Decade in Review

Apparently, a lame blog year in review is not enough...seeing that I have now been reminded by countless "Decade in Review" stories on TV and the internet that we are closing out a decade.  Is it the 0s?  How do you say that...the "ohs"?  Or the two thousands?  Are we going to the tens?  Anyway, here is my very brief Decade in Review.  Too bad I don't have a picture to post from each year...that would be great!  But would have required a scanner and me remembering before today that we are closing out a decade.  Oh well.  Maybe next decade...

2000:  Y2k happens.  Or doesn't happen...depending on whether you thought the world would end or not.  I spend 2.5 months of the summer in Mexico with Campus Outreach.  Don't want to leave, but must finish college.

2001: I graduate from college, barely squeaking out a Cum Laude honor.  By .01 of a grade point.  I go 6 months without a real job.  September 11th occurs, further dashing my hopes of a real job.  In November, I begin what turns out to be a dead-end-for-me job at a bank.

2002: Turns out to be the hardest year of my life so far that I have learned the most from.  Heart gets broken by a boy, job is slow and not challenging, I am bored.  Life in the "real world" outside of college is hard.  Come to know God more for it, but somehow become bitter, too.

2003:  I discover that I need both athletic and musical outlets in my life, even though I am out of college.  Join a chorus and train for a half marathon.  Two decisions that have made huge differences in my life, even today.

2004:  Heart is broken again, but this time I leave dead-end depressing job at bank and SC (my home for 25 years)...and move my life to Annapolis, MD.  Best decision yet!

2005:  I am a little bit lonely, but am slowly making friends and adjusting to life in Maryland.

2006:  I go on last minute Bulgarian Carmina Burana tour to Florida with the chorale.  Make what I feel sure will (even today) be lifelong friends.  Spend too much money going out to eat and drink with said friends.  Move into Home for Wayward Chorus Girls to save money.  Another great decision.

2007: Run first marathon.  Get new, more likable, better paying, shorter commute job.

2008: Make off-the-cuff decision to sing in the chorus with operetta company in Baltimore.  Meet J.  Start dating J.

2009:  I turn 30 and buy my first diamonds, a pair of earrings.  Spend birthday in New York City.  Fall in love with J.  Train for Goofy Challenge.  Go to the opera a lot.

So that's it!  My Decade in Review...boy has my life changed!  Not quite as drastically as my friends who now are married with 3 or 4 kids, but I am in a different geographic location!  That should count for something.

Happy New Year, everyone!

2009 Blog Year in Review

I did this last year and enjoyed it, so I thought I'd give it a go this year, too.  Here is the first sentence of the first post of each month of 2009:

January: When I first moved to Maryland, my intention was to eventually live in downtown DC.
February: I seriously don't think I could have asked for a better way to celebrate my 30th and Maureen's 40ishth birthday.
March: I've really been a blogging slacker the past few weeks.
April: One of my Fall/Winter/Spring luxuries is a pre-bedtime bath.
May:  I've been a really lazy person lately.
June:  Dear Starbucks Triple Grande Iced Latte
July:  It's hard to believe that my last post was almost a month ago!
August: It's crazy to me that this summer is almost over.
September:  Hi again, faithful readers (all 5 of you).
October:  There is just something about the changing of the seasons that is quite appealing to me.
November:  For the past 12 years or so, it has been my responsibility to cook the turkey for my family's Thanksgiving dinner.
December: I am perhaps an oddity when it comes to receiving personal customer service.

So it looks like I was a lazy person in 2009 and time passed me by rather quickly.  At least, that is what I would infer from these first post sentences!  Let's hope 2010 is a little more disciplined for me!

Quick Update

Here are a few things I've have/will be up to:

• - Christmas at the Home for Wayward Chorus Girls was lovely.  My parents were visiting, and we had our normal Christmas Eve gathering pre and post-church.  This year, we must have been tired because the night ended at 2:30 AM instead of 3:30 or 4...

• - The kitties are like two peas in a pod for sure now.  They did finally separate to sleep the other night though...Alfio came into my room and Marcello stayed with Maureen.
  

• - While I'm happy to be in the marathon taper stage, that makes it particularly hard to run at all!  I also can't seem to stop eating.
  

• - New Years' Eve, I'll be headed to the Engineer's Club with J again this year for their NYE bash.  Should be a good time again as I've heard some other fun folks will be joining us.
  

• - Somehow this week, I've ended up with a sinus/cold issue.  I think it is sinus related because I keep dealing with a sinus headache.  No fun :(
  

• - I'm getting really excited about my trip to Disney in a week and a half for the Goofy Challenge!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  Stay tuned in the next few days for some more posts I have scheduled to go up...

New Addition to the Home for Wayward Chorus Girls...Meet Alfio!

Last Friday, my roommate came home with a surprise.  Another cat!  And not just another cat, but Marcello's biological brother!  When we picked Marcello out, he and his brother were the last ones in the litter.  Both of them were so cute, I figured the other would get adopted at some point.  But his brother never did.  I hated thinking that he was going un-adopted, but I knew I couldn't afford another cat.  So...Maureen adopted him instead!  It took Marcello a few days to get used to him, and Alfio was a bit scared the first few days, but now they are inseparable.  I even woke up last night to both of them sleeping at the foot of my bed on either side of me.  So sweet!

Here are a few photos my roommate took of them:

Alfio, the new addition

Sometimes, they look like twins!

This should be our Christmas card

The kitteh bonding has begun!

While a bit crazier, it is so fun having two kitties, especially since they seem to enjoy each others' company so much!

Blizzard '09

Well, the snow we thought was coming did arrive, and dumped 20+ inches of snow on good 'ole Annapolis!  No Saturday/Sunday Messiah performances...no 22 mile run...it was actually nice to have 2 days where I had to pretty much stay in the house!

Looking out my second story window in a slow part of the blizzard

By Sunday, both my roommate and I were dealing with cabin fever, so we ventured the few miles on icy/snowy roads to downtown Annapolis.  We started out at the Rams Head, and then moved over to Galway Bay.  On the walk over, I grabbed a few photos of downtown in the snow.

St. Anne's Church in the Snow

Reynolds' Tavern

State House

Looking up Fleet St

Snowy Stairs

Historic Homes

State House grounds

Governors' Mansion at Night

As lovely as it was, I hope we don't have anymore storms like this anytime soon!

Yep...it's Definitely THAT Time of the Year Again...

...the time in which I have little to no free time.  Much as I love it, I'm craving a morning to sleep in, drink my coffee, and generally just veg.  Not having that time is my own fault though.  The Goofy training means back to back weekend morning runs.

