VISITING THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

"Try not to become a man of success, but rather to become a man of value." - Einstein 

I'm chewing on this.  There is so much I want to do, but also sometimes I am so tired.  I have many dreams, but I am also very happy with what I have going on here right now.  I try not to get too knocked down when things don't work out, reflect on why I feel discouraged, flex my trusting muscles, and find value in the overwhelming wealth that is my life. Einstein was probably warning against the success that seeks out fame and prosperity, and I'm agreeing with him, that pursuing those kinds of successes does not do anything for character or true joy. So becoming a woman of value is having my own, possibly counter-culture, definition of success. Nothing wrong with fame or prosperity, but those things in themselves hold little intrinsic value and my 30 year old self has been defining success these days as: getting through my to-do list for the day, really seeing my daughter, making her feel loved and praying for her, having patience towards others, being open, giving as many thanks as I can possibly squeeze in a day, being still before my Maker, writing, day dreaming and putting forth plans for the future but holding on to them loosely.  I'm learning as I go; transformation through the renewal of my mind. 

And now without further ado, our trip to the museum, in photos... like I do.

I was near giddy to take sloane to the natural history museum last weekend. It's probably become one of my favorite hobby these days- introducing Sloane to new things.  Ken and I felt like such parents, like the kind of parents that do things like take their kid to the museum.  I see why this is a thing, everyone wins. It's for the benefit of the kid, sure, but also, it reminds the grown ups of the wonder that we once had when we were kids.  

Taking pictures on such trips is another thing we do here right? To prove to them later that we did such things, but more importantly to remind them that there was a point in their lives when they first saw things like a giant stuffed elephant, stuffed birds, the bones of a dinasoar, a replica of a blue whale, and tanks of live hermit crabs and beautiful fish, they considered it absolutely and utterly amazing.

taking a deep breath before exploring: sitting down at ground level, having a clementine for energy and observing the crowds

we started with the elephant on the main floor and sloane's mind was blown

WALKING DOWN 10TH AVENUE

One of my favorite things about a city is being able to get around without a car. A city with good public transportation is immediately a great city in my book. A city that is squished to the brim with so much to see that walking is the preferred method usually has me scheming up ways to move there as soon as possible. I appreciate the convenience of a car as much as the next person but having to walk to your next destination makes me feel more like I'm living life in the pace and with the observation that it is meant to be lived, you know? 

When I lived in DC for a semester my last year of college, I lived on Connecticut Avenue near the zoo and worked in southeast DC, near Eastern Market. Sometimes I commuted on the metro, but as soon as the weather got nice, I walked the 3.5 mile, one hour long walk. I have such strong nostalgic feelings about those walks. I would usually be listening to some music, try out different routes so that I could check out new streets and I got to know the city the best that way.  Anyways, any time I come into DC I think about that time, and although it was a long time ago now, it made me that kind of happy go lucky to be walking down 10th avenue this particular day.  

See this man here ? I love him. 

(As an aside, I was in such a bad mood today, and I cranky requested him to please do the dishes before I get home, and he did. And then gave me a big satisfying hug when I saw him.  Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a button I could push that would get him to do [insert chore here] exactly at the precise moment I want, but then here's the thing, I feel LOVED when I know that he is willing to choose me and consciously choosing to help me over [insert hobby/downtime here] with his time...and obviously, that's so much better than having a robot husband.  Free will theology anyone?]

That day, as we walked around, I must have turned to him at least five times to say, 'Gosh, isn't this nice!'  He responded with sincerity and more enthusiasm than he usually does when I exclaim such things to him in the midst of something I have declared to be an adventure and gosh if I don't love that he knows me, puts up with me (and hopefully, loves me) for that.  

You see that little bug there standing next to me?  She had SUCH a great time trotting down this street. It is amazing how much joy can flood my heart just from watching run with the biggest smile on her face. Of course she had to stop to look closely at particular leaves, study the grass, and in this case here, she came to a dead stop when she saw these kids running up towards us.  She does this; when she sees other kids, she cannot keep her eyes off of them.  And then once she observed what they were up to, she was off, bunny in hand, trying to chase after them and join them in their romp. 

The way she interacts with her stuffed animals these days just kills me.  

The way she runs into my arms has me in a puddle, every time. 

