Remembering April

April started on a weekend and ended on a weekend, with three weekends in between. It was my kind of month. (It also started out rainy and gross and ended rainy and gross, but let’s focus on the positive.)
When I have my way, Fridays are very low-key and April 1st was just that. I went to the gym after work and then spent the rest of the evening on the couch, in preparation for a busy and gluttonous weekend.
Saturday morning we hit up Philly Wing Fry at Union Market and then spent the evening with my brother and sister-in-law at Mad Fox Tavern watching OU lose in the Final Four. Being a Sooner fan is a masochistic experience. We capped off the weekend with a fun date night at EatBar, which is now one of my new favorite restaurants in the area.
The next week I got to meet up with two of my favorite former coworkers for Mexican food and a long chat. They were two of the first people to befriend me after moving here (five years ago this month!) and we always have a good time catching up.
We had a spell of cold, winter weather early in the month, and even a bit of snow, but that didn’t stop us from exploring the city. Museums are one of my favorite bad weather activities, and the Renwick Gallery’s Wonder exhibition didn’t disappoint.
We warmed up afterward with ramen at Chaplin’s in Shaw and drinks at a bar nearby. Eventually, we had to go home and tend to the dog and decided to re-watch Inside Llewyn Davis and sing along to all the folk songs. It was kind of a perfect day, winter coats and all.
The following week we had our monthly girls’ night at Bar Deco in Chinatown. I opted not to take pictures, or review the restaurant since we were having too much fun to mess with all of that. Most of the food was really delicious and we enjoyed drinks on the rooftop afterward with a bunch of excited Capitals fans who’d just watched a big win across the street at the Verizon Center.
The weather finally improved and we began to enjoy as many evening walks as possible. We like to switch it up between gawking at beautiful row houses in Capitol Hill and sunset walks along the river.
On a Friday evening we partook in a post walk beer at Justin’s Cafe, which is the closest bar to our apartment with a constantly bustling patio.
The next day we drove out to Virginia for our monthly shift at the winery. It was a gorgeous day that breezed by with talk of wine and travel, my favorite kind. Ashton tagged along as usual and slept all afternoon. He’s got it rough.
The next day started off with a sweaty workout in preparation for Cochon555, which was the epitome of a Sunday Funday and a DC food lover’s dream come true.
Our stomachs properly stretched, we continued to consume inordinately healthy foods the next week. Shake Shack’s collaboration with DC chef Erik Bruner-Yang of Maketto was coming to an end, so we decided to walk two miles each way to taste the limited-time-only Peking chicken sandwich before it was too late.
We took the long walk as an opportunity to play tourist in Penn Quarter, stopping to check out a few sites I’d never paid much attention to before. I really just love living here so much. There’s always something new to discover.



The fun continued the following weekend with an absolutely delicious brunch at Convivial and then a day of fun at the Southwest Waterfront.
We took Ashton to Cantina Marina for drinks on the water and he quickly made friends with pooches at neighboring tables.
It was a gorgeous afternoon, so we walked over to the fish market to get supplies for dinner before walking back home. Living in such a walk-able city makes errands so much more enjoyable.


The following day brought even more warm weather activities with a hike on the Maryland Heights Trail. Afterward, we relaxed our surprisingly aching bodies for a while before heading out to Brookland for a fun wine tasting.
Young Winos of DC hosted a rosé tasting featuring twelve different wines along with cheese and charcuterie at Wardman Wines.
The selections were diverse from the Finger Lakes in New York to South Africa and each one of them delicious, we left with two reasonably priced bottles.
Brookland is really a charming area with the beautiful Catholic University campus nearby. I hope to return a few times over the summer to walk around a bit more.
After that, April began to quietly slip away as I focused on sad family news and a sickly Saturday on the couch, but we did get some really exciting news – Tom and I will be aunt and uncle to a baby girl later this year! We got together with Tom’s family to celebrate and squeal and talk all things pink. So much fun and the best way I can think of to end the month.
April was not without its challenges, but writing these admittedly self-indulgent recaps always reminds me of how much good stuff there is to cherish that I might not otherwise notice or appreciate. It’s often easier for me to worry than to focus on the good and be thankful, but I’m working slowly to change my ways. And with that, here’s to a hopeful and happy May!