"When you're here, you're family!"

What a great weekend it has been. Relaxing, great weather and date night! Now, Dan and I go out fairly regularly - we'll grab a quick bite around our neighborhood, or go out to happy hour - but date night is different! We both get a little dressed up - more so than usual, and Dan will do his best to open doors for me:)

For this date night, we frequented a favorite restaurant of ours. One where you get unlimited salad and breadsticks, that's right - The Olive Garden. I'm not sure when this became a favorite, but we really enjoy going there. I know that we live in a great area for food - there are tons of great restaurants - but that OG really hits the spot! My parents love it too - in fact, we try to go there together when Dan and I are both in town. We sort of eat too much though, we can never finish our meals. It's that darn salad and breadsticks. Which works perfect, because we have always have leftovers for lunch the next day.

After our lovely dining experience, we went to see Blades of Glory - the new Will Ferrel flick. It was awfulllllllll - so bad, we had to walk out of the theatre. Has anyone actually seen it and liked it? We almost always like the Will Ferrel movies. Anchorman was hilarious, so was Talledega Nights. This just didn't do it for us. But, date night was still really fun. I love to spend time with my husband-to-be and it's fun to see how our date nights have changed. I'm not sure I would've chowed down quite as much at the OG had this been 5 years ago. I think we both burped out loud after dinner too (not at the dinner table though) - that probably didn't start happening until three years into our relationship:)

Unfortunately, the weekend is coming to a close. It is nice to be able to relax, our weekends have been pretty busy lately. We've been traveling a bit. We were in Kenosha last weekend, and now we're going to Columbus next. That should be a fun one - our parents our meeting for the first time! We'll keep you posted. But, luckily, my mom is nothing like Barbara Streisand in Meet the Fockers, and Dan's dad doesn't take after Robert Deniro's character!!

Rocking To Our Own Beat

Music has a way of bringing back memories and reminding you of a specific time or moment in your life. We relate to certain songs, whether it is because of the lyrics or the beat. For example, if I hear the song ‘Joyride’ by Roxette, I remember dancing around my parent’s dining room table singing like I was auditioning for American Idol. Same goes for any Wilson Phillips song...I loved that tape! High school was all about the boy bands – Nsync, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees – and college was very pop/hip-hop – 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, etc. And, if I hear a song from any of those groups, it brings me right back to that specific time in my life. (Shake Your Tailfeather - Kelly and Jess??!!)

So, Dan and I have decided that for a wedding favor, we would like to compile a cd of our favorite music. We’ll also include the music that we play at our reception – the first song we’ll dance to, the song I’ll dance to with my Dad to and others that we’ll request to the DJ. For us, this is a way to make a soundtrack for our wedding – and for our relationship thus far. We can listen to this for years to come and be reminded of our wedding day – and I can’t think of anything more perfect. And how neat will it be to look back on the songs we chose now when we’re celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary?

We haven’t quite finalized the tracks, but it has been so fun picking them out! For those of you who know Dan well, you know he absolutely loves 80s music. He listens to the 80s station on satellite radio on his drive to and from work – it’s just kind of his thing. It sort of threw me off a bit when we first started dating, but now I’m used to Dan jamming to Cyndi Lauper or Pat Benatar! In all fairness, we share similar taste outside of the whole 80s genre. And, this cd will reflect that. I hope everyone will enjoy it as much as we already do – and remember our wedding day when listening to some of the tracks!

My New Name

So last week I was on the phone with La Sposa Bridal in Kenosha - the place where I ordered my dress and where my bridesmaids are ordering their dresses from as well - and I was giving them the names of my bridesmaids, measurements, etc. I mentioned Dan's sister Abby and I said, "Here's Abby Leopold's information." And then they asked me to spell Leopold...

Now, I can't wait to be Mrs. Dan Leopold. And I think that Laurie Leopold is very cute - I like alliteration. But, it just dawned on me that I am going to have to adjust to this new name. One that apparently is more difficult to spell than Murphy? I personally think Leopold is very straightforward to spell, but everyone seems to question if it is with an "a" or an "o." Everyone knows how to spell Murphy - many cities have pubs or restaurants carrying the name and it is a fairly common beer. Every now and then, some yo-yo asks me if that is spelled with a "ph," but that's really it.

I'm prepared to do the legal change - it's actually an item on my to-do list to get the paperwork going - but I'd never considered the other side of it. Is it a hard adjustment? Will it take me awhile to actually refer to myself that way? Every New Year, it takes me about a month to adjust to the new date - I'm constantly mis-dating things in January and February! Will this be like that? And - my signature? Will I by habit sign things 'Murphy' for years to come?

Any advice? How about from you Leopold folks? What to do when dealing with people who are troubled by the spelling? Should I say, "Last name Leopold, as in Aldo." Would anyone even know what I was talking about!?

Marriage Preparation, Round II

Hello again. Laurie and I had our second round of marriage preparation meetings with the our church in Virginia--this time with Deacon Bill. Most of the time was spent reviewing the results of the 150 question compatibility test that Laurie and I took a few months ago. Let me tell you, there were some real earth-shattering results. For example, according this test (and our conversations with the deacon), we determined that Laurie is less fiscally responsible than me and really likes to shop. Hmmmm.

