East Coast Trip Part 2: Charlottesville, VA

From DC Todd and I ventured south to Charlottesville, VA where we toured Thomas Jefferson's house, Monticello.  Work began on this beautiful home in 1768, and it was amazing how much modern technology was used within. Jefferson had about 7 clocks in the home, along with skylights, and even cool levers that pulled wine bottles up through a secret passage from the wine cellar to the dining room. The gardens were also in excellent condition, and vegetables, fruit, and wine are still grown here today.  

In town, we stayed at the historic Dinsmore Inn B&B, built in 1817 by Jefferson's master builder.  Very cute place, and close to the University of Virginia. Here's a picture of the front of the inn. Highly recommend this place to any Charlottesville visitors!

East Coast Trip Part 1: Washington DC

Todd and I just got back from a trip to Washington DC. This picture was taken from the Jefferson Monument of the White House and Washington Monument. The monuments were definitely one of my favorite parts of the city, they are so large and stunning that it really makes you respect what or who is being honored. Also doesn't hurt that all the monuments and museums in town are FREE! Some other highlights included: walking through the cute neighborhoods and shops in Georgetown, dining at The Blue Duck Tavern and The Tabard Inn. 


We brought along our absolute FAVORITE guide book for this trip: Knopf Mapguides.  If you haven't heard of these before, I highly recommend them for travel. They're super tiny so they fit easily in a purse or pocket. They are divided into neighborhood sections with a corresponding foldout map along with condensed lists of the top: Places to See, Restaurants, Bars, and Shops.  And these recommendations are always top notch! I have yet to be disappointed by a restaurant recommendation from them. It's like they get fun local people to write each of these books (actually, they probably do). 

Parts 2 and 3 will follow the rest of our trip: Charlottesville, VA and Gettysburg, PA.

Vultures in Vacaville

Is it at all ironic that the last photo I took before my camera died was of this vulture - a bird of death?! There were three of these guys sitting in my husband's work parking lot, and they were huge! Today is also the day that my last pair of normal jeans "bit the dust" and I'm officially in maternity pants now - pretty sexy stuff.  Nothing says "hot" like full panel pants!  Oh yehh...

Warm French Lentils

I made lentils for the first time last night. Todd told me that they're an excellent source of fiber and suggested we try it this week as a side dish. I found the recipe in Ina Garten's cookbook How Easy Is That? called "Warm French Lentils". Ina suggested serving these with some garlicky sausages, which you can see we did.  The results were delicious!! 

Warm French Lentils

2 tbsp. plus 1/4 c. olive oil

1 leek, sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 carrots, scrubbed and 1/2 inch diced

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 c. French green Le Puy lentils

1 whole onion, peeled and stuck with 6 whole cloves (I skipped the cloves part)

1 white turnip, cut in half

1 tsp. unsalted butter

4 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1) Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in medium saute pan, add the leeks and carrots, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute, then set aside.

2) Place lentils, 4 c. water, the onion and turnip in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat, add the leeks and carrots, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until lentils are almost tender. Remove and discard onion and turnip, and drain the lentils. Place in a medium bowl and add the butter.

3) Meanwhile, whisk 1/4 c. olive oil, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper together. Add to the lentils, stir, and allow to cool (15 minutes). Sprinkle with salt and pepper to serve. 

Bon Appetit! 

Birds, Bees, and Babies!

Here's a branch of the huge tree that lives next to our apartment staircase in California. It's now FULL of these beautiful tangerine colored flowers. In yesterday's sunny 70 degree weather I came home from running errands to this tree HUMMING with bees.  Pretty cool sound, as long as you're not deathly allergic (thankfully I'm not). 

Another cool sound is a baby's heartbeat galloping at 160 beats per minute during an ultrasound! Yup, I now share more in common with Snooki than I ever thought I would.  Being a travel wife has helped my hubby and I to become parents! Our little bundle of joy is due September 30th.  

Let's just say it's been a "challenge" to write a blog about my life for the past 4 months without mentioning this little secret.  Swimming has been a lifesaver, helping to stretch sore muscles and keep my weight from going off the charts.  And now you know that my husband didn't buy a juicer just for his own health, but also for wife and baby.  So once a day I chug a glass full of beet, celery, cucumber, and apple juice.  May not always be my cup of tea, but I know it's probably the responsible thing to do. Though there have been many a time that I've whined to Todd that the baby would rather order a pizza. Hasn't worked ... yet.

Anyways, I'll try not to go overboard on the "baby talk" in my future posts for those of you who don't want to hear about every craving or cramp.  However, this may change the future of the Travel Wife blog, as I only have a few more precious months of traveling down to the California sunshine each week. Names for future blog? "The Diaper Changing Mommy"? "Sleepless in Seattle"? Suggestions welcome. :)