Merry (fake) Christmas!!!

First of all, apparently the world didn't end at 6:12 this morning.  Phew.

In other news, today Dan and I will be celebrating Fake Christmas, and I couldn't be more excited!  I've been anxious to give him his gifts, and I can't wait for a night of Christmas revelry haha.

We have a reservation at Poste, and I am super psyched.  I have only ever been there for drinks, but we have talked about going for a while.  What better time to splurge a little bit than on Christmas, right?!  Their fall vegeatable entree sounds fabulous, as do their buckwheat vegetable crepes.  I think my belly will be happy tonight :) Dan was particularly intrigued by their Mr. and Mrs. Crunchy sandwiches {Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame, respectively}.  To be honest, I didn't know that that was the direct translation, so we've had some good chuckles about that one, since that's how they refer to them on their menu.

Depending on how much time we have, we will be going either before or after dinner to see the Capitol Christmas Tree.  Dan knows how much I love this tree, so has graciously agreed to indulge my Christmas whim of going to see it.  Afterward, we'll enjoy baked goods {of course} and exchange gifts at home, followed by a screening of Home Alone.  Seriously, it's not Christmas until you watch it!  I'm grateful to have tonight with my guy before he goes home for a few days for Christmas!

Tomorrow, I have a really fun day planned with a dear friend that includes the Georgetown basketball game and a trip to see Anna Karenina.  I'm so glad I get a bonus day with her before the holidays!  Oh, and I'm finally starting to feel less sore when I run, so I'm going to stick to the marathon training plan and do a 10-miler tomorrow for my off-weekend short run.  I'll be going home either on Saturday night or Sunday morning, depending on how long it takes me to get my act together and finish packing.

I'll leave you all with a little something.  I just couldn't help myself:

via Favim

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Ah, love, ain't it grand :)

In December, 'tis the season for Christmas trees, bargain shopping, hot chocolate, holiday movies, getting caught in the snow...and PROPOSALS!  Last night, some very close friends got engaged, and I just have to gush a little bit because my head is exploding with happiness for them!!!

In early December, James emailed me to ask me how I am at keeping secrets.  I immediately knew what he was referring to, and I was 100% on-board when he asked for my help in setting up his proposal to Lindsay.  Dan couldn't help but laugh at my enthusiasm, but hey, why should I suppress my inner wedding enthusiast?!  For the record, I am amazing at keeping secrets, mostly because I love nothing more than a good surprise!!!  The toughest part of this one was trying to wipe the knowing smile off my face in the several times I hung out with Lindsay from the time I got James' email to last night, the day of the blessed event.  For the record, I hung out with her the night he emailed me, and, after using the last half-hour of work to squeal and smile like an idiot and work my excitement out, I held it together, keeping the surprise intact.

In order to lure Lindsay to campus, where the proposal was to take place, I concocted a story that I needed her second opinion on a Christmas gift for Dan, and that I would be making the purchase in Georgetown.  As it turns out, she had a really busy schedule this week, so by far the toughest part was getting her to commit to a day!  Once we settled on yesterday, James and I were in constant communication, updating each other on the final location, time, and our respective communications with Lindsay.

Last night, she was running late as she rode the Circulator to Georgetown {which definitely made James sweat a little bit!}, so the surprise was slightly delayed.  She texted me when she was a block away, and I alerted James, in case he had passed out from frostbite while waiting for her in the cold.  She texted me when she got there, and then it was just a waiting game.  Dan and I both had the sound turned on on our phones and only half paid attention to How I Met Your Mother as we awaited the news of our friends' engagement.  Finally, James texted Dan to tell him that it was official, and a still-shocked and apparently teary Lindsay called me shortly afterward.  She had had NO idea, which only made the surprise that much better!  Go James for coming up with an awesome proposal plan!

I was so honored that James asked me to help out with the set-up for this proposal, and it was by far the best surprise that I have ever been a part of.  Every girl dreams of the day she gets engaged, so, however minimal my role, I was so happy to have had a hand in making Lindsay's proposal perfect.  Us girls have got to have each other's backs when it comes to things like this!!!!  They are a truly wonderful couple, and, from the time that Dan first introduced me to them when we first started dating, I knew that they were amazing people, and also so obviously in love.  It fills me up with happiness to see pictures of the newly engaged couple looking radiant and absolutely glowing, because they deserve all the happiness in the world!

And finally, a pic from all of us {Nicole, Goran, James, Lindsay, me and Dan} from the Georgetown game on Saturday!  It's so hard to believe that James and Lindsay got engaged four days later!

