Well, I'm happy to say I have mostly survived my first winter! Sure, it was the most mild winter DC has had in a while, but it's definitely been worse than Florida. Now, I'm getting in the mindset for spring...and with spring comes cherry blossoms...and with cherry blossoms comes visitors! I hope! (hint hint)
I first noticed that spring was right around the corner yesterday when I was driving and this girl walking on the sidewalk caught my eye - she wasn't dressed all black or grey! She had on a blue skirt, white shirt and red jacket...and flip flops! This made me very excited since I haven't seen anybody wearing any color in months (except of course when I came home for the holidays - when I landed in the Jacksonville airport I looked like a goth with my new "all black" attire and everyone dressed in pink and purple gave me the creepy eye).
But anyway, back to my point, we've had such a mild winter that they think the cherry blossoms will be blooming in just a few weeks! They've predicted the peak bloom time to be 3/24-3/31. So here's your official invite to come visit me at the end of March or in April! :)
Friday, March 9, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
How much is a free drink worth?
So, as some of you know, lately I've been expanding my dating adventures. I went into this thinking...well, if nothing else, it's a free drink, right? But now, after a few dates with a few random guys, I'm starting to wonder, how much is a free drink worth?
Now, don't get me wrong. All of these guys have been interesting in their own ways. But you all know how easily I can eliminate a guy, and DC has not taken that out of me. Here are just a few snippets:
One guy told me about how his mom is dying for him to have kids so she has some "normal" grandkids because his brother has some redneck kids from a variety of different women...none of whom he's actually dating or married to at this point.
Another guy told me that he goes straight home after work to play video games and then he stays up until about 2 am playing. And he couldn't believe that his roommate had the audacity to give him a hard time about it and make fun of him for never working out. By the way, he's a US Marshal...scary to think I could probably out run him, right?
And my all-time favorite - I had a guy tell me that even though he's short, he'd be willing to wear "shape ups" to get a little taller if I prefer taller guys.
So, here's what I've learned: If by 30 minutes into the date, I'd rather be cleaning my condo and eating sour patch kids than hanging out with him, it's not worth the free drink.
Now, don't get me wrong. All of these guys have been interesting in their own ways. But you all know how easily I can eliminate a guy, and DC has not taken that out of me. Here are just a few snippets:
One guy told me about how his mom is dying for him to have kids so she has some "normal" grandkids because his brother has some redneck kids from a variety of different women...none of whom he's actually dating or married to at this point.
Another guy told me that he goes straight home after work to play video games and then he stays up until about 2 am playing. And he couldn't believe that his roommate had the audacity to give him a hard time about it and make fun of him for never working out. By the way, he's a US Marshal...scary to think I could probably out run him, right?
And my all-time favorite - I had a guy tell me that even though he's short, he'd be willing to wear "shape ups" to get a little taller if I prefer taller guys.
So, here's what I've learned: If by 30 minutes into the date, I'd rather be cleaning my condo and eating sour patch kids than hanging out with him, it's not worth the free drink.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Becoming a Washingtonian?
So, as the winter continues on, I've been thinking that I might be turning into a Washingtonian. Now, I knew if I stayed here for a while, this would probably happen eventually. But I never knew it would happen THIS quickly. Here are a few signs:
1. A few nights ago, I went over to a friend's house and it was 47 degrees out. I determined that this was "warm enough" to justify going in flip flops and a sweatshirt. No jacket needed for this warm winter night! Now, let me remind you that the first week that I moved here in August, it was in the low 70s in the evenings and I was covered in goosebumps!
2. I'm in the middle of doing laundry. I used to divide my laundry by colors and whites. I now separate it by blacks and whites. I blame the girl who made fun of my pink umbrella for completely traumatizing me into wearing only black.
3. Last week it was in the 60s and sunny, and I raved about how warm and beautiful the weather was outside. In Florida, 60s would have completely justified Uggs.
4. I complain about waiting for metro if the time for the next train is over 3 minutes. When I first moved here, I couldn't understand why people cared if you had to wait 10 to 15 minutes for a train. I'm now THAT person.
5. I LOVE brunch and happy hour. These are 2 of my favorite things about turning into a Washingtonian. At least if I have to be grumpy over the metro and look depressed in my all black outfits, at least I can drink mimosas and eat french toast on a Sunday afternoon with 90% of the other people in this city. Who by the way, are also dressed in all black and completely grumpy!
