the retreat

Have you ever been one mile from the ocean for two whole days and not seen it? I have. And I know it's been chilly outside, but it's the ocean. Even if you can't swim in it, you're supposed to look at it! But we stayed in the condo the whole time (except for dinner last night).

It really was a wonderful time. We learned about each others' personalities and how to better communicate with one another. We drank wine, played cards, and ate a lot of food. We laughed, we sang, we got to know each other better. It was a great retreat. And that dinner last night? Oh-ho-ho. I had never eaten veal before but I think I could eat that very dish every night for the rest of my life, especially if it was preceded by that same plate of calamari and followed by the same cup of white chocolate creme brulee. Mmmm.

Dog-sitting

I'm reliable. Really I am. And I'm not forgetful. Not usually.

My dog-sitting job started on Wednesday this week. I planned to go over right after work, as soon as I got home to jump in the car. But I had a birthday party to attend, a card to buy, and dry cleaning to pick up. Come Thursday morning in the shower, I was hit with the realization. I'd forgotten the dog. Not only was I supposed to let him out and feed him, I was supposed to sleep there so he wouldn't be lonely. He's such a needy dog.

Hair dripping wet, pajamas back on, I raced over in my car only to find he'd jumped his gate and dropped a couple loads in the upstairs hallway. I felt terrible! For him and for myself because now I had to clean up the s***!

So I stayed with him last night, petted him profusely, told him I loved him, gave him two treats and so on. And I think he'd forgiven me because he wasn't satisfied just lying next to me on the bed. He had to lick my face. Not wanting to be slobbered on, I buried my head in the pillow as he frantically tried to push his nose into my neck, wanting desperately to lick my face. I was laughing hysterically, but that only seemed to encourage him. All that lovin' almost makes the 5am feeding worth it.

Forecast

Today is my friend J’s birthday, and we’re celebrating at Cactus C.antina. Yay for Tex-Mex! And yay for J! J is one of my Bible study friends. The Bible study that no longer exists. It hasn’t since before this summer. But it’s the Bible study that introduced me to a group of great girls only two months after moving to D.C. last year. This summer has been crazy with everyone traveling, but it will be good to see at least a few of the girls tonight. J and I have especially bonded this summer going to baseball games, boating, etc. She is such a sweet girl with a very genuine heart, and I’m excited to celebrate her tonight!

Tomorrow night I have a fundraiser for a nonprofit that sponsors African teenagers and sends them to school. My roommate Lyn is in charge of the desserts, so I’m going to go offer some moral support and be a taste tester!

Friday night is date night, folks! He’s “looking forward to it!” and so am I.

Of course the weekend is all about football, as depressing as that now seems to be. But I am certainly a faithful fan, and I am committed to watching us lose every.single.weekend for the rest of the season. Not being pessimistic. Just being realistic. Fortunately the football in my weekend will again consist of more than just watching it on TV. I’m playing! I played two games last weekend, and despite the fact that I looked like a complete tool with BOTH my knee braces on, it was so much fun! It was also very scary, because unlike this coming weekend, last weekend was two-hand touch football and there is much more forceful running and shoving involved. I mean, four injured players on my team? You better believe I was praying before each and every play. So this weekend, bring on the flags . . and don’t touch me!

New Hampshire

Maine Pictures

Micki came to pick me up

A bar in the Old Port area

Peak's Island

Work in Progress

Last night, I had a blast at a Rockstar Party! The fun part was not so much the party as it was getting ready for the party and taking pictures with my friends.

Today I stayed in my pajamas until 5pm. I (partially) cleaned my room, worked out, and listened to another awful football game on the radio.

I ended my day with a trip to T.J. Maxx and here's what we have so far:

It could be better, but it's more than fine for now.

All I Have to Say is. .

I am so glad it's Friday!

I have been having a very hard time focusing today. I am so antsy and distracted.

I have some fun weekend plans and I expect I'll find out Sunday or Monday if the Texan and I will go out again . . you know, not that I'm thinking about it or anything. I'll be completely honest with you by saying that I'm having a tough time trusting the Lord with it. I want him to call that bad. And I have no reason to think he won't other than GOD MIGHT STOP HIM. And I'm having a hard time not asking for what I want instead of what God wants, even though I know that ultimately that's what I want, too . . because hurting? it's not my idea of a good time.

Update: I just talked to my co-worker about the above paragraph.

