2011 In Review

2011 was an interesting year for us - full of plenty of ups, and plenty of downs - so let's review some of it, shall we?

I started this blog back in February with a list of New Year's resolutions goals. Some of those goals were accomplished, some weren't, but more on that later because I have some new and exciting 2012 goals!

In February, we also started work on our basement bathroom, which, if you remember correctly, we just finished in December. Nothing like the usual 11-month home project . . .

In March, I ran my first half marathon, which was also one of my goals for the year! This year, that same marathon series is going to be a Rock N' Roll Marathon, so of course I am running it again, but this time Chris and my brother will be joining me. Can't wait!! Although, I really need to get in training mode . .. .

In April, Chris and I tackled the jungle of our front yard, tearing out ivy and planting some grass in its place. We're still going to have more gardening work to do in the front this spring, but I am so thankful that we squashed that ivy. Those original photos of it still make me shudder!

In May, while we were finishing up school for the semester, I expanded my baking repertoire by making some Mint Julep cupcakes (they were ok) and we decided to compete with one another in our own version of a Book It challenge (and in case you are wondering, we are still in the process of reading the books . . .)!

June seemed to be the epitome of highs and lows for the year - we celebrated our babies 5th birthdays and our 2nd anniversary, but also received the devastating news that one of our good friends was killed in Afghanistan. It was a rough month, but it changed us and has given us a better perspective on life.

July was pretty uneventful, except that Chris took me to the Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 2 midnight premiere, on a work night! (I have such a great hubby!)

August was a booming-blogging month for me with a total of 11 posts! I got a little crazy :) Anyway, I started on a few painting projects around the house, such as the chevron wall and the guest bathroom. I also started my Tourist Tuesdays and Washington Wednesday posts, since this blog is supposed to be about our Washington life and all. Lastly, we experienced the momentous Washington Quake, which was crazy crazy stuff! Oh, and we celebrated our 1-year anniversary in our home, with messy house photos!

September through December were marked by travel and home projects, which were nice distractions from school work. Between Chris and I, we traveled to St. Louis three times (here, here, and here), Kansas City, Florida, Milwaukee, and, last but definitely not least, MEXICO! We had fun putting up new art in the house, getting my chalkboard-paint on, and finally finishing a bathroom too. And, my beloved Cardinals won their 11th World Series!

On top of all of the things that I blogged about in 2011, Chris and I were also blessed with making new friends, even more travel opportunities, great adventures around DC, and more home headaches and accomplishments that I can count. 2011 has truly been a great year, despite the heartaches, but I am SO ready for 2012. Bring. it. on. :)

Missouri for the Holidays

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Chris and I just got back this morning from a whirlwind tour of Missouri to visit our families for the holidays. During our 9-day trek, we covered 3,000 miles, stayed in three Missouri cities - St. Louis, Kansas City, and Columbia - ate waaaaay too much, spent a little too much money on after-Christmas sales, and got to spend some great time with family and friends.

Now, if you're a smart cookie you're probably thinking, "3,000 miles from DC to Missouri? That seems awfully long?" And you know what? You're right. We made a oopsie-daisy when we were leaving DC that required us to turn around not once, but twice, turning a 14-hour drive to St. Louis into a 24-hour drive. OOPS! Let's just say, if you are going somewhere cold make sure to grab a winter coat, and if you are going anywhere and rented a car in your name, don't forget your wallet and driver's license! Honestly, 24 hours in a car doesn't seem that much longer than 14.... and at least we didn't strangle each other!

Tips to those that plan on taking a long-distance car ride - 5-Hour Energy's work wonders, travel pillows will be your best friend, and watch your liquid intake because you'll definitely only want to stop when you have to!

Here are some highlights from our trip . . .

Our first stop was lunch at Bogart's in St. Louis' Soulard neighborhood. Nom, nom.

Then, we had a siblings' drink at International Tap House. (That handsome guy is my little brother!)

Chris and I sported our Holiday-best on Christmas morning.