1. A few nights ago, I went over to a friend's house and it was 47 degrees out. I determined that this was "warm enough" to justify going in flip flops and a sweatshirt. No jacket needed for this warm winter night! Now, let me remind you that the first week that I moved here in August, it was in the low 70s in the evenings and I was covered in goosebumps!
2. I'm in the middle of doing laundry. I used to divide my laundry by colors and whites. I now separate it by blacks and whites. I blame the girl who made fun of my pink umbrella for completely traumatizing me into wearing only black.
3. Last week it was in the 60s and sunny, and I raved about how warm and beautiful the weather was outside. In Florida, 60s would have completely justified Uggs.
4. I complain about waiting for metro if the time for the next train is over 3 minutes. When I first moved here, I couldn't understand why people cared if you had to wait 10 to 15 minutes for a train. I'm now THAT person.
5. I LOVE brunch and happy hour. These are 2 of my favorite things about turning into a Washingtonian. At least if I have to be grumpy over the metro and look depressed in my all black outfits, at least I can drink mimosas and eat french toast on a Sunday afternoon with 90% of the other people in this city. Who by the way, are also dressed in all black and completely grumpy!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
362 Days of Flossing to Go
So, I'm starting to regret complaining last month when the high was 60. This morning, I woke up and headed to the gym to find out it was 17 degrees out, and it felt like 8 degrees with the wind chill. I'm pretty certain that's officially the coldest temperature my body has ever been in! So, as the day went on, I though...maybe instead of working out and getting fit, I should plump up with some fat for protection. So, on came the cookies. Surprisingly though, I'm still doing better with sweets than I was during the end of 2011. So, all in all, 2012 is still a success...so far! :)
Speaking of, I really like new years resolutions. I like getting a fresh start (even if I end up completely forgetting what my resolutions are later). But for now, here's what I've come up with:
1. Floss every day. I've always been a really good flosser, but I definitely skipped a few days here and there. So, here's to 366 days of flossing.
2. Take my vitamins every day. Geez, I'm feeling old that these are my first two resolutions. But seriously, I realized how many days of vitamins I skipped when I went to take my vitamin on January 1st and realized that my vitamins expired in 2011 (This worried me not only because of my bad vitamin taking habits, but it also made me feel a bit like I was becoming my mom...the list of expired things that she's tried to put into my mouth would frighten child services....even though I'm 28.)
3. Work out six days per week. This actually has been somewhat easy recently (although it is only 4 days into the new year). I FINALLY found a new hot yoga studio. It's definitely not Blue Moon, but I knew I would never find anything that great. But for DC, this one is pretty cool. So between that and Body Pumping and Spinning at Gold's, I'm hoping this resolution will stick.
4. Focus more on the people and things that matter, and less on the ones that don't. This will be the toughest one, because I really take things to heart and tend to put too much focus on how my friends and people around me are feeling. This year, I'm being selfish, and whatever effort I have leftover for anybody or anything else is going to the people and things that really matter. As for the rest, I'm leaving it (and them) behind in 2011.
Well, I'm off to floss...
Speaking of, I really like new years resolutions. I like getting a fresh start (even if I end up completely forgetting what my resolutions are later). But for now, here's what I've come up with:
1. Floss every day. I've always been a really good flosser, but I definitely skipped a few days here and there. So, here's to 366 days of flossing.
2. Take my vitamins every day. Geez, I'm feeling old that these are my first two resolutions. But seriously, I realized how many days of vitamins I skipped when I went to take my vitamin on January 1st and realized that my vitamins expired in 2011 (This worried me not only because of my bad vitamin taking habits, but it also made me feel a bit like I was becoming my mom...the list of expired things that she's tried to put into my mouth would frighten child services....even though I'm 28.)
3. Work out six days per week. This actually has been somewhat easy recently (although it is only 4 days into the new year). I FINALLY found a new hot yoga studio. It's definitely not Blue Moon, but I knew I would never find anything that great. But for DC, this one is pretty cool. So between that and Body Pumping and Spinning at Gold's, I'm hoping this resolution will stick.
