese, Italian (the pizza)


Richmond, meaning to try: 
(some of these are on the more expensive side- we're hoping to try them before our time here is up)
Pescados- Caribbean/Latin

Acacia Mid-town- seafood/regional

Stella's- Greek

Mekong- Vietnamese


Charlottesville:
Revolutionary Soup- yes, soup, and a little of everything else (Adam's Apple, butternut squash soup)

Feast!- local sandwiches/soups/salads

Bodo's Bagels- bagel shop/bagel sandwiches

Continental Divide- southwestern


VA Beach:
Mojito Cafe- Cuban

Mayflower Cafe- Mediterranean


Washington DC:
Sushi Yoshi- Japanese, sushi (actually in Vienna)

Mai Thai- Thai (old town Alexandria location, awesome pad thai)

Crepes A-Go-Go- sweet and savory crepes

Market Lunch @ the Eastern Market (crab cake sandwich, blueberry pancakes)

Busboys and Poets- eclectic/local (just ignore the overtly liberal agenda)

7th Hill Pizza- Italian/Neapolitan pizza

Nando's Peri Peri- Portuguese chicken dishes (chicken breast wrap)


Charleston/Folly Beach:
Taco Boy- Mexican (I dream about those fish tacos)


Note that this list is slightly slanted in my favor. Dustin would probably include Burgerworks (I've yet to try it, but supposedly they serve high-quality gourmet burgers) and Five Guys (not local, totally greasy). 


If you have any questions for me about prices/size/kid-friendliness of any of these places- I'm always happy to answer or provide suggestions.


And I'd love to hear about your favorite places as well... we're always up for trying something new and I'll update this list as I make new discoveries.


Happy dining!

Boston, etc.

Last weekend we snuck away to Boston for a little work (Dustin had a residency interview) and a little relaxation. (If you can call driving in Boston and braving a nor'easter relaxing.)

Despite the wind and cold we snapped a few pictures...

The Boston Commons (above), walking the Freedom Trail (below)...

Every other second we were ducking in a shop or cafe to warm up. It's a beautiful city, but the weather didn't exactly convince me I want to live there.

Dustin's grandpa just finished his mission at the Boston temple, so we had to check it out.

Despite a treacherous drive to the airport in the middle of the night (on snow packed zero-visibility roads), we made it back just in time to dress up for Halloween...

Dustin's lack of preparation resulted in his wearing my litte sister's witch dress. A picture too priceless not to share. He freaked out a handful of trick-or-treaters.

This last picture was one of the few we've taken over the last 2 months. (Since I spent the majority of it nauseous on the couch.) But we did get around to cleaning out the office and Dus was thrilled to throw away piles and piles of old school stuff.

November has brought the beginning of my second trimester, and thankfully I'm feeling significantly better. Food is still a struggle though- I'm hoping I find my appetite again soon. Sorry, no belly pictures to share... my baby bump is still nonexistent!

13 Weeks

An explanation...


   of why I've been almost absent around here lately.


   and why I haven't posted a single recipe since early September.


   and why even the idea of cooking is revolting to me.


   and (partly) why I'm still not working. 



I've been sick.


But the best kind of sick possible...


                                                   because baby Davis is due May 8th!

Recently

Despite my lack of blogging lately, we've had a busy month (or busy for at least half of us) and so I thought I'd provide a quick update on our lives recently...

• Dustin finally finished his pediatric residency applications and we heard back from the first few schools. Over the next few months he'll be interviewing at programs in Minneapolis, Chicago, and Buffalo. (Hopefully we'll get a few warmer options, too....)

• After weeks of early morning/late night/every-spare-second studying Dustin took his 4th year written boards this weekend. We don't know the outcome yet but we're thrilled it's over. Now I get my husband back!

• We've spent a lot of time with my family (celebrating birthdays, evading hurricanes, and painting). They've been helping us cover up some awful paint colors in the upstairs bedrooms. I swear our house would fall apart without them.

• The only event I have any pictures of was a quick apple-picking trip to an orchard in northern VA. If anyone wants apples, I have two fridge drawers full of them. Come help yourself.

