Andddd....cue collapse

This weekend was our first of two Admitted Student Welcome Weekends, which always turn out to be a bear for me.  Throw in another large project that already had me busy last week and you have a recipe for an UBER-stressful week.  I didn't know how late I would have to stay at work last week, so I didn't make any plans with friends, plus Dan was sick {he contracted that nasty little 36-hour stomach bug that is going around}, so my nights last week consisted of going home, eating dinner, and going to bed at 9ish.  Even with all of that rest, I pretty much collapsed once the event was over on Saturday night.  I apologized to poor Dan in advance for my extreme lameness, because I conked out and slept for about 11 hours on Saturday night.  Stressful weeks will do that for you, I guess!!

The best part about the weekend was going home to my guy.  Even though I was deliriously tired {seriously, I had spoken complete nonsense as I fell asleep on Friday night}, seeing him never ceases to bring a smile to my face, so I was glad to be able to spend some quality time with him after not having seen him all week.  Once I had had a few minutes to recover, we headed over to Thunderburger in Georgetown where, as luck would have it, we ran into my brother and his roommates.  We LOVE Thunderburger, because Dan can order a wide variety of burgers, and I can nosh on my beloved Rock the Casbah burger {a chickpea burger with yogurt sauce and tomatoes, with some sweet potato fries on the side...YUM}.  If you haven't been, you seriously need to go!  I started to nod off while we were watching Silver Linings Playbook, so we ended up finishing it the next day.  It was really quirky, but I actually loved it.  Seeing Bradley Cooper in a serious role was kind of surreal, but I still enjoyed it!

On Sunday, I hemmed and hawed from the time I woke up until the time I left for my run.  After the long weekend I had had, I was not in the mood for a 13-mile run.  But I told myself that there was not going to be an out on this one, so I sucked it up, hip pain and all.  It was by no means a fun run, and, once again, my stomach bothered me for much of the afternoon after I got back.  Boo :(  I hope I can get down to the bottom of what is ailing my stomach so that I can avoid that kind of pain after 26.2.  We had a truly lazy Sunday afternoon, watching the rest of Silver Linings, the latest episodes of Parks & Rec and Modern Family, and, finally, the Pens game, as I inhaled some pasta, the first thing I was really able to eat that day. 

I'm looking forward to what should hopefully be a much calmer week this week, which will include a Bachelor watch with two of my close girlfriends tonight!

And SNAP, the weekend's over...

I seriously have no idea where this weekend went, so I guess that's a sign that it was a good one!

On Friday night, Dan and I went to one of our favorite pizza places, District of Pi, for dinner.  As usual, it was insanely delicious.  Then we picked up some beer {for him} and cider {obviously for me} and hunkered down to watch the Season 1 finale of Homeland.  Call us old folks for staying in on a Friday night and watching TV, but the truth was, we were exhausted after a mere three days back in the office.  Fridays tend to be nights where we want to come home and not do anything strenuous.  As expected, the finale was incredible, so it left us itching to start the next season {which we did yesterday...not even embarrassed}.

On Saturday morning, I had to do a 16-miler for marathon training, and I was really dreading it.  It has gotten to the point in my training where it is becoming a hassle to plan my weekends around my long runs, mostly because I tend to be somewhat incapacitated by the pain afterward.  I was feeling pretty good up until I stopped briefly at Mile 6 to eat some of my Clif Bar Shot Bloks {I am still not confident enough in my ability to ingest these without choking to attempt to eat them while still running; however, I am a WHIZ at getting my water bottles out of my belt without stopping.  Baby steps}.  When I started back up again, my hip, which has been bugging me for the past month or so, was in some pretty serious pain.  I pushed through it, but it was definitely not a great run.  I would characterize the last two miles of the run as a jog/limp hybrid, with an emphasis on a limp, but more worrisome was the fact that my hip was in so much pain that I was nearly in tears.  Of course, when I told Dan that, he asked me the totally legitimate question of why I continued running.  Being stubborn himself when it comes to workouts, he could obviously relate to why I wanted to finish, but he is just concerned that I'm in so much pain. 

