Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Movement!

Yeah, yeah, yeah... it's been awhile. Hi!

Nothing spectacular going on. Work. Home. Gym (yea!). Food. Softball. Sleep. My Mummy came to visit a couple weeks back and had a great time shopping, and shopping and just hanging out :) I did acquire a couple new pieces of art - early birthday presents!! First up is this:
Mom and I were both drawn to it and it had to be mine :) It hangs in my living room by my tv. It took a bit but we finally decided that hanging it vertically and a bit askew was best.

Next came this lovely lady:



She's green and awesome. I wonder what her story is...




She'll hang in my bedroom eventually but I still need some hardware.

Hmm... Not much going on these days. I've been a severe slacker at the gym - even the staff have noticed my slackertude and vocalized. I'm not sure how I feel about that... So I'm trying to fix that :) I also had it in my mind that I wanted to run a 10k. Why? Because I've already done 5Ks and half marathons seem just out of reach at the moment. So, a 10k it is. I still haven't picked a date and my actual train has been side tracked by some untimely shin splints... but I'm determined to get there. One thing for sure, I'll be running outside (weather be damned) because treadmills will steal your soul. I'm serious.

Anywho... I'm done for the evening and too bed pretty soon. Night, night kiddies.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

<3 Natural Looking Got Is

I know, I know... way over due and I don't have pictures yet. Hey, I've been busy. Let me begin:

Best. Weekend. Ever. Granted it was a long weekend and that seemed to help a bit, but everything else about the weekend didn't hurt either. I left Raleigh Thursday afternoon - my flight was at 1pm but I'm one of those freakish people who HAS to be at the airport 2 hours before my flight so this will immediately throw me into a reverse calculation frenzy! Flight is at 1, therefore I must be at the airport by 11, but I have to to stop at the drug store to pick up a couple last minute things and I'm parking at the Park and Ride and have to take the shuttle in... so I have to leave my apartment by 10, right? Right. Wake at 8, putter, shower, caffeinate, throw last minute things in my bag (that I won't need) and I'm out the door at 9:45. Why? Because I'm a psycho.

The shuttle was no problem, check-in and security, a breeze. I'm at the gate and reading by 11:05 and that includes a stop at a kiosk to browse jewelry and a dip into a shop to buy hair clips (4 for $4 - yikes). Sigh. Read, eat lunch, 2 trips to the loo ('cause apparently I'm 6), a gate change (all 50 yards) and I'm safe on the plane sitting in a row all to myself and so content. 2 hours later I'm on the ground and my new adventure begins. I have to traverse the Boston Mass Transit to get to the hotel... grab the #22 shuttle to the blue line to the Bowdoin stop and then a small walk along the brick sidewalks with rolling luggage to the hotel - where Eron is. He beat me there by about 30 minutes. Starving, we grab a quick bite and a beer at the tapas bar in the hotel and decide what to do about a real dinner and where we can catch at least some of the Red Sox game. We head to a local bar - why not get a little local color? but the bar turned the Sox game to the Pat's game so we went back to the hotel and watched from the comfort of our room.

After a rather uncomfortable night (I had a not so fun stomach bug), we rose with the late chickens headed to Dunkin Donuts for some coffee and breakfast (Egg White Turkey Sausage Flatbread = yummy). From there we got slightly lost heading to the Science Museum... where we wandered, played, tried to avoid as many children as humanly possible and washed our hands several times :) We headed back to the hotel and changed for the game and then headed to for a late lunch and to wander the Boston Common and nearby public gardens. By this point I had HUGE blisters from my super cute new shoes but I had to trudge on... We had to be at Fenway 2 hours before the game. Duh! The game was a bit of a bust - but fun - our neighbors in the stands were entertaining, including the (somewhat) annoying Yankee fans behind us. We had a small detour on the T on the way back to the hotel but we made it back safe and sound.

Saturday we were up less early and walked to Mike's Pastry which came recommended by randoms on the interwebs and a friend who who insisted we go daily and eat cannoli. We didn't go daily (thankfully) but the cannoli were AMAZING! As was everything else we tried. Afterward we headed to Fenway - again, two hours early. Eron had his camera this time and went off to get some pictures of batting practice. I stayed in our seat and got in some quality people watching. Eron's mom and brother joined us a wee bit later and we settled in to watch the Sox win!

Sunday was the day of "Best I Ever..." Starting with breakfast -at Upstairs on the Square in Cambridge, where Eron had the best eggs benedict he's ever had and I had the best french toast... Mmmm.... Then, I purchase the best $4 pair of flip-flops at CVS. Seriously, my feet and legs would have ganged up on me if I had stayed in heels all day! We took the T to the Art museum which was amazing. We spent all afternoon wandering and had our fill of Picasso, Renoir, Monet, Manet, Whistler, van Gogh, Cézanne... okay, I can't list them all. The museum was followed by the best sushi we've ever had. It might have been that because we were in a new place that we were forced to order new and different rolls, or that the fish really was fresher (more fresh?) then what we're used to... either way, delicious.

Monday (I swear, I'm almost finished with this novel) was short. Breakfast (read: cannoli) and coffee at Mike'e Pastries and a walk down to Quency Market, Fanueil Hall, the aquariam and then back to the hotel to pick up our bags and head to the airport (2 hours early... duh!). Thankfully our flight back to RDU was uneventful, although late, we made it back in time to grab dinner and celebratory beers with the softball team (they won without us) at Sunset.

That's it... all I got... I'm back in the real world and planning my escape back to Boston. I'd LOVE to live there one day. Meh, only time will tell.