But alas, the cold persists: My laryngitis-y weekend

As soon as I thought I was out of the woods...BAM, laryngitis.  I was feeling fine on Friday, and even helped make some calls to admitted students that morning {which was so much fun! I loved hearing their reactions!}, but, by the time I got home, my voice began to sound sort of hoarse.  By the time we got to dinner, I had not voice at all.  Bummer.  It was especially annoying since it was a really social weekend for us, so it was no fun to be voiceless all weekend and be a casual observer to all of the conversations going on around me.

After we grabbed dinner on Friday night, Dan and I met up with our "couple friends" James and Lindsay and Goran and Nicole {plus a few others}, and it was such a blast to finally reunite all six of us!  We think that the last time we all got together was back in May, so a reunion was long overdue.  There had been a pall over the day because of all of the tragic goings-on in Connecticut during the day on Friday.  My heart is broken for the families of the children and teachers killed in this unspeakable tragedy.  The lack of regard for human life, particularly that of innocent children, is what is most despicable about the rampage on that horrible day.  I wasn't thinking about it too much when I was busy, but as soon as we got home from going out and were getting ready to go to sleep, the floodgates open and I just cried for 15 or 20 minutes.  Dan, who had been very affected by what happened as well, just held me and rubbed my back while I cried, something that I was so grateful for.  Friday's massacre really just reaffirms for me the need to not take anything or anyone for granted, a lesson that I also learned all to well back when Dan was in the hospital.  I definitely hugged everyone a little tighter when I saw them this weekend.

On Saturday morning, we woke up and went for a run {the first time we had run together since our ill-fated race in September} before meeting up with the same friends we had hung out with on Friday night to go to the Georgetown game.  After some major Metro delays {curse you, Red line}, we finally made it, and had a nice time with our friends.  Once we got home, we finished watching Elf and then took a little nap- it was just one of those days when we both really needed it.  We went to mass and then hit up our new favorite Mexican place, Guapo's in Tenleytown {seriously, so good and SO cheap!} and went to a party that one of Dan's friends invited us to that was actually walking distance from my apartment...literally the one time I have been invited to something that I could walk to since I moved to my neighborhood haha.  It was a lot of fun {life-sized Jenga and s'mores by a backyard fire, anyone?}, and I enjoyed meeting Dan's friend {also Dan; my Dan is one of three Dans in his group of friends from home} for the first time.

On Sunday, we let ourselves sleep in a little bit, and then I headed to brunch at a friend's apartment with a lovely group of ladies for delicious food, mimosas and a Yankee Swap.  As always, so good to see my girlfriends and enjoy some good food and good conversation {well, those of us who could talk, that is!}.  Then, I metroed over to my parents' house to provide my dad with some supervision with his Christmas shopping.  Seriously, malls are not his friends, and he practically started shaking when we walked in to Target.  The man hates shopping and crowds, so Christmas shopping season is his biggest nightmare.  We were really quick though, because, if you've ever shopped with me, you'll know that I get in and get out without wasting my, or anyone else's, time.  Finally, I met up with Molly to see the stage production of Les Mis at National Theatre.  It was such a full-circle moment, because we saw it for the first time in London with our friend Mary Kathryn almost four years ago.  Also, let's take a moment and think about the fact that I studied abroad four years ago.  Holy crow, does that make me feel old!  It feels like it was just yesterday!  It was a revival production, so there were definitely things I liked about the original version better {and also things that I liked better about the revival}, but I was reminded of how much I adore Les Mis.  Had I been able to sing, I would have been singing along quietly to myself.  You can bet that I am jumping-off-the-walls excited about the movie {despite Anne Hathaway}, and I'm making Dan go see it with me after Christmas {which is not too much of a sacrifice for him, since he has seen, and also loves, Les Mis}.

In the meantime, there are 4 DAYS standing between me and Christmas vacation, and I am so excited that I can barely stand it!  I can't wait to actually have time to go on my runs later than 5 a.m. {which also means more sleep for me!}, read lots of books, watch lots of good movies, and spend quality time with family, friends, and my love :)  And maybe do some serious Pinterest work...

Just Kidding: My 48-hour cold

While lack of sleep and lots of long training runs may be weakening my little immune system, the good news about me is that I'm rarely sick for very long.  I'm not the type of person to get a cold that lasts for three weeks, and, luckily for me, mine are usually gone in more like three days.  Obviously a relieft for someone who refuses to let sickness get in the way of her routine :)  I am feeling significantly better today, which obviously makes me happy as I head into what promises to be a very busy weekend.

