First Snowfall of the Winter!

I woke up yesterday morning to a beautiful snowfall. Thick, heavy flakes fell all day long yesterday. Perfect way to usher in the Christmas season.
I got a tree on Friday night and my friend Katherine helped me decorate - I made batches of sugar cookies and ginger cookies yesterday with my friend Heather and today am just enjoying the seasonal decorations, etc.
Tomorrow I'm leaving for a five-day trip to Oslo. I can't wait to see the land of the Vikings!

Happy Birthday, DAD!

I can't say enough about what a great dad we have...thanks for teaching me about football, for sending us to summer camp, for always having the boat ready and for your willingness to ski us, for coming to watch my soccer games, and for always taking care of us. Love you!

Saturday in Happy Valley

Last Saturday I was lucky enough to get two tix to the Penn State/Indiana game in Happy Valley. It was my first visit to State College and hopefully not my last! My friend Greg and I left VA at 6:30am and arrived just before game time. Our seats were in the middle section on the 20-yard line.
Family friends of ours, the Battiali's, both work at Penn St. and were able to get us the tix. They also hosted us for a lovely Italian meal after the game.
I was so excited to see Joe Pa coach a game live. Another W for the Nittany Lions.
PSU followed up this week with a nice win over Michigan State.

Everyday since 4/23/2009...

I have waited to see an updated post on my sister's blog. Blog, Sarah, Blog. You always write about such interesting things. I fully admit my own lackluster performance over the past few months but I intend to get back into it. Starting tonite!
At the moment I'm at a Starbucks listening to "O Holy Night" ... it's too early for this but as the Starbucks employee next to me pointed out to his friend "if the haters don't like it they can leave."

Perfect Fall Weekend

I'm back after a long hiatus from the blogging world!

This weekend started with a trip to Charlottesville. I stayed with my good friend Jordan (thanks Jordan!!!) who cooked a great pre-race dinner for me, and then met Susan and me Sat. am after the race for breakfast. The race was the Charlottesville 10k Fall Classic, a fun, hilly run that winds through downtown. After the race we went to the UVA/GA Tech game. Tech won big. The weather was really bizarre...pouring rain, moments of sunshine, more pouring rain. After the game we went to Littlejohn's, which is my friends Brooke and Jeff's favorite Charlottesville spot.
Apparently Nomar Garciaparra was at the game, and afterwards we saw Sylven Landesberg, the ACC basketball rookie of the year, wandering around town.
Today the weather was beautiful - 65 and sunny. I played soccer and then spent the afternoon at Susan's carving pumpkins.

weekend planz

new HP movie
dinner at Guapos
Crystal City 5k
Mass followed by pancakes
soccer
golf

Girlz Nite

My friend Brooke invited everyone over for dinner this past week. She had an awesome Mexican spread and used several of her new wedding gifts, including a quesadilla maker and margarita maker. Fun.

Summer Solstice Party Pics!

Susan, Katherine and I hosted a summer solstice party this past weekend. It poured all day Saturday but cleared up just in time. We served grilled kebobs, peach and basil salad, fattoush, which is a delicious salad made with fresh garden vegetables, an array of desserts, margaritas, etc.
I hope everyone had a great Father's Day Weekend. I had internet issues yesterday so I haven't posted for Father's Day yet but stay tuned!!

Julie's wedding!

FC farmer's market

I've lived in NOVA for almost four years and finally made it to the Falls Church farmer's market. It's the perfect size market with a nice variety of fruits, vegetables, fresh milk, cheese and breads. So cool and I can't believe I haven't taken advantage of it before today.
I met some friends for breakfast (pancakes!) this morning and then picked up some stuff at the farmer's market before a day of chores, weightlifting, and other stuff not worth blogging about.
Tomorrow I'm playing soccer in the morning then having an early dinner with my friend Cindy who is in town for Korean language training to prepare for her next post.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Wedding Weekend Recap

I am reluctant to post too much until I have pics to go with but a few highlights...

My cousin Julie, the bride, was radiant. I can't think of any other words to describe her.

It was so great to see my extended family. My cousin Laird has an 8 mo old baby who is just adorable. She is, to my knowledge, the only published author in the fam. and I really enjoyed talking with her about her latest book.

Fun!!! Julie's wedding was one of the most enjoyable weddings I've ever participated in or attended.

More soon.

Runnnnnnnn

I found a great article about running in the NY Times today. The most encouraging part is that a couple of the runners featured in the article are over 60!

Enjoy!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/health/02well.html?_r=1

Happy Anniversary to Sarah and Tom

It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating Sarah and Tom's wedding in Athens. Hope you guys have a happy weekend and look forward to seeing you soon!

Happy Birthday, James!

