mrandmrsme

Welcome Fenwick Mandle

2010-10-21T00:32:00.000-05:00

Fenwick David Mandle joined us on July 30th, 2010. He was a solid 8lbs 4oz and very long (20 inches) with a full head of beautiful hair. As many of you know due to some last minute birthing complications we did have an emergency c-section to get him out. This saved his life. Due to some trauma in the womb the poor little guy was in the neonatal intensive care unit for the first 2 weeks of his life. It was a hard time, one of the most difficult either Rob, or Myself have ever experienced, but we grew closer together because of it, came to appreciate and understand what the truly important things in life are, and saw what a fighter our little guy was and is! With so many people praying for us and the help of loving family, we managed, blurry eyed to be at that hospital for Fen every day, sometimes two times a day!

Although Fen had a rough start to life, he is doing more than fine now. He is growing every day and discovering new abilities. He is loved beyond measure. Below are a few pics chronicling the first two months of his life - Enjoy!

Fen in the NICU

Nana visits Fen!

Grandpa visits Fen!

Special ear muffs and batman-visor

First time Daddy held Fen!

First time Mommy held Fen!

Omi visits Fen

Opi visits Fen

The first day we brought Fen home could not have been sweeter:

The rest of August flew by with plenty of cuddles and curiosities:

Baby Mandle

2010-06-27T21:39:00.011-05:00

A lot has happened since our Snowpocolypse post back in February of this year and we apologize for the hiatus. Believe me, it was not for lack of post material, but rather that we were too busy to post! By now most of you have heard that baby Mandle, affectionately referred to as the Little Guy, is imminently due. We have been busy bees this spring preparing for the Little Guy: entertaining, spending quality time with family and friends, nesting, planning events, designing, and so much more. In an effort to catch many up to date we would like to share some highlights that capture a little bit of what we have experienced and accomplished February - May.

Mom and Aunt Leslie visited us this winter - It was a cozy, chatty trip. Thanks Rob for putting up with us!

A visit home, to Orcas Island in March. Me with my Dad visiting one of the houses he built.

My Mom and I enjoying her garden and walk outside!

I surprised Rob for his birthday - A house full of people dressed for a Mad Men, or should I say Mad Mandle Night!

Party people, Mad Mandle style!

More party goers

Part of the surprise birthday party was to have Rob's parents and little brother down for the weekend from CT - Thanks Mandles!

Dan, Catherine, Jackson, and Amelia visited us this April from MN - Jackson loved the Cherry Blossoms and hanging out in this tree!

In May I visited Lynnette and Clay in NC with Heather for a long weekend. It was so great to see the newly engaged couple and celebrate with them!

To wrap this series of spring highlights up, we will leave you with an image of our Little Guy. This ultrasound was taken in March.

Snowpacolypse coming to an end

2010-02-22T22:50:00.000-05:00

We had our fun in the snow, but last weekend I had had enough! Fortunately the weather gods have heard my plea and DC is starting to warm.....slowly, but surely the giant snow mountains piled high around the city are starting to melt away making the walk from our house down to the Metro much easier.

As a farewell to this season I thought it only appropriate to post a few photos documenting our attempt at building a snow army along Rock Creek Church Road. We tried to recruit, but in the end we were an army of two. The snow men came out great though and we left that day feeling victorious in our efforts!

The makings of a snow army

Rob's lovely snowman

The artist at work

Rob leans in for a wet one

In appreciation of Rob's creation

Valentine's Day 2010

2010-02-14T20:32:00.002-05:00

Does Valentine's Day inspire you to be crafty, or creative? For us - it does! Rob woke this morning (much earlier than I of course) to my paper heart treasure trail leading to various hidden German-made gummy bears wrapped in tissue. Additionally, he found a series of six handmade 2"x2" square Valentine's Day boxes also containing gummy bears on display in the dining room.

Not to be outdone, I awoke this morning to a curious, fuzzy, red object hanging above my side of the bed .... oh wait, I didn't have my glasses on yet. I soon discovered the fuzzy object to be a three dimensional hanging paper heart with a string attached to a love note from the wonderful Mr. Rob. I was indeed impressed!

We spent the rest of our Valentine's Day eating a late breakfast at Busboys and Poets, saw the movie Avatar, and wrapped everything up with a cozy evening reading our books here at the green house. Enjoy the photos!

Living in DC's Snowpacolypse

2010-02-12T20:52:00.000-05:00

Getting hit by two major back to back snow storms had us reliving some of our most vivid memories of massive snow falls while at Bowdoin College in Maine. We never thought we would see snow like that again living in the mid-Atlantic. The combined snow totals of Feb 5-6 and Feb 9-10 have come to about 31 inches! Add in the storm just before Christmas (just over 12 inches), a few other snow showers, and you have the snowiest DC winter since 1884 and one of the top 10 "snowiest" major cities in the country this season.

As you can imagine we have been enjoying the good life in our little green house with the old steam radiators pumping out heat on a regular basis. Can't wait to see the gas bill! Below are some pictures of our adventures in the snow. We have had certainly had a lot of fun and are happy to report all is well!

The Green House with a coating of White!

Rock Creek Church Road - Our Street

Maria and Mini-Mandle Enjoying the Snow

Walkies with Bowdie

Bowdie Surveying the terrain... Or just addressing his cold feet...

Rob clearing the snow from the porch roof!

Bowdie stands guard!

Bowdie makes use of his snowy run in the side yard!

2010 ... here we go!

