DC, Here I Come!

In less than two weeks I board a plane to Washington, DC, and I CANNOT WAIT!! You see, my brilliant playwright husband has had a play accepted to the Kennedy Center/National New Play Network's annual MFA Playwrights Workshop, and I have decided to take advantage of the free hotel room to spend a few days exploring our capital.  Oh, and I want to see Tom's workshop too!

I will be in the District for 4 days, and will have a lot of time to myself as Tom does his artist thing at the Kennedy. I have already received lots of advice on what to do while in DC from locals, but am still looking for more great ideas.  Anyone have a favorite landmark, restaurant or museum that I just can't miss? Please leave your suggestions below. (Comments about how amazing Tom is are also welcome)

Home Safely

Hello Friends! This is just a quick post to ensure you all we are back safely in the sweaty embrace of Austin. It's basically hotter than I ever thought it could be in June anywhere, and we are breaking new records every day. There is no point in even watching the weather- every seven day outlook that I have caught this week forecast triple digits as far they can see, with no rain predicted. It's great for the tomatoes and melons, but murder on our electric and water bills.

The brutal weather is just one more reason to look back fondly on our great trip to Chicago and St Louis last week! I intend to write a blow-by-blow review of our Alinea experience this weekend, but in the mean time, let me just say that the trip was an embarrassment of great food, amazing friends, and fun with family. We got to see both sets of parents, nearly all our siblings (we missed Sean and Lily SO MUCH!) and we got (almost enough) quality time with the nephews.

I will particularity cherish bath time with the twins (seriously, nothing is more fun, or more adorable, than bathing one-year old twins who LOVE the water). I am also looking back fondly on doing the Cha Cha Slide with my dad at wedding #2 (Tom refused, so like any good dad, Bob stepped in). There is also the funny story of how Tom took a last minute pinch hit and stepped in last minute to officiate wedding #1. To complete the baseball metaphor, he hit it out of the park, and was received with much love and appreciation by all at the reception that followed.

It was a whirlwind, and we did and saw so much that I am definitely still recovering. Needless to say, we are very much looking forward to the next visit to our Midwestern homes.

Happier Holidays

Day: 134
High Temp: 29F (in St. Louis)

Don't Mess With Lindsey has been on an extended hiatus as Tom and I have been home in St. Louis to celebrate the holidays with our families. It has been an eventful week so far, with the chance to enjoy the company of many friends and family members who we rarely see. Homer took his first 12 hours car ride (not his favorite thing in the world) and he has also been enjoying that white stuff that tends to fall from the sky this time of year in the Midwest.

We have, indeed, had a small amount of snow here in St. Louis, including a dusting on Christmas morning. This allowed Tom to experience his first-ever white Christmas. He now can appreciate what all the hype is about. It is actually snowing again right now, with about an inch or two expected. It makes sitting inside very cozy.

Tom and I gave and received well this year, with many really neat homemade presents exchanged. Among my favorite we gave were mixed CD's inspired by the new music we have come to love since arriving in Austin, hand embroidered tea towels (visit Austin artist Jenny Hart's website here for some of the cool patterns I used) and homemade compost bins. We also made two types of jam (cranberry maple butter and cranberry orange marmalade.) The people who love us were also ridiculously generous and creative in their gift giving this season.

And my whole family received an early Christmas surprise when brother Andy and his wife Megan went for their first ultrasound last Wednesday morning. I knew something was up when instead of heading to work as she should have, my mom came back home with Andy and Megan following the appointment. We all crowded around the ultrasound print outs, and were all really excited to see the following shocking image:


















For those without a trained eye, there are indeed two little heads in this picture. We have twins on the way! They are fraternal (you can see the border between their individual placentas) which means they will not be identical. Here are a few more highlights from the visit!

Twin A: profile shot

















Twin B: front facing

Is Austin Ready For This?

Day: 110
High Temp: 50F
Job Status: Unemployed

I was just noticing that lately it seems like the High Temp and the Day counter have switched places. We are now safely over the 100 mark in terms of days spent living in Austin, and now the mercury is creeping slowly down towards that freezing mark. Indeed, today (December 3!) Tom and I finally turned on our heater.

When we left for Tahoe a little over a week ago, we left a city still experiencing an average high temp in the mid-70s. It was chilly at night, but sunny and comfortable during the day. Now, there is a distinct coldness that has settled upon us, and while most of the trees still refuse to turn and loose their leaves. We haven't hit below the freezing mark yet, but I couldn't help noticing tomorrow's weather forecast: High of 36F with a 70%chance of snow showers! Is Austin ready for this?