My brother James is 27! Happy Birthday to you! James is teaching English in China - we are all so proud of him and hope to see him sometime this summer. The first pic above is James doing some acrobatics on the lake in NH - one of his many talents. The second was taken on last year's ferry ride from New London, CT to Long Island on our way to Rene and cousin Jimmy's house.

This one's for you, Mom

I did my first sprint tri this morning and dedicated the race to my wonderful mom. It wasn't difficult to find inspiration. My mom is always my biggest cheerleader and continues to have a big influence on the person I am today.

Our family has always been her priority and in spite of all the time and attention she gives to us she has had an amazing professional career...a phd in Education and recent Principal of the Year honors for the State of Georgia to name a few. She is just great and words are not enough.

I included some pictures from last year's Mother's Day which was also Tom's graduation weekend - the first picture is of mom and Mrs. Wood, followed by a picture of mom and dad, and pictures of all of their "children" including Kerry.

We love you Mom.

Julie's wedding!

I'm getting excited about my cousin Julie's wedding which is only a few weeks away! My bridesmaid's dress came in yesterday and it fits very well - thankfully no alterations necessary. It's navy, strapless, and has pockets - a definite bonus.
Can't wait, Jules!

Monday Night Nats

My colleague Dan kindly offered me his Nats tickets for Monday night's game against the Astros. Because of the rain there was a small crowd and great opportunities to catch balls and snap some great pictures. My friend Susan came with and we had a great time. Of note...Marquis Grissom, former Brave, is now the Nats first base coach. He threw me a ball late in the 7th...maybe he knew how many times I saw him play in Atlanta. ;)

A weekend to remember!

I had a great long weekend in New England. I arrived in Manchester NH on Thurs am - mom and dad picked me up at the airport and we drove to Justin's house to see the twins.
After a couple days of relaxing at the lake we drove to Boston. Mom and dad continued their drive to GA and I stayed in Boston for a fun party with our lake friends at Sarah and Tom's beautiful apt. We watched the Sox/Yankees and enjoyed cold beer and a great dinner. Thanks Sarah!

half-marathon, wedding fun!

My friend Kevin and I ran the Charlottesville 1/2 marathon yesterday. I finished in just under two hours. The course was the same as last year - I had forgotten how beautiful the countryside is in C-ville! The race started downtown at the C-ville Running Store and wound through town and then out into horse country. The 1/2 marathon turnaround point had a great view of the mountains while the marathoners continued their run through some pasture area.
After the run Kevin and I had a lovely breakfast with Jordan. She was kind enough to pick up our packets for us the night before. We were right on time for the race, which started at 6:30am...thankfully the race started about ten minutes late. I was late getting to Kevin's house which didn't leave us much time to make the starting line.
Thanks to Jordan we had our packets just in time! Jordan ran the C-ville ten-miler with Kevin a week or so ago. I'm so proud of her new running habit!
Kevin and I had a few hours to recoup before our friend Brooke's wedding last night. It was such a fun event! The wedding was at the Hilton in Old Town, Alexandria. The ceremony was outside in the garden, followed by a cocktail hour and a sit-down dinner. There was a lot of dancing - I was happy I took some preventative advil so I could join in the fun!
I'm a little sore today but not too bad. What a great weekend!

GA for Easter

I am headed to GA in a little while for the Easter weekend!
I'm excited to get back to Athens and enjoy the family and the sunshine.
Happy Easter, everyone!

Shoutout to Sheila Kahrs

It was announced yesterday that Mom won Principal Of the Year for the state of Georgia! I am so happy and proud of her. Mom does some very innovative and progressive things in her school but I think what makes her unique is her unfailing integrity and compassion for her students.
Congrats on this well-deserved honor!!!

http://www.barrowcountynews.com/news/article/2616/

Opening Day!

The baseball season kicks off tonight and I'm so excited. To me it means the start of summer...cookouts, swimming and skiing, long days and nights, and icecream.
I only made it to one baseball game last year but it was a memorable one...Red Sox vs White Sox at Fenway Park. My friend Kevin and I were in Boston for a conference and were able to score some tickets. We sat beside the green monster and I caught a ball that one of the White Sox players threw to me during bp! It was very exciting.
Hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather and looking forward to spring/summer!

Thought for the day

"the arrow of truth should be dipped in honey"

One of my fav work colleagues quotes this often and I think it's absolutely true.

Oorah!!!

I ran a 10k race on Saturday on the Marine Corpse Base in Quantico. My friend Brooke and I left Arlington around six am for the eight am start. Several of my co-workers were running too and it was so fun to run together and then cheer everyone to the finish line.