2010-02-07T23:30:00.004-05:00

It has been almost two years since Rob and I have updated, or used our blog.....and we find ourselves back here again, ready to document, and stay connected to friends and family far away yet again. 2010 finds us much changed with a new house (the green house) in our lovely neighborhood of Petworth, D.C., a dog named Bowdie, a baby on the way, and a whole host of exciting work and life experiences under our belts for 2008 and 2009. We look forward to sharing our adventures great and small with you yet again and anticipate an extremely eventful 2010!

Maria is International!

2008-04-29T08:30:00.002-05:00

Maria's design work for the Crystal City BID's 21-week James Bond Film Festival, From Crystal City With Love, has passed the borders of the US!

Cool!

http://www.007magazine.co.uk/events.htm

Back in the Blogging Saddle

2008-04-06T14:59:00.001-05:00

It has been nearly 4 months since Maria and I posted a Blog Entry and it is time to start getting back into the blogging saddle. Maria has put in her notice at Trilogy Design Group where she has been working for the past two years. At the end of the month, we will be moving her up to the DC metropolitan area where we will be living in Arlington, VA in a brand new apartment, the Gramercy at Metropolitan Park. It is a pretty nice place, but we are hoping to only be there for at most 12-months while we search for our own little piece of the Washington area real estate market! Needless to say, we are both EXTREMELY excited to bring our households back together and leave the long-distance marriage in the past!

I have been keeping busy at the Crystal City Business Improvement District as the Operations Director. I have actually been spending a lot of time working with Blogs on my largest project to date, Crystal Flight. I have been documenting the progress and providing information to artists, sponsors, media, and the general public via the Crystal Flight Blog. Stop by, take a look, and tell me what you think! I hope to provide more frequent posts in the next few weeks so expect to here more details soon!

Regards,
Rob

Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas

2007-12-13T23:48:00.000-05:00

The holiday season is in full swing...with Thanksgiving behind us, over-stuffed bellies flattened, we are back in shape and ready for Christmas. We feverishly mark off our list of presents and join the ranks of people succumbing to mass consumerism due to the holidays with those mile long wish lists in the middle of malls, botiques, God forbid highways thick with traffic...not to mislead everyone, I am no doomsday writer, but rather filled with the utmost amount of holiday cheer and generally delighted by the festive Christmas songs, trees, and lights.

I only wish to point out that people could make more of an effort to give the gift of handcrafted items to family and friends alike. Now, this is a wonderful standard to uphold oneself, but it is harder than you might think. An incredible amount of planning is involved with this route and I apologize ahead of time to those of you who might be secretly wishing for some delightful Maria-Made gift this Christmas only to be sorely dissapointed and bummed out. Never fear, there is always next year!

In all seriousness, I have been occupied crafting another type of holiday gift for the masses, one that will hopefully reach many, frustrate few, and delight all. I invite you now to take a look at, download, and print off my handmade holiday gift, courtesy Me, Maria Mandle with Trilogy Design Group.

Click here => http://www.thinktrilogy.com/ for your holiday gift and get ready for an evening of fun filled, origami ornament making!

Like so many, I am very excited for Christmas, but can't help reliving that delicious pie I had over Thanksgiving.....Thank you Daddy Mandle (Sr.)! Rob and I spent this past Thanksgiving in C.T. with the Mandles. It was a beautiful and slow train ride up. We felt like such comfortable travelers with our neat bags, books, laptops, art projects, enjoying each other's company.

The Mandle house was very relaxing with candles burning, a delicious Thanksgiving dinner...Thank you Sigrid and David! Unfortunately we did not take many photos on our camera. I have only a couple from this trip and all three of which were taken on a crisp day with David, Rob, and myself visiting the vineyard in Wallingford where we purchased the wine from our wedding....always lovely to return here! http://www.gouveiavineyards.com/

The weeks following Thanksgiving were filled with Christmas tree purchasing and decorating, crafty Rob and Maria projects to be disclosed at another time, a performance of the Nutcracker, and general fun listening to and in Rob's case, singing along to Christmas songs.

a vip after party at Bobby Woods for the Nutcracker!

Take a look through the remaining photos and enjoy the details of our tree. For my family so far away, I hope these images warm your hearts and make you feel closer to me....see our Wee Tree in our cozy apartment!? Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!!!!!!

Much Love,

Maria

November Racing Towards Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T01:52:00.000-05:00

Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving. This should be a time to reflect, rejoice, and reunite with family and friends.

For all of you who are participating in some Thanksgiving Day races, I salute you, but do not envy you. Although Rob and I have participated in said activities in the past and very well may next Thanksgiving, I had my fill of walking the 5K race in Virginia Beach Town Center on November the 10th with a great group of girls. I also had fun designing our Team's shirts. For a detail of the design please take a look at the latest update on the left under "Image of the Moment."

Fall is not only a time for appreciating the change of the seasons and holiday cheer, but a time to go to craft fairs, spray paint chairs, catch a rugby game, and get crafty! Below you will find the adorable hand-made owl that I bought from my good friend Cassie a couple of weekends ago at the Handmade Parade Craft Fair in Norfolk. This inspiring little guy got Rob and I excited to get our craft on and spray painted our dinky old fold up chairs a beautiful red to compliment the red tones of our dining room. Take a look!

Hope you all have very delicious Thanksgiving Holidays and look forward to catching you up after Turkey Day.

Love, Maria

Halloween

2007-11-08T19:19:00.001-05:00

With Autumn finally creeping in, Rob and I have been getting into the Fall spirit by watching the changing leaves, going on walks, arranging gourdes and pumpkin displays on our *new dining room table, and of course participating in Halloween.

