Emily Post on Social Networking

I interrupt "Jonathan and Leslie's Northern Adventure" to bring you the following service announcement, and rather than sugar-coating it with fun storytelling, I'm just going to put it right out there.

If you hear news about someone--pregnancy, new job, etc.--through the grapevine, or even from that person directly, please, PLEASE refrain from mentioning that news on Facebook unless you have seen that person make the announcement themselves in their Facebook status.

Can you tell my feathers are a bit ruffled about this? And it isn't even my news!

I have noticed this utter insensitivity (or is it just ignorance? thoughtlessness? I'm not sure) often, but in the past two weeks I have TWICE seen someone's cherished, sacred news of a pregnancy announced on Facebook by someone else. Often, someone just writes on their Wall: "A little birdie told me some news about you today...Congratulations!" or "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you two..." Which others then see and then feel the need to comment: "What??? You're pregnant/moving/chronically ill!?!"

The person is then forced to tell the world their news when they may not have been ready to do so. And in some circumstances, this could involve some tricky situations when a person has been waiting to share the news with particular people in their life, loved ones, and most notably with their employer. I suppose many people who have not worked in awhile may forget that some work environments are not family friendly, and it often takes the expecting parents a bit of time to figure out how to negotiate the process of telling your boss that you will be taking a few months of leave, or not returning at all. Or in the case of announcing a new job, the person may not have even told their employer/students/coworkers that they are leaving. But someone else just did.

Instead of relishing in the fun of announcing the big news, whatever it may be, one then has to start putting out fires, backtracking, and resigning themselves to confirming what everyone else has already heard. The moments of shock that come when telling those you love about something really wonderful in your life is gone. And that is just sad.

In conclusion:

• The next time you hear some fun news and want to send your congrats via Facebook or share the news with someone else, stop. Think.
• Look at that person's Facebook page. Have they mentioned it? Then by all means send your congrats!
• If they haven't mentioned it, slap those hands of the keyboard and keep the news to yourself until the person puts something along the lines of "There's a bun in the oven!" or "Is moving to Timbuktu!" or "Has 2 months to live!" on their status.
• If someone shares news with you directly, you might consider asking "Is this news common knowledge yet or would you like me to keep it to myself until you've had the chance to tell others?"
• Imagine yourself in their shoes. Would you be mad if your best friend found out about your pregnancy through a random acquaintance on Facebook? Yes? Well they would too.

This public service announcement has been brought to you, with love, by Emily Post, Social Networking Site Abusers Anonymous, Gossip Girl, and yours truly.

Thank you, and goodnight.

Who Is Old Ebbitt, Anyway?

Jonathan and Leslie's Northern Adventure Part II: D.C.

Jonathan and I love to travel to foreign countries. We love to learn about their history, see their landmarks, experience their culture. In our travels, we typically make a point to visit a nation's capital city if possible: London, Paris, Madrid, Rome. And yet as we prepared for this trip, I realized that I hadn't returned the favor to my own nation's capital.

To clarify, I had been to Washinton D.C. once in my life. It was my sophomore year of high school, Spring Break, and our youth group had completed a mission trip to Baltimore, Maryland. On the return trip, we stopped in D.C. for one day. As in, roll into the city in the morning, yell "You better be back on this church van by 5 p.m.!!!!" and hit the road for an overnight drive to Arkansas. Not exactly a thorough visit. To add to the limited time frame, I repeat, I was a sophomore in high school. And my boyfriend was on the trip. As were all of my best friends. So really there was not a whole lot of incentive to do much legitimate sight-seeing or museum-visiting. If I recall, we pretty much goofed around one end of the Mall, ate at Hard Rock Cafe, and took a lot of goofy pictures.

I considered searching for a few of those pictures and scanning them into this post, but for the sake of my pride and that of many of my readers, I will refrain. (Meredith, Julie, Polly, Melissa, and Emily: you can thank me in the comment section ;)

So this time we were going to do a Day in D.C. right.

We started with a classic tourist photo in front of the Capitol. And then I imagined what it must have been like on Inauguration day, filled to the brim with a gagillion people. Yowza. That is a lot of grass and a lot of bodies, people.

We spent the morning at the National Archives and viewed the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Pretty amazing. As we waited in line, we discussed the difficulty Nicholas Cage must have faced when he stole that stuff. We walked most of the Capital end of the Mall, through the National Sculpture Garden, Air and Space, and the National Gallery.

By that point, we needed a bit of nourishment, so we stopped at the Old Ebbitt Grill. We had a great little meal of crab cakes and I snagged a few matchbooks like the classy lady I am. When we returned to Memphis, my new issue of Bon Apetit was waiting and there in the "Best Classic Restaurants in America that You Must Visit" article was Old Ebbitt. Do we know how to pick 'em or what? (Actually, we just know how to take a good recommendation, but whatever.)

The rest of our day was spent at the Smithsonian American History museum, where I was thrilled to see Julia Child's Cambridge, Mass. kitchen, which was donated, taken apart, and reassembled in the Smithsonian. I read My Life in France a year ago, in which she outlines the process of designing that kitchen, so it was really cool to see it in person! Bon Apetit, Julia...Bon Apetit!

