The Wizards vs the King

So we went to see our local basketball team, the Wizards, take on Cleveland and the "King" LeBron James.

It was fun for a while and then LeBron took over and that was that. We made the playoffs but I'm not sure we'll go very far. Good times nonetheless.

I think we had more fun after the game with the free pom-poms we got at the game.

Opening Day - Play Ball!

What else would I do on a Monday when it is 80 degress outside, sunny and it's opening day for the Washington Nationals? If you thought go to work then you might not know me well enough. I took the day off, Allison played hookie and we met up with Allison's brother Matt and his wife to watch the Nats play ball!

We had new seats for the season this year and were excited to check them out. I was not disappointed, this season we'll be in the shade and be able to see the players without the binoculars!

With great seats and the great weather, the only thing that disappointed was the home team as they lost 9-2. Thank goodness it's a long season, well maybe not, if they keep this up our 3 games a week for the rest of the season will be insufferable (well maybe not that bad).

Alexandria Ward Easter Party

Since we are teachers in the Primary at church we got to help out with the annual Easter Party. There were games for the kids, some treats, and then the hunt for the 400 eggs that were hidden around the church grounds.

I got to help EMCEE the event (who knew I looked so good in pink?!)
and Al helped sort through the generous bounty that our class kids found.

Florida Gators at the WH

Rarely do we get to see some winning teams in DC, but luckily for me 1) we had some visitors in from out of town, the 2006 NCAA Football champs, the Florida Gators and...
2) I got to leave work in the middle of the day to see them! Now as for UF's other newly crowned champs I'll be more than willing to work a full day when they come...GO HOYAS!

Al's St. Patrick's Day Party

Al and her friends, Ashley, Lilian, and Lizzie, decided to get together to have a St. Patrick's Day potluck dinner where everyone would bring a green dish. Allison decided to make a green jello salad the night before using my Mum's recipe. The next day she took her jello salad with her (along with some green vegetables just in case it didn't turn out). She had a fun time, had some great food and came back with positive feedback on her jello salad. Now, either she is lying to me about her lack of abilities in the kitchen and she can cook, or I owe her friends something green (ie: money)!

The Shins in concert

So Monday I'm sitting at work and I see that the Shins are playing that night at Constitution Hall in downtown DC. After a quick search of Craig's list I had two tickets in my hand and we were off to the concert. We grabbed a little dinner-to-go from Subway and ate in a great little park on E and 18th st. We then headed inside and enjoyed the warm up band, Viva Voce, after which The Shins put on a great show. "See, we are fun".

Visit from Mom

We loved having Elaine in our home as she was passing through on her way back from a wild week in Philidelphia with her old soriety sisters from UGA.

Love you Mom.

1st Anniversay Celebration

We made it through our first year of marriage. To celebrate we decided to visit Keswick Hall which is just outside Charlottsville, Va. I took some time off work and we drove down Thursday afternoon, grabbed some lunch in historic downtown, and then caught the last tour of Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello. We had great weather and loved seeing the home in the late afternoon.

We then went to the hotel and got ready for a romantic dinner at Fosters, the restaurant at the hotel named after one of Jefferson's chefs. We had some fabulous food and enjoyed the time together as we reminisced about our first year of marriage.


The next day we enjoyed sleeping in before heading off to the spa for a massage. It was great to finally get a pair of hands on my back for longer then a couple minutes. I forgot how much I love massages (hour long ones). All relaxed, we packed up and checked out. Just down the street we found a nice trail for a hike and decided to spend just a little more time in the warm sun before heading back to DC. All in all, we had a great time celebrating our anniversary and I can't wait to do it again next year.

Spring Break in AZ

So, if you had a choice to celebrate your first anniversary with your husband or go to Arizona and spend spring break with family, what would you do. If you're my wife, Allison, the choice was easy. It's Arizona all the way. I give her a hard time about it but it just happened to work out that her Mom, brother Kevin and Bryan, all went to visit Amanda and Aaron the same weekend as our anniversary, which was March 4th. I learned early on that the key to being happy was making sure my wife was happy. Thus, I not only let her go, I encouraged it. And of course they all had a great time in the Arizona sun.


They all went for a hike in a nearby desert and enjoyed plenty of milkshakes.

I was glad she decided to come back to the unseasonable cold East Coast. We spent the rest of her Spring Break relaxing and doing a little traveling. We decided to celebrate at Keswick Hall, a little hotel resort just outside Charlottsville, VA.

Mardi Gras in Arlington

You don't have to go to New Orleans to enjoy Mardi Gras, in Arlington Mardi Gras comes to you. Unfortunately it had snowed days before and it was raining the night of the parade so it was cold and wet, but it didn't stop us from catching our share of beads.

Where did January go? Bring Sexy Back

So it's now February and it feels like yesterday that we were bringing in the New Year. Time flies when you're having fun, or mabye just busy. Anyway, we did do a lot around the house and I love how it's starting to look. Allison has me doing something every weekend and we're making progress. To start with we have curtains in the bedroom. A big thanks to Al's mom, Lynne, for helping make the curtains, and for her dad, John, in helping me hang them. It's been almost 6 months since we had curtains hanging in the bedroom and I haven't heard any of our neighbors say anything, but I think they miss the free entertainment every night.