I was definitely feeling pretty crummy on Wednesday.  There were points when I was starting to fall asleep at my desk because I was exhausted and didn't feel well.  Thankfully, a Photoshop project perked me up in the afternoon, as did the promise of an evening spent baking at home.  I spent the night baking, which never ceases to bring me joy.  I will post a photo of my festive creation soon!  Let's just say that Pinterest never lets me down :)

Yesterday, I took advantage of my remaining comp time from our bumper crop of events and took another day off.  It couldn't have come at a perfect time, what with that pesky little cold threatening to turn into a larger cold.  The day started off great, because I slept for 10 hours.  10 HOURS, people!  I don't remember the last time I got 8 hours of sleep, much less 10!  I had another 13-miler that I was thinking of doing this week, but, with how crummy I was feeling, I didn't want to push it.  However, those 10 hours of sleep made enough of a difference that I felt fine during my run.  I'm still kind of in disbelief that my body was able to handle two half-marathon runs in six days, but it turns out that the human body is a pretty amazing thing.  I was so stiff and sore for the rest of the day, though, that I looked like a 90 year-old as I limped around at a snail's pace haha!

Once I got home and ate something, I finished off my baking, finished wrapping Christmas presents and writing cards, did laundry, shipped presents to out-of-town friends, and bought a Yankee Swap gift.  So, as is usually the case for me, my day off was not just a day to be lazy!  Then, Dan and I went to my parents' house for dinner, which was nice as usual.  I'll be heading over there again this weekend to help my dad with his Christmas shopping; he typically asks for my moral support and shopping expertise any time he needs to set foot near a store!

This weekend is going to be JAM PACKED with fun activities!  Tonight, Dan and I are getting together with two sets of our "couple friends," which I am so excited for.  We haven't all been together in ages!  Tomorrow, we are going to the Georgetown basketball game with those same friends, and are then going to a Christmas party that one of Dan's friends from home is having.  On Sunday, I have a brunch/Yankee Swap with some lovely girlfriends, and then am helping my dad with Christmas shopping.  It will be a busy weekend, but you all know that I wouldn't have it any other way!  One week from today, things will be winding down in the office, and I can't wait for my Christmas vacation!

I think my body's telling me it's vacation time...

It would appear as though I'm sick again :(  So much for having the immune system of a horse. I literally usually get sick once a year, but this is my second bout with a cold this month.  Long days at work, more of a lack of sleep than usual, and lots of running are probably all contributing factors. Luckily, I had already planned to take tomorrow off {I still have a bunch of comp time from all of the events I have been working}, so I'm looking forward to taking it easy.  I had hoped to do my long run tomorrow, so as to free up my weekend for all of the exciting things we have going on, but I'm going to have to see how I feel.  Cold + hip pain + foot pain = me limping around and feeling like my head is full.  Blargh.  Is it Christmas vacation yet?

A Much-Needed Lazy Friday

Okay, I lied, it wasn't so lazy...or, at least, part of it wasn't.  I feel like the last several weeks have been a marathon at work, so I was beyond happy to be able to take a little break in the action on Friday and have some time to myself. 

I started my day at the late, late hour of 8:00 a.m. {seriously, with a normal 4:55 a.m. wakeup call, it was such a luxury to "sleep in"}, and was pounding the pavement by 8:45 for my 13.1-mile training run.  Since I knew I had a lot going on over the weekend, I wanted to knock my long run out on Friday, and I was really glad that I did!  It was overcast/had just finished raining when I stepped outside, so my chest was a little bit tight at first, but, other than that, it was a great run, and it was nice to be outside exercising while everyone was sitting at their desks...I'm sorry, I promise I'm not gloating! 

After showering and changing following my run, I baked some cookies and watched TV/wrote Christmas cards, in the hopes of mailing Christmas cards and gifts this week.  Then, I met up with Dan and we went out to dinner with his wonderful parents.  Before dinner, though, we stopped at their new condo to get the grand tour, and my, is it beautiful!  They're in the West End, so location-wise, it is great, and the condo itself is beautiful.  Definitely more modern than is typically my taste, but I really loved it.  And...I shrieked when Leslie showed me the ENORMOUS walk-in closet.  Every girl's dream, and she knew that it would be my favorite part of the condo!  I'll be excited to see it once it is furnished, as the furniture hasn't arrived yet.  We then walked to dinner at Unum in Georgetown, which is so tiny and tucked away on M Street that I would never have noticed it, but it was delicious!  Pete is a major wine afficionado, too, so it didn't hurt that he was pairing our respective meals with delicious wine.  It was a great evening with wonderful company, and I can't even tell you all how excited I am to have Dan's parents moving down here.  I am excited to spend more time with them, and even introduce them to my parents!

