FOMO

Long time no blog!  I figured I had to break the silence and give a quick run-down of our summer since our initial wedding crush.

I finished working at the end of June, and kicked of my three-week funemployment by going to New York with my family for a joint birthday party for my dad and an engagement party for Dan and I.  While he wasn't able to attend {he was at a bachelor party in Manhattan that weekend}, it was wonderful to see a large group of family.  It was the first time in years that we had gotten so many of us together, so it was great to be surrounded by so much love.

A few days later, we left for our much-anticipated San Francisco trip, and it certainly did not disappoint.  While I thought I was looking for a relaxing vacation after a year of non-stop high-stress work, it turned out to be the opposite of relaxing.  Oh well!  But you know what? It was actually my perfect vacation, because we were really active every day, whether that involved running, hiking, walking EVERYWHERE {and up very major hills} or riding bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge {we did that on the 4th of July, and ended up riding over 20 miles overall, including stopping in charming little Sausalito, where we were part of the old-timey 4th of July parade}.  We ate a TON of mouthwatering food - seriously, I don't think we had a good meal - ranging from a salad place near the Air Bnb we were staying in {which was so delicious we went back a second time} to an amazing Greek restaurant whose chef recently catered a White House event.  We spent lots of quality time with friends, including my friends Maggie and Jordan, but mostly Dan's friend from high school, Trey, his wife, Ashley, and Trey's brother, Ian, all of whom moved to SF recently but have an enviable knowledge of the city.  The three of them spent a ton of time with us, and we were so grateful for them setting up activities for us that were outside of the "touristy" description.  It was the perfect getaway, especially for my first time in California!

When we got back from San Francisco, we had four full days left in DC, and we really maxed them out, spending lots of quality time with family and friends, saying goodbye to some of our favorite restaurants and places.  The Saturday before we moved, Molly threw us an engagement/going-away party at Poste, which just filled me up with happiness.  There was so much love at that party, and almost all of our favorite Washingtonians were there, including both sets of parents.  I could not have asked for a better send-off.  

On July 14th, we packed everything into the U-Haul and Dan's car and drove away from the city that we have come to love so much.  I was hysterical as I said goodbye to my dad and my mom and I drove to Pittsburgh, our first stop on the way to Chicago {luckily, my mom was driving the first leg, which freed me up for some solid crying}.  We arrived in Chicago in the middle of the next afternoon, and we are pretty in love with our new place.  It is kind of industrial, with exposed ducts and unfinished ceilings, but, even with my love of everything old and clean when it comes to houses, I absolutely love it.  The location is fantastic too, allowing us easy access to many parts of the city, especially downtown.  I definitely feel like I am still in the adjustment phase.  I do love our apartment and I am enjoying exploring the city, but I am certainly not at the point where I love it here or it feels like home.  When people mention DC, my heart still skips a beat.

The job has been the biggest blemish of my experience here so far.  To make a long story short, there are a ton of personnel issues in the office, which were articulated to me starting on my first day.  Needless to say, I have gone home from work in tears on several days.  While I don't miss the office politics of my old office, I miss the work, and the students I worked with, terribly. One of my students sent me a really sweet card in the mail thanking me for everything I have done for her, and it honestly made my day, if not my week.  The work I'm doing now is just different, and I don't think I've quite adjusted to it yet.  I'm hoping that things start to get better soon.

The other thing I have been struggling with is significant FOMO. I was talking to Allie about it the other night over a yummy Indian dinner, asking her if she had felt as though she was sort of "out of sight, out of mind" when she left DC after graduation.  As I reflected on our conversation afterward, it struck me that this is very similar to how I felt during study abroad, when I realized that life goes on without me and, as it does, communication with friends fades.  I am looking forward to continuing to get together with Allie and Kristin, but they both have busy schedules, so I'm thinking that, until things pick up with the Partners Club through Dan's program, things might be a little lonely around here.  That has definitely been my overwhelming emotion since we got here.  We grabbed dinner with someone whose wife is in the program and lives in our building, so hopefully, little by little, we'll start making more connections like that one.

Last weekend, I met my family back in my beloved New England {seriously, that place practically makes me weak at the knees!} for a beautiful and moving memorial service for Terry.  Although he passed away back in April, they opted to do the memorial service later on, and, while it was certainly emotional, I appreciated the chance to say goodbye and be surrounded by people who loved and cared about him.  On Saturday morning, we made the short drive from Maine {where the memorial had been} to the Lake and enjoyed 2 1/2 days of uninterrupted sun and family and friend time.  There was definitely a sadness this year, as two members of the "Lake family" are battling cancer, and one is in pretty rough shape at this point.  You know what? Cancer sucks.  It freaking sucks.  I'm tired of people in my life dying from it, especially people in our Lake family.  When I got back to Chicago on Monday night, the first thing I saw on the TV monitors when I got off the plane was news of Robin Williams's suicide, which is obviously tragic and incredibly sad.  I know there is a lot at play with people who attempt suicide, and I have been fortunate enough to never have experienced feelings like that, but, after having been around so much suffering over the weekend, I was struck by the fact that these friends of ours WANT to live, and they're fighting SO hard.  To think that someone just threw it all away makes me really upset, when there are so many people who would do anything to be healthy.  Sorry for being depressing. Obviously it was an emotional weekend for me.  But, at the end of the day, we all got to spend time together in the most special and beautiful place on the face of the earth, so I was happy.

I'll hopefully post again soon with some summer pictures, but, in the meantime, I'm off to enjoy the weekend with Dan's family, since his parents are in town for a visit.  I'm looking forward to having a piece of DC here, even if only for a quick few days!

2014 Wedding Season

Now that Dan and I are engaged, weddings have taken on an extra bit of meaning.  Sure, we still enjoy going to weddings, but they are also a great opportunity for us to figure out the types of things that we like at weddings or would prefer to not have at our own, and, just in general, decide on the type of feel we would like to have at our wedding.  

