Living life and eating chocolates

My hair is colorful again. I am happy with the colors and somewhat happy with the length.

My 'boldness prepping' for my upcoming flight is coming along fairly well. This week I focused on making things ready. I got some sound canceling headphones for the trip and a travel book on Denmark (if you have good Denmark recommendations let me have them!).

Its been very busy at work. First Kelsey went to CA for a week (for work) and then as soon as she got back Krishna went to New Orleans (not for work). In the meanwhile we moved more stuff. I want you to take particular notice of the wheels/casters on those blue benches above. I am particularly happy with those. They allow all the heavy stuff on top to be moved without me having to wrangle all the guys from their benches to help me lug things about.

Krishna liked New Orleans.

I want to go there! Of course I want to go by train, like a civilized individual. 

The really vital news here is that she brought me Pralines!

Yummmm

We flipped Megan's bed over this week. It is no longer a bunk bed but is instead an on the floor bed with canopy.

She has a light she can control at the head and a few stuffed animals to squeeze and some parity with her brother that has made her much more satisfied.

The dogwoods are out in force. Everywhere I drive I am seeing azaleas and dogwoods and light spring green. It has been mild except over the weekend but a comfortable damp, warm, spring sort of mild that feels right for a change.

Kiernan and I both had our big dentist visits on Wednesday. His got him pretty stoned as you can see.

He had a grownup tooth pressing on a baby tooth above, which caused an abscess, and they removed it to prevent infection of the big one, and pain from the little one. He doesn't remember a bit of it.

That same morning I went to the dentist for a cleaning/check up. The anxiety hit moderately but no panic attacks so that was pretty good.

I am very pleased to report that I do not have mouth cancer (as everyone other than me, but maybe even me a bit too, suspected). I have a bone spur caused by grinding my teeth. They want me to get a mouth guard for like 3-4 hundred bucks. 

I will get the 30 dollar one online.

I have to get some crowns on my back teeth. I have never had crowns before. So I have to go back to the dentist after I get back from Denmark.

Its all unfortunately expensive. It also means that I am not moving forward in my micro-braveries to a doctors visit yet.

This week because of Kiernan's dental appointment David had a day off in the middle of the week.

He came to my work and took me out for a fantastic date/lunch.

We went to Ayse Meze in downtown Frederick. This is both nice and close to work and full of delicious vegetarian foods that we have not tried before.

I got lentil soup because I love lentil soup but then we went wild. We got some carrot fritter thing that reminded me of fried plantains only a little more savory. We had sauteed mushrooms with dates. We had flaming cheese!

Then for desert we got chewy ice cream.

Please look at this link for a good explanation of chewy ice cream.

It tasted a bit like eggnog. It was indeed chewy. I loved it. I was sure before we got dessert that the carrot fritters would be the big discovery o the day, but no!

This week was also Qiagen's Bring Your Child to Work Day.

I brought my child.

We had free food and a tour.

We saw some cool robots and did a few experiments.

He was a little wired from all the people and a little bored because he had done it mostly all before.

He occasionally broke into his "I am a great scientist dance". Over all it was a success.

I am glad I stayed with him. Lots of parents did not stay with their kids this year and next year Megan will be old enough so I will go with her, this was therefore,  a good opportunity to appreciate it while I've got it.

Speaking of Megan, I haven't spent nearly enough time with her this week.

On Friday I let her dress me.

Here we are in our red dresses on her newly flipped bed.

I am going to try to take her out on a girls only hike or something next week. She got the mommy short shrift this whole week.

On Friday I made black beans and rice to lure my cousin over.

Ha!

Actually she was coming down for the climate change march and I just wanted to eat black beans and rice. I did however text her this picture to make her speed her way in my direction.

She went downtown with mom on Saturday and they marched all day (ALL DAY!) it was suddenly very hot (mid to upper 90's) and they walked between 8 and 11 miles in the sun.

I wanted to go to the climate march because its a really big deal. I wish they hadn't had it the week directly following the Science March.

I had tickets with Kelsey and Krishna to go to the DC chocolate festival so after luring my cousin to my lab to persuade her to send me her resume the groups split up.

Kelsey and I drove down to Woodly Park and after a bit of circling miraculously  found a parking spot.

We walked around a bit and waited for the rest of the party and then headed in to learn about chocolate.

That is a chocolate pod and all the cocoa seeds/bean from within.

These pods were picked last week.

These people are about to sample chocolate for nearly 3 hours straight. As you can see they are crushed by the prospect.

It went like this. There were many tables run many chocolate vendors (and the semi random tea vendor), lines of people stood around each table to sample and if they like the sample to buy chocolates.

I bought these chocolates.

The little bars were a dollar each and the big ones were between 4 and 7. It was pricey but not break the bank pricey.

My favorite was the Zanzibar chocolate from this guy. It was spicy and smelled amazing.

After all that fun it was time to pay the piper.

I finally got around to mowing the back yard on Sunday. Oh gracious. So much mowing. I put the wheels all the way up and need to go over the whole thing again on a lower setting.

I surely got my steps in though.

To make up for leaving David with the kids while I gallivanted off to chocolate world on Saturday I took the kids on Sunday and gave him a little grown up time.

We went to Ikea for ball bit and exploration and then to see Papa and Grandma Mary for a chocolate sample review and to hang out.