Preparation Madness

Memorial Day weekend is and always has been the unofficial start of summer here in the Land of the Free. But, as a working gal, to me, it simply represents three days of solitude FAR away from the office. Boyfriend and I decided this would the perfect weekend for camping. And before I start rambling, let me just say we are about to strike it big with the weather. It has been in the 80s all week, with 86% humidity... until last night when a huge storm came through and cut the nasty Washington, D.C. swamp-like atmosphere. I am very much looking forward to weather in the high 60s all weekend, with no chance of rain. (This would be a totally different story if I had made plans to be poolside for the holiday weekend, of course.)

Life around here has been hectic lately, and somehow, it seems that while we have been preparing (for camping) for at least the past week, there was an awful lot still to get done when I woke this morning. The first trip of the season always seems to be the most work. Is that just me? I had an appointment early this morning, then coordinated with Boss Man to work the remainder of the day from home. This move spared me time to finalize the preparations.

I tend to take on way more than necessary. Today was no exception. This was my initial list:

• 9:00 am podiatrist appointment
• Email J.L.W.
• Email H.J.W. 
• Email M.R.B.
• Email roommates
• Send birthday cards to J.W.M. and M.E.K. 
• Send thank you note to M.R.B.
• Write Grandma and Great Aunt B
• Bake muffins
• Make granola
• Make trail mix
• Pack food; pack bag 
• Return honey to Giant
• Run
• Shower
• Empty dishwasher
• Vacuum

I am a crazy person. I think that has been confirmed. And this instance of crazy means I require my home be cleaned before stepping out for any extended period.

Again, thankfully, I am working from home today. The majority of my list, being entirely unrelated to camping, can wait until Tuesday, but I really do not do well with looming lists of tasks needing my tending to. In my mind, it is a dark, ugly picture with me in the center.

On that note, take a look at this picture of my kitchen around noon today:

You will see chaos. Dark. Ugly. Chaos. While whipping up a batch of blueberry coconut muffins, not C.A.R.'s granola, and assembling a half-hearted batch of trail mix, I noticed the my disturbing surroundings. It was one of those how am I going to get everything done? moments.

With only a couple more business hours remaining on this cool, crisp day-before-long-weekend Friday, I am pleasantly surprised to say things are coming together. Now, my non-camping related items will most all sit until Tuesday, but I am more at ease with everything. The 'must-do' items are crossed off from the list... with time to post a brief (and boring) update.

Have a good Friday and enjoy your Memorial Day weekend.

Strawberry Fields Forever + Boston

Meet my new strawberry plant. The one that is going to be awesome. And grow me millions of luscious strawberries. But let me backtrack for a second and say that, at this point, it's not even about the strawberries; it's about winning a competition with my, at times, pessimistic Boyfriend. The one who thinks balconies are no place for growing strawberries. Well, you stayed tuned, these late summer berries are going to make the taste of victory that much sweeter. His mom, M.R.B., the gift-er of the strawberry plant, unknowingly spawned this competition.

Below is a picture of the gracious gift comprising said plant. I share this image mostly because I did not take a single picture in Boston aside from this one. But also because M.R.B. beyond thoughtful (and fun)... and that deserves to be recognized.

Not be to overly redundant of my recent post, Boyfriend moved to Washington, D.C. in late February with nothing more than a duffle bag. I guess you could say he has been living off the land since then. When he decided he needed a few more belongings, I, being the rock star girlfriend I am, suggested we pick his mom's birthday--Mother's Day weekend--to make the journey to his hometown, Boston, MA.

I have to admit the weekend did not start off as gracefully as I would have liked. I was all annoyed with Boyfriend the entire drive for reasons I am not even sure. (Yuck.) And I am sure he would love me broadcasting that all over my corner of the internet, but I need to. It holds me accountable. I would like to promise I will not be that ridiculous ever again. I will definitely hold off for at least six months. Once we got over that hurdled, we had a pretty ideal weekend.

I got to sleep in on Friday. Then have bagels. Then hang in the sunshine and learn all about opening a pool for the season(!!!). The day continued with adult beverages... outside. And for dinner, we had the most amazing Chinese food of my life. I can guarantee China does not do it that well. Boyfriend and I brought home the leftovers... and still, weeks later, we joke about wishing we had more Chinese leftovers. So you think we will be back in Boston soon? I certainly do think so.

