Busy, Busy

This week has been busy for me - on Monday the boyfriend joined me on my run and we did 3 miles. He planned an out and back route since he got too frustrated trying to loop that was flat. I felt great after the run, but during the run I kept asking if we could walk, how much longer, and saying "talk to me" when it was too quiet - basically I am your ideal running partner.

Yesterday I was supposed to play soccer on the mall, but it was raining when I left work meaning the grass would have been a mud pit, not to mention I was also super tired. So I just went home, relaxed, made dinner and planned out what I would be packing for this weekend.

Tonight my sister is having me over for dinner which I am very excited about. After dinner I'm going to try and run to the grocery store if I have time. I need to pick up food for dinner tomorrow, since I will be having extra special guests over. The boyfriend's parents will be visiting him this weekend and they arrive Thursday. I will be leaving Friday after work for vacation, so Thursday is the only night I will get to see them. After dinner I have to finish packing for my weekend getaway to Columbus to celebrate Jenna's birthday! I'm so excited!!!

Weekend Recap

This weekend went by in a blur. Saturday night the boyfriend and his soccer team got free tickets for the DC United game for winning their season in soccer. Since not everyone on the team wanted to go to the game, they had 2 extra tickets that he gave to my sister and I. We had a blast, ate some delicious food, and got to see DC United beat Real Salt Lake 4-1.

Earlier in the day the boyfriend and I watched Arsenal beat Bolton and they are finally starting to look like their old selves again. Sunday the boyfriend and I both had soccer, and then did a lot of resting and football watching afterwards.

Workout Soundtrack

As I mentioned earlier, I've begun training for the National Half Marathon. I've been doing most of my running so far on the treadmill and I like to listen to tunes when I run indoors. Pandora has added some Workout soundtracks making it nice to workout to since I can discover new songs while running.

In order to access the stations, go to Pandora and then select "New Station" and then choose "Workout". There a whole bunch of different stations to choose from, such as Dance Cardio, Yoga Workout, Classic Rock Power Training, and my favorite Country Fitness. Check it out next time you are looking for some new workout tunes.

Wedding Plans

Wednesday night I accompanied my sister to try on her friend's wedding dress. While I can't show you any pictures of her in the dress (in case the groom-to-be might see them), I can show you a picture of her friend's baby showing off her chops on the piano:

...and with my feet

I can play with my hands...

Updates

Yesterday my mom, the boyfriend, and I all registered for the National Half Marathon on March 17, 2012

Thus the training has begun. I'm at 2 miles right now....only 11 more to go, in 6 months. Although my mom and I aren't training together, we've been doing a good job so far keeping each other motivated. The boyfriend is already in good shape from all his soccer and bike riding, so he doesn't need any motivation yet. 

It's raining out today and it feels like it's been raining for most of September. I wish it would stop but this weekend's forecast is showing more rain. Speaking of this weekend, it should be full of fun stuff - bike riding, DC United game with my sister and the boyfriend, watching Arsenal play, and soccer games on Sunday. 

This last month or so I've been really stressing myself out and I've been trying hard lately not to stress out, especially over things I can't control. It's been working out really well and I feel like I'm in a much better place. 

Today is the 1st day of Fall and that is very exciting. I love fall here in DC because it's an actual season. In my hometown in Ohio, fall would last approximately 2 weeks, in which the leaves wouldn't have even fallen on the ground before the snow started. Fall in DC is so much more pleasant weather wise, and the leaves are so beautiful when they change colors. Can't wait! 

Thought of the Day - Pants: Men vs Women

Today at work we were discussing men's vs women's pants and why they are not the same. Women's sizes vary from store to store while men's sizes are the same everywhere you go. Also, why do men get to have 2 sizes (the length and the width) when women only have 1? If anything, women should need the more exact sizing since their pants fit much differently than men's. It is also makes it much easier for women to buy men their pants then, since you can go to any store and know what size they are. Men don't have it that easy at all if they wanted to buy their girl a nice pair of pants. Why can't they standardize this for men and women?

Almost Friday

This week has been super busy at work but that means it's been making the days fly by. How is it already Thursday? This week has also been full of working out since when my mom was here she talked me into running a Half Marathon with her. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking when I said yes, but so beginth the training!

Tuesday I played pickup on the mall which was really fun. I was playing really well and the weather was just perfect out (see picture). Wednesday night my co-worker and I hit up our work gym - she ran and I did the bike for 30 minutes. Then my wonderful sister came over and brought dinner for us to eat and hang out. Tonight I'm taking a day off because it's Foreign Film Night with some of my co-workers. Tomorrow I'm hoping to hit up the gym again and then hopefully biking Saturday if it's not raining, and then soccer game on Sunday like usual.

