Memorial Day Weekend 2008

Mom came to visit this weekend. She arrived in Maryland late Thursday evening and spent the night in Gaithersburg with Ellen and Harvey. She spent Friday afternoon with Ellen and came to Rockville when David and I were done with work. Marin played with Jerry for a bit before heading back home.



On Friday night, we went to dinner at Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande Café in Bethesda. Not only do they have great food, but the drinks are great and even the take-out bags are adorable.




Here, mom and I enjoy a delicious Chambord Margarita

After dinner we enjoyed the great weather and walked around downtown Bethesda for a bit and listened to the many street musicians out that evening.

David had to work on Saturday, so that morning mom and I ran some errands with Ellen. Since a visit from mom would not be complete without a pedicure, our next activity was to get our nails done. After a winter hiatus from pedicures, I am happy to report that I am now sporting some gorgeous dark purple toes and loving them!




We met up with Heather for a ladies lunch on the outdoor patio at Addies, and had a really nice afternoon. Later on, David joined us and we heading downtown to Fogo de Chão for dinner.



If you’ve never been to this Brazilian steakhouse, it is a unique and fun experience. Basically, you pay a fixed price (in DC it’s about $60/person which doesn’t include drinks) for your meal.



The restaurant features a variety of roasted meats presented on skewers and carved tableside by their Gaúcho chefs. They operate under the service concept of espeto corrido, which translates from Portuguese as ‘continuous service.’



Each guest uses a two-sided disk to control the pace of their meal. The green side signals the Gaucho chefs to bring out skewers of meats to carve at the table. The red side indicates a stopping point. Turning back to green lets the Gaucho chefs know to start offering the meats again.



In addition to the meat extravaganza going on around you, the restaurant also has an amazing salad bar and serves traditional side dishes of warm cheese bread, fried bananas, crispy polenta and seasoned mashed potatoes at the table.



There are locations in DC and Baltimore, as well as Atlanta, Austin, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis and Philadelphia- and I think they are opening one in Miami soon. I’d recommend making a reservation ahead of time because the place is always packed



Fogo Pros include:

• A wonderful salad bar with an interesting variety of ingredients.
• With a choice of 15 different cuts of meat, there's something to satisfy everyone's taste .
• The Gauchos ask how you like your meat prepared (rare, medium, etc) and cut your portion accordingly.
• The staff is always very nice.

Fogo Cons include:

• The fast pace of the restaurant. Because the Gaucho’s are running around so fast to serve other patrons, you feel compelled to rush as well. You can get very full very fast.
• The place is crowded. We've always been seated in great locations, but I'd hate to sit near the door or salad bar.
• Their meats are highly seasoned, and may not be suitable for those on a low-sodium diet.

After sleeping off our meat comas from the night before, mom and I drove into DC to visit Monty, Melissa and Asher on Sunday. He is incredibly adorable and has two fabulous parents.

Monty and Asher

Judy and Asher

Proud Parents

He does this awesome thing with his pacifier where he looks like Maggie Simpson- he sucks so hard it almost pops out of his mouth! (I hope this video works, its my first attempt at loading video to the blog)

The rest of the weekend was filled with house hunting, shopping (I seriously love Old Navy flip flops) spending more time with Ellen and Harney and enjoying the beautiful sunny weather. Its weekends like this I am so glad I have a convertible car.

Mom flew back to Long Island on Monday afternoon. It was great having her visit and we can’t wait to hear all about her new computer! (Now she can actually read the blog)

Anna Sowers

Taking a more sober tone today, please take a minute to read this Urbanite Magazine article about how the murder of Anna Sowers' husband Zach has transformed her into an advocate for stronger sentencing of juvenile offenders.

Zach Sowers was 27 when a group of teenagers robbed and beat him as he walked home from a bar. He was left for dead in the street just a few feet away from his Patterson Park home in Baltimore.

In the days following Zach's attack, his friends created this website to keep friends updated on his condition. If you have time, please take a minute to read about Zach's story. He received the best treatment possible, but passed away after spending 9 months in a coma.

I've never met this woman, I only know her story through a friend we have in common. Anna has no idea how much I admire her courage and strength, and I hope nobody ever has to endure what she and her loved ones have gone through this past year.