And we enjoyed some family bowling (which reminds me that I need to find cheap bowling out here in DC!).

In Kansas City, we spent time on the Plaza shopping, eating, and enjoying the holiday atmosphere.

Oh, and I tried my first Winstead's Skyscraper shake. Yummy!

We checked out the Magic Tree, a Columbia, Missouri tradition!

And, lastly, we stopped in Newport, Kentucky to enjoy some beer and food at Hofbrauhaus. It might not be the same as the Munich Hofbrauhaus, but it was good enough.

Chris might have needed to get out of the car too . . .

 

We hope everyone has had a wonderful and relaxing holiday season so far, and has a safe night tonight on New Year's Eve!

Surprise trip to STL

Two weekends ago, while Chris was busy at home finishing up our basement and working on homework, I flew to St. Louis to surprise my Mom on her 50th Birthday weekend! I was only in St. Louis for something like 30 hours, but it was great to see my mom and dad, brother and sister, meet my brother's girlfriend, and also see a lot of my extended family and family friends. You see, not only was my mom celebrating her 50th birthday, but my uncle was also celebrating his 60th birthday, so my mom and uncle did a low-key joint birthday party at a bar that my parents frequent and invited pretty much everyone they knew.

Here is the fam at the birthday party . . . (My Dad decided to take a "serious" picture.)

My little brother, Will, and sister, Danielle . . .

My uncle and cousin playing together for the first time . . .

My dad with his girls . . . (minus, my mom)

The birthday kids at the end of the night! (Happy Birthday and thanks for a great party!!)

In lieu of gifts, my mom and uncle decided to ask for donations to Operation Food Search. This is all of the food they collected that night!

So that was my whirlwind StL weekend. (It was even more whirlwind because I seriously just almost missed my fight back to DC!) Lately, I've been looking forward to the weekends even more as a way to get away from the chaos that is work during the week, so being able to see my family over one weekend was a good break for me. Seeing my family, even if it was for only 30 some-odd hours, was just what I needed!

Thank you, Dad, for arranging the last-minute flight for me to come in, and thank you to all of my family for carting me around that weekend and hanging out with me!!

Vacaciones (spanish for vacation)!

I have a good excuse for being MIA the last couple of weeks: Chris and I finally got to take our vacation!! Not only was it one of my 2011 goals, but it was also our "honeymoon." Yes, we did technically take a honeymoon after our wedding (over 2 years ago), but really our 4-day trip to the beautiful Hermann, Missouri was not enough for us semi-world-travelers! So, we finally found the vacation time and moolah to get away, just the two of us :)

Not to make anyone jealous on these frigid fall days (ok, maybe a little jealous), but here are some photos of our perfectly relaxing vacation to Playa Mujeres in Cancun, Mexico. Sigh.

 

The trip was perfect. We had our own private rooftop pool with amazing views of the beach. We had ah-mazing weather the entire time. We took a trip out to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza one day, which included a dip in a freshwater pool in a cave! We definitely took advantage of our all-inclusive status by sipping on fun drinks all day and ordering room service at night. And, I even convinced Chris to get a mud massage with me, which included an awesome hydro-therapy session (that we both secretly liked better)!

But, it's back to reality. We both dove back into work, homework, and life this week . . . but not before brainstorming ideas for our next vacay - Greece again? Napa? Germany? Vancouver, Montreal, Alaska? 

Until then, I'll keep looking at these pictures and dreaming!

Hello? Anyone there?

Hello? Anyone there?

Yes, we are still here! As you probably noticed by the lack-of-new-posts going on here, our Washington life has been just a smidge hectic. I have not even had a chance to come up with a paragraph for a post, just ideas listed in "drafts." I figured though, that since this blog is about our life, that I should probably share with you all what we've been up to and just haven't gotten around to writing about . . .

• If you follow national weather, you might remember that the weekend after DC's earth-shattering earthquake (pun intended), the DC area was also hit by hurricane tropical storm Irene. While our power never went out, we quickly learned that our roof was leaking. Right into our office. Sadface.

