Painting

For those of you who don't know, I like to paint. The boyfriend snapped this photo of me painting last night. I hope to take pictures of the process, but here is session 2 of the work in progress, that I'm planning on putting above my bed. If you like what you see, you can check out others here (all are for sale): http://picasaweb.google.com/langmt/ArtCollectionForSale?feat=directlink#

Weekend Recap

This weekend was fun-filled and busy, like usual. Friday night my co-worker came over after work to go through a bunch of my old clothes that I was going to give to goodwill. I'm glad they could go to a happy home! After going through all the clothes (there were a lot), we went out to get a bite to eat. The co-worker had just moved here about 2 months ago from California and doesn't know many people so I was glad to show her around town a bit and hopefully we'll hang out again.

Saturday was quite a busy day, the boyfriend and I went to dinner with our friend Jesica, and her boyfriend to celebrate Jesica's birthday. After dinner, we headed to the bar to celebrate her birthday with about 50 of Jesica's closest friends. It was a fun time, but I wasn't feeling 100% so we left before the party ended.

On Sunday, the boyfriend and I escorted our friend Erin to Ikea in search of a new bookshelf for her room. I think we found the perfect one for her, and although I didn't buy anything, Ikea really inspired me to further de-clutter my room to look more like one of their showrooms. So tonight, after drinks with my co-workers, I shall begin the great de-cluttering! I've already made good headway with my clothes (hence the massive donate pile), but I plan on taking some before and after pictures of the rest!

Winter Wonderland

I know I mentioned in my post yesterday just how lucky I am that I am able to walk to work, but I really have to say again how lucky I am to be so close to work. While my commute in to work yesterday was bad, it was nothing compared to some people's commutes home from work. It took several of my co-workers upwards of 4 to 7 hours to get home last night - which for many including abandoning their cars and walking. Due to great planning, everyone in the DC area left work around 2-3 pm, just as the snow was starting to fall (the government closed at 3pm). However, due to an amazing mixture of cars getting stuck on the roads and everyone leaving work at the same time, the roads were gridlocked AS the storm was happening. Meaning that the plows couldn't through to plow the roads because the cars were stuck on them, and that when cars got stuck in the snow, plows and emergency vehicles couldn't get to them to move them out of the way for others.

While everyone else was sitting in stopped traffic for hours at a time and not moving, I headed home around 5 and despite the sidewalks not being shoveled, had no issues at all. I also have to give props to the metro, because despite the mass chaos on the highways and major roads, the metro seemed to be operating just fine.

After I made it home safely, the boyfriend heard that the buses weren't running in his neck of the woods, so he decided to metro over to my place. He arrived safely, although quite snow covered, and after I made him dinner and were relaxing watching TV, he was getting antsy and suggested we shovel the walk. We got all bundled up, and headed outside to shovel. I started off shoveling, thinking I would do a bit and hand off the shovel when I got tired. I did the steps and saw that the boyfriend looked like the little sibling watching his older sibling enjoy that delicious piece of cake, so I gave him the shovel. I had no idea he loved to shovel so much! He did our entire walkway, the sidewalk, and our neighbors sidewalk (they shoveled our walkway during Snowmageddon last year). He kept saying how much he loved to do this sort of thing and all I could think of was how much of a keeper he was. Thanks again!

Our shoveled walk and sidewalk:


Our neighbors shoveled sidewalk:


One other thing - notice how bright outside it was last night! These pictures were taken around 9pm and with no flash. It looked like daylight out!

My Morning Commute

On most days, I walk to work. It takes me roughly 10 minutes door-to-door - it's one of the many things that makes me love my job! However, when I stay over at the boyfriend's it usually takes me 45ish minutes to get into work. We take a bus to the red line metro, and then I switch from the red line to the orange line, ride the orange for a bit, and then get off. Not too bad, especially since we do the commute together up until I switch to orange.

This morning however, things went horribly awry. We take the bus, get to the red line station when we hear that they are single-tracking for 3 stops, 1 of which being the stop we were at. We wait about 10 minutes before a single train arrives at the station. Since they are single-tracking, all trains are coming and going from just 1 of the 2 tracks. A train arrives, but it's not ours - heading in the wrong direction. About 5 minutes later, another train arrives - not ours again. Then we hear an announcement - the next 2 trains that are arriving will be heading in our direction. BUT, they are "express trains" meaning they won't be stopping at our stop. I guess that was for the best seeing as those 2 trains were packed to the brim when they went through. Finally, the 5th train arrives and we are finally able to get on a train.

