Tuesday afternoon . . .

I can't believe that in some places, the cherry blossoms have already arrived! I'm so excited for it to be in full effect and see this city turn pink! Also, when the cherry blossoms come, so too (hopefully!) will my mom, and I can't wait to see her :) I love you mommy <3
   Some of you may already know that Chuck is the chef in our household, and a great one at that! Believe me, I know how lucky I am that a) my boyfriend cooks, b) he's better than me at it! He has been preparing meals for me since we first started dating, and he cooks in true Paleo fashion. Never heard of it? Check this out; http://www.thefitblog.net/2010/12/going-paleo-101-what-is-paleo.html So this has become something that I am accustomed to and quite enjoy actually! But after the holiday's, our unhealthy road-trip out here, and just getting settled here, I wanted to try something a little more strict, and something that Chuck has done in the past too. Slow-Carb is what I decided I wanted to do with him. Slow Carb = http://gizmodo.com/5709913/4+hour-body-+-the-slow+carb-diet I'm at week 1 and so far, so good! Really, it's not about losing 20 pounds or anything, its about feeling more comfortable in my own skin, and also testing my will-power, my ability to say "no" to things that pollute my body. For any of us, I know that can be a challenge, especially for me since I am lactose intolerant and can't allow myself things I love like cheese, yogurt, and ice cream because it tears up my stomach. I know, sob story right?? haha Anyway, this slow-carb diet is something I'm giving a whirl. I have taken measurements and will report any changes in a month. It's sure to be a nail-biter!
   On another note, I attended a beautiful brunch/ Stella and Dot party this Sunday. Thank you to my friend Sarah for hosting such a nice get together! I met several really nice girls and I'm so looking forward to getting together with them for wine tastings and museum trips!
   On Friday I got to spend time with my "nephew," his dad, his lovely wife and her parents for hiking in the AT and wine tasting in Virginia. I can't deny that being closer to the Mackey family was a HUGE draw for me when Chuck and I wanted to move out here. I love that when I see little Lantz growing up, he will actually know who I am :) the same goes for little Parker and Lorelai, and I can't wait to meet them in a couple of weeks at the little guy's first birthday party :)

K, I'm off to make some Kale chips! Bye for now!

New York State of Mind

We had such a wonderful time in NYC this weekend! A GIANT thank you to Tucker and Donna for being such excellent hosts and showing us all around.
It been 10 years since I had been in the city that never sleeps, and it felt like such a whirlwind then, it's was new years just a few months after terrorists attacked the World Trade Center. Understandably the city was in the midst of a transformation, the tension, fear, love was all palpable. Even for a first-timer I knew the atmosphere that surrounded me was different than usual. It was different than what i had expected all except for one moment - to be there, in the heart of Times Square to watch the ball to drop was something I will never forget. All of a sudden, I found myself counting down the end of that year with 500,000 other people and all o us had our eyes fixed in the same spot, and I like to think that we all had similar emotions of hope and renewal too.
Well it's been a long time since I had been and I was eager to see how much I remembered, what was different, and what else I could squeeze into 3 days! In a nutshell, this it what we did; had 2 delicious brunches, rode the subway a lot, central park - strawberry fields, the Guggenheim, consumed copious amounts of alcohol, had some o the best sushi I have ever eaten, NBC store, saw lots of sites- radio city music hall, MoMA, Katz's, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, ate pizza and all in all had one excellent time. I tried to document as much as I could without missing everything. I will post pictures below :) I believe that it takes a special type of person to live in NYC. The truth is, NY is great, but it's tough too. I feel in awe of those that live and make a home amidst the chaos. Returning home last night, I felt like DC was small peanuts compared to what we had just left. I did notice similarities between these two places though. The narrow streets, the masses of people that flood the sidewalks, the architecture, the homeless. The history that packs itself into the walls of virtually every building is hard to ignore. I tend to feel dwarfed by it all.
One of the best feelings I had this weekend was while we were walking home from our bus stop in DuPont. Our feet hurt, we were carrying our bags that seemed to get heavier at each block, but it felt so good to be HOME. And it felt even better to feel like DC is our home now. It's the best one monthiversary present that DC could have possibly given to us :)

Things I learned today . . .

 . . .that working out with my boyfriend = crappy workout por moi, and drooling. lots of drooling.

   It's a little funny to me that we have been dating for a little over a year now and have never really worked out together. It's funny, because we both are active people and incorporate exercise into our individual routines. He is a cross fit-er and I like to run, elliptical, climb stairs, and in general be solo (except for yoga of course!) when i break a sweat. He gets a lot from his work outs with cross fit, and has been doing it for years now. It's amazing how many different things they do in his cross fit gym/box and I admire all of that hard work - because I def know its a lot of work. Its just not my cup of tea :) Unfortunately, since moving here, he has had to give up going to cross fit for now since it's so expensive and I am unemployed for now. Responsible spending doesn't seem to go hand-in-hand with and $250+ monthly membership fee. So now we share the same work out space for the first time. I know he misses it, but he doesn't ever say anything so as to not make me feel responsible for his not going. It's a sacrifice that he is making for me, one of the many wonderful things I appreciate about him.
   So anyway, I am on the stair climber, and I glance over at him on the rower and immediately decided 3 things; I love him even more today than I did yesterday (and yesterday was Valentines!), he must always wear a shirt while working out without me, and we can NEVER go to gym together again because I will get no physical benefit from staring like an idiot and drooling all over my amazing, sexy boyfriend.

