A Perfectly Relaxing Weekend

I have to start this off by saying that I can't wait for a long weekend this upcoming weekend.  Just sayin'.  And yes, I know I was just on vacation!

Anyway, I can't forget to do my habitual Monday recap of the past weekend's activities.  It was a really tremendous weekend, one that found me with a constant smile on my face. We were luckily able to leave a little bit early on Friday, which left me just enough time to get down to the Sculpture Garden and snag some great fountainside seats for Jazz.  I can't believe that this week is the final week (because that also means that it is the official end of summer.  So much sadness).  I met up with Lauren there, and we were able to munch on some fruit and chat while we listened to the music.  The thing about Jazz is that I know absolutely nothing about that type of music, but it sure is a nice, relaxing soundtrack playing in the background while you talk to your friends!  Afterward, I met up with Dan at one of my new favorite pizza places, District of Pi (at least, I think that's what it's called; in any event, it's the pizza place on 9th and F whose sign has the symbol for Pi on it) and we had some delicious deep-dish pizza.  Then, we went home and watched The Dark Knight, the only Batman movie that I hadn't seen, and which I really liked.

On Saturday morning, we had our 12 miler, our last long run before our race this coming Sunday.  I felt really good for the vast majority of the run (I started feeling it in the last mile or so), and we finished in 1 hour, 41 minutes!!! If you consider the number of times we stopped for traffic lights and cars, plus the adrenaline that will be flowing while we run our race, I should hopefully be able to stick to my goal of sub-1 hour, 50 minutes.  We're both getting really excited for the race!  During our run, we ran into a group of Navy guys, running in formation and carrying the colors, and chanting up a storm.  Listening to them chant was fun, and a huge pick-me-up to boot.  Anyway, after we had sufficiently recovered from our run, we went to a bagel place in Clarendon to replenish our tanks (because you have to figure that you burn about 1,500 calories in a 12-mile run, which means that, if you're starting out the day by running that much, you're in a serious deficit).  Then, we took a nice 1-hour nap and woke up feeling slightly less sore.  We lazed around for the rest of the afternoon watching TV, and then went to Thunderburger, one of our favorite restaurants, for dinner.  Seriously folks, this place is amazing!  I was skeptical that they would have anything I could eat (being the picky vegetarian that I am haha), but they have an INCREDIBLE falafel burger.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Then, we went home and relaxed some more before meeting up with Dan's friend Goran and his girlfriend Nicole.  We started out at their place and migrated to RFD, and I had a really nice time with them! 

We lazed around a little bit on Sunday morning, since Dan had a later tee time (which, unfortunately, got rained out after he and his friend had already driven all the way out to the course) and I had a later brunch.  I met up with Lauren, Cat and Cat's boyfriend Matthew (who I was meeting for the first time) at Ted's.  As usual, there was a ridiculous wait, but the food always makes it worth it.  And yes, I think I have been there a half-dozen times this summer alone :)  Lauren and I walked back to her place (getting caught in the rain in the process) and lounged for a bit, and then I went home and had yet another lazy Sunday afternoon.  This is starting to become a pattern, and I'm totally okay with it.  I even- gasp!-skipped the gym, which I justified by my 12-mile run on Saturday and the 6-miler that I knew I would do this morning (Side note: last week marked my largest weekly mileage total, 42 MILES!!!). 

I have a really fun week to look forward to this week.  Tomorrow, Dan and I are going to adhere to our new once-weekly cooking rule (which we had to instate because the amount that we were going out to dinner was becoming ridiculous haha).  On Wednesday, due to an early-morning dentist's appointment on Thursday, I am staying with my parents, and we are going to celebrate my dad's birthday (which is actually a week from today).  On Thursday, Dan and I are going to the Nats game, which I can't wait for (I always love a good Nats game, because of 1) the chance to spend time with dan; 2) my love of baseball; 3) my newfound love for Shake Shack milkshakes; and 4) the fact that Cat and Matthew will be there (even thought Cat has been here all summer, we haven't been able to find a time for her and Dan to meet).  We're leaving for Virginia Beach at some point on Saturday, and will be there until Monday.  We're both really hoping to get some beach time in, so we'll see what happens!  Also, next Monday is our 18-month anniversary (I know, I can hardly believe it!), so it will be nice to celebrate that this weekend as well!!!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!!!