Just when I think we are finally going to be on our way, we sit at the station while the doors keep opening and closing. I'm not sure if a door was malfunctioning, if someone was leaning on it, or if people just kept trying to dart on while the doors were closing, but it took about 10 tries before we were finally able to leave the station. We finally arrive at my stop, when I say goodbye to the boyfriend and run off to catch the orange line. I get down there just as the orange line is pulling away - of course! I look up at the sign and see that the next orange line train isn't coming for another 10 minutes! This is supposed to be RUSH HOUR!!!

I finally made it into work - after an hour and forty minutes. That's right one hour and forty minutes! And to think my commute could have been 10 minutes and stress free! Thankfully my boss could not have cared one bit that I was super late, and it looks like I won't be having my soccer game tonight, since they are predicting 5-10" of snow and the government has already shut down for the day (if the game is on, then I will have to leave work 45 mins early...of course, on the 1 day I come in late, sigh). Is it the weekend yet???

This Just In

I saw this video on the news the other night and thought it was hilarious. No one else I mentioned it to knew what I was talking about, so I thought I would share it with you all:

All Fired Up

Saturday night, my friend Jesica ("The Bad", of famed The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly), invited me to paint pottery at All Fired Up with her boyfriend Chris. I had sooooo much fun and loved it! All Fired Up provided a very relaxing atmosphere to paint away (something I love to do), and the best part was you could even bring in your own food and drinks. The staff was super helpful if you had questions or needed ideas, but didn't bug you if you didn't.

For those of you who don't know how it works, you pick a piece from the wall that you want to paint. There's everything from little boxes, to plates, to mugs, to tiles, to figurines. I was very impressed by the array of options. After you've picked out your piece, you pick out your paint colors, and paint away. When you are finished painting, you leave your piece and they fire it for you, and you pick it up in about a week.

After much debating, I decided to paint a Elephant Bank (like a piggie bank, but the shape is an elephant). I decided to make a bunch of squares on the piece in yellow, red and blue, some overlapping, some not. The painting takes much longer than you would think, mostly because of how many coats you need. I put on 3 coats of each color - the more coats the darker, more rich the color is.

Here are some pictures of the night and the unfired elephant:







Jesica working on her turtle tile


Chris working on his beer stein. He painted the "Piggly Wiggly" pig on it - quite impressive!

Restaurant Week Recap

Monday night I went to Tallula with my friends from work. I was excited to discover that the Restaurant Week menu was just their regular menu. I started with the fried oysters which was amazing, so delicious and crispy and the apple risotto was a nice compliment. For the main course I had the Crispy Rockfish which was served with rice and curry and vegetables, and is pictured below. For dessert I opted for the cheese plate which was just ok, but I was chocolated-out and wasn't really feeling anything else. The thing that I liked best was the amount of food, they certainly didn't skimp and the fact that they didn't offer separate, non-regular menu items. I would definitely recommend again, but their sister establishment next door, Eat Bar, is definitely more in my price range.


Friday night the boyfriend took me out to Acadiana, which was amazing! Our waiter was a nice mix of fun yet still professional. The food was so delicious, all southern style food. For appetizer I had the Roasted Crab and Corn Chowder, which was really tasty, especially the crab. The presentation was nice, it came out in a bowl and inside the bowl was a metal container with a lid, which they poured out into the bowl to serve - quite fancy. The boyfriend had the trio of deviled eggs, which were all tasty as well. For the main course I had the barbecued shrimp, which is nothing like that it sounds like. It is big, huge pieces of shrimp in this brothy sauce that tastes exactly like if you had barbecued something. It was served with a huge piece of warm bread that I used to slop up all the sauce. The boyfriend had the gumbo for his main course, which was the best gumbo I've ever had. For dessert, I had the bread pudding and the boyfriend had the chocolate mint cake. Both were delicious and rich.

My only complaint about the entire meal is that the server took away my dessert when I still had one more bite yet - I really wanted that bite! I don't have any pictures on the food from Acadiana, but I did get all gussied up for the big event. And thanks to my sister Erin for giving me the dress!

The Little Things

Last night, I was on my way home from my soccer game, sitting on the metro, when I had an idea. Why not go over to the boyfriends house and surprise him? Although I only had my soccer stuff with me, I had clothes over there I could wear to work the next day (I just wear whatever to work, jeans, whatever), and didn't really need anything else.