(More fodder for the 'return to Boston' agenda: Boyfriend failed to introduce me to Crescent Ridge ice cream. It's National Geographic rated... la, la, la... best ice cream EVER. I had life changing milk from Crescent Ridge while visiting, so I doubt the ice cream will disappoint. Though lets be real, when does ice cream disappoint?!)

On Saturday, I spent the day split between two college friends. First, I headed over to Wrentham for another couple hours of catching up with C.J.R. I saw her three days before (in D.C.) and still needed three hours to sufficiently catch up. If two friends can be sufficiently caught up, I think we are. Then I headed over to the very fancy Legacy Place in Dedham to meet H.C.O. for a birthday, wedding-festivity-planning, catch up lunch.

(Aside from Chinese food and this ice cream Boyfriend and his other hometown friends speak so highly of, I need return to Boston for shopping at Legacy Place. This outdoor mall had all my favorite places--Anthropologie, Banana Republic, J.Crew, lululemon athletica, Paper Source, and Whole Foods.)

That was most of the afternoon, before I headed back to the B's house for an epic fondue dinner. It was epic for several reasons:

1. The cheese fondue was homemade heavenly goodness. And I really do not like cheese. Especially cheese fondue. But maybe, I just do not like cheese fondue from a box?  
2. And there was bread and broccoli and apples for dipping into the cheese. I might not be ra! ra! cheese, these three things certainly top my list of love. 
3. Then it was main course time, in which I was able to participate in because M.R.B. had two fondue pots going--one for meat; one for veggies. 
4. There were veggies galore for dipping, including multiple kinds of mushrooms.
5. The B's use broth, not oil... so that seemed healthier. And definitely did not sacrifice any flavor.
6. So much eating happened during the first two courses, that we all needed a break before chocolate. Yummy, melty chocolate. Marshmallows. Bananas. Pound Cake. Strawberries. 

I might have dozed off in a food coma on Saturday and woken up a bit heavier on Sunday. I have no regrets. It was SO worth it. SO. SO. SO.

After loading the car, we said goodbye fairly early on Sunday in an effort to beat the ever promising I-95 crowds. All that good company (and eating) made me tired... and clearly, want to return. We made it safely back to D.C., unpacked Boyfriend, and I scurried home to sleep.

Unsettling Plans

Let me paint a picture of what this week was supposed to look like, starting with Sunday night.

Evening of May 5, 2013: Meet H.M.O. and A.A.P. for a--as in one--Cinco de Mayo margarita at Uncle Julio's. The atmosphere and company were better than anticipated... so one turned into two or three or five. And drinks turned into dinner. And the night just got suddenly late.

May 6: (Monday mornings, following Sunday night activity, are pretty much my favorite. Not.) If M was still in the hospital recovering from this round of chemotherapy, I would visit him... after many, too many, weeks of not visiting. If M was released, I would recommit to my plans with A.L.S.--post-work dinner and drinks. In the chaos of Monday morning, I accidentally left my phone at home. Classic me. That led to frantic emails... and people waiting on me... and all-around discomfort. M was released, and I ended up at Cave Mezze with A.L.S. The evening was a refreshing one, as I had also not seen her in weeks.

May 7, 7:05 pm: Detroit Tigers/Washington Nationals baseball game at National Park with Boyfriend and my parents. It rained and rained and rained all day Tuesday... amounts enough to postpone the anticipated match-up to Thursday, May 9. This press release did not occur until my parents were sitting in my living room... where the option to about-face into outbound traffic was out. So we chatted--seemingly plenty to discuss despite having spent the majority of the weekend together, and made plans for dinner. (Note: This would make three straight days of eating out. I was a little on edge.) After flipping through January and February copies of Washingtonian's "100 Very Best Restaurants 2012" and "100 Very Best Restaurants 2013" respectively, we landed on Ray's The Steaks, just a mile and a half down the road from my apartment. The food was phenomenal... for there being only a single unlisted vegetarian option. It ended up being a nice night, albeit not the night at the ballpark we envisioned.

May 8, 2013: Dinner at Pupatella's with C.J.R., a dear college friend, mid-route in her journey from Charleston, SC to Wrentham, MA. Year two of pharmacy school for her and my 9:00 am to 5:00 pm job, has us on entirely different schedules, meaning limited phone calls since August, rare for the two of us. I am very much looked forward blabbering away at tonight's dinner. And all went according to plan this night - hooray!