With Every Step Forward...

What a doubly exciting and yet frustrating day for women here in the U.S.  On a positive note, the all-male Augusta National golf club, which has famously snubbed scores of high-profile would-be female members in order to maintain its "old boy's club" atmosphere (not that they would ever admit to that) admitted its FIRST two female members!!!!  Condoleeza Rice (who, despite the President that she served under, I have a tremendous amount of respect for as a trailblazing woman) and South Carolina financier Darla Moore are the lucky women, and, while I must start by saying that this is LONG overdue, I truly hope that this serves as notice to social clubs like Augusta that "old boys' clubs" are no longer acceptable.  As women strive to occupy positions of power, it is increasingly important that these all-male institutions be done away with in favor of organizations where men and women can interact outside of work.  And after all, the links are a place where major business deals are made, so, with the push for increased visibility of women in leadership roles, women should be privy to those business conversations.  For more information on Augusta's surprising and historic ruling, click here.

However, if you have been paying any attention to the news, you will know about the despicable case of Representative Todd Akin (R-MO) whose comments on abortion left the most rotten of tastes in my mouth.  Mr. Akin was asked in an interview whether, in cases of rape, he believes that abortion is justified.  Not only does he show how ignorant he is about rape, but he displays his extreme insensitivity towards the victims of rape.

His bloodcurdling comments were the following:

“It seems to be, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, [pregnancies resulting from rape are] really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.”

First of all, let's start out with the fact that this guy is an idiot.  "The female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down."  I'm sorry, does he have the slightest of ideas as to how the reproductive system works?  Women's bodies do not decide whether or not to begin the process of pregnancy based on whether or not the sexual encounter was consensual or a rape.  Do you think our ovaries say, "Oh, this was a rape, no pregnancy this time"?  No, the body does not have a natural abortion mechanism in place for cases when a woman is raped.  The NYT has an article on how this gross misconception has surfaced in multiple elections.

Secondly, let's focus on the most important issue at hand.  What the hell does "legitimate rape" mean, and who decides what it means?  Is it Akin?  That term, "legitimate rape" is certainly a new one for me.  In any case where a woman does not consent to a sexual encounter, she is a rape victim.  End of story.  No matter what your views on abortion are, I think that we can all agree that 1) Mr. Akin's knowledge of the processes of the human body is severely lacking, and, thus, he should not make assertions based on that misinformation; and 2) his use of the term "legitimate rape" suggests that he has some personal set of criteria for determining whether or not a woman has actually been raped, which is absurd.  

Infuriating, just infuriating.  Ladies, if you are at all politically inclined, please run for office and replace these clowns who think they can legislate issues relating to your health when they have neither an understanding of your body nor any empathy for the trauma that unfortunate numbers of women are subjected to. 

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?

BEST VIEW EVER

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!

Countdown: 4 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am already breaking out the sweatshirts and long pants, bathing suits and hiking gear, which can only mean one thing...it's Lake week!!!!!!! We're leaving on Thursday (driving part of the way on Thursday night and the other part on Friday), and I couldn't be more excited for my annual trip to Winnipesaukee!! Although I have gone there every summer since I was two years old, the novelty still hasn't worn off.  I still get butterflies in my stomach as soon as we enter New Hampshire, and especially when we drive down the dirt road into the parking lot at the marina.  I can't wait to breathe some cool New England air :) This will make twice in one summer that I'll be in New England, what a lucky girl I am!  I can't wait for lots of swimming, hiking, running, tanning, reading, relaxing with family and friends, pigging out on frappes, and cool summer nights. 

Okay, enough romanticizing for now!  I also have to do a recap of Dan's birthday and this past weekend!  Since I had Dan's birthday off from work, I got to be the first one to wish him a happy birthday when he woke up!  I stopped by the store to get some supplies for Dan's birthday treat, Oreo Cupcakes.  I had seen a recipe for these a while back, and I knew I had to try them out.  Well, he told me yesterday that they are the best homemade baked goods that he has ever had (which warmed my heart, especially because his mom is such an incredible baker!!), and I will definitely be adding those to my repertoire.  They are not exactly the healthiest of desserts, with about three Oreos in the cake/as garnish and cream cheese, butter and heavy cream (gulp) in the frosting, but they are so worth it.  Below is a picture, so you can feel free to salivate :)

After my baking was done and I had gone to the gym, I met Dan back at his place so we could go to dinner.  I had told him that we were going to an Italian place on 14th Street, and, thanks to a little sleuthing by his coworker (who he told the few details I had disclosed to him), he figured out where we were going! Darn it!  We went to Posto, which was very good, and then went home and gorged ourselves on cupcakes while watching the Olympics.  So blissful!

