Weekend Recap - Fresh Air Edition

This weekend was fun and full of outdoor activities since the weather was wonderful. Friday night just stayed in and relaxed. Saturday the boyfriend and I headed out to Eastern Market for some fun shopping and we had a blast.

First, we got some donuts that they made fresh in front of us. They were Apple Cider flavored and they were served on a stick. Amazingly delicious.

Then we did some shopping, and popped into this old bookstore which reminded me of the show Hoarders. The books were stacked 3 rows deep, making it so hard to find what you were looking far. Books galore. The boyfriend found an interesting one to skim.

Next we did some shopping downtown and we stopped at Pret a Manager for a quick bite to eat, and then we checked out some of the cities Architecture cause that's how we roll.

Last night some of the roommates and I had a spontaneous pumpkin carving fiesta. I made a Kitty-Bat (from a stencil) and another roommate made a Grim Reaper. They are now on display in our front window.

The boyfriend (who helped me with my Kitty-Bat pumpkin) said he had never carved a pumpkin before. I thought everyone did that but guess not.

Amazingness

The other day I ordered some new shampoo and a few other miscellaneous items from Birchbox which is my new obsession. For $10/month you get a box delivered to you every month full of 4-5 beauty samples from "luxury" brands. Basically, you get to try some awesome products from nice brands, and then if you like the stuff you can buy it for a reduced price on the site. It's a great way to try out new products, especially products you didn't even know you needed, and the site is full of lots of how-to tips and tutorials (when I had longer hair I used to watch a lot of the video tutorials on different hair styles). The samples are also perfect for traveling since everything is usually carry-on sized.

Well, anyways, back to my order. I was looking for new shampoo, I felt like the ones I was buying from CVS were leaving my hair flat and dull. So I bought some new sulfate-free shampoo to try out from Birchbox along with a few other items. When the package arrived however, the shampoo lid wasn't quite closed all the way so shampoo leaked out over the products. Also, the products were wrapped in pink tissue paper, and since the tissue paper had gotten wet from the shampoo leakage, everything in the box was stained pink. I wrote back to Birchbox explaining what had happened.

Today, I received a personalized phone call from a representative from Birchbox telling me how sorry they were for the shampoo leakage, and informing me they would be re-sending me the damaged items right away. She was super nice and apologetic, and plus she called. After we hang up, I get an standard email from Birchbox with the order information on it, and then minutes later I get another email from the representative apologizing once again for the leakage and confirming that the order she placed was correct.

Can you say amazing customer service! I was so impressed! Way to go Birchbox - oh, and sign up today!

(This was not paid for or endorsed by Birchbox in any way. I am not affiliated with the company, I just love what they do)

Updates

A week from today I will be off to Turkey! I am beyond excited but also a bit nervous - what to pack? what is appropriate to wear? will I like the food? how will I do my hair without using a plug?

When I get back from Turkey, it will only be 2 weeks until Thanksgiving, then the next week is my birthday, and then it will already be December. How is 2011 nearly over? I feel like it was just a month or two ago that I was in London. How time flies!

I've been running about 2-3 times a week, and I'm up to 4 1/2 miles. However, I just can't seem to seem to get over this cold (which I'm pretty sure is from allergies) which is really putting a damper on my training. My legs feel great but my chest and throat don't seem to want to cooperate.

I am so excited it's the weekend. The boyfriend and I have nothing really planned but I'm super excited for the Fall weather and some relaxation.

My mom sends me a pumpkin full of candy every year, and she even included the boyfriend as well. Now I just need to figure out what I'm wearing for Halloween (I will actually be in Turkey on Halloween (do they celebrate Halloween there?) but my office is celebrating Halloween on Friday the 28th, and the winner of the best costume gets a PTO day which I would LOVE to have!

Weekend Recap

Today I am wearing my Cardinals shirt since they are in the World Series, which starts tonight! Go Cardinals!

This past weekend was fun-filled and jam-packed. The boyfriend left me to go to a work retreat that was focused on team building activities. Only 50 people were selected to go (out of thousands who applied) and the boyfriend was chosen! He had a really nice time and made some new friends, which is always great.

While he was gone, I luckily had lots of things planned so I wouldn't be too lonely. Friday night I went to dinner with some co-workers and friends. It was a nice time - we went to a Lebanese tapas place and ended up being there for almost 3 hours.