October's set of activities started with the wine festival at Town Point Park where we had a chance to sample some delicious wine. Hundreds of people turned out for this event and we literally experienced having to wade through a sea of people. Quickly realizing the lines were too thick to penetrate in a timely manner, we decided to buy our own bottle of the next wine we both liked. After choosing a bottle, we sauntered off quite pleased with ourselves, found a spot more removed from the jumbled masses, and settled in for a nice chat while we finished off the bottle between the two of us!

Because we so enjoy cooking together, that weekend was also filled with some amazing dishes and a chance to properly enjoy our new table! This Spring Vegetable Risotto dish was amazing and highly recommended. For the recipe, just email me.

Aside from our wine tasting and culinary adventures, the weekend prior to Halloween was an adventure in costumes. After diligent searching and not much prep time, we found the perfect finishing touch for Rob's Halloween costume....and being such BIG Redsox fans, we were quite pleased with the end result. Rob was ready, under concealing clothing, to hit Adams Morgan for the birthday/Halloween celebration.

The night was filled with introductions. We met up with the Chiquita Banana, Strawberry, and Grape trio; Indiana Jones and a construction worker; and finally we were all introduced to......Jonathan (Rob) Pappelbaum doing his river dance! Take a look at Rob's Halloween costume as he starts his Irish jig......

Because the bar was not well lit, we could not get a video of Jonathan (Rob) Pappelbaum doing his river dance, but hope to catch him in the act some time soon!

Happy Autumn!

A September Wedding in Maine

2007-09-26T21:16:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the happily married couple! Here's to Kim and Caleb Dubois!!! May your lives be long and filled with laughter and love.

Rob and I traveled to Maine for the wedding of our good friends Caleb and Kim in September and from the moment we stepped off the plane to the last day there we both agreed it was GOOD to be back!

As with all of our Bowdoin friend's weddings we have been attending over the last year, we were so excited to be with them all again and to see how the personality of the bride and groom would shine through the details of their wedding weekend extravaganza!

Caleb and Kim's wedding location could not have been more perfect for them! Set against the beautiful Maine coast, sitting atop a hill overlooking an apple orchard, we all gathered for the ceremony under a bonnie blue sky and a big yellow sun....needless to say, we were blessed not only with good company, but great weather! The whole weekend had been filled with laughter, jokes, and general debauchery, but most of all, everywhere I looked there was a smile on some one's face.

Pretty much the whole lot of us stayed at Jed's family's summer home in Christmas Cove in Damariscotta, Maine. http://www.damariscotta.com/

Thank you again Jed! What a spectacular view we shared there from the sweeping porch overlooking the sea. I loved sitting out the morning of the wedding looking over the rocky coastline of Maine, so like my Orcas Island in Washington State. The whole weekend brought me back to a combination of home and Bowoin. Well, both were my homes for many years and it was wonderful to be able to think of that during our time up in Maine.

As always, we teared it up on the dance floor and it certainly seemed some young ladies had the upper hand! Rob and Scott certainly enjoyed their time out with these lovely flower girls!

After a long night of dancing, jumping in the ocean, and who knows what else, Rob and I found ourselves on the road again headed down through Brunswick and decided to stop and say hello to the Polar Bear.

We will miss our beautiful Maine, our friends, and our school, forever and always in our hearts....Beautiful Bowdoin.

Orcas Island Visit Home

2007-09-11T23:38:00.000-05:00

Orcas Island looking out from Turtle Head Mnt.

Rob and I were both lucky to be able to visit my family home this August...and what a spectacular visit West it was to sunny Orcas Island! No rain you say? Well, not anything worth mentioning. It is easy to forget in our sticky Virginia summer climate how refreshing and cool it is on the coast of Washington State.

My Sister - Val - Posing in Kirkland

Going back home for Me went a little like this: Sitting in the ferry landing with my sister, I look out on the cool ocean water of the Puget Sound and remember as my eye moves across to the mountains and a towering sea of green on every peak and valley. The breeze picks up and a flock of sea gulls coast by the line of cars ... I feel calm and clean with the grit of yesterday's travel washed away. Bustling summer adventurers weave in and out of the ferry lanes, but I think I recognize one family and a man with a large dog. The casual flowing shirt and loose, worn khaki shorts walk past me in an easy going gait that I immediately associate with people and life on Orcas Island. I don't really know the person or family, but they seem so familiar..... I was lucky to have grown up here.

Val, Pete, Me, and Noah...all grown up, sort of

After a full day meeting my Mom and picking Rob up from the Mnt. Vernon train station, stopping at our favorite Co-op with it's crunchy granola awesomeness, we finally made it across the sound on Orcas! I think the most captivating sight for me coming home is watching the ferry come in to the Orcas Island ferry dock and then the drive up and around the hill, twisting down and through the dark evergreens lining each side of the two lane road that leads to home! It's always so beautiful and green, no matter what time of year.

Val, Rob, & Mom in front of the new Turtle Back Mnt. trail sign

Mom and Me on Turtle Back Mnt. enjoying our view

The four days home were not nearly enough time to be with family and friends again. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, we went for our hike up Turtle Back Mnt. Rob, Val, Mom, and Myself enjoyed the physical exercise and the chance to talk about life, family, and plans.

Rob & Me on top of Turtle Back Mnt. Enjoying the view!

Rob and I try to make it up Turtle Back Mnt. every time we go back to visit Orcas. I took Rob on a Turtle Back Mnt. hike the first time he came to visit me on the island...It will forever be a special spot for us!

