Monday, April 7, 2014

Updates

It has been far too long since I've posted so I've decided to give a few updates:

- Jenny found a job and then an apartment so she has moved out of my apartment. All is back to normal with the boyfriend's and I living situation, but we are still planning on moving this summer 

- I found out that I am allergic to penicillin which was an awful experience

- The weather this winter has been epically terrible. Leaving for vacation in 2 weeks and it can't come soon enough. Sooo ready for warm weather!

- I'm still playing soccer and doing crossfit, although I had to take an extended break to get over my penicillin reaction

- Nothing new going on with work, just the same old, same old

- It's cherry blossom time in DC and I'm so happy spring has finally started to appear  I couldn't take the cold weather anymore 

That's all for now, updates soon!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Is it spring yet?

Lots of new things to update on:

- I have been working out more consistently. I've been going to the gym 2-3 days per week. However, the weather has been terrible so soccer keeps getting cancelled. This weekend doesn't look much better, but hopefully it will get better soon so I can start playing again. 

- 3 weeks ago my cousin Jenny moved here from Cleveland. She has been staying in my apartment while job searching. She has been trying really hard to find a job here and I hope she finds something!

- Jenny has been staying at my apartment while job searching, so I've been staying at the boyfriend's. He's been super nice to me, by letting me stay there and by making me feel at home. He cleared out lots of space for me in the closet and bathroom, doesn't complain about my messiness (for the record I'm not messy, he is just super clean), and didn't get mad when I wanted to buy a few things to make me feel more at home there (a tray for the bathroom, a hook for the bathroom to hang stuff on, and a humidifier for my sinus congestion). 

- Next week we leave for Austin! We have been planning this trip for months and months and I can't believe it's almost time. 

- I got my haircut over the weekend. I wanted to try out bangs. They didn't turn as bad as I thought they were going I look, but I don't think they look like bangs, just layers in the front. I need to figure out how to style them I guess. The left is the inspiration photo (it's Keira Knightley) and the right is my attempt at a selfie:

- 2 weekends ago we had a reunion brunch with the roommates which was so much fun! I miss coming home and hanging out with them! I'm so glad we got to all catch up. Oh, and in the middle of brunch, the fire alarm went off and they made us wait outside (in the freeeezig cold and snow) until the firefighters said it was all clear. 

- As part of my New Years resolutions, I have been doing really well in the cooking more department. Living under the same roof as the boyfriend has really helped, mostly so leftovers aren't going to waste and cooking for 2 is so much easier than cooking for 1. Here are some recent meals I've made:



- Another resolution has been to take better care of my skin. For January my skin looked pretty awful, mostly due to the cold windy weather outside and the dry heated air inside. However, last week I bought some new Renee Rouleau skin care items (cleanser, moisturizer, spot treatment, and a serum) which has already made a difference in the Healy of my skin. I love her stuff!

- This weekend's agenda include my friend Michelle coming over, watching the Opening  Ceremonies for the Olympics, brunch with my friend Jessica, and soccer on Sat and Sun (game and pick-up). Then, I only have to work 3 days and have 5 days off!!!! Can't wait!

Friday, January 17, 2014

Another Milestone

2 years ago today I started at my current job! My boss brought in cookies today to celebrate which was so sweet. 

What a whirlwind the past 2 years have been. I've never worked as hard in my entire life at a job before, which is both good and bad. I feel incredibly accomplished professionally, and like I am on a true career path with great growth opportunities ahead. The downside is just that I wish I had a little better work-life balance. 

Speaking of work, not sure if I mentioned this before or not but effective Jan 1 I got promoted! I'm very excited - it feels great that my hard work, late nights, and weekends were all worth it!

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Back To It

In the past 2 months I have only worked out 7 times. That is so unbelievably crazy. My schedule used to be: Crossfit 2 days per week during the week, pickup soccer on Tuesday and Saturday, and soccer game on Sunday. That's 5 times per week, on a good week. 

Between year-end craziness at work, vacations, and bad weather (which means no soccer), I have barely been working out. I don't feel fat, just less toned than I would like. 

But....starting today I'm back. I have Crossfit tonight and tomorrow, and a soccer game on Sunday morning! Next week I've already signed up for my Crossfit classes so I have no excuse not to go. My goal for January is to work out at least 3x per week, which is very achievable.

Speaking of goals, my New Year's Resolutions are to:
1 - Work out 5x per week - if I can't make it to the gym or there's no soccer then I'm going to start doing the Workout of the Days at home - no excuses!
2 - Eat out Less - this should save me money, plus help me be healthier. I'm not off to the best start so far, but not a terrible start either. I hope to only eat out for lunch 1 day a week and dinner 1 day a week.
3 - Buy less clothes. I'm running out of room in my closet, plus I have lots of clothes as it is. I've been trying to put together some cute outfits with the clothes that I already have and just wear the stuff that I already have more often.
4 - Take better care of my skin. I have always had bad skin (aka breakouts) and given that I will be 30 at of this year I think it's time to start investing in my skin so I don't feel like a teenager anymore. 

