This weekend went by in a whirlwind of activity and entertainment.. Friday's Mardi Gras themed birthday celebration for Jason and Julie was an all-out success. 30+ revelers crammed themselves into Jason and Cris' apartment for an evening of dancing, mingling, and picture-taking. In keeping with the party's theme, there were beads, chocolate coins, and the hurricane mix was flowing freely. I had a fantastic time, and even managed to stay awake until 4 in the morning! I took tons of pictures, which hopefully will find their way online this week.

The next morning I initially had strong urges for IHOP, but went instead for a big bowl of cereal and a nice walk around the neighborhood with Adam. The weather was unseasonably warm - we sat outside on one of the area's swinging benches asking each other, "What is this strange warmth we are feeling on our faces and arms? Why is the sky so bright? Where are our coats?" Later than evening we were joined by Julie and Geoff, and we all headed to PotBelly's for some of their excellent sandwiches and root beer.

Some of the gang met up Sunday morning to take a day trip to Baltimore. Specifically, we were heading to the American Craft Council's Baltimore Craft Show! The large convention space was filled with hundreds of booths displaying fine jewelry, clothing, art, glassware, ceramics, furniture, leather, and woodcarvings. It really was fascinating walking down the rows and seeing what was being offered. Sunday was the third and final day of the show, and you could tell that a lot of the artisans were exhausted and ready to head home. But they were still gracious and informative if you asked them questions. I picked up several take-away cards, and hopefully I'll have some time to put up some links!

After we'd seen all the crafts we could handle, we walked over to the Baltimore waterfront, grabbed some ice cream, and sat on the pier watching all the people passing by. The weather, although it had cooled a bit, was still very accommodating. It was a wonderful way to end the day!