May 9, 2013: The original plans had Boyfriend and me heading to Boston, MA to visit his parents. Aside from celebrating M.R.B.'s birthday (and Mother's Day), this trip will allot Boyfriend time to  collect his belongings... because after two plus months in Washington, D.C., he wants, debatable needs, more than the duffle bag that accompanied him on his one-way trip here and two boxes his mom has mailed.

But with baseball tickets valid only for the postponed game at the horrible time of 4:05 pm, Boyfriend and I intended on opting to use two of the four tickets purchased. I hated, beyond hated, the idea of them going to waste. It literally sickened my soul. And lest I fail to mention: These were good seats. The older I get, the more high maintenance I am about where I sit in stadiums. I used to be satisfied being in the stadium. Not as much anymore. Sigh. But mostly, I purchased decent seats because I wanted to do something kind for my dad--the Tigers being his team--after he did my taxes for me, among other things. The best of intentions came up dry. Like previously mention, this postponement cost him a nice dinner for four. And he would not be joining Boyfriend and I for the afternoon game as his work schedule is not as flexible as my Government one.

And then, just when I thought my tightly made plans had stabilized, they unravelled again. There would be no early bird departure for Boyfriend and my road trip to Boston in order. A final call to Nationals' Officials concluded with suddenly refundable tickets, we could now skip the game and hit the road following my 10:00 am meeting. This left Boyfriend to do essentially all the packing as the change came minutes before I had to catch the metro for a meeting an hour northeast of the city. To say this left me in a state of disarray is to put it mildly.

At this point, I need to get to Boston; where, upon arrival, a long relaxing weekend awaits.

Earth Day, 2013

Ya’ll –

(Yep, I’m gonna talk to ya’ll like a true Southern 'cause I'm just so excited... and I ain’t got time for (attempted) grammatical preciseness to distract me!)

(I doubt I'll be able to keep up the act, so needn't now to stop your reading.)

Today, April 22, is Earth Day. And I wanted to share some news: I planted a garden (last week). My very first garden. I have been waitin' and waitin' and waitin' to share, but it's Earth Day, so I said to heck with waitin' until I saw the first sign of life; I am posting today, in honor of our dear planet. This will inevitably lead to embarrassment when I report back here in a few weeks that everything including basil, an herb supposedly impossible to screw up, is dead. Even worse will be the pesto infused meals I envisioned—distant dreams at that point. 

This past weekend, I went to the United States Botanic Garden, and even though I'm more into sustanible farming—crops and such—than flowers, I left inspired. So I thought I should inject this relatable tangent. I saw plants from everywhere, even the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho was represented. 

These flowers were there. And they were pretty. And all spring-y in color. 

There were tons of fancy, unique orchids to be seen. But I was too busy admirin' and smellin' and just plain livin' to bother pullin' out my phone to snap a picture. Lets be real folks... who doesn't like them self an orchid? Atlas orchids. Green dragon orchids. Kaleidoscope orchids. Princess diana orchids.  (Those are just a few of the more memorably-named orchids seen.) 

There were no sunflowers, which was vastly disappointing. Boyfriend exclaimed it was far too early for those. But after traversing through the endangered species, garden court, Hawaii, jungle, plant adaptation, and world desert exhibits... one would have thought there might have been room for Kansas. 

But again, Lesotho. That rocked. And got me thinking. This technically (is and) isn't my first (garden) rodeo. During my stint in Thaba-Tseka, I depended on my (host family’s) garden to bring variety to my diet. You see, while I picked crops from the garden, my host family did all the dirty, labor-intensive work. They terraced. They sowed. They ploughed. They watered. They weeded. If it counts for anything, I learned farming was no joke.

Far from the mountains of Lesotho, in Washington, DC, I find myself without an iota of land. Boyfriend looked into community plots… and oh circa sophomore year of college, I should have foreseen my life here and signed-up for the wait list. And even then, after waitin' and waitin' for eventually ever, I would've been generously allowed to purchase my very own one square yard test-plot. Then I would've had one-year to prove I'm worth the space. Well, you know what, county board, forget you and your community plots; I'm not deterred. I'll (help) keep the farmers in business at the Saturday markets. And I'm gonna grow the best darn herb garden on my balcony—proving my worth to every neighbor and passerby in range.