After a bit more sightseeing it was back to Annapolis. But I left feeling as though I had finally experienced some of the national treasures of my own country with the same enthusiasm and interest that I have had toward those of other nations. While I definitely see the flaws in our nation, our government, and our culture, I am proud to be an American...where at least I know I'm free...and I won't forget...

Somebody stop me.

(Mandatory we're-a-couple-on-vacation-together-and-no-one-is-here-to-take-our-picture Photograph)

Coming up... CRIBS: Obama Style

Midshipmen, Seafood, and Deceptive Grannies

Anchors Aweigh, my boys!

Jon and Les' Northern Adventure Part I: Annapolis.

Home of the US Naval Academy, blue crabs, and the cutest family on the planet, who I just so happen to call my dear friends.

Meredith was the first girl I ever met at OBU, even before we arrived on campus as freshman, when we both visited the campus on "Be a Bison" day. We had the same James Avery ring, which of course confirmed that we had to be friends. Little did we know we would end up sharing a room in an adorable little house our senior year, along with the joys and agonies of engagement and wedding planning. Her husband is an officer in the Navy, and they are currently stationed in Annapolis. And since Annapolis is on the East Coast, it was only natural that it became the first stop on our adventure!

We rolled into Annapolis just in time to watch the plebes (incoming freshmen midshipmen) practicing their drills on the marching field. It was a beautiful night, a beautiful campus, and a fascinating thing to watch!

Please note the cutest baby on the planet, who I wanted to nibble on throughout the entire visit. Mattox and Jonathan were fast friends.



After visiting the Academy and port, our next Annapolis rite of passage was an experience with blue crabs. Lucky for us, they were in season, and we fully intended to partake.


And partake we did! At a table right on the water, the four of us plowed through a dozen large Maryland blue crabs, the best french fries I have ever consumed (not an exaggeration!), and a spicy shrimp appetizer. It was a divine afternoon. (Note that my husband enjoys having a prop in a photo. It is not enough to smile behind the crabs. You must hold the crab. Babe, you could be a part-time model....Flight of the Conchords, anyone?)

Annapolis is only 30 miles from D.C., so after our crab feast we headed into the city. First stop: Arlington National Cemetery. We were just in time for the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and wow, was it something. The men who guard this tomb have such a precise ritual and discipline about what they do. The entire cemetery really is an overwhelming and emotional experience. As far as the eye can see, graves of those who have given their lives for our country. With a brother and cousin currently deployed, a father who served 25 years, and numerous other family members who fought and died in the Armed Forces, I found myself deeply moved by this place.

After walking the grounds of Arlington, we headed over the bridge into Georgetown, a quaint little area of the city with cobblestone streets and historic buildings. We drooled over the goodies at Dean and Deluca, which inspired our hunt for a restaurant for dinner. Just up the road from where this picture was taken, Meredith and I noticed a quaint little Italian restaurant. As we approached the storefront, both of us gasped.

There, in the front window, was a little Italian grandma!

Rolling homemade gnocchi!

Gnocchi is our favorite!

Especially gnocchi made by Italian grandmas!!!

We must eat here!!!

I don't care if the gnocchi is $25 a plate!!!!!

And which point our husbands began to laugh. And as Meredith and I looked closer, the haze of potato dumplings began to fade and we saw the scene afresh. The artificial chintz behind the grandma. The fake accessories of an Italian kitchen set. The dreary look on the grandma's face. This was all a show! An act! A marketing ploy!

And we bought it. Hook. Line. Sinker.

But we had rational boys with us, so we ate Thai. And it was delicious.

But the moral of this story: Beware Italian grandmas armed with gnocchi. They'll get you every time.

Back in the Saddle

I'm back!

Did you miss me?

Don't answer that.

In the late night hours of Saturday, Jonathan and I rolled into our driveway after a two week road trip up the East Coast and through Southeastern Canada. And, yes, it was as fun as it sounds.

We enjoyed quality time with sweet friends and family, much needed quality time with each other, and a perfect balance of adventure and relaxation. It is so rare when a trip leaves you with a feeling of total relaxation and rejuvenation, which is exactly what we both needed before gearing up for the second year of optometry school and another action-packed semester for me.

Lots of pictures and stories to come, of course, but here are a few tidbits of the trip to get you excited for more:

• Maryland crabs on the water in Annapolis
• A private tour of the White House by a Secret Service agent
• Discovering the home of my earliest American ancestor in Marblehead, Mass.
• A four-day family reunion / 80th birthday extravaganza that involved the motto "Whiskey makes you frisky!" Needless to say, my family (Grandma included!) knows how to have a good time!
• A lobster bake for 30
• The cutest town in Maine
• Poutine and pate in Quebec City
• How to get lost in Montreal
• Camping on the longest sandy beach of the Great Lakes
• The truth about Niagara Falls (Las Vegas + Six Flags = Niagara Falls. So sad. So true.)
• The cutest town in New York
• The secret to spending 40-ish hours in the car, actually enjoying it, and still being married at the end.