Dad, Me, and Rob on the job site

We visited Dad on the job and while there took the opportunity to take some action shots of the workers. With his trusty summer worker, Noah the boah, work on the house had never been so swift! They were hammering along when we arrived after our hike and the sun was beating down, but neither seemed to notice! So, we decided to distract them with the camera in the hopes of leaving for lunch soon...

Noah and Dad standing on the second level of the job, men hard at work!

After a great lunch on the boat with Dad and Anna they set sail for the afternoon as we headed back for a bit of a party Mom and Jocko were throwing for Rob and Myself....but not before a quick dingy rescue to get Noah's keys he left on the boat during our boat docked lunch!

Chester's Grave in the garden

It was beautiful coming back home to Mom's carefully tended garden. To stand out there, watching Noah and Rob play ping pong, take in the tall sunflowers poking their heads over the gate, seeing Chester's little cat grave sitting quietly near one of the garden trees, well, the whole scene made me stop and never want to leave the island again. I felt so happy to just be home again.

Mom's Garden

The party was a blast with family friends and delicious food. Rob and I are now proud owners of a beautiful hand made pottery plate with two Orca Wales encircling a ferry in celebration of our 1 year anniversary. Thank you Mom and Jock!!

Gallivanting from one place and one event to another was certainly challenging, but Rob and I managed to fit a lot in. Sailing with Dad and Anna on Saturday was great even if the skies were not picture perfect....We set sail around the island and had a bit of a thrill as the boat leaned over this way and that, Dad, Anna, and Noah working hard...Julie, Rob, and I not so much. It is wonderful to see Dad so in his element. Both he and Anna love to sail and I look forward to a long over night trip on the boat with them maybe north of the San Juans one of these summers. (Photos to come from Noah of the boat trip!).

Rob and I were able to witness the wedding of Alana and Jim that evening on a romantic spot near Deer Harbor. The skies parted just in time for the wedding and as dusk rolled in a big beautiful moon illuminated the festivities.

Rob, Noah, and Pete at Alana & Jim's wedding

Jock and Mom at the wedding

The last day on Orcas was very special for me. I spent a wonderful morning at Church with Dad. Noah, Pete, and Mom met us there and we heard an energetic sermon from one of the missionary workers in South America who spoke of stepping outside ones self and putting others first, loosing the selfish shroud we so often throw on....And then off to more outdoor activities. After catching an afternoon concert put on by the choral society in town Noah, Pete, Val, Julie, and Moriah and I trooped out to Cascade Lake to go fishing.

Val, Me, and Julie at Cascade Lake

It's amazing how we suddenly we slip back into former roles, the past comes rushing back to meet your present state, at least that's how I felt tramping through the forest trail in Moran State Park towards the Cascade Lake bridge. I suddenly felt as if I was back in Camp Orkila, Val struck up an old camp song and everyone followed suite as I captured it on video. The line of us marching with ores, plastic boat and fishing rods above our heads tugged at something in me and I suddenly did not want to leave this place! I wanted to stay at home and be a little girl again walking off into the woods thinking up grand schemes for elaborate forts, daydreaming about my grown up life as I go slipping through the woods pausing every now and then to examine a tree root formation that might catch my eye....Again, It was a great feeling to be home again.

Pete getting ready to launch off into the Lake

Noah Caught a Fish!! Wait, nope it's seaweed.

The real fish Noah caught!

And we all went merrily on our way. Many great moments and many more to come upon my next visit home.

Adios my dear readers.

Happy 1 Year Anniversary!

2007-08-16T21:29:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's been 1 year since Rob and I got married! It has been one beautiful year with Rob as we've traveled to Ajijic for our honeymoon, Orcas, Bowdoin, Connecticut, Boston, Nantucket, and San Diego.We are looking forward to our next adventure, a trip out to Orcas Island next week.

A note for posterity: We are lucky that we have each other and we are blessed to know love of this magnitude. There is not a day that goes by that I truly do not think about this and thank God for what He has given me. To whom much is given, much is expected.....I know that Rob will share my sentiment regarding this and I hope that we can continue to grow with each other over the course of our lives while keeping this in mind. When we married everything changed, it was like a shift in reality, everything changed some how and yet we were the same. The way we view our life, one life not two; the way we move through that life; and our commitment to each other, has been effected and it is really one of the most beautiful experiences in my life...very difficult to verbalize. I am honored to be your wife Rob as I am sure you are to be my husband......"Can I just say, Forever?"

What better way to celebrate our 1 year anniversary than to be together, off on another adventure? Rob was the mastermind behind the gallivanting we did last weekend involving a very long bike ride on my new bike* out to historic Leesburg, VA.

Rob & Maria getting ready for the long trip

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Rob & Maria showing off our bikes!

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The Colonial Inn where we stayed the night

The trip there was amazing, (a bit hard for me), but satisfying when we arrived. the weather that day was gorgeous and breezy. Along the way we stopped at a farmer's market right off the bike trail in Reston, VA and enjoyed some delicious fruit, practically right off the vine! Once in Leesburg we checked in to our charming and dusty old B&B with it's four-poster bed and explored the area. After enjoying an intimate coffee bar and various sites around town, not excluding our delicious peek into Lavender Moon Soap Company, we got ready for an elegant dinner back in our charming B&B.