The Marines organized the race as part of the 'race to register' series. Anyone who runs one of the shorter races in the series is automatically qualified for the marathon in the fall. The Marines are obviously well organized and put on a great race. There was music every couple miles and groups of Marines lining the course.

The first three miles were on pavement, the next two on a trail through the woods. And that's when the fun started. It's been raining here for several days straight and the mud was unbelievable. About a 1/2 mile into the woods everyone split off the trail and were walking up the sides of the trail. The middle of the trail was literally empty so I decided to go for it. I ran on my toes, through the mud, for the next mile and passed literally hundreds of people. It was such a mess.

After the race we went to Crackerbarrel for breakfast and then to the outlet malls on the way home. All in all a great weekend.

Today's Horoscope is just what I needed

Scorpio October 23 - November 21
For Saturday, March 21 -Lately, your healthy ambition has been feeling a bit under the weather -- and this situation must be addressed today. All you need to do is give yourself a small goal to meet before the end of the day. And once you show yourself that you are capable of getting things done, you will awaken that sense of aggressive ambition that is lying dormant inside of you right now. Pick one thing to do -- meet that new cutie, get someone's number, or just get in an hour at the gym.

Erin Go Bragh!

St. Patty's Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. This year my friend Susan and I walked to an Irish bar in falls church after work and had a few pints. I haven't been out on a 'school night' in quite a while and I definitely felt it the next day. It was worth it though - the atmosphere was festive and everyone enjoyed warmer than average temps - especially since we were in tents outside.
I took advantage of the holiday to make an Irish bread from Grandma O'Shea's recipe book. I brought it to work with a stick of butter and both were gone by the end of the day!

finding joy in the little things

A few of my favorite things - all the more valuable in these tough economic times...

-fresh coffee on cold mornings
-crocuses poking through snow
-peanut butter and chocolate
-spring
-trail runs
-thoughts of summer!

Spring?

I think it's a little too early to say that spring is here for good, but we had a nice taste of it today. I went for a long walk this morning, worked out at the gym and will soon head out to Tortilla Coast on capitol hill for a good time with friends and margaritas and maybe some chips and guac...

Last night my good friends Brooke and Jeff came over for dinner. The brought the beer and I supplied the rest. I tried roasted green beans this time and they turned out really well. If anyone wants to try...heat oven to 450 and put a cookie sheet in the oven for about ten minutes to heat up. Toss the beans in a couple teaspoons of olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, then arrange them in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Cook for about 8 minutes. Delish!

snow morning!

We got several inches in the DC area last night and this morning and its gorgeous outside!! We have a two hour delay to report to work so my friend Susan and I took advantage and walked to breakfast and back. It was a good 4 miles in the snow so I'm counting it towards my daily fitness. I'm headed into work for a few hours - hopefully the traffic won't be bad. Enjoy the snow everyone!!!

Georgia on My Mind

I'm home this weekend for a little r & r. It's been a lovely weekend so far. Dad picked me up from the airport in his '57 bird and mom had a great lamb chop dinner waiting for us. Friday I took Kerry for a long walk and enjoyed a manicure with Sarah. Sarah and Tom are at a wedding today in SC but are coming back to GA tomorrow. The weather here has been beautiful - a little sun on my face has worked wonders. I can't even remember Virginia :) I hope everyone has a fun and happy Valentine's Day!

60 and sunny!

what a beautiful day in arlington! I played soccer outside and had to wear sunscreen. It was a busy but fun weekend. Highlights include a whole foods lunch and movie with my friend Heather...trail run with Susan and Kevin...party in Adams Morgan for my friend Aaron who just returned from Afghanistan... and soccer today.
Hope everyone is well!

busy=happy

I am most productive and happy when my time is structured and this weekend has had a great mix of commitments and fun. I had brunch with my friends Tom and Tricia yesterday - they are both from Boston and I love listening to their accents. They have a 5 month old baby named Cavan - very Irish which I love - and we had a great time talking and eating blueberry pancakes. I made an Irish bread for the occasion using Grandma O'Shea's recipe, and it turned out very well! I ran some errands, went to the gym and was somewhat productive cleaning my apt.
This am I had another brunch at my friends Kelly and David's house. I made a cinnamon-raisen bread that also turned out well. They have two little boys who are adoreable. The oldest, Connor, taught us how to be ninja's and shared all of his cool toys.
Tonight I am going to my friends Brooke and Jeff's superbowl gathering. Jeff is an amazing cook - the last time I was there we had bacon-wrapped shrimp, home-made guac, and some other delicacies. I'm looking forward to the spread again this year. I'm bringing cupcakes. Pretty lame but I did a lot of baking this weekend and I'm worn out.
Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Dress for Success

I have a lot of clothes I don't wear anymore for one reason or another. Normally I donate to Good Will but I recently saw an ad for "Dress for Success" (www.dressforsuccess.org), a non-profit that helps disadvantaged women prepare for a career. The have drop-off locations all over the country and I found one near me this morning. I felt good all day knowing that someone somewhere might have more confidence going into a job interview or their first day of work.
I feel like donating is on the short end of contributing to our country and I would like to make more time for volunteer work. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Good Luck, Sarah!