After a month off of school Allison started back up mid January. It was a tough adjustment waking up with me, but she's finally accommated to the early hours. Again she's taking a full load but it doesn't seem to be quite as challenging as previous semesters. We have even had time to enjoy some more concerts. As part of her Christmas gift from our brother-in-law, Aaron Coleman, we went to see Fall Out Boy at the 930 Club. Her brother, Kevin, joined us for the night out on the town. We had a great dinner at Old Ebbitts Grille and then headed to the club. It was a packed house and we spent most of our time squished down front with the die-hard fans, but we had a blast.



And just when you think we couldn't possibly have more fun - we did. We wanted to know who brought Sexy Back, so we went to see JT (Justin Timberlake for all of you that are not up on your pop culture) in concert at the Verizon Center. Once again, Kevin joined us for a night out on the town. This time he brought a date, well almost, he brough his good friend Cy. We had a nice dinner at the swank Oya and then headed to the arena. Allison and I started off in one suite but couldn't see all that well, so we joined Kev and Cy in another suite on a lower level. JT put on a good 2hr show. I was impressed with his stamina, but then again he doesn't work 10hr days like I do.




The beginning of January it was 70 degrees and I went golfing one day. The end of January and the first week of February have been bitter cold. But that didn't stop Kevin and me from standing in the cold for two hours to watch the arrival of POTUS (Pres. of the US), W, or 43 as we call him, land on the south lawn in his helicopter, Marine One. It was fun to watch but our toes were frozen by the end. It'll be spring and 70 degrees before I do that again.

New Year Resolutions - Check one off the list

We got an early start to the New Year and finished one of the goals we had for the house by putting up some long awaited curtains. While Allison's sister, Amanda, was in town, they, along with their mom, sought out and found some of the best deals in town on curtains. In a matter of one day, we had everything picked out and purchased and ready to hang. All that was left was for me to pull out the laser level and drill and figure out how to hang them. Thanks to one extra day tacked on to the holidays for Pres. Ford's funeral, I was able to check this job off the long, and ever expanding, to-do list. Here are the before and after pics. I say, Job Well Done.

2006 End-of-the-Year wrap up.

We finished off 2006 in the a cold drizzle in downtown Baltimore.
We drove up around 11pm, found a spot to park in the Fell's Point neighborhood, and brought in the new year at DuClaws Brewing Company.


We watched the fireworks, which were actually really impressive, and then grabbed a quick bite to eat before driving home. As low key as it was, it was actually really enjoyable.

We started off the day by speaking in church. Allison gave a great talk on trials and finding comfort through the Atonement, while I spoke on all the opportunities we have to start fresh spirtually, just like we do with temporal goals and new years resolutions.

It was quite the year for us as we celebrated a lot of firsts as a new family. We started last year in Florida at Disney World and ended it in the cold rain at Baltimore's inner-harbor. We made a lot of changes to our house as we cleaned out the bachelor pad and turned it into a place where any woman would feel at home. We have made many new friends, including 10 little three year olds we've had the opportunity to teach each Sunday in nursery, and look forward to making the most of 2007.

PS. An All-Points-Bulletin for everyone to be on the look out for Allison's camera and i-Pod that was stolen when someone broke into her car in late October. She's having a hard time letting go and refuses to give up hope for their safe return.

Sick of all these Birthdays

December is a busy month around here as many different family members celebrate their birthday. Our niece, Noelle Coleman, starts us off on the 19th, Allison's brother, Kevin, is on the 20th, her Dad is on the 25th, and Allison, her sister Amanda Coleman, and my Grandmother Brown, all share the 27th. We don't have pictures of each one, but they were all very exciting. We had a breakfast dinner for our niece,Noelle, after which her mom, Amanda, became ill with the stomach virus. The next evening we all had dinner at Cheesecake Factory for Kevin, after which Allison, her Dad, her brother Bryan, and nephew Lincoln became ill with the same stomach virus.
Thursday night me and her Mom caught the virus, followed by her cousin Alex a day later. We thought we were finished with the virus until the following Tuesday, Amanda's husband, who had only been in town a couple of days, fell ill too. At least Christmas day we were virus free. Monday we made homemade pizza's for her Dad's birthday, but unfortunately it was overshadowed by Christmas, which barely beats out the birthday. Wednesday, Allison and Amanda were treated to a morning at the spa and a facial, then some shopping, and finally a dinner at McLean Pizza. As you can tell, pizza is a family favorite. Thankfully after this dinner, no one got sick.

Allison and Friends make their Dream House, then eat them.

Allison had a fun time with her friends by getting into the Christmas spirit and decorating gingerbread houses over candy and cider. Lillian hosted the crew at her house and helped lay out a great spread. Everyone contributed candy and ideas, as can be seen in the final products shown here. Ashley, Lilian and Allison had a great time catching up and intend to make a habit of monthly activities.