Wicked 10K

As I alluded to in an earlier post I am training for a 10K. I will be running the Wicked 10K in Virginia Beach on October 29th with my dad and Sheila. P and I ran the race two years ago but it wasn't my best finish. The training was difficult and inconsistent while I was in school part-time and working full-time. 

P and I in costume post race (check out P's beard!)

I am in the fourth week of my training schedule and it is going great so far. I'm easily running three miles and preparing to ramp up. From some reason the leap from three to four miles always intimidates me. But once I get the four miles under my belt I know miles five and six will come easily.

I guess you could say I've been a runner for almost ten years now. It started when I had to condition for soccer season in high school. I remember getting up and going on early morning runs with my dad. He would push and motivate me to go one more block - I actually still use that method when I feel myself tiring towards the end of a run. Both of my parents and Sheila are avid runners and they always inspire me to keep going.

When we lived in Hawaii my dad and I ran several 5Ks and I officially caught the running bug. Nothing feels better than passing people on the course and crossing the finish line. I ran several 5Ks at Penn State and ran my first marathon with P and our friend Tony in March 2008. Since then I've done a few 5Ks and 10Ks but it had been an ongoing challenge to fully train while in school.

Tony, P, and I in the early morning pre-race

I am by no means a fast runner and know I'll never win the races I participate in. But I love the feeling of accomplishment after a run. I even enjoy the soreness and aches that follow because they serve as a reminder of the hard work I've been doing. I am dedicated to the Wicked 10K and hope to get a PR (personal record). Even if I don't improve my race time, I still expect to feel satisfied since I'm able to devote more time and attention to my training. I have a feeling there is another half-marathon in my near future. I've had my eye on this one for a while....

Hello Mother Nature, long time no see....

We have had quite a week in Washington, D.C. and on most of the East Coast for that matter. On Tuesday afternoon most of us experienced our first earthquake while at work. I work in the older part of a government building that allowed us to feel the full affect of the quake. We were quickly evacuated and eventually released while the building was inspected. Because all of the circuits were quickly filled P and I weren't able to get in touch immediately. He didn't feel any part of the earthquake because he was in the elevator at the time. We both got home without much traffic delay and to one minor incident caused by the earthquake.

Books that fell off our tv stand as a result of the earthquake

Now we are bracing ourselves for Hurricane Irene. We are stocked up on snacks, water, and candles. The current prediction is we will get hit the hardest on Saturday night into Sunday morning. I suspect the worse that will happen is loss of power although I'm praying that doesn't happen. I'm hopeful that the storm's recent downgrade to a Category 1 means its impact won't be as severe to the Carolinas and Norfolk. I'll be praying for everyone's safety, especially for my aunts, cousins, dad, and Sheila who all live in those areas.

Even with Mother Nature knocking on our door all week I was able to have some fun. Last night I met up with Allison at Arundel Mills in Maryland for dinner and a movie. We saw The Help and it was so good. We had both read the book and really loved it. The choice in actresses was perfect and brought all the characters and the story to life.

I recommend reading the book before seeing the movie

After the movie, we headed to Michaels. Next to Target this is one of my favorite stores. I needed to stock up on supplies for the wedding scrapbook I've been making for Allison (which I'll share in a later post). We also were looking for supplies for a really cute craft for the guests to do at her baby shower next month. I can't wait!

Despite the gloomy weather forecast, I am looking forward to this weekend. It's one of the first weekends in months that P and I don't have plans. I'm happy for a good excuse to stay indoors and relax in sweatpants with good movies and even better company. Stay safe everyone!

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday (almost Tuesday at this point)!

I had such a great weekend but it left me exhausted. On Saturday I headed to Pennsylvania for Aubrey and Brent's baby shower. I have been working with Aubrey's mom the past few weeks making the arrangements and was so excited to see everything come together. Her mom and dad took care of all the food and I took care of decorations and planning a craft. It was a co-ed, cookout at their church pavilion and we had a great turn out. Aubrey and Brent got lots of goodies for baby Emig and I know they were excited to complete their nursery. I can hardly believe that the next time I'll see them it will be to meet the baby. She is due on September 28th which happens to be my birthday; it would be so exciting to share a birthday with baby Emig!

