All of the THINGS

Over the course of this planning process, I've learned quite a bit. For example, if a website offers 24/7 online customer service, you're probably talking to a robot. Also, there are two types of people: those that have strong feelings about invitation return envelope paper types and those that don't. (Spoiler: I'm a don't.) And finally, snow days are amazing. We had another one yesterday (yes, in March, and yes, in DC), so there are now some updates to share. 

• Invitations are almost done (hallelujah!). Get excited. See if you can spot the "ring bear." 
• If you're super eager to RSVP, you can skip the invitation and do so online.  Regardless of whether you use the interwebs or classic dead tree approach, please RSVP by April 11. Otherwise, we may run out of food and things would get awkward.

• Credit card getting dusty? Check out our registry and silently judge our life choices. Though of course, there is no requirement to get anything; in the (paraphrased) wise words of J. Lo, love knows no financial obligations. 

What's hot!

Yes, I realize the irony of this title while it's snowing outside. I mean "hot" as in "trending topics," or "questions we have received often enough to become blog-worthy." So here we go.

• When should you be here? 
• Well, the main event is midday Sunday, but there will also be a "rehearsal lunch" on Saturday in downtown DC. Everyone is invited to both of these events, and we'll set up an RSVP link at some point. We might do a small family-only event on Friday evening; details to follow. So in a nutshell, Friday night-Monday morning is ideal, but Saturday morning-Sunday evening would also work. 
• Where should you stay?
• If cabin camping is your thing, you're good to go. (We'll collect RSVPs later; there's enough room for everyone.) If not, you have a few options. The area with hotels closest to the venue is Potomac Mills (city of Woodbridge), which is an enormous outlet mall development. You can get a cheap hotel and maybe a new outfit to wear, but it will not be scenic or cultural. For that, you should head to DC or nearby environs. (Potomac Mills is around 30 min from DC without traffic, 60+ in rush hour.) Alexandria (e.g. King Street/Old Town) is in between DC and Prince William Forest, historically charming, and on the metro line to DC. For DC proper, there are a lot of good options. If you want to be able to walk to the downtown attractions, some good neighborhoods to search for are Penn Quarter, Chinatown, or Foggy Bottom. (Try roomkey.com to book hotels at a good price *and* still earn points.) The only area with lots of hotels that I don't recommend is Rt. 50/New York Avenue northeast of town. It's far from anything you want to see (except the HQ of a newspaper run by the Moonies). If you want to co-locate with others, or have specific questions, feel free to use this blog's comments section. 
• Do you need a car?
• No...except for getting to the actual wedding. How's that for a caveat? Getting around DC without a car is pretty easy and all the airports are accessible via public transportation. However, Prince William Forest Park is south of the city and while the park has a high population density of deer, birds, bears, and other delightful wildlife, it's not enough to warrant a bus line. Again, feel free to use the comment section of this blog to arrange for carpools. 
• What should you wear?
• DC weather in May is usually pretty nice -- 70s and not humid. Or 90s and humid. Or 50s and raining. In other words, don't pack yet. Our event will be pretty casual (it's the woods, after all) so don't worry about special-ordering a some Gore-Tex Manolos. 

Anything else you'd like to know?

The Big Reveal

First of all, thanks to everyone who played the "guess our venue" game. I think we all learned a valuable lesson about OSS history, random Virginia tourist attractions, and firearms. The final answer is... <cue the music> Prince William Forest Park! It's the largest national park in the DC area, former home to both the OSS and the Civilian Conservation Corps (not at the same time; that would be awkward), and just down the road from Quantico, home to the well-armed US Marine Corps and FBI Academy.

We chose this venue for several reasons. For one thing, it's a place where we have been many times to bike, hike, and run, so it's special to us and familiar to many of our friends. But what will make it great for this particular event is that we can rent out a cabin camp area for the entire weekend. That's right, the Tobin-Lane-apalooza will have its own corner of the forest, including cabins that sleep around 150 people, an industrial sized kitchen, and campfire amphitheater. Our reservation lasts from Friday until Monday, so if you prefer trees to traffic, you can stay there the whole weekend for free. Cabins are rustic but have [6-30] beds, mattresses (bring a sleeping bag), indoor toilets and showers.

While we are certainly hoping that our shindig will top your priority list, there are plenty of other things to do in and around PWF. Historic Fredericksburg is a few miles south, Mount Vernon is a few miles north, and oh yeah, that whole Nation's Capital thing too.