The past few weeks have been a lovely blur of rehearsals, performances, parties, and running.  I really do enjoy everything I do, I just wish it weren't all crammed into the same time frame!  If I ever decide to train for another long distance race, it will not be during this crazy month of December.  To give you a taste of what I'm up against, let me describe my next 3-4 days to you:

-Tonight: Messiah Dress Rehearsal.  Come home, take relaxing bath, stretch tight hip, go to bed.  Say a prayer for no snow on Saturday.

-Tomorrow: I'm off from work due to a doctor's appointment.  Get up at 6:45 AM (earlier than I do to go to work!), run 11 miles from 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM.  Shower, rush to doc appointment.  Come home and get house ready for guests.  6 PM- Parents arrive.  Rush to church for Messiah performance.  Come home immediately afterwards.  Go to bed.  Pray for no snow on Saturday.

-Saturday: Get up at 6 AM to drive to Baltimore for a 5 mile race. Pray for no snow.  Run race.  Drive to NCR Trail.  Run 17 more miles.  Come home and eat food.  Go sing 8 PM Full Messiah performance.  Crash.

-Sunday: Sleep in briefly.  Brunch with parents.  Send parents off to Williamsburg.  Sing 3 PM Messiah matinee.  Go caroling afterwards.  Come home and crash.

I know I often write about how busy I am, but this weekend really takes the cake!  Hopefully I will make it to the other side...and let's all pray for no snow on Saturday since I'll be running 22 miles and also don't want our Saturday Messiah performance cancelled!

Personal Interactionaphobia (or Why I Hate Small Talk!)

I am perhaps an oddity when it comes to receiving personal customer service.  I truly don't like it!  I'd rather do it myself and screw things up than have someone help me personally.  I'm the person that always says, "Just looking" when someone in a store asks if they can help me, even if I am looking for something in particular!  I'll walk up and down the aisles of the grocery store multiple times in order to find an item before I'll ask an employee where it is.  I used to be much worse...I would have nightmares about having to take my car in to get the oil changed!  I still don't like having to interact with car repairs, etc...but it's easier than it used to be.  In college, I made my roommate call to make hair appointments for me.  Truthfully, I hate the phone more than in person interactions.  I still tell my current roommate that I will pick up our take out order if she calls it in!

My mother, on the other hand, always wants personal service.  She'll call the Omaha Steaks line to order steaks and tell them all about why she needs them...her upcoming dinner party, a daughter visiting, etc.  As a teenager, I was always highly embarrassed when my mom would start telling store clerks her life story.  (Sorry Mama!).  Now, I just find it amusing. :)

I wonder if growing up being embarrassed by my Mom's small talk with strangers is why I dislike small talk so much.  I know there is a place for it, but I just don't like it.  I have some really odd fear of people thinking I am stupid, so I never want to ask for help or service in a store.  I was thinking about these strange fears today because I have an appointment to get my hair highlighted and cut.  I had the same stylist for awhile, but she has stopped cutting hair, so I have been bouncing around to different stylists at the salon.  I am literally nervous about going to get my hair done because having to personally interact with the stylist makes me nervous.  I can't quite pinpoint it...but it must have something to do with small talk.  The thing that made me stick with my last stylist for so long was that she immediately made me feel comfortable and didn't really engage in small talk.  We jumped right in and chatted about life.  Now, I have to answer questions about my job, the holidays, etc when I go to a new stylist.  But, silence is definitely more awkward.  It's such a strange thing!

I am trying to get better about the whole personal interaction issue.  When I bought my MacBook, I made a personal shopping appointment with a real, live person.  And I asked them questions!  I've been actually calling places.  And talking to people.

Honestly though, with online shopping and service, self checkouts, etc on the rise...there must be more people out there like me than I realize.  But perhaps it doesn't stress others out quite like it does me!

Riding in the Motor Car...

My Dad has always loved trains, ever since he was a little boy.  Some years ago, he started volunteering with the SC Railroad Museum where they have real trains and track and run tourist trains most every weekend.   For his retirement, he bought a "motorcar".  When I first heard "motorcar"...I thought about an old style car from the 30s.  This type of car is a car that can ride on the rails and check track to make sure all is well.  Today, we met some friends of my parents and their kids to ride on the motor car and have a picnic.

My Daddy in front of his Motorcar

The whole fam

Daddy barking orders (just kidding!)

Heading down the track

A little further...

Motorcar driver in action...

After the motorcar ride, we sat down and had a picnic in front of the station.  It was another lovely day, if a bit cool.

Tomorrow, I get back on a plane and go home.  Oh well, it's been a lovely holiday!

Giving Thanks in the Holy City

My Thanksgiving this year was one of those days that will likely stick in my mind forever.  The day was stunning, and we spent the bulk of it in Charleston.  Temperatures were in the 60s, and the skies were clear and blue.  After 3 or 4 straight days of cold, gray rain in Maryland, 60s and the sun were rather welcome!

We started the day with a walking tour based on Pat Conroy's novel, South of Broad.  I finished the audiobook this weekend while roasting my turkey breast.  The tour was fantastic and hit a lot of the sites mentioned in the novel such as St Michael's church, the four corners of law, some of the residential areas "South of Broad", the Battery, and more.  Here are a few photos I snapped that show how gorgeous the day was:

St. Michael's

Four Corners of Law at Broad and Meeting St

Looking down the Battery on East Battery St

Me in Battery Park in front of the Cooper River

After the tour and a little more wandering around, we headed to Magnolia's for Thanksgiving dinner.  We met my Godmother and her travel friends, and we proceeded to have a lovely meal.  My Dad and I split a bottle of Pinot Noir...and then had some Fried Green tomatoes.  I had the "Carolina Carpetbagger", twin filets topped with fried oysters and madeira sauce.  Yummy!  Creme Brulee was dessert.

As the sun was setting, we were headed out of the city headed towards Columbia.  I felt so at peace after such a lovely day.  I highly recommend visiting Charleston for Thanksgiving!

Downtime is Delectable...

I have to say, this weekend was quite lovely.  For me, it was the perfect mix of busyness and downtime.  I spent some time with J, got 2 training runs in, had my planned early Thanksgiving dinner with friends, sang a few Christmas carols, and spent Sunday on the sofa watching football, continuing to acquaint myself with my MacBook, and reading.