The deacon also told Laurie that she may be small but in his review of her answers, it appears she has a very dominant personality [Translation: Laurie wears the pants in our relationship]. Wow, there is a real shocker! We also found out that Laurie is stubborn and watches too much TV (I know...more surprises). To be honest, I really can't remember what my flaws were--probably because there were so few of them.

In all seriousness though, we were actually more compatible on a lot of things than we realized. For example, we scored high in terms of compatibility in several sections, to include the "lifestyle expectations," "communication," "personal issues," "readiness," "family," and "religion and values" sections. In fact, according to the test, Laurie and I were 100 percent compatible on the "religion and values" issues. Okay, maybe that is a little surprising, but we'll take it.

Now we are off to the next round. We have another meeting with the deacon in May and also have to schedule a 1 or 2-day retreat. My instincts tell me there is surely more fun to follow. Stay tuned for "Marriage Preparation, Round III."

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Remember a few posts ago when I said I didn't think I was getting enough done, and that time was flying by? I think I called it a "Tricia-induced" panic (which I meant with love). Whatever it was - it was a good thing, because I think Dan and I have turned it around. I feel like we are making tons of progress, and I have become quite the decision-maker.

It's not that I'm a poor-decision maker. I'd actually say that I am extremely decisive, a little picky perhaps? It absolutely drives Dan nuts, but it's what I know. For example, my Mom is my numero uno shopping buddy. I think it is because we have the same shopping mentality. When we go to our favorite store, Banana Republic outlet, we stay in there for a long time. We carefully select the items we would like to try on, and then circle the store a few times to make sure we didn't miss anything. And then we'll try stuff on, and then usually go grab what the other person tried on, which is why we have so much of the same stuff! Currently, we are sporting the same purse. (A purchase I debated in-store for a good half hour.) Finally, we make our way to the checkout. And then, we go through the same process at the next stop. Dan has accompanied us on a few of these trips - he's very patient.

Another classic example: the grocery store. Dan will just grab anything off the shelf, whereas I like to really feel good about the rice I pick out or the lean cuisines for the week. I'll stand in front of the frozen meals section for a good ten minutes debating 'sesame chicken' or 'three cheese ravioli.'

But, this bride gig is really helping me make quicker decisions. We went to Papyrus yesterday to get some ideas for our invitations. Dan's sister-in-law Traci recommended the store - and thank goodness for that. It was great! We weren't sure where we were going to get invitations, but this ended up to be a perfect choice. I was making decisions left and right, and I wasn't even expecting to! We stopped into the Papyrus right near our apartment just to get an idea for what they had. And, we ended up looking through binders of styles, and found one that we really liked.

We both liked tea-length invitations - the long, skinnier cards. The sales manager really liked it with a rounded edge, but I wasn't feeling it. Instead of going back and forth and humoring him, I said, "No, I don't like the rounded edge, I prefer a straight edge." It was so liberating! From there, I was able to quickly decide on an icon to decorate the invitation, the font, the colors, the envelopes, and EVERYTHING! Dan agreed with all of my decisions, but I think he was just so excited to see me making them!

We haven't set everything in stone yet, but we're getting there. Don't be surprised if you get an address request soon:)

We're off...to register. I'm going to run with this decision-making while I have it in me!

Cherry Blossoms

It's that time of year - the cherry blossoms are at their peak in DC. This season, typically about a two to three week period in March/April, is insane! One million people flock to DC during this time to take a walk down the Tidal Basin and see the blossoms at their peak. People even plan their weddings around this day - which baffles me, because you never know when those blossoms will peak. They estimate a day, but it isn't always accurate. Besides, who would want to get married with one million tourists in the background? Dan and I usually check them out every year, and there's no way to get a good photo - you always have a crowd behind you!

Here's the brief history behind the cherry blossoms for those unfamiliar:


The two-week National Cherry Blossom Festival, which begins Saturday, honors the anniversary of 3,000 cherry trees gifted from Japan to the United States in 1912. It has become Washington's signature tourist event, drawing 1 million visitors annually. And officials are well aware that the whole affair depends on the lush canopies of pink and white blossoms staying in pristine condition. (courtesy of USA Today)


While I must admit that the increase in tourists (especially during rush hour on the metro) tends to get on my nerves, the cherry blossoms have special meaning for Dan and I. In April of 2004, I came to DC to visit Dan. I was still in college, and had planned to visit Dan way in advance. I didn't even know what the cherry blossoms were. But, they happened to be blooming that weekend, and we went to see them. It was such a good time, and it was really romantic. If I remember, it was pretty chilly out so there were hardly any people down there. I hadn't seen Dan in probably a few months, and we just strolled along the tidal basin and held hands. I know, so nerdy we are. But, it was very memorable.



(Checking out the cherry blossoms in 2005)


Actually, that weekend in 2004, Dan and I celebrated two years of dating. Now, three years later - here we are! That means we're celebrating five years of dating this month.

I think we'll go check out the cherry blossoms this weekend if it is nice. Easter Sunday is coming up, and we'll actually be in DC this year.

Typically for Easter, I go home and honor certain traditions each year. Good Friday = coloring eggs. Saturday = Easter vigil mass. Sunday = egg hunt (for the kids, unfortunately - I don't participate anymore!)....and napoleon! I think Dan and I are going to honor all but one of those traditions here this weekend - no egg hunt! But, we'll be attending Easter vigil on Saturday, and I'm going to call some bakeries and try to get my hands on some napoleon!! And, we'll continue a tradition that we've started on our own - going to see the cherry blossoms!