ajmatt blog

We’ve had a beautiful fall here in the D.C. area. While it usually seems like leaves are red one day and gone the next, the fall colors have stayed at their peak for weeks.
Earlier this month, I dragged Matt out of the house, forcing him to take a break from his midterms and get some [...]

There’s a hole in the wall…

What—you wanted pretty photos of Easter Island? Not a chance!
In our infinite wisdom, Matt and I (unanimously, without debate) scheduled our kitchen remodel to start 44 hours after returning home from vacation. (A return trip that included 3 flights, 4 airports, and an 8-hour layover.) Did we fully consider the [...]

Matt and I like Santiago. It is beautiful, ringed with mountains, and mild and green even in the dead of winter. I would love to live here, if only to wake up to mountains every morning and eat at a different Chilean restaurant every night.
Santiago is typically used by tourists as a jumping off [...]

Finally, evidence that ajmatt kitchen is getting a facelift. Last night Matt and I moved halfway out of our kitchen, and we had our ugly kitchen wallpaper removed today.

On the plus side, we have already doubled our counter space, and I think the primer is a big improvement. [I'm tired; is this whole post [...]

It’s been a busy month, quite social for the introverted ajmatt blog, as evidenced by our lack of posts.
Last Sunday I went hiking with my friend Lisa in Shenandoah National Park. The park entrance is about an hour outside of DC, and our hike was at mile marker 19, about 20 miles south of the [...]

Matt and I are in Seattle for the long holiday weekend. While Matt and Austin were out buying fireworks, Lindsey (Austin’s girlfriend) and I inspected the wildlife in my parent’s yard.

The above two (super fabulous) pictures are by Lindsey. The below (boring vanilla) picture was taken by me—we’re going to have a good time once [...]

Last night Matt and I waited in several rush hour runway traffic jams at Reagan National airport, but we had an excellent view. (As I took these pictures, Matt said, “You look like a tourist!” The sacrifices I make for blogging.)

Yesterday Matt and I drove 6 hours to the Outer Banks in North Carolina in an enormous (rental) SUV that had six cupholders accessible from the front seat. Really, what more do you need in life? (Maybe also to average more than 15 miles per gallon.)
Along the way we passed:

The Stonewall Jackson Shrine
A hitchhiker with [...]

I have been waiting and waiting for the tree in front of our house to bloom, but all trees on our street remain stubbornly dead, even during cherry blossom week.
Instead, I present you with another wonder of nature from ajmatt blog’s postage stamp back yard: the resting squirrel.

Have you ever seen one of these things [...]

I spotted a cardinal this morning on the light post outside my bedroom window. While the pictures of him didn’t turn out great (darn screen), it reminded me of a bird Matt photographed about a month ago.

This bird was huge, had giant claws, and sat on our back fence for close to an hour. It [...]