I mean, I certainly am. If 27 winters in the Midwest taught me anything, it is how to deal when expecting an inch of mixed precipitation. In fact, I am now the owner of an SUV, so driving in the snow should be safer than ever. But, it is not me I am worried about, its all these southern yahoos (no offense yahoos, but admit it, you don't have a reputation for handling well in the snow!)

I have a meeting, a lunch date and a party to attend, all tomorrow. This means I have to go out and brave the masses. Honestly, this is more daunting than black Friday at a suburban mall! The hourly breakdown from weather.com shows a forecast of possible snow from 9am through 6pm.

Now, nothing can get me more in the spirit of the holidays than a good early-December snowfall, but I fear that this snowfall will come at the price of the sanity of the masses. So hear me now Texans: please do me a favor and stay home tomorrow! Let me enjoy this uncommon expression of the season in peace and relative safety.

Thanksgiving

FaDay: 100
High Temp: 73F (Don't hate me, but it is gorgeous here!)
Status: Unemployed (and possibly soon to be receiving unemployment benefits!!!)

Sometimes I hesitate to even tell people about what my Thanksgiving is like, afraid of the overwhelming jealousy that it will cause. This year, however, there are so many of you loyally reading this silly blog that I have decided to try and describe just what the Horan Thanksgiving is all about.

First off, I have to say that spending my Thanksgiving with the Horans comes at a great cost, namely missing the holiday with my own family. Even though this will be my 6th Thanksgiving with the Horan clan, I still get a little twinge of sadness mixed in with my excitement when we book the plane tickets, knowing it is one more year I wont be with my family. I miss Aunt Sally's cranberries, my mom's sweet potato casserole, and the many pies my dad makes. I miss making the pies too, as many years I was sous for Chef Bob. And I miss the black Friday ladies lunch on the Hill (girls, have a slice of tiramisu and think of me).

The trade off is that Tom and I get to spend Christmas in St. Louis. And if you have to miss your own family's fete, you should definitely beg for an invitation to this one.

My first several Horan Thanksgivings were spent at a cute cabin near the Mount Shasta National Forest in far northern California. When our cabin benefactor decided to sell his fabulous vacation home, we spent a year at Nan's (Tom's mom's) house in the Bay Area, vowing to find a new location. That new location came in the most unexpected ways, with the entrance of Dr. Kim into the Horan family mix. He was brave (crazy?) enough to let the group borrow his beautiful ski cabin, and so last year we moved the trip to Truckee, CA (located just a stones throw from the north shore of Lake Tahoe). And we did so well that he has agreed to let us come back!

No matter where the festivities occur, the general goal of the holiday weekend remains the same, utter relaxation. We all travel to be there, and we all stay together. That means no one has to drive home after the pie course, and you don't have to get dressed to go watch the football game with your family either. Indeed, it is common to find a majority of the family in pajamas well into the afternoon, until someone suggests a hike, or a trip to town to pick up some forgotten ingredients for the evenings meal. Enthusiastic and rambunctious card games are liable to break out at any time, and there is always a fire in the fireplace. There are games, crafts, naps, puzzles and frequent visits to the hot tub on the back deck (have you ever been in a hot tub when it is snowing? It's the best!). There is also lots of food (and wine).

The Thanksgiving meal is the ultimate in tradition, and as new family members join, it has been fun to see what they add to the mix. I am not sure what the Horans were doing for pies and cranberries before I arrived... The pie recipes are my father's of course, built upon the pie crust that my Great Grandmother used. This year, I will do 3 different types, apple, raspberry cream and chocolate (two chocolates, actually). And someone else may even make a pumpkin one.

Tom and I leave Austin first thing tomorrow morning, and will be settled at the cabin by early afternoon. I plan to spend most of my time reading , cooking, eating, drinking, crocheting and embroidering Christmas presents and puzzling. I will make professional work out of lounging about and enjoying the mountain air. I will relish putting on my boots, and my big, down sleeping bag jacket and stomping in the already plentiful snow. I will talk wedding planning with my soon-to-be sister Erin, who is also getting married in 2010. I will forget that I am unemployed. I will catch up with my California family, and miss my family in St. Louis, Chicago and Madrid. I will joyously welcome the official start of the Christmas season, even if that means that all that is left of the big Thanksgiving meal is sandwiched between bread on Sean's and Colin's plates.

I hope you all have celebrations to look forward to as well. Happy Thanksgiving!