Ergh water damage.

• Of course we contacted our homeowner's insurance to file a claim, but while the rainy season in the Midwest might be the spring, the fall seems more like rainy season in these parts because the rain kept coming. And coming. Soon, the drywall and insulation from the office ceiling started to *plop" onto the floor. And, then it molded. Yuck. (Don't worry, I quarantined that room so the kids wouldn't play in it!)
• But, it kept raining. It kept raining to the point where our second-floor skylight decided it couldn't stand it anymore either and it started leaking too. Let's just say I walked into a puddley-mess in the dark one evening. Boo.

Stupid skylight.

• So, we've had a couple of roofers come out and look at all of it, and, if you didn't guess it already, we need an entirely new roof. ERGH. Apparently a distant past owner of our house decided to put a new roof on top of the 90-year-old original roof. Nope, they didn't take off the original, just put it on top. So, we are going to have to take off the original and the replacement and then put down a whole new roof. That is, unless we like soggy drywall molding and puddles on our wood floors....
• On top of the water drama at home, remember how I said that my office building was old, but that it somehow managed to be damage-free after the earthquake? Well, I spoke to soon. A structural engineer determined that our building needed to be vacated for at least a few months to repair damages in one wing. I spent an exhausting, and of course rainy, week moving our offices to a new space on campus. Now, we are learning to share space with another department on campus. Things are cozy.
• But, thank goodness both Chris and I had some travel planned during those weeks to escape the natural disasters here. Chris went on a Bachelor Party weekend back to St. Louis (and, as you can guess, didn't take any pictures) and I went down to Punta Gorda/Sarasota, Florida to visit one of my bestest friends, Kelsey.

Kelsey and I at the Siesta Key Beach Drum Circle.

•  We also traveled to Milwaukee, WI for a friend's wedding. Not only did we have gorgeous non-rainy weather, but we met a lot of great people, ate great food, and had an amazing time. The bride and groom did a great job planning everything - a trolley for the wedding party, a photobooth with props during the reception, bratwursts and fried cheese curds as a late night snack, and phenomenal music. Chris has such a great time that he let a new friend "kidnap" him (and his glass of beer from the bar) for a 2am boat ride to Lake Michigan .  . . Congrats to the Bride and Groom!

On the trolley! Well-before being "kidnapped".

•  While the traveling was fun and a good distraction from the worries at home, we did have to come back to reality at some point, which is what we have been trying to do for the last two weeks. Work is kicking my butt, while school work is kicking Chris' butt. To top it off, a road bike that Chris bought less than two months ago to ride around the city on got stolen from the bike rack on campus while he was in class last night. Yup, the thief just snipped the cable.
• Two weeks from tomorrow though we will be escaping reality again to go on our "honeymoon" and I. cannot. wait. Until then, there is still a LOT to be accomplished (and hopefully I'll find some time to share that with you all soon!).

By the way, I just thought you should know that it is raining as I write this. Nothing perks me up more than water these days. . . (where's the sarcasm font when you need it.)

Versatile Blogger Award!

Well, I found out this weekend that I have been nominated for my very first blog award - the Versatile Blogger Award - by the ever-so-lovely, Megan! Let me tell you, this means soooo much! Sometimes I feel like I'm just rambling on about stuff that only I find interesting, so it's great to hear that not only do I have an interested reader out there, but that she likes my ramblings enough to nominate me!

Here are the "rules" of the Versatile Blogger Award:

1. Thank the award-giver and provide a link back to their blog.
2. Tell your readers 7 things about yourself.
3. Give the award to up to 15 recently discovered bloggers.
4. Contact those bloggers and let them in on the exciting news!

So, of course this calls for more rambling from moi! Here we go:

Thank you, thank you,  Megan, for nominating me! You should check out her blog because she does some pretty awesome Glee-caps - Glee recaps - and is a 30x30 re-mixer! (Oh, and she also just started a photography business, Megan Stoll Studios, in the S.T.L. that you should check her out at too. Pretty awesome stuff!

