No Excuses

Hello there, folks! It's me, returned from the land of long-lost bloggers!  It has been an inexcusable amount of time since I blogged, but hopefully, once I summarize my summer for you, you'll forgive me.  The one excuse that I will attempt to give is that this summer has been so jam-packed with activity that, every time I have considered blogging, I have opted not to in the end.  If I'm not feeling it, I'm just not feeling it, and you wouldn't want me to feel burdened by what I'm writing for all of you, right?!?  So, in summary, my summer to date:

• So, Dan and I moved.  Over two months ago.  I love our little apartment {which our friends are seeing for the first time tonight...total fail on our part}, and, more than anything, I love living with my best friend.  Coming home to him is, quite literally, the highlight of every day for me, and moving in together was one of the best decisions we have made.
• As a side note, as much as I LOVE living with Dan, leaving Molly after our time living together was nothing short of excruciating. Sure, we have two fun places that we can now hang out in, but it isn't the same when you can't poke your head in your roomie's room and have girl time with them.  Also, although he insists otherwise, I can feel Dan's eyes of judgment as I nom on cookie dough, cake batter, or the raw form of whatever I happen to be cooking.  Now Molly, that girl doesn't judge and, in fact, sometimes partook in my gluttonous ways with me.
• A week after the move, Dan took, and aced {!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!} the GMAT!  I am so immensely proud of him, and can't to see where this journey takes us next!
• A week after the GMAT, we went to our first of four weddings for the summer, and, the deeper we got in the wedding season, the more I discovered that I just don't have the stamina for that many weddings!  The first was in Pittsburgh for Dan's friend from high school, and it was a wonderful {not to mention beautiful and classy in every way} wedding.  It was a great time, and I enjoyed spending time with Dan's HS friends.  Three weeks later, we were off on a jet plane to Chicago, and holy moley, did we ever fall in love with that city by the lake!  Obviously, I was on Cloud 9 all weekend, because Kristin and Kevin were getting married, and my love was there, AND my favorite ladies were there for our first reunion in two years.  I can't overstate how fantastic this wedding was, and it was such a wonderful experience to be a bridesmaid for my gorgeous Kristin.  It was an absolutely gorgeous wedding in a fabulous city.  Wedding #3 was for my cousin in NY in July, and it didn't disappoint.  It was a blast to see my family, and it was the first time that Dan was meeting many family members.  The wedding, again, was beautiful, and we remarked on the fact that all three weddings have been so DIFFERENT {or, as different as weddings can be}!  Our final wedding of the season is back in Pittsburgh next weekend {actually, at the same venue as the first wedding} for another of Dan's HS friends, and I am so excited.  He is also a groomsman, which, despite the fact that he begrudgingly has to wear a tux, will be so fun for him.  I'll be hanging out with his parents, who will be at the wedding, and all of the other significant others of the groomsmen :)
• I think I deserve a medal for how little I wrote about four weddings. Period.
• After 2.5 years in a job that I was beyond miserable in, I transitioned into a new role in July!  The new job is a similar type of office, and will afford me more opportunities to travel and utilize what I consider to be my best skills.  I am really enjoying the job so far, and will be traveling to my region- the Plains states and parts of Texas!- for a few weeks in September, followed by a week in New England in October. {Sidebar: when they asked me if I was okay with going to New England for a week, I almost laughed in their faces. My beloved New England. In the fall. Foliage. Cold weather.  NO-BRAINER}
• We have watched a lot of baseball this summer, from a trip to Baltimore to watch the Red Sox, to two back-to-back Bucs-Nats games {now THAT, I did not have the stamina for.  I was comatose midway through the second game as a result of still-lingering exhaustion from the previous night, so I had no chance the day after the second game}, to two Bucs games at PNC {with the second likely to come next weekend}.
• I have really been rolling up my sleeves and getting creative with cooking {read: baking with some cooking sprinkled in} this summer.  All I have to say is, thank God for Pinterest.  That is all.  And so, my "food bragger" tendencies have been stretched to the limit, as I document nearly every new item that I make.  Some highlights included homemade gnocchi {and yes, Dan was an excellent co-chef!}, and his recent birthday cake, which I made for his 26th birthday {!!!} last week.
• I had an interesting tubing trip to Harpers Ferry in July, during which we lost a person.  We did not literally lose him {meaning, he did not perish}, but he did have to swim to shore and faced a several-mile, shoeless walk.  I'll leave it at that. It was an interesting day.
• There have been way too many goodbyes this summer, with several good friends leaving DC for grad school opportunities.  Isn't it the rule that, if you lose people, you should get at least that many close friends back in your city???
• My friend Kate was doing a law school internship here in DC for the summer, so I suppose she counts as a temporary transplant to DC :-) It was a blast to have her here, especially since one of her M.O. is exploring new restaurants.  Kate, thank you for your foodie ways!
• Last weekend, Dan and I went to Kings Dominion, and I officially conquered my fear of roller coasters!!! I went on three upside-down roller coasters, thank you very much :p
• Two weeks from now, I am going to the LAKE!  Now, because of some obligations with my new job, I am not able to take a full week off, but I will get a long weekend.  Plus, Dan has signed on to come with me, which I am thrilled about.  Since we started dating {almost 2.5 years ago- yikes!}, it has been my dream to have him come to the Lake.  I swear, if the weather is crummy, I will be one cranky lady.
• I am sure that there are many major things that I am forgetting, but the moments that have stuck with me the most about the summer have been the little moments with family, friends and Dan.  To be surrounded by the people you love, man, there's nothing better!  I sure am a lucky girl :-)
• My summer obviously would not have been complete without yet another scintillating season of The Bachelorette.  I hate myself for watching it, but I literally can't stop.  Oh well.

