FLOTUS, graduation, and food we've missed

In the middle of May, we flew back to Kansas for a weekend to attend my cousin Brian's graduation.

We listened to First Lady Michelle Obama's inspiring remarks on school integration and the road ahead.
We experienced The Pad, a Topeka institution.
We laughed at the keynote speaker's delightful and entertaining commencement address.
We cheered for Brian as he snagged his diploma (yes, it's signed).
We explored Old Prairie Town during Brian's reception.
We gasped as a baby raccoon left his family's hollow to explore a tree branch.
We enjoyed a gigantic Italian dinner with family, sans reservations on graduation night.
We took a leisurely pontoon boat ride on a lake with family friends.
We met Annie, the sweetest one-eyed/pirate rat terrier you'll ever find.
We stuffed our faces with Grandma's famous red velvet cake.
We arrived in Manhattan just in time to FINALLY grab a burger at our beloved So Long Saloon.
We hung out with Deb and Jim.
We were in breakfast food heaven with doughnuts from Varsity Donuts and hot beverages from Bluestem.
We brunched at The Chef with family and old friends.

Congratulations, Brian! Thanks for letting us enjoy your big weekend with you!

See all our photos from the weekend on Flickr.

a last-minute weekend in Santa Barbara

I sometimes tease Ian that when I started dating him I thought, thanks to romantic comedies, architects made the big bucks. And had I known the truth, perhaps I would have made different decisions. Of course I wouldn't have (otherwise it wouldn't be a good joke).

To dispel the Hollywood myths, not counting the handful of starchitects, most architects (regular, landscape, and interior) make a modest, middle-income living. But like most professions (I assume), it has its perks. For us, one of those perks was an inexpensive long weekend in Santa Barbara, courtesy of the company that manufactures the landscape architect's gold standard for outdoor lighting. Ian landed a spot on the roster thanks to one of his current projects, and for the cost of one round trip ticket to LAX, I got to tag along.



After a lingering winter in New England, the hot sun and clear blue skies were a welcome change, and we soaked it in. Lunch on the patio at Geoffrey's in Malibu — a pit stop on the Pacific Coast Highway drive from LAX. A large Italian dinner at Toma, overlooking the Santa Barbara beach at sunset. A stroll on Stearns Wharf under a starry sky, with the warmth of the day still lingering over the Pacific waves.

(On the pier, we also ran into bike sumo: a crowd forms around two bicyclists, who try to stay upright with feet on their pedals while trying to make the other person lose their balance and/or step off their pedals. After every match, a challenger from the crowd rides into the circle to take on the winner.)



The next day, Ian and the group headed out early for their day at the BEGA factory to learn about lighting. I slathered on sunscreen for my day on the beach in Santa Barbara.

Late that afternoon, I met up with the group for dinner in Carpinteria, and instead of taking one of the rental cars or a cab from Santa Barbara, I bought a ticket for 15 minutes on the Pacific Surfliner with "a unique vantage on the Southern California seascape." It was 45 minutes late, but the views out the window were worth it. (travel tip: Carpinteria Beach was incredible and covered with the most perfect sand, and I wish I had spent more of my day there.)

On the train, I had a short conversation with a college student in the seat next to mine. "You're doing this for fun?" I understand. Public transportation in Boston can be novel if you're new, but when you just want to be home and your bus is stuck in traffic and the train is packed with hot and sweaty sports fans, it's easy to forget there are people who find buses and trains and trolleys new and exciting. And when you ride the Pacific Surfliner for a few hours every other weekend, delays loom while ocean views fade. I silently reminded myself to enjoy all my moments, whether or not they're new and exciting.



We finished the trip with a day of wine tasting in Santa Ynez Valley (Brander + Lincourt + Foley), pacing ourselves so the entire day was pleasant (and so was our evening). I'm not a connoisseur of much of anything, except maybe macaroni and cheese, but it was interesting to learn how the process affects the final flavor. Also, vineyards are a beautiful backdrop for lounging under patio umbrellas.





We're so thankful for every moment of our West Coast vacation. It was just what we needed to tide us over until summer made it much anticipated appearance in Boston.



See all our photos from the trip on Flickr.

Happy birthday to the best husband ever.

Ian, you are my favorite. I'm glad I get to celebrate with you! #birthdaychurros

thankful list | May 2014

01. a weekend in Santa Barbara.
02. long walks on the beach.
03. sunscreen.
04. sunshine.
05. good food.
06. a fun group of fellow travelers.
07. 15 minutes riding the Pacific Surfliner, and fresh eyes to appreciate the view.
08. May 5 for easy to remember birthdays (happy birthday, Mom and Nathan and Grey and Eric!).
09. learning how to make an iPhone chat whale (4 returns, 1 dot, 10 underscores, 1 dot, send).
10. Cinco de Mayo at the office (with a guacamole competition).
11. seeing Ian in teacher mode (he's good).
12. feeling competent at my job.
13. a belated administrative assistant appreciation lunch.
14. an employer that makes time to discuss and improve work-life balance.
15. hearing an incredible violinist at Copley while waiting for the train.
16. a weekend with great friends we don't get to see as often as we'd like.
17. community group ladies night with late night chats about everything.
18. my mom, second mom, and grandmas.
19. the Wilson family, who will be sorely missed.
20. dinner at Barcelona (worth a very long wait with a 16 month old).
21. baby giggles.
22. a chocolate love note.
23. dinner in the park with an awesome family.
24. my first turtle spotting of the year.
25. an on-time flight and no line at the rental counter to get us to Topeka in time for FLOTUS.
26. time with my family.
27. watching my cousin graduate with lots of honors.
28. an entertaining graduation speaker.
29. a beautiful day for a reception.
30. fun new places for Fingerwarmers to visit.
31. a pontoon boat ride.
32. grandma feeling better after dinner didn't agree with her.
33. after waiting SO LONG (years), a resist temptation burger at So Long Saloon.
34. seeing Ian's aunt and uncle.
35. breakfast from Varsity Donuts and Bluestem Bistro.
36. a clean bill of health for my now-spotless wedding ring.
37. lunch with dear old friends (going back to first grade!).
38. a walk through the K-State campus.
39. a non-stop flight back to Boston.
40. guest hosts for CG, so we didn't have to frantically clean our apartment.
41. a couple quick and fun nerdy spreadsheet projects at work.
42. time to reconcile bank accounts (I love YNAB [referral discount!]) and catch up on OUAT.
43. a fun couples baby shower for good friends expecting their first.
44. a final morning of REUNION setup with dear friends who are moving.
45. a day off, well spent relaxing at home.
46. our veterans (and our recordings of Grandpa's WWII recollections).
48. celebrating big wins in our community group, and sending off D+A in style.
49. cheering one of our first Boston friends as he graduated with his MD from Harvard.
50. a fun and delicious graduation dinner at The Painted Burro.
51. dinner from Russo's.
52. Color Me Rad 2014!
53. running most of the 5K despite not training this year.
54. colored cornstarch.
55. Grant's height, to snag lots of free color bombs and t-shirts at the post-race color rave.
56. sweet race t-shirts.
57. grilled cheese sandwiches at Roxy's.
58. naps.