Everybody's Working for the Weekend

I am at work today, supervising some interviews, and thought I would share some quick thoughts from this week:

• Now that I'm back on gluten, my stomach has been going haywire.  I have done my best to limit my gluten intake, so I can't tell if the stomach discomfort has been due to my poor little stomach not being starved anymore or whether I may actually have a gluten intolerance.  Stay tuned, folks...
• I had my first Rent the Runway experience this week.  We received an invitation to Dan's friend's wedding in June and it is black-tie, so I knew I needed to buy a long dress.  My cousin Ashley works at RTR, so I had it in the back of my mind as a possibility.  I was able to find this GORGEOUS {and totally fierce} Trina Turk dress that I am beyond excited to wear for the wedding!  Plus, it was only $85 to rent, so that was a major win!
• My baby brother is graduating from college in two weeks, and I am a wreck.  I can't believe he won't be able to pop in to my office unannounced {not that he did that very often anyway haha} or grab lunch with me, and, while I'm so excited for him to go out into the world, I'm beyond bummed that he's heading to New York the first chance that he gets.
• Finally, last night was a very exciting night, because Dan's and my parents got to meet for the first time!  You may be asking yourself why it took over two years for them to meet, but the truth is that there was never an ideal time.  Now that Dan's parents are living down here, I hope we'll all be able to get together more often.  The dinner was really wonderful, everyone got along great {just like I knew they would}, and I even spied our moms exchanging numbers! I was so excited, mostly because I think they could both really use someone to pal around with, and go on walks and museums with.  It warmed my heart to see everyone together last night :)

I hope everyone has a splendid weekend! I wish I could be outside enjoying this gorgeous day!

The Fast is Over!

My darling readers, I am happy to announce that, as of today, I can eat gluten again!!!!!! I have not actually eaten any gluten yet, because I still have about four boxes of Cinnamon Chex left, and will force myself to eat them until they're gone, and a bowl of homemade, gluten-free veg chili seemed like the perfect lunch.  However, I fully plan on noshing on either pizza or pasta for dinner :-) Luckily, Dan is more than willing to be my accomplice in breaking my gluten-free fast diet.

If you're doing the mental math an are thinking to yourself that it has been a mere month, rather than six weeks, since I went off of gluten, I decided that I was miserable enough that a month was going to be sufficient for me.  I gave it my all, but the gluten-free lifestyle isn't for me.  I am your classic type-A, routine-driven, slightly obsessive-compulsive gal, so giving up on things is never an option for me.  However, I felt like this diet was jeopardizing my health and happiness, so, once I made it past the month marker, I had to make the decision that was the best for my mental and physical health.  Maybe someday I will make a career out of concocting gluten-free recipes that are actually tasty {and, in particular, developing palatable gluten-free alternatives to things like pizza and pasta}.  But, for now, I am back on the stuff.

That being said, the one lesson that I am taking away from this monthlong adventure is that I do want to be more conscious of the amount of gluten that I am ingesting, because I think that there can be too much of a good thing {especially since my metabolism will eventually slow down}.  While this gluten-free diet was NEVER about losing weight and, on the contrary, aimed to find a solution to some long-undiagnosed stomach issues, it did make me take pause to consider my food choices. I want to make a more conscious effort to build better lifelong eating habits {i.e. not binge-eating sugar as frequently, cooking more, hydrating} so that, when combined with my love for exercise, I never feel like I need to go on a crash diet.  When we first discussed the realities of living together, I told Dan that it was my sincere goal that living together would drive us to cook more often.  While it may be difficult to find recipes that appeal to both my beloved omnivore and myself, the veg-head, I am committed to doing that.  That's what Pinterest is for, people!!!

