DC Discoveries

* Disclaimer* After reading this post please don’t judge me… I can’t help there is a fat girl within me, dying to re emerge and re live my freshman and sophomore years at Southern…lololol

So you all know about my fall challenge right?? Too bad it doesn’t seem to exist outside of state lines…smh. I went to DC Thursday night and didn’t stop eating till I got back home to NY today. Nelson knows the best places to eat in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) vicinity (please don’t tell him I said that… I don’t want his head to explode ;-]). I swear each visit he will run out of spots to take me but he keeps discovering neat little areas with even better eateries.

On Friday we headed to downtown Silver Spring to my new favorite restaurant Eggspectation. It’s like an upscale but casual restaurant that focus’ on breakfast/brunch foods although there is extensive lunch and dinner menu.

I ordered the Eggsuberant: pancakes, scrambled eggs, grilled potatoes, turkey bacon, grilled tomatoes and fruit. It was really, really good but I've had better pancakes. Nelson got the Eggstrvaganza which is basically the same thing but instead of pancakes you get French toast and let me tell you, it's like a piece of heaven for your taste buds (let me stop now because I'm sounding really fat). Downtown Silver Spring is a great place to eat, shop, catch a movie, or even live. I saw some pretty fabulous apartments nearby.

Saturday night we went down to National Harbor in MD to have dinner and just hang out. I enjoyed strolling along the marina and looking at all the colorful lights. Even though it was a tab bit chilly, I didn’t let it ruin my mood. The Harbor is filled with cute little specialty shops, tons of restaurants, and luxury resorts. I hope I can spend at least one night at the Gaylord National in the future.

We had dinner at Grace’s Mandarin. I’m not one to venture too much out of my comfort zone when it comes to food so I had General Tso Chicken Breast and Nelson had Sushi. I’m hoping one day I’ll be brave enough to try it.

Yesterday we ate at this charming French café that seemed to be modeled after a dreamy cottage off the French countryside called La Madeleine. Nelson got a boring meal consisting of a croissant, scrambled eggs, and turkey sausage *yawn*. He vowed never to order something he could make at home himself again…lol. Don’t worry I was nice enough to share my chicken pesto pasta with him.

I had a great time in DC as I usually do, but I’ve been pretty spoiled with all this eating out so next week when I head back down, I’m going to spoil him and prepare dinner a couple of nights (a couple is only like 2 right)…lol.

My first time

Here goes another confession: I've never shoveled snow before, EVER. I just didn't think it was something a girl did. At work yesterday my co-worker Vincy said when she got home she was going to help her parents shovel... and it was her birthday!! I looked at her like she was crazy and shook my head. When I got home and parked my car, I saw my younger neighbor Khali cleaning her stairs after she already finished the front of her house. It made me question why I felt I was so special, so spoiled that I couldn't even help shovel snow. So I decided that tomorrow morning would be my first time.

I told my father that I would help him shovel snow in the morning but he wasn't trying to hear it. He said why should I do it when that's what he's here for. I asked, "what happens when I move out, are you going to dig out my car then too". He couldn't help but chuckle and say, "your man will take care of that".

So this morning, after breakfast, I put on tights under my jeans (I use to do that in HS to look thick...lol), pulled on my sweatshirt and Uggs and headed outside to the backyard to shovel snow with my daddy. When he first handed me the shovel, he watched my every move and told me continuously, "Don't pick up too much snow, it's too heavy for you, let me get that area", yada, yada, yada but he became more comfortable when he saw I could handle myself.

I learned quite a few things last night into this morning:

• My dad spoils me because I'm his one and only daughter and he loves me. He'll do anything and everything for and to protect me. I know what a good man is because of him and I know what to look for in a man because of his example.
• In order to be the independent woman I claim to be, I have to be able to do certain things on my own and not depend on others.
• My parents have done and sacrificed so much for me and I shouldn't take it lightly. I need to help them out and do all that I can to show my appreciation.