Last weekend, we traveled to Pittsburgh to watch one of Dan's best friends from high school get married {actually, they have known each other since they were just little guys}.  It was a really fantastic wedding, so low-key and down-to-earth, which was perfect for the couple.  Dan's {yes, his friend is also named Dan, and yes, there are three of them named Dan in their high school friend group} grandfather is a deacon and was able to be a co-celebrant, so the ceremony was very personal.  The reception was really fun, and we loved spending time with the entire group, many of whom we hadn't seen since this friend group's last wedding this past August.  Towards the end of the after party, Dan and I were getting ready to head out, so we said our goodbyes to Dan {the groom} and Jen.  As I went to say goodbye to Dan, he motioned to me to come towards him, and, giving me a big hug, he told me, with tears in his eyes, how thrilled he was for Dan and I and how perfect we are for each other.  In his defense, it was late in the night, he was coming off of a highly stressful day and he had had more than a few to drink, but the sentiment was certainly genuine, and seeing him tear up made me tear up as well.  Dan is so lucky to have such a good friend, and it is SO apparent to me how much the two of them care about each other.  Weddings are one of those moments in life where you can really reaffirm relationships with people you may have known for years, and I know that my Dan was so happy to stand up next to Groom Dan as one of his groomsmen.  All in all, it was a fabulous party, and it was wonderful to get to meet some more Pittsburghers.

This past weekend, we went to my friend Colleen's wedding in South Bend, Indiana {yes, that's Notre Dame, for those of you who thought that name sounded familiar as you read it}.  Colleen and I lived together, along with one other girl, in the year after graduation, and she has been a dear friend ever since {I'm so grateful to the mutual friend who "set us up" as roommates!!}. We opted to drive to this wedding, because of the extreme cost of flying, and, although the drive was painfully long {roughly 9 hours}, at least Dan and I had each other to share it with.  Molly and Lauren drove up separately, and it was great to have the two of them there, because we were the few non-Domers at the wedding!  This wedding, you guys, was Colleen and Brett to a T - it was quite the classy event.  While I am completely biased against Notre Dame, I will say that the Basilica that they got married in was gorgeous, even outdoing dear Dahlgren.  One little detail that I loved is that both of them are eucharistic ministers, so we actually got to receive communion from the two of them.  It was just a really nice touch.  We had a bunch of downtime after the ceremony, which was at 9 a.m. {that Basilica is in high demand!!!}, so we walked around a bunch {we figured out that we walked about 5 miles that day} and  watched some World Cup.  At one point, Dan went to the lobby to get a soda, and found us three girls passed out upon his return mere minutes later - we were exhausted!  The reception was lovely as well, and the food was probably the best of any wedding that I've been to!  Lots of options for a vegetarian with nut allergies, which made this gal happy :)  

It is so hard to not go to all of these weddings and not get the warm fuzzies.  Some of our earliest, most concrete conversations about marriage happened after the weddings we went to last summer, in large part because you're on such an emotional high and are feeling the love after attending a wedding.  I know that ours is still about two years away, but I just can't wait to marry my best friend :) I'll do a phone dump at some point this week so I can post some pictures from these weddings, but for now, here's one that I Instagrammed from this past weekend!

Colleen and Brett, seriously beaming!

Yesterday was also my parents' 29th wedding anniversary! I was so lucky to be able to spend it with them once we got back from the wedding.  I sure am lucky to have them as my parents, and here's to many more!

New York, You Win Again

Every time we go to New York, it kicks my ass.  We cram SO many things into our time there {usually leading to late nights and very little sleep}, but I guess I wouldn't have it any other way.  I cashed in on my Christmas present from Dan, tickets to see Wicked {I'm telling you, he is one thoughtful gift-giver!}, before work gets out-of-control busy starting next week and I don't have a life until March.

ANYway, we got up insanely early to catch a bus up to the city on Saturday, and, once we dropped our stuff off at the hotel, we headed over to the West Side to meet up with Lindsay and James.  We grabbed lunch at Gotham West Market, which I would highly recommend {while I regretted ordering a grilled cheese because of the stomachache it caused me afterward, it was delicious, and, therefore, worth it}. It was very much like Union Market in that you could order from any number of "restaurants", all of which are smaller versions of restaurants located elsewhere in the city. We then went and grabbed a drink at a bar up the street until it was time for us to part ways.  We ran back to our hotel, only to run back out again to go to dinner at 44 1/2 {also in Hell's Kitchen}.  It was very…pink.  The reviews neglected to mention that the entire restaurant was pink, from the tablecloths to the flowers to the lanterns hanging from the ceiling to the VERY tight pink t-shirts that the waiters were wearing, to the 90s power ballads belted out by the likes of Whitney and Mariah…you see what I'm getting at, right?  The food was delish, so I was able to overlook the fact that the decor was a little much.

View from our hotel.  Okay, New York

I actually wasn't kidding about the pink

Excitement! It was a *WICKED* good show! {Okay, I'll stop}

Anyway, Wicked was fabulous.  Boy, do I wish I could sing like those people.  I can certainly sing, but not anything like that!  It was such a tremendous show, and I was singing the songs in my head as we walked down the street.  But wait, the night didn't end there! My cousin was having a birthday party at a bar on the Lower West Side, so we headed down there to meet up with the fam.  Then, Dan and I left to schlep over to the Lower East Side to meet up with some of his swimming buddies.  Who should we run into five minutes after arriving but baby bro.  We had just left Tim at the birthday party, not telling him which bar we were going to ALL THE WAY ACROSS TOWN.  So imagine my surprise when I turn around and HE IS AT THE SAME BAR.  In New York, I feel like this is far less likely to happen than in DC.  Anyway, I wouldn't recommend accidentally ending up at the same bar as your sibling, because I was conscious the entire time of not wanting to be anywhere near him {come on, I didn't want to ruin his game with the ladies!}.  We headed home and collapsed somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 a.m.  Woof.

We got up and had a nice run in Central Park {I knew it was cold, but we realized later that it was actually 17 degrees with the wind chill.  Woof again}.  And then, the crown jewel of our trip: we met up with Tim at Eataly for lunch.  He had been saying, since he moved to NY, that I would love it, so I finally cashed in on that offer to meet up there.  People. This place is mind-blowing.  I was in Italian food heaven.  Don't get me wrong, the pasta was not the best pasta I've ever had, but the AMBIENCE. Jeez louise was it ever amazing. There were imported Italian food goods everywhere you looked, and I think I could have spent all day there.  After sufficiently freaking out over that, we got a tour of Tim's office, and, after leaving him, Dan and I went to the top of the Empire State Building.  Now, I can't say that I was totally comfortable being up there given my fear of heights, but damn, is that a great view!  Also, it was freezing up there.