Saturday the weather was absolutely perfect so I went for a nice walk up to Clarendon to get a birthday present for Trinity's 1st birthday party which was later that day. On the way there I saw 2 different signs for yard sales. One wasn't anything special, but the other one was a treasure chest full of goodies. The couple there were so old and cute and adorable. I bought a Van Gogh book for $1 and a swivel mirror for my bathroom for $3.

I bought Trinity a machine called Twilight Turtle which glows and makes stars on the ceiling for bedtime, as well as 2 goodnight books for a complete goodnight themed gift. I also made her a card since her parents love my cards. I met up with my friend Jesica who agreed to be my date to the party. Here are some pictures from the party:

Jesica holding Trinity

Trinity clapping for her cake. She didn't like it and spit it out - adorable!

Sunday morning started off super as we left before sunrise for hiking out in the Shenandoah Valley. My sister picked me up, we got some Starbucks, gas, picked up our friends, loaded the car, headed to the other friends house who was driving, and then we were off! It took us about 2 hours to drive out there, and we stopped at a roadside antiques and fresh produce store where we bought an apple pie to munch on.

We decided to do the Rose River Trail, which was a 4.6 mile loop where we saw 2 waterfalls. It was ideal weather out and the leaves had just started to turn - couldn't have picked a better day to go! Our hiking group was my sister Amy, my friend Lara, and 4 of her friends, so 7 in total. Everyone was super nice and friendly. Here are some pictures:

Lunch Break

Remember this iconic picture of New Yorkers taking a lunch break:

Well, a construction crew in London did a modern take on this picture, but this time they were wearing harnesses.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2047853/Lunchtime-Skyscraper-2011-Builders-recreate-Charles-C-Ebbets-1932-photo.html

Weekend Recap - 3Day Edition

This weekend was a long weekend and having that extra day off was glorious. Unfortunately I was feeling under the weather thanks to allergies so I didn't do too much. Friday night the boyfriend wanted to watch the Cardinals - Phillies game, and his team (the Cardinals) won. It was very exciting for him.

Saturday morning and afternoon was so nice and relaxing. I got to sleep in, catch up on some TV, and rest up before the boyfriend and I headed out to a charity event. His old co-worker now works for this Architectural non-profit firm that is trying to take unused shipping containers (that they use on barges) and turn the "box" into a usable space in communities, such as an Art Studio, a Music Studio, a bike repair station, etc.

The event took place at another Architecture office that had a nice large patio, and since the weather was absolutely perfect, everyone was outside.

Although the event was slightly disorganized, it was fun. It had a nice laid back vibe to it as opposed to a stuffy corporate event, and then office where the event was at had lots of fun games and sorts to keep the boyfriend and I entertained. We played ping pong, foosball, and there was a giant Jenga set, and Wii as well. And the money all went to a good cause (click here for more info). Oh and I almost forgot - there was a raffle. The boyfriend and I left before they had the drawing (I was getting tired), so we gave our tickets to the boyfriends friend to claim our prizes for us if we won. We got home and the boyfriend had a text saying he was the 1st winner drawn so he won a box screen printed t-shirt! We must be good luck for each other because since we started dating, we've gotten VERY lucky with these raffles (knock on wood).

Sunday afternoon I had a soccer game and since the boyfriend's leg is still hurt and he can't play, he came to support me. Only problem was I had lost my voice and was hacking up phlegm like it was my job, so I wasn't in the best shape to be running around. But, we would have been down girls if I didn't go so I thought me being there not doing much was better than me not being there at all, so I played. I didn't do too much running. And we lost, another game that we should have won. Don't know what the deal is with our team this season. At least it was fun. After the game I was pretty tired so we just relaxed for the rest of the night and had dinner at our favorite local Mexican restaurant.

Monday the boyfriend had to work but I had the day off. I woke up around normal work time though, so I wouldn't get all out of whack schedule wise. I went on a nice long bike ride where I ran into an old co-worker which was nice. I did some stuff around the house and went to the grocery store to make a nice dinner for the boyfriend, since I felt bad he had to work. I made green beans, mashed potatoes, and panko crusted tilapia (the tilapia is my sister's recipe which I'll post another time). It was delicious and pretty easy too. After dinner, we capped off the night by seeing The Lion King 3D. The boyfriend had never seen the movie before - can you imagine!

