I feel old...

Another year has come and gone! The belated birthday card I received last night reminded me that I am now officially in my mid-20s. Sometimes I just want to go back to college where my biggest concerns involve passing a test and which outfit will be "the one" for the 1889 dance, but then other times, I'm doing everything I can to distinguish myself as "older" than all the "kids straight out of college." (No offense recent grads.)

I was delighted  to celebrate with people I genuinely care about. Starting off with a wonderful weekend in Williamsburg with mom and dad, I arrived back at work to a cheerfully decorated office and an inbox stocked with birthday cards.

That evening I arranged to spend my birthday evening with a small group of close friends at one of my favorite low-key spots in the city. This birthday celebration wasn't about bells and bows, cake and candles; instead, it was about celebrating the life I've built in DC in a short two years. Pardon me for sounding cheesy -- I come by it naturally. We had a fun-filled evening at American Ice Company, which I refer to affectionately as "a garage party, just without the pong table." The bbq was good (and cheap), and the atmosphere was perfect for celebrating with my friends. Unfortunately, it's a little dark for perfect pictures.

 Converse Ladies

The Boyfriend with the Birthday Girl

Roommie Tasha, Ian, and Cousin Christina

My sweet boyfriend walked Tasha and I home, and along the way, Tasha was determined that we should celebrate with cake and ice cream. We stopped at the CVS on the way home where I convinced her that she REALLY didn't have to make a cake that night. We then narrowed in on ice cream and leftover cookies. Once  home, she created an ice cream/cookie confection with a candle on top, and with her talented singing voice sang Happy Birthday. It rounded out a wonderful birthday!

Okey, so I'm not old; I realize this. However, I spent the afternoon with a few aches and pains, and I'm not above bringing in a heating pad to sit in the back of my chair (I did it twice last week.) I believe all these aches and pains are a result of my weight-loss induced exercise hiatus, but I have to say, I thought today, "Hmmm, this must be what it feels like to be old."

Cheers to being 25!

Bright Spots

Earlier today I returned home from a delightful serious of trips, and I am again reminded of the wonderful things God has for me. Sometimes I feel as if life is on fast forward, and the moments of normal speed are shrouded in "hurry up, get going," but this weekend I just pushed pause and let the little wheels racing in my mind rest -- what a delight that was!

Thursday and Friday I spent time on a site visit in St. Louis. This was my first trip to the city and my next trip will be so full of work that I won't experience any sights, so I took the opportunity Friday afternoon to see a few of the iconic views in St. Louis.

My colleague and I traveled to the top of the St. Louis arch to see the city from a different perspective. I guess I should have taken the cashier's words seriously when she asked, "Does anyone have problems with claustrophobia or fear of heights?" Fortunately, the ride in a tiny egg car up the equivalent of a slow, inside roller coaster was only a few moments. It was just long enough that by the time we reached the top/bottom, I was a few seconds shy of the panic attack. The view was worth the ride, though. I always love the opportunity to see things from a different perspective; it reminds me the benefits of the perspective that's mine.

I made it!

After a late evening return from St. Louis, I woke up early enough to beat the southbound traffic out of DC on my journey to meet mom and dad in Williamsburg, VA. The trip was planned just a few weeks before and gave us the opportunity to celebrate my birthday (our birthday) together. Although I'd been to Williamsburg a couple of times to visit friends in grad school at William and Mary, I'd not had much time to see the sites. I hadn't researched much, but I'd requested recommendations for restaurants and sites from my W&M friends. They all seemed to share a similar interest in a handful of restaurants, and they were all on spot.

It's unfortunate that Williamsburg locks so much of the historical experience behind the doors of a pricey ticket. Much of the city's beauty is visible from the cobblestone streets, but getting inside most of the stores and museums requires that ticket. The Bruton Parish Church allowed us to get a glimpse of our forefathers Sunday mornings for just a $1 donation. In addition to all of the named pews, I got a kick out of seeing where the widow Martha Custis sat before she caught the eye of one General George Washington. I wanted to sit where Washington sat, but there was a couple sitting there that didn't look they had any desire to move.

Thanks to a community art festival, we were able to view the Dewitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum for free, which included entry into the "Public Hospital." The museum was deceivingly large, possibly half of one of the Smithsonians, and unfortunately we'd not saved enough time to see it all before closing. It was full of antiquities: furniture, artwork, silver, china and much more. I was delighted to see a restored harpsichord and piano forte, and I had fun quizzing dad on whether the harpsichord was a hammered or plucked instrument. His really cool discovery is my challenge to you (without using the internet!): To what item is the term "lock, stock, and barrel" referring?