After destroying our pasta

I mean… #homemadegnocchi #mymouthiswateringjustthinkingaboutit

Not a terrible view

And so, we returned to DC, completely exhausted, but also totally happy.  So thank God we had a holiday on Monday {followed by a snow day - with some snow this time!!!!!!!!!!! - on Tuesday}.  New York, you've beaten me again.  One day, I'll beat you!  For now, DC is just my speed :-)

Hitting the Concrete Jungle

This past weekend, Dan and I headed up to NYC for a variety of reasons, the first being that I wanted to check in on Tim now that he's living in the big city {I had planned to visit him anyway, but the major guilt trip that my mom laid on me for not being home for Thanksgiving certainly sped up the planning process for the trip}; we had yet to visit our friends James and Lindsay, who are, after years of living apart, finally able to live together in NYC before they get married next fall; and it just seemed like a generally good idea.

Now, I am not the type of person who is totally enamored with New York; I recognize that it is an interesting city with lots to offer, but every time I leave after spending a weekend there, I think to myself, 'That was fun, but I would never be able to live here.' The city is too teeming with people, too gritty and too unfriendly for me to ever be able to call it home.  Sure, it's easy to romanticize it a bit if you're only going up for a weekend, but nothing about the time that I've spent there would compel me to move there.

Onward…on Saturday morning, Dan, James and I went for a quick run before grabbing breakfast, and I was painfully reminded of why I try to avoid running with boys at all costs.  Now, when I just run with Dan, he is typically a good sport and slows the pace down for me {unless he's training}, but this pace was still a little fast for my liking.  Anyway, we refueled with some delicious brunch afterward {the mood strangely struck me to order Irish oatmeal, which I almost never eat but love dearly} before heading over to the Brooklyn Bridge.  It was the perfect mix of a somewhat touristy activity mixed with a gorgeous view on an even more breathtaking day, not to mention some walking.  Luckily for me, James is similarly militant in his love of walking while exploring a city, so poor Dan and Lindsay had to put up with that for the afternoon :)  Dan and I met up with Tim for dinner and got a chance to see his brand new place that he had just moved into that day.  You can certainly tell that three college-aged guys live there {it's a little grimy, for lack of a better word}, but it is a great location and the view from the rooftop is amazeballs.  Then, we headed back to J&L's for a get-together at their apartment/going out in my neighborhood.  The other thing that I'm always reminded of when I leave NYC is the fact that I can't keep up with those lunatics.  Grandma needs her sleep!!!  We high-tailed it out of the city relatively early so as to beat the Marathon crowd, and so ended our lovely NYC weekend.

Our little crew on the Brooklyn Bridge

The view from Tim's apartment.  Not bad.

We should have consulted each other before getting dressed.  The abundance of plaid is slightly aggressive.

So, November…holy crow is this going to be a busy month.  Just a quick run-down of our weekends for this month:

- This weekend: I have a birthday party on Friday and am going to visit my grandparents for the remainder of the weekend.  Dan will be out of town on MBA interviews (!!!).
- Next weekend: Kristin will be in town on Friday for residency interviews, and we have a birthday party on Saturday night.
- The weekend before Thanksgiving: I am going to Rangila with a work friend on Friday night, and we have a murder mystery party {hosted by, who else, Molly} on Saturday night.
- We're leaving for Thanksgiving with Dan's family either on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning!

And then it's December.  Oh, and reading season starts Monday.  Let's do this...

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!

...Start Your Engines

I can now say that my summer is officially over, because tomorrow, I will embark on my first of three weeks of work-related travel.  I am definitely experiencing a wide array of emotions right now, from excitement that all of the planning I have been dong for the past month is finally coming together, to apprehension about how my first round of high school visits and alumni meetings will go.  I will be spending the next week in the Plains states {none of which I have been to, so yay!}, the following week in Texas, and, after a brief week back in DC, I will head off to New England for another week {twist my arm, New England in the FALL?!?!?}.

I truly have loved this job so far, so I am really looking forward to putting all of the information that I have soaked in over the past two months to the test.  I am really looking forward to meeting with students during the day and alumni in the evenings, and am hoping like I have never hoped before that I will not lose my voice.  Because, as I've said in the past, when I lose my voice, it's not one of those things where I lose it one day and it comes back the next.  The last time I lost my voice, I lost it exactly for a week :(  Here's hoping that lots of Vitamin C, Purel and tea with honey will keep me healthy and my voice strong!

I suppose the hardest part of these next few weeks will be feeling as though I don't have a home base.  Living out of a suitcase is a lifestyle that I'm not really used to, so I'll be interested to see how this goes. Also, it goes without saying that being away from Dan will be challenging.  I helped him sign up for his first Skype account, so hopefully we'll be able to talk in the evenings once I get back from my visits.  I keep telling myself, though, that I'll really only be gone for five days at a time, since, for each of those weeks, I'll be leaving on Sunday and coming back on Friday.  Feeling like I'll be missing out on spending time with friends and family has also been very much on my mind, especially since I have struggled since I have moved to figure out how to best balance spending time with friends and family, while at the same time giving my relationship the love and energy it deserves.  It is a difficult balancing act, and I would imagine it will grow infinitely more so once I jump into reading season.  But don't get me wrong, I am SO excited for the challenge, and be on the lookout for pictures once I return!

Tonight, I am cashing in on that home-cooked meal that Dan owes me.  I know he is perusing my cookbooks and my Pinterest account this morning to figure out what the heck to make, so I am excited to see what he comes up with!  The guy HATES cooking, mostly because he has convinced himself that he's not good at it, but I have every confidence that he'll do a great job!

On the road again...

Since I have been so busy over the last few weeks, I have {shocker} been a delinquent blogger, but I have a few really fun weekend trips to catch all of you up on!

Two weekends ago, Dan and I did an overnight in lovely Sperryville, Virginia, at a really cute B&B near the base of Old Rag.  Despite the fact that they strangely did not have us down for a reservation {I was sitting next to Dan when he made the reservation online, so I could fully attest to the fact that he had made one}, they luckily still had the space to accommodate us, and offered us one of their cabin rooms adjacent to the house, which suited us just fine.  We were up at an ungodly hour for a Saturday {6:15, because we know how crowded these trail parking lots tend to get the later you depart} but were luckily able to have a farm-fresh breakfast before we left.  The hike through White Oak Canyon was difficult {5 hours long and very rocky, not to mention lots of steep uphill climbing} but beautiful, with several picturesque waterfalls along the way.  It was such a romantic getaway, and I appreciated all of the thought that Dan had put into it, from finding the B&B to zeroing in on a hike that he thought I would love.