Even though cooking my early Thanksgiving meal was work, it was very enjoyable.  Friday night, I went to the grocery store and cleaned the house from top to bottom.  Saturday, I went for a 5 mile run in the AM, had grits casserole with J and watched College Gameday.  My turkey went in around 11, and then I started working on the dressing and broccoli spinach casserole.  It was a lovely fall day outside, which added to the enjoyment of cooking inside for some reason.  My Linner companions came over around 2, and the food was on the table by 2:30.  It was certainly a modest Thanksgiving meal...3 dishes and no sweet potato anything, but it was tasty, and I didn't need to have tons and tons of food leftover!  A friend brought a yummy pumpkin mousse pie (that I am still enjoying out of the fridge!), and after an enjoyable afternoon, we headed out to sing Christmas Carols at a holiday lighting ceremony.

Once the carols were sung, I headed up to Baltimore to hear a concert version of Donizetti's Don Pasquale.  It was a good performance, and I even managed to be home in bed by midnight!  Unfortunately, Marcello seems to be suffering from an ear infection (I took him to the vet yesterday), so he was restless and waking me up all night shaking his head and scratching his ears.  I was worried about him, and didn't sleep very well.  I was up at 6:30 AM anyway to run the Cold Turkey 10K race.  It was a fun race...so fun, in fact, that we decided to run it again when we were done!  Ok, ok, we did have 12 miles on our schedule for Sunday. :)

After I got home from the run, I ate some leftovers, took a nice hot shower, and crawled into bed for some football and a nap.  Di-vine, I tell you!  I managed to rouse myself about 3 PM, blow-dry my hair, and head downstairs to veg on the couch in front of football.  I haven't had an afternoon like that in a long time.  Everything that needed to be done was taken care of, and I just relaxed.  I did make turkey tetrazzini with the leftovers to stick in the freezer, and got to finish up listening to Pat Conroy's South of Broad in the process.  Since I didn't sleep well the night before, I was in bed by 10 PM.  All in all...a great weekend!

Tomorrow, I head to SC for a Homeland Thanksgiving.  As I've mentioned, we are headed to Charleston on Thanksgiving Day.  We'll start off with the South of Broad walking tour, and then have our Thanksgiving meal at Magnolia's.  Sounds like a great day to me! Let's all say a quick prayer that my flight tomorrow night is not cancelled and is relatively on time!  I'm bringing my MacBook, so look for some blogs from the Homeland.

Quick Update

Today, I feel the need resort to a bullet-point post.  Please forgive me...

• Last weekend's concert was quite enjoyable.  Good music, a decent performance, fun "hang-out" time...that's what I remember always loving about concert weekends.  While there was drama...this time I was not involved.  Thank goodness!
  
  
• I also went on the 19 mile running tour of DC.  It was a hilly, tough run...but a lot of fun at the same time.  And confidence-building...it was the first of 3 major back-to-back runs in preparation for the Goofy Challenge.  9 miles on Saturday, 19 on Sunday.  See my running blog for more details on the run if you are interested...
  

• I have a good plan in place for my mini-Thanksgiving feast this weekend.  3 friends, good food, and leftovers.  Ironically, after we finish eating our "Thanksgiving Meal" 5 days early, we are then headed off to sing Christmas Carols.  A sign of the times...
  

• I finally bought my MacBook!  After 8 months of coveting it...I finally was pushed over the edge when my 7 year old desktop stopped connecting to the internet and decided it didn't want to have anything to do with my external hard drive (where all of my music and video files reside).  I generally am the type of person to not replace something until it dies (cars, hair-dryers, etc.)  So, when I started coveting the MacBook, I guess I was waiting until I "needed" it.  Which happened last week.  So far, I haven't had too much time to sit down and explore it, but I do have all my music files transferred over and my iPods (all 3 of them) synced up.
  

• My roommate heads to Paris today, so I'm all alone for a couple of days.  Well, alone except for Marcello the kitten (almost cat).  I forgot that one of the perks of having a pet is their company when there are no other humans around.  Marcello is good company, and tends to keep me entertained, so I think I will be ok.  Hopefully we won't need to test out his guard-cat skills.

I think that's it...look for some photos from my Thanksgiving Dinner on Saturday!

Lots and Lots of Music...

My roommate and I have season tickets to Washington National Opera.  We got a sweet deal through their Generation O program for folks under 35.  I was on the fence all summer about subscribing for the season, and then got the email with the ticket prices for Gen O...and immediately got tickets for every opera of the season.  We saw Barber of Seville back in September, had tickets for Falstaff in late October (my stomach buggy self had to give my ticket to a friend), and then managed to schedule a Thursday Ariadne Auf Naxos closely followed by a Saturday performance of Wagner's Gotterdammerung.  I didn't notice the proximity of those two until a few weeks ago.

Ariadne was....meh.  I was entertained, and I enjoyed the opera...but I wasn't blown away.  And the tenor who sang Bacchus...was...well....bad.  Like... Maureen and I kept looking at each other and rolling our eyes bad.  I know they had some tenor disasters...this was the 3rd person scheduled to sing the role, but still.  I could have listened to Irene Theorin sing their duets by herself and been happy.  So on to Saturday...

To be honest, I was not looking forward to Gotterdammerung.  I knew the back story of the Ring cycle, Wagner, why it was being presented in concert instead of a full production, etc.  The performance was scheduled for 5 hours.  5 hours of opera in concert...I wasn't sure if I'd make it!  My ADD roommate figured she couldn't sit still through it, so she gave her ticket to a friend of ours who is a singer.  Honestly, if J wasn't singing in the chorus...I probably wouldn't have gone.  What a huge mistake that would have been!

Wow.  The music, the singing, the power...it was just amazing.  I did get tired of sitting, but I could have listened to that music and almost all of those singers for 5 more hours!  Wagner operas seem to be a polarizing force...people either love them or hate them.  I wasn't sure which I'd be...until the orchestral interludes in Act I grabbed me and took a firm hold on my emotions!   It really felt like being transported into another world.  The singers were so animated without real staging, that I really forgot it was just a concert version of the opera.  I enjoyed Irene Theorin' voice in Ariadne, but she was phenomenal in Gotterdammerung.  I also loved her dress...black and sparkly, and yet, understated.

Anyway, it was a great night.  Since there were 2 intermissions, I had champagne twice. :)

**In other news, this weekend, we have our own Chorale concert...with a little opera thrown in, so I've been in rehearsals all week.  I'll also be embarking on a 19 mile running tour of DC on Sunday.  Stay tuned for a report on that one...

Gobble, Gobble...Thanksgiving Turkey

For the past 12 years or so, it has been my responsibility to cook the turkey for my family's Thanksgiving dinner.  Believe it or not, even with my mom being the accomplished cook that she is, she has never cooked a Thanksgiving turkey!  Until they passed away in 1996, one of my grandmothers always cooked the turkey.  So, for the first Thanksgiving without them,  my mom declared we would not have turkey.  I balked at this, so she said, "Well, you cook it, then."  So I did.