Visit from the E's and Marin's recital

Fran and Dov came to visit us for a low-key and lovely weekend. They arrived late Friday evening after battling turnpike traffic and the rain. It was great to see them and show off all of the work we’ve done on the place since their last visit.


Saturday was relaxing- Fran and Dov went to temple in the morning and in the afternoon, they gave Jerry his birthday present – squeaky toy mice!


At first he didn’t seem too interested in opening his gift. I think it’s because I woke him up.


He seemed to gain interest quickly...


...and in a few minutes, we think whe really liked them.


So as not to hurt our feelings, Fran and Dov brought us presents as well. We got matching mugs with our names on them and a beautiful set of Shabbat candles with a matching trivet.


We watched a little bit of baseball in the afternoon and sat out on the balcony enjoying the springtime weather. That evening we had a great dinner at Addies, one of my favorite places. I will update this post with pictures from dinner in a bit. I forgot my camera (gasp!) so Fran used hers.

David took me to this restaurant for one of our very first dates, and going here always reminds me of those first months of dating and falling in love. We really enjoy all the restaurants owned by the Black Restaurant Group and have never had a bad meal at any of their establishments.



Addie's Restaurant and Black Market Bistro both feature New American cuisine, and are located in Rockville and Garrett Park respectively. Black's Bar & Kitchen features modern American seafood and is located in Bethesda. Finally, BlackSalt Fish Market & Restaurant serves contemporary American seafood and is located on MacArthur Blvd in DC.




We went to Houston’s (a perennial favorite of ours) for brunch on Sunday. As always, it was very yummy. I think David might actually turn into a smoked salmon some day- he loves that dish!

After a great brunch and accompanying us on some house hunting, the parents hit the road and I went to see Marin’s dance recital.





She performed in two dances in the show. The first was a tap soft shoe/jazz dance to a Hannah Montana song and the second was a tap dance to Marsie Dotes (remember that old song?).


I couldn't take picture during the performance so here is Marin with Hunter after the show. I’m totally biased here, but I think Marin was the best one in the whole damn group. It was very cute.


Ellen and I compared pink shirts and our matching accessories.





It was also good to see Fara and Hunter before they depart for their 10th anniversary cruise. I know they’ve been looking forward to it for a while and it sounds like it will be an amazing trip.

Their 12-day cruise will visit Greece (Athens, Santorini, Patmos) Turkey (Kusadasi) Israel (Haifa, Jerusalem) Egypt (Cairo, Alexandria) and Italy (Sorrento and Rome)



Happy 10th Anniversary and Bon Voyage!

No, I wasn’t in an accident.

So…I’m sporting a new look these days; a very chic cervical collar. (Better know as a neck brace but that sounds frightening) It’s soft and foamy, not metal and scary.

It looks like this:



Those of you who knew me before I was an E might remember a certain gymnastics incident back in the day. For those of you just tuning in- I attempted a dismount off the uneven bars in high school, but I didn’t execute properly and landed on my head. Hilarity did not ensue.

A couple months later, I was good as new. However, to this day I still feel the affects of this injury once in a while. For example, like now.


I woke up Friday morning pretty miserable. Not sure how I did it- but it seems I’ve sprained my neck. We can’t take an MRI until the swelling goes down, so in the meantime the orthopedist gave me this collar to relieve the tension in my spine and help support head while it heals.

Walking home from the doctor’s office I snapped this pic with my camera phone. As you can see, I wasn't thrilled.


Cute, no? No!

The looks I got yesterday in the office ranged from the classic double look of shock- sort of saying “what on Earth happened to you?!” to the compassionate look of pity- more of an “oh you poor thing.” Mostly I just get asked, “Were you in a car accident?” which is totally fair. I’m still trying to come up with exactly the right answer.

I also learned that while it’s nice, I'm a little uncomfortable with people opening doors and automatically getting out of their seats for me. I mean, it’s nice to sit on the Metro but I can stand at the bus stop for a few minutes. Still, it is appreciated. Thank you kind commuters of the DC area.




Today is day 2 with my new accessory and although it’s embarrassing and ugly, I think it is actually helping. I mean, it prevents me from turning my head or tilting it in painful positions- so I guess it's doing its job. I also feel less fatigue across my back at the end of the day.