4. Focus more on the people and things that matter, and less on the ones that don't. This will be the toughest one, because I really take things to heart and tend to put too much focus on how my friends and people around me are feeling. This year, I'm being selfish, and whatever effort I have leftover for anybody or anything else is going to the people and things that really matter. As for the rest, I'm leaving it (and them) behind in 2011.
Well, I'm off to floss...
Friday, December 23, 2011
Christmas in the City
So, with the new year right around the corner, I've been thinking about resolutions. And keeping up with this blog is one of them! :) My other resolution is to seriously cut back on sweets. When I came home for Thanksgiving, I think I had gained a solid 7 pounds. When you're this short, 7 pounds is no small thing. So, I thought, gosh, let me get back to normal by Christmas. That was until I realized how many delicious holiday things go on in this City! So, I threw in the towel and ate so many sweets that I haven't had an actual meal since Thanksgiving dinner and I'm now wearing yoga pants because they're the only pants that fit anymore. Black yoga pants somewhat pass as black dress pants. Or maybe my boss just feels so bad for my extensive weight gain because he force feeds me cookies, that he just ignores the fact that I basically wear sweats to work. (Yes, I'm exaggerating. I'm still wearing normal clothes to work. But it's not comfortable to sit at a desk all day in those bad boys.)
In addition to eating tons of cookies and candy, I've been learning how to live in the cold. For starters, people here buy humidifiers. I'm sorry, but I've been raised to HATE humidity and all that it does to us Floridians in the summer - from making us sweat in our work clothes at 7 am to frizzing our hair in less than 2.5 seconds after we walk out the door...when we just spent 30 minutes straightening it! But anyway, I gave in and bought a humidifier. I held out as long as I could, but once the skin on my face started to feel like it was being burned off with a blow torch because it was so dry, I finally conceded. Maybe humidity isn't such a bad thing after all.
The cold weather really isn't all that bad...so far. I think I might be singing a different tune come February or March when you're all at the beach and I'm still bundled in a marshmallow suit. But for now, the cold weather really has me in the Christmas mood. A couple of weekends ago, a group of us went into the city, grabbed some hot chocolate and went to see the National Christmas tree. The tree is terrible - if you've seen my pictures on Facebook, you know exactly what I'm talking about. But there's still something really special about seeing our nation's tree and having the White House in the background from one angle, or the Washington Monument in the background from another angle. It was one of those moments that made me stop and just really appreciate being here in that moment, with those people (obviously it would be better with all of you, but they're about as good of stand-ins as I could ask for). On our way in, we stopped in the Willard downtown. There's a lot of history stemming from that hotel - it's actually where the word "lobbying" came from because people would go wait in the lobby of the hotel to talk to the politicians about their causes. But anyway, the inside of the Willard is spectacular on any normal day, and at Christmas time it just becomes so much better. The tree inside the Willard is actually better than the national tree...not that it's hard to beat though. I'm pretty sure my tree is also better than the national tree. But anyway, when we stopped in there, we stumbled upon a group of carolers. It was another one of those moments that just made me thankful to be standing there at that very moment.
So anyway, enough mush for now. I fly home tomorrow and I can't wait to see everybody this week. I love DC, but I'm definitely more than ready for a dose of home. But for now, Merry Christmas.
In addition to eating tons of cookies and candy, I've been learning how to live in the cold. For starters, people here buy humidifiers. I'm sorry, but I've been raised to HATE humidity and all that it does to us Floridians in the summer - from making us sweat in our work clothes at 7 am to frizzing our hair in less than 2.5 seconds after we walk out the door...when we just spent 30 minutes straightening it! But anyway, I gave in and bought a humidifier. I held out as long as I could, but once the skin on my face started to feel like it was being burned off with a blow torch because it was so dry, I finally conceded. Maybe humidity isn't such a bad thing after all.
