Planes, Trains, and Running Shoes

If we were having coffee, I would tell you... that I feel so behind with life right now. On Wednesday, almost two weeks ago, while I was at work, my stepmom called me and told me that my dad had had a heart attack. Two and a half hours later, I was on a plane to Dallas. I brought one change of clothes and my running gear (which I never leave home without) with plans to stay in Texas for a night or two. When we learned that my dad would have to have open heart surgery, my plans changed. I ended up being in Texas for a total of 10 days. My dad is getting out of the hospital today and is doing great. I'm so glad I could be there but it was a very long time to be away for an unplanned period of time, especially for something that was as emotionally taxing as this. This was way different from the occasional 'Oops' vacations The Pilot and I take, which we usually plan around neither of us having anything to do in the immediate future.

I would tell you that while I was in Texas, I caught the flu. I spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at my sister's house with my 10-year-old niece, who also had the flu. Despite a prescription and a lot of meds, I don't feel any better than I did when I first got sick.

I would tell you that I ran once while in Texas, a grand total of 3 miles, and didn't practice yoga once. My legs are literally itching to run and I'm starting to get really nervous abut Disney being 2 weeks away considering I've now been forced to take 3 1/2 weeks off from training due to illness and injury.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you... that I really thought I would have my new apartment unpacked and in order by now and that I am so far from that, it's ridiculous.

I would tell you that I'm really grateful for my company's flexible work schedule because today is the only day this week that I have to be in the office, so I'll be able to fight off this flu while working from home the rest of the week.

I would tell you that I bought myself the "Year of Cozy" and I'm a little bit obsessed with all of the fun things I've been making. The book is organized by month and I did most of the January things and am hoping to jump on the February ones soon.

I would tell you that one of my New Year's Resolutions is to waste less. As someone who usually only cooks for one, I was embarrassed by the amount food I was throwing out on a weekly basis. While I had to throw out a ton of food after unexpectedly being away for so long, I'm really happy with how well I've done. I've been meal planning according to what I'm shopping for, focusing on rotating the same veggies or herbs into my meals for the week, and dating all of my leftovers so that I know when I need to use them. I also found a way to keep herbs like cilantro and parsley fresh for what's now going on 6 weeks, by storing them in a mason jar with about an inch of water, covering them with a plastic bag, and trimming the leaves every week or so.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you... that I feel like I have so much to do this week both at work, to catch up, and in life! Wednesday is my birthday and I'm really hoping I can just enjoy the day and feel somewhat caught up by then!

My favorite Memorial is easily the WWII Memorial. It's also where The Pilot and I got engaged

Feeling... Relaxed. I'm enjoying a nice, warm cup of pumpkin-spiced coffee, reading blogs, and catching up on the news. I haven't had a morning like this in months.

Reading... I started "The High Mountains of Portugal" by Yann Martel last week and I just can't get into it. The book is divided into three sections, each being over 100 pages long. There are no chapter breaks, no line breaks...It's tough to read. I may have to put it down and start my book club reads for the month, "Year of Yes" and "The Pearl that Broke its Shell."

Thinking about... Marathon training. I'm not running the Richmond Marathon anymore. Instead, I'm running the Philadelphia Marathon the following weekend. Long story short, something came up. I have really mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I'm excited to return to the place where I ran my first marathon, though I'm not thrilled about the fact that it will likely be 20+ degrees colder than Richmond will be and that I've always thought I would go back to Philly and blow my first marathon time away, but I know that isn't going to happen. I've taken taper a bit too seriously, taking 2 days off after my 22-miler this weekend, and now I'm struggling to hit the mileage I need to this week with exceptionally tired. Yesterday, I had 8 miles plan, and I could only manage 3.

Watching... so much fall TV. I've only watched the first episodes of "Timeless" and "This is Us" but I loved both. I'm also hooked on "Good Girls Revolt" on Amazon Prime. If you're looking for a good Madmen-inspired feminist, newsroom show, I highly recommend it!

Working on... my goals for November. I feel like I have a lot of them. I need to get my multiple inboxes down to zero. Miraculously, my work inbox is in good shape, but my personal inboxes feel a little bit like my life right now!

Planning... 2017 race plans, holiday adventures, 30 before 30 things, and my cookbook challenge!