I went online and found Martha Stewart's recipe for roasting a turkey, and bought a turkey from the grocery store.  I followed her instructions and got a 12 lb turkey.  Sounds reasonable, right?  Well, apparently since my family is small (only 4 of us at dinner that year), we usually got a turkey breast instead of the whole turkey!  Consequently, we had turkey leftovers, casseroles, and soups for weeks after Thanksgiving!  The turkey was fabulous, though...juicy and tasty, so I was nominated as "turkey chef" for the remainder of my days.  And, believe it or not, all of them have been pretty good.  There have been a few fiascos of course...one year we almost had "Thanksgiving Chicken" instead, but all in all I've been pretty proud of my turkey-roasting skills.  I actually look forward to cooking the turkey each year.  Since '96, I think I've only missed a couple of years...traveling one year, and my first Thanksgiving here in Annapolis that I spent all by myself and ate chicken fingers.

This year, I'll be flying into SC late Wednesday night, and back on Saturday.  Since I can't take leftovers on the plane and my parents can't eat that many leftovers, we decided to forgo cooking dinner.  Instead, we're going to spend the day in Charleston and have our Thanksgiving meal at Magnolia's.  Not too shabby, eh?  The culinary snob in me is certainly looking forward to that meal!  They do have turkey on the menu for Thanksgiving, but I doubt I'll be ordering it.

While I'm ridiculously excited about eating at Magnolia's, part of me is a little sad that I won't get to cook the turkey this year.  I was reading all the Home magazines with info about cooking turkeys, Thanksgiving meals, etc...and I got nostalgic and a little sad.  I thought about how much I'd miss the basting process, the turkey sandwiches afterwards, having turkey tetrazzini in the freezer for rushed pre-rehearsal meals during the crazy Christmas singing season, the turkey noodle soup...and I decided that I'm going to cook my own Thanksgiving meal the weekend before Thanksgiving!  It's the only time I have time to cook, and even then it will be a bit pushed with running, a singing gig and opera to attend that evening.  I will perservere, though!  I may end up having the meal by myself...which sounds sad but really isn't since it's not actually on Thanksgiving, and my whole point of cooking the turkey is for the leftovers.  My roommate will be in Paris (very jealous!), but perhaps I can find some other friends in town to join me.  If nothing else, I'm sure Marcello the kitten will be quite happy to sit at the table with me and snack on some turkey!

To document the process, I'll try to take some pictures and post them here for your enjoyment!

Back from Feeling Dead...

Pardon my absence, I was recovering from a nasty stomach bug that hit me Tuesday morning. Last weekend was fun spending time with my parents, friends, and J. The Navy Game was a fun tailgate, but the game was super-rainy. The Brahms Concert went ok...at least the audience seemed to enjoy it! Our Brahms after-party was a success. My Sunday 16 mile run was fun as well. I started to get a little sniffly during the run, which I attribute to allergies.

After being a bit stuffy on Monday, I woke up Tuesday feeling a bit feverish. My first thought- I have the flu! So I panicked. Once I calmed down, I decided to not go into the office and go to the doctor. Not the flu, but the fever was going up and I was feeling much worse. When I got home from the Dr.'s office, I realized it was a stomach virus. Yuck!

I slept most of Tuesday and on into Tuesday night. Yesterday, I felt better, but still couldn't be far from a convenient bathroom. So, I watched tv, movies, my iPod, read magazines...and tried to do a little bit around the house. But I was BORED!

So, I'm happy to be back in the office working today, for once. This weekend I have a "stay-in" date with J on Friday, a run Saturday morning, Navy tailgate and game in the afternoon (with rain predicted AGAIN!), and then a 17 mile run scheduled for Sunday. If the rain goes away, we'll be doing a "scenic monument run" in DC. I'm looking forward to that...I've always wanted to do a long run in DC since I live so close, but have never had the chance. Logistically it might be tough to get water/gatorade, but we're hoping there will be enough street vendors and convenience stores to replenish our handheld water bottles.

Hope everyone out there stays away from the stomach virus I had this week!

Here and There

Oh goodness, I have another busy weekend coming up! Should I be surprised, though? It's just been one after another around here lately. This weekend I have parents visiting (and meeting the kitty cat for the first time), Navy tailgating (which appears as if it will be in the rain), Navy Homecoming game, a Brahms Requiem concert, a concert after-party at our house, and a 5K followed by a 13 mile training run for a total of 16 miles. How do I manage to string so much together in a 2 day time frame? I need to work on my scheduling skills...

Seriously though, it should be a fun weekend. I have no plans for tonight, so hopefully it will be a nice night in. Part of me is thinking I might forgo the Navy game to spend extra time with my parents. Especially since it is supposed to rain all day and I will be leaving the game early to arrive at the concert on time. Hmm, that may be what football teams call a "game-time decision". :)

One annoying thing that I've managed to do is strain the lower vertebrae of my neck. Again. I seem to do this every few months or so just turning my head funny or whatever. I probably need to get it checked out by a doctor or something. The pain typically lasts for a couple of days, and then goes away. It does affect my singing though, since I can't hold my head up properly. Not a good sign for tomorrow night's concert, but what can you do. That's life!

Restaurant Review...Quite Possibly the Best Meal I've Ever Eaten!

On Saturday evening, J took me to Charleston (the restaurant, not the city) for dinner. For those not in the Baltimore area, Charleston is considered by most to be one of, if not THE, best restaurant in Baltimore. As the name suggests, it's lowcountry/French style cuisine...very high end cuisine! It wasn't a special occasion of any sort; he has wanted to go for a long time, and I am always up for a fancy meal. The one caveat was that I had to be able to eat all of my meal. While I eat a lot of food during the day, I typically don't eat a whole lot in one sitting. I'm notorious for "hitting the wall" food-wise and announcing that I'm not eating anymore. So, J made me promise that I would "practice" eating a lot and be ready for the 6 course meal plus wine pairings. His thought was that we need to "do it up right" and go for the 6 course meal to get the whole experience. I also figured the 7 mile run I completed earlier in the day would help with the hunger factor.