I tried to camouflage it into my white collared shirt today- I don't think that was too much of a success. I have another 2 weeks to work on it.

So this is going to be interesting. I’m not sure how much I will be posing about this adventure, but I thought it only fair to share what’s going on with you.

Pain at the Other Pump

Say it ain't so!

I read this story in the Wall Street Journal this morning and I am officially annoyed. You know, I do my part. I take the crappy metro to work and I try to save gas by walking more - and this is the thanks I get? The price of shoes is going up! I just can’t win.

Pain at the Other Pump: Shoe Prices Rise

By RACHEL DODES AND RAY A. SMITHMay 13, 2008; Page B1

The hottest trend in footwear this season? Inflation.

After a decade of declining prices, footwear makers at all levels are raising prices. The mass-market Payless, a unit of Collective Brands Inc., recently increased prices on shoes in stores, though it won't say by how much. Brown Shoe Co., which makes Via Spiga and Buster Brown footwear and hasn't altered prices in years, plans an increase of 5% to 12% for fall. And the Nine West shoe label plans to boost prices on some styles by 15% next year.

The moves reflect higher costs in China, which makes about 85% of shoes sold in the U.S., as well as higher fuel costs and the weak U.S. dollar. And they could presage price increases of other goods soon: Handbags, belts and other leather accessories are made in the same region in China.

The shoe price increases follow 10 years in which U.S. footwear prices fell 4.3%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A key reason for the decline was that makers moved production to low-cost locales such as China and passed along some of the savings to consumers.



For retailers already struggling with a downturn in consumer spending, the higher costs couldn't come at a worse time. They fear the price increases will further damp shopping, forcing them to eventually slash prices to move merchandise and hurting their profit margins in the process. Nannette Kiefer, a 45-year-old homemaker in West Palm Beach, Fla., says she will take more time to find bargains if stores suddenly begin charging $120 for two pairs of shoes that she used to get for $100.

The prospect of higher prices "is causing a good deal of apoplexy" among retailers, says John Shanley, an analyst at Susquehanna International Group, who estimates that shoe makers will raise prices by an average of 10% to 15% in the next year, which would be the largest single-year increase in more than 50 years, according to the BLS.



Some makers figure they have room to maneuver now because the weak dollar has pushed up the price of high-end shoes made by European labels. At Jones Apparel Group Inc., maker of Nine West shoes, Chief Executive Wes Card says that, even if the price of a $65 shoe rises to $75, consumers are likely to view it as a good value compared with European luxury brands. "The gap between a Nine West shoe ... and a Jimmy Choo" has gotten wider, he says.

Others aren't so sure. "We understand this may be difficult for consumers, so we will work to provide them even more value from our brands," by adding features such as breathable linings and cushioned in-steps, says Brown's chief financial officer, Mark Hood.




Like I really needed an excuse to post pictures of cute shoes?





So while I was looking at pictures for this post, I came across the Buster Brown logo. WTF? Is this what it always looked like? Seriously- they make kids shoes- I think I even had buster brown saddle shoes when I was little- but LOOK at the dog's eyes. I think this would scare most children!

Mother's Day 2008

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Birthday Chad

This Saturday, we celebrated Chad's 30th Birthday with a fantastic dinner at Morton's in Georgetown. It was (as usual) a great experience. We had amazing service, delicious food and the best company.




Blowing out his birthday candle.



One of the wines we enjoyed with our dinner was a 2005 Rys Ponot Noir Alesia Sonatera. Deep red/purple, it smelled of sour cherry, spice and dark fruit. It was a really enjoyable bottle with our appetizers and tasted of cherry, coco and clove. Smooth and elegant finish.

With dinner we had Schrader's Zinfandel Vieux-Os. I didn't love this wine. I smelled stewed plum and pepper, but drinking it, I mostly just felt the alcohol. It was OK with dinner but not amazing.



We also enjoyed a 1998 Chateau Doisy Vedrines with our dessert. So glad we have more of these in the cellar. Pale amber/yellow, it had nice weight with decent viscosity, sweet honey up front and a nice acidic finish.


Probably the best present Chad could get, a crumb collector. It was our waiter's gift to him and made him very happy.


Kathy and me after our fabulous meal.