Needing... a massage. I think I want to go for a massage and acupuncture session before the marathon. I've had a lot of tightness in my right hip flexor. It was fine on my last run, but it's a lingering annoyance that I don't want creeping in at Mile 24!

Wanting... to take the month of November and start focusing more on me. I want to spend more time reading, more time with friends, more time blogging, and generally doing the things I love. It's been a weird year.

Excited... that I voted early! As a rule, I don't talk about politics on my blog, but I can't emphasize enough how important this election is. Regardless of whom you support, there is a strong likelihood that this election will be contested and the only way to combat that is to ensure that enough people show up to the polls! Aside from the candidates, I also got to vote YES to the referendum to make DC the 51st state, and that is really exciting. While I don't love that they want to call us "New Columbia," I just want us to have Congressional representation.

Last week was a quick week and on Friday afternoon, Peyton and I were in the car driving up to NJ for the weekend. I originally wasn't planning to leave until Saturday afternoon but my mom promised to take me to the beach on Saturday, and that was enticing enough. Saturday's Beach Day was glorious. It had been ages since my last trip and it was exactly what I needed. 

Sunday, we went to our nephew's Christening and, after all of our flight options for the night got canceled, we hopped in the car and got back to DC just before midnight.

Today is supposed to be my first day of marathon training. I wanted to take the week after Sea Wheeze off to recover, especially since. I had some post-run knee pain, and I did but ever since I came back from the West Coast, I haven't been able to pull myself out of bed before 8am. This morning is beautiful in DC. Cool, breezy...perfect for running. No matter what, I need to get in a run today. It will have to be after work, but it'll happen.

This week isn't going to slow down any either. I'm heading out to Raleigh for work, coming back to DC, and then going to a wedding in Connecticut  this weekend. 

I can't wait for Labor Day weekend, when I can finally take some time to relax...lounge poolside, maybe visit a museum or two, go for a hike, who knows? As long as it's local, because, after months of trying to figure out where to go, The Pilot have finally planned our anniversary trip and it's going to be incredible!

But I have to finish telling you about Paris before I tell you where we're going!

My goal for this week (aside from kicking off marathon training) is to finish all of my Paris posts and actually get back into a rhythm with my blog because I miss it!

Lately, I've been experiencing a lot of nostalgia for DC. It sounds weird to say, because we're still here and don't plan on leaving soon, but I love DC. It's taken me a long time to find a place I felt comfortable calling home and DC is definitely it. This city takes my breath away and there is no time like during the Cherry Blossom Festival to prove why. 

Hi there friends!

Here we go, first Monday of the New Year. Is it just me or did this Monday come way too quickly?

I had a really great weekend. I took Thursday off from work which was a wonderful idea. I did some stuff around the house, worked on my new blog design and binge watched a new TV show.

For New Year's Eve, I went out with one of my friends from Junior League. We went to a Mexican restaurant that was cheap, delicious and not crowded. Perfect NYE night in my opinion!

Peyton woke me up bright and early on New Year's morning which gave me perfect time to eat breakfast and relax before heading to the Fresh Start 5k. I met up with Courtney at the race and we ran nice and easy together before heading to Ted's Bulletin for brunch. It was 10:30 in the morning but we both ordered grilled cheese and tomato soup and it was pefect!


After brunch, I headed back to my apartment to warm up wish some tea and a nap before meeting up with a friend for Happy Hour at Old Ebbitt. Old Ebbitt is where The Pilot and I got married and is one of my favorite restaurants in DC. Their Happy Hour is a seafood lovers' paradise and my friend and I devoured their half priced oysters and clams!

Saturday morning, I kicked off the day with a nice, easy at home yoga workout before heading to the grocery store and spending the day meal prepping for the week. I made a pit stop at Market Lunch for their famous Blueberry Buckwheat pancakes, which were just as amazing as they sound! I almost always do meal prep on Sundays, but it was nice to get it out of the way on Sunday! I posted this week's meal plan yesterday if you want to check it out! I pulled together some great recipes from other bloggers for that post!