For the shower I made a few of the decorations myself. I made a banner that said "Baby Emig" to hang above the present table. I used cardstock, fabric, fabric glue, buttons, and twine. I simply cut long triangle shapes using the cardstock and cut out letters using the fabric. I glued buttons onto the letters for some added detail and then we hung it up with twine. I was really happy with the result (although it's a little hard to see here):

Aubrey's mom had the great idea to make "Mommy" and "Daddy" signs to hang on their chairs while they opened gifts. Using the leftover fabric and more cardstock I was able to make the signs. Instead of gluing buttons on the letters I used them to cover the holes to string the twine through. Here's how they turned out:

Finally I bought a bunch of white onesies in varying sizes and white bibs for each guest to decorate. I had seen this idea on several websites and Aubrey loved it. I think it's a really great way for the new parents to stock up for the baby and it gives the guests something fun to do during the shower. We hung the bibs and onesies on a clothesline with clothespins so they served as an added decoration.

After the shower, I headed down to Maryland to celebrate Allison's birthday and all the work she and Steve have done on their deck. I had such a good time chatting with their families and hilarious neighbor. The deck looks absolutely amazing (all that HGTV watching has paid off). We all enjoyed lots of laughs and really delcious food. By the time I left I was completely drained. Fortunately my mom lives just down the road from Allison so I called her for an impromptu sleepover. It was great to see my mom and catch up a little before I passed out.

As if my weekend had not been full enough, after getting back to DC on Sunday I went for a 3 mile run (I'm dedicated to my 10-K training, more on that later). Afterwards I met up with my old college roommate Sarah and our friend Emily at Zaytinya in Penn Quarter. I had never eaten there before but will definitely be going back with P. The food was so good and since it is small plates you really feel like you get to try a lot. It was so nice to catch up with more friends.

You may be wondering where P was during all of my fun. He spent most of Saturday revising a law article that has made it to the final round for consideration to be published in the GWU's AIPLA Quarterly Law Journal. It is such a great opportunity for him and I'm just praying it gets selected! Luckily he was able to get out on Saturday night to try some beers with some of his friends at a DC Beer Week celebration.

This is a pretty busy week at work for me with a big deliverable due on Wednesday. But I'm excited for Thursday when I'll be meeting up with Allison for dinner and to see The Help. I loved the book and have only heard great things about the movie. I'm also looking forward to this upcoming weekend where we have no plans besides P's orientation for the Law Journal on Sunday.

Sorry for the long-winded post, there was just so much to share. Hope you all have a great week! Can you believe summer is almost over?!

Project Runway

While I love all kinds of reality television, Project Runway has always been my favorite and still is. I think the reason I've continued to tune in for nine seasons (and counting) is that there is an instant connection to fashion. I can't taste or smell the food they make on Top Chef and I can't relate to the men and women on shows like the Bachelor. But the minute I see an outfit on Project Runway I know right away if it's something I like. I can compare designers and decide to myself (or out loud) if I would actually wear or buy their outfits.

Then there are the judges! Who doesn't love Tim Gunn's catchphrase: "designers make it work." Michael Kors has the sassiest comments. He once quipped, "She looks like a transvestite flamenco dancer at a funeral" (and she really did). Nina Garcia is more blunt and a bit of a hard ass, but she challenges the designers. And of course there is Heidi Klum. She is genuine with the designers and sends everyone off with a cheery "auf wiedershen." Plus her ageless good looks and endless legs help me to convince P to sit through a few episodes each season.

Even though P is not a big fan, I've been fortunate enough to have two friends who also appreciates the shows fabulousness. First was Matt. While the show lost him when they moved from Bravo to Lifetime, he was always ready with a good comment (or ten) on each week's outfits. Sorry for putting that out there Matt!. And through it all has been my girl Jenny. We first discovered our shared passion for Project Runway soon after I started working. In the past four years we have enjoyed countless Friday recaps in person and through bulleted emails. Now that we are both done with school we will finally get to watch the finale together this fall!

I am watching this week's episode as I type and OH.MY.GOD two designers have chosen the same fabric! This is going to be good......

Let the Memories Begin!

We're back from Florida and had an amazing time. We were all pretty exhausted by the end of the trip but it was well worth it.

As soon as we landed we headed to Universal to check out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The park was really magical and brought the books and movies to life. Even though we got stuck on the ride in Hogwarts, we all really loved it. We cooled off with frozen butter beer and checked out some of the shops. Elizabeth and I had found really fun owl earrings that wore during the day that I wish we had taken a picture of. After riding the Hippogriff we also rode the Jurassic Park ride and a very wet water ride that left us soaked (although we were grateful to cool off from the Florida sun). By then we were all pretty exhausted and headed to the hotel to relax before conquering Disney the next day.