The cold weather really isn't all that bad...so far. I think I might be singing a different tune come February or March when you're all at the beach and I'm still bundled in a marshmallow suit. But for now, the cold weather really has me in the Christmas mood. A couple of weekends ago, a group of us went into the city, grabbed some hot chocolate and went to see the National Christmas tree. The tree is terrible - if you've seen my pictures on Facebook, you know exactly what I'm talking about. But there's still something really special about seeing our nation's tree and having the White House in the background from one angle, or the Washington Monument in the background from another angle. It was one of those moments that made me stop and just really appreciate being here in that moment, with those people (obviously it would be better with all of you, but they're about as good of stand-ins as I could ask for). On our way in, we stopped in the Willard downtown. There's a lot of history stemming from that hotel - it's actually where the word "lobbying" came from because people would go wait in the lobby of the hotel to talk to the politicians about their causes. But anyway, the inside of the Willard is spectacular on any normal day, and at Christmas time it just becomes so much better. The tree inside the Willard is actually better than the national tree...not that it's hard to beat though. I'm pretty sure my tree is also better than the national tree. But anyway, when we stopped in there, we stumbled upon a group of carolers. It was another one of those moments that just made me thankful to be standing there at that very moment.
So anyway, enough mush for now. I fly home tomorrow and I can't wait to see everybody this week. I love DC, but I'm definitely more than ready for a dose of home. But for now, Merry Christmas.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Fall Festivities!
Okay, yes...I know, I fell behind in blogging! That's because fall is amazing here and I've been trying to get outside as much as I can before...well, some thing they talk of here called "snow." So, here's a little update of the past month! :)
I had my first official visitors! Amy and Jen came to visit for a long girls weekend! We had such a good time - probably because it mostly involved food! We had the BEST Italian dinner, a rooftop sushi night, and cupcakes (of course). We also got to do some sightseeing - museums, the national archives, the supreme court. The coolest part was probably when we went for drinks at POV...okay, a drink at POV (they're $16 per drink). POV is a rooftop bar on top of the W hotel and it has the most amazing views of all of the monuments, which are lit up at nighttime.
Kickball is also going really well! Our team is undefeated - probably thanks to the skills of Anne and myself (obviously a joke). It's getting cold though, and now it gets dark so early, so we'll see how much fun kickball is by the end of the season! Our team is not so great at flip cup though - people who went to schools up here just don't have the same skills that we all picked up at FSU, UF and USF! I'm not sure if I'm bragging about that, or embarrassed! :)
I've also been taking advantage of some of the "fall" weather activities that DC/NoVa have to offer! Anne, Justin and I went to Taste of DC - they closed down part of Pennsylvania Avenue and set up all kinds of food, beer and wine tents. I was a litte disappointed in how fast I got full! I really wanted to try everything - they had over 60 restaurants and all kinds of wineries there. One of the wineries had a sparkling pinot grigio! Crazy delicious!! If you see a bottle of that, I definitely recommend picking one up!
Two weeks ago, I went up to Great Falls area to do a hike! It was spectacular! It didn't take us very long to get there - maybe 30 minutes - but you would never know that such great hiking was so close when you're in the city. The hike we did was called "Billy Goat Trail" and it went up along the Potomac. There are all kinds of streams to cross and rocks to climb. It definitely made me realize how much I love to hike. In a couple of weeks, we're going to hike a trail called "Old Rag" out in Shenandoah. It's supposed to be about 10 miles and pretty intense. If I survive it, I'll post pictures!
Anyway, I'll try to write more regularly so I can give you more juicy details instead of the main topics.
Next up - Pumpkin patch, apple picking, and wine tasting in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania! Then, we'll be home to carve our pumpkins while we drink some pumpkin ale! And, I'll give you another "men" update! I have lots to say on that subject! Love and miss you all!!
I had my first official visitors! Amy and Jen came to visit for a long girls weekend! We had such a good time - probably because it mostly involved food! We had the BEST Italian dinner, a rooftop sushi night, and cupcakes (of course). We also got to do some sightseeing - museums, the national archives, the supreme court. The coolest part was probably when we went for drinks at POV...okay, a drink at POV (they're $16 per drink). POV is a rooftop bar on top of the W hotel and it has the most amazing views of all of the monuments, which are lit up at nighttime.
Kickball is also going really well! Our team is undefeated - probably thanks to the skills of Anne and myself (obviously a joke). It's getting cold though, and now it gets dark so early, so we'll see how much fun kickball is by the end of the season! Our team is not so great at flip cup though - people who went to schools up here just don't have the same skills that we all picked up at FSU, UF and USF! I'm not sure if I'm bragging about that, or embarrassed! :)
I've also been taking advantage of some of the "fall" weather activities that DC/NoVa have to offer! Anne, Justin and I went to Taste of DC - they closed down part of Pennsylvania Avenue and set up all kinds of food, beer and wine tents. I was a litte disappointed in how fast I got full! I really wanted to try everything - they had over 60 restaurants and all kinds of wineries there. One of the wineries had a sparkling pinot grigio! Crazy delicious!! If you see a bottle of that, I definitely recommend picking one up!