Me: "I've been having anxiety in the mornings, but it pretty much goes away after lunch. I'm a freak."

Co-worker: "You're better than I am. I'm an all-day-er."

Pudding from the Bottoms

Four years ago, on a trip to the Deep South (Dothan, Alabama), I had several new experiences, one of which I was sure I would never have again. My friend, 'Alabama', took me to "the Bottoms", a not-so-nice neighborhood across town, for some delicious soul food. Everything I ate was fantastic (turnip greens, grits, fried chicken), but one thing stuck out the most. Banana pudding. Her dad insisted I try it. I honestly expected to find a Snack Pack poured into a bowl, but what I got was something very different. One of the best desserts I've ever tasted! Since that day, I have tried banana pudding several times at various restaurants, but nothing has ever come close to what I had in the Bottoms. Alabama just moved here a couple weeks ago, and when I went over for dinner last night, I was surprised to find that very same recipe for banana pudding was what she served for dessert! Warm banana pudding with wafers and whipped cream. It was just as delicious as I remember it being four years ago. Thanks Alabama! I was so blessed!

Baby Steps

I can't handle the boringness of my apartment. When I moved out here in May of last year, it didn't make sense to bring furniture. I would be living with my cousin for six weeks, and after that, who knew where I would move and how much room there would be. Besides, I didn't love the stuff I had anyway so buying new things would be fun.

When I moved into the apartment, I was thankful I didn't have much. The place was fully furnished albeit with ugly mismatched stuff. All I needed was a bed, a dresser, and a bedside table.

With girls moving in and out over the past year and a half, ugly things have gone and slightly better furniture has come. But it's still sparse. And it's so sparse that I am embarrassed to invite anyone over to see it. Who wants to hang out in a boring space? I've been telling myself to hang in there. This is just a season and soon enough I will have a place to decorate. It just doesn't make sense to invest in a temporary place.

But lately I've gotten quite fed up. I don't want to wait any longer! And although I don't have the funds necessary to really do what I'd like, I can still do small things here and there.

So I went to IKEA for the first time on Sunday. It's not Ethan Allen by any means, but there are some cute things. Here's one thing I came home with:

I realize it looks silly here, but I rotated the picture so you could see how it will look in my entry way. I put it together last night, and it looks nice. It's IKEA, but it's nice. The wood is heavy and solid. The shelves certainly won't dip if place something heavy on them. I like.

I also purchased two rugs. One for the entryway and one for the living room. I'm not ecstatic about them, but they are loads better than what we had.

Baby steps to a cuter apartment. Baby steps to a cuter apartment.

Life Lately

New Hampshire. I haven't even told you about it yet. It was wonderful. I've been wanting to post some pictures but they don't come close to doing it justice. BF and I, when choosing between Boston and the foliage of New Hampshire, chose the Shire. I didn't know if I would ever be there in the middle of October again, and I wanted to see the trees in all their glory. We drove up to Lake Winnipesaukee and the cute little town of Wolfeboro. There we took plenty of pictures, had a delicious lunch of clam chowder and penne pasta in pesto sauce, and popped into a few shops along the main road. Although I was only with BF for a little over a day, we managed to also fit in a game of Scrabble (tradition), a movie ('What About Bob?' of course, because of Lake Winnipesaukee), and a Mexican dinner with her husband. I was also able to co-DJ with her husband who volunteers for a Christian rock show. And ice cream? We had that twice. It was just so wonderful to be with BF and to see how her new house is coming along as she continues to paint rooms and decorate.

Lobster Dinner

I'm leaving the conference so thankful that I was able to come. The speakers were much more entertaining than last year, I saw many familiar faces and even made some new 'friends'.

Last night, we all boarded a ferry and rode across the bay to Pe.ak's Island for an amazing lobster dinner at an inn that you would only find on the East Coast. I'd never eaten an entire lobster before, but it was a fun experience! The lobster was served with a bowl of clam chowder, corn on the cob, a baked potato, and a roll. I literally got a great taste of Maine while being here. After our time on the island, many of us found ourselves at an Irish pub pounding our fists on the table and singing along as the band played.

The sad part of the evening was when I discovered that my Blackberry was nowhere to be found. Even worse than not being able to call others is not knowing when others are trying to call me! Unfortunately I had to tell my boss that no, I did not have a security code on my phone. Oops.