I am already about 1,000 times happier now that I will not spend my days wanting to eat my own fist- can you tell?!? ;)

1 MONTH!!

That would be one month until our big move!!! I have begun the process of securing the paperwork to move out of my current apartment, and have already reserved the elevators at the new place for our move-in weekend.  It is finally starting to feel real, and both Dan and I are counting down the days until we get to see each other every day!! Dan is also terrified by excited about the Google spreadsheet I put together that has a rough outline of what we have/what we need for the apartment, obviously broken out by room.  And yes, funny you ask, we did spend about five minutes last night debating the pros and cons of one DC-themed poster versus another...

In other news, screechhhhhh, slow down, because, a weekend before we move, my baby brother is graduating from college.  I have been in a deep depression about this fact for some time now, and that sentiment was deepened on Tuesday when we had our "Lake Family Dinner," which includes all five of the kids who go up to the Lake every year {all of us go/went to Georgetown, which, I admit, is rather cultish}.  Anyway, Tim, Jack and Patrick, all of whom are graduating this year {along with Alexa, Jack's girlfriend, who was also at dinner with us} were so depressing at dinner, because all of them were starting to get really nostalgic, with just a few weeks remaining in their college careers.  Suddenly, I was the "sage older sister," dispensing my advice after nearly three years in the workforce, and damn, was it tough for me to burst their fragile little bubbles.  I can still remember all of the optimism that I felt upon graduating, but that optimism soon turned to pessimism, and I haven't talked to a single person my age who didn't have the exact same experience.  The realization that you cannot change the world is a pretty depressing one.  Anyway, I'm hoping we'll have the chance to get the entire group together once more before the boys go their separate ways!

Finally, I am on the fence on a daily basis about whether or not to continue with the gluten-free thing.  I have yet to crack, but I'm getting pretty sick of the now-constant feeling that my stomach may be eating itself, and the lightheadedness that accompanies it.  Why people do this as a method of losing weight, I have no idea, because it is quite the miserable existence.  I want to make it at least a month {just to say that I did}, so that would put us at Tuesday.  I haven't made up my mind, though, because, by that point, I will have less than two weeks left.  I think it will depend on my state of misery that day.  He has been a trooper, but I think Dan will be relieved once this whole experiment is over because the incessant hangry {hungry + angry} whining will come to an end.  I'm taking suggestions for what my first meal back should be.  My frontrunners so far?  French Toast from Metro 29, pizza from District of Pie/Mellow Mushroom/2 Amy's, any kind of baked good, pasta {I've had a craving for Maggiano's gnocchi for a few weeks}.  I know that I won't be able to go too crazy right away, both for the sanity of my stomach and in the interest of fitting in to the dresses I am wearing to the four weddings we're going to this summer.

Going Gluten-Free: My Takeaways So Far

I am nearly two weeks in to this gluten-free adventure, and I thought I would share some of my thoughts and observations about it:

• I am CONSTANTLY hungry! Typically, I have a really small lunch {i.e. a piece of fruit} and opt for a larger breakfast and dinner, but since I've been on this gluten-free diet, I've noticed that lunch can't come soon enough.  I am practically famished by 10 a.m.  Not that weight loss was my aim at all, but I can definitely see how a diet like this could be effective, because I feel like my clothes already fit a little more loosely.  I have been trying to eat protein-rich foods like quinoa, beans and cottage cheese, in the hope that they will fill me up, but to no avail.
• I am also constantly tired.  A lot of people cite a gluten-free diet as a way to boost their energy level, and I have found the opposite to be the case.  You are all well aware of my 5 a.m. workout routine, and I have had to drag myself out of bed every morning since going gluten-free.  I am also a lot more tired during the day.  I blame the constant hunger.  Strangely, my runs have not really suffered too much...
• I detest rice flour.  I gave it the good ole college try and attempted gluten-free pizza crust at Mellow Mushroom {which is made from rice flour and tapioca, the latter of which is one of the more disgusting things I have ever tried}, and even attempted to bake some chocolate chip cookies with it last night, but it is some seriously disgusting stuff.  My cookies were such disappointing, flat little cookies, as opposed to the gooey, fluffy cookies that I usually make.  Baking fail :(
• I had these grand plans to make some nut-free, gluten-free granola for our hiking trip this weekend, which I attempted last night.  Before I went to the grocery store on Monday to buy the ingredients, I had one glass of wine at happy hour, but apparently that one glass went straight to my head.  Not only did I accidentally not buy gluten-free oats {the ones I bought are not in and of themselves gluten-rich, but may contain traces of wheat, and apparently oats are very easily cross-contaminated}, but they are also steel-cut oats, which are not at all conducive to making granola.  Needless to stay, the granola does not stick together very well.  I blame my perpetually hungry tummy for the apparently strong effects of the wine.  Seriously, people, one glass.  While eating food.  Sipped over an hour or so.  Sheesh.  Gluten-free baking - 2, Kristen - 0.