This past weekend, we traveled back to Pittsburgh, where we hadn't been together in over a year.  Dan's parents were actually at home that weekend for a gala that they were attending, so we got to spend quality time with them.  Dan's mom absolutely spoiled me with gluten-free goodies, which is just one example of how thoughtful she is.  We were all kind of still reeling from the events in Boston, especially given the fact that the second suspect had been apprehended while we were driving, so we all stayed up watching the news.

On Saturday, we got to sleep in a little bit, which we both sorely needed, and then, along with Leslie, met up with Dan's grandparents for lunch.  It was my first time meeting them, and I had been excited to do so for quite some time.  They were so sweet, and it was such a treat for me to finally get to meet Grammy and Grandpa.  Afterward, we gave Mt. Washington another try {if you will remember, it hailed on us when we tried to get a panoramic view of the city from atop the mountain when we were in the 'burgh last year}, this time with a much more favorable result, and then wandered around the very impressive Andy Warhol Museum for the remainder of the afternoon.  I was threatening to break my gluten-free diet because of how badly I wanted to go to Dan's favorite Italian restaurant, but, in the end, I held fast and we settled for a delicious seafood dinner.  Then, we came home, immediately put on our pajamas, and kicked back with some drinks and cookies to watch the Pens game.  When Dan's parents arrived home from the gala, they found us watching home movies from when Dan was a baby.  Seriously, my heart was melting...he was such a cutie pie, and such a sweet little boy {not much has changed, since he's still handsome and sweet}.  Pete rolled his eyes, and Leslie was both shocked and impressed that I had convinced Dan to let me watch the videos.  

On Sunday morning, we went to the gym and then had a delicious frittata breakfast before heading to the Bucs game.  It was my first game at PNC, and it was so much fun! Dan's family has a share in season tickets, and the seats are incredible, seven rows behind the Pirate dugout, and with a great view of the city skyline.  We all got a little bit sunburned, a sure sign that we have our work cut out for us this summer by the pool, what with our pale, pale winter skin.

I could not have asked for a better weekend.  There is nothing better than a quiet weekend away to spend with the person you love, and I felt like I peeled back a few more Dan layers this weekend by meeting a few new members of his family and by watching baby videos of him.  I am so excited for all of the changes that will happen in just over a month when we move in together, and I can tell how psyched he is as well.  I can't wait to see my guy every day!!

Long Weekend Recap

I have an unexpectedly light day today {perhaps it's the calm before the storm that is my event on Friday and Saturday?}, so I thought I would update you all on my much-needed long weekend.

Last week was no fun, so I practically fell through the doorway of Dan's apartment when I got there on Friday after work.  We headed over to my parents' house for dinner to celebrate my mom's birthday {despite how tired I was, I can always be bribed with the promise of cake}, and then went to our friends' house for drinks and Catchphrase {which, conveniently, is now an iPhone app, and which I am obviously now buying}.  It was the low-key night that I needed, but still sufficiently social. 

On Saturday morning, after my run, we drove down to the Charlottesville area to partake in my Christmas present to Dan, which was an overnight in the Cville area and a trip to a few local breweries.  We ended up going to two, Starr Hill and Devil's Backbone.  Starr Hill is the more well-known of the two and I did enjoy the beer, but I think I was slightly cranky because it was right around lunch/snack time and they didn't have snacks to go with our beer.  Fail.  Devil's Backbone, a beautiful brewpub nestled in the foothills of, you guessed it, the Devil's Backbone Mountain, was much more my speed, because we were able to stuff our faces on a jumbo soft pretzel with spicy mustard while still enjoying our beer. I was no longer experiencing hungry crankiness.  We drove to our B&B, which, while charming, is, as it turns out, in the middle of nowhere.  We dropped our stuff and then drove 45 minutes to Charlottesville.  Being that Dan had finished much of the beer of Lil' Lightweight {yours truly}, I was the one tasked with driving, and I spent the entire time white-knuckled and afraid of hitting a deer.  Luckily, no Bambis were injured during this drive, and we made it to our predictable dinner choice of Mellow Mushroom in one piece.  Sure, we could have sampled some local Cville cuisine, but we were in a pizza mood and knew what we were getting ourselves into with MM, so we knew we would walk away happy {despite a Hoya loss that happened while we were eating and checking the score in vain}. 

I had brought my computer with me for the sole purpose of watching some Homeland...and I barely lasted a whole episode.  I blame the energy drain of driving in sheer terror for 45 minutes, plus the amount of alcohol ingested throughout the day {we also drank some of the Cab that Dan had gotten at his office holiday party} for my sleepiness.  I promise, I'm not 90!  In all seriousness, though, this was such a wonderful, not to mention much-needed, trip.  I always enjoy gifts that we can partake in together, and will take any opportunity I can get to have a change of pace, if only for 24 hours, focus on each other and reconnect.

We headed back reasonably early, after a homecooked breakfast courtesy of the B&B proprietors {okay, Grands rolls don't count, but the rest was homecooked, and Dan, who had somehow had a deprived childhood by never having tried them, had his world changed forever}, because I had to get my 18-miler in that afternoon.  I had a really great run; I ran from Rosslyn on the Mt. Vernon Trail to just about the Wilson Bridge in Alexandria.  I also happened to see my parents outside {the trail runs right by their house}, so that was a perfect opportunity to stop for a water/chatting break.  I felt so accomplished/exhausted when I got back, but, within an hour, I was doubled over in stomach pain.  Dan made the unwise decision {and yes, we both kicked ourselves afterward for failing to connect the dots and choose a different dinner option} to head into the city to get himself dinner to bring home, and the trip took him two hours due to the Inauguration crowds.  When he got back, I was curled up in the fetal position in bed, in complete agony.  Since it had worked for me before, I tried taking a nap to see if my stomach ailments would go away, instructing Dan to only let me sleep for 45 minutes.  Well, I was OUT, and he had to shake me pretty hard to get me back awake.  Finally, 5ish hours after I finished my run, I was able to eat something {just some pasta with olive oil and parmesan}, but I know that I have to keep talking to the doctor about this stomach situation to hopefully get it figured out before my race.  Dan took very good care of me, trying to make me feel better, waking me up from my nap and cooking me dinner, which I was very grateful for.

On Monday, we went to Metro 29 for breakfast, and then I basically lazed around for the rest of the day {okay, fine, I cooked and did work, so I was anything but lazy} and prepared myself for the firestorm of this week. Only a few more days...in the meantime, I promise I'll post pictures soon!