And, here's 7 random things about myself....

1. I am the oldest of three. As Megan mentioned, I have a younger sister, Danielle, who is pretty awesome,  and a younger brother, Will, who is pretty stellar himself. Danielle is a much better blogger than I am (you can check her out at Addicted to Television and Danielle's Other Blog) and she is my go-to person for all social media and fashion-related questions (she just helped me pick out a purse this morning). Will is a runner. He ran for his college cross country and track team and is always trying to fit in a workout. Every time he has visited us he has run a race here in DC - He totally won the SOME Turkey Trot last Thanksgiving here in DC, and will be running the DC Rock N Roll half with us this spring! The three of us didn't really get along all that great as kids, but I'm so glad that we're close now as adults and cannot wait until we can all get together again - miss you two!

The three of us being silly at a rainy Cards game!

2. I watch a lot of TV. Probably too much TV. Chris always asks what's on my "line-up" for the evening, and I'm guessing that's not a good thing. Some of my absolute favorites are So You Think You Can Dance, The Office, 30 Rock, Parks and Rec, True Blood, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Games of Thrones, Friends, Project Runway, and Design Star. I'm also a fan of all of Sarah Richardson's HGTV shows, Grey's Anatomy, and some of the Bachelor/Bachelorette stuff. Oh, and my guilty pleasure is definitely some Days of Our Lives. And, I was a huge fan of Brothers & Sisters, Greek, and, of course, LOST before they all ended/got canceled.Ok, so I know I just listed a lot of shows, but it really feels like I missed some??... Although, to my credit, I do read and workout too, on top of doing "home" stuff and going out occasionally, so a little TV is okay, right?

3. When I was younger I had a strange obsession with Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author of the Little House on the Prairie series. Not only have I read her books countless times, but I would watch the TV series regularly (I even own the VHS set of one season), and have even visited her final home in Mansfield, Missouri, Rocky Ridge Farm. To top it off, for Christmas two years ago, Chris got me the most spectacular gift ever: tickets to see Little House on the Prairie, The Musical! Even though Melissa Gilbert didn't play Ma that night, it was ah-mazing. I credit Wilder for developing my passion for history and it is a secret wish of mine to travel around the Midwest visiting all of her "homes." Now, if I could only find a way to travel back in time....

4. I used to be (knock on wood) somewhat accident prone. Or, as my dad put it, "I liked to play (too) hard." For example, I have 2 screws in my foot and a bone floating in my butt cheek. Attractive right? Long story short, I pulled part of my hamstring from my pelvis - and it took some bone with it - hence the bone "floating" in my booty and I also broke my foot which needed two screws put in to heal. If I've learned anything from all of my broken bones and pulled muscles it is that crutches suck. Sure, they might be a good workout for your "good" leg (I became a pro at hopping around) and a great workout for your triceps, but they SUCK. Be safe out there (and knock on wood)!

 5. For those of you that don't know, Chris and I met in Greece and got in engaged in Greece. We met on a travel abroad summer trip through our undergraduate college and then went back there again when we graduated, where Chris decided to propose along the way... I think we have a pretty cute little love story, no? Either way, Greece should be on everyone's travel lists because it is seriously the best place ever (I'm not biased or anything). Beautiful landscapes, yummy food, and amazing history. I absolutely love it so if you are planning to go there and want travel tips feel free to ask me, but be prepared for some major ramblings!

One of my own photos of Oia, Santorini, Greece. Swoon.

6. As you might be able to tell from some of my posts, I really love to decorate and really love learning about interior design (my Google Reader is full of design bloggers and hello, HGTV!). Ever since I got my own room when I was 13 (?) I've had the itch to decorate. Back then, that meant that I spray painted my bed with textured paint akin to a popcorn ceiling, painted each wall of my room its own pastel color, and even painted my closet light blue, complete with clouds. Classy stuff, right? If only I had a picture! Now that I have my own home, I am absolutely loving the freedom to decorate however I want, although, I hope that my aesthetics have improved even slightly since that first bedroom!