The food was exquisite. At least, compared to anything I've had before. The closest thing I've experienced to this meal in the past is my family's Christmas dinners at Woodlands Resort (the only 5 star restaurant in SC). I started with a butternut squash soup paired with a Chardonnay. Second was cornmeal fried oysters with a French champagne (tasty!). Third I went "light" with a goat cheese salad paired with a Pouilly fume. Fourth, a southern crab cake with black bean salsa (divine!) paired with Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. Fifth (at this point I was getting a little full...the portions are larger than tasting portions but about half the size of a regular entree), Pan-roasted salmon with sorrel sauce piared with Anjou, Domaine Jo Pithon “Les Pèpinières”. The last "real" course was Grilled Beef Tenderloin paired with a Malbec. Thankfully, the wine pairings were 1/3 glass portions or I would have been sleeping under the table! By the time we finished the 6th course...I was literally stuffed. The cheese cart came by though, so we had a slice of a soft cheese from the Italian Piedmont. I can't even remember what I had for dessert...I could only eat one bite! I think it was something chocolate with sesame ice cream? J had the creme brulee trio...maple, cappucino, and calvados. On the whole, J had the more adventurous courses...I can't remember everything he had...but snails, sweetbreads, and venison made appearances. He finished off the meal with a armagnac (like cognac). I had a sip. I feel full again just thinking about that meal!

Our friends were celebrating their 1st anniversary at Charleston that night, too. I read on her blog that they would be there, so we brought along a bottle of wine to "send to their table". They in turn sent over a bottle of champagne. We started with the champagne, and finished our cheese course and dessert with the champagne.

Wow. All in all, it was an incredibly special meal...and one I likely will not be able to top anytime soon! J promised me that if we go back, I can get the 4 or the 5 course meal, which will hopefully leave me comfortably full and able to finish dessert!

So, for those of you in the Baltimore area who haven't been to Charleston, I highly recommend that you go. It's a great special occasion type of restaurant, or like us, if you just want to have a special meal!

Fall Nesting and Perspectives on Life

Something about cool Fall weather brings out my nesting instinct full force. Perhaps it is knowing that I will soon be hunkering down to survive the cold winter (relatively cold...at least for my thin SC blood!). In any case, I have this strong desire to clean, to organize my closet and drawers, to cook comfort food, to drink apple cider, and to snuggle with the kitty cat on the couch with a blanket and football. Sounds idyllic, huh? October is my favorite month, but this year I have not had time to indulge my nesting instinct. I did manage to get my fall/winter bedding on the bed, but that is about it. In the past I have had a few completely free October weekends to get my space/life "winter ready", but I have missed that this year. Between football, singing, and spending time with my boyfriend, I haven't had a chance to bring order to that area of my world. But for once, that's ok. I've been breaking my tasks up into little chunks I can complete each night that I'm home, and I think I'm making progress!

This Saturday could have been a perfect nesting day, but instead I declared a "do nothing" day for J and I. He was staying with us for the weekend since he performed in one of the Chorale's performances on Friday and Saturday night. We watched football, went to a wine tasting, began the process of making "lime-on-cello", and hung out. It was really relaxing. Saturday night, I went to his performance.

**I don't talk about my relationship with J on here very much...mostly because I think it's the type of thing best discussed in person. But, I'm going to break my rule here just a bit...**

It's so interesting for me to go to J's performances and hear people talk about how great he sounds, his lovely singing, etc. To be honest, sometimes I forget he is really a singer. We don't talk about it all that often (though it is part of his profession). I mean, we talk about music, but not in terms of his career in music. I don't get to go to his performances as often as I would like, so it is a treat for me. To be completely honest, the fact that he sings well was one of the first things that attracted me (I mean come one...anyone who knows me should not be surprised by that!). But it was more of a novel thing like, "Hey, I've gone on a couple of dates with an opera singer!". Or, "Hey, see that guy up there singing on the Jumbotron at Nationals Park? I was on a date with him last night". I must admit, that was pretty fun. :)

But now? Now he is not an opera singer to me...he's just J. A generous and compassionate man who for some reason decided to fight hard for me and not let me run away like I tried to do after our first couple of dates. A man who has seen so many of my insecurities and hasn't run away yet. Someone who, without trying, points me back to where I need to be spiritually on a regular basis. Having someone like him in my life is so much more valuable than the novelty of dating an opera singer. When we do talk about his singing, etc, I have a phrase I use in a bit of a sarcastic manner. "Poor, untalented J." I think I coined the phrase when we were organizing his opera scores and I ran across a few inscribed by Placido Domingo when J sang some solo roles in Washington. Sometimes I think he thinks I am being a little catty, but I really am in awe of his talent and the hard work he has put in to sing well.

Anyway, pardon my mushiness, but I've just been thinking about the interesting nature of that recently. I won't get to do any fall nesting activities this weekend, but I will get to spend time with J. And that is certainly more valuable than having a "winter ready" house!

Back to Monday

The weekend was great...Navy beat Airforce, the tailgate was fun, I managed to finish the Metric Marathon (full race report here) and had a lot of chill hang-out time with football friends, running friends, and my roommate's family.

This week is a pretty normal one for me...nothing too exciting. I'm looking forward to some more downtime on Saturday!

October Makes Me Happy!

There is just something about the changing of the seasons that is quite appealing to me. I think it must be the fact that I love change. Even so, Fall has always been my favorite season. Perhaps because summer temps are always so hot...and it is lovely to look forward to cooler days and cold nights in the sweltering days of August! I have waxed eloquent on my love of fall in at least one blog post each year... see here, here, and here.

I was thinking the other day that I used to have so many free weekends in the fall when I could just relax, throw open the windows, clean the house (there is just something about a clean house and pretty fall weather) and enjoy the season. Now, my weekends of late have been chock full of things to do. I really need to slow down a bit. The problem is that I love to be busy and tend to overbook myself. Now that we are done singing for the Jewish High Holy Days, I hope things will slow down a bit. While I am still running crazy mileage numbers, the only other "regular" weekend activity will be Navy Football games. While those require some prep-work...once we are there it is usually a fun and relaxing time.

This weekend is the Navy vs. Airforce game. My roommate Maureen's sister went to the Air Force Academy, and her brother went to the Naval Academy, so everyone meets up for the game every year. Her Mom and Sister arrive in town tonight, and we are planning a tailgate extravaganza for Saturday. It should be a fun time with yummy food...shrimp salad canapes, crab dip, beef, chicken, and veggie kabobs, homemade brownies, snackie snacks, and much more. Oh, and champagne of course! Since we now have Navy season tickets, Maureen and I have gone all out and acquired a 10x10 gazebo tent, more folding chairs, and some Navy gear. I've always wanted to be an avid football fan and tailgater...but never really had the opportunity. So, I think it's going to be a fun season!

On Sunday I've been roped into running the Metric Marathon as part of our Goofy Challenge Training. My running partner Lauren runs this race every year, and wants to do it again this year. It's 16.3 miles (26K). We are supposed to be running 13 miles that day. So, my options are run 13 miles by myself, or run 16.3 in a race with about 150 people who will likely all beat me. Hmmm. I'll take the race, thank you! The last time I ran 11 miles by myself I thought I was going to gouge my eyes out from boredom. And I was listening to an audiobook...