The prize for guessing the venue first goes to Lauren Rice, and Cameron's delusion that we are sufficiently muckety muck to take over the Congressional Country Club wins most creative.

Look forward to seeing everyone this May!

It should melt by May.

You can exhale now.

We finally have a wedding venue! Actually, we've had the venue (in our plans and hearts) since this summer, but the location only confirms reservations once a year, so we had to wait until this week. Yes, really.

So, what's all the fuss about? Is it an ultra-exclusive mansion atop a mountain? A private island that requires a fleet of trained dolphins to access? A certain white house in the center of DC whose famous owner is sometimes out of town for the weekend?

Let's play a little game. I'll give some clues and see if anyone can guess the venue via the comments section. (If you already know, ahem, Mom, please don't spoil it.) There will be two prizes: one for the first person to guess correctly, and one for the most creative guess. Ready?

Clue 1: It's a location where Elliott and I have biked many times in the springs and summers of 2012, 2013, and 2014. (Hint: you can stalk most triathletes find cool routes via strava.com)

Clue 2: During World War II, this location served as training grounds for the Office of Strategic Services, precursor to the CIA. People learned how to sabotage enemy equipment, communicate clandestinely, and use parachutes here. (These activities may or may not be on our agenda as well.)

Clue 3: Before being acquired by the government, this area was used for farming. You can still see small cemeteries containing the farmers' families. (According to our research, their ghosts are friendly.)

Clue 4: This area used to support a gold mine. (No, it will not be the source of our wedding bands.)

Clue 5: It is located near one of Virginia's top tourist destinations, one of the first Ikeas in North America, and a town with tens of thousands of guns but an official population of under 500.

See you there!

Do you know the way to Washington, DC?

Ok, so maybe it doesn't have the same ring to it as another city, but for those of you who are eager to plan your trip, here are some tips for how to get here.

Plane

DC has three airports (asterisk--two are in Virginia and one is in Maryland). National airport (DCA) is the closest to the city. You can simply walk outside, hop on the metro, and voila! Assuming there are no mechanical delays (hahaha), you'll be within the city in under ten minutes. Dulles (IAD) is a bit farther afield; you can take the bus (city bus 5A or Washington Flyer private bus) to the metro and then hopefully you brought something to read, as it's about an hour into the city. The Baltimore-Washington airport (BWI) is often the cheapest and probably has the cheapest car rental prices if that's your plan. Via public transportation, you can take a bus to the metro or shuttle to the MARC commuter train or Amtrak. Just be sure to take the train toward DC and not Baltimore. Whoopsie... To make things easy, just search for airport code WAS and that will cover all airports.

Train

You can easily take the train into DC from anywhere in the Boston-Washington corridor. From other places...how much do you really like trains? If the answer is "with my heart and soul," then go for it. And bring a book. If you want to visit Philadelphia or NYC during your trip but want a cheaper alternative to the train, check out bus services such as Megabus or Bolt Bus. If you book ahead, they'll be significantly cheaper and travel between train stations. No one has to know!

Automobile

Yes, you can drive here and maybe even drive around here. Plenty of people do. The parking, however, is not so fun. If you plan on staying within the city, you probably won't need a car. If you want to leave city limits, such as visiting Mount Vernon or going for a hike, then you might want to rent one for a day. (Note: our first choice of venue is outside city limits, so some people might want to plan on carpooling. We'll give plenty of notice and provide more details if that is indeed the case. We won't hear about the venue until January.)

Quick note about hotels: we will post some recommendations for lodging soon, but want to wait until the venue is confirmed. If you realllly want to check this item off your list now, pretty much anywhere in DC is fine; just make sure you can easily change your reservation if needed.

Congratulations!

If you're reading this, then you're either invited to our wedding, or really good at the google. Either way, well done.

Quick rundown of the planning so far:

• We are engaged! Good first step.
• We have a date! May 3, 2015. Plan your spring races accordingly.
• We have a location...ish. Somewhere in the DC area. More specifically, we have an awesome location but they don't confirm permits until January, so we'll all have to be patient. And stockpile some wine in case we need to find a backup plan on short notice. 
• But don't worry, we can start popping some corks before then. Our engagement party is Sunday (Sunday! Sunday!) September 28 at our house. If the internet gremlins ate your invitation, let us know and we'll give you the details. (Unless you're a bot, in which case 001001110111001.) 

Stay tuned for more!

If you don't recognize these people, you're on the wrong website.