Now that I've posted these on the internet I really have to follow them.

End of 2013

There is so much to catch up on! Since I last updated, I left for Christmas Vacation. I took the bus to Pittsburgh and my Dad picked me up. We spent the night in Pittsburgh, I had brunch with my BFF Jenna the next morning, and then my Dad and I drove to Cleveland to meet up with my Mom who was already there. 
Jenna and I

My sisters and my brother in-law arrived the next day and we had a nice relaxing low-key Christmas. After spending the week in Cleveland, I flew to St. Louis to see my boyfriend and his family, which was also nice and relaxing and low-key. I was supposed to fly back to DC on Sunday the 29th, but my grandfather passed away December 29th (more to come on this).

I changed my flight the day of to fly to Cleveland instead of back to DC, and took the entire next week off to stay in Cleveland with my Mom, along with her brother who lives out of town, and her sister who lives in town. Together, the 4 of us helped do all of the funeral arrangements. 

My sister and my brother in-law drove the boyfriend and I back to DC on the 5th. I can't remember the last time I had taken 2 weeks straight off from work, and luckily it was pretty slow when I was out so there wasn't too too much to catch up on. 

Last week was pretty uneventful - just work, cleaning up my apartment, and relaxing. The weekend was also pretty uneventful - the weather was cold and rain, I worked most of the day Saturday, the boyfriend and I saw American Hustle which was good (not great, just good in my opinion) at this super cute old theater (as in it used to be an actual theater) called The Avalon, and my friend Michelle came over to hang out on Sunday. 

This week I have been busy trying to clean, organize and make some space in my apartment for my cousin Jenny who is....moving to DC this weekend!!!! - more to come on this. 

That's all for now!



Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Weekend Update

This past weekend was really fun and really busy. I got home Sunday evening at 8pm and fell asleep at about 8:30 because I was so tired. 

Bowling was a really fun time, even if I'm not very good at it. 
Here is the boyfriend in action

Saturday the weather kinda sucked (super cold and rainy) but the cookie exchange party was a really fun time! I couldn't believe how many people came (at least 20!)
Weren't these the cutest invitations!

Sunday I saw my friend's 2 month old baby who was so tiny and adorable. 

Yesterday we had a happy hour after work to celebrate the end of our project we had been working on since August. After happy hour, I headed to Georgetown for a massage which was wonderful and much needed. 

The rest of the week isn't too busy, just crossfit, my department's holiday party, dinner at a friend's house, and happy hour on Friday. I just need to put the finishing touches on my Christmas gifts (assuming they all arrive in time as I've ordered all my gifts online and none have arrived yet), and do laundry. 

I also went to eye doctor today and my eye is almost 100% healed. I can see nearly perfect again (with my glasses on) and will be able to wear my contacts again around Feb or Mar of next year. Hallelujah! I can't wait! In the meantime I still have to do my drops hourly, the ointment at night, keep the plug in my eye, and start on Restasis. Not too bad if it means I can see!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Winding Down

Work has been steadily going from non-stop craziness to normalcy. The past 2 months I've only worked out a handful of times due to the perfect storm of working long hours, eye problems, and scheduling issues. However, last night I was able to leave work at 6:00 AND make it to crossfit! I feel like I'm finally back: I'm able to leave work on time, I'm finally able to make plans with friends, and I'm able to have time to work out. Hallelujah!

This weekend is jam-packed: birthday bowling celebration in Arlington, Cookie Exchange party in Alexandria, soccer in DC, and seeing my friend's baby in Maryland. So much traveling in just one weekend. 

Besides just working all the time, nothing else is new. I've been trying to order all my Christmas gifts as it is less than 2 weeks away and I've only bought 1 present. The weather has also been crazy around here. We had a snow day (aka work from home day) on Tuesday: 

I've also been cooking a lot lately. Here are some recent concoctions: 

Hangar Steak with salsa verde, plantains and guacamole


Shrimp Couscous: 


I've also made Skyline Chili, Penne w Ricotta and Spinach, and cookie dough for the cookie exchange:

That's all the updates for now. More to come soon. 