I've carved out some "Page" time Sunday afternoon post-race and post-race party. Hopefully I'll be able to do things like catch up on laundry, read my ever-growing stack of magazines, and rest. I definitely need that to recharge...

The Nature of a Lunch Hour

One thing I've struggled with in my time in the workforce of America is what to do with my lunch hour. Other than eat lunch of course...because the actual act of eating only takes me about 10 minutes or so. When I lived in Spartanburg, SC, I worked at a bank 7 minutes from my house and was able to go home at lunch. I would usually watch a little tv, eat my lunch, do a couple of chores around the house, and head back to the bank. It was a great break in the middle of the day, and truthfully it helped preserve my sanity. While a solid first job, the bank was easily my least favorite job yet.

When I moved to Annapolis, I was working on the West side of Baltimore and had a 45 minute commute. Clearly not conducive to going home for lunch! However, for the first 2 years or so, I had a "lunch group" of friends that I ate with. I was probably the most talkative in the group, so lunch was often filled with my silly chorale stories, etc. I usually brought my lunch to work...mostly because I was apartment-poor from paying rent in one of the most desirable areas and getting the salary of someone living in a not so desirable area. I switched jobs 2.5 years ago, and lunch was often varied...sometimes out with friends, sometimes brought from home, and the occasionally shopping trip to Target.

Somewhere along the line, I stopped eating lunch with people and started always eating it at my desk in front of the computer. I realized that I needed the break away from my desk, so I've gotten pretty creative with my lunch time. While I miss the camaraderie of eating lunch out with friends, my finances like that I'm not dropping $10+ on lunch every Friday. They also like the fact that I've cut back on my Target lunchtime browsing. That place is dangerous. I certainly have Chick-fil-A more often now that it is around the corner, as well.

Behind our office, there is a back parking lot with some trees, grass, etc. When I drive around back there during lunch, there is a man who opens up the back of his SUV every day, sits on the tailgate with a cigar, and reads a book. I'm kind of jealous of his lunchtime routine...it's a good break away from work!

Here are some of the ways that I've recently been spending my lunch hour:

-On the leather couch in our office reading a book. This sometimes ends up with me dozing, attempting to look as if I am not sleeping.

-In my car taking a nap. This is only on days that I am flat out exahausted.

-In my car, eating Chick-fil-A and listening to an audiobook in the Chick-fil-A/Starbucks Parking Lot.

-Reading a book at Starbucks.

-Watching LOST on my iPod.

-On pretty days, I'm outside in my car with the windows down reading a book.

-Occasionally, running on the treadmill if I won't be able to get a run in any other time.

-Running errands at Target. But this is strictly if I have multiple items I NEED...like toilet paper, contact solution, etc.

Does anyone else have interesting ways to spend a lunch hour? Sometimes I'm tempted to see if I can take 15 minutes and then leave the office at 4:45 instead of 5:30...except I often have training sessions scheduled at 4 PM.

Back Again!

Whew! Things have been busy around the Home for Wayward Chorus Girls the past few weeks! Maureen and I had a fabulous trip to Maine that included all of the things a trip to Maine should...eating lobstah, relaxing, reading, watching football, sailing on the Penobscot Bay, enjoying wine by the lake, bonfires by the lake, waterskiing, boat rides, good food, good friends, and good conversation. All in all, it was exactly the vacation I needed!

After we got back, work got busy, and last weekend was the busiest I've had in awhile! I guess that means fall is certainly upon us! Last weekend, I relaxed on Friday night while moving iTunes music files to an external hard drive (quite the task!). Saturday, I ran 5 miles, headed off to Rosh Hashanah rehearsal, came home to breathe for a minute, and then drove into DC to see Washington National Opera's Barber of Seville at Nationals Stadium for their Opera in the Outfield production. It was a fun, fun time! Doesn't get much better than eating a hot dog, drinking a beer, and watching opera! Sunday, I ran 10 miles in the morning and then went up to Baltimore for Baltimore Concert Opera's production of Faust. That was another great opera. Then, I had the pleasure of a quick dinner date with my recently somewhat elusive boyfriend (quite the busy man, as well). This week has been filled with work, rehearsing, and running. Last night, Maureen and I saw Barber of Seville round 2 at the Kennedy Center. I was amazed at how different the production is onstage vs. the simulcast! Not better or worse, we just saw different things onstage that we missed during the simulcast. However, the simulcast is great because you can really watch the performer's expressions.

This weekend? 2 Rosh Hashanah services to sing, 16 miles to run (in 2 separate sessions), some chores to be completed, a Navy game to be enjoyed on TV at the Ramshead Tavern...and hopefully a tasty Sunday dinner to cook! I will hopefully get some downtime at the house as well. Unfortunately, this weekend doesn't include a date...but one is planned for Tuesday!

Ideally, you all now feel caught up on my life the past few weeks! I may have pictures to post soon...but we'll just have to see!

Odd and Ends

Hi again, faithful readers (all 5 of you). I have a couple of quick updates on what I've been doing and have coming up.

• Rehearsals for chorale are back in full swing. This makes me happy...even though I was burnt out towards the end of last season, I've really missed my music. And so far, making the switch to alto for some pieces is quite refreshing. It's a bit like I get the best of both worlds.
• Tomorrow, Maureen and I are heading to Maine for 6 days to see our friends Jean and John. I never thought this would become an annual trip, but it's one that I always look forward to! Time relaxing on the lake, hanging out with friends, eating good food...always just what I need.
• I'm working on getting myself back into the swing of things exercise-wise now that the triathlon training is over. That means strictly running...which I don't always enjoy. Oh well, it's what I need to do in order to be ready for the Goofy Challenge!
• I've been reading and very much enjoying Julia Child's My Life in France. I picked it up after seeing the movie Julie and Julia, which I highly recommend as well. While I was at it, I bought Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Maureen and I are planning on trying her recipes once a month for Sunday Night Dinner.

Other than that, I'm just trucking along...enjoying the lovely bit of fall weather we've had, and looking forward to the coming "busy" season!

Oh, and I posted my race report for the triathlon on my Running Blog. Feel free to hop on over there and read about my crazy triathlon day!