In A New York State of Mind

Last week was a really hectic one, both in my personal and professional life, so sadly, I never posted about our New York trip.  But I didn't want to leave you all in suspense for too long {since this week is going to be another doozy}.

Dan and I had a really smooth trip on the bus, both ways.  Sure, we could have saved an hour each way and taken the train, but we both decided it was worth it to pay a fraction of the cost and slum it on the bus.  Once we got to New York, we met up with our friends James and Lindsay {the latter of whom had just arrived from DC on the train} and walked over to James's place.  We agreed to go to sleep on the early side, since James, Lindsay and I all had to do a 12-miler for marathon training and wanted to get it over with on Saturday morning.  We were up at the crack of dawn {7, to be exact, an ungodly hour for a Saturday} and, after Dan ran part of the way with us, the three of us ran around Central Park.  Boy, was that ever a great run!  I loved running around the park and, since James ran up ahead of us and Lindsay and I were running at a slightly slower pace, the run was so enjoyable.  We gabbed the entire way and cheered each other on when our joints started hurting.  There is definitely something to be said for having a training partner!!

After all of us showered and got ready in what has to be record-setting time, we scarfed down some bagels and power-walked to MSG for the Hoya game.  It was the first time that both Dan and I had been in the storied Garden, and luckily our Hoyas made the trip worth it, handily defeating St. John's.  After the game, we headed to a bar, where we ran into a whole smattering of friends, both my friends, and Dan, James and Lindsay's swimming friends.  It was a great time, especially since we don't usually partake in the post-game celebrations after home games.  Afterward, we walked over to the High Line and then grabbed some snacks before heading back home.  We went to 4 Napkins for a burger dinner and spent an hour or so at a low-key bar before calling it a night.

On Sunday morning, we met up with a few of my cousins and two of the kiddos {the same ones who had visited DC over Thanksgiving, plus a few more} for brunch, which was a lot of fun.  Dan had never met anyone from my dad's side of the family, so I had been really looking forward to introducing him to then.  We had a really nice time, and I enjoyed seeing my family in their natural Manhattan habitat.  From there, we headed home, and our wonderful New York weekend was over.  Sure, I may still maintain that the Big Apple is too big a city for me to ever consider moving to, but I really enjoyed our time there.  Spending time with friends, family, and, of course, my amazing travel buddy, really made the weekend perfect.  I look forward to hopefully going back soon {which will definitely happen if baby bro moves there after graduation!}!!

Brunch at Veselka with the cousins

Scenes from the High Line

I think the fact that each of us wore a different WAG shirt contributed to the win :)

We're going to...

via I Lost My Heart in New York

via Fairytale Wishes and Dreams

via Subway

via Pinterest

In case you hadn't guessed, Dan and I are going to New York this weekend!  I'm so excited to spend the weekend with our friends James and Lindsay, and can't wait to sneak in a quick brunch with my cousins as well!

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

Wanderlust

'Tis the season for daydreaming, and, when the air gets chilly and all you want to do is curl up in bed with a cup of tea and a good book, you start to daydream.  I'm sure you all can guess what I daydream about...TRAVELING!!! That's right, my wanderlust is rearing its ugly (only not ugly, more beautiful) head again.  You may be wondering to yourself why I am already starting to think about my next trip, being that I just went to Europe with my family last Christmas, but the truth is, there is nothing I love more than exploring a new place and having things to MARVEL at (I think I stole that sentiment of wanting to marvel at something from Eat Pray Love).  I don't mean to have an expensive hobby, I just love immersing myself in new cultures and getting lost in new towns and cities.  There's something so romantic about it!

Without further ado, some locations at the top of my travel list (in no particular order):

Italia:  I have been to Italy twice (once to Sicily, once to Naples, once to Rome, twice to Florence, once to Pisa and once in the train station in Milan), but what kind of girl would I be to turn down a return trip?!  Dan has never been before and it is very high up on his list, so that is definitely a trip worth pinching our pennies for.  We are both part-Italian, and I, for one, always love visiting countries where my ancestors came from.  Add to that breathtaking scenery, bustling and historic cities, high fashion, and mouth-wateringly delicious food (pasta and gelato, I'm looking at you) and you have the makings for a perfect trip.  Is it too soon to book now?!?

Sigh...Positano. via art.com

  

Toscana. via me1ka

Bruschetta. via Clemmensen-Brok

Hawaii:  Those of you who know me will know that I am not a huge beach person.  I like going to the beach on a day trip, but there is something about going to the beach for a week or so that I dislike.  I think part of it is that, often, when I go to the beach, there is nothing to do in these beach towns besides going to the beach (the exception is The Cape...oh, how I long for New England summers...).  HOWEVER, I think that, if I were to be offered a trip to Hawaii, I would be hard pressed to find a good excuse not to go.  I love the idea of going to an island paradise and just indulging in pure relaxation.  Except, knowing me, I would want to be going for long runs, snorkeling (assuming that no sharks are within a hundred-mile radius of me), hiking up volcanoes to see the sun rise (Dan requested that we go at sunset instead, which I might be willing to compromise on) and doing other active things, obviously.  To counter that, though, fruity drinks and couples' massages sound positively peachy!

I think I could be okay with this. via flickr

Cali: I was telling Dan about dinner with a friend and the friend's mother from earlier this week, and, when I told him that Mrs. H had traveled from San Diego, he said, "I want to go to San Diego!".  He knows how badly I want to go to Northern California (a.k.a San Francisco and Napa), so we compromised and said that we would do both.  Now that that's settled, we just have to pinch our pennies and save up our vacation time!  An interesting question came up during this conversation: are there an inordinate number of DUIs in Napa from all of the tourists who go on wine tastings at the many vineyards there?  Inquiring minds want to know :)

Lovely San Fran.  via UCSF

Napa. I want to go to there! via Travel Guide

Chicago:  I absolutely fell in love with Chicago when I visited last year (even though I visited at the end of February, when it was bitterly cold and windy to the point where I barely removed my puffer coat).  I am beyond thrilled to be going back again for my college friend Kristin's wedding at the end of June!! I can't wait to see the city in the summer, since I have heard so many amazing things about it!  If I love it as much in the summer as I did in the winter, we may have a serious contender for cities to live in in the future!

