Well, it's safe to say that fall is officially upon us! The hot summer-like days of a few weeks ago have given way to crisp fall mornings and evenings, which makes this New Englander happy as a clam.  We went to Larriland Farm out in Howard County on Saturday, and that made me feel as though fall had officially arrived.  We picked a huge back of delicious Stayman apples, as well as a couple of pumpkins and small gourds.  Of course, we had to get a jug of cider for Dan {interestingly, he prefers cold cider, and I like mine hot and with a cinnamon stick}.  The farm is a lot of fun, for those of you who haven't been, and is only about an hour from DC.  Be warned: we were one of the few young couples there without children, but I really enjoyed watching the kiddos experience fall delights as we ate our picnic lunch.  Last night, I made a delicious apple crisp with the apples, from a recipe that Dan's mom sent me.

Yesterday, Dan and I ran the Army Ten Miler, which was a great addition to our weekend.  I had been excited about this race since we signed up in May, and I was especially grateful to be able to run, particularly since, a month-and-a-half earlier, I was in a boot and was essentially immobilized.  The first few weeks of running post-boot were definitely no picnic, since I hadn't been able to do cardio in about seven weeks, but the payoff of being able to race was incredible.  Dan was a rock star {duh} and ran it in 1:04, and I clocked in at 1:17.  While I can't keep up with that speed demon, I was happy with the race and my sub-8 minute miles.  Our parents were along various points in the course, which is always good for a pump-up, and it was truly inspirational to see so many wounded warriors running.  There was also a blind runner near me for a chuck of the race who was running with a guide, who was actually more like a coach.  It was really touching to watch them, and you could tell that the guy was really grinding hard.  After two great races this season, I am looking forward to doing the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler and the Nike Women's Half next spring!!

Things at work are definitely picking up, so I was glad that we got to experience a fun fall weekend, and had some really nomalicious dinners {Bistro Bis on Capitol Hill on Friday, Ristorante Piccolo in Gtown on Saturday, and, of course, Mellow Mushroom last night}.  I've been enjoying the cozy nights of putting my pajamas on when we get home from work and sit on the couch watching my Sox in the MLB playoffs, snuggled under our blankets.  I missed my guy when I was traveling, so it sure is nice to be back home with him for the foreseeable future :-)

Catching My Breath

Ladies and gentlemen, I am in the midst of my brief time at home, and let's just say it has been...relaxing.

My first two weeks on the road were wonderful.  I got to visit 40 schools, meet with countless wonderful students, college counselors and alums, and feel like a really effective ambassador for the school.  It certainly wasn't all roses; traveling for that long by yourself can be really freaking lonely {imagine spending night after night in a hotel room by yourself, going to bed early for lack of anything better to do}; eating regularly was not an option; there were certainly some difficult counselors and alums along the way; and, in my constant state of exhaustion, it was impossible to not miss Dan, my family and friends.  But you know what? I made it through in one piece {well, mostly- more on that in a minute}, and even had some fun in the process.  I got to cross some states off my list, and certainly got a taste of "Real America".  I am set to leave on Sunday for five more days, but this time I'll be in New England {New England in October...sighhhhhhhhh}.

I have actually been lying low and working from home for the past few days, because, on Sunday, I had a bit of a health scare.  I was planning to run back home from Columbia Heights after a lovely brunch with some friends.  However, a mile in to my run, I became dizzy, stuffy and nauseous.  I walked for a few minutes, but could tell that the situation was not trending positively, so ducked in to the nearest restaurant I could find.  I was violently ill, so much so that I called Dan, barely able to talk enough to tell him that I needed an ambulance.  Once they rushed me to the hospital, they determined that I was suffering from an infection that I had exhibited absolutely ZERO symptoms of.  I am sure that two hectic weeks of travel and germs, capped off by a crazy Homecoming weekend {when I had a wonderful reunion with some of my best friends, many of them in from out of town} did my immune system in in the end, making me more susceptible to an infection.  The incident really freaked me out, especially as someone who has grown up with food allergies.  I actually went back to the doctor today because of some potentially worrisome symptoms that I am still having, only to be told, pending the results of some tests, that the doctor thinks I am fine. It has been tough to continue to feel crummy without Dan here, since he is back in the 'burgh for the Buccos' wild card game tonight.  I have been doing a great job of feeling pretty sorry for myself while sitting at home alone all day being sick.  However, I have been VERY productive when it comes to work, and I am planning to try and head back to the office tomorrow.  Fingers crossed that I don't try to do too much too soon...I will post pictures as soon as my iPhone decides to let my pictures load onto my computer!