Happy V-day!

 <3 Happy Valentines day to all! <3 I have never given much thought to this day - either in or out of a relationship. its a lot of pressure usually - so I generally shy away from doing anything for it. Last year, Chuck took me to Prescott, AZ for the weekend after and this year, we are going to NYC. I guess Valentines is a good excuse for us to get out of town :)
So we got some snow this weekend! Seriously, it was f-f-f-fa-freezing! Its a interesting feeling to want to get used to your cheeks and ears being blasted with icy wind. we went  to busboys and poets on Saturday, had awesome lunch, hot drinks and most importantly - i think we have found our "neighborhood hot spot!" its all local, organic, they offer veggie, vegan, gluten free and they actually KNOW if there is dairy in their sauces! major perk of living in a big city is having options like this available on nearly every corner.
one of our favorite activities is exploring the shops and businesses around us, so after lunch, thats exactly what we did! met a really cool guy from NY that owns this designer boutique with his wife www.rue14.com , Chuck picked out the newest additions to our place - Jonathan Adler salt and pepper shakers and an arc lamp! went out Saturday night to try this Kabob place in Dupont with excellent reviews in yelp. it was actually worth the 1 mile walk in the snow and wind. It amazes me that no matter the weather conditions, people here were still walking around in sandals! Meanwhile i must have looked like that kid from "A Christmas Story"
Sunday, I made and devoured these delish deviled eggs :) and over all felt pretty productive this weekend! "Productive" is a coveted feeling to have when you are unemployed like me so i'll take it! I'm looking forward to this week - nicer weather, more exploring, and what a fun weekend ahead of us!

Weekend

What a great way to start out my day! Thanks to my sweet bf, and a whole bushel of oranges, I have this lovely glass of OJ :) so we are thinking about hitting up the farmers market by our place today, maybe grab lunch there or this place I have been wanting to try called Busboys and Poets- sounds cool right? But our main objective this weekend is to go to the Eastern market. It's this place thats supposed to have lots of cool restaurants, and specialty foods/ ingredients/ seasonings. It's bound to be a good time and I'm pretty excited for it. I will post some pics of it after.
On another note, it's supposed to snow today :)

yoga

So last night I went to my first yoga class here. Its been a good year since I have consistently practiced, and you and probably everyone else that was there could tell! but i did it, and i LOVED it. I have always loved yoga. i love the strength i feel in my body when i have finished. i love the focused breathing. i love challenging my body to twist into a pretzel. i even love sweating through each pose. mostly, when i'm all finished, i love the feeling i get when its over - like i have done something really good and positive for my body, mind and soul. i really don't know why i have never given yoga a good enough shot at being a staple in my life, but after last night, i think thats about to change. and by the end of this year, i am going to be that annoying person in class that can do a tripod head stand DAMNIT! If you are reading this and live in the DC area, i highly suggest www.flowyogacenter.com  - its a little pricey - but as my new friend Sarah said, "you get what you pay for." Also, they have first-time specials (2 classes for $20, 1-month unlimited for $55/ $50 online) that make it more worth it. i guess everyone will know where to find me for the next month :)

getting the hang of it

So Chuck and I have been here in the city for a few weeks now - almost 1 month! woot! I can't lie, it feels pretty awesome every, single day that I wake up and I have (what I consider to be) the coolest view :) to say that i'm proud of us for making this change might be a little of an understatement. the truth is, moving away from my comfort zone of familiarity, family and friends is a scary thing that I have wanted for such a looooong time. I have mentioned to many people that I wanted to feel like "a fish out of water" and boy do i ever. but i also feel like a real honest, adult for the first time in my life. It feels a little weird to be saying that at 28, but its true. we are slowly acclimating to the world around us, and everyday i feel more and more comfortable venturing out and exploring the city around me. I know it will take time to make DC feel like home, but thankfully, i get a little taste of everyday. and one of things that I'm doing to feel more "homey" is writing in this blog. I haven't even told my family about it yet - i want to get the ball rolling a little bit more first.

Ground hog day = G2

Well, I'm sitting on the G2 east back from a short trip to Georgetown. City bus riding all by myself today! I know it sounds silly, but it's kinda a huge deal to me :) its one more step in getting associated with my new home and it feels pretty good!
On another note, I'm trying to illicit smiles from other city dwellers, minus the crazy and/ or homeless ones. I'll keep you posted on the progress there.