The rain is coming down hard outside with temps in the 50s. I'm hoping the skies clear up before Best Friend arrives and we explore the city a bit. The past two Fridays, I've been wanting to hang out with her and tonight I get to!-yay!

To answer your questions . .

I haven't been posting any of your comments, but thank you all so much for taking an interest in my life. It really means a lot.

A couple of questions that were asked:

"What car did he pick you up in?"
It was an Infiniti. I think a G35. I just read about it in MotorTrend last night. Throttle sensitivity and rigid chassis structure. I felt that. But whatever, it's a nice car. Infiniti's don't really do it for me, and I think he should've gone for the BMW, but whatever. Actually I think he should've gone for the new Malibu, because that thing is awesome! And affordable! And American! What more could you want?

"Does he have an accent?"
No. I guess I wouldn't mind if he had a slight accent, but nada.

"Is he someone you could see yourself getting serious with?"
I wouldn't want to say yet. But I wouldn't keep seeing him if I didn't think there was a possiblity. I ain't trying to waste my time. And I know he's not either.

Maine!

Maine is preeetty. It's also cold. And I hate cold. But I love pretty leaves. And those make up for the fact that I had to bring a coat. I am up here in Portland for a conference, and the most exciting part of the event so far has been . . you guessed it, eating! And handing out maps of the internet, yeah, that part is awesome, too. Please tell me you detected sarcasm in that, 'cause there was a lot.

Last night a group of us headed to the Old Port area, with its cobblestone streets and adorable shops, for a few drinks.

Tonight we're heading out on a ferry to Pe.ak's Island for dinner. It will be chilly, but I'm looking forward to the fresh seafood that will be waiting for me after the ride.

Tomorrow, Best Friend and her husband will be meeting me up here for an evening in the Old Port and a drive back to New Hampshire for the weekend. I can't wait to see her!

Crazy is Back

I met someone.

We’re practically in love.

DON'T take me too seriously.

DO place your email in the comments box, and I'll send you my draft post with full deets that I don't think I'll ever publish. If you don't want others to see your email, just email me at luvthislife81@yahoo.com.

p.s. We're going to dinner tonight. Boy is so cool.

p.p.s. He just called me at work and said, "So you got the work voice goin'? Wanna call me when you get out of there?"

Hot.

Fridays

Last Friday, I cried. I was homesick.

“Home sick? Ohhh, I’m sorry” a friend said when I called her.

“No. Homesick.”

“Ah, that’s almost worse.”

She was right. It is almost worse. I’d rather throw up and have it over with. Or have no choice but to lie on the couch with a box of Kleenex and watch television. Instead, I did it because I wanted to. Because there was no one else in the District of Columbia that I wanted to spend my night with.

Why?

Because no one here loves me! I’m not saying that in a tone of self-pity. It’s simply the truth. You can have fun and spontaneity and good food and laughs, but sometimes it’s not enough. Sometimes you need to be with people who love you. People that you love.

And that’s what I wanted last Friday. I wanted to be at the lake with my family, grilling steaks. Or sitting on my friends’ couch watching television, talking about nothing and everything at the same time. I wanted a hug from someone who meant it, from someone who’s known me longer than a year and a half.

But there were no hugs to be had that night. Instead there were phone calls. And the phone calls helped. Because if I couldn't hang out with the people I loved, at least I could hear their voices, and the love could be felt across the phone lines.

Those calls and those voices made me happy to spend the rest of the night alone, wandering the book store, getting Mediterranean to-go, cashing in my coupon for a free pint of Haagen-Dazs, and watching 20/20.

This Friday could've been a repeat of last, but instead I chose to be social. I went out with co-workers for the first time in a long time to celebrate a birthday. Em was there, and we split a delicious pizza at Mat.chbox, a place I've always wanted to try. It is most definitely the best pizza I've had in the city. (Ok, ok, I'll tell you exactly what I ate; herb-marinated chicken, portabella mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and mozzarella.) I cabbed home to put on my pajamas and watch football, but it didn't last long. Invited to the pool lounge across the street, I pulled a pretty late night with a friend from home and her co-workers. I also heard plenty of stories about life at the tv station. Maybe I should've gone into broadcasting.

Today is Taste of Beth.esda, and I hope to go sample a few restaurants and hear some live entertainment. The rest of the day? Football. Of course.

Here's who I spent last Saturday with:

The Bug aka Walker. And his sister, Michael.

Atop Federal Hill, overlooking Baltimore's Inner Harbor. With the Omaha girls.