Breaking and entering

It's been an interesting day and it's barely 3 p.m. The entire goal of today, other than packing, is to absolutely exhaust Lucy so that she's completely worn out by the time we drive home tonight.
I took Chad into work this morning and managed to lock myself out of the house. So I MacGyvered my way into the back yard over the fence and through the dog door to let us in. I was feeling quite proud of myself until I realized I must have landed in a pile of dog poop because I tracked it all over the living room.

Then we went to the local dog park. She loves the creek and playing with all the other dogs. She ran around for an hour and a half. Lucy's "Missouri Mom," the woman who originally found her in Missouri and sent her out here to a friend so that she could be adopted, was in town and wanted to see how much Lucy had grown. We met her and her friend, who Lucy stayed with for three weeks when she first came out to DC. They kept remarking that Lucy was really well-behaved. (I didn't tell them that we got to the dog park 45 minutes early so she wouldn't be hyper!)

Then we drove downtown and had a picnic with Chad. That was fun.

Presently, Lucy is absolutely pooped. When it looks like she's falling asleep, I'll wake her back up. She keeps looking at me like, "Woman, what is wrong with you?"

From the look of the picture below, I'd say that I'm succeeding.

Sports center

It's about that time to fill people in on Chad's sports schedule. Here's our current itinerary:

Sunday: Flag Football
Monday: Men's basketball (playing here the other night)
Tuesday: Men's softball
Wednesday: Alabama softball on the Mall
Thursday: Co-ed softball against other Hill staff
Friday: OFF (!)
Saturday: Co-ed softball

Needless to say, if I didn't go to the games, I would never see my own husband.

Bad hair day

It's irritating to me that the day before I'm scheduled to get my haircut, I'm asked to appear live on Fox Business. Couldn't they have waited until tomorrow afternoon to talk about something that's a week away?

If you can get past my bad hair day, this wasn't a horrible piece.

Rainbow hunting

We had an odd storm last night where the rain just came and went for about a half-hour. And when I noticed that it was raining on one side of our house and sunny on another, I immediately went searching for a rainbow. (I know I frustrated poor Chad with this wild goose chase because he had just finished making dinner and I was not paying one bit of attention to it. But he knows me well enough to know that all things stop when you're rainbow hunting.)

Needless to say, the rainbow didn't take long to find. Here's what was outside of our front window. If you look really closely, you can see the double rainbow a ways up from the really bright one:

This made me think about my best rainbow memories. What comes to mind:

• Mom giving in to the pleas of her four kids, letting us all hop in the car on a summer night in search of the end of a rainbow. We drove for awhile and then it just disappeared--which is too bad because, at the time, I was sure that it was going to make us rich. Or that we'd at least see a leprechaun.

• Driving over to Grandma Marge's house when I was in high school to show her a rainbow that was outside. This was before cell phones and I was on Henderson Street heading home from work. I knew she'd want to see it because she's the biggest rainbow-lover I know.

• A little over two years ago, when we found out that Chad's grandmother had just a few months to live, both of us were feeling very melancholy. It was the first irreversible sickness of one of our grandparents and neither of us knew exactly how to handle it. That night, the most subdued, you-can-barely-see-it rainbow appeared in the sky across the street from our house. And just a few days after we returned to DC from her funeral, another rainbow appeared in the exact same spot. I equated it to a little pep talk from God: "Hey, just wanted to let you know it's all good up here..." So I also think of Grandma Rhodes now when I see them.

• The most gorgeous rainbow I have ever seen: Outside of Cumberland, Maryland when we were driving home for Rachel's wedding. The sun was peeking out from the other side of the mountains and hitting the rain clouds perfectly to reveal the most sensational colors right from a Crayola box. We pulled over to take a picture, but couldn't capture its brilliance. I told Rachel that it was a sign that she picked the right guy. As if she didn't already know that!

Buried treasure

Lucy has never been the slightest bit interested in the empty flower beds in our backyard (empty because I have been waiting to figure out what on earth to do with them since they get so much direct sunlight the flowers I plant always die). At any rate, on Friday night Chad tilled the soil and we unknowingly unleashed a demon.

We have come to find out that Lucy is gathering walnuts that have fallen from our tree and lining them up side-by-side before burying them. Something tells me that our squirrels will not be too happy!

