Observations This weekend, I hung out with some stellar blogger girls (and one nonblogger girl -- hi Aimee!). I learned a lot of things, which I'll share with you if you care to read, my dear interweb friends. 1. It's not me (or Nabbalicious). The road signage in D.C. sucks massively. And I don't really have any room to talk because she always drives. Her grace under pressure continues to amaze me. As for me, I really want a GPS system. If I just had one of those little thingamabobs, me and the Coop could go anywhere. 2. Mama Likey is freaking hilarious. How did I not know this before? (Which leads us to No. 3) 3. Those girls make me want to be a better blogger. On a scale from 1 to 5, I'd give myself a 2. I give them 4.8s, talking about becoming dotcoms (which some already have), frequent commenters, how many hits they get a day. They all read a ton of other blogs. I read some, but by no means as many as they do. Which is why I didn't know how awesome and funny Mama Likey is. (She's also a great hostess. Thanks so much!) I think the problem with me can be that I tend to do things the opposite way. (Maybe "problem" isn't the right word.) These girls found each other through their blogs. And I've found them through the people behind the blogs. (Mostly Nabbalicious. Thanks, girl!) That's just to say I tend to meet the blogger before reading the blog (with some exceptions, of course), whereas they met because they read one anothers' blogs. 4. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I don't like much going away from home. I was talking to BTV about plans for the weekend (going to D.C. to hang out with pals Maliavale and Nabbalicious while meeting some new friends -- Jurgen Nation and Mama Likey, having Ethiopian food, going to a bar and staying overnight). He said something like "Nothing like being in your comfort zone!" He knows me too well. New people, new food, a bar and a night away from home? That's a lot of newness for me all at once. Being around new people really makes my introverted side rear its ugly little head. I'm not a huge drinker, don't really go to bars. And as for food? Well, it's best for me to stick to the tried and true because I just don't have very good experiences when I try new stuff. (A few words about Ethiopian to come in No. 5.) That's not to say that I won't try new stuff and I don't think I'm boring or anything. (I hope not anyway.) I guess I just like my routine. The biggest thing, though, is that I hate leaving my husband. Yes, I realize that sounds kind of... dumb, maybe. But he's my bestest friend and I enjoy his company. I'd rather be with him than with anyone else in the whole world. If we're together, I'll go anywhere and do anything. And before you think, "Oh she must be a newlywed." Nope. We've been married for almost seven years and together for 12. For 12 years, I don't think that's doing too damned bad. Anyway, I was glad to meet everyone. And I was glad to come home to my sweetie, who made us some lean cheeseburgers and sweet potato (and regular) french fries for dinner. No, I do not loan him out. 5. Ethiopian food. First off, I have to confess that the bread creeps me out. The way it was folded and the texture of it reminded me of human skin. It tasted pretty good though. We all shared a meat platter and a vegetarian platter. My favorite thing of the whole meal? The green beans. I think I ate three. They were yummy. Everything else was good, too. But the green beans. Wow. I can't say I'm dying to go back, but I'd try it again. And in my book, that is a success, friends.