<3 chicago.="chicago." href="http://trendytraveler.tumblr.com/post/7102650528" target="_blank" via="via">Trendy Traveler

France:  I know, I'm such a broken record, since I have now traveled to France three times and lived there for nearly four months.  But, for those of you who have never been to France before, there is something indescribably wonderful about France.  I mean, American expats went there in droves in the '20s, so there must hav ebeen something special about the place!!  All of the sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and the beautiful language leave me walking on air my entire time there.  A coworker recently moved to Paris to teach English to Parisian high-schoolers, and I have to admit that I am insanely jealous of her.  I am so fortunate to have had the study-abroad stint in Strasbourg that I did, but France is so addictive that you never stop wanting more of it.  My ideal French vacation?  Driving through the French countryside (first roadblock: neither Dan nor I can drive stick shift cars, which might prove to be a major complication) and staying at quaint little mom and pop B&Bs, eating cheese and bread and drinking wine with reckless abandon, and hitting some cities too along the way.

I am literally in heaven sitting outdoors at a French café. via Yanidel

Musée d'Orsay.  LOVE.  via bippityboppityboo

The twinkling lights on La Tour are indescribably magical :) via Erin Ever After
 
With unlimited funds (and vacation time), there are many other trips that I would take (namely, to South Africa, Australia, and the parts of Europe I have not been to- Germany, Austria, Croatia and the Czech Republic).  But for now, the aforementioned trips are the ones that are most on my mind.  In any event, I am going to start doing some more work travel soon (I'm taking a three-day trip to Philly and Pittsburgh in November for events, which I'm really excited about!), which will hopefully satisfy my wonderlust, however temporarily!

However, since literally none of those big trips are in my budget right now, what I really want the most is to do a trip to an apple orchard or farm near DC.  Again, you can take the girl out of New England, but not the New England out of the girl.  I was telling Dan the other day how some of my happiest fall memories involve going to a farm that was near our old house in Massachusetts and picking our own apples (Macouns were our absolute favorites).  We would pick our sack of apples, peruse the fresh baked goods and vegetables at the farm stand, and then bring the apples home to make applesauce or apple pie.  Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face, and he was only being somewhat sarcastic with his "Awww" reaction haha.  In fact, if you really want to hear an "Awww" story, my freshman and sophomore years of college, my dad sent away to an orchard in upstate New York (where Macouns are primarily grown) and had them send me an entire box of my favorite apples.  That father of mine, so sweet and thoughtful :)  Anyway, my goal for this fall is to find an orchard or farm somewhere relatively close to the city.  I have been itching to do it for years, and this is going to be the year.  It's a fool-proof plan, because Dan LOVES apple pie, so he'll have to go with me, right?! 

Sorry for the long post, everyone.  I let my travel excitement get the best of me!

It's Friday, Friday...

Aah, how I love long weekends!  What a breath of fresh air (yes, I did just go on vacation, and no, I am not complaining).  It has been a truly fantastic week so far, so I will do a little recap of that before talking about the weekend:

Monday was a pretty tough day at work, mostly because I spent all afternoon battling technology issues.  And what do I do when I'm stressed or exhausted?  Well, naturally, I cook (read: bake).  However, this was no ordinary stress release, because, not only did I bake (a blueberry-raspberry crumb pie), but I also legit cooked.  I made some vegetarian chili for Dan and I to eat on Tuesday, in the interest of spending less time cooking and more time watching reruns of How I Met Your Mother.  Mission accomplished.  The food was delish and I felt much more relaxed when I went to sleep!

Tuesday, by comparison, was a truly lovely day.  I went to the Welcome Back Jack BBQ with Lauren, one of our favorite Gtown traditions.  Being outside, with all of the undergrads back on campus, makes me so happy.  That night, Dan and I had a really wonderful night, noshing on the food I had cooked the previous night (seriously, I need to start doing more meal planning, a la Kate! Side note: I am considering buying myself an Anthropologie apron in the hopes that it will make me look like an actual chef.  But I digress...), watching HIMYM and spending a lot of time chatting.  It was just wonderful :)

On Wednesday, I went over to my parents' house, both because I had a dentist's appointment on Thursday morning and was bumming a ride off of my mom (hence the fact that I stayed with them), and because we were celebrating my dad's 58th birthday a little bit early.  His birthday is on Monday, and there is a chance that I may get to see him for a bit, but I wanted to make sure we celebrated with him.  The whole family was there, and it was just a really nice time.  Plus, there was a yummy cake, which I will obviously never turn down!

Last night, Dan and I went to a Nats game, which I always love (like I said in my last post, because I got to spend time with him, watch baseball, and inhale a Shake Shack milkshake.  Seriously, the black and white shake, try it).  It was a really good game (well, for the Nats; the Cards were not so impressive) and I always enjoy the atmosphere in the stadium, particularly now that the Nats are hopefully playoff-bound.  Although I will always be a Red Sox fan, it is great to see the team in my adopted hometown do well, especially given how awful DC teams have been historically.  Anyway, by the 8th inning, I was ready to go, with an early wakeup call looming for my last run before our race (!!!).  Dan has a four-day weekend, so he rolled right back over and went to sleep, but I suppose he deserves it, since the Friday that he took of when we went to Boston was the only day he's had off since starting his job in May.  Poor guy!

Tonight, we are beginning our carb loading and are planning on a chill night, being that the race is quickly approaching and I need a good night sleep after going to bed WAY too late last night.  We're heading down to VA Beach tomorrow morning to pick up our race packets, and are then going out for a carbalicious dinner with my coworker and her husband (who are also running the race).  We are both SO, SO excited for this race!  Leave it to us to use a holiday weekend to run a half-marathon.  I totally lucked out with my guy, because I don't think I could be in a relationship with someone who doesn't share my active lifestyle.  He definitely does!  Guess we're a good match :)

I hope you all have a fabulous holiday weekend! Happy Labor Day!

P.S. My Friday discovery, thanks to The Hoya, is...the hilariously bitchy Suri's Burn Book (yes, that Suri Cruise girl).  Oh, the things that become popular.

So.tantalizingly.close

I have one-and-a-half more workdays until I will be free as a bird, skipping away into the sunset (erm, not quite, more like spending 10 hours in the car!) and en route to the Lake.  This week has been pretty rough, with lots of fires to put out and projects to finish up on at work before I leave for vacation.  Our website launch for the coming year will happen while I am gone, so I had to get all of my updates done in the system before leaving, which has been quite the time-consuming project.  I think I am in a good place now, though, before I leave for a little over a week.  I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel, though, and the Lake is the one place where I can truly disconnect and relax, so it's not like we have another European walk-ten-miles-a-day adventure planned (which, however wonderful, was not relaxing in the least!).

