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Thank you so very much to everyone who came out last week to make my blogiversary (and my birthday!) a night to remember! Huge shout out to AT&T for sponsoring the event and supporting Mission Sleep. If you missed it - you can check out photos of the event thanks to Valerie Bey Photography. Add Comment I seriously sat in my car and watched this lady back in and out of her spot 4 times. And this was the result. 
Saturday morning, I rallied the troops (and a friend for B) and headed out to Silver Spring to catch a pre-screening of Disney Pixar's Finding Nemo in 3D. The movie was awesome, the kids were well-behaved, and it was a gorgeous day to walk the streets downtown. We were lucky enough to be there for the farmers market and jazz festival too. Kinda made me want to move to Silver Spring just for the awesome Saturday mornings that the downtown offers.
I had the best time at the BlogHer conference in NYC over the weekend! Leave it to me to wait until 3 days before the conference to actually decide that I was going, buy a ticket, find a roommate, and make travel plans. Luckily enough, Hersheys and Walmart sponsored travel to and from DC - and Sarah was in the market for a roommate. It all came together at the very last second and I am so glad I took the plunge to actually attend with almost 6,000 other women! BlogHer is basically like Disney World for women bloggers - but with no rides, just brands, and A LOT of caffeine and cocktails. The conference kicked off with a PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS from Barack Obama! How cool is that? Regardless of your political views, you have to admit that it is pretty cool that the president is acknowledging the industry of women/mommy bloggers. From Trojan to RetailMeNot to Pfizer, there was something for everyone in the expo hall. My luck was in full swing as I got invites to private events with Verizon, Hasbro, McDonalds, NaughtyMonkey, CVS, and Starbucks. I lunched with keynotes from Martha Stewart (who totally makes you forget she's a convicted felon) and Katie Couric, had NY pizza and drinks with PR reps, and accumulated a ton of swag. All of the razzle and dazzle was great, but the best part of all was making new and partying with old friends. Whether it was a meetup at the hotel bar, lounging in the hotel room, or sharing a uterus pillow on the bus ride home - I created and strengthened bonds with ladies who I respect and admire. I'll definitely be back for Chicago in 2013!
Every Monday in the summer the courtyard at 1851 S. Bell Street is transformed into a movie theater for free outdoor movie screenings. There is no better place to meet some friends, bring a picnic, and enjoy an evening under the stars. Dates for the summer: 7/23/12: The Proposal 7/30/12: You've Got Mail 8/6/12: How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days 8/13/12: Pretty Woman 8/20/12: Love Actually Click here to view the full list!  I ended up going to the Vintage Virginia Wine Festival yesterday at Bull Run Regional Park (Centreville, VA). 32 vineyards and wineries from Virginia were in attendance, providing tastings and education about their wines. There was plenty of food and gift vendors to mix things up, in case you get bored, and a stage was set up for some live entertainment. Being the designated driver, I only got a handful of tastings, but I was still able to taste some very good wine. The first order of business was to get some food in preparation for a day of tastings. Food vendors greeted you as you enter serving up standard festival fare, such as corn dogs, french fries and funnel cakes. I didn’t see any salad trucks so I had to settle for a corn dog and some chicken-on-a-stick.
 The winery booths were a little overwhelming at first but what attracted my attention was a sign that read “Pow Wow: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Wine.” Might as well check that out: carpe diem (or YOLO for you younger kids). The booth was for Mattaponi Winery and after getting some Cabernet Sauvignon and other reds, I was treated to some dessert wines. The best was the Odeimin, or strawberry wine, and it remained my favorite for the rest of the day. Other wineries passed by in a haze. Democracy Winery had a good apple wine that tasted like apple flavored water. Well Hung Vineyard was exactly how it sounds. There was also some sangria that I had later in the day but I can’t remember the place. The secret was Sprite and lemonade and if you buy 2 bottles of wine, the recipe was on the box. Another notable booth was Prince Michel Vineyard which had at least 10 wines to taste, but I’m not really sure since I kind of lost count. Good thing I had a designated driver. Oh wait, that’s me. I guess I’m not leaving anytime soon. Anyways, they had a lot of good fruity wines, like raspberry and peach as well as chocolate.
 Wild Bill’s Olde Fashioned Soda Pop Co. had a truck resembling a western saloon. They sold stainless steel cups resembling the kind you take on camping trips. There were about 8 sodas on tap with unlimited refills for the whole day. The birch beer and vanilla cream sodas were good but the sarsaparilla was a refreshing change of pace.  bonus: guy on stilts. Buying wine was pretty easy. There were options to get a nicely chilled, open bottle or to have it delivered to a tent in the front when you leave, because carrying wine all day is too hard. So how do you follow up an afternoon of wine tasting on a nice Saturday afternoon? By grilling up some steaks, of course. That can be a subject of a different post. sent to me from fairfax county traffic court this morning...  my son loves to be outside, loves to run around, and loves animals. so natually, we took him to the national zoo yesterday. the weather was absolutely perfect! didn't even need jackets. observations from our trip to the national zoo: 1. real life tourists: one family of 4 was all wearing cut off jean shorts. the family right next to them all had hats, gloves, scarves, and jackets with faux fur around the hood. 2. lost child. this poor little 3-4 year old is SCREAMING bloody murder for his mom and running around in circles. i was the only person to approach him and ask if he was lost. of all the people walking up and down the same path as us, you'd think someone would have approached him a little sooner - or at least looked at him. i don't know how you could even enjoy the panda exhibit with his shrills in the background. 3. beer. they sell beer. at 3+ locations. ideal for summer visits. 4. pay for maps. i really like this 'green' idea (because i care about the environment, i'm an avid recycler, and i drive a v8 suv that gets 14mpg)... it costs $2 for a map to the park. the $2 goes to back to the zoo and the maps don't easily turn into litter. actually, the whole property was extremely clean. 5. reminded me of disney. not in the over-the-top, overwhelming, why-did-i-do-this-to-myself way. it reminded me in the sense that moms just want their kids to be happy - and it is crucial that they capture that happiness on camera. even when their children are absolutely miserable and it's 90 minutes past nap time. here is an example before and after.
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