{Left: Surf and Turf - the Turf and Right: Sweet Potato Noodles with Cashew Cream Sauce}

With meal planning behind me, I had an amazing Sunday! I did another at-home yoga workout before heading to the Renwick Gallery to check out their latest exhibit. It was really amazing! The Pilot and I wandered up to 14th Street afterward and had brunch at Draft Table. We strolled up and down 14th Street before heading home, hanging out with our landlords, and then making dinner.

At the Renwick. The tower behind us is made of index cards!

I had a great weekend. I feel great about 2016 and have a lot of exciting things going on this week! I hope you had just as awesome of a weekend and had a great start to your New Year!

PS: I launched a book challenge this weekend! It's totally manageable with only 15 books! Check it out and link up if you're interested!

PPS: This week's 'Currently...' post will be a link-up! If you're planning your blog posts and want to join in, check back Thursday morning!

Since I started this blog in 2010, I've committed to goals at the start of every year and loved seeing my progress at the end of each year.

I didn't do that last year.

Instead, I said, "I don't want to be bound by a to-do list for the year. I want to be adventurous and spontaneous and I want to learn things and see things and do things."

I made a list of some things that I wanted to work on but didn't really care if I did. Those things included yoga, making more food at home, rather than buying pre-packaged stuff, shopping locally at my local farmers' market, reading more non-fiction, saving money, and exploring more of DC,

I started off the year doing a lot of yoga...and that took a backseat. I've definitely been better at doing yoga at home this year thanks to Yoga with Adriene, but I don't think I get as much out of yoga in my living room (with the dog running around me and the oven preheating for dinner) as I do in a studio.

I definitely tried my hand in some Adventures in Homemade - homemade bread, homemade tomato sauce, pasteis de nata (from Portugal), but I'd like to get better at that, and actually blog about those adventures.

Clockwise from Left: Apple Picking in VA, Hiking in Rock Creek Park, a homemade lattice top pie, at home yoga, "The Bully Pulpit" by Doris Kearns Goodwin

I think I shopped at the Farmers' Market once.

I failed miserably at exploring more of DC. We moved into a new neighborhood and I love it so much, I hardly ever left. I definitely read way more non-fiction than usual and I saved a ton of money.

I definitely had some awesome experiences in 2015. I was finally able to race uninjured and did so at DC Rock 'n' Roll, Cherry Blossom, and finally, Chicago. I traveled a lot.

• I celebrated my sister's 40th birthday at the Sundance Film Festival.
• The Pilot and I visited my sister in San Francisco.
• My mom and I went to Lisbon together, and The Pilot joined.
• We celebrated our 1st anniversary in Hawaii and then took off on an impromptu trip to Dubai six weeks later.
• I spent a few days in St. Louis for work, and fell in love with the city.

The Pilot and I spent more time apart than we ever have. He started the year away in training for a new job for 3 months...and then left again for training with another airline at the beginning of December. He left right after Peyton's surgery and it was tough taking care of her by myself. Peyton's cancer diagnosis in itself was a tough blow but I'm so grateful that we were able to act quickly with the support of some really generous family and friends.

I don't think I was my best self in 2015. I think I was selfish in a lot of regards, but at the same time, I didn't really do anything for myself. I half-assed my way through marathon training, almost reinjuring myself in the process. I spent more time on my couch this year than ever before, I turned down a lot of plans and invitations and secluded myself. I'm not even really sure why.

I'll be 29 in 2016 and lately, I've been thinking a lot about where I want to be at 30. I want to be more committed this year...to everything...to running, to blogging, to my family, to traveling...everything. I want to be my best self at 29 and that means saying "Yes" a lot more, and being the adventurous, spontaneous self that has always made my happiest. I'll be back later this week with how I plan to make that happen!

Three years ago, The Pilot and I ended our long distance relationship and moved to DC. We had already fallen in love with this city but now, it was home, and more importantly, it was our home.

We spent those first six months exploring every inch of this city we could. We went to all of the museums, we tried restaurants, we went on long walks and longer runs.

I've had offices in Georgetown, McPherson Square and Penn Quarter. I've fallen in love with the restaurants on 14th Street, the bars on U Street, weekend mornings in Eastern Market, and the green spaces of Lincoln and Meridian Hill Parks.

We got engaged on the National Mall. We never even thought about not getting married in DC. We got married across the street from the White House.