Hogwarts at Universal Studios

Our hotel was great! We stayed in the Toy Story section of the Disney All Star Movie resorts. P and I may have been the most excited to stay here as the Toy Story series is one of our favorites. The room was decked out in Toy Story bedspreads and it really felt like we were in Andy's room. Here are a few pics from the hotel:

A view of Woody from our building

Buzz was attached to our building

Hanging in RC the race car

Friday was a whirlwind day. We got to Epcot by 8am to take advantage of the extra hours for hotel guests and ride Soaring, Finding Nemo and the Test Track. We also walked around the shops in Epcot Paris. Afterwards we walked to the Beach Club resort for lunch and ice cream at Beaches & Cream and then took a boat to Hollywood Studios. I had never been to this park before and it was one of my favorites! Despite a bad thunderstorm delaying us for an hour, we got to ride all the rides we wanted to - Star Tours, Muppets 3D, Toy Story, and Tower of Terror. After Hollywood Studios we went back to the hotel for dinner and to rest. Then we headed to the Magic Kingdom and took advantage of the after hours for hotel guests. It was so magical to be there at night and see the castle lit up. We stayed until the park closed at 3am and rode all the great rides - Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Toy Story, Peter Pan, and Winnie the Pooh. Below are some pics from the day:

P and I in front of Epcot Paris

Mickey sundaes after lunch

Elizabeth and I ready to go

P and Elizabeth at Hollywood Studios

P and I at Magic Kingdom

On our last day we visited Animal Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom again. It was very hot on Friday but thankfully another storm came through to cool things off in the afternoon. The safari ride at Animal Kingdom was really amazing this time as almost all of the animals were out, it was incredible! We were able to rest in between the parks again so that we would be refreshed for a last visit to Magic Kingdom. Here are some pics from the day:

Elephants on the safari

Black rhino on the safari

Giraffes on the safari

Animal Kingdom with the Everest Ride in the back

Inside of Splash Mountain while there was a commotion downstream

I am so grateful to P's parents for including me on their trip. It was so much fun and I'm looking forward to going back with them again in the future!

It's Restaurant Week in DC this week and we have plans to go to two of favorites tomorrow and Thursday with our friend Jessie and Elizabeth. This upcoming weekend we have Aubrey & Brent's baby shower and Allison's birthday cookout. Our summer is ending with lots of excitement!

M-I-C....

See you real soon! We're headed to Florida tomorrow with P's family to hang out here and here! I'll be sure to post lots of pictures upon our return.

In the meantime, here are some things I've been loving the past few weeks:

• Bon Iver, The Head and the Heart, and Coldplay
• Mexican food - I'm pretty sure I could eat it every single day
• Blousy shirts - they are perfect with trousers for work or with a good pair of jeans and cute jacket for a date night
• All things baby - not for me of course, but for my two besties that are expecting this fall. I cannot wait to meet their bundles of joy!
• P - for being a constant source of love and happiness in my life. He always knows how to make me smile and laugh

T-T-F-N, ta-ta for now!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy birthday to one of the greatest guys I know! I love you, dad!

re: Stacks

Happy Monday! I can already tell it is going to be a long week. Mainly because I have to work all 5 days, which is something I have not done since June.

This past weekend, P, Calvin, and I went to Norfolk and Richmond to visit family. We got to Norfolk around lunchtime and spent most of the afternoon lounging in the pool and catching up with my dad and Sheila. We went to dinner at a great restaurant in historic Portsmouth called Cafe Europa. Everything we ordered was delicious! On Saturday morning Meredith joined us for breakfast and to celebrate dad's birthday.

After the gift opening, P, Calvin, and I headed to Richmond to spend time with P's sister Elizabeth and Calvin's brother, Scout (they're from the same litter). Elizabeth and I spent the afternoon looking at wedding dresses for her. She recently got engaged to a great guy named Matt and I am so excited to be her maid of honor! Elizabeth had already narrowed down her top picks at two different stores and of course looked stunning in all of them! The three of us headed to downtown Richmond for dinner and then to the Bon Iver concert at The National (the title of this post is one of my favorite Bon Iver songs). I cannot say enough about the concert and the venue; they were both incredible. Bon Iver surpassed every expectation I had for the show. Justin, the lead singer, is just so talented. He sold out two shows at the 930 Club here in DC and I was tempted to press my ear to the door tonight just to get another chance to hear him live. On Sunday we went to mass and brunch then took a quick visit to see Elizabeth and Matt's reception venue. It looks awesome and I cannot wait for the festivities next July!

Matt and Elizabeth on NYE

I should mention that Calvin got to spend his time in Norfolk chasing birds and squirrels and chasing Scout around in Richmond. He was a happy dog and tuckered out by the time we got home yesterday.

This week we are going to see Yeasayer at the 930 Club and then will be spending the weekend with P's parents who will be in town for a conference. Hope everyone has a great week!