Touring the Capital City

While in D.C. for the NAEYC conference, I was also lucky enough to have the city at my fingertips for a few days! I'll mention that D.C. has never been on my list of places to visit. I guess, stereotypically I have always considered it to be kind of stuffy and very, well, political and historical. (Two things that I really am not a huge fan of.) Obviously, politics and history are huge characteristics of Washington D.C, but I quickly learned that it had much more to offer! Much more…I was quite pleasantly surprised by how brilliant of a city it is…and how much I instantaneously loved it! Who knew?

Armed with a map and my own two I decided to use one of my afternoons as an opportunity to take a self-guided tour of the city. Without further ado…I'll give you a brief tour of my capitol adventure. I'll spare you the hours and hours of walking and just let you scroll through some photos. You're welcome! Also, seeing as I explored with coffee in my hand, it would only be fitting to grab yourself a cup as you come along!

A moment of PANIC! Figuring out the metro machines was somewhat intimidating, at first.

The most beautiful and entertaining view outside my hotel window in downtown D.C.! 

I loved people watching from this window!

D.C. landscape in the Fall

Did I mention that my hotel was exactly 3 blocks from the White House!

Beautiful, right? Stunning, actually. I'm thinking of moving in...perhaps the right wing?!

The U.S. Treasury Department

National Metropolitan Bank showing off some gorgeous D.C. architecture

(Hotel Washington) more architecture....sorry, can't get enough. old and beautiful!

Capital building from a distance

front of the Treasury building

Washington Monument under construction

prepping for Christmas at the White House. 

The Christmas tree lover in me was super excited to see this!

other side of the White House

Having an absolute and unexpected blast walking around the city!

A walk in the park in the fall. The colors...so pretty and serene!

Out of all the monuments, I was most looking forward to seeing this one.

Standing by Lincoln was a simultaneously stunning and seriously cool moment!

One of my absolute favorite experiences of the trip!

Recognize this famous view? History became real at this very moment. As I proceeded down the steps and towards the monument, I couldn't help but think of the millions and millions of people that had gathered and footsteps that had walked before me in this very location years ago. Wow. 

Korean War Memorial

World War Memorial at dusk

This is where my tour ended. At this point I had been walking for a solid 3-4 hours. I did not get to see all of the monuments and museums, but I saw a pretty fair share of the capital's historic sites. I can't wait to get back to D.C.! I'd love to see the rest of what the capital city has to offer. So much so, that I would jump on a plane tomorrow to go back! Georgetown, Downtown D.C., the conference....this place was so easy to fall in love with! Who wants to join me on the next visit?

Georgetown Cupcake Tour

Seeing as how 2013 is quickly disappearing, I need to get some things finished. A recap of my trip to D.C. being one of them. As I've mentioned before, and for those who know me well, it is to no one's surprise that I happen upon seek out the best bakeries in any town that I visit. I like to think of these "bakery tours" as really fun and tasty ways to explore new places! It is always a guessing game as to what I'll find. Georgetown, did not disappoint when it came to places to visit. I had a great time wandering the quaint, brick-paved streets filling my arms with all sorts of bakery treats! (This doesn't make it exactly easy to carry the rest of one's shopping bags, but the taste-testing party at the end of the day makes the juggling act worth it!) Sacrifice is necessary when it comes to sweet treats and cupcakeries!

First up was a shop called Baked & Wired. Just off the beaten path, this little shop is home to both a bake shop (Baked) and a coffee bar (Wired). My mission was simple...find a cupcake. The choices were many and the treats all looked decadent. What I loved most about the shop was the handcrafted look and feeling of both the displays and the products. 

(Someone please give this dog a treat...all he wanted was a cupcake! Is that so wrong?!)

the goods

my choice: The Tessita (vanilla cupcake w/dulce de leche filling 

topped w/ a hazelnut ganache & hazelnut)

Next up, the famous Sprinkles. While I've tried Sprinkles before and had not been overly impressed, it had been years, so I decided to give it another go. Not to mention, when in the vicinity of a cupcake shop, you go. Period. 

so pink and inviting

I will give them credit. The Sprinkles aesthetic is super chic. So simple and modern. 

I took home a Salted Caramel.

Last but not least, the grand mecca, the epic moment...THE Georgetown Cupcake! Never did I think that I would actually make it to this shop in person (or D.C. at all for that matter) during my lifetime, but I was supremely excited to actually have the opportunity. Raise your hand if you, like me, have watched DC Cupcakes and have dreamt about the perfect icing swirl and huge sculptures built out of mini cupcakes....I digress. Anyway, I had heard various reviews, but definitely wanted the chance to decide for myself!

Georgetown Cupcake

the menu ( I chose a chocolate peanut butter & a caramel apple.)

Cuteness in Cupcake form!

Quite the memorable experience for this Cupcake Lover!

As an added last minute bonus to my bakery adventure, I found an adorable shop called Olivia Macaron! Next to cupcakes, macarons are right up there on the list of indulgent, delicious, must-have treats! So light and tiny, and packed with flavor... 

I do have to give some props to the ladies at Olivia Macaron. They were super nice and quite pleasant to chat with. I must also mention that if you are ever in the Georgetown area, stop by, their macarons (not to be confused with macaroons) are delicious!

wall o' macarons

They had a rather large variety. I walked away with a pumpkin, a rose, and a chocolate. 

All good choices!