Two weeks ago, I went up to Great Falls area to do a hike! It was spectacular! It didn't take us very long to get there - maybe 30 minutes - but you would never know that such great hiking was so close when you're in the city. The hike we did was called "Billy Goat Trail" and it went up along the Potomac. There are all kinds of streams to cross and rocks to climb. It definitely made me realize how much I love to hike. In a couple of weeks, we're going to hike a trail called "Old Rag" out in Shenandoah. It's supposed to be about 10 miles and pretty intense. If I survive it, I'll post pictures!
Anyway, I'll try to write more regularly so I can give you more juicy details instead of the main topics.
Next up - Pumpkin patch, apple picking, and wine tasting in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania! Then, we'll be home to carve our pumpkins while we drink some pumpkin ale! And, I'll give you another "men" update! I have lots to say on that subject! Love and miss you all!!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Burgerpalooza!
So I'll start this post by apologizing to my vegan and vegetarian friends!
This past weekend, Anne and I decided we would organize Burgerpalooza! Basically, we got together with Justin and a few new friends and went around to some of the places that were supposed to have the best burgers in Arlington. We went to Elevation, Ray's Hell Burger, BGR, and brgr:shack. NFL slowed us down! At the first 3 places we got one mega burger and split it between the six of us, and at the last place we split a few different burgers! We all agreed that Elevation was out, but everybody had different favorites between the others.
Ray's Hell had HUGE burgers! This is the place that the President loves - he's gone there with VP Biden and he also took Russian President Dmitry Medvedev there! It's nothing fancy - you just order the burger at the counter and then sit down - somewhat of a hole-in-the-wall place, but so delicious!
BGR is right near my condo and it was spectacular....EXCEPT, it was a little too "juicy" if you know what I mean. The minute we cut into it, it looked a little scary! The meat was cooked, but there was just way too much juice for my liking.
brgr:shack was my favorite! We had all different kinds of burgers here! Justin had the yum:brgr - organic spring mix, tomato, avocado, brie, and wasabi sauce! So good! Anne and I split the m:brgr - the standard cheeseburger with special "shack island sauce." The last one we tried was the fancy:zola - lettuce, tomato, bacon, Gruyere cheese, shackberry sauce, and a full salad on a pumpernickel bun! Wowzer!
Pictures to follow! :)
Everyone loved it though and we had a blast so we've decided to start doing this with all kinds of foods! Up next - TACO TOUR! :)
This past weekend, Anne and I decided we would organize Burgerpalooza! Basically, we got together with Justin and a few new friends and went around to some of the places that were supposed to have the best burgers in Arlington. We went to Elevation, Ray's Hell Burger, BGR, and brgr:shack. NFL slowed us down! At the first 3 places we got one mega burger and split it between the six of us, and at the last place we split a few different burgers! We all agreed that Elevation was out, but everybody had different favorites between the others.
Ray's Hell had HUGE burgers! This is the place that the President loves - he's gone there with VP Biden and he also took Russian President Dmitry Medvedev there! It's nothing fancy - you just order the burger at the counter and then sit down - somewhat of a hole-in-the-wall place, but so delicious!
BGR is right near my condo and it was spectacular....EXCEPT, it was a little too "juicy" if you know what I mean. The minute we cut into it, it looked a little scary! The meat was cooked, but there was just way too much juice for my liking.
brgr:shack was my favorite! We had all different kinds of burgers here! Justin had the yum:brgr - organic spring mix, tomato, avocado, brie, and wasabi sauce! So good! Anne and I split the m:brgr - the standard cheeseburger with special "shack island sauce." The last one we tried was the fancy:zola - lettuce, tomato, bacon, Gruyere cheese, shackberry sauce, and a full salad on a pumpernickel bun! Wowzer!
Pictures to follow! :)
Everyone loved it though and we had a blast so we've decided to start doing this with all kinds of foods! Up next - TACO TOUR! :)
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