a very merry faux birthday
June 29th, 2009 @ 7:59 pm | life | Comments (9)My real birthday last week was nice, and made better by all the lovely wishes from the internets, gifts from friends from afar (new coffee maker!), being treated to lunch at my favorite lunch spot in DC by my sister-in-law, and being taken out for drinks (too many!) by my coworkers, but there’s still something about going to the office on your birthday that kind of sucks, don’t you agree?
Which is why the husband and I celebrated my faux birthday on Saturday, possibly the most divine day of the year (weather-wise) in DC.
We started the day by sleeping in, a Saturday necessity. Then we hit the golf course for my very first time ever playing nine holes of golf. Me learning golf is more like a gift to my husband, because he loves it a lot, but it’s also a gift for me because it means we can spend more time together on the weekends. (It’s not like he was ever going to pick up a hobby like sewing or baking; if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em; etc.)
He found me a nice set of (cheap!) used clubs on craigslist, and I managed to shoot somewhere around double par. Also known as, the maximum score allowed by the rules. But out of nine holes I think there were one or two double bogeys in there, so perhaps there is still hope for my future LPGA career?
We followed up four hours in the golfing sun with….three hours laying at the pool with my DC-BFF. She and I have a good arrangement going where she comes over for Sunday dinner and I go over for Saturday pool time. At least, this is my plan for the rest of the summer because it was so fabulous.
Once we were sufficiently toasted, we came home to get prettied up and the husband and I went to our favorite restaurant for celebrating semi-special occasions (like faux-birthdays), Montmartre. Absolutely delicious French food - I almost felt like I was back in Paris, except that the waiter came to the table more than 1.5 times! This particular restaurant doesn’t post their often-changing menu online, so I wasn’t sure what the night’s offerings would be, but on the way there I told Andrew, “Tonight I would like nothing more to eat than fresh gazpacho, scallops, and something chocolate for dessert.” And whaddyaknow, that is exactly what I had! I was so happy to see those items on the menu; it was as if they read my mind.
All in all, I feel pretty darn spoiled (as always), and, as much as I shun birthday attention, it always feels nice to be loved and cared for on your birthday.
Next task: Thank you notes!
post-vacation reality
June 23rd, 2009 @ 8:10 pm | life, travel | Comments (20)I had high hopes for coming back from vacation and showing you all the pics and telling the fun stories, but I got distracted by how quickly the stress of real life came rushing back in. I started feeling sick with a cold way back in Akron at the very beginning of our trip, and even now, 2.5 weeks later, I am still having sinus issues. (I can’t hear out of my left ear, which means I can’t hear you yelling at me to go to the damn doctor already, jeez!) So I wasn’t feeling great, plus the jet lag, plus I think I have a broken bone in my foot, and then my internet connection went all wonky, so yeah, it’s been quite a week! But I have finally finished uploading photos.
Yes, photos from Sardinia and Paris are here!
I think the photos pretty much tell the story. In Sardinia we were in the middle of nowhere. We had a little villa up in the hills, and almost every day we would wake up late, make a big breakfast, hop in the car to go explore a beach, lay out til we were fried, then come home and make a big dinner. We only went out for two meals all week! (Oh, but we ate a lot of gelato. At least once per day.) It was fun to make pizza and pasta, and indulge on local cheeses and wine.
The beaches were stunning. The landscape was dry and rugged, and the ocean met up with either cliffs or white sandy beaches. There must have been dozens of beaches and we only saw a fraction of them, but we were pretty sure we found the best one on the southern coast.
There was no cell service, no television, no Americans, no computers, and only an intermittent Blackberry data signal. It was so nice to just shut off.
We left Italy very well rested and a few notches more tan (freckled) and made our way to Paris for just two nights and a day. We picnicked under the Eiffel tower, took a tour down the river Seine, walked around the Notre Dame cathedral….and went to the military history museum? Yes, I am the Best Wife Ever. We also ate croissants and croque monsieurs and wished vacation would never end!