I also remembered that earlier in the week I had upped my Netflix membership from online only to one DVD at a time, and had the DVDs sent to his address instead of mine. The first DVD was set to arrive that day, making the surprise even better.

Making the surprise even one step better was that the DVD that I set first in the queue was the BBC show Luther, which the boyfriend is obsessed with (could it be because his name is also Luther, or just that show is really good, or both), so he was super excited to get to watch all the episodes that he had never seen.

Basically, even though all I really did was show up unannounced at his house with something in the mail for him, it's the little things that go a long way. He was very happy to see me, even more happy to watch his namesake show, and it all worked out.

Never Say Never

I have a confession to make - I was watching TV last night and saw a commercial for a movie called "Never Say Never" (http://www.justinbieberneversaynever.com/). The movie chronicles the life of Justin Bieber and his rise to fame. Did I mention that he is only 16 years old and they are already making a documentary about his life?!? Despite the fact that I'm not a teeny-bopper, that I don't know any of his songs, and am not that into music, I kinda want to see the movie. It wasn't until the preview that I learned that he had gotten famous from YouTube home videos his mom posted, and that Usher "discovered" him, so I'm trying to tell myself that it's just that I want to hear his life story, and that's all. Now comes the hard part, finding someone who will go with me. It opens on Valentine's Day and is playing in 3-D. That should be enough to convince the boyfriend, right?

This Just In

For those of you who haven't heard, they added a 13th Zodiac called Ophiuchus, because something about the moon's gravitational pull on Earth changing the alignment of the stars. I'm now of the lucky few who now fall under this Zodiac. First of all, I think this is so stupid. I was born a Sagittarius, my personality fits with a Sagittarius, so that is what I'll be. As my roommate put it, "I am grandfathered in" to being a Sagittarius.

Also, why did they feel the need to change this? There was 12 zodiac signs before, why do we need a 13th? And how did they choose Ophiuchus. And couldn't they have picked one that people could pronounce.

On a happier note, I have a 3 day weekend and although I have nothing special planned, I'm so excited! Not only do I get an extra day off, I then only have a 4 days week next week!

London Here I Come

My friend Jenna and I met when we studied abroad together in 2006. Despite the fact that we had the same major, had been in the same classes before, practically have the same life and opinions and wardrobe, we had never met before. We spent the entire glorious life-changing semester travelling all around Europe, and upon our return, scheduled our entire senior year of Finance classes together. We currently live in different states, and have managed to stay best friends despite our long distance relationship.


When Jenna's sister Jamie decided she wanted to study abroad in London, Jenna asked if I wanted to come with her when she visited. Of course I said yes. Jamie leaves for London today, and Jenna and I will be visiting her at the end of April, right after her trip ends. Given the fact that Jenna is the most amazing, well organized person, and the best planner, we already have figured out our flights, our hotel, and most of our itinerary despite the fact that the trip is 3 months away. I am beyond excited, especially since I have never been to England before.

All I need now is to get me a new passport, since mine expires next month. That and to start saving up! Can't wait :)

Bathroom Protocol

Today I was in the bathroom fixing my hair when 2 co-workers of mine walked in. One walked to one of the many open regular stalls while the other one walked passed about 6 open stalls before settling on the handicap stall. Personally, I am not a fan of the handicap stall, unless I'm travelling with my suitcase or changing my clothes, because I think there is just an awkward amount of space in there - too much. I also usually use the stall closest to the door solely because just that - it's closest. The co-worker who chose the handicap stall isn't large by any means, she's on the shorter and skinnier side of average. So I really don't see why you would by-pass all the regular, open stalls to walk all the way to the end of the bathroom just to use the handicap one, which is the exact same as all the other stalls but just twice as large.

Also, once my friend in college said she walked out of the handicap stall and there was a legit handicap person waiting to use it. Are handicap stalls that same as handicap parking spaces where you can't use them unless you actually are handicap? Or you can use them all you want, but are just there in case a handicap person needs to use it? Just wondering what the proper protocol is.

Don't Know What's Come Over Me

Wednesday night was the start of my winter soccer outdoor league. If you asked me last year at this time if I thought I would be playing an outdoor soccer game in January I would have told you I was crazy. Without really realizing what I signed up for, our game lasted 80 minutes (I'm used 60-70 minute games), there were no subs for the girls, I was playing mid-field aka running the entire time, and we had to play a man down. It was quite brutal, but so much fun at the same time.

To top it off, my co-worker Amy told me she was going to the lunchtime kick-boxing class on Friday and asked if I wanted to join. For some reason that I still don't understand I said yes. Now it's Friday afternoon, and I am so sore, but feel great. What has come over me?!?!