Anyway, after I had wolfed down some food {I was so hungry when I got back that I almost passed out} and taken some Advil, I went over to my parents' house, where we were preparing for a SLEEPOVER with a few of my friends.  That's right, you read that correctly, a sleepover!  Jamie, Molly, Lauren and I had been talking about getting together this weekend, and I suggested the idea of an Old Town sleepover, and luckily, the girls were very excited about that!  We went to Fontaine's {that fabulous crepe place that I had gone to previously with my parents} with my parents and then cozied up in front of the TV to watch Bridesmaids.  We ended up staying up until about 2 a.m. chatting, which made it feel like a true slumber party.  In the morning, my mom made us Christmas rolls {WIN!} and, by the time the girls left, we had decided that this had been what all of us needed!

Yesterday, Dan and I were couch potatoes and watched some Homeland, followed by the 'Skins game.  While I am not a football fan, I like to see DC teams {other than the Caps...side note, HOCKEY IS BACK! GO PENS!} do well, and I think that RGIII seems like a stand-up guy.  It was tough to see him struggle with his injury. 

This week, I have some exciting things coming up!  Tonight, I'm planning on cooking myself something hearty and healthy and then chilling on my couch to watch the much-anticipated {haha} premiere of The Bachelor.  Tomorrow, Dan and I are going to the Pitt game, which his brother so kindly bought us tickets for!  On Thursday, we are going to Rasika; after talking about going for months, I finally looked on OpenTable and picked a date.  I am bouncing-off-the-walls excited! And THEN, this weekend, we're going to New York!  The impetus behind the trip was wanting to go to the St. John's game at MSG, but we're also going to hang out with James and Lindsay, as well as hopefully see some of my cousins who live in the city. I'm really looking forward to it!  Even with as close as I grew up to the city, I haven't really been there too many times, so it should be fun! 

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! Here's hoping the next one gets here quickly :)

Relaxation Time: How I Spent My Christmas Break

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I certainly was not lacking in relaxation time over break, which, after a stressful few months at work, was certainly in order.

After getting caught in a terrible snowstorm that turned what normally is a 4-hour drive into a harrowing 9-hour drive, Dan got back to DC.  Knowing that he would be grumpy and starving {he only ended up being the latter}, I had some homemade mac & cheese casserole {one of his favorite dishes that I make} and Oreo cupcakes {which he claims is his favorite dessert EVER- patting myself on the back haha} waiting for him when he got to my apartment.  He worked from home on Thursday and Friday, so we just hung out in my living room during the day and got to hang out at night.  SLASH we MAY have also gotten addicted to Homeland during parts of the work day :) The only thing on my agenda was going for a run- I had a 14-miler on Friday- so the rest of the time, I just sat pretty.  I also made crepes on Thursday morning, so that took up a little bit of time as well!

On Friday night, we saw Les Mis {the movie}. SO. FREAKING.GOOD.  Tears were rolling down my face for a sizeable chunk of the movie, which Dan made sure to give me grief about haha.  In all seriousness, I was amazed by the singing performances {other than Russell Crowe's}; even Anne Hathaway, for whom Dan tells me that I have an irrational hatred, did a great job on "I Dreamed a Dream." They were all incredible, and it is such a moving story that they captured so beautifully.  As we left the theater, a tissue-less me still sniffling, Dan remarked that he had forgotten that the story was so sad.  Yeah........

On Saturday, I took my "day off" from exercise, which actually ended up being a very busy, not to mention active, day.  Dan wanted to go shop for some golf supplies, which I didn't really want a part of, so I met up with my mom to see the Christmas displays at the Botanical Garden, which I would highly recommend, by the way.  From there, we went to the Museum of the American Indian for a bit.  It was nice to have some mommy-daughter time! When I got back, Dan and I headed over to the Thomas Jefferson Community Center in Arlington to play some basketball.  We had been threatening to play for, oh, about a year, but we finally did it.  We didn't play 1-on-1, but we did play two games of horse and one of Around the World, all of which I won, thank you very much.  Too bad I didn't have the good sense to put a home-cooked meal on it beforehand! 