 Harpsichord or Piano Forte: which do you think?

The Public Hospital was small but full of interesting facts. In case you were unaware, "public hospital" was the predecessor of the "insane asylum" and the "mental hospital." I won't even try to tell you the different ways they tried to "cure" those they deemed insane, and beyond that, you should know that insanity was used to diagnose anyone who was "not normal" or "disorderly." It was actually quite sad.

We ended the evening with a trip to Berret's, which came highly recommended by Sarah W.'s fiance, Zack. The extremely eager server made sure we had a great experience. I think the best thing on my plate was actually the side dish, which was a delicious roasted turnip mixture. The crab cakes weren't my favorite, but I have Hank's Oyster Bar for comparison, and they stand on a pretty high pillar.

Sunday morning I was devastated when the line at the diner I was very excited to go back to was a little too long for our growling stomachs. We ended up going to a place called Baker's Crust. Although our service left a little to be desired, the food was quite good. I think it probably suited my parents' tastes better than the diner would. Unfortunately, by the time we got back in the car to head for Jamestown the sky was ominous; we felt rain was inevitable.

We decided to make the trek to Jamestown anyways. We skipped over the touristy "Jamestown Settlement," and went straight for the National Park. It was rainy and cold, but we were already there, so...why not! It was not fun for the first 5 minutes, but we caught up with the park ranger inside the church for an intriguing story-telling session. And guess what? As soon as the ranger finished, the weather cleared. We were able to walk through the grounds of the first English settlement in cold, but clear, weather.

 safe haven during the storm

I believe my parents would agree that our favorite adventure involved a trip to the old glass making house on the outskirts of the park. They had a period-costumed guy blowing glass in a building built in replication of the nearby original. We stood and watched as he made two beautiful vases, and I was delighted when mom and dad wanted to get me one as a birthday souvenir. Did you know glass is made from sand, and it's naturally green?

We wrapped up the trip with a little shopping excursion to the Williamsburg outlets, and then we grabbed lunch at Arby's and headed our separate ways.

It was a wonderful trip; as much as I love DC, it's nice to get outside of the city for a short excursion every once in a while. Although the weather wasn't a "bright spot," the trip was. :)

Life is better than a box of chocolates

April 11th is here and almost gone, and life isn't going to slow down enough for me to update this blog. I guess I'll just have to figure out a way to fit it in my busy life. Anyone want to buy me an iPad? Just kidding! No, really, I'll take one if you're feeling generous.

Too much has flown by in the past days and weeks since I've posted, so I decided to stick with the highlights, as if you gave me 60 seconds to tell you my recent life history in a nutshell. Who am I kidding? Me, speak for only 60 seconds? Anyone who knows me well, knows better than that.

::Highlights, Sarah, highlights. Don't get distracted!::

1. Work is ridiculously busy right now. The "To Do" list is 20 things long per day, and I get to 4 before 5:00 arrives. Just today I looked at the clock after what seemed like an hour of work and realized it was 11:40. Seemingly an hour later, it was 4:50. The days are going by so fast I don't even recognize the hours. That's of course good and bad. My big event is less than 3 weeks away, and we're still tying up loose ends. And that is not because of procrastination! I do still love my job. I'm just a little overwhelmed right now. Come May 2nd, I will be happy as a lark, relaxed, and gearing up again on May 3rd. Such is my life.

2. I have many bright spots at work, though. One involves something that hasn't been so bright: eating. Mom and Dad randomly send me packages of foods I like that are difficult to get here or really good for me but out of my price range. Every time I get one it's like opening a christmas present. Just today I got a large box of foods I told Mom to scout coupons of for me. Healthy foods/snacks in a box instead of coupons and newspaper clippings were a big surprise. Yum!

3. Why is eating not so bright and why are your parents suddenly sending you food? Is that what you're thinking? Well, I'll just put it out there. I'm losing weight, and I can't stop. I'm not trying to, but it seems a never-ending battle. Clothes that fit in December no longer fit, and those were purchased in December because the ones that were bought in September no longer fit. Don't worry. I'm fine. I am just adjusting to a different lifestyle than my body was accustomed to in South Carolina, and it may or may not involve forcing myself to eat when I don't feel I want to or need to. I gained a few pounds this month, though, yay! Reduced my workout intensity, planned to eat 1800+ calories a day (wasn't happening before), and changed my eating schedule. I never thought I'd be frustrated that I was losing weight.