Maria enjoying a nectarine from Farmer's Market

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Our four-poster bed at the B&B

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After enjoying an intimate coffee bar and various sites around town, not excluding our delicious peek into Lavender Moon Soap Company, we got ready for an elegant dinner back in our charming B&B

Enjoying some freshly brewed coffee and chai tea

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Dinner was elegant and delicious with fillet and duck

After our wonderful time together it seems appropriate to reflect on the past year of marriage. It is appropriate to say that we are passionately and madly in love, but we are rational in our commitment and steadfast in our understanding of each other and how we may grow and change always together. I love you my dear husband with all of my heart and with all of my soul and with all of my mind. Three elements that are equally invested in you!

The Mandles in the Adirondacks!

2007-07-31T22:35:00.000-05:00

Our recent trip to the Adirondacks in upstate New York with the whole Mandle Clan was a great three and half day adventure for Rob and myself. Rob and I were the first to arrive at our cabin site situated beautifully near Lake Raquette. As we waited for the others to arrive, we decided to canoe across the lake. We also enjoyed the paddle boat a few times throughout our trip and remembered Rob's first visit to Orcas and our paddling cruise across Cascade Lake.

As soon as all the Mandles arrived and got organized we set about the business of grilling burgers and catching up. With little Jackson fully mobile and chattering away in his wonderful baby language, we were all preoccupied for hours and stayed up talking and joking around until our exhausted bodies couldn't hold out any longer. It's a good thing we rested well that night because it was up early (for me anyway) to hike Blue Mnt., but not before a little birthday celebration for my 26th! Thank you Dan, Catherine, and Jackson for the beautiful knitting book and thank you Sigrid, David, and Joe for the precious leather bound, illuminated Bible.....yes, it was heavy carrying it back to Norfolk, but well worth it as it now rests on a prominent side table next to our reading chair in the living room!

We were fortunate to have good weather four our hike up Blue Mountain. Jackson was a trouper and seemed pretty comfortable on the back of his dad Dan. The Mandle brothers stopped to pose for a picture. It was great to see them together again.

There were a couple spots not captured with the camera near the top where the rocks smoothed out to form large, fairly verticle areas perfect for running up, like the scene in Last of the Mohicans. I challenged myself to make a go at it and managed to do so for quite a while. In the end, we all felt like champions when we reached the top to gaze out over the green landscape below.

The rustic cabin we stayed in was cozy and conveniently situated near a badmitten court, which we all frequented, and a play set. There was also a fire pit and grill just outside, but I think we can all agree that the highlight of the little cabin was the covered porch with a wide bench seat that had been turned into a lounging area with a covered mattress outfitted. We all took turns sitting there and reading, watching Jackson zigzag his way around us, and just relaxed, breathing in the cool clean air.

Our vacation in the Adirondacks was particularly special because of the time spent with our family. It was fun to see Catherine, Dan, and Jackson make daily walks around the entire cabin site because little Jackson could not wait to stretch his long legs and explore.

The day after our long hike up Blue Mountain we set out for a canoe and kayaking trip across the Lake and up through a stream and marsh area to a beautiful small rushing falls. We had great fun in the canoes and kayaks and raced each other on the way back.

We enjoyed late night conversations, brownies, pumkin pie, board games, marshmellows, night time swimming, star gazing and more throughout the course of our vacation.

In closing I will leave you all with this: What better way to settle down at the end of a long day with a good book, great company, and a pumpkin pie in your lap?? I don't know, but that sounds like a little bit of heaven to me!!!!!

Much Love,

Maria & Rob

Maria's Solo Exhibition - An Intimate Series

2007-07-19T22:54:00.000-05:00

After showing my work in D.C.'s Artomatic this last Spring, I was encouraged by the positive responses to my work and the mention in Alexandria's Old Town Crier by art critic Lenny Campello to do another show. The Intimate Series hit Norfolk July 9, 2007 in Share That Experience Gallery downtown. With a prominent image from my show and caption about the work featured in the Arts & Culture section of the Virginia Pilot, opening night on Friday July 13th was a huge success. The crowd must have hit a booming 100 count.

After weeks of preparation with email blasting, invitations handed out, artist statement written, limited edition prints completed, and a phone interview for the Virginia Pilot mention, I was ready for the opening night. Arriving fashionably late to my own show, I walked through the crowd dressed in my artist's 'all black' and prepared myself for the onslaught of questions and comments. Moving through the crowd was at first difficult, but soon I found myself staring at my show, brilliantly lit to highlight each of the 6 originals. Set behind single sheets of unframed panes of glass, the small graphite drawings tugged at you, whispering from the center of their expansive white landscapes. The setting was perfect, I concluded. Small and intimate, drawing the viewer in to the work.

A couple approached me and smiled as they clasped one of the framed AP prints and said that they were excited to present their daughter and her fiance with one piece on their wedding day. I spoke with them about my work, my inspiration, and my desire to engage and remind viewers through this series to slow down in this rapidly moving world and focus on the details that make up a moment, our relationships, ourselves, our lives..... I spoke about the metaphor of the work as well as the more literal representation of intimacy shared between two people and the beauty of surrendering and committing one’s life to another.

Throughout the night conversations like this were floating on the surface of dialogues between many groups of people. A local high school art teacher came up to me at one point and exclaimed that my work was inspirational. She told me that she wanted to use it to illustration a point to her art students: "own the space you create when working with a large blank canvas, don't be afraid of the white space." As the high school teacher told me this, she hugged me, and thanked me. It was all very strange. I have never thought of myself as particularly inspiring and to have people react this way took my breath away. I had a glimpse of this while showing last Spring in Artomatic, but mostly those comments were reserved for the signing book.