I have been completely packed since Monday evening (see? I wasn't lying about being over-the-top excited!!).  My poor little Vera Bradley duffel is bursting at the seams, because I was read the riot act by my mom and was told that I was only allowed one suitcase and my backpack, due to the fact that we have a substantially smaller car now (I am beginning to think that our little Tiguan, which, given the height of everyone in my family, looks more like a clown car, was a bad idea).  Last night, Dan brought my bag over to his place in his car so that I wouldn't have to carry it on the Metro today (smart thinking, me! And I am so appreciative of him taking the bag with him when he left my apartment and lugging it up to his apartment) and remarked that the bag is so full that it is actually solid (really, you can't push any part of it in!).  We all know that packing is not one of my best skills (although I will never forget my triumphant packing victory when we went to Europe, when my suitcase was the second-lightest). 

Tonight, we have dinner planned at my parents' place with my parents, Dan and myself, Tim (who is home from New York!) and my cousin who is here for the summer, which should be nice.  I also get to pick up my new running shoes today (!!!!!!!!!!!!) which finally arrived!  I have had my current ones since December, and I have recently begun to feel the fact that I have far exceeded the 300-500 miles maximum that they tell you to put on each pair.  I'm excited to break these new ones in before our race!

In any event, I will be disconnecting from the blog while I am there, but you can bet that I will have a full recap of our vacation when I return!  I hope you all have a wonderful remainder of your week/weekend!

Okay, I've been a bad blogger...

Gulp, sorry for the absence from the blogosphere this week...Things are really getting hectic at work this week (as in, I feel like I haven't left my desk this week, I have been getting in early and have not been taking a lunch), and will probably remain that way until I go on vacation in a few weeks.  And then, in typical me fashion, I have completely booked all of my nights after work, meaning that I am too exhausted when I get home from work to blog.

However, today is a little bit more chill, and is also a fake Friday for me!  I'm taking tomorrow off to recharge (I will most likely spend much of the day by the pool with my mom) and prepare for an early weekend of birthday festivities.  As I mentioned, we are going to a top-secret location tomorrow night for part of Dan's birthday present, and then we are getting together with two of his (and now my) friends on Saturday night, which should be great.  I know that I will come out of this weekend exhausted, so I think that the extra day tomorrow will be just what the doctor ordered.

Anyway, before fast-forwarding to this weekend, I should recap last weekend, since I didn't do my habitual post-weekend update.  On Friday night, Dan and I went to Liberty Tavern, one of our favorite restaurants in Clarendon, and got their insanely delicious Vermont pizza (cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, apple slices and prosciutto; I obviously got the veg version).  Dan really wants to see The Dark Knight Rises in IMAX, but, after we talked about it, we agreed that it would be better for me to watch Batman Begins first, as I have never seen any of the movies and could probably use the backstory.  Luckily, he had DVRed it when it had been on TV earlier on in the week, so I got to have a nice, quality movie night with my guy.  Truly wonderful.  Some of my favorite nights are the ones where we just relax and snuggle up to watch a movie.

On Saturday morning, we got up at 7 (I know, we're both insane) to go running.  Despite the fact that it was misting, it was nice to get outside, particularly because, after an evening storm, it was significantly cooler out.  As I was running along the river and then back into the city and around the Tidal Basin, I was just overwhelmed with gratitude that I get to call this place home.  Since it was so early, there were very few people out along the Tidal Basin, so I had it all to myself.  Once we had showered and changed, Dan and I parted ways for the weekend- he was off on a golfing outing for the day and I was going up to New York to visit my dad's side of the family.

Spending the weekend with the family really was wonderful.  I hadn't seen that side of the family since November, so a reunion was long overdue.  I always enjoy getting to see aunts, uncles, cousins and second cousins, so this time certainly did not disappoint.  Just sitting around talking and enjoying each other's company brough a smile to my face. 

On Sunday, after being in the car for what felt like forever on our way home, I returned home just in time to watch the finale of The Bachelorette.  As I may have mentioned, I am minorly  completely addicted to this show, especially because so many of the guys seem to be great guys.  In the end, even though Emily didn't pick the guy who was my first preference, I was totally won over by Jef and melted when I saw him interact with her daughter.  They really do seem to work well together and seem very in love.  I hope they prove the statistics wrong!  As much as I love the show, I also realize that it is completely unrealistic and ridiculous, so I have stumbled upon several blogs that humorize it a bit.  Lincee over at I Hate Green Beans is a hoot-and-a-half, and I am consistently laughing hysterically when I read her blog. I happened upon Ashley's blog when I was trying to find a picture last night of Ryan's completely effeminate tank top when I was Skyping with Kristin last night, and found it to also be hilarious.  It's nice that people can have fun with it!!!

On Monday morning, I woke up to an esophagus in extreme pain, and that's when it occurred to me that all of the stomach discomfort that I have been experiencing lately may just be acid reflux, which, unfortunately, runs in my family.  I have spent a few days feeling pretty crummy, but I think the medication I started using is finally starting to kick in, so hopefully I'll be in tip-top shape for the weekend!  I am definitely the worst sick person ever, because I try to pretend I'm not sick and go about my exhausting routine as usual.  I'm sure it will catch up to me at some point...

This week has been busybusybusy! On Monday, Dan came over for some stir-fry that I whipped up, and we were able to successfully find some Season 4 episodes of Parks and Recreation.  I would appreciate them putting the season up on Netflix, oh, yesterday.  We managed to have a really nice night, despite the fact that Dan picked up a completely ridiculous ticket on the way to my apartment :( Poor guy.  Last night, I grabbed drinks with Dan's/my friend Lindsay at Donovan House, a really cool place on Thomas Circle. I don't think the bar itself is called Donovan House, but it is located on the pool deck of the Donovan House hotel (interesting concept, but it works).  The view from the rooftop was INREDIBLE, and, as always, I had a great time with Lindsay. We did have to wait about a half-hour for our check, which was annoying, because the employees were both struggling in general and didn't know how to work their new computer system.  Oh well, I still made it home early enough to Skype with Kristin.

I'm so, so excited about this long weekend, and I'm sure I will have many more updates next week!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend as well!

Shipping Up to Boston!

I'm not going to sugarcoat this; I am not happy to be back in DC and back to my everyday routine.  I had the most fabulous weekend imaginable in Boston, and a large part of me wanted to evade returning to reality and just stay there forever.