As you can see, I am feeling rather disgruntled with this diet adventure right now, so I have my eye on the May 12th prize.  I think I will be the happiest person in the world that day!

Life Updates

I thought I would give you all a quick run-down of everything that has been going on lately in the District:

• Spring is *ACTUALLY* here! It is due to get into the 80s today, which suits me just fine.  However, it is amazing that Washingtonians get excited for weather like this, knowing full well that those hot-as-Hades days are just around the corner...DC just seems to have had new life breathed in to it, though, because everyone is outside, whether exercising, chatting with friends or socializing at a happy hour, and it just gives you the warm fuzzies!
• The cherry blossoms are sort of out! We went to see them this weekend {Dan, ever the boy, had never seen them in his 8 years of living in DC, so I told him that he wouldn't be considered a true Washingtonian until he had seen them} and there were very few buds.  Dan's description of them as "twigs" wasn't too far off the mark, because cooler days have kept those babies from blooming.  The next few days are supposed to be great in terms of blossoms, though!
• This gluten-free thing is totally kicking my ass.  I am starving all.the.time.  However, we're going hiking this weekend, so I'm picking up some certified gluten-free oats, honey, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries and chocolate to make some homemade nut-free, gluten-free granola, and I'm excited to try it! I also bought some rice flour, so may try to do some baking and see how well gluten-free flour works as a substitute.  If I end up liking the recipe, I will post it!
• Speaking of hiking, this weekend is when I get to redeem my birthday present from Dan: a stay in what looks to be an adorable little inn and a waterfall-filled hike.  The forecast for Saturday looks great at this point, so I'm crossing my fingers for warm-ish temperatures and no rain! Hiking is one of my very favorite activities, so I'm so grateful that Dan enjoys it as well!
• Following my first outdoor brunch of the year over Easter weekend, my friend Lindsay and I did our first outdoor happy hour at Commissary.  People, I'm telling you, if you have not tried it, their veggie burger {which has a quinoa base} is TO DIE FOR.  Yes, it did hurt slightly to have to order it without the bun, but the awesomeness of the burger outweighed any sadness I felt.
• Oh, and, one last thing: WE HAVE AN APARTMENT!!!!!!!!! We went to visit two places on Sunday that I had already looked at, and, luckily, Dan and I liked the same one.  We I already can't wait to decorate, have an apartment-warming party, and spend lazy summer afternoons using the grills in the courtyard and lazing by the amazing pool, Daisy Buchanan-style.  We are moving in towards the end of May, and we are just giddy with excitement {okay, giddy is maybe not an emotion that I would attribute to guys, but let's just leave it at the fact that Dan is really excited too}.  The fact that we have an apartment and a move-in date makes it all the more real, and I can't wait to have him as my roommate in less than two months! Also, fun fact: as an adult, I will now have lived in DC, Maryland AND Virginia.  

I'm definitely in busy mode at work and in my personal life right now, but the weather is getting better, I only have 5 weeks left of this pesky gluten-free diet, and I'm moving in with the love of my life.  I'm not about to complain!