Sometimes I look at this guy and think, whoa that's my best friend. I married him, and there he is, pushing our baby in a stroller… and I freeze everything for a millisecond to just enjoy that thought.  But also, let's take a poll, should he cut his hair and grow facial hair? Or keep growing a mane?

Yes, we totally pulled off a self-timer photo on this walk. 

Next up, the museum of natural history! 

'BOOKS ARE A UNIQUELY PORTABLE MAGIC'

Sometimes I fantasize that instead of going to work, I head to the bookstore, find a comfortable seat 

and just read my brains out, uninterrupted.  

Here are some of the books on my recent to-read list: 

A Million Little Ways by Emily Freeman

At Home by Bill Bryson 

We are Water by Wally Lamb

Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton

The New Kings of NonFiction edited by Ira Glass

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Escaping into the Open: The Art of Writing True by Elizabeth Berg

Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

Letters to My Daughter by Maya Angelou

(I'm always open to book recommendations!) 

MY LITTLE GROWN LADY

We made a short trip up to D.C. this past weekend and enjoyed the heck out of every bit of it.  Sloane is so good at enjoying things these days it makes it extra fun for the rest of us. Although, after a long day of no naps and sleeping way past her bedtime, she cried extra long at the ice cream shop (her hot plump tears dropping every which way) and had more demands before bed when we got back on Sunday. I am proud of all of us for making it back home in an exhausted but happy heap and getting through a Monday of work, daycare, dinner, grocery shopping and bedtime. It's not just the fun trips that I will remember about this era, it's the effort that we put into making these experiences happen - it's comprehensive, and more meaningful that way.

While we were up there, we stopped by a couple of stores to browse and once indoors Sloane gazed at the escalator in wonder, tried to hide inside clothes racks, played with hangers, pointed out shoes, held up my wristlet on her own wrist, and waved at strangers standing in line. As soon as we left the store (I got her a long sleeve t-shirt for $6.90, score! That's what is in the bag), she wanted to carry the shopping bag on her own and derived so much joy being able to walk down the street with her very own bag.

By the way, she brought me that necklace the morning before we left, wanted me to put it on her, and kept it on all day…

DOUBLE CRUNCH HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN

Here is my antidote to getting frustrated of being stuck between paranoia about handling raw and undercooked chicken and being tired of jawing through overcooked chicken.  This double crunch honey garlic chicken is sweet, crunchy and pounding it thin (or cutting it into smaller pieces) and cooking it in hot oil ensures juicy cooked chicken breast. I came across the idea for the recipe on a friend's Instagram feed, who found it off another friend's Pinterest (social food media, what what) and last week I made it with honey balsamic vinegar and rosemary potatoes.  I liked it so much I made it again today (you guys, I made four meals tonight, but that's another story) but this time with sauteed spinach and sweet potatoes cooked with coconut oil and cinnamon.  

Here is the recipe: I do without the ground ginger and sage (but it would probably be even more delicious with! ), half the recipe for two people, and cut the chicken breast into smaller more manageable sizes. 

Aaand an action shot. It is amazing what I can do with one arm these days...

A CRAFTY AFTERNOON

As I write this my bones are still shivering from being outside for my workout today.  If there is one thing I hate about exercising, and there isn't much, it's running in the freezing cold. I realized the other day that I actually like talking about weather because the weather so much influences my mood and sense of well-being that small talking about the weather somehow usually translates to sharing how I am really doing that day.

That said, we have been having some really legitimate fall days in RVA the past couple of weeks and as I drove into Church Hill to visit with some friends I fell in love with that neighborhood all over again.

I highly recommend reserving a couple of hours once in a while to get crafty with friends; it doubles both as a way to get projects done and a means to catch up. This particular time we made use of our old frames by sprucing them up with a new coat of paint and filling the insides with mesh wire to hang out jewelry on. Little Harrison kept a watchful eye on our activities and on Tabby the cat, and after successfully completing the project, we made a quick walk over to the pie shop. (I love being able to say that - a quick walk to the pie shop!) Thanks to these ladies for a lovely afternoon.   (Not pictured: Chris, who did all the hard work by cutting us all our mesh wires, ensuring that our jewelry have a proper place to reside, which may or may not have been important to him.;) )

how gorgeous is that fireplace? 

i was totally fooled and thought these were real

harrison the brave

p.s. finished product for all my long gold necklaces