I had an absolute blast visiting these shops! Taste-testing wasn't too shabby, either. As far as ratings go, well.....I'll be honest and say that after tasting, my favorite treats ended up being the caramel apple bar (Baked & Wired) and the rose macaron (Olivia Macaron). Can you believe it? The cupcakes were good. The Chocolate Peanut Butter from Georgetown and the Tessita (Baked & Wired) were probably the best. I would even give the award for best looking cupcakes to Georgetown Cupcakes... A+ for appearance. Seriously, adorable! However, my tastebuds weren't overwhelmingly thrilled. Decent choices as far as cupcakes go, but none that I would shout over the rooftops for. Don't get me wrong though, that didn't make it any less enjoyable! Bakery adventures will continue no matter where my travels take me!

Imagine. Innovate. Inspire. - Washington D.C.

Hi folks! If you're a regular here, you know that I uh….missed the whole month of November?! Sorry. Seems only appropriate that I sneak in a few minutes to post some fun updates. Stay tuned for those, the next few days.

November was a crazy month, but a great one! Pretty sure, besides seeing my parents (Thanks for coming to Bham!!!) and prepping our Thanksgiving meal, there was one event that stood out above the rest! The 2013 NAEYC Conference in Washington D.C.! 

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) puts on a HUGE annual conference every fall (bringing top of the line speakers, sessions, and the most up to date information on young children and early childhood education), and this year's conference was in the capitol! I was honored and privileged to have my work sponsor the trip for me this year. It's hard to completely put into words, but being at this conference is like being in another world for 2-3 days. A really, really great and fun world at that! Without going on and on for hours, let's just say there are over 500 sessions to choose from, a massive Expo Hall, lots of freebies, fun networking opportunities, maybe some singing and dancing (with complete strangers- Ha!), and lots of coffee!! This year was my 2nd trip to the annual conference and I was just, if not more, excited for it. I had the lovely opportunity to sit in on some wonderfully valuable and informative sessions on topics such as: Sensory Processing Disorders, Self-Regulation in Infants & Toddlers, Attention, and Farm to Preschool integration. Better yet, some of these sessions were presented by legendary and extremely prominent Early Childhood leaders and educators. I couldn't have been more thrilled to hear from Bodrova & Leong (their research and insight on preschool children and play is outstanding) and Dr. Becky Bailey (best known for the Conscious Discipline behavior strategy)! Gosh, I could go on for an hour…but I won't. Here are the highlights! (or at least the ones I have photos for.)

NAEYC Top 5!

1. Imagine. Innovate. Inspire. NAEYC 2013 Conference Session

2. The bag o' swag! This goody bag, rocks! All sorts of fun treats like school supplies, totes, books, etc.

3. The Expo Hall!

4. Playing with my food, and not getting in trouble for it! Exploring wheat berries and making butter…while singing of course! (picture that!)

5. Accidentally discovering the Chinatown area of D.C. on a lunch break. What a happy surprise!

Looks fun, right? There's more to come. I'll see you back here, soon! And for those friends interested in coming to NAEYC, let's make it happen! I'll meet you in DALLAS (EEEP!!) in 2014! 

Going Greek!

As a continuation of "month of the food festivals", I attended the 41st Annual Greek Festival this weekend! I was happily surprised and excited by the enormity of the event. After listening to the beautiful, lively music, devouring some delicious Greek fare, and literally feeling intoxicated by the outrageously good smells, I figure it may not be so bad going Greek! Unfortunately Uncle Jesse, John Stamos, did not end up making it to the event to help me celebrate, but it was great fun nonetheless! 

The band was lively, and the music made patrons feel like they were taking a tour of the Greek Islands. 

The food....the food was INCREDIBLE!! As for my menu choice, I went with something I had never had before, SOUVLAKIA (marinated lamb skewered and grilled, served with rice, greek salad, and a roll.) I was also able to steal a bite of a friend's PASTICHIO (layers of macaroni, ground beef, greek tomato sauce, and beschamel). Both entrees were mouth-watering good!

After chatting and eating for awhile, we made our back through the "market" area, past the jewelry and specialty greek food stands, to the dessert room. Where we found this....

Chocolate Baklava. I had baklava last weekend, but I did not have CHOCOLATE BAKLAVA?! Yes, it tastes just as wonderfully crazy as it sounds.

I'm learning quickly that a food festival is a great way to both enjoy a new culture and enjoy some lovely time with friends! Opa!

Middle Eastern Food Festival

Month of the Food Festivals. That is what I'm going to call September. First up was the Middle Eastern Food Festival this past weekend. I have never had Middle Eastern cuisine. I've never really had a reason or an occasion to have it. However, I've been feeling really adventurous lately when it comes to food, so I thought "Why not?" The festival turned out to be a great choice! It turned out to be a great night, with some great friends, and some really good (for the most part) food! 

There was dancing...

There was food...

I indulged and got the largest combo, so that I could try a few bites of everything! "The Nile" included Kibbe (ground steak with cracked wheat, onions, pine nuts, and spices),  rolled grape leaves (ground beef mixed with rice and spices, rolled in grape leaves and cooked in water and lemon juice), rice, green beans (simmered with crushed tomatoes, butter, spices, onion and garlic), arabic salad, pita bread, a spinach pie (spinach, onions, lemon juice, olive oil and spices wrapped in fresh yeast dough and baked), and hummus. So much food. I didn't come close to finishing, but what I did have was delicious! Ironically, even though I turn my nose (and my tastebuds) in aversion to pine nuts, the Kibbe was my favorite! That was until dessert, of course.

There was dessert...

I ended up sharing dessert with my friend Linda. We, my friends Jenn, Alyssa, Linda and myself, made sure to indulge in both a piece of authentic walnut Baklava and a Zalabieh (or arabic donut- not pictured), which could be compared to the American funnel cake!

This girl had never had Baklava! I'm glad I could be there for her first time trying the super sweet confection! 

This weekend I'm going Greek! No, I'm not rushing into the Greek System, I'm just going to the Greek Food Festival! Stay tuned.