I ain't scared of no ghosts

Congrats to the Galloping Ghosts, who took fourth place in the Arlington County men's spring flag football league. They lost tonight 19-10, but they played well and gave the #1 team a real run for their money!

Here are the guys, in good spirits despite their loss. Note our team screwball Ted (far right), who is just seconds away from pouring the rest of his water on Bob.


And the season could not end propertly without a shout-out to the Spirit Squad, who attended every game faithfully (except for the one during a monsoon). Even Lucy was a full-fledged attendee. We had a good time, watching most plays and keeping up on current gossip when we weren't.

Summer nights

Janice and Nick made us BLTs last night and there is just really nothing better to eat in the summertime (especially if you add sweet corn!). My dinner was so good that I almost had a hard time eating it. Almost.

Overheard in the living room

"You know you've arrived, Lucy, when Janice makes you treats and then takes them in to work before she gives you any."

--Chad pointing out that, even if Janice bakes Lucy dog treats (as I have joked that she will), that she'll bring them into her office before any of us get a bite. This is the same Chad who bought Lucy a frosted bone with sprinkles from the pet store tonight.

Wednesday's random thoughts

I might do this weekly as things are just swirling around my head today.

1) The Army Corps of Engineers are kind of like the kicker on a football team. No one talks about them unless they screw up. There's no discussion about levees when they don't break.

2) I dropped off a big load of dry cleaning on Saturday. They said it would be done Wednesday. We went to pick it up this morning and were scolded by the owner: "If you wanted Wednesday morning, you say Tuesday!" (What?!?) The clothes were still done, by the way, so I'm not sure what the huge issue was.

3) My next big purchases will be a nice vacuum and a bigger iPod. No matter how much you Furminate dogs (and I do love the Furminator), they shed. A lot. The iPod will come in handy because I've become a fan of books on tape thanks to my friend Ana, so my little iPod isn't cutting it anymore. Until then, I can just use Chad's.

God bless the Midwest

I just watched the most hilarious interview on Fox News. They were talking about the flooding in the Midwest and interviewing an older man who owns a building on the river in Burlington. (This is about 45 minutes from where I grew up.) I felt a bit uncomfortable for the reporter, who was clearly trying to get the man to whine and moan about how awful this was and how they all needed help. But this man was not taking the bait at all.

While this guy is no doubt a bit optimistic, slightly kooky, and definitely minimizes the amount of damage, I have to say that I admire his attitude:

When New Orleans flooded and homes were damaged (and, yes, I realize that was a bit different in that it was a hurricane and came more suddenly...), it was like people were absolutely oblivious to the fact that they chose to live near water.

The Midwest's attitude is that they'll deal with it, they'll clean it up together, and it will all look really nice until it floods again in two decades or so. You don't hear any of them complaining about how the Corps of Engineers screwed up their levees or that no one in the country is helping them out. While I certainly wish they weren't in this situation (and remember quite well the Flood of '93), it is refreshing to see people who realize that this is just something that happened that is no one else's fault and that they'll get through it by banding together.

Beating the Insurgents

The Galloping Ghosts, Chad's flag football team, beat the Insurgents 14-6 in the first round of the Arlington County playoffs last night. With the game close at 7-6, one of our defenders intercepted a pass from the opposing quarterback and threw a lateral to Chad, who ran it in for a touchdown. (Isn't my football slang impressive?)

While I like to go watch, I must admit that I also love to go for my weekly socializing with the other player's wives and girlfriends. It's a fun group! And though the team is a random mix of Hill staffers, lobbyists, public affairs specialists, an insurance agent, some financial analysts, and a media buyer, they are some of our very best friends. And they love to give each other grief on the field (and off).

There was some discussion among players and those of us in the Spirit Squad on if the other team's name was a bit off-color. Consensus was that if they were a bunch of ex-military dudes then it was fine. Otherwise, it may have been slightly inappropriate.

Regardless, we beat them 14-6 and are heading into round two of the playoffs next Sunday at 4:30 where we'll play the #1-ranked team. Next week I'll bring my camera.

Lucy's tasty treat

Janice and I walked to Great Harvest Bread this morning for coffee and a slice of bread. (It's a great deal--the slice of bread is free if you buy a cup of coffee. We both had pumpkin chocolate chip and it was delicious.)

