This morning we woke up to a reprieve from the hot temperatures. Unfortunately, that was by way of rain and crazy humidity, so the big Texas hair can be attributed to that. As I splashed down the sidewalks and made it to the office, I was a bit grumpy and wet. Then I remembered it’s date night!

We have probably let a few weeks too many pass since we had what Keith considers an official date…you know dinner and a movie. We’re headed to Clyde’s in Chinatown. Now I know so many in the District look down on this spot, but we view it as the local chain with far better food than Ruby Tuesdays. That combined with it was the place we met for dinner on our first date and well, we just can’t help but make our way back for movie date nights.

There is a theater next door where we plan to catch The Campaign. I really hope the previews haven’t shown all the good stuff already.

Via

The rest of the weekend is devoted to relaxing and catching up with friends. So what about you? Any big plans?

I never seemed to fret over growing old alone. I have a solid network of friends and family, so I was never really interested in finding a soul mate. Honestly, I thought it was a bunch of total BS. Then I met Keith and well, I guess you could say I got all soft. The thought of not having him by my side through all of life’s adventures just seems unfathomable.

So when I read a review of Epilogue: A Memoir by Anne Roiphe over on Joanna Goddard's blog, A Cup of Jo, I was intrigued to see how one woman coped with such a loss. Ms. Roiphe suddenly lost her husband of 39 years to a heart attack. Epilogue was one of her methods for coping with that loss – by writing about her daily life.

There are moments that are completely heart wrenching and others that bring a giggle or smile of understanding. Her memoir resulted in a true love story and how sometimes following such a magnificent loss the survivor simply tries to find a way to keep going on.

“I do not have my soul mate,” Ms. Roiphe realizes, “and most likely will never have another, but I will be fine…I will be sad often but not always."

I would best describe the writing as a stream of consciousness, which did take me a bit of adjusting too. However, this made it a great book for commuting back and forth – I was able to easily put it down and pick it up after short periods of time reading. This book is definitely worth the read; just make sure you have a tissue or two within arm’s reach.

Do you worry about losing a spouse or loved one? Do you have suggestions for a book to add to my list?

Monday has been a little slow moving for us. It felt like most of our weekend was spent with this as the view.

We flew out of Baltimore early Saturday morning for one of Keith's high school buddy's wedding in the Texas Hill Country. The trip was pretty quick as we flew back to Baltimore yesterday. This was my first trip to Texas with Keith and it was an adventure. But then every trip with Keith is an adventure. (Even to the grocery store.)

He's convinced the first thing one does when they are in Texas is stop at Whataburger. I think I may have made a mistake ordering breakfast rather than a burger. I just couldn't wrap my mind around a burger without having had breakfast first. Can you believe he wouldn't share?


The more I think about it, the more I feel like the trip revolved around food. We napped and then found our way to Phoenix Saloon, which I have no doubt was a pretty happening place come that night. Again I should have followed Keith's lead when it came to my order. That Frito pie looked really good and the smile on his face was priceless.



Let's not forget the real reason for the trip was the wedding. It was held on the River, which I had no idea was such a scenic view. I'm sure they will have gorgeous photos with this as the backdrop.


The groom was beyond happy to see Keith. It was like watching a high school reunion unfold. I enjoyed meeting so many of the guys I had heard about. All in all, they were a good bunch of guys. The evening was gorgeous and who would have thought that the weather in Texas was going to be cooler than what we left behind in Washington, DC?

It was short, whirlwind trip. I kind of wish we had more time to enjoy the sights. I hear the BBQ in Texas is something to enjoy. I'm just not so sure it's better than Kansas City, though. Guess, we'll just have to wait until another time.

What did your weekend bring?

Keith and I made it back from Dahlonega, GA last night in time for to continue our Sunday night tradition. Keith always gets a little sappy when it comes to weddings and watching his friends celebrate their love and this weekend was no different. 


We made it in late Thursday night and was able to crash with my sister. On Friday morning, she took us to this cute little breakfast spot that had some of the best coffee. I only wish I had asked them where I could purchase their coffee so I could have a cup or two at home. The visit with her was short as we needed to make our way north for the wedding festivities. It was agreed that we need to make a trip back to see Atlanta and for me that must include the Jimmy Carter library. 


On the drive north, we stopped at a couple of liquor stores in search for bourbon that's harder to find in the District. This trip was quite a success. We found not one but three bottles, including a 100th Anniversary bottle of Four Roses and this bottle celebrating the upcoming elections.  

Once we made it to our destination, Keith's best man responsibilities filled the rest of the time.  However, there was time to make friends with this adorable gal, Biscuit. She was quite found of Keith, letting him pick up and just cuddle with her. I think Sammy is still mad at us; not sure how she knows, but she does. 

 “…There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.”