Friday, July 31, 2009

When All Else Fails

Bah, it's been a crummy week. My friends, Jonel and Julie, were involved in a horrific accident over the weekend. Julie, who always had a smile on her face when I saw her, died Saturday night - I didn't know her all that well, but well enough to know that she leaves behind a tremendous void. Jonel remains hospitalized in critical condition with severe head trauma and in an induced coma - always a trooper, I have all the faith in the world that she'll pull through. Please keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers.


Julie & Jonel

Friends have set up a fund to help with Jonel's medical bills - The Jonel Fund through Suntrust Mortgage. If you can find it in your heart to help- please do, if not - no worries. Thoughts, prayers, and good vibes are readily accepted. I just wanted to get it out there.

Remember, when all else fails - CARE BEAR!




Update: Jonel's family made a very difficult decision today to take their girl off support. My heart breaks for their loss. Crap...

You can also make a donation in Jonel's name to The Beacon House - the hospitality house where Jonel's family stayed.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

I Want to Laugh Too

What a great weekend! Starting on Thursday actually with some Shiki sushi and Harry Potter 6. Awesomeness. I took Friday morning off to enjoy some coffee on my couch and a little sanity :) Friday night was another kind of sanity with a girls night in... and then out...

Saturday was a little low key with 3 separate trips to a grocery store. Kroger for some ingredients for the gazpacho - made with the tomatoes and cucumbers from our garden. Yummy! While that was resting we made a run to Costco for some other essentials for the grilling adventure we were going to have later - fresh ground hamburgers!! The third and final trip was to Harris Teeter for the required lamb shoulder.


Glamor shots of the tomatoes before


All chopped and ready to be pureed


Finished product - MMM gazpacho


Chuck, sirloin and lamb


Freshly ground goodness


Almost ready!!


Perfection! Cheddar, burger, little guac, little mayo. Heaven on a bun!

I spent Sunday cleaning and doing laundry. I made a quick trip to the gym and then on to Home Goods where I finally found chairs for my kitchen table that I was willing to pay for. To Paint or not to paint? Paint. Silver like the ones that failed so miserably? Or multiple colors - pink, orange, green and yellow. Keep in mind that my table is blue.

I also found a Chinese guardian lion/Fu lion/ Fu dog who I really, really want and think he'd make a great addition to my apartment but I couldn't rationalize spending $80 on him :( I'll keep checking back and maybe find him on clearance. Or I'll just wait and get a totally awesome pair. I need more space.

We've booked our flights and the hotel for Boston!! I'm so excited... Just one month to go. I will be counting down and researching where to go and what to eat. So far we have at least one Red Sox game (Saturday), the Museum of Fine Art is having a Monet, Renoir, Whistler exhibit: "Mad on Color", Eron wants to visit the Science Museum and I think we'll be visiting Upstairs on the Square for Sunday brunch. I'm a planner... we've been over this.

I have no idea what's on the agenda for this week. Let's just hope it goes fast!!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

I Take It Back...

Geoff who? Lame-o Larry seriously kicked my tail tonight. I plan on dropping the prefix to his name and will simply refer to him as Larry. He commands that respect.

Aside from the fact that I likely won't be walking tomorrow, I had a great workout! I really needed to sweat out a super grumpy, cranky, snarky day. One of the things that I think that I'm really going to like about Larry is that he pushes me harder then I would ever push myself and won't let me get away with doing anything half way - in fact doing it half way will only earn me more. But, since I've run through the routine I'll know level of intensity that I should be at when I do the routine on my own.

Seriously, not walking tomorrow. I'll hobble to the kitchen for a cookie now... Night-night!

Monday, July 6, 2009

It's Not Going to Help

I have 20 some odd bug bites on my ankles from this weekend. From Thursday night actually, and they have been the bane of my existence all weekend. Seriously. Not your ordinary mosquito bites - chiggers or ants... I have red welts all over my feet. So painful, annoying and generally itchy that I actually lost sleep. Every time I moved, the sheets rubbed a bug bite which set off a firestorm. Putting socks and shoes on on Sunday = worst idea ever! But, don't mind me... I'll be fine...

The weekend was pretty low key. Pizza, beer, burgers, couch time and a movie but not necessarily all at the same time. We fired up the big grill. Isn't it... erm... nice? Okay, so... yeah... it stands up, keeps the charcoal from hitting the deck and cooks things. What more could you ask for? Maybe a new handle or a thermometer... maybe a shelf to put a plate... I dunno... just a couple of ideas :)


In other news... I don't have any! Hehe I'm passing time by researching places to go, places to see, places to eat in Boston. Have we discussed that I'm a planner? We're not heading to Boston for... I dunno... a month and a half! Geez I'll likely compile a list of a million things to do, see, eat and then only hit a quarter of them. What would you do in Boston? Where would you go? What would you eat?

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

I Want to Catch Strawberries

I met with my new trainer tonight. Not nearly as entertaining as my last, but that doesn't really matter since he's still going to kick my tail. Larry. Boooriiing. I have a feeling that arms are going to hurt tomorrow... though I did tell him I wanted to focus on my arms and core so I get what I deserve.

In other news my beautiful God daughter is being baptized this weekend! Babies and I tend to have a tumultuous relationships... I want to hold them but all they want to do is squirm and cry. But the moment that little Lilly was put in my arms I was a goner! Head over tin cup for that little girl. I didn't want to put her down or pass her to anyone. I even laughed a little when she cried. Why? Cause I knew that I'd be able to pass her back to her parents! HAHA


look at those lips and gorgeous eyes!

So adorable!