The astonishing thing about showing this body of work is that when I originally concepted the idea and committed myself to creating the series, I never intended them to be shown, much less sold as they were very personal explorations of my thoughts and opinions regarding intimacy, myself, the human experience, and life with all that should be held most dear....The relationships that we form, particularly the ones with whom we love the most. Which brings me to the most important element of this show, my husband, without whom this series never would have been dreamt nor completed. Rob has been by my side from the day we declared that our lives were not our own, but each others and certainly provided the inspiration for this series.

Rob's presence during the opening was wonderful and complete. I was also thrilled to have Lynnette visiting and was so grateful for her photography of the event! Chris Mendola, the gallery owner and director was amazing and provided a huge spread of food and wine! Our lounge area with black leather couches, plants, and cafe styled tables and chairs encouraged people to relax and stay a while. The atmosphere was brilliant.

The night ended with Rob, Lynnette, and myself closing down the gallery with Chris and crew. We were tired, but happy and encouraged by the sentiments from the people who attended the opening. I could not have been happier with the reception my show received and hope to sell a few more prints over the course of this show's life. A closing reception will be held on Friday, August 31st at which point my work will most likely be traveling up to Arlington for another show.

I hope all of you blog readers have enjoyed this entry and come back soon!

Maria Mandle

Updating our Adventures!

2007-06-12T22:25:00.001-05:00

Well, it's about that time to update our blog! Rob and I have many adventures to share with you all and can't wait to do so, when I can catch my breath after our long 4-in-One vacation this last week to Bowdoin Reunion, hiking Mnt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park just north of Bowdoin, down to Boston to live the 'Good Life' with Aunt Leslie and Uncle Tim, down to Nantucket for a romantic 4 days together and celebration of our good friends Drew's and Libby's Wedding. Way to go Drew and Libby! Miss all of our family and friends and hope you all are doing well. Here's a couple teaser images of our great adventures. Keep checking back for the full story!

Much Love,

Maria and Rob

The Gin Blossoms in Crystal City!

2007-05-23T21:43:00.000-05:00

Rob's company, the Crystal City BID, sponsored a Gin Blossom concert the weekend of May 5th. We put in some hard work setting up for the concert and despite the harsh and somewhat unexpected weather, we had a great time and were delighted to see so many people make it out to support the local Crystal City entertainment!

I was happy to help check ids that evening and watch Rob in action helping to make sure the event went smoothly.

It was a lot of fun and I look forward to many more events with Rob through the Crystal City BID. Stay tuned for more fun events and if you haven't been, take a walk through Crystal City!

Old Rag Mnt.

2007-05-23T14:25:00.000-05:00

Always the enthusiastic hikers, Rob and I planned an all day hiking trip to Old Rag Mnt. in the Shenandoah National Park. The weather could not have been more delightful with some gusty winds when we finally made it to the summit, but for the most part it was mild and relatively cool.

There were many challenging parts of the hike as we climbed higher, but with this particular spot we were delighted to find actual stairs carved out for us!

We encountered many interesting rock formations while climbing, but this one really caught our attention after a bit of a 'scramble' as the biggest and most precarious looking boulder we had ever seen. Despite my curiosity, Rob felt more comfortable taking this photo of me leaning beside the Giant Man Crushing Boulder, rather than beneath it!!

Finally we reached what we thought was the summit only to realize after climbing to the top how far we still had to go to reach the actual summit. Taking advantage of the beautiful view, however, we took some shots and surveyed the scenery below with large rolling hills, deep valleys, and an occasional dot marking one of the farms.

With a relatively flat surface, we decided to stop for a while and eat our lunch before moving on. Rob was very kind to have carried our food in his backpack the entire trip.

After lunch we had several opportunities throughout our hike for some amazing photo ops....check out the maneuver in these next shots of Rob conquering one of the more difficult pieces.

And finally, the long awaited summit.....despite the sudden throng of people from whole families to a few groups of adventurous souls, Rob and I made it to the very top. Because it was so windy, Rob was the only one who really made it to the very top while I stayed a good 4 feet below him on a lower rock to take a picture.

At the end of the trip, Rob and I decided that it was one of the more interesting hikes we had been on since Helvellyn while visiting Rob's Father's family in the Lake District of Great Britain the summer of 2005. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and couldn't have felt more physically accomplished that day!

In closing, I think this quote is appropriate: "How fiercely, devoutly wild is Nature in the midst of her beauty-loving tenderness!--painting lilies, watering them, caressing them with gentle hand, going from flower to flower like a gardener while building rock mountains and cloud mountains full of lightning and rain." ~John Muir, The Yosemite, Chapter 5. 1911

A Spring Day in Norfolk

2007-05-22T20:01:00.000-05:00

One of the first days of Spring hit us on a weekend when Rob was home in Norfolk. We took full advantage of the weather and decided to open the windows and doors of our apartment Sunday evening and cook a light meal consisting of satay chicken, cucumbers, peanut sauce, and salad.

It was too beautiful to stay inside, so we packed our dinner and walked down the cobblestone street that shoulders a small marina and around the bend to settle ourselves down on a grassy patch in front of the water.

One of our favorite past times, relaxing outside with some good food, a couple of good books, and each other's company. It's also a plus that we are able to walk from our apartment to many a restaurant, shopping, work, the water, a beautiful grassy spot for an evening meal, and so much more....Living the Urban Dream baby!

Artomatic Mania

2007-05-15T22:39:00.000-05:00

Artomatic has been a wonderful opportunity for me to spread my wings once again showing my work. Opening night came and went in a flurry, but we have spent a lot of time there since then and fortunately had the chance to take a look around at some of the amazing work other artists were doing throughout the exhibition space. Here I am in my space enjoying the fact that a lot of people had taken the Trilogy Design Group cards I had out as well as a stack full of business cards. Let's see what comes of that!

