Habits, Equality, and Rochester

Oh to have the exciting life of a teenager over summer break. The first adventure of the week was trying Chipotle for the first time--I LOVE it! And besides the fresh, non-GMO yummy food, it happens to be right around the corner from my house. Convenient and delicious--an easy habit to form. And I know this because I attended a habit seminar by Michael Kim. It was fantastic. I am quite obsessed by Gretchen Rubin's Better than Before and The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. I'm trying to get the whole family on board with creating good habits as our summer project. (No progress on that front.) Julia went out with Lia and her boyfriend to Shake Shack. She went with Jason and his family to see, The Book of Mormon at the Kennedy Center, before jetting Friday morning to Rochester. Also on Friday, June 26, the Supreme Court ruled for marriage equality in all 50 states. While in Rochester, Julia attended Matt Boheen's 30th birthday party, a Jazz Festival, and had dinner with her beautiful sister, Arie. They are both gorgeous in this picture below.

Yum's, Pitango, and Gravitas

Busy, fun week. Julia went out with the Holton friends for some Chinese food at Yum's and gelato at Pitango. We had some wild stormy weather, typical with the DC humidity build-up. The IFC hosted a presentation by Sylvia Ann Hewlett on her latest book, Executive Presence: The Missing Link between Merit and Success--excellent! We wrapped up the week celebrating Father's Day--Steven is the best dad ever, just ask Julia--and going to see Inside Out. Mom took time away from packing to join us. :) Whisper is still recovering and desperately needs to stay on the Tramadol, poor thing.

Welcome to Glover Park

YAY, Nick has arrived...in more ways than one. Congrats on the UVA graduation, new job, and living in the best DC neighborhood, Glover Park. Thank you mom for the nice treat of lunch at Wagshal's (technically outside of our 'hood, but so close). I didn't take many food picks; some highlights were brisket, pulled pork, and BLT sandwiches. Julia and I had the hot bar. The gelato and Berliners were a hit. Kangaroo update: Steven enjoyed it! He made mom and Nick try it and they said it was OK.

New meat this week out of the normal rotation is boar. For an anniversary gift, Steven bought duck leg confit and it is amazing. I've had two this week and not shared any with anyone. The fattier the meat, the better in my book. Or as Chad aptly stated, "I'm a chubby chaser."

EPA Hearing, NoMa, and Girls Night

Did you know that the Clean Air Act requires EPA to review the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) every five years to make sure that they continue to protect public health with an adequate margin of safety? For at-risk groups, including the estimated 25.9 million people with asthma in the U.S., this is critical! Julia attended the Ozone NAAQS Hearing before the Energy and Commerce, Energy and Power Subcommittee of the House of Representatives on Friday, June 12. Julia is learning so much; already, it is easy to see what an amazing opportunity this will be for her.

Maya met Lia and Julia after work with a wonderful dinner to watch Bride and Prejudice (Bollywood version) in NoMa. This is a great, free summer program--so glad they are taking advantage of it.

The Holton girls went out Friday night and slept over at the house. Oh, I love having those girls over. They are all so sweet. One of their stops was at the Shake Shack.

Idling and Kangaroos

First week down at the EPA and Julia has her own project on reducing idling. It is fun to hear about her workday and all the different meetings and people she is being introduced to--priceless.

Julia babysat Ethan and Kathryn overnight Friday, then slept over Lia's on Saturday. We are all busy, but still managed to walk to Wagshal's together for ground kangaroo, chicken liver, parmesan cheese, goat cheese, genoa salami, beef hotdogs, capicola, beef stew, and bacon. YUM!

Friends, Family, and Poor Whisper

Julia has maximized her last week of freedom before work begins. The lovely Caitlyn from OSU came to visit. Julia reunited with her Holton friends as well. Nick stopped over while looking for an apartment on Capitol Hill. Meme (we didn't take a picture!) came over for Wagshal's rotisserie chicken and to discuss Dublin and Belfast--where she will be jetting to on June 22. And then there is poor Whisper...who is still trying to deal with recovery.

Wagshal's haul

Celebrating Maddie's birthday

Wagshal's juicy chicken--the best!