• I'm still job-less. And the job market is only partly to blame. I happen to be a very picky job-searcher. Some days I feel lame that I'm not using my degree, earning some money, etc. and other days I'm gloriously happy that I have so much free time (so don't feel too bad for me). If the right job comes along, that would be amazing. But I feel blessed that we are being taken care of and I can take my time in this process.

• Lastly, I decided to take a break from my recipe blog (various reasons detailed here). Originally I thought it would only last a few weeks and I'd be dying to post a new recipe. But that hasn't happened. I'm enjoying the blog-free life more than expected. After two and a half years of being a constant grocery shopper, cook, photographer, writer, and dishwasher, it's refreshing to enjoy a meal that I don't have to stop to take a picture of first. The blog was controlling my life a little bit more than I realized. There was always the (self-imposed) pressure to post something new. So I'm shrugging it off and I'll get back to food blogging when I feel like it...

Labor Day Baby

17 years ago my youngest sister was born on Labor Day and this year her birthday fell on the holiday once again. We drove up for the day to celebrate with our half-a-family. I made my baby sister french toast for breakfast.

And then we spent the afternoon at the Newseum. It's now one of my favorite sites in D.C.- despite that it was an unexpectedly sobering experience. Here we're standing next to a portion of the Berlin wall...

Beautiful views from the rooftop deck...

They had stunning yet heart-wrenching exhibits devoted to Katrina, 9/11, and pulitzer-prize winning photography. A monument of twisted metal from the World Trade Centers...

And of course there were cake and candles and presents involved... 

Happy Birthday, Brooke!

some of my favorite things

running with dustin in the park on a saturday morning.

... followed by a trip to the farmers market for fresh baked bread, tomatoes, corn.


nail polish.
(for years i've tried to stop biting my nails. then one day i got a manicure and discovered that as long as i keep them polished i won't bite 'em. Voila!)


how happy dustin gets when byu wins a football game.
(the opposite could be considered one of my least favorite things)


fall.
(boots, sweaters, scarves, apple picking, pumpkin candles)

the way Virginia looks in the fall.
(it's coming!)


sunday mornings.
(sleeping in- or going back to bed if you're like me and always wake up by 6am, pancakes, reading)


ice cream.


and sisters.
(i'm lucky enough to have 3 of them... and can't believe that the littlest one turns 17 tomorrow!)

(i found these pictures taken of my sisters as my bridesmaids only 5 years ago... before make-up and contacts, sporting braces... so adorable!)

Durham

On our way back from the beach we stopped in Durham for a short stay with the Sanford's (who left Richmond just a few months ago for a medical residency at UNC). We started our weekend off with a delicious brunch...

Then we visited a local farm to sample the fresh milk and ice cream... amazing!

And on Sunday morning we took a stroll through Duke gardens...

It's hard to part with friends, but awesome to have them only a few hours away! 

confusion.

you're supposed to get an education.
you're not supposed to stay in school forever.
you're supposed to work to support your husband.
you're not supposed to hate your job.
you're supposed to get experience so you have a career to fall back on.
you're supposed to be a mother.
you're supposed to be able to get a job anywhere as a nurse.
hah.
you're not supposed to lie on your job application.
you're supposed to move across the country in eight months. 
you're supposed to know what to do.


it's exhausting being pulled in so many different directions.


sometimes my favorite solution is to do nothing.

                                          (or at least for today.)

Beach Bliss

Our own little slice of ocean...

Not sure why the frowns.... it was gloriously warm and sunny and we soaked in as much summer as we could.

There was lots of fishing...

With some success.

Dustin's best catch was a sting ray (which was immediately released).

Amber is an expert with the net and provided a steady supply of bait. (The girl wasn't afraid to manhandle a fish or stick a hook in its head. I was impressed.)

And Jake reeled in a shark. (A little disturbing to discover what you're swimming with.)

The shark unfortunately became dinner. Better him than us, I guess.

And after a blissful week we said goodbye to the half of my family who is returning to school and we won't get to see again 'till after Christmas.

Amber, Katelyn, Jacob, and beautiful bit of beach... you'll be missed.