optimism

i think optimism is one of the most underrated qualities in a person. it's easily overlooked, taken for granted and never appreciated like it should be. and now you are probably wondering why this deserves a blog post? well this past weekend my appreciation for optimism grew {again}. being under the same roof as my husband and my mom for 3.5 days made the realize that these are the two most optimistic people i've ever met.

steve is the epitome of optimistic. just take one look at his career choice and this becomes extremely evident. he sees the possibilities this country can achieve and has decided to dedicate his career to this work. i remember when he first got back from his mission i asked him if politics he was sure that politics should really be a career choice rather than a hobby (like it is for most people) and he said that the best way for him to make a difference and a create a good future for our family is by choosing a career in politics. this kind of optimism has always been something i have admired. the approach most people take of "there's nothing i can do..." in any situation has never been an option for him. he always turns any frustrating, disappointing or rocky situation into a positive one. i give steve all credit for being able to up and leave what we knew was familiar a year ago and move across the country with no jobs, friends or family on the other end and stay positive through it all.

my mom defines optimism. everything is so uplifting and positive when she is around. after picking her up from the airport and going to our apartment it didn't take 5 seconds for her to start complimenting everything about our new home and neighborhood. even the quirks and weird things that I don't like about our apartment became minor in her eyes. this optimism didn't change all weekend, whether we were out to dinner, grocery shopping, site-seeing or doing laundry she was so positive and optimistic. although she has always been like this, it becomes more evident when you move away and spend less time together. she couldn't give enough compliments about steve and i's new phase of our lives and really confirmed for me that we are exactly where we are supposed to be right now. and that, my friend, is exactly what a mom is for.

you can just imagine that a weekend with these two was the most enjoyable thing ever. 

mom, thank you for coming and for all you did for us while you were here.
{including gift us with a gorgeous coffee table book of of our wedding photos,
even though it's been almost three years - so thoughtful!}

please come again {soon}!

a few photos of our weekend...

fords theater & the coolest portrait i've ever seen of president lincoln (at the national portrait gallery)

the view of the [back of the] capitol from the library of congress

the white house

most random highlight of the weekend: the peeps store at national harbor. steve was thrilled at the idea of a mike n' ikes wall - three pounds later, a happy boy!

arlington cemetery and the tomb of the unknown solider. incredible

the library of congress is amazing. the best part: thomas jefferson's personal library

update overload

it's so hard to blog when there is so much to catch up on. here's a quick rundown of what has being going on in our lives over the past few months:

cherry blossoms (love that i made steve walk the tidal basin with me, all while he was complaining about "being tourists" especially because i was carrying a water bottle with me, very funny)

the pierce's came to visit us during spring break and lucked out with perfect weather while they were here, of course we did all of the tourist things and watched lots of march madness, so fun to have visitors!

too many extra hours at work for steve... boooo to election years.

a 25th birthday for him (a few weeks ago) and a 25th birthday for her (in a few weeks).... 25's all around this year, although we aren't doing anything extravagant like a trip to the bahamas or another tropical island, we are certainly enjoying ourselves and making the days extra special

beautiful spring weather perfect for walking around embassy row right near the naval observatory (and vp biden's house)

lots of basketball for him and running for her

apartment hunting, still trying to decide if we want to move to another apartment in the area or stay where we are at for another year... why does real estate have to be sooo expensive, can't we just buy already? oh wait... still have grad tuition to pay for each semester! maybe in 2014?

cooking, cooking and more cooking, have i ever mentioned how much we love to cook at our house?

rediscovering our love for boy bands, particularly our new favorite... one direction. i just love those 15 year old boys (in a non-creepy way)

looking forward to more visitors this weekend, my mom!

the itch to spring clean, redecorate and completely revamp our apartment.... too bad we don't have more square feet or else this could be incredibly dangerous.

lots of okc thunder basketball. we are big kevin durant/russell westbrook/nick collison fans in this house, actually big fans of all the thunder players. it's impossible to not be.

cherry blossoms around the tidal basin and the jefferson memorial

steve with winston churchill & the british ambassador's residence

there are the most beautiful tulips by the tidal basin, took this photo for my mom

steve's favorite: the franklin d. roosevelt memorial (missed the "t" on "third:)

this is my favorite area in the district, the view from the back of the lincoln memorial overlooking memorial bridge and the potomac, across the bridge is arlington cemetery

we love our nursery kids, steve especially loves wheels on the bus during singing time

of course we had to participate in the mega millions lottery last weekend - $10 well spent even though we didn't win, count it as a $10 donation to the public school system

vietnam memorial and washington monument at sunset on a sunday walk- independence hall in philadelphia at 1:30am on our way home for a concert downtown philadelphia