Rob and I really enjoyed this artist's work who created canvases with actual knitted portions attached to the canvas. We both agreed that Catherine would be a BIG fan.....

Rob and Joe really enjoyed the interactive art installation up on the 8th floor of Artomatic where an artist created an environment in which the viewer could use either the heat from their hand or a heating pad, that was in supply, to make words appear on the canvas. It was a very interesting look at human emotions, as all of the words that appeared or disappeared referenced an emotion.

Here a group of our friends gathered outside to watch the firedancers at Artomatic perform. Once they got started, we were all enthralled!

It was wonderful to be able to share so much of this exhibit with my husband and of course it was thrilling to see him take pride in my work being shown for the first time as a Mandle! I was very impressed with the artistic photos Rob took of my work and hope you all enjoy these photos as well.

Thank you Rob for everything you did, encouraging me to take the space, painting walls, hanging my show, your lovely comment in my guest book, and last but not least your excitement, enthusiasm, and support for my work!

This is one of many shows to come and I hope to keep all of my work, exhibits, and progress on new projects documented through this site. Stay tuned!

Maria Gets Cited!!!

2007-05-08T07:47:00.000-05:00

So, we are VERY behind in our blogging as we have about three or four adventures which we intend to document, but I had to jump ahead and report this one! As you all know, Maria has been exhibiting in one of the largest Art shows in the Metropolitan Area (and probably the country) that my organization, the Crystal City Business Improvement District, brought to our neighborhood. The venue is typically well attended and receives a lot of attention from the art community.

Maria was mentioned by quite a reputable area art critic in the Old Town Crier! It was a short mention, but certainly very sweet! Check out www.Artomatic.org for information on the show.

http://www.oldtowncrier.com/gallerybeat.cfm
http://dcartnews.blogspot.com/2007/04/view-of-art-o-matic-after-one-visit-how.html

I am so very proud of my lovely wife!!

Mr. Me

Palooza Heads!!

2007-04-21T21:33:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone! Maria's friend Drew runs a web-based design firm (www.growinteractive.com) here in Norfolk. They were recently procured by Lala-Palooza (yes, the big rock concert venue) to do something cool and viral with the Palooza website. PaloozaHead is what they created and we must say... VERY FUN! Make your own PaloozaHead character by clicking on the links below our wonderful dancing characters! Make sure you send the link to us afterwards so we can see your creations!

We spent our Saturday evening creating characters... We had fun, but is somewhat dorky...

Maria and Rob

Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com

Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com

March 25

2007-04-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

Rob's birthday falls towards the end of a fabulous month! Rob's is the same birth date as my late Grandmother Kathleen Stevens; it is a time when people start to remember that there is a thing called warmth ushered in by days that remind us of Spring; and it is a month filled with excitement as you plan for the following months to come. The days in March seem to have a sort of energy, but most importantly this month is all about Rob. Why not celebrate his birthday this year for an entire month I suggest? Rob says nonsense, I say of course!

We started the morning of the 25th with birthday gifts, mostly bike-related for Rob so loves to bike, had some breakfast, and headed out for the day on another Mandle Adventure! Our first stop was to take a look at the building that is going to house Artomatic, a multimedia art organization that will be featuring more than 600 regional artists and performers for a five week event April 13–May 20 in Crystal City....This event is something Rob has been working to make possible through his new position with the Crystal City Business Improvement District! Rob encouraged me to enter my work into this show and so I did. We took a look at my space and spoke to a few Artomatic people.

Maria in her Artomatic Space, courtesy of Rob!

I was impressed, as usual, by the amazing amount of energy Rob commands and the wonderful way he has of making things happen. He is so incredibly talented on many fronts, but to see him so engaged in his current work, helping to bring in an event of such magnitude that will so benefit the greater community.....well, it's inspiring.

Rob surveys his neighboorhood and thinks of improvements we will implement

The rest of our day was spent enjoying the Crystal City landscape, walking along one of the bike trails, and wandering all over Arlington. It was a gorgeous day for my husband's birthday and we couldn't have been happier than to spend our time together, hand in hand, enjoying the warm weather.

Enjoying the Crystal City Water Park

We wrapped the day up by putting together our new queen sized bed, which now holds our new, plush, pillow-top mattress. We were quite thrilled with our new bed purchase and had some laughs putting it all together!

"What's this?" Rob asks towards the end of bed-putting together session

Our new European styled bed!

The following week seemed to fly by and before we knew it Rob was making his way down to Norfolk for the next chapter in our celebration of Rob's birthday month and another set of Mandle Adventures. Rob had the great idea to spend that Saturday at the Back Bay Nature Preserve in Virginia Beach. Neither of us had been there before and we fell in love with the rugged landscape with over 12,000 acres of protected coastal and marsh habitat. The weather was beautiful and calm for our visit. We hope to visit again!

Rob and Maria taking in the scenery

Well worn trails and serene waterways, marshes, steep sand dunes, and an expansive beach opening up to the ocean captured our attention for the majority of the day.

Spreading out a blanket, we spent a good 4 hours on the beach....very romantic....something we must do again!!

And now I will complete this birthday story with a few words for Rob: We must live our lives in such a way as to celebrate each moment together. Just being together is a gift and a pleasure. We live to give love. I hope we keep this in mind as we move through our lives together and look forward to many more birthdays, birthday months, and many more adventures to fill the pages of our story.

