{CLICK HERE} to see the 20 most beautiful bookstores in the world. They are seriously gawgeous.

SHE'S ADORABLE.

SUNDAY IN NORTHEAST

We love erranding (and so do our friends!), though sometimes it's a challenge to get the momentum to start crossing things off the list. Today, however, we had a major need to address. Our beloved car, Matilda, was in desperate need of a tire patch. Like a true champion she hobbled to Macs Tire Service in Northeast for the repair. Macs is open 24 hours (say what?!) and the team was incredible - strong recommend!

And since we were outside Northwest, we thought we'd make an effort to patron an establishment we don't typically frequent. So off we went to Taylor Gourmet, where we devoured an expectedly delightful veggie sub and more notably, a side of mozzarella sticks. Those peppery little cheese devils were absurd; we barely talked, in favor of sharing knowing glances and whole-hearted "mmms" across the table.

The meal ended with famous last words from Sarasmith: "I wonder if there are any treats around here?".  Enter a slice of Winterberry Pie at Dangerously Delicious Pies. In sum: It was an OM NOM NOM day and wonderful close to the week.

ELEPHANT ROOM @ ARENA STAGE

Last night, Sarasmith was thrilled to attend opening night of Elephant Room at Arena Stage, the theatrical brainchild of three professional magicians. Equal parts illusion and absurdity, this unique show was riveting through and through.

Major shout-out to Breanna for the invitation. She da best.

HAPPY 30TH ANNIVERSARY!

Dear Mom + Dad,

 

Today marks your 30th wedding anniversary; how special is that?! Thank you for cultivating a beautiful family, rooted in love. You have allowed all of us to be part of something truly incredible, and it all started with just two. May you grow young together and become old friends.

Love,

Your Babies

{CLICK HERE} to see London potholes transformed into beautiful, little gardens filled with delightful curiosities.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

January 23rd, 2012 marked the start of the 4709th Chinese New Year and we loved having an opportunity to read up on this important Chinese holiday. This is the year of the black water dragon, and we learned that because the Chinese consider the dragon an unpredictable and untouchable symbol, we may see something unexpected happen in 2012.

To get yourself in the Chinese New Year spirit, we recommend watching this exquisite video. It shows the China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe dancing the Thousand-Arm Guan Yin. The performers are deaf, but the piece is so phenomenal you would never guess they've overcome major personal obstacles to be able to perform. What a testament to the power of the human spirit and the promise of a new year!

THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE + SISTERLY AFFECTION

We'd been talking about taking a daytrip to Philly for a few months, and we (finally!) decided to go over Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. We never, however, got our act together to make legitimate plans. In fact, the only thing we did do is tell others we were going. And because we didn't want to backpedal to friends, we got in the car on last Monday morning without directions, a plan of action or a strong sense of what we wanted to accomplish. We're planning types, so we didn't really know what to expect from being so unprepared. Turns out the freedom allowed for a phenomenal visit.

Because we had no plans, it was impossible to get off schedule. Every moment was simply part of the adventure. First stop was the Liberty Bell, and we stumbled across a phenomenal ceremony commemorating Dr. King's life and work. We then checked off eating cheesesteaks (they had a vegetarian version for Betsy!) at Pat's before popping over to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Last stop of the day was catching up with our dear friend, Irene and visiting with her precious roommate, Willy the Boston Terrier.

We had such a delightful time and were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed the disorganization of it all. We can't imagine that this style of travel will become our MO, but sometimes it's wonderful to be reminded that being a little messy in your approach works just as well, if not better, than meticulous planning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE BEST WAY TO CLOSE OUT THE WORK WEEK

Look who we caught up with after work today! These two are far and beyond the most precious members of the Smith family.

THE STATE OF WIKIPEDIA BY JESS3

In light of SOPA, we thought you might enjoy watching this video by JESS3 about the state of Wikipedia.

{CLICK HERE} for a really fun picture of Andy Warhol.

DANCING @ STICKY RICE

Here's a little info nugget about us: we love to dance. So much so that we: 1) have a few partner routines we pull out on special occasions and 2) love to use our sock feet for deluxe twirls on hardwood floors.

