Our "Date"

When we moved out here, we knew we were giving up some things we loved. For example, Mexican food that tastes like Mexican food, hanging out with a bunch of crazy college kids on Tuesday nights, and great babysitters.

There were other things we didn’t realize we were giving up, like fresh jalapenos at the ready in every grocery store, drive through everything (like cleaners, Starbucks and pharmacies) and sleep.

We have an 11-month old, so the occasional sleepless night and sacrificed date night is expected. We are aware of that and don’t complain. We never took for granted that we had scores of willing grandmothers, neighbors, coworkers, friends and college kids who really wanted to hang out with our little buddy for a few hours so we could have dinner and a movie when we got well and ready. However, we didn’t anticipate that moving to Virginia would launch poor little Isaiah into a series of viruses that have kept all of us from sleeping for two months. That’s ok….he’s going to be fine. But it’s time for a date.

We Hold these Truths to be Self Evident

What a good day to get out of the city! With a car full of Texas Tech interns and a handful of good friends, we pulled out of D.C. yesterday morning, headed south to Monticello. Our friend Matt planned the perfect day: lunch at Mitchie Tavern, guided tour of the house, and a whole afternoon to explore the grounds. We finished up with dinner at Pig ‘n Steak Virginia barbeque.

We have to beg friends to travel with us because with as much gear as it takes to keep this kid happy, we'd never get any sightseeing done. Don't we look like tourists? By "we" I mean them.

Thomas Jefferson was a farmer and a gardener. He did intense horticultural testing in these gardens, which were maintained by slaves who lived in shacks located where I am standing. His garden not only fed the estate, but in it he experimented with new varieties and crop rotations.