7. Although I really really love living in DC 95% of the time, the 5% of the time that I miss living back in Missouri is when I think about my family and when I think about all of the great St. Louis food. Sure, DC has a great food scene, but when I want a simple sandwich there is no P'sghetti's or Mom's Deli to swing by. Or, when I want something really bad, I can't drive to a White Castle's or Imo's. And, when I just want a super delicious and easy finger food, I can't go out and buy some toasted ravs. I was hoping I would find food in DC that would curb my cravings for my St. Louis food, but I haven't found anything yet and I'm starting to think those places are irreplaceable...sigh. Anyone want to mail me some toasted ravs or Imo's?!?

My mouth is seriously watering just looking at this. Yummmmmy!

And, last but definitely not least, here are two recently discovered fellow bloggers that I would like to bestow this award on as well:

Lacey from A Little Bit of Lovely. I had the privilege to meet Lacey during our unfortunate trip back to MO earlier this summer and could not help but to stalk her via the blog-o-sphere when we returned. Her insightful and funny thoughts put a smile on my face!

Sara from Running from the Law. I stumbled upon Running from the Law when Sara blogged about her map wall,which I instantly fell in love with. Her design aesthetic is inspiration for my own home-making and her pups are too too cute! While I do not personally know Sara, I love her blog and I'm so glad I found it. Plus, she is from St. Louis which gives her mad points in my book!

Life is short.

Let's just say that the month of June was a roller-coaster ride that I am just now recovering from (hence, my blogging hiatus, again). It started off well, with half-day Fridays at work, a lovely 2-year anniversary dinner at Restaurant Nora, and a much-needed trip to Table Rock Lake, but then it quickly became exhausting. The day after we returned from our trip to St. Louis and Table Rock, Chris got a call about the loss of a friend. Not just any friend though, a friend who was also a soldier killed in action while defending our country.

That week was really rough. I'm sure I was in a daze - not only was I not sleeping well, but my mind was constantly racing with thoughts that oftentimes left me on the verge of tears. Even the thought of going to two baseball games, one of which was my beloved Cards, did not really cheer me up. Going to the games only gave me a slight reprieve from the thoughts that continued to play across my mind. I knew our friend had died doing his job, and what he loved, but I was heartbroken for his family - his amazing wife, and precious son.

At the end of the month, we traveled back to Kansas City for our friend's funeral. I know it might sound odd to say that a funeral changed my life, but I don't know if there are any other words to describe how that weekend affected me. Actually, it wasn't necessarily even the funeral that changed my life, but the experiences I had over those few days... Witnessing the Patriot Guard escort and honor someone who had fallen risking his life for us, changed my life. Observing grown-men in uniform who, on any other day, would be stoic and intimidating, break down in sheer sorrow at the loss of a friend and a brother, changed my life. Watching people in stopped cars put their hands over their hearts as the procession passed for a soldier that they did not even know, changed my life. Winding through the streets of Ft. Leavenworth lined with hundreds of military personnel and civilians saluting, standing at attention, and holding American flags thanking him and his family for their sacrifice, changed my life. Seeing his wife grieve all the while still being the best mom to a precious little boy, changed my life.

These people became my inspiration - the people who took time out of their day, even just for a minute, to honor someone they've never met who died protecting our freedoms... the people who risk their lives every day defending the ideals of America and making our lives safer.... and, most importantly, my inspiration comes from his wife, and others like her, who sacrificed any semblance of a normal family life for the sake of our country with the utmost humility and strength.

Experiencing a soldier's life being mourned by his family and friends was, and still is, gut-wrenching. Experiencing a soldier's life and sacrifice being celebrated by his family and friends was, and still is, inspirational and life-changing.

Please remember that while we are all tucked away in our homes, complaining about a bad day at work or how hot is, there are thousands of men and women fighting abroad for our freedoms and many families at home separated from their loved ones all so that we can continue to go about our normal lives in the comfort of our own homes.