Lastly, I am waiting for X-ray results, which will tell me if I have a broken foot {the probable result of overuse during my 40+ mile/week running binge of this summer}.  Keep your fingers crossed, friends, because those of you who know me will can attest to the fact that I am a cranky pain in the ass when I can't exercise.  I'm hoping it's something like tendonitis {plantar fasciitis, which would be only somewhat less acceptable, would be more expensive, as it would require that I purchase orthodics worth hundreds of dollars for my running shoes. No thank you}.  Also, I am registered for the Army Ten-Miler in late October, and it is my goal to run that race.  Just throwing that out there.

Anywho, I sincerely hope that I will blog sooner than two months from now, but, what with my work and personal travel schedule, I can't make any promised.  At some point, I will post some pictures that encapsulate my summer, but hopefully you enjoyed this longer-than-necessary post!

I Can Has Caffeine?

Hello, friends.  After a whopping 9.5 hours total of sleep over the past two nights, updating this blog is all that I can do to stay awake.  It is on days like these that I wish I had developed a coffee dependency in college, but, sadly for me, I can't stand the stuff.  So I must soldier on and get through this day with a foggy, heavy head and no caffeine.  The causes for the late nights have been the following: a Nats game on Tuesday that we got home from at about 11 due to our Metro train being off-loaded...grrrrrrr.  Last night, the Pens and Bruins played Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Championships, and the game went to double-OT.  I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if I had missed the end, so I stayed up, with a quick 20-minute cat nap in between the first and second OT periods, that Dan assures me that I was out like a light for.  Well, our Pens lost, and we didn't get to sleep until about 12:30.  WOMPPPPPPP.

Anyway, I promised to talk about a plethora of things, so let's see if I can remember back to the last time that I posted:

Tim's Georgetown graduation was the weekend before Memorial Day weekend, and, being that family members on both sides had other commitments, it was mostly our little foursome, aside from a brief cameo by my uncle Ed.  On Friday night, we had a nice dinner together and then went to Senior Ball, which, after going my senior year and falling in love with it, I practically forced Tim to attend {in the end, though, I think he realized that essentially EVERYONE was there}.  I never turn down an opportunity to bust out the long, formal gown that I bought for my Senior Ball, and it was nice to see family friends and Tim's roommates, along with their families.

Tim and some of his roommates at Senior Ball

Family at Senior Ball

On Saturday, we all grabbed brunch at Metro 29 {we don't need a fancy brunch haha} and then putzed around before Tim's graduation ceremony.  The Business School had a 6:00 p.m. graduation, and the weather looked more and more threatening as the day went on.  They made the call at 4 that graduation would be out on the lawn, and, as we walked outside to snag some seats, we found that it was raining.  Bummah.  We still had two hours to kill and were likely to get soaked, and, more importantly, I felt awful for the graduates, who, I imagined, would not have umbrellas with them.  Luckily, it only sprinkled a little bit as we waited, and the rain held off during the ceremony.  Alleluia!  I was so proud of my baby brother as he walked across the stage and was incorrectly hooded by a professor who was probably 8 inches shorter than him.  The perils of being tall!  But anyway, I am so proud of everything he has accomplished, and I have no doubt that he will continue to do great things.

After taking the requisite pictures, we grabbed dinner, and, just like that, with absolutely no fuss, graduation weekend was over.  While I loved having so many family members at my graduation, there is definitely something to be said for having an intimate group.  It was such a special weekend, though, given that now 3 out of the 4 of us in our little family have gone to Georgetown.  It is a tradition that I have been so honored to share with my dad, Tim, and other family members who have gone here.

So proud of our graduate!

Totally posed

Filing in

The Lake siblings, all grown up!

In my next post, I will bring you up to speed on our move {!!!!!!!!}, which, as you will remember, had me all riled up and nervous.

Radio Silence

Hello, dear readers!  I am truly sorry for all of the silence on my end over the past few weeks.  Between Tim's graduation, mentally preparing for moving, ACTUALLY moving and managing a heavier-than-usual workload, I have had approximately ZERO time and motivation to blog.  However, I promise that I will blog soon with updates on all of the above (and more).

In the meantime, I would love for all of you to follow my blog on Bloglovin', which I have transitioned to as Google Reader becomes obsolete.  Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Laughter

Dan: What are you up to tonight?

Me: I'm just making your surprise!

Dan: Oh man, I'm excited.  Is it cake? Cookies? Cupcakes? Pie?

Me: Oh, it's all of the above.  After some careful research, I've managed to create a hybrid of those four.

Dan: A piecakie?

And THAT is why I love him :-)

Embracing Your Imperfections {and seeing yourself for the person you truly are}

I'm sure you have all been hearing a lot about the Dove Real Beauty sketch video over the past few months. I have been doing a lot of thinking about how to challenge my self-image, those descriptors that, if I uttered them, would probably cause the artist in the video {who is very talented, by the way} to sketch an image of me that is far from being true-to-life. I am certainly guilty of caving to body insecurity, and, being that it was something that I struggled with as a teenager and throughout college, it is difficult to break that terrible habit of self-scrutiny.  However, for every perceived "flaw" that I have identified, I have tried to come up with a challenge, a benefit of that seemingly imperfect feature.  To give a few examples:

• Perceived flaw: I have inherited unfortunately large thighs. BENEFIT: I would not have been able to run 26.2 miles on tiny little thighs.  Large runners' thighs are a symbol of my strength.
• Perceived flaw: My hair is voluminous and unruly. BENEFIT: There are so many women with thinning hair who would kill to have the kind of volume that I have.  I have natural volume without using volumizing shampoos or serums.  Also, I am convinced that whoever created straighteners did it just for me and my naturally wavy locks :)
• Perceived flaw: The fact that I have to wear glasses is not that fun.  BENEFIT: However, I have learned from my dear Dan that my eyes actually change color from blue to green depending on the day, which I think is pretty darned awesome.  So even though I may begrudge my eyes for not being able to see very well or tolerate contacts all the time, I still think they're pretty cool.
• Perceived flaw: I have enormous feet {I typically wear size 11, but have to bump it up to 12 for my running shoes}.  BENEFIT: Okay, I can't spin this one haha.  It sucks to have feet this big {even though they are proportional to my height}, especially when trying to find cute, fashionable shoes.

So what am I trying to say here?  I am telling you to challenge those negative statements, voiced or not, about your own appearance.  I'm not going to lie, on more days than not, I hate those thighs, but this was the body that I was given, so I might as well accept it {while still exercising and trying to eat healthy foods, of course!}.  My favorite part of the Dove video was when the women compared the images of themselves, the one based on their own description of themselves and the other as they actually appear to others.  After witnessing the internal struggle of each of the women beating herself up for a perceived flaw, it was so heartwarming for them to see how others view them {and, in all of the cases, they were significantly more beautiful!}. 

Also, while flat-chestedness might be in that "flaw" category for most people, I have always seen it as a benefit. I can fit into anything without spilling out of it, and I can run without serious discomfort {or multiple sports bras}! Win!  So ladies and gents, remember, despite all of those ads that tell you that you need to change something {or many somethings} about yourself, try to love the body you were born with.  

Everybody's Working for the Weekend

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

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

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

The Fast is Over!

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

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

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

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