And so, we're always on the hunt for places where we can groove, preferably with enough personal 

space to really swing our arms around and occasionally high-kick (not kidding). And so, we headed to Sticky Rice in our dance pants last Friday night. Have you been? They project music videos on two large screens! It's important to note that this bar doesn't have an official dance floor, but the music is so good, the whole place may as well be a disco by 11:30pm.

Speaking of, someone start a disco in DC. Please?

{PHILLY DAYTRIP SNEAK PEEK} HONORING MLK, JR. AT THE LIBERTY BELL

We made an impromptu day trip to Philly for the long weekend and despite a complete lack of plans (no directions, money for tolls or any concrete ideas about what to do), we ended up having an astonishing time. More on that later.

The luckiest part of our day was stumbling upon a celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Liberty Bell; we hope that everyone thought of him today. As one speaker so eloquently put it, we formally celebrate Dr. King's contributions on his birthday, but what we're really commemorating is not his birth, nor his expiration. Rather, we're celebrating the dash; what came between those two dates. The ceremony was truly incredible and we were fortunate to hear reflections from public officials, local civil rights leaders, and ordinary citizens simply taking in the event. The ceremony's dignified conclusion was watching Malcolm X's daughters complete the ceremonial ringing of the bell. May we always honor him in such a fitting manner.

{CLICK HERE} for the listing of Flavorwire's Ten Essential Civil Rights Movement Photographers. A few spoilers below; we just couldn't help but share them.

JACK ROSE DINING SALOON

We're well past turning 21, but based on the quality of what we normally drink, you might not know that. We absolutely (Absolut-ly?) appreciate fine libations when we imbibe them, but honestly? You'll usually find us swilling whatever is on special. Enter: Jack Rose Dining Saloon. This relatively new establishment is just the right amount of classy to encourage you to order something nice without stopping you from ordering a second because your pockets are empty. It was a terrific venue to casually celebrate a birthday and reconnect with old friends. Though not an every day spot, this is certainly somewhere we'll visit again. And probably again. Oh, and also one more time.

BEAUTY AT ANY AGE

Poking around one of our favorite sites, Flavorwire, we were reminded that happiness looks good on all ages. Take a moment to soak in these exquisite portraits from Jahrhundertmensch, a new series by German photographer Karsten Thormaehlen. We're inspired.

FOTOSHOP BY ADOBE

Introducing the next revolution in beauty: Fotoshop by Adobe.  "Just one application of photoshop can give you results so dramatic, they're almost unreal."

Spoiler Alert: it IS unreal.

{CLICK HERE} to learn about Yoko Ono's Wish Tree community art project.

CUTEST DOG IN DC

This weekend we had a wonderful excuse to get oot and aboot because we were hosting a friend who lives outside the District. It's always fun to see our city through new eyes and we loved poking around the National Zoo, brunching at The Diner, exploring the Khalil Gibran Memorial and cooking with a few of our nearest and dearest.

We also stumbled across the cutest dog in DC. Her name is Matterhorn and she belongs to our equally adorable friend, Katie. Just look at those eyes; we're mush!

{CLICK HERE} to read a cute post from A Cup of Jo about what boys say it's like to make the first move to kiss a girl.

ONE GUITAR + FIVE PEOPLE

Hi.  We're in love with this.

For any Gotye or Kimbra fans in the house, this is a cover of Somebody That I Used to Know. Walk off the Earth's interpretation  maintains the integrity of the original masterpiece (and it is, in fact, a masterpiece), but rejuvenates the song using only one guitar played by five people.

Now don't mind us. We'll just be here. Listening on repeat.

"GOODNESS! GRACIOUS! GREAT BALLS OF FIRE!"

During the holidays in Colorado, we pulled an absolute treasure from the Smith family archives: a VHS music video (circa 1991) produced at our local shopping mall.  Please pardon the pixelation, but just envision some serious boogieing to this catchy tune.  And in case you were wondering, yes, Sara was wearing shorts and not just an over-sized Barney tee.

{BONUS} Still frame from a Smithster in-house production, starring Betsy the green-faced witch and Sara the lopsided kitty cat.  Obviously, exquisite makeup application was an early acquired skill for us.