Mom!!

Mom, I can't thank you enough for the dedication, generosity, endless kindnesses and love you have shown us. For over 30 years you have unselfishly given your time, energy and love to help us become the people we are today. You and dad are tremendous role models and I'm so thankful for you both.

Snow Again!

James arrived just ahead of 'Snowmaggedon' and 'Blizzard 2010' that hit Northern VA last week. The first storm began Friday and dumped two feet of snow (30 inches in Baltimore!) here. The storm waned on Sunday but the roads, etc. were a disaster. James and I had a touch of cabin fever and had to get out everyday, at least for walks through the drifts. Thankfully there are a few restaurants nearby and most, if open, were filled with the festive "we are in this together" feeling.

The second storm hit on Tues and lasted until Wed. night. It was a true blizzard - we probably got 8-12 inches but it was hard to say because of the wind and drifts.

The Feds were closed Mon-Thurs and a two hour delay on Friday. By Friday I was most anxious to get out and back to work.

Again Snow

Seems like I only have time to blog when its snowing out. We are having a beautiful snowfall today and I'm enjoying the time inside.
Plan is to prepare my apt. for my brother's arrival - Feb 4!!! - and then have some dinner and maybe a movie with the bf

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. ;)