Maid of Honor Perks

Last week my sister, aka the bride-to-be, invited me to a come to a tasting event at the caterer's she's using for her wedding's restaurant location. She picked me up after work and we drove out there, and walked into a room full of delicious free food. It was set up in stations - there was a station for salad, pasta, entrees, desserts, and cake, and a bar as well. There was also a fabulous trio playing some classical wedding music. There were a few other tables where they were trying to sell you their services for their wedding, but no one was super pushy about using them and let us relax and enjoy our food in peace.

The salad station was my favorite - it had a salad cocktail theme to it. The salad toppings were all laid out individually and you told them waiter what toppings and dressing you wanted and then he put it all into a drink shaker and then poured out the salad into a martini glass.

How creative! My sister and her fiancee picked out some amazing food and I'm so excited for them - less than 1 year now until the big day!

Bullet Points

- This morning I saw a dog walking with a cast on his leg. It was so cute but so sad. I've never seen an actual cast before on a dog.

- I haven't been feeling very well these past few days from allergies. I'm all stuffed up and have all this pressure in my sinuses. It sucks but hopefully it will get better soon. 

- I have a long weekend this weekend (for Columbus Day), and I didn't even know about it until last week. I can't wait to sleep in on Monday, and to have a short work week next week!

- I saw this homemade face mask on pinterest and I will definitely be trying this at home (I just need to buy some orange juice)

- The boyfriend hurt his leg at his soccer game on Sunday, he pulled his hamstring. Luckily his parents were there to take care of him since I was away. He can't walk very well and definitely can't run, so I have been left to train by myself. Last week and this week I ran 3 miles. Today I'm going to attempt 4, with a hill. Let's hope I survive.

- On Monday night I mapped out my run on Google Maps, memorized it, and then left without taking anything (like my phone with GPS). I ended up getting way lost, but somehow ran exactly the same distance as the run I had mapped out originally. I guess I have no sense of direction, but a good sense of distance?

- The weather outside is absolutely gorgeous - right now its 73 and sunny with no humidity and a very slight breeze. The sun feels extra nice after the entire month (or so it seemed) of September being cloudy and rainy. 

- Yesterday I bought my tickets home for Thanksgiving. The boyfriend and I are going to get a ride to Cleveland with my sister and her fiancee. We are doing Thanksgiving on Thursday, a wedding shower for my sister on Friday, and then the boyfriend and I are leaving Saturday morning for his hometown, where we are doing a 2nd Thanksgiving on Saturday, and then flying out on Monday back to DC. So that's 1 car trip, 1 wedding shower, 2 flights, 2 Thanksgiving dinners, and 2 families...all in 6 days!

- 24 days from now the boyfriend and I will be in Turkey! I'm so excited!

Weekend Recap - Travel Edition

This past weekend I went to Columbus to visit my friend Jenna for her birthday. I have a few pictures from the weekend but I haven't yet downloaded them to my computer so you will have to wait for pictures. Friday night we went to dinner at this delicious Steak and Seafood restaurant called J Gilbert's. It was delicious and there were these really nice older gentleman who were sitting by us who overheard it was Jenna's 26th birthday and kept wishing her a happy birthday. Don't you just love random nice strangers. The waitress also gave Jenna a free dessert for her birthday. Sometimes I miss being in the Midwest where everyone is so nice.

Saturday we went to lunch, shopped, and were going to tailgate for the Ohio State game, but the weather was not cooperating (it was very cold and rainy and windy), so we just met up with some of her friends to watch the game indoors at a sports bar. Normally when I go to a sports bar, there's different TVs showing different games that are on. But not in Buckeye country - ALL the TVs were showing the game. After that we went home to get ready for the night and then we were off to a late dinner and then dancing and singing at this Piano Bar. I had a blast there!

The next morning we got breakfast and did some more shopping, relaxing, and hanging out before I had to go and catch my flight back to DC. When I arrived back in DC, the boyfriends parents were flying out of the same airport, and even though I arrived at the opposite end of the airport, they waited to say bye to me before they went through security. It was good timing and nice of them to wait for me, and also nice for the boyfriend that he was already at the airport and didn't have to come twice in one day. Then it was back to the house to unpack and then off to work the next day. I'm glad I was able to celebrate Jenna's birthday with her!