Dan and I got to our hotel shortly before 10 on Thursday night, and, wanting both to explore and get a snack, we ventured out to Newbury Street, where we were luckily able to find an ice cream place open.  I got a cup of DELICIOUS black raspberry ice cream with blueberry pieces and white and dark chocolate chunks.  Seriously, people.  DIVINE.  I woke up early-ish on Friday morning to go for a little jog at the hotel gym, and it was such a bad run that I should have just let myself sleep in, as Dan had done.  Afterward, we grabbed breakfast at a little place in the neighborhood and then walked to our first stop of the day, America's Most Beloved Ballpark (a.k.a. Fenway).  I was very grateful to Dan for indulging me on that one, and, luckily for him, I did not make him go on a tour (I have been on two myself and have been to the ballpark numerous times for games, so I didn't think it was necessary).  From there, we walked downtown, through Copley Square and then through the Public Gardens and the Commons.  Poor Dan...since he has never been subjected to a vacation with my family, he has never experienced our ten-mile walking days (seriously, there were days when we walked that far in Europe).  He is a very active guy, but all of that walking can take a lot out of the most in-shape people!

America's Most Beloved Ballpark

New England Aquarium



We finally ended up at Government Center, where we toured the Aquarium (which we both loved) and went to an IMAX movie which was, strangely, narrated by Jim Carrey (neither of us could get over this fact).  Before we headed in to the movie, each of us gobbled down a grilled cheese that we had bought at a food truck. It was my first food truck experience, and it was delicious!  After the movie, I agreed (and, after all of that walking, it wasn't too difficult to convince me!) to take the T back to the hotel.  Over the course of the weekend, the consensus was that, as much as we may complain about the Metro (and, while we were gone, Metro experienced two total system outages, which would have left me spitting tacks had I been riding.  But I digress), the T is so far inferior.  T trains are dirty, noisy, not well ventilated, unannounced (there is no board with a schedule of trains) and poorly planned (the arrangement of the lines does not make too much sense, and, due to the layout of the stations, you often have to pay twice if you are switching lines).  However, the T got us where we needed to go, so, for the course of the weekend, it served its purpose.  We showered and changed before meeting up with Dan's sister Emily for dinner in the North End. 

Emily was the lone member of Dan's immediate family who I had not yet met, and, when we saw his parents a few weeks ago and I told his mom how excited I was to go visit Emily, she assured me that Dan had been getting pressure from both sides to make this trip happen.  I really liked Emily a lot and instantly felt comfortable around her, which was not at all surprising, given how much I love Dan's entire family, and the three of us had a really nice weekend together. We started off with a fantastic dinner at this little hole-in-the-wall Italian place in the North End (that description could apply to any of the restaurants in the North End, actually) and then gelato from Mike's Pastry (the gelato line was nonexistent, as opposed to the crowded mess of a cannoli line, so we opted for the gelato).  We then went to a bar in the Government Center area that was fun, albeit way too loud; we could barely hear ourselves think above the music, much less have a sustained conversation!!

On Saturday morning, Dan and I, in keeping with his race plan (in true fashion, I am not doing a race plan, which will simply mean that I'll run slower than Dan haha), went for an eight-mile run around the city.  It was probably the best I've felt this year while running outside, and we got to see a huge swatch of the city in the process.  Our pace was actually faster than my half-marathon pace from last year, so I was pleased about that.  However, afterward I immediately started feeling sick to my stomach (the same actually happened after my half), and I struggled through breakfast.  I could barely speak (and, thus, was not my normal bubbly self) because I felt so awful, and was getting up every five minutes to run to the bathroom.  Poor Dan was practically eating breakfast by himself, and I felt so guilty :(  At one point, I walked back from the bathroom and hit my head on a low-hanging tree branch.  I initially started laughing but, as a delayed reaction, was tearing up, both from bonking my head and from how crappy my stomach felt.  Dan, great guy that he is, suggested that we go back to the hotel and rest for a bit, and, after conking out for an hour, I felt significantly better.

We took the T out to BC to meet up with Emily, and, after getting a tour of campus and of her apartment, we went out for yet ANOTHER Italian meal (we were sitting on Emily's couch discussing what we wanted to do for dinner, and, when she finally conceded that she wouldn't be at all opposed to another Italian dinner, I felt okay chiming in that I could definitely have some more pasta).  Again, the dinner was delicious although we had a bit of a bizarre situation when it came time to order dessert. Being that we had all just gorged ourselves on pasta, we were not in the mood to order dessert, but then our waitress brought us out some tiramisu! We all looked at each other and laughed, since we had not ordered dessert, and we wondered if she was forcing dessert on us, only to charge us for it.  After a few minutes of wondering aloud, we decided to go for it, and it was actually delicious.  Sufficiently stuffed at that point, we walked to a pub that had great Belgian beer.  We had lots of time to just chat, and I can't overstate how great a time I had.  Dan and Emily are VERY close, so it was very sweet to witness the interaction between the two of them.  She was so incredibly sweet to me as well, which made it so much easier on me.  I'm so glad that I finally got to meet her, and hopefully I'll see a lot more of her in the future!!

The delightful siblings

On Sunday, we were pretty lazy, heading back to Newbury Street for brunch at around 11.  We then walked back to the Commons through the Beacon Hill neighborhood, and back to the Government Center area. Once there, we walked through Faneuil Hall and the surrounding markets before heading to Ye Olde Union Oyster House to get Dan some clam chowder (or chowdah, as the locals call it; and yes, I did intermittently speak in an annoying accent that resembled a Boston accent over the course of the weekend).  Feeling sufficiently stuffed, we returned to the hotel, grabbed our bags and began our journey home.

Beacon Hill

I was actually pretty gloomy when I got home, because our wonderful weekend was over.  I said to Dan in the airport yesterday that I often feel very sad when our trips, in which we spend a lot of concentrated time together and go on lots of adventures, are over.  He "awwww"ed me and told me that our trips are so special because we don't go on them all the time, which I agree with.  If we could afford to travel all the time, our trips might not seem as special, so for now, until we win the lottery, I am perfectly happy to take the occasional trip.  As we were taking one of our sitting breaks yesterday, I told him that he is a wonderful travel buddy, because he is so easygoing (and, as I mentioned before, so am I, but only when I'm traveling haha) and doesn't have a specific timetable or agenda.  That is my preference when I travel; I definitely prefer to wander around and get lost on side streets rather than stick to tourist traps.  I look forward to hopefully taking many more trips together in the future (our next one is over Labor Day weekend for our half-marathon!!), as well as hopefully getting many more chances to spend time with his family!