While inside, Janice decided to buy Lucy her very own treat. A baked bone that supposedly tasted like beef and garlic. Lucy was quite pleased:

Home sweet home

After months (and months!) of looking, Rachel and Paul found a wonderful townhouse to buy. It's a darling place with two big bedrooms, great bathrooms, new appliances, and all sorts of other fabulous things. (Including membership to the community pool, which you know I will be taking advantage of.)

Rachel was talking to Dad about this new place, discussing the irony that they looked all over the area and found a place just a block and a half from where they're currently renting. This will be the easiest move ever.

It's really no secret that Dad was quietly rooting for them to find a place near us, since right now they're a five-minute drive from our house (and nothing around here is quick!). As a parent, when your kids move away, I imagine there's some solace in knowing they all live near each other. And believe me, Chad and I are thrilled that their new place is just a short walk from ours!

So when Dad heard about the new house, he thought it was fabulous. He only had one question. "Is that a block and a half closer to Chad and Ellen, or farther away?"

Though she's also happy they found a place nearby, I could hear the exasperation in Rachel's voice while recounting the conversation:

"It's closer, dad...but either way...it's a block and a half!"

3:00 on a Friday

It's almost a foregone conclusion around here that all breaking news happens at 3:00 on a Friday, when most people are heading out of town or at least trying to tune out the TV.

When I was working in crisis PR, we'd try to bury news stories that we didn't want people to hear by waiting until late on a Friday to announce it. By the time reporters actually saw it on Monday, it would be "old news" and the hope was they wouldn't run it.

(In fact, that's when Jessica Simpson announced her divorce. It's when Justice Rehnquist stepped down from the Supreme Court. The list goes on.)

But this news wasn't planned.

Several DC sources are reporting that Tim Russert has died, apparently of a heart attack in his office just a few days after returning from vacation. Lucy and I were out walking on the Mall and were just a few miles from the NBC studios when this likely happened. I am so, so sad.

There are few reporters in DC who everyone likes, but he seemed to be one of them. A smart, intellectual, perceptive man. He will be missed.

Home cookin'

I made stuffed peppers last night. They were good. But somewhere along the way at dinner, Janice and I got to talking about things that mom used to make. All of a sudden, my meal wasn't as good as:

• Tuna noodle casserole
• Egg salad sandwiches
• Breaded roundsteak
• Tater tot casserole
• Beef & noodles

I didn't say my dinner wasn't healthier, I just said it left a bit to be desired. And don't get me started on mom's great desserts!

Looks like I need to hunt down some recipes the next time I'm home.

You snooze, you lose

In college, and even afterward, I would hop out of bed as soon as my alarm would go off in the mornings. But since I've gotten married, I've wandered into a very bad habit of setting the alarm a half-hour or so before I need to get up, then hitting snooze three or four times before my feet hit the floor. (All of the sleep professionals will tell you that you get absolutely no quality sleep during that time period but for some reason it makes me feel that I can transition better from sleep to being awake. I admit that it's unproductive and stupid.)

Since Lucy didn't like her crate and we're confident that she's now housebroken, we've just been letting her sleep on the floor of our room at nights. She doesn't bark, doesn't pester us, and only occasionally moves around to change positions. It's been a nice set-up and I think she likes it too.

But it's affecting my snooze strategy. Lucy has figured out what the alarm is and she'll allow me one snooze before she walks to my side of the bed and sniffs around, trying to get me up. If I don't budge, she'll wander to Chad's side and do the same thing. Back and forth...

So tomorrow morning's alarm will be set for 5:45 instead of 5:15. I don't need a buzzer and a dog pestering me to get out of bed for a half-hour.

A fast-food lover's dream

DO NOT MAKE PLANS FOR DINNER ON THURSDAY! Why, you ask?

For starters, Pizza Hut is offering three or more of their new Pizza Mia pizzas for just four bucks each. And McDonald's is giving away their new Southern Style chicken biscuits for breakfast and sandwiches for dinner.

In a perfect world, this would have been planned better. I mean, truly. How am I supposed to choose between a free chicken sandwich and a cheap pizza?

New York state of mind

We had such a fun, low-key weekend with friends in New Jersey...

Playing bocce ball in 100-degree heat
(I have huge back yard envy!)