But alas, we are home, where the cats shed and the laundry piles and alarm clock buzzes. Life moves on, and soon I will begin plotting our next vacation…
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I feel a bit odd announcing this, but I always hate it when people keep their birthdays a secret, so when you find out at the very end of the day or when the day has already passed, you feel terribly guilty for not knowing and therefore not wishing them a happy birthday the first 17 times you saw them that day, so I will just tell you now that my birthday is tomorrow (Wednesday)! I anticipate getting lots of Facebook wall posts, having lunch with my sister-in-law, and prying my husband away from his office to hang out with me in the evening. Oh, and instead of cake at my obligatory office celebration, I requested vodka. Nope, not even kidding. I’ll let you know if they indulge me! Happy very boring 28th birthday to meeeeee!
home bittersweet home
June 16th, 2009 @ 7:18 pm | travel | Comments (15)We are back from an ahhhhhhhhhhhhmazing vacation. Emphasis on the relaxing ahhhhhhhhhhhh. I kept a journal every day, the old fashioned kind with pen and paper since I don’t think the internet has arrived in Sardinia, and I’m planning to share photos and stories with you in upcoming posts. But for now, my brain and my body think it’s 4AM and I am about to pass out. And I have to somehow function at work tomorrow! Yikes.
Until I have the mental capacity to post more, here are just a few snapshots of the week. I’ve missed you all - please fill me in on what happened in your worlds while I way away.
love & hate, european vacation edition
June 4th, 2009 @ 9:41 pm | love & hate | Comments (18)love: No working, or checking work email, or even thinking about work, until June 17th.
hate: Imagining just how many zillions of emails will need to be dealt with on June 17th. But blocking that thought out for now.
love: Going to one of my best girlfriend’s wedding this weekend. Yep, this wedding.
hate: A 7:00 AM flight the morning after her wedding. Ouch.
love: Have I mentioned I’m just a teeny, weeny, little bit excited for this wedding? Okay, more like thrilled.
hate: I haven’t shaved my legs in a long time and need to remedy that if I’m going to wear sundresses and swimsuits for the next 10 days.
love: Our house will be in good hands while we’re gone. A friend/coworker is staying here, as opposed to just having a neighbor pop in a few times a day.
hate: I’ll probably miss my cats. How lame is that?
love: On Monday evening I will be in Sardinia, Italy.
hate: It will take from Sunday 7:00 AM until Monday 5:30 PM to get there, and we will pass through six airports to do it. Double ouch if I’m hungover.
love: No internet connectivity while we’re away!
hate: Hope I don’t miss any groundbreaking news. Like Speidi spawning children or something. Nevermind, I wouldn’t want my vacation tarnished with information like that.
love: My lovely mom gave me Euros for my birthday (which is later this month) and ordered me to buy something fun in Europe! My wishlist: lovely art prints, a wallet, and possibly something in the jewelry category.
hate: I won’t be able to call my mom every single morning like I do now.
love: Finally beginning this amazing Ohio/Euro adventure vacation with my sweet husband and friends.
hate: I will miss reading all your blogs, comments, and emails for awhile. But I’ll be thinking of you and writing down (in a pen and paper journal) some good stories. And taking lots of photos, too.
Ciao for now, my darlings!
five years
May 27th, 2009 @ 8:06 pm | life | Comments (19)Holy crap. I just looked at the date and realized that one year ago today was the last day of my old job. And oddly enough, five years ago today was my first day at that same job. (Random coincidence; it would be impossible to plan such things.) My first day at that job was also the first day I officially lived in Washington, DC.
When we first moved here, I wanted to be on a “five year plan” to be gone again. I’ve always wanted to move back to Denver. Now I seem both more solidly here (own a house) and yet even more ready to move away. Maybe in a few more years.
Amazing how much can change in five years. Officially moved in together. Got a kitten. First real adult job. Andrew had several jobs (the joys of campaign life) and finally found a “career.” We got engaged, then married. Bought a house. Wrecked our new car. I got a new job. I’ve been there almost a year now.
So yes, I’m being cheesy and nostalgic. It makes me realize that we can accomplish A LOT in another five years. Maybe babies, maybe moving to Colorado. Maybe FIVE trips to Italy. (Okay, maybe not. Likely not.) All I can ask is to be happy and healthy, in love with my husband, and close to family and friends.
How much has your life changed since May 27, 2004?