After we showered and changed, we headed over to Georgetown to check out their ice skating rink. FAB.U.LOUS.  It was significantly less crowded/hectic than the Sculpture Garden rink, not to mention more picturesque at the time of day that we went {7 p.m., so all the lights were sparkling!}.  After skating for about an hour- and avoiding falls! Woohoo!- we hopped over to the newly reopened Farmers, Fishers & Bakers for an 8:00 reservation...only to wait until 8:45 to get seated. WOMPPPPPP.  We were so hungry after our active day that we got pretty grumpy, but quickly cheered up when we learned that they were comping us a round of drinks and an app.  Now THAT'S how you placate angry diners, people!  Let's also talk about the fact that the food was OUT OF THIS WORLD, and also reasonably-priced!  We got an appetizer of soft pretzels and three mouthwatering dipping sauces, and, for our entrées, Dan ordered jambalaya and I ordered a gardener's pie {essentially shepherd's pie but with veggies instead of meat}.  Our tummies were sure happy when we left, and we vowed to go back very soon.

On Sunday, we went to our beloved Metro 29 for brunch after our runs, where who should we see but Eric Cantor.  I was so tempted to bitch him out, because, at that point, Congress had not reached a deal to avoid falling off the fiscal cliff.  However, I kept my cool and stuffed my face with French toast like a good little girl.  For the remainder of the day, we watched football.  Now, I hate football, but watching it meant that I got to spend time with Dan, and it also required no effort, which pleased my exhausted body.  In return, he told me that, since I had been so good to watch 9ish hours of football, I could choose Monday's activity.  I chose Mt. Vernon, which ended up being a slightly poor choice because of the cold weather and the fact that the place pales in comparison to Monticello.  Who knew?  However, while there, we saw Michele Bachmann.  I kind of creeped myself out by recognizing two politicians in 18 hours, but I know that I was right.  Again, in a perfect world, I might have bitched Michele out for her politics, but I refrained.

And then came New Year's Eve.  Last NYE was definitely a depressing one for me, because, as we walked around Dublin on that day last year, it seemed as though there was a happy couple everywhere we turned, which only made me miss my guy more.  That's why I was thrilled to not only spend so much time with Dan this break, but also spend New Year's Eve with him.  We had decided that we wanted to do something low-key {but still actually go out}, so we threw on our party clothes and headed to Old Town.  All of the Christmas lights lining King Street twinkled away, and I briefly forgot that I was not walking down the Champs-Elysées.  Dinner was yummy, and we decided to head to O'Connell's, a charming old pub, afterward.  We were SO fortunate, because, just as we got there at around 10, a group of women was leaving, so we snagged their seats at the bar.  We didn't have to fight for drinks all night, AND we got seats.  Seriously perfect.  We made friends with some pretty interesting characters {one, a guy named James with long, red hair and a pink sparkly cape, was particularly entertaining} and just enjoyed each other's company.  It was perfect.  Seriously, I was in my happy place, getting to spend the holiday with my love.

So that's all she wrote, folks!  That was my UBER-relaxing vacation, and I enjoyed every second of it, whether spent with my family or with Dan.  It was definitely tough to get out of bed on Wednesday morning to come back to work, but, surprise! Today is Friday!

For whatever reason, my photo uploader isn't working, which is kind of annoying, so I'll try again later to post pics of the rest of break!  Happy (almost) weekend!

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!

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!

Back to reality

Ugh.  I am still in my post-vacation fog. 

Okay, done whining.  Time to recap my week at Winnipesaukee!  Before we left, Dan and I had a nice dinner with my family at my parents' house on Wednesday night.  It was nice to catch up with everyone!