On Friday, I was still very bummed out after the news about Todd and, in fact, felt as though I was in a fog all day.  I was able to get off of work early, so met up with Molly (and, later, our respective families) at Jazz.  I have been such a delinquent about going this year, so it was nice to relax with our pitcher of sangria and leftover cupcakes.  I then went out to dinner with my parents and went home to watch the Olympics (are you sensing a theme? Haha).

On Saturday morning, I got up for an early run and did some major organization of my room.  I have so little personal living space that I really need to purge all of the things that I don't use regularly.  I then took the bus over to Dan's and we lounged by the pool for a bit.  Inspired by the Olympics and overestimating my own greatness, I charged into the pool and tried to show off by doing laps of various strokes (I will not even attempt the butterfly, but am at least passable at freestyle, breaststroke and backstroke, with breaststroke being my strongest stroke).  I got some pointers from Dan the Backstroke Expert, which significantly eased the tension that I had been putting on my shoulders when I was doing the stroke wrong.  I'm really looking forward to doing some serious swimming at the Lake, which I typically do for exercise (because my dad is afraid that I will get abducted, he will not allow me to run alone, and he himself can only run a maximum of four miles a day at this point, so, when I am up at the Lake, I have to find other exercise alternatives).  After showering and changing, Dan headed off to the Nats game with Goran, and I met up with my friend Jamie and a few other mutual friends for dinner at Jack Rose and drinks at Local 16.  It was wonderful to see a great group of girls.  I then met up with Dan and his friends at Goran's, where we had a few drinks and, wait for it, watched the Olympics.  Overall, Saturday was a great day, because I got time with my friends and time with Dan!

Donell, Amy, me, Stacey, Jamie and Blair at Local 16.  The misting machines that they had on the rooftop is the reason for the smoky effect!

On Sunday morning, I met up with Molly and her family at Ted's for brunch.  Despite the ridiculously long wait, the food did not disappoint, as usual.  Homemade pop tarts are sure a way to this girl's heart!  We also tried an Oatmeal Cream Pie (basically some creamy frosting wedged between two oatmeal raisin cookies), which was fabulous, however overly sweet it may have been!  Then, I went to the gym and did some more organizing before chatting with Kate and Dave.  It was so great to talk to them (and it was the first time I had talked to both of them since Dave got back!).  All in all, a great way to end the weekend.  This week, I have lots of time planned with Dan before I leave him yet again for vacation (sniffle, sniffle), as well as some packing time tonight and dinner with my family and Dan on Wednesday.  I'm hoping that I can tie my shortened work week up as painlessly as possible!!

Taken Too Soon

I had hoped to write a really bubbly post about Dan's birthday, but I got a terrible and shocking piece of news yesterday that has rendered me unable to focus on anything but that.  On Wednesday, one of the groomsmen in a friend's wedding was killed by an IED in Afghanistan.  I had spent some time with Todd in a group at the wedding, and then again when I went down to Benning two summers ago.  I certainly did not know him very well, but his death has had such a profound effect on me over these past eighteen hours, particularly given that he is both the first person I have known who has been killed in combat, and also the first person that I have had some connection to who has died at such a young age.

I have been reading through articles like this one and looking back through photos that I took at the wedding and again in Georgia, and even though waves of grief and tears have passed over me, I still can't quite wrap my mind around the fact that he is gone.  It seemed as though Todd's life was really going well, with a new fiancée and a lot to look forward to in the near future.  I can vividly remember Todd's fun-loving spirit, and I know how highly his friends thought of him.  I was saying to Dan that, one of the most difficult things over the past few hours has been looking at Todd's Facebook page.  In this, the age of omnipresent social media, his page has been, I believe, a useful outlet for his family and friends and a forum through which they can post messages of grieving and remembrance.  However, it has been difficult for me because, even though these messages are a lasting tribute to Todd, he is not here anymore, even though his Facebook page still exists.  It's like he is caught in some sort of limbo, where he is not physically with us, but, yet, his online persona still is. 