As we waited for the bus to head home, I faced the buildings and Dan faced the street.  Out of the corner of my eye, who did I see but...Conan O'Brien!  I could hardly believe my eyes!  We made eye contact and I think he expected me to freak out, but, sorry to disappoint, folks, I played it cool and let him go about his day.  Of course, by the time I saw him, he was too close to us for me to non-awkwardly tell Dan that Conan O'Brien was behind him, so I had to settle for filling him in right after he passed, so the poor guy had to settle for seeing him behind.  And so, after my six years of living in DC, I have finally had my first celebrity sighting!

We attempted to watch Elf when we got home from dinner, but the best-laid plans...well, you know.  We both conked out not very far in to the movie.  Fail.  I have no excuse, since I had a day off, but I guess we'll have to find another time to watch it haha. 

In other news, only TWO WORK WEEKS left until Christmas break!  Not even attempting to contain my excitement! I need some R&R SO.FREAKING.BADLY.

A Much-Needed Short Week

After working myself to the bone last week and unsuccessfully warding off a cold, I knew that I needed a break this week to recharge.  Luckily I am going to take tomorrow off, which means that today is fake Friday!

What am I planning to do with my extra day?  Well, I first have to knock out a 13-miler, the longest run of marathon training thus far.  My foot has been bothering me {damn tendonitis} for the past few weeks, but I am hoping that it will hold up, because I NEED this run.  There has been far too much food sitting around my office this week, and I am feeling it!

After my run, I am planning on reversing all of my hard work and baking something {seriously, I don't know why I do this to myself} and maybe kicking back to do some Christmas card writing and gift wrapping.

Dan's parents are in town for the next couple days, so I'm really excited to get together for dinner tomorrow night.  And then, Dan and I have already planned to watch Elf {because really, it's not Christmas season until you've watched it}  It should be a great way to close out my day off!

Lots to Give Thanks For

My little family had a really nice, somewhat relaxing Thanksgiving break.  It was so nice to recharge, especially right before an incredibly hectic period at work for me.

I spent Wednesday through Sunday at my parents' house, which was a nice change of scenery.  Although I certainly don't get the "going home" feeling when I go home for the holidays {being that "home" is not the home I grew up in, and the absence of travel doesn't really make it feel like a holiday.  Gone are the 10-hour car rides at Thanksgiving and Christmas}, it is always nice  to spend time at their place.  We drove out to the Shenandoahs to see my grandparents on Thanksgiving morning, and, being that it was a gorgeous day, Tim and I hit the links at teh resort there.  Meaning that Tim let me drive the cart a bit and let me take a few swings haha.  We had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, complete with two types of pumpkin cheesecake and a pumpkin pie that were simply divine, and it was such a treat to spend the day with my grandparents.

We drove home on Black Friday morning, since my cousin Kelly, her husband Alec, and their two kids, Kaitlin {age 7} and Alexzander {age 4} drove down from New York for the weekend.  With a baby girl due in February, Kelly knew that it was going to be now or never for them to come visit, so I'm glad that they did.  It was really neat to see DC through the kids' eyes, since they had never been here before.  On Friday night, we went to Cactus Cantina, one of Alec's favorite restaurants from when he was a college student in DC, and then saw the monuments by night, which is always nice.  On Saturday, I had my 11-miler for marathon training, and then we went to the Alexandria Farmer's Market and the Air and Space Museum, followed by lunch at Tombs and a quick tour of the university.  We got dinner at Cafe Milano on Saturday night, and I left to go home early on Sunday morning, as I had a lot of work that I needed to do leading into last week.

Although all of us in our nuclear family are currently living in DC {I anticipate that this will change as soon as Tim graduates}, it is so seldom that we are all able to get together, so I enjoyed having everyone in one place for the extended weekend.  It was really hard, though, not to be with Dan for Thanksgiving.  First of all, it seemed like he was gone for forever, but it is also tough to spend the holidays away from the person you love most.  He has already promised that he'll be gone for less time at Christmas so that we can romp around DC in the days leading up to the New Year.