And, remember that life is short - sometimes shorter than you or anyone else wants.

Old Rag Mountain

The title of this post probably sounds like either some horror film or an old Disney/Hayley Mills movie, like there are crazy mutant people hiding behind trees ready to kill your friends or as if there was some secret about the mountain that a 13-year old girl discovers . . . Sorry to disappoint you all, but Old Rag is just a mountain in Shenandoah National Park that we happened to hike this past Saturday.

Old Rag Mountain is located about 1.5 to 2 hours away from downtown Washington, DC (depending on what kind of traffic you hit on I-66) not too far from the cute little town of Sperryville, Virginia . . .


View Larger Map

Old Rag Mountain is one of the most popular hikes in Shenandoah National Park, probably because it boasts of a great rock scramble and breathtaking panoramic views of the Virginia countryside, Shenandoah Valley, and the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is one of my favorite hikes just because it has a good variety of difficulty levels and is 8.5 miles in total, which is good for that calorie burn!

Anyway, Chris and I had hiked it last fall, sort of by accident, so we I decided we would hike it again this past Saturday in the hopes of beating the crowds and actually enjoying the rock scramble and views. We left our house around 7am, and after stopping for gas, paying the National Park fee, and using the restroom, we started our hike around 9am. The first few miles aren't strenuous, granted, you are going up and definitely begin to feel the burn, but it is the last mile to the summit that is the most fun.

And once you reach the top, it is great to sit your butt down on the rocks, eat some snacks protein, and take in the views! (Including the crazy hiker guy we saw who was wearing something similar to snow/ski boots, pictured below.)

See the crazy boots behind me?!

Great views!

Hawk!

Demonstrating how to "hop" on the rocks.

 The hike back down is relatively uneventful. You have the usual switchbacks and then an endless fire road. The most exciting part of our hike back down were the butterflies . . .that were feeding on horse poo. Eww.

Butterflies . . . Had to!

Even though the end of the hike is kinda boring for our taste, the views and the hard work to get to the top are worth it! We got to our car a little after 1pm (4 hour hike isn't bad!) got home around 3:30pm, so it made for a great day trip and a gooood workout.

I love going out to Shenandoah to camp and hike, however, I think I really love making the trek out there because the Virginia countryside and forests remind me so much of Missouri! Love the fresh air, and endless country roads with cute farm houses and silos . . . Love the trees and hills, and the crunch of leaves and rocks under your feet . . . so, if any of you want to go hiking or camping out there with us, let me know!

Keep me awake...

I am currently sitting in St. Louis' Lambert Airport after an exhausting and incredibly fun weekend in the great city town of Kirksville, Missouri. I could seriously fall asleep this very moment, despite these uncomfortable airport bench seats. I've already checked Facebook, Twitter, E News!, and have read a whole 5 more pages of Wuthering Heights in the hopes of keeping my eyes open, but unfortunately even Facebook stalking and the riveting first chapters of WH (sarcasm font needed here) aren't keeping me awake, so I figured I'd write a quick blog post before I get on my plane back to DC and crash.

This weekend I left Chris at home to deal with our basement and I flew to St. Louis, MO to go back to my alma mater, Truman State University (the "Harvard of the Midwest"), for my service sorority's 5- year reunion, Hoopla!!! It was great to visit with a ton of old friends, re-explore K-Vegas and Truman, eat ronzas, and bar crawl to old and new haunts (TPs and...Genos?). It's so hard to visit with with friends when I come back to StL, but this was the perfect opportunity to catch up with all the girls!

To all of my ASG sisters who partook in the epic-ness of Hoopla 2011 and all of those who couldn't make it, I love and miss you! Here's to another 5 years of sisterhood and service!  See you in 2016 for the 45th Anniversary Hoopla extravaganza!!

(And now time to board my flight. Thanks for reading my exhausted ramblings! Ciao!)