We decided to break our drive up by driving halfway on Thursday night (and stopping at my aunt and uncle's in Westchester) and the other half on Friday morning.  Not exactly the most comfortable of rides in our little clown car (I ran Friday morning and then regretted it; there is nothing worse than running and then having your long legs squished into a tiny car.  I was in agony when we finally emerged, victorious, at the Lake), but we made it in one piece.  The first stop before arriving at the Lake was Sawyer's, because, let's face it, I had to have my once-yearly frappe (which, despite their assertion that frappes are different from milkshakes, are exactly the same).  We had been driving through the rain for much of the drive, and it was POURING when we arrived at the marina.  Good thing that, when we had stopped at a grocery store for lunch, I suggested getting trash bags to put all of our bags in.  Patting myself on the back for that one.  After a sopping wet drive across the Lake, we arrived on the island and changed into drier clothes. 

I wish I could say that we did a lot of interesting things last week, but, the truth is, we were uncharacteristically lazy. Sure, we always allow ample time for getting our sun goddesses on and roasting under the sun, but the laziness of this year was unrivaled haha.  I did make time each day for exercise (I went on a few runs, a hike, and several swims), but other than that, I sat in the sun and read...and then read some more.  This was my week to do all of the things that I don't normally have time to do: I slept for 9.5ish hours a night; exercised at whatever darn time I felt like it, rather than my usual 5am workout; read the majority of a 1,000-page book; got pretty bronzed (!!!!!!); and spent quality time with family and friends.  I truly came back from this vacation feeling rejuvenated and refreshed, which was exactly what I needed.  It was a little bit depressing because not all of the "kids" were there this year (one was there for three days and the other was studying abroad in China and was unable to make it at all), which resulted in a quieter week, but then again, maybe I needed the quiet.  The excitement of the week was the fact that we caught five mice in the kitchen.  I am NOT a mouse person, so averted my eyes whenever the traps were unloaded, but at least the little critters won't be traipsing through the kitchen anymore (well, their friends will, but not those five).

Our few adventures included a late-night ice cream run, a hike (my dad and I saw a porcupine and, whelp, a snake.  I screamed when I saw the snake), and an impromptu trip to Maine to see Terry, the owner of our Lake house and a very close family friend.  The day spent in Maine was wonderful, especially since I had never seen Terry's incredible compound before.  We went to a lobster shack for lunch, where those in the group who are not allergic to shellfish feasted on lobster rolls.  Then, we went to an ice cream place up the coast, where I had some DELICIOUS Maine Blueberry ice cream.  Then, we stopped by the York lighthouse and then the Goldenrod candy shop, where we were mesmerized by the saltwater taffy that we watched them make through the window.  After that, we just relaxed at Terry's house.  I think he really appreciated having us there, and it was a very special day.    

We hit the road early on Saturday morning, after my dad and I got one last swim in.  I was sad to be leaving the Lake, but desperately wanted a buffer day between when we returned and when I had to go back to work.  Plus, I was REALLY missing a certain someone and wanted to see him.  I completely understood that he didn't have enough vacation time built up at his new job yet, but I was still pretty bummed that he couldn't come up to NH with us.  Oh well, maybe next year...Anyway, I hurriedly dropped my bags at home and spent the next 24 wonderful hours with Dan.  We had the laziest of Sundays yesterday, and it was glorious.  I thought I had the laziness cleared out of my system after nine days of relaxation, but it turned out that I needed a little bit more :) I still haven't really settled into my routine yet.  When I got home last night, I realized that it was the first time in 12 days that I had slept in my own bed.  My own room seemed so foreign to me, as did my gym this morning!  I couldn't fall asleep last night, probably partly because my surroundings seemed somehow unfamiliar.   Anyway, on we march. We're down to less than two weeks until our half-marathon, so I'm starting to get really excited!!!

Some pictures of our wonderful week:

 Summertime, and the living is easy

 The broseph and I at York light

 Who, me?

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