Monday, December 2, 2013

Thanksgiving / My Birthday

Thanksgiving went by so fast but was such a fun time. The boyfriend and I left for Cleveland very very early Thursday morning. My mom rented a house right on the lake that had 5 bedrooms: my sisters each brought him their significant others, plus our friend Jeet joined along as well making it 9 people in the house (my parents stayed at my grandparents house). It was so much fun all being in the house as opposed to a hotel, where we could all relax and hang out. 
View of Lake Erie from our bedroom 





My dad picked us up from the airport, and we drove to my grandparents house to change, and then did a 5 mile Turkey Trot race. It was sooo cold outside - I think it was about 20 and windy and snowing. It was really fun though - I walked it with my parents and the boyfriend ran it with Jeet and the brother-in-law. 

After the race we went to the house to shower and change, and then headed to my aunts house for Thanksgiving. She made a delicious meal for all of us and I had a great time chilling out with my family. 

Friday afternoon we all went to our hometown to get lunch, do some sightseeing, and shopping. Then we all went back over to my aunts house again for pizza which was also a fun time. 


Saturday morning I was supposed to fly out at 8am, but once I got to my gate they were looking for volunteers for a later flight which I happily took for a $300 voucher. Saturday was also my 29th birthday, and once I arrived back in town I took a nice long nap, and then headed to my friend Jesica's house for dinner and cake:

Sunday the birthday festivities continued when my sister and my brother-in-law took me out to lunch at Founding Farmers. They also got me mini cakes for dessert which were delicious. 

Today is Monday which means back to work. At least there's lots of good sales to keep my occupied (although I haven't bought anything yet). 

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Almost There

This past month has flown by! I don't have much to catch up on other than the fact that I've been working non-stop. I just keep trying to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel and the fact that busy season is almost over, so I can finally get my life back. 

The boyfriend made it back home safe and sound from his trip to Saudi Arabia and I'm so happy to have him back. 

I've been having some eye issues lately so I've been forced to wear my glasses which is becoming quite annoying. I had an eye infection back in September that apparently never fully went away, and it just kept getting worse and worse and now I can't see properly out of my left eye (it can't focus on anything). I've been having to do drops, ointment, and lots of doctor visits and I can't wait to be able to see again!

Those are all the updates for now, more coming soon!

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Happy Halloween!!!

Today is Halloween but it is 70 degrees out and sunny and humid so it does not feel like Halloween at all.

Last night we carved pumpkins at my friend Julie's apartment. It was so much fun! Jesica and I did a combined effort to make this guy:



Here are the group's pumpkins all lit up:

Besides carving pumpkins I'm not doing anything else Halloween related this year :( I had to work last weekend, and again this weekend, so I won't be attending any Halloween parties and didn't have a reason to dress up. Maybe next year I'll be more festive.

The boyfriend left me last week for Saudi Arabia so I've been flying solo all week, which hasn't been too bad since I've had to work so much. He gets back next week and I'm so excited to see him!

That's all I've got for now. More to come soon! Happy Halloween!!!

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Lots of Tidbits

I haven't updated in quite a long time so I will try and recap as best I can:

- The other night I had to work late and then over to the boyfriends place. I told him I was starving and I came home to this delicious plate of food:

- Last weekend my sister invited us to an art festival but then couldn't end up going. The boyfriend and I still went and had a great time, and saw a pet pig on a leash there:
  He was a cutie but I don't think I could deal with the squealing. 

- As I've probably mentioned I've joined a women's soccer league that plays on Saturdays. Although our team hasn't won many games (so far we are 1-4) it's an awesome group of ladies and I have so much fun playing with them. 

- Two weekends ago the boyfriend and I went to visit Jenna in Columbus, Ohio for her birthday. It was such a fun time - the highlights included going apple picking, doing a corn maze, experiencing game day at OSU, and of course hanging out with Jenna!



- The last quarter of the year is the super busy time for my me at work. It's already started getting busy and will just keep ramping up from here. Let's hope I can survive until 2014. 

- Today at work we had a brown bag session with one of our founders.  Someone asked him what advice would you give to your 30 year old self and his answer was: be good to your kids and if you don't have kids, be good to your friends. I thought this was very good advice. 

- This weekend the boyfriend and I are
going to Roanoke. I am looking forward to a nice relaxing low-key weekend. 

- The weather has been crazy lately. A few days ago it was 90 and sunny out. Today the high is 57 and it's windy and has been raining all day. I guess Fall is finally here. So far I just miss summer. 

- The boyfriend is leaving me again at the end of the month to go back to Saudi Arabia. I'm hoping that I'll be too busy with work to miss him too much but we'll have to wait and see. 

That's all I can think of for now!

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Cooking

As I mentioned, I have been doing a lot of cooking this past week, and I wanted to share some of my recipes with you. 

The other night I whipped up this Shrimp and Green Bean Fried Rice dish in no time at all. I sautéed shrimp in butter and poured this over rice I had whipped up from Boil in a Bag (so easy and makes cleaning up a breeze). I then stirred in green beans which I had steamed in the bag, and cut up quickly with kitchen scissors after they were steamed. I then tossed the mixture with some fried rice seasoning. I had meant to also mix in a touch of soy sauce but forgot. It was good but most of all it was so quick and healthy. 