Morning Energy

It's a shame that I don't have the discipline to get up earlier than absolutely necessary to get to work semi on time in the morning. After noticing an interesting phenomenon in terms of my energy levels, I've decided to call myself a "mid-morning" person. I'm not a full-fledged morning person since I don't hop out of bed all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but after an hour or so of being up and caffeinated, I get this rush of energy to get stuff accomplished around the house. Unfortunately, this burst of energy typically occurs when I'm in the car on the way to work. I can't even jot down the tasks I've remembered I need to do at the house. By the time I get home, I feel like I've been beat down, and have no energy to do much of anything. I struggle to complete simple tasks like make and eat dinner, or even pick up my room.

Marcello, on the other hand, is an evening kitty. He gets riled up between 9 and 10 each night and flies around the house in what is sometimes a tornado of destruction. We've dubbed it "Kitty Arsenic Hour". Except he's not tired and hungry like the kids' arsenic hour. Just crazy. He did crash hard on my lap at the end of arsenic hour last night, but typically he'll go crazy until we put him to bed. When he's not being destructive (knocking over plants, jumping on counters, etc) it's pretty funny.

Seems like we need to teach Marcello to accomplish tasks around the house while we are gone, and pre-arsenic hour. He's obsessed with the Swiffer, but I doubt he'll actually clean with it. Oh well. :)

Marcello is a Kitten Who lives in Our House

Since we are determined that Marcello is going to be a musical cat, Maureen and I sing to him when we are cuddling with him. It's usually anything from lullabies to made up songs (like the one in the title. The strange thing is that I can't get the song I made up out of my head. Every time I see him, I sing to myself "Marcello is a kitten who lives in our house". And he is. But I feel quite silly wandering around with a made-up song in my head. Here are a few cute pictures of Marcello for your viewing enjoyment:

I bought him a tunnel (along with the fancy "Kitty City")

Keeping cool while I get ready in the morning

Helping me pack my crate for the triathlon

Speaking of the tri, it was yesterday. I finished...2 minutes slower than last year, but I finished. It seemed much harder this year, maybe I didn't train as well? I'll have a full report over on my running blog complete with pictures hopefully sometime this week.

Other than that, things are pretty normal in my world. Hopefully they will somewhat stay that way, but who knows?

Where Has the Time Gone?

It's crazy to me that this summer is almost over. It seems like it was just Memorial Day, and now we're 2 weeks away from my Labor Day venture up to Maine. It's been a busier summer than I expected, but a good one as well. Chorus rehearsals start up again next week. What else is going on with me? Here's a quick rundown:

• Triathlon- The Iron Girl triathlon is this Sunday, and I'm a bit nervous. Last year I was nervous because it was my first try at a tri (ha ha!), and I had no idea if I would finish. I actually blew away my own expectations! This year, I think I started training a bit early, and have been burned out for the past month. I was up to way over the distances for the swim, bike, and run back in June. I've been hovering just under that now since July. So, I'm a little afraid that I'll do worse than last year since I didn't have my pre-triathlon Maine vacation to swim in the freezing open water lake and bike the almost-mountainous Acadia Park Loop. Oh well, it is what it is!
• After I finish triathlon training, I'll be going back to strictly running in preparation for the Goofy Challenge (the crazy 1/2 marathon one day, full marathon the next shindig I signed up for at Disney). I have every intent of diligently updating my running blog during this training, but we all know how that usually goes.
• I'm going back to my roots a bit in the chorus. For a couple of the pieces we are singing this year, I'll be singing alto. It's definitely exciting for me- while alto is more challenging musically, it doesn't stretch me as much vocally. Plus, it can be much more fun to sing harmony occasionally!
• Marcello the kitten is doing well. Other than his crazy kitty arsenic hour antics and jumping up on the counters where he doesn't belong, we are loving every minute with him.
• Next week is the 1st anniversary of J and I's first date. That is just weird to me...seems like the time has flown. I laugh when I look back at the date I didn't think was really a date...and at how long it took for me to figure out how I felt about him!

So that's the update on me...nothing ridiculously exciting, but life is definitely rocking along!

Relaxing Evening

Last night, I ended up having my first completely "free" night in awhile. No rehearsal, meeting, exercise, happy hour, dinner plan, or show. As much as I love those things and having evening plans...it was nice to just come home and do a lot of nothing. So what does nothing look like for me?

Well, last night, I helped my roomie cook dinner (salmon, rice, swiss chard, white burgundy wine), played with Marcello (I had every intention of snuggling with him all evening, but he had other ideas), and had my first Skype experience. J is still in Florida with his family, and his sister is a big Skype fan (living in France and all), so we had a Skype call. I had to load it on my roommate's MacBook (my old computer has no video), but finally had success! So, anyone who wants to Skype with me when I get my MacBook in the fall (ahem...cousin Jeff in Madrid??), just let me know.

I do have a couple of funny photos of Marcello that Maureen took on Sunday evening. We were making fajitas and drinking Corona Light...and Marcello apparently wanted in!




Don't report us to PETA...he didn't actually drink any, although I had a hard time getting the bottle away from him!

Back From Jacksonville

Last week I trepidatiously got in the car with J and drove to Jacksonville to meet his parents and siblings. All 4 of his siblings. Including his sister from France. And most of their spouses and kids. It was wild! And fun! Ok, so I was kinda excited...not really "trepidatious" at all. Being an only child, I've always thought it would be fun to be a part of a large family as an adult. While things were somewhat chaotic (imagine hyper dogs, tender-hearted children, many independent, headstrong folk...and you get the picture), it was still a lot of fun. One of my favorite moments of the visit was the family dinner in a gorgeous room overlooking the ocean. The kids went down to walk on the beach at one point, and the youngest boy got his pants sandy and wet in the ocean. I looked down and saw him running around with just his shirt on...giggling, perfectly content, and totally enjoying himself. That memory definitely makes me smile!

On the home front, we officially named the kitten Marcello. It's from La Boheme, and seems to fit his personality. His nickname will likely be "Cello". He seems to like it, so it stuck. Marcello in Boheme is a bit of a ladies' man, and since our Marcello is cuddly and the only male in the Home for Wayward Chorus Girls, I think it's appropriate. :)

This week I need to get back into tri-training routine...only 3 weeks or so of training left! I think I'm ready to at least finish the race, but my goal is to improve last year's time by 7 minutes. We'll see...

Eventful Weekend

I'm glad I decided to stay around the house Friday evening, because it was quite a busy weekend for me! Saturday, my cousin, her husband and their son came into DC for the weekend. I met them at the Natural History Museum, and we wandered through a couple of the museums and up and down the Mall a bit. The highlight for my little cousin was the Carousel.

I also got to eat a sandwich with the first tomato from my garden. Yummy!