So to planting. To encouragement. And growing. To something new. And eating. To reducing my carbon footprint. To life. To the nine-mile walk to the Botanic Garden. To inspiration. Happy Earth Day friends. 

April 12 - 14

Today is Tax Day. It is also Pay Day. So I am not terribly upset. I am, however, thinking dependents are in my 2013 future. They seem a lot more fun than withholding money. But who wants to talk about taxes when we can talk about spring weather? And the life it brings to my weekends.

I crafted an ideal weekend. Then I lived it. And it was all-around excellent. My success is documented as follows.

I had the luxury of working from home on Friday. This spared me a few extra minutes in bed, relishing in the sight, sound, and smell of the first April shower. Further irrelevant from my weekend agenda, I had an appointment with the podiatrist to really jumpstart this rainy day. I have nasty feet. And, to some, that is putting it nicely. The podiatrist used bush trimming clippers to hack away at all my infected toe nails. I.Kid.You.Not. He seemed vaguely frustrated when I told him the infection on my big toe, right side dates back to summer 2005. I personally feel infection is irrelevant until physical pain is experienced. And that started oh about seven months ago. Plus, I, unlike most, love feet… so I have never been particularly scared by my own. Anyway, for those who are, I am happy to report nearly four days later my toe nails are already showing signs of improvement. Thanks be to the $36 miracle liquid I paint on twice daily in addition to the Biotin supplements I am downing. I am not thrilled about either. But at this point, I am paying a doctor to heal me. I feel inclined to heed his advice.

After I finished bonding with Dr. Feet, I finished working. Then I showered. Boyfriend showed up shortly after and joined me on the couch for a bag of Pretzel M&Ms and an episode of Lifetime’s newest masterpiece: Preacher’s Daughters. This is really the way I would like to inaugurate each 63-hour segment of freedom. The entire bag of M&Ms disappeared before it was supposed to accompany Boyfriend and me to the movie theater to see Silver Lining Playbook. Though I have been hearing about this movie for quite some time, it has not been playing at my designated theater until very recently. I might have fallen asleep. But I definitely liked the parts I saw. From the theater we proceeded to Whole Foods, like a totally normal couple, in route home. And then, well-rested, we found time for another episode of Preacher’s Daughters.

Saturday, I made Boyfriend and A.L.S. get up extra early for a hike in Prince William Forest Park. By finding our way back to our starting point, we averted crisis in the end. We might have consumed two pounds of trail mix in the process. Boyfriend and I caught a quick nap with some Atlanta Braves/Washington Nationals background noise before heading over to H Street for happy hour. We had great plans to dine at Toki Undergound… but apparently so did everyone else in D.C. And we did not have four hours to wait in line. So we had a drink at Smith Commons, followed by a drink at H Street Country Club and quick dinner at Shawafel. The later two – H Street Country Club and Shawafel – being reminiscent of my summer 2012 stomping grounds. Then we met little H and his amigos – our underage friends – at Rock N Roll Hotel to see FIDLAR and Wavves. Though only recently introduced to FIDLAR, I have enjoyed Wavves for quite some time. I could not wait to see them live; C.A.H. and I had been preparing for this night for quite awhile.

He neglected to warn me though, until far too late of course, just how old and unhip I should plan to feel. Very. I should have planned to feel very old and unhip. The second my brother and crew came out of the venue doors, bruised and dripping in sweat, it was no longer just a feeling. It was apparent. I am old. And I am very unhip. They were literally BRUISED and DRIPPING IN SWEAT, describing this as the craziest show ever. (The concert was fabulous. And wild.) To redeem a piece of my former young and hip self, Boyfriend and I joined America’s youth for an episode of cool: late-night dining/milkshakes at Checkers.

Sunday morning, I made smoothies with my new favorite berry – acai – juice. Then Boyfriend and I went to Giant to purchase peanuts. And came home with a lot more than peanuts. I made dough for calzones that would be consumed for meal three. Then we took off on bikes rented from Capital Bikeshare. We rode along the Custis Trail to Mount Vernon Trail to Anacostica Trail to Nationals Park. (That honestly was the highlight of my weekend.) There we saw the Atlanta Braves take on the Washington Nationals. I could not convince Boyfriend to bike home. (Lame!)

