PEAS & CARROTS ANNIVERSARY

David and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary yesterday. And we decided to call it our peas and carrots anniversary. The picture below illustrates why...


David made a WONDERFUL meal (where do all the wonderful, creative ideas come from?!?). What you see here is veggie "sushi": blanched carrots wrapped around avocado, water cress, and a cream-cheese yogurt sauce. We had a side of gingered peas and pickled ginger as a garnish (also pictured above). It was delightful. We ended the meal with chocolate dessert cups (read: mini-chocolate angel food cakes) topped with freshly whipped cream and sliced strawberries. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...


As we ate dinner we spent some time reflecting on where we've been and where we're going as a family. We had a terrific second year of marriage; highlights include buying our first home, traveling to Taiwan together, and cooking/serving our first seven course dinner. We also made time to travel: Jackson Hole for spring skiing, Pittsburgh for my Grandma's 90th birthday, and NYC for a new year's celebration.

I'm sure our third year of marriage will be full of surprises, adventures, and some day-to-day normalcy. And that is good. I'm hoping we spend more time listening for the call on our lives and less time trying to selfishly determine what it is that we want to do. I hope we spend more time being grateful for all that we have and less time focusing on the things that didn't play out as we expected. Most importantly I hope we learn to love more deeply and encourage each other to follow our dreams.

CAN ONE WATCH TOO MUCH ALIAS?

I'm beginning to think I've watched ALIAS (seasons 1-5) too many times. Yes, ALIAS ended several years ago, but still... Is it possible for one watch a program too many times? What is a healthy amount of ALIAS anyways?

I have two reasons for thinking that the possibility of too much ALIAS might exist. First, for the past week, the MARC trains between DC and Baltimore have been plagued by sabotage. Objects have been left on the train tracks deliberately. Several times the trains have stopped and the conductors have gotten off and moved the items; one of my trains suffered a burst air line on the way from Baltimore. Nearly an hour of repairs were needed before we could get on our way again. The train conductors claim it is children living near Laurel, MD. It is possible that teenage (or pre-teen) boys could be trying to cause some trouble. But what if...

What if there is someone on the train carrying classified information that another group or country wants to steal? What if sabotaging the trains into DC triggers some sort of operational plan directed by Amtrak that another government or group wants to study? If either of this situations are the case, it would be logical for the group needing to stop the trains or board them without being noticed would sabotage the tracks. That's what Sydney Bristow would do. Obviously.

Sadly this is was the first thought to cross my mind when I heard the conductors say they believed kids to be sabotaging the tracks. Am I crazy? Completely irrational?

My second reason for thinking I may have watched a little too much ALIAS is that in rewatching the 4th season, I realized that the music playing in one of the scenes is the song "You All Everybody", which is the song Charlie from Lost (also directed by JJ Abrams) sang throughout the first season. Basically, I'm starting to see how the storyline, props, and music from ALIAS impacted LOST. Am I pathetic for noticing all the details? Or do I just have a keen eye/ear?

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Fearing that I may have watched a little too much ALIAS, I'm giving it up (read: not watching an episode) until the end of the summer semester. This is an exercise in preserving my mental health. Please hold me accountable. Suggestions for good movies or other TV shows to watch over spring break (mid-March) would be greatly appreciated.