4. Fortunately, I have a constant encourager here in the area for my eating habits and my down days at work. I'm dating a guy that makes me very happy and is constantly doing/saying things to remind me how special I am to him and the world around me. I went from seeing several different people to narrowing the field to one amazing guy(just named boyfriend on the blog). He and I have been able to see and do so many fun things in the past several months, and he doesn't shy away from the music and arts I love so much. Just this weekend we went to see an Oscar Wilde play at Shakespeare Theater. So fun!

5. I don't know how they got pushed to number 5 on this list: Friends, friends, friends! I have amazing ones. None can replace my college girls or best friends from childhood, but these really are great. I have a good mix of girls and guys that I can truly count on for anything (including my cousin). Several of us are in a monthly supper club that we began, and we've made it an outstanding group of fun people who enjoy meeting new people and eating good food. We genuinely have so much fun. Things have been hectic with work lately so I don't get to see many of them as regularly as I would like, but when I do, we always have the best of times.

6. I've started attending some weekend classes to obtain a Certificate in Event Management from George Washington University. I am learning and striving to increase my knowledge of this field that I truly enjoy. It's on hold until summer classes are announced, but I do plan to have my certificate by next summer. It's worked out great that I'm in an area that has the number one program in this field. Stay tuned for more info on that!

I don't have any real pictures dedicated to this "update" subject so I thought I'd share a few of the things that happened on my blog hiatus.

 Girls night dinner to support Leslie's Auburn Tigers. Alex making pizza.

 Go Auburn! Leslie gave us shirts to wear.

 Sarah W. and I on the Staten Island Ferry on my first NYC trip.

 Fabulous friends from Converse bundled up in NYC.

Dad and Mom join cousin Christina and I on a walk to the White House.

Until the not-so-long-from-now next time (I hope),

Sarah

PS - Did I mention how happy I am? Life really is better than a box of chocolates!

Life in Twenty11

The past several months, we've been designing support materials for the 2011 event season. Never in all that time did I think it would be hear this fast. We kept referring to everything as "next year" and had to go through extra steps to make our database work for 2011, but when I returned to work today, I didn't have any of those old frustrations; I did, however, have a panic moment of "Um, it's twenty11, I don't have half the stuff done I planned to by now!" I'm still kind of having that panic moment right now, but I'm trying to grab hold of the proverbial "bull" twenty11 by it's horns and take it down. Where did 2010 go? For that matter... where did 2008-2010 go?

I'm so very fortunate and grateful that this year in DC/NOVA has brought me many friends, and so many enjoyable moments. Even when you think things can't get any better, SURPRISE!

The New Year was appropriately rung in with 2 great girlfriends and an incredibly fabulous cousin. After thinking I'd be late to the gathering, I arrived to Christina and Alex's place only to discover the preparations for the evening were a little bit more delayed on their end, but it worked out perfectly since I was craving a fun girls' night, reminiscent of the college days when we got ready for evenings out, cocktail parties, and semi-formals.

An hour and a half after I arrived, we were close to ready to head for dinner. We didn't have reservations, and I said, why not Hank's Oyster Bar across the street. Tina handed me the phone and said, "I just dialed, they're about to pick up." I, being the extremely friendly person I am, quickly made friends with the maitre d' who said if I could be there in 5 minutes he'd give me the table that cancelled as long as we were out by 10:30. Perfect! We grabbed coats, ran out the door, and walked in the restaurant in just under 5 to find that we had one of the two sought-after window seats. Our waiter was the best in the house, sparking our decision to make Hank's a monthly occurrence around his schedule. He may have also enjoyed a little of our dramatic stories and a sip of our celebratory champagne. Oh, how I love good service. It makes a good restaurant outstanding.

Like all good things, dinner had to come to an end, and we lost Leslie to bed for the second half of the evening. We got our taxicab a little lost en route to the house party where we rang in the New Year with some new and old friends. We all kissed (on the cheek of course) at midnight to ward off what some say might be bad luck, and started the trek home on foot. Despite many, many, many attempts to get a taxi in the streets full of stumbling, coat-less people with New Years hats, we walked most of the way home to Christina and Alex's place where we slept til noon and woke up to a delicious quiche courtesy of Christina.

I may have missed out on the hoppin' johns and collard greens, and perhaps I didn't have the typical New Years Eve kiss, but I feel really good about this year. I have no doubts it may be one of the best yet. Next post I'll try to let you in on a few of my New Years resolutions.

xoxo SY

I know what you did last winter...

Actually, you don't. And I'm to blame. After two months of hiatus, I don't really know which you'd rather hear about: what I've been up to the past two months, or what this week looks like for me. I guess there is mystery and intrigue in leaving you in the dark (hence the title), but I do have some fun things that happened I'd like to report. So, I've decided to give you a brief rundown of the facts with minimal pictures and since one of my resolutions is to be better about this blog, I'll update you on the current happenings next time. Capiche?