In route home, we stopped at the local library to pick up the 14 audio books I had on hold. I have been on a waiting list for some of these books as far back as February. They conveniently all came in at once. Now I have two weeks to listen to them. Really though, that should not be a problem as I spend more time than ever commuting lately.

From the second we walked in the door, we were at work in the kitchen. I finalized the dough and prepared the veggie insides while boyfriend cursedly made sauce. (He would have been so much happier with store bought dough and canned sauce… but who wants that when I have a new Kitchen Aid Mixer and food processor? Yippee – kitchen toys!) Even though we were both starving, having been deprived of food all day… our calzones were not ready until 7:00 pm, when we needed to be on the other side of town for a friend’s birthday party. Timing is everything. You can imagine how delighted Boyfriend was to have to eat in the car. For a girl with a no eating in the car policy, he could have been a little more thankful.

The birthday party was grand. There was fire. And I brought the ingredients for s’mores. So I might have been more popular than the birthday boy. There was also cornhole and friendship and Jenga and cool temperatures. And did I mention fire? And s’mores!

So you see, in weekend form: success.

Tomahawk Chop

I made it my goal when the 2013 MLB season opened to read an article about the Atlanta Braves from any news source every game day. The overall goal is to be in touch with the Braves throughout the season. This is going to be a good year for my Bravos. The season started and life happened… and not two days in, I was already behind. And I continue(d) to lag behind. Further and further behind. Then Boyfriend found a stellar free ticket deal via Liking American Pest on Facebook. (Yeah, I do not get it either.) And Sunday, we were off to Nationals Park; the Braves were in town for their last game in the first of six series against the Washington Nationals. The Braves whipped up on Gio Gonzales and the Nationals. Their bats were hot. But who were they? I could not tell you. Where was Brian McCann? Who is Evan Gattis? Where was Freddie Freemon? Chris Johnson plays first? Does this happen often? I thought he dueled for the hot corner in the absence of retired Chipper Jones. Andrelton Simmons at shortstop? I vaguely remember him from last year. (He played last year, right?) I carry the hefty burden of being the Braves’ one loyal fan. And here I was feeling a fool.

Since Tim Hudson ousted Stephen Strasburg (hooray!) in a pitchers’ duel Saturday, my primary focus was the Upton brothers, who I was acutely aware the Braves had picked up in the off season. They did not disappoint – B.J. had a single and two doubles while Justin homered for the seventh time this season. Among many wonderful pieces of Sunday, the Braves truly ignited my excitement. I have now studied the roster in full and nearly caught up on my game day article challenge. To the Braves. To winning. To another postseason appearance. (Preferably one that does not end in the National League Wild Card single-game elimination game (i.e., 2012) and is not determined by the St. Louis Cardinals (i.e., 2011, 2012)). (I really know how to kill a high note.)

It's here! Spring, that is.

The first weekend in April bought a definite shift in temperature, from freezing rain to crisp, fresh, spring air. It was as though overnight the Earth tilted relative to the sun, bringing longer days and that wannabe outside ambiance. A celebratory hike was in order—hooray! Boyfriend and I drove a short-ish way West on 1-66 to Bull Run Mountains Conservancy for a by no means challenging, good ‘first of the season’ venture, if you will, in Northern Virginia’s rolling hills. The essence of Northern Virginia, being one of the prettiest places I have ever lived, was captured in full at each vantage point as we ascended up to Elvis Rock Overlook. This picture does not capture the views. But it captures happiness—we in the Mid-Atlantic are free from the seemingly everlasting winter gloom!

I made my point. But now I have another: I try so very hard to offset the time I spend in the car during the week, by not spending time in the car on the weekends. I foresee this becoming an issue as the weather continually warms. For now though, time in the woods is incomparably worth travel time to the woods. On the other side of that coin, I strive take full advantage of my city time before I retreat to a Tumbleweed Tiny House in the mountains of Montana. All that to say, this delightful weekend was split with a lengthy walk around Washington, DC to see the Cherry Blossoms on Saturday, prior to Sunday’s escapade. The blossoms were not quite in full bloom, but having seen them in all their glory in 2012, I was thankful for nice weather and time outside.

This is pretty much the story of life going forward… because the spring equation allows little room for all things indoors.