Last night I made this Crispy Cheddar Chicken Dish that I found on Pinterest and it was very delicious. 
For the chicken you put it in milk, then roll it in shredded cheddar cheese, then roll it in crushed up Ritz crackers, and then bake. The sauce is just cream of chicken, sour cream, and butter. 

Here is the link to the recipe:
http://m.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/chicken/crispy-cheddar-chicken-4.html


I also made this last week for the boyfriend 
and I, but it was not very quick. I made baked potatoes
spinach, and steak with mushrooms and onions.
The steak was cooked perfectly, one of my best,
but the potatoes took forever to cook. To make the 
steak delicious he first rule is you can't cook it if 
it's cold - I try and let it sit out for at least an hour
before I cook it. After you cook it, you have to let 
it rest for at least 3 mins before you cut into it. 
I try and keep it very simple when I cook steak: 
sautée it in butter or oil (I prefer butter) on med to 
med low heat. I flavor it with McCormicks Grill
Mates, which is mainly just salt and pepper, and 
if the steak is thick I put the heat on low and put
the lid on to help it cook through. It should take no
more than 5 mins to cook. 

Hope to have more recipes coming soon - I 
pinned a bunch of recipes on Pinterest I hope
to try soon!

Staycation

At my work, our vacation days start Oct 1 and ends Sep 30. I had 2 extra days I had to use or I would loose them, so I decided to take Monday and Tuesday off. I had such a nice and relaxing day the past 2 days! I cleaned my apartment from top to bottom, I transitioned out my summer clothes and transitioned in my winter clothes, I made a bunch of meals and froze them for later, and I just relaxed and enjoyed myself. It was glorious, and the best part is its already Wednesday!

This past weekend the weather was beautiful so I tried to be outside as much as possible. Friday I went to crossfit after work, Saturday morning my friend Jesica ran her first 5k at a Color Run so I went to cheer her on, then I had my women's league game in the afternoon (the boyfriend surprised me by coming to watch - he had to work but finished up early), and we went to Georgetown that evening to switch out my Nike FuelBand since it stopped working on me.  

Sunday I went to the boyfriend's soccer game and then he played with my team later that day. It was quite an active and fun-filled weekend!

Below are pictures from Jesica's race:

Pre-race 

Mid-race

Finishing the race

So proud of her!!!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Long Weekend!

Can't believe September is already here, but August ended on a high note with the boyfriend's sister coming to visit. We did lots of touristy things including the Museum of Natural History where we saw the butterfly exhibit. We went into this room where there were butterflies everywhere, of all shapes and sizes. They were so beautiful!






We also went to the Portrait Gallery which has the most beautiful courtyard. 



Another adventure was going to the top of the Old Post Office Building which has magnificent views. 



We also ate and ate and ate! So much eating delicious food, I am still stuffed from the weekend. 

Friday night I went to my friends place for a homemade meal of traditional South Indian food. I wasn't sure what to expect but the food was delicious. Not too spicy, full of flavor, and I definitely didn't miss the meat (the meal was vegetarian).  

Making dosas

Dosas

Eating dosas: my bro-in-law, my sister, Jeet, and myself

Sisters :)

Sunday we also went over to our friend Ros's for a small get together/BBQ. It was really fun, relaxing, and great food (per usual). 

That pretty much covers it. The weekend was lots of fun and went by way too fast. Now it's back to reality time. 

Upcoming this week is soccer on Tues and hopefully crossfit on Wed, Thurs, and Fri...lets hope that's not too ambitious and that I can walk by this weekend, since my new ladies soccer team's first game is on Saturday, and my regular soccer league's season kickoff is Sunday evening. 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Recent Happenings

-  Today is the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous "I have a dream speech. The boyfriend attended the festivities but I had to work. We were able to meet up for lunch though which was very nice:

-  This past weekend our friend Jeet invited us to the DC United game which was really fun (and great weather too)


-  My eye has been bothering me lately, it's been red and irritated, most likely from allergies. At work today it started bothering me and my Irish co-worker suggested putting a (cold) tea bag onto my eye ball. Apparently this is quite common in Ireland. Not sure how I feel about this. 

-  I saw this on Instagram and couldn't stop laughing:

-  Tomorrow I have to move cubes at work. I really like my location now as I'm sorta hidden away. Now I will be on a major walkway. I will also be located directly outside my boss's office. Hopefully it won't be as bad as I'm building it up to be. 

-  The boyfriend's sister is coming to visit this weekend - this LONG weekend. How is it already the end of summer - it just began!!!  

That's all for now, more updates coming soon!