I was delighted to have mom come for a visit in early November for the long Veteran's Day weekend. We enjoyed several of my favorite spots with an evening tour of the monuments, and visited a few new places I hadn't seen before including Mt. Vernon and the Botanical Gardens. I highly recommend both spots, and I plan to visit both again. Mt. Vernon was like a walk back in time, but yet it was so well preserved; I can understand why Washington loved it so. I've determined I'm going to make it a goal to see it once in every season. The winter trip is already in the planning stages.

Neither of these are the greatest in photo quality, but they make me happy, so I thought I'd share them with you. I'll post the others in the picasa gallery soon. This one's going in a frame on my desk as soon as it gets printed! Yay for family visits!

A few weeks after mom's trip up, I journeyed south for the Thanksgiving holidays. Brooke's family was there for my entire stay, meaning I got some much needed quality time with the niece and nephews I miss dearly. Jennifer's family dropped in for a couple of days, which meant I got to see little Henry. On my Christmas trip home, we took this photo after he'd taken some of his first steps sans hands or objects. Btw, when I say "little" I'm being fececious. Happy 1st birthday, Henry!

Unfortunately, while I was home for Thanksgiving, I contracted the stomach bug, along with three other members of my family. What a way to spend your last 12 hours at home, much less the last 12 hours before boarding a plane. No fun! Don't worry... I was free of the bug by the time I passed through airport security, I didn't track it onto the plane.

After a long plane ride spent starving and wishing I could eat, I arrived home in DC to rest up before a bustling week with all the field reps in town, and the official start of my 2nd year at the NRA. The busy week concluded with our Annual Awards banquet, which Amber affectionately calls the NRA Prom, which we followed up with a bowling outing in cocktail attire. Quite a fun evening. Did I mention, I love my coworkers?

Nicole, Jeremy, Amber, and I after Jeremy won the Top Gun Award

Amber, Kara, and I rockin' bowling shoes and cocktail dresses

The NRA Prom kicked off the Holiday season for me in DC, and plays great part in my lack of blogging. The past few months really feel like a blur, but fortunately, it's a glittery blur filled with many bright spots and fabulous friends.

The Friday after the NRA Prom (which Amber, Kara, Melissa, Nicole, and I went stag to), Danny and I attended the DC Holiday Gala with my friends Maria and Jason, and we danced the night away at Town Hall while supporting a great charity. So, THIS is why I moved to DC. :) Arts, culture, the social circuit. The evening was fabulous, and I was in the best company. Maria, can you hook me up with the photo of us again?

The following week I co-hosted the T5 Dinner club with Chance. Gumbo, cornbread, good conversation, new friends... the supper club I always wanted to have. Tina, Alex, Brychan, Chance, and I each invited a new person to introduce to the group, and very quickly my little den was busting at the seams. It was there that I met our new friend Leslie, who I'm sure you'll hear about in future postings.

The next weekend was a busy one preparing to head out of town, and enjoying the holidays. The season wouldn't be complete with out some christmas lights, though, so I traveled through the "Festival of Lights" at Bull Run with Danny, and the miles of lights deposited us into a quaint little carnival including a ferris wheel, Santa, smores, cotton candy, a shooting activity, and a darts game. There were of course other things there, these were just the only things we did before our toes and ears almost fell off in the mind-numbing cold. Note to self: when there's snow on the ground in any capacity, boots and/or tights are a necessity. Thank goodness, I'd bought a hat the week before. Poor Danny about lost his ears to frostbite.

My trip home was a breeze, and I was so grateful to see my family twice in such a short time span (3x for mom). Mom, Dad and I spent Christmas Eve with friends, and Christmas morning celebrating by ourselves. The snow started falling around noon at both of my sister's houses, and we were all a little worried that our Christmas reunion may not happen after all, but thankfully, God cleared the path for both families to come as planned on Sunday afternoon. We had great fun opening gifts and hanging out stomach bug free.

I had the great opportunity to see Courtney, TJ, Margaret, Dani, and Warren all while I was home. The only person I missed was dearest Lil' Sis Rachel. If only I could transplant them into my life up here! They are all sorely missed.

I returned on Wednesday morning, and headed straight for work. Talk about exhausted! After a day and a half of work, it was vacation time again. Happy New Year! I spent the evening celebrating with a much needed girls night. I'll tell you all about it, and the rest of my ladies' weekend in the next post. (hopefully tomorrow)

Much love and hope for the New Year! Welcome Twenty 11... we weren't quite ready for you!

xxoo