National Postal Museum

Last Saturday, we ventured into DC for the first time. We went to the National Postal Museum, where we learned more than we knew was possible about how the postal system works. Some of the special exhibits included info on how FDR's had influenced the postal system and the stamps that he personnaly designed. There was also the ABC's of stamps, where an overview of terminology is shown through the alphabet. The picture above (on the left) shows a moving postal station. People used to sort the mail as the train moved between towns so that it was ready to be delivered either along the way or at the destination. The building itself was beautiful and the historical renovation to return it to the splendor it once had was amazing.

Wizard of Oz at Wolf Trap

Wolf Trap is a National Park Performing Arts Center only a few minutes from our apartment. There are events almost every day, so deciding which "culture" we want to include in our lives could be difficult. Too bad we missed the Video Games Live concert.

Last night, we went to the Wizard of Oz. There were gigantic screens that played the film in front of a mostly packed audience, and then the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) played the musical score live. With around 100 members in the NSO, it was an amazing performance. It had been a long time since we'd seen the movie, so it was fun to watch. The host of Turner Classic Movies introduced the film and had some interesting things to say on the 70th anniversary and the actors that he had come in contact with over the years.

We'll definitely be going back for another event.

Falls Church Farmer's Market

We've been missing all the fresh vegetables that are available from gardens this time of year, and while Whole Foods has some good options, I don't always like paying the prices. So, I looked up a local Farmer's Market. According to the website, "Open year round, the Market hosts more than 15 local farmers and producers in the winter and more than 40 the rest of the year. Vendors offer fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables, cheeses, meats, baked goods, plants, and wine. "
Better yet, the market was less than 2 miles from our apartment. So, we braved the humidity, and went to the Farmer's Market this morning. The choices were amazing! Every booth had something different. We got the ingredients for Ratatouille, some bacon to go with the fresh green beans, homemade hummus, beets and some yummy looking bread. Now that we've seen the selection, I'll definitely be planning to shop there often. The homemade pastas, breads and local meats all looked like great options. Along with the flowers, soaps, and handmade dog treats, there was lots of stuff for people to eat like crepes, gelato, soup and crabcakes.

The Cloisters

Tickets to the Metropolitan Museum of Art include admission to the Cloisters. We drove through Central Park and then a few minutes later got to start circling the tiny parking lot at the Cloisters. It was a slightly sunny day, so the park nearby was packed. The Cloisters was on land donated by the Rockefellers and was created from multiple monasteries in Europe. This chapel is just one of the amazing things that make you think you're in an ancient building, and then you walk around the outside and see NY.

The museum was filled with medieval artwork, stained glass windows (like this one) from 1200s to the 1600s, icons, manuscripts, tapestries, etc.

Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY

Ryan had to go to NY for a week for work, so I drove up for the weekend and we were able to be tourists on Saturday. We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art - which was amazing and gigantic. I had to post this picture of a man-purse, because Heather will recognize it as being from the same location as the one at the Louvre. It was in the near-Eastern section.



The armor room was very impressive, but doesn't look very comfortable.

It's going to take us awhile to get used to planning for traffic. Was only supposed to be a four hour drive from DC to NY, but took me six hours.

Artwork

Thanks to Dominic, we have some amazing artwork for our wall. And I finally tracked down some 3M picture hangers so we can hang up the artwork without putting holes in the wall.

Guest Bed

Hey the Guest bed is here!

Sign up now space is going fast! :)

Thanks Melany

Thanks for all your effort to get this going.

Apartment Photos

We're mostly unpacked now at the new apartment.

Here's Ryan's office.







Melany's office/craft room.

The really spacious laundry room.

Ryan demo's the Cuisinart Griddler in the kitchen.

The living room - and poolside view.

The guest room is almost ready for guests. We made the treck to Ikea for a bed frame and lamp (since there are no overhead lights). The mattress is supposed to be delivered next week. We're going to have to figure out how to add some color to this all white room

The kitchen - with the new Ikea stand for the radio.

The guest bathroom - the nice thing about being in apartments is calling the maintenance group instead of having to replace the leaking parts yourself.

Wedding Pictures

Here's photos from our wedding day. Hard to pick from the over 1700 photos that we have. I'm currently trying to decide on one's for a scrapbook - it's going to take awhile. Bella Fiori Garden was a beautiful place!

Melany's family

The bridal party

Ryan, Melany, Nate, Teresa

"The perfect pair"

Ryan's family

The cake turned out great. There were three flavors: Lemon-Poppyseed with Raspberry filling, Strawberry with white chocolate mousse and Chocolate with Raspberry filling.