The only question now is what race to run. I'm thinking the National Half Marathon is a good choice, it's in late March so it won't be too hot out. It's in DC so I won't have to travel (just my mom). Only problem is my mom wants a flat course which this course isn't. Maybe I can talk her into it.

I've been going a bit Groupon crazy this month - I got the deal for Whole Foods (which I used the next day) for $10 for $20, the US Weekly year subscription for $30, and I used my Pete's Apizza deal this week for lunch on the day that it expired. Nothings worse than buying a Groupon and not using it.

Today's Jersey Day at work (every Thursday during football season is Jersey Day) and I'm sporting my DC United jersey. People keep asking me if I'm going to the game tonight because I'm wearing the jersey. I respond back that I'm wearing a jersey cause it's Jersey Day and I think they think I'm nuts since I'm the only wearing a jersey today. Oh well.

ABCs

This week has been off to a nice start so far. My friend and I had a lunch date with the boyfriend. I had a groupon that expired today so we went out for lunch and it was great. Since the rain has finally subsided, I even got work outside in the sunshine for a bit which was lovely. 

I saw this on a post on another blog so I decided to do it of myself so enjoy:

A – Age.  I’m 26
B – Bed Size.  Queen
C – Chore I dislike.  I really don't enjoy cleaning the bathroom, so I'm very thankful my roommates and I have the maids come once a month so I don't have to do this.
D – Dogs.  Had my beloved dog Poppy growing up.  Still miss him. Best dog ever.
E – Essential start to my day.  I need lots of sleep in order to be functional the next day. And I think eating breakfast is essential - oatmeal during the week, eggs on the weekends
F – Favorite Colors. I like orange best
G – Gold or silver?  Probably silver but I like both
H – Height. 5"2"
I – Instruments I play(ed).  I used to play the piano. I'm not very musical
J – Job title.  Business-person
K – Kids.  I hope to have many someday
L – Live.  In our nation's capital
M - Money tip I like best.  Whatever you earn, spend less.
N – Never plan to… not be loved
O – Overnight hospital stays.  Nothing too serious but when I was younger I was in the hospital for a week. And about 10 years ago I had jaw surgery
P - Pet Peeves when people don't know the proper use of we're vs. were, it's vs. its, and they're vs. their
Q - Quote from a movie.  Hmm, this is a toughy. My favorite movie is Say Anything, which includes classic lines such as "I am looking for a dare to be great situation", "She's gone. She gave me a pen. I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen." and "One question: do you need... someone, or do you need me?... Forget it, I don't really care."
R – Righty or lefty?  Righty
S - Siblings.  Three sisters who are amazing
T - Time I wake up.  For work, usually around 7:30 or 8
U – Underwear.  My favorite is anything from aerie
V - Vegetables I don’t like. Peas. Ick.
W – What makes me run late.  I always try to be on time. I am very punctual. If I am late it's usually due to  the metro or the bus.
X – X-rays I’ve had.  More x-rays on my mouth than you could count.
Y – Yummy food I make.  My specialty is steak, asparagus, and a baked potato. And brownies for dessert.
Z – Zoo animals I like.  All of them! The lions, the tigers, the bears, the fish (guess that's more at the aquarium), the birds, etc. 

Weekend Recap

This weekend flew by and it was busy because my parents were visiting. My dad was in town for a conference and my mom decided to come with him. It was nice hanging out with them, and they even came out to my soccer game on Sunday morning. This week should be pretty relaxing, with just pick-up soccer and a movie night with friends planned for the week.

My dad's conference was on the National Harbor, home of the Awakening statue. I snapped this picture after dinner out there on Sunday night:

Awakening at night

This is the same statue, taking 2 years ago, during the daytime

Weekend Recap - 3Day Edition

This long weekend was just what I needed - full of relaxation, sleeping in, cleaning out my room, bike riding, shopping and errands. My roommate had a friend visiting for the weekend, and she brought her dog Sophie down too. The boyfriend and I got to play with her and it was so much fun. Here are some pictures of Sophie the dog (she loves to give kisses):

  

As if playing with a dog all weekend wasn't enough fun, the boyfriend and I also had a play date with our friend's 10 month old baby girl. She is so adorable, a ball of energy, and so much fun to play with. Here are some pictures of her cuteness, and a video just in case you didn't get enough:

Now it's back to work on this dreary cold fall day. What happened to summer? As much as I complained about the heat I miss it and am not yet ready for fall. Sunshine come back to me!