Meet Athena

We posted pictures of our new addition a few days ago, but because we were in a hurry (off to Michigan!), we didn't get a chance to give you the full story...

We met Athena -- her name was Trish -- at t the animal shelter in Alexandria about two weeks ago. She was so sweet and friendly, that we decided to try and adopt her. For those of you who haven't adopted a shelter animal in the last few years, this is no small task. The application is four pages long, and by the end of the process, they probably have more info about your life than the census bureau. In any case, they let us have the little ball of joy, and we've (and by "we," I mean Nala) been adjusting to a household with two cats. Not surprisingly, Nala is somewhat resistant to sharing her people and her house with another cat. It's a slow process letting them get to know each other, but we're hoping that they'll eventually be friends. For now, Athena is smaller than Nala -- Athena is about 6 months old and weighs about 5 pounds, Nala is 2 and a half and weighs 7 pounds, so that current advantage may not hold. In any case, despite some scratching and hissing (not to mention squabbles between the two cats), we're enjoying getting to know our new family member.

Best. Idea. Ever.

This past weekend Andy and I took advantage of the time honored tradition of wine tasting and macaroni and cheese. Okay, so maybe two years in a row doesn't qualify as "time honored," but believe me when I say it should be. This was our second (and certainly not our last) annual Mac and Cheese Cookoff with the wineries of the Old Mission Penninsula (aka, Andy's old stomping ground). That's right folks, we spent most of the day on Saturday touring the wineries (there are five) and sampling the best mac and cheese area restaurants have to offer.



Grapes on the vine. Kind of like corn on the cob, but with more potential.







What Andy and I are actually demonstrating in these pictures is that wine tasting + gourmet macaroni and cheese = rampant silliness. **Disclaimer: For those of you concerned parents out there, don't worry, we weren't driving.**



We'd like to thank the good people at Wineries of Old Mission Penninsula (www.wineriesofoldmission.com) for coming up with such a great idea in the first place. We'd also like to thank our enthusiastic DD, Trish, for putting up with our shennanigans.

Halfway to the North Pole

Well, as some of you may already know, Andy and I spent this Thanksgiving weekend up in Andy's hometown of Traverse City, Michigan. Contrary to previous evidence, Traverse City is not the North Pole, and is indeed only halfway there. As proof of this halfway status, Andy took me to the 45th parallel. I wasn't expecting more than a sign, but there is in fact a lighthouse on the spot.



Aforementioned lighthouse.



Unmentioned red-branched shrub.



Tide's out. Oh wait...



Sun setting. The sun sets a bit later out here on the western edge of the Eastern time zone. This picture was taken at 10:23 pm. Not really.



Awwww... gratuitous couple shot. Jeez, you'd think we were getting married or something.

And then there were four

Crying Uncle (and Aunt)

Katie and I recently found out that we will soon have to act more responsible and in a more mature manner because there will be a new addition to the greater Magoun clan in June. My brother and sister-in-law are pregnant which will soon make us Uncle Andy and Aunt Katie. We couldn't be happier for Steve and Lauren and can't wait to spoil the little one!

*BEEP*

Andy and Katie cannot come to the blog right now. They are busy doing one of the following:

cleaning the House of Payne
running away from the furball nipping at their feet
flying to Michigan
planning for the extravaganza that will be their wedding day
watching Rome and/or The Sopranos, Season 6
driving/sitting in DC traffic

We apologize sincerely for the inconvenience.