I have said in past years that I really do have so much to be thankful for.  I have to echo that same sentiment this year.  2012 has certainly brought its challenges, first among them Dan's harrowing health scare following our race and subsequent stay in the hospital.  Although I would care to forget that experience {as I know he would too}, I think that it did make us stronger.  Not that I would ever wish that situation on anyone, but the severity of his injuries definitely reaffirmed for me how much I love him, and I think that, even in the short-term, it has made us stronger as a couple.  Of course, I am thankful for my wonderful family and friends, and the relative good health of those people.  I am grateful for the roof over my head, my job and my good health.  I especially like reflecting on all of the things I have to be thankful for leading into the Christmas season.  I'm looking forward to spending the next few weeks gearing up for the holidays with family, friends, and my love.

My Pennsylvania Adventure

Okay, people, major fail on my part.  My life has been so hectic lately that blogging about my PA trip...and Thanksgiving...and last week... didn't happen.  Let's start with the PA trip.

I can't say enough how fantastic an experience I had on my very first recruiting trip.  I met some great prospective students, got to catch up with an old boss, spent some quality time with Dan's wonderful mom, and got to tour two great cities!  What more could a gal ask for?!

My train to Philly got in mid-afternoon on Monday, and I quickly checked in, did some work {I had been able to work on the train on the way up- thank you, Amtrak- but I still had some work that I wanted to get done}, and re-packed my bag to do a few minutes of exploring in the waning daylight.  I hit my main objectives, walking all the way around the beautiful City Hall and finding the Brotherly Love sculpture, so I was happy.  I walked around for far too long looking for a place to grab a quick dinner before the event, and ended up settling on getting some appetizers at McCormick & Scmick's.  I was reminded of the episode of How I Met Your Mother where post-breakup Marshall {back when he and Lily were on a break} and his equally pathetic guy friend decide to grab brunch together, because obviously brunching by yourself is just sad.  Well, as I thought in McCormick & Scmick's by myself, I thought that, although I was occupied with my book, I did not want to repeat my solo performance anytime soon.

At the event, I was able to set up at the table next to my old boss.  It was great to see her and catch up, as well as talk with some really qualified prospective students.  I returned to my hotel afterward and did some more work before nodding off to sleep.

I had a relatively early flight to Pittsburgh on Tuesday morning, so decided to take that as one of my days off from marathon training.  When I got in, I discovered that Dan really wasn't lying when he described how far the airport is from the city.  I wasn't expecting it to be a $45 cab ride away- eek!  I think I did a fairly convincing job of sounding halfway intelligent about the 'burgh when I was chatting with my cab driver, so that was a major win.  Once I got to my hotel, I met up with Dan's mom, Leslie, for what ended up being a fantastic afternoon. 

We went to a delicious restaurant near Market Square called Harvest, where we both ordered Butternut Squash Soup and Beet Salad.  Divine, simply divine.  Not to mention, the company was great.  I think I've said it before, but I can't overstate how much I lucked out with my boyfriend's family.  I absolutely adore them {at least, his immediate family, the only family members I've met so far haha} and it was so nice to have some girl time with Leslie.  She showed me all of the more cultural parts of the city, particularly where they go to the theater {Dan is not included in the theatergoing group haha!}.  I ended up needing to go back to my hotel for a few hours to do some work, but, since Pete was out of town, I think she was looking for entertainment as much as I was, so we agreed to meet up for dinner after my event, which suited me just fine!!  Before the event, I walked from my hotel {conveniently situation between Heinz Field and PNC Park on the North Shore} across Roberto Clemente Bridge, snapping pictures left and right, of course. After the event, which, although small, went well, I met up with Leslie again for dinner at a cute little Italian restaurant.  I just loved my day with such a sweet, thoughful lady.  I really think she and I are so similar in so many ways, so, even from the first time I met her, we didn't need to have Dan in the room to have something to talk about.  In fact, I think we largely ignored him the first time we met because we were so busy chatting!

On Wednesday morning, I did a little bit of work before going for a run around the city. I went about as far as I could have in the downtown area and got a six-miler out of it, so I was happy.  Boy, was it cold, though!!  I was telling Dan that I think that this marathon training is really going to toughen me up, because I'll HAVE to run when it's freezing outside {because, really, when it comes time to do my 20-mile training run, I'm not going to want to do that on the treadmill!}. On my way through the Pittsburgh airport, I stopped and bought myself a Pens shirt, because I was feeling like I needed some Pittsburgh sports apparel.  I was really happy to get back home and see Dan after my trip.  Even though I had only been gone for two days, it was so strange to be in his hometown and not have him there.  As I said, though, I had a wonderful time with his sweet mom!

Some pics from my trip:

Ah, love, ain't it grand

Downtown Philly

Market Square, Pittsburgh

Downtown Pittsburgh, as seen from the North Shore