No matter what your views on the war in Afghanistan, I think that it is so important, particularly when we are celebrating the successes of our country's "heroes" in the Olympics, to remind ourselves constantly of those true American heroes who give the ultimate sacrifice.  Sure, Michael Phelps may be the most decorated Olympian of all time, but he has not laid down his life for his country.  I pray that Todd rests in peace, and am keeping his family and friends in my prayers in this, such a difficult time.  Please hold your loved ones a little bit tighter and make no secret of how much you love them, because this heartbreaking story is a prime illustration of how abruptly and violently people we love can be taken from us.

Celebrating a Quarter-Century a Bit Early

The following is my catch-up post from last weekend: Tomorrow is Dan's 25th birthday (yay!), and, due to the nature of the gift I got him, we started celebrating a bit early.  I actually had the day off on Friday, so I spent a good chunk of the day getting some sun at the pool with my mom.  I met up with Dan when he got off of work, and we grabbed dinner at one of our favorite seafood restaurants before heading down to Chinatown for some birthday activities.  I had gotten us tickets to see Second City, the INCREDIBLE Chicago-based comedy/improv troupe that calls Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Steve Carrell alums (to name a few).  The show wasn't until 10:30, so we had some time to kill beforehand.  We attempted to go to The Passenger, the hipster bar in Dan's old neighborhood where we went on our second date, but the floors were being re-done and it was closed.  Womp.  We finally ended up sitting at the bar at Iron Horse, which was perfect because the Olympic Opening Ceremonies were on!!! We had some good laughs about the trippy and confusing show and watched the beginning of the athletes marching in.  Despite all of the pageantry, I really enjoy seeing all of the athletes marching around the stadium.

Second City was HILARIOUS!!!!! If any of you are ever in Chicago, or have the opportunity to see them perform wherever you live, DO IT DO IT DO IT!  I would say that it was about 70/30 prepared skits to audience-aided improv, all the while punctuated by very appropriate DC references (I always appreciate it when people so clearly do their research).  I barely stopped laughing during the show, which was about an hour-and-a-half long.  I had tears rolling down my face from how hard I was laughing!

On Saturday morning, we had to do a nine-miler, so we were up and out early...or so we thought.  It was apparently not early enough to beat the heat, and I nearly keeled over as we went up the Wisconsin Ave. hill. I had to stop and take a breather and just stand for the air conditioning in Safeway for a few minutes, and I think I just overheated/the chain reaction of my asthma kicking in happened.  All I have to say is, thank God our race is completely flat.  I'm also hoping it is 78 degrees (on September 2nd).  Is that too ambitious? Haha.

We watched the Olympics all afternoon and then went to District of Pizza in Chinatown for dinner.  Apparently we were keeping with the Chicago theme for the weekend, because their specialty is deep-dish pizza, and boy was it delicious!  Then, we met up with James and Lindsay to see The Dark Knight Rises in IMAX, where we sat in the front row.  Again, womp.  I had a splitting headache by about halfway through the movie, but still managed to really enjoy it.  From there, we went to Red Line, which we had never tried before.  We weren't able to get one of the tables that has a tap right at the table, but it was still a cool place.

On Sunday morning, I met up with Lauren for a lovely day of chatting, eating and movies.  We went out for a delicious brunch at Vinoteca, and then, after walking back to Chinatown, saw "The Well-Digger's Daughter," a French film, at E Street Cinema. It has pretty much become a joke between all of us that Lauren should work there, because she practically lives at that theater.  I will say, they have really incredible, off-the-beaten-path movies, and this one was no exception (despite the lingering trauma from having sat too close to the screen the night before).  It was a great weekend, and I only have one more of them before I go to the Lake!!!! I need a break so badly, and a week from tomorrow, I will be home free :)

In the meantime, though, tomorrow is Dan's actual birthday!!!!! Hooray! I'm absolutely more excited about it than he is.  I have the day off, so I plan on spending the day baking (will post pictures afterward) before meeting up with him to go to dinner at a top-secret location (again, will disclose later).  I hope you're all having a great week so far!  Happy Hump Day!