Rob Loving the beach

A Traveler's Diary

2007-03-14T21:22:00.000-05:00

During my visit with my Grandma and Grandpa Espinoza this March, I was not only basking in the warmth of the San Diego weather, but the light that is my family! Although the visit was short, it was wonderful to be able to sit down with my Grandfather that weekend and talk about life, filling him in on what Rob and I are doing and reminiscing with him about past adventures.

We fell easily into conversation and came to a simultaneous agreement on the importance of learning in one's life. I found myself talking to my Grandpa Noah about Rob's new job in D.C. and the week's wait in order to see each other on the weekend. Thank you Rob for sacrificing one of our weekends**** Anyway.....Grandpa Noah asked me how it was going: "It's really not that bad," I said to him ..... "because we both have an understanding of each other, a comfort level ..... when we are together we are so rewarded because we love each other's company, we love to talk, we love to debate, and we love to learn." This struck a chord in my Grandpa, I could tell. He told me how vitally important that was in some one's life, and how wonderful and happy it made to him to hear that Rob and I shared our love of learning. Thank you Parents for instilling this in us and thank you Bowdoin for doing a bit of refinement!***

For all of my life I have seen the way my Grandfather celebrates life and above all, loves to learn. Among the many hats he puts on, my Grandpa has always been an avid traveler, an adventurer. My grandparents used to spend a lot of time between various homes in Mexico, Hawaii, the States, and other travel spots. Grandpa Noah participated in road rallies, one of which took him from Cartegena, Venezuala to the tip of South America. My Mom laughed about Grandpa Noah taking yoga early on, before it became the sensation it is today...."He was always doing or trying something out before everyone else," my Mom said. I personally have fond memories of hiking the mountain overlooking lake Chapala in Ajijic with Grandpa Noah and struggling to keep up! What a wonderful blessing it was that Rob and I were able to spend our honeymoon there in the home that Grandpa Noah the architect designed. Now it has been donated to a group of elderly women and I hope it serves them well.

Me with Grandma and Grandpa at Maderas eating lunch

The rest of my trip to San Diego was filled with a visit to Uncle Mark and Aunt Vickie's new home near the water, north of the San Diego area; dinner with Uncle Mark and Aunt Vickie at my grandparent's house (Thank you Grandma for your delicious cooking); Sunday church; and a beautiful lunch out at Maderas Golf Course before taking off. I was also able to share this trip with my Mom and together we visited Tita, Lenny, Gracie, and Racheal. That was great and as usual, we all got to chatting and laughing right away as if no time had passed. I feel so at home when around them.

Aunt Vickie, Uncle Mark, Grandpa Noah, Grandma Jeanie, and Mom

Intertwined with all this activity and running around was of course my ongoing conversation with Grandpa Noah about 'life' a couple of them half in and half out of Spanish ..... Sitting in the filtered sun under their backyard porch, I was reminded yet again what a beautiful language Spanish is, especially when I hear my Grandpa speak...I used to try and emulate his accent when I was younger and just learning the language. Grandma and Grandpa's home is so inviting and it was wonderful to just relax and take it all in.

Mom and Grandpa in the Espinoza back yard

In closing, I want to thank my Grandparents for having Me! I also want to thank Uncle Mark and Aunt Vickie for having us in their new home and thank you Tita, Lenny, Gracie, and Racheal for visiting! It was soooo wonderful to see you all again.

Mom, Lenny, and Tita

Racheal and Gracie

I am going to quote my Uncle Mark Espinoza, who said so succinctly and without hesitation on our last day, that there is No better company then his Family and no group of people he would rather be with than his Family! I enthusiastically agreed, as I feel the same way! The family I have grown up with and now my new Mandle family are the people I would gladly spend all of my time with!

Hasta mi correspondencia proximo!

~Maria aka...Duende by my Grandpa Noah

Maderas Golf Club, Poway, California

From Me to You

2007-03-01T00:26:00.000-05:00

It seems like our first year of marriage is flying by. This time last year we were preoccupied with planning our wedding, moving, starting new jobs, meeting new people and planning for a long life together.

In our first year of marriage thus far, what have we learned? How will we remember each other as we are now? What goals do we make and how can we reach those goals together? Are we preparing for our future with enough foresight? Can we remember to take time to just relax and enjoy each other?

In our walk through life together we must never forget to count our blessings ..... I make a point in my daily walk to work and before I fall asleep at night to think on this and to pray and thank God for what I've been given.

What a wonder it is to know such love, and to know a love rather than feel a love is a mighty thing indeed, as feelings come and go like the ebb and flow of a tide, subservient to the changing orbit of the Moon. But to know a love is like the constant and steadfast nature of a mighty rock. Immovable and sturdy, steadfast and unchanging.

In our life together I foresee many things. Challenges will come our way and we will overcome those challenges together. This reminds me of a saying I've often heard from Aunt Leslie and Uncle Time: "Troubles Shared are Troubles Halved."

What a wonderful quote that is to take with us as we move through life together. We both made a promise to support and uplift each other no matter what else is going on around us in the world. This is the promise we we made to each other at our wedding. To this we hold true.

Sleep well Rob.

Love always, Me.

Mr and Mrs Me online

2007-02-03T12:08:00.000-05:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Mr. and Mrs. Me, as some people in our family have so appropriately named us, have finally created a blog.

Please visit often and we will try to keep you updated with images from our lives, our thoughts, and creative outbursts.

What a great way to bring in 2007!

Love,

Mr. and Mrs. Me