A Monday Mish-Mash

Since it's Monday, I'm not really feeling like stinging together a full, coherent post, so I'll just comment on a few things that are floating around in my head right now:

• So, I have a stress fracture in my tibia.  You would think that I would learn my lesson from all of my many running injuries over the years, which seem to become more severe each time, but, for those of you who are runners too, you'll understand how hard it is to go without running, even for a day.  The last time I ran was the Cherry Blossom Ten-Miler on April 6th {which I actually finished in a  shockingly quick time of 1:19, given that I was already quite injured at that point}, and I'm really yearning to run again, especially since running outside at this time of year just fuels my love affair with DC.  Also, I'm not going to pretend that I haven't already plotted out races to run in Chicago.  The doc told me I have to wear my boot for the next 4-6 weeks, so I suppose it's a good thing that I already had one of those suckers sitting around in my closet.  The only reason why I'm not crying on a regular basis is because I'm allowed to swim!  I am in the process of joining a gym with a pool for the next month, and, after going for two swims over the weekend, I think it's safe to say that I'm hooked.  Now, if only I could get Dan to set foot in a pool…the poor thing is traumatized after swimming through college :)
• We had a lovely Easter with both of our families, spending Saturday night with Dan's family {we got to meet his brother's girlfriend and his adorable new dog, Charlotte, as well as see Dan's sister} and Easter Sunday with mine.  I am trying to count my blessings, particularly for these next few months, because I know that this may be the last time we live near our families…sob.
• Last weekend, we went out to the Windy City for Dan's revisit weekend.  While it still doesn't feel completely real that we are leaving our beloved DC in just a few months, I am so, SO excited to get to experience a new city. Having Kristin, Allie and Emily there will be a huge plus for me, and I felt really comfortable with the people that I met at all of the Partners Club events last weekend.  
• We are going to our first Nats game of the season tonight with a group of local admits from Dan's program.  I am excited to meet some of the people who we will be spending 4 years with, and I never turn down an opportunity to go to Nats Park.
• On Saturday, we went to a Drink the District event put on by Living Social.  Despite a brief downpour, it was a fun event, and we got to try lots of good beer and wine {as well as some not-so-tasty mint juleps}.  We went with a group of friends, and, after hanging out with them more at the end of the event, had to say what is likely to be our first goodbye {as some of the friends will be leaving for a few months in Europe next weekend}.  I definitely teared up in the cab ride home.  This endless series of goodbyes is not going to be easy...
• On Thursday, we went to a fun wine tasting event with Dan's parents that was put on by Wine Spectator.  The event was a lot of fun, although I would be lying if I said I wasn't intimidated by tasting a $1,000 wine.  I'll stick with my less-than-$20 bottles, thank you very much!!
• I need a vacation.  So badly.  Which is why I giddily happy that our San Francisco trip is creeping up on us.  I just need to recharge.
• So, I must confess that I've recently gotten hooked on House of Cards.  The show is fabulous!  Fortunately, Dan has no interest in political shows, which means that I can binge-watch this series {which he is less likely to do, hence the snail's pace with which we are going through my other current obsession, Friday Night Lights}.
• Oh, and looking for jobs and apartments is stressful.  I know, right?!  I know people mean well, but both searches are stressing me out to the point where I just don't want to talk about it.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! The rest of this week is supposed to turn summer-like, and I am using a bachelor party that Dan is going to this weekend as an excuse for some much-needed "me time', which will likely involve too much baking and too many episodes of House of Cards :)

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 :-)