Good luck to Sarah as she takes the GMAT this weekend!

Fabulous Weekend, Part II

On Sunday afternoon we went to Lincoln Center to see South Pacific! It was a great revival of a classic show. The theater was perfect - intimate with a cool retractable stage.
Afterwards my cousin Elise, who just graduated from college and is working in NYC, joined us for drinks and dinner. All in all an awesome weekend and it was hard to get back in the swing this week.
Thankfully I had Tuesday off to relax and watch the Inauguration events. What a day! I am so excited for our country.

Fabulous Weekend, Part 1

I spent this past weekend in NY with my family. The trip was a Christmas gift from my parents and it was one of the best gifts I've ever received! We stayed at the NYAC - my brother-in-law Tom and my dad are members. It is a beautiful building overlooking Central Park and it has great facilities, including an awesome gym, bars, and dining rooms. Sarah and I took full advantage of the gym including the indoor track and weight room.
My aunt Kate and cousin Julie joined us and it was so great to see them both. Julie is getting married in May and I am a bridesmaid! The dresses are pretty and I'm not just saying that because Julie's blog is linked to mine ;)
On Saturday afternoon mom's friend and one of my favorite people, Patsy Lucas, met us for lunch and on Saturday night we met Tom's parents at Keene's steak house for a very memorable meal. For those of you who read my blog you'll note that I have not yet started my month of perfect living...
Stay tuned for part II...

A Month of Near-Perfect Livin'

I read about a woman who experimented with a month of near-perfect living. She studied the food pyramid and followed it closely. She got the recommended 60 minutes of exercise five days a week and 8 hours of sleep a night. She even flossed every night, which apparently was a struggle before... The first few days were tough but she stuck it out and at the end of week one she could see physical and mental changes. And at the end of one month of near-perfect living she was able to eliminate a lot of the artificial fixes - multiple cups of coffee and undereye makeup to cover the dark circles - she relied on so heavily before.
I'm thinking about trying my own experiment. I do well on the exercise part but I definitely don't get eight hours of sleep and I rely a lot on the artificial fixes.
Has anyone tried this type of experiment??

Greetings from Inauguration-ville

This place is crazy! National guardsman running everywhere, free concerts with Beyonce (!) and others at the Lincoln Memorial, and a sense of excitement and hope in the air.
I hope everyone has a chance to watch the festivities!

Finally Saturday

It's been a tough week at work. I'm not sure why...I think a combination of no more Christmas, bad weather, lots to do but no motivation.
I LOVE my job and am usually really excited to go in but this week has been a struggle. I'm hoping the weekend will reinvigorate me and I will go back on Monday with a renewed spirit.
Anyone else have the post-Christmas reluctance?

Two-a-day Jan

I've decided to do two-a-day workouts for the month of January. I've done weeks of two-a-days in the past and I've found its a great way to jump start weightloss and to mix in new forms of cardio. I Now that week one is down, I am going to take one day off this weekend to recover.
One of the challenges this week has been dealing with additional hunger. I was not prepared for it and ended up eating a lot of junk food at the office. This weekend I plan to stock up on fruit and other healthy snacks to bring with me to work so I will have something decent to eat.

Happy New Year!

I have always been anti-new year's eve. I'm not sure why...maybe because its such a buildup or because the emphasis is on drinking or on having a date. But even when I've had dates the new year's eve celebration isn't too much fun. This year I turned down party invites with the intention of staying home and preparing for the bedhead brunch I planned to host on new year's day. I love what NYday has to offer...the clean slate, the promise that every new year brings.

Anyway, long story short, I ended up having a great NYeve. My friend Susan came over to help me prepare for the brunch and we spent the evening eating grilled pb and j's (they are really good!) and having a few drinks - jack daniels in honor of my dad.

Susan makes a 'napkin list' every year of goals, resolutions, or random thoughts about the year ahead. This year we each made a 'happiness list' of things that always make us happy - images, etc. that each of us can call on in times of sorrow to remind us of all we have to be thankful for.

I'm thankful for my family, my sister Sarah (and Kerry!) and brothers James and Tom, for my parents, for my good friends, for my colleagues, for my faith, for all that gives me inspiration, for all that keeps me stable, and for all the promise of the coming year.
Happy New Year everyone!!