Scoring a Goal Fail

2011 Resolutions and Goals

Since it is the start of a new year, I have decided to make the following resolutions and goals for 2011:

1. Give up drinking soda. I don't drink a ton of soda, but I have it often enough, especially since I started dating my boyfriend who drinks it all the time, and I feel like even a little is bad for me. It's just pure sugar and there's no health benefit to it, so I'm going to give it up completely.
2. De-clutter my room. My room is light years better than it was when I lived in the basement (I moved onto the main floor in July 2010), but I still feel like I have too many clothes and not enough space for them. I'm going to get rid of clothes I don't wear and organize everything better.
3. Take better care of my skin. I have struggled with acne ever since puberty, and it has not gone away since. While it is never horrible, I constantly have at least 1 blemish on my skin at all times. It's not that I haven't taken care of my skin in the past, but I really want to make it a top priority in the new year.
4. Travel more Internationally. While I usually do my fair share of travelling during the year, I want to plan at least 1 international trip this year. So far I have plans to visit London in April, and hope to visit Iceland one of these days too.
5. Blog More. I know my legions of fans have been missing me lately, so I'm going to try and post 5x a week. Let's see how that goes.
6. Workout More. Between soccer, kickboxing and bike riding, I definitely do my fair share of working out, but I also feel like I could do more. I want to start up yoga once a week with my co-workers, and I have been slacking on the bike riding given the cold weather, but I need to suck it up and just go more.
7. Save more money. I consider myself a somewhat frugal person, but I also know I could save a lot more. I want to save up for travelling and the future.
8. Eat out less and cook more. This should also help with saving money.
9. Get on a better sleep schedule. Since I don't have to be into work until 9, and I live so close to work (about a 10 minute walk), I tend to stay up too late at night and therefore it's hard for me to get up in the morning. I am NOT a morning person, so getting a full 8 hours every night should hopefully make it easier to get up in the morning.
10. Set up a website for my artwork. I have paintings that I have been trying to sell, but I think setting up a website will be a good first step.

This Just In

Bravo has just confirmed that newest addition to the The Real Housewives of New York will be Cindy Barshop (pictured left with Jill and Alex). She runs a chain of Day Spas called Completely Bare, which she first opened in 1998. She is reportedly friends with Ramona and runs in the same circle as Kelly, and is a Long Island native. She is the mother of twin girls Zoe and Jesse, who were born last year.

I hope she can hold her own against the others, especially seeing as she is replacing Bethenny, who left to star in her own spin-off show. Kelly, Ramona, LuAnn, Alex, Sonja and Jill are all returning on the new season, set to air in mid-February. I am so excited!

I'm Back!

I'm back in DC after an amazing break. I spent a few days in Chicago with the family, and then headed down to St. Louis to meet the boyfriend's family and spend a few days with them. Meeting the family could not have gone better. I felt right at home with them and they did a wonderful job of making me feel like a part of the family.

Chicago:


Before Christmas my mom and sister had been in India for my sister's friend's wedding. They got stuck in Frankfurt for 2 days, when they were finally able to make it back to the US on they day before Christmas Eve. My dad was sick with a sinus infection and my sister and mom were jet lagged, so there was a lot of relaxing going on. Since my sister Amy couldn't make it home for Christmas, and my sister's friend, also named Amy, was going to be around Christmas weekend, we had a replacement Amy for the holidays (see picture). We did a lot of shopping, eating, chilling, and relaxing.

My little sister got me a head wrap for Christmas, which I am obsessed with:


I spent a lot of time hanging with the cats. My sisters have 3 cats - Chloe, Marley, and Lo, and they are such little piggies that they are in your face every time you have food. Here they are giving me the stare-down while I'm in the kitchen:



A few days later, the boyfriend drove up from St. Louis to pick me up. We had a few hours to hang out, so we walked around the city, stopped by the bean, saw the ice skaters, drank hot chocolate, and tried to stay warm.


Then we were off to St. Louis with a short stop over in Champaign, IL to see the University of Illinois (the boyfriend's alma mater) and to see his friend Derek and his family.

When we arrived in St. Louis, the main thing I wanted to do was to see Scott Air Force Base, because I had never been on a base before. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I had no idea that it would be as big as it was. The base was like it's own little city, it even had a Burger King! See below for some pictures:






Before I knew it, it was time to head back to DC.

Bye St. Louis:


Hello DC: