Announcement: The Love Project

It's that time of year, friends, the dreaded Valentine's Day season.  Since it's almost February, I thought I would jump on the spirit bandwagon.

Mara from A Blog About Love {a fabulous blog, by the way, which you should check out!} posted this video collage aboout what love means to different people.  It is a beautiful video that got me thinking about how I can capture the spirit of love in this blog.

What I came up with is what I'm calling The Love Project.  Each time I post in February, I will share an article, picture, movie or song clip, or personal story that, in my opinion, conveys the powerful emotion of love.  I would love to hear about the types of things that do the same for all of you!  So, for the last few days of January, I will be brainstorming fun things to share!

Speaking of love, I hope you all watched The Bachelor last night :-)  I hate myself for watching it, but I can't turn away!

Andddd....cue collapse

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

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

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

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

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!

Marathon Training: Oh yeah, that's happening...

I feel like marathon training has become a part of my morning routine to the extent that I forget to talk about it on this blog.  But I am slightly over halfway through my training, so I thought I would give you all a quick update.

I was thinking today how strange it is that my "short runs" on the weekend are now 11-12 miles.  Prior to training for this race, the longest distance I had ever run was 13.1 miles {twice}.  It is astounding to me how far I've come in just two months of training. A few weeks ago, after a horrific 16-miler which ended with two miles of jogging/limping, I was feeling pretty down about my training.  I have been plagued by hip joint pain for the past month or so, which has reared its ugly head, in particular, during my longer runs.  I was frustrated by having to plan my entire weekend around when I was going to do my long run, and that bugged me.  That was why I was so apprehensive leading in to my 18-miler yesterday.  I had been hemming and hawing all weekend about when I was going to do my run, and was nervous about running later in the day, when I had already eaten.  I have found that I have stomach issues if I run with food in my stomach, which is one of the main reasons why I run early in the morning {in addition to the fact that I am a morning person}.  Dan was nothing but encouraging yesterday as I prepared to leave for my run.  He really has been my biggest cheerleader throughout this process, and has been quick to reassure me when I've had a tough run or am visibly in pain.

I had a really great run yesterday, so I came out of it feeling somewhat reassured that I can do this.  I felt really good for the first 12 miles or so, and didn't feel too terrible after that.  My hip did start bothering me, but I think the fact that I didn't run in the city, and, thus, didn't have all the stop-and-go action that aggravates my hip, made for an easier run.  I ran from Rosslyn on the Mt. Vernon trail and turned around by Wilson Bridge in Alexandria.  I even saw my parents outside, basking in the glorious day, in the park next to their house, so I stopped for a quick break to say hello and eat my Shot Bloks {if you're training, these are made by Clif Bar and are fantastic; not being a regular consumer of caffeine, I didn't want to risk using a training aid with caffeine in it and having it mess up my body}.  I was definitely ready for the run to be over at about mile 15 or 16, but I felt really good about myself when I finished.  I was even able to call upon a short, surprising burst of energy at the end of the run to pass a couple of people.  It was great to be able to go home to Dan and know that I had done it, and he was really happy for me.

Now, I haven't run my race yet {it's on March 16th, for those of you who are interested}, but I have a renewed sense that I CAN do this.  The fact that I have been able to overcome a lifelong hatred of running, in addition to exercise-induced asthma, is proof that you can do anything if you really put your mind to it.  I have an incredible support team led, first and foremost, by Dan, and they continue to encourage me, even in moments when I doubt myself.  For that, I am so grateful.  It has also helped to hear from friends who have trained for marathons, picking their brains for tips.  I'm excited to push myself more over these next few months and, hopefully, have a successful race!!!

I promise that I will try to update you all soon on our wonderful long weekend.  It is going to be a tough week at work, but hopefully I'll find some time to write!

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 :)

As Promised, Some Christmas Break Photos

These pictures have been sitting on my desktop and are annoying me {those of you who know me can attest to how much I hate clutter}, so I am finally posting them.  I am far too busy right now to write about our New York weekend, but I promise I will post about that soon!

Beautiful light-lined streets of Old Town!

 Pucker up!! The Christmas camel, Aladdin, at Mount Vernon

Replica of the Capitol made entirely out of plants, Botanical Gardens

Beautiful lights, Georgetown Waterfront

Ice skating at the Georgetown Waterfront {highly recommended, and I would actually recommend combining it with dinner at Farmers, Fishers & Bakers}

Spending New Year's Eve at O'Connell's in Old Town with my love :)

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!