I think I can feel my age tonight. After spending 4 days in Washington DC and then another 3 days traveling to/from Iowa City for a family get-together, I am officially beat.
If you could see me now, I am sharing the couch with Joe while he is on his iPad and I’ve got HGTV on – and neither one of us is moving too quickly. It’s been an amazing week, though, and I thought I’d share a few of my favorite photos from the past few days.
My work trip to Washington DC was a typical whirlwind of National Turkey Federation conference events, a multitude of meetings with our Congressional leaders on the Hill, and some laughs in between with my poultry peeps. On our last night, we happened upon the Marine Corps Band playing on the steps of the Capitol. In a word: incredible. Is there a better place to listen to John Phillip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever”? I don’t think so.
But first I gave a presentation at the National Turkey Federation Summer Leadership Conference on media and crisis communication in the wake of avian flu in the poultry industry. My friend, Gretta, from the Iowa Turkey Federation was in the audience and snapped this picture. It reminds me of a high school teacher who told me I always talk with my hands. 🙂 (And in case you’re wondering the presentation went very well, too!)
Several of us from Minnesota enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Woodward Table, a restaurant just a block or so from the White House. It will likely come as no surprise that I especially loved the apple tart with creme fraiche and calvados sauce (a distilled apple cider from the Normandy region of France).
And no trip to DC would be complete without visiting The Dubliner, an Irish pub over by Union Station – and conveniently just around the corner from our hotel. Here is my beloved pint of Harp, which always reminds me of the two trips to Ireland Teacher Man and I have enjoyed. I know I’m mainly a wine kind of girl, but a decent pint of Harp holds a very similar appeal.
Less than 24 hours after returning home from DC, I hit the road with the boys for Iowa City and our annual family pool party at Teacher Man’s sister’s home. If you follow me on Instagram, then you probably saw this photo, with half a frozen margarita gone before noon. That’s the way we roll. (What you don’t see is how I snuck away at 4 p.m. for a much-needed nap!)
My sister-in-law and brother-in-law have the most amazing salt water pool … and apparently nearly as many floaties as they do family members.
Joe was in heaven, having a pool and cousins at his beck and call. That kid could live in the water all day.
It was #babyfix time for me, with two 4-month-olds joining the pool party for the first time. This is Jaxon, who has the biggest eyes and seemed so easy-going.
And this is Miss Madison, who is quite possibly the “smiley-ist” baby I’ve ever seen. (But of course, she didn’t smile for the camera – ha!) Those cheeks, too.
Aside from the free flowing frozen margaritas, there were plenty of other beverage to be had as well.
Another Instagram post … this is two #introverts taking a break and getting some quiet time. Like mother, like son. 🙂
Fast forward to Sunday afternoon, when we arrived back home after a 5+ hour drive. I went immediately to water my flower pots and check the gardens. I picked a few of the multi-colored carrots for dinner, and …
… our first crop of yellow beans this summer! This is definitely the most favorite vegetable we plant – we just steam the beans in a pot filled partially with water for about 15-20 minutes, drain them, add a couple of tablespoons of butter, and a little garlic salt. So delicious!
And yes, this was our meal tonight – beans and carrots. I wouldn’t normally get away with not providing a protein, but we had been eating well all weekend – including a stop for lunch at Culver’s in Mason City – so I didn’t hear any complaints. (Although Teacher Man couldn’t resist teasing me, “This is some meal you’ve got going for us tonight!”)
Plus, this gave us more room for our Sunday night ice cream from DQ – for #NationalIceCreamDay!
I’ll add that protein back in tomorrow night, promise.
Have a great start to the week!