Spending time with new babies (and new moms!)

Eating great meals (thanks, Charlie!)

Finding ways to keep the kids cool
(it took six adults to put this together)

Riveting political discussions after nightfall
(can we fix frivolous lawsuits by making losers pay all court fees?
who should Barack pick as his running mate?
and by the way, what DID happen to Big Brown?)

And Texas Hold 'Em until 4 a.m.

Until next year, friends, that was one heck of a weekend.

I love you. I'm broke.

A great Father's Day article from one of my favorite reporters to work with:

Dearest Dad,

You know I love you. I really do. But don't expect much from me this Father's Day.

I'm broke. Not so broke that I'm eating ramen and putting my Fender guitar on eBay (Never!), but I'm definitely feeling the economic squeeze. So this June 15, I'm trimming $3.80 from your gift.

Please, don't be hurt. That's the average amount by which the National Retail Federation, a trade group, expects consumers to reduce Father's Day spending, to $94.54 this year from $98.34 last year.

See, Dad? Everybody's doing it.

Read the rest here.

Contact us

All of my Outlook contacts in my computer disappeared, so I reached out to everyone I had an email address for and asked them to send me their information. I am slowly and surely rebuilding the contact info of people I've met over the past five years at work.

I got lots of great replies, but my favorite came from the PR guy at Apple:

Hi Ellen,
I'm so sorry for your loss. If I may be so bold, maybe it's time to get a Mac. ;-)
My contact info. is below.
All the best,
Todd

Secrets

I beg. I plead. I throw a fit. I NEED TO KNOW!

But, secretly, I like secrets.

Chad won't tell me where we're going for our anniversary tonight (all I know is our reservation is at 9 p.m. somewhere in Old Town).

I've been giving him all the reasons in the world why I really need to know (what to wear! what if I accidentally eat the same thing for lunch! what if I need to mentally prepare for this type of cuisine!), but I'm kind of excited that I have no idea.*

Besides, all I really care about is that I can wear a cute dress. The restaurant is sort of secondary.

*Please don't tell Chad. He doesn't read this blog anyway.

The power of a question mark

I pulled into a gas station this morning to fill up on $3.99/gallon gas (it seemed like a deal at the time). The first pump had this sign on it:

I'm not sure if this sign was telling me that there was no gas or asking me if there was no gas...

Regardless, I went to another pump.

Gas guzzler

For almost six years, I have been at the beck-and-call of public transportation or a carpooler to get to work. For awhile I rode with Chad, though we nearly killed each other since he was always running late. Then I rode with Rachel while she was living with us (I paid for parking and she paid for gas), which wasn't bad but she always wanted to leave earlier than I did. Scott picked me up for awhile, but for his sake, there was no reason to continue that arrangement since I was out of his way. Most recently, I took the bus to the Metro, though some days Chad would drop me off at the Pentagon and I'd take the train from there.

Basically, it took me an hour to get into work for a drive that takes 15 minutes. And getting home sometimes took 90 minutes.

So, after being on the waiting list for our parking garage for two years, I have secured my own spot inside the lot. I won't even tell you how much it costs because I don't want to incite any heart attacks. But let's just say it's expensive (though it is pre-tax).

I can't truly express what it was like this morning to get up and be on my own schedule, knowing that I could leave for work whenever I darn well pleased. I didn't have to worry about the bus schedule (and if it was raining/hot/cold, etc.), I wasn't nagging Chad about being late, and I didn't need to put on flip flops for the walk so as not to ruin my heels. I just got in the Jeep...and left! And, tonight, I don't have to time my departure around anyone else! This is heaven.

Yes, gas is $4.00/gallon but the bus and Metro was costing $10.00 per day. And I have to believe that my time is worth something. At least that's what I am telling myself!

Reality check

Well, it's back to reality, folks. Until we head back to the real world of work tomorrow, here are some of the most memorable moments from our trip to Punta Cana...

A room with a view...

A few good books...(I highly recommend Water for Elephants)

Fiesty games of water polo
(Chad is in the white hat, in the middle of this ruckus)

My idea of a perfect day:
Floating around in a pool while sipping out of a coconut

Watching the tide roll in

Inspecting local wildlife

Lots (and lots) of beach volleyball

Long walks before dinner

Wondering where the next three years will take us