Saturday evening, we sang a concert at Gibson Island Country School which has this view:

Sunday, my newly adopted kitten was delivered! He is currently nameless, but the options are Figaro, Radames, Rodolfo, or Siegfried.

Sunday evening, I went to the Kennedy Center to see Spring Awakening. It was ok...I was entertained but it was the type of show that is edgy simply for the sake of being edgy, at least in my opinion. We spend some time on the Lower Terrace with a pre-show drink.

All in all a good weekend...but I'm tired!

**Note: All the photos were taken with my Blackberry...hence the grainyness.

The BSO plays Disney at Strathmore

Last night, my company was the corporate sponsor of the BSO's Disney Concert at Strathmore. What more could I ask for? Music, Disney, friends, good food...it was a lovely evening! While not the most musically fulfilling performance for me, it was quite entertaining since they performed most of my Disney favorites. I had never been to Strathmore before, and was amazed by the beauty of the Hall. The pictures don't do it justice. The light wood gives it an outdoorsy feel and the acoustics were brilliant!


We began the evening in the lounge with tasty food and drink, and were able to spend intermission there, as well. Here are some of the treats available:




All in all, it was a very fun evening. My complaint (come on, it's me!) was the behavior of some of the the children there. I know it's a family-oriented show, but in my opinion, parents should use it as an opportunity to teach their children proper concert etiquette. In other words, when your child starts yelling, shush them and explain that they need to be quiet (er). Don't encourage them by carrying on a conversation.


End rant.

Photo Day 1

Last night, the small chorus I sing with had a rehearsal for our concert coming up on Saturday. During the summer, we often rehearse at St. Anne's Church, the lovely old church on Church Circle in Annapolis. While it's not as grand as the Gothic Cathedrals of Europe, the building has its own understated beauty and charm. I took some photos before and after rehearsal, of the view up high and down low.

Re-defining Myself as a Blogger

It's hard to believe that my last post was almost a month ago! It seems that all of my "update" blogs are always at the beginning of a promise to "be a better blogger". But really, I don't think I know what that looks like for me. There are so many different aspects to blogging for different people. For me, I think the part I enjoy most is the writing, and the chronicle I have of my life from the blog. I can go back and reread what I was thinking and feeling at a particular time, and it lets me sort of re-live that experience. I hate turning my computer on in the morning and looking at my blog site...wishing I had the inspiration and discipline to write something. I'm such an all or nothing person, that not blogging every day doesn't quite feel like blogging to me. But since my blog IS for ME, it can be anything I want, right? In any case, I guess I have been busy living my life instead of blogging about it. I miss the chronicle aspect though, which is why I'm going to buckle down and try to be more consistent. Not sure who is still out there reading this...but if you're still around, thanks for sticking with me!

So what have I been up to? Well, my vacation at the beach was much needed and a great relaxing time with my family. While there, my phone died, and I got a Blackberry. I'm enjoying learning how to use it and loving the "all-the-time" internet access it provides. I spent the July 4th weekend with J in Baltimore at a cookout and on a long bike ride. Last week/weekend, my parents were here and we ate lots of yummy food and went to see Pirates of Penzance (great show...catch it this weekend if you can!) This week is full of cultural activities- 2 rehearsals, watching American Idol like Opera Auditions at the Engineer's Club last night, the BSO performing Disney tunes at Strathmore tomorrow night, singing a concert at Gibson Island on Saturday night, and going to see Spring Awakening at the Kennedy Center on Sunday night. I'll probably have the opportunity to see another show on Friday, but it will depend on how I feel. I guess I am doing my part at supporting the arts!

After that update, I think one way I might be able to chronicle bits of my life is by attempting to take a picture that captures the spirit of the day and post it on the blog. Now that I have a cameraphone that takes good pics, it seems that might not be too difficult. We'll see...it will take discipline for me! On that note, here are a few photos I took on vacation:

Sunset during dinner at the Old Fort Pub Restaurant

These signs were all over lowcountry SC...you'd think it would be obvious not to!

My tootsies enjoying an afternoon on the beach

My parents after an evening walk on the beach...married 40 years and they still hold hands!

One is listening to audio on the computer, the other is reading...

Sand castle we found during an evening beach walk

That's all for now...hopefully I'll be back tomorrow!

Away I Go to an Island Fair that Lies in a Southern Sea

***Kudos to anyone who gets the title reference!***

Saturday morning, bright and early, I'm getting in my little Saturn, complete with bike rack and bike, and heading to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. I've been looking forward to this vacation...oh....since February, I think. A whole week at the beach with nothing pressing to do...divine. Well, I do have to keep up with tri-training, hence the bike on my Saturn...but Hilton Head has so many lovely bike paths that I think that won't be too taxing.

My family has been going to Hilton Head for as long as I can remember. Until I left for college, it was an annual event in June. I have so many fun memories...for me, going to "the beach" always meant Hilton Head. I spent countless hours on the beach, in the ocean, and particularly looking for shells. Most of my beach trips contained quintessential childhood beach memories...here are just a few of my favorites:

• Shelling
• Crabbing
• Watching the shrimp boats come by as we were swimming
• Peering into tidal pools to see the creatures (I had a stage where I desperately wanted to be a marine biologist)
• Watching schools of porpoises come by as we were swimming
• Floating and riding the waves on a canvas raft
• Biking (gonna definitely re-live this one this year...but to the tune of 20 miles at a time!)
• The joy of taking a shower after a long day on the beach
• Eating seafood out (we didn't eat out much when I was growing up, so it was always a special treat!)
• Spending time with my family
• Shopping!
• Playing hide and go seek in the house (I can still remember the time my Dad took the mattress out of the sleeper sofa and hid one of my friends in the sofa!)
• Sitting on the screened in porch for hours...reading, watching people, and playing Crazy 8s with my Grandma
• Feeding the turtles in the lagoon off the porch
• Running away from the alligator in the lagoon!
• Eating ham and turkey sandwiches for lunch (inside family joke)
• Having a TV in my bedroom! (I never, never had this growing up...probably would have never passed any class!)
• Afternoon naps to escape the heat of the day
• Kayaking at Shelter Cove

And many more. Decided I had to end the list, though! In any case, I will be doing some of these things while I'm at Hilton Head, and I can't wait! See you in a week or so!

A Series of Open Letters

Dear Starbucks Triple Grande Iced Latte,

I definitely thought you would taste the same with nonfat milk instead of 2%. But you don't. You are more like watery coffee. Next time, I will not try to save the 40 calories and 5g of fat and just order you the way you are.

Signed,

Addicted to Caffeine

*************************************************************************************

Dear A/C in my car,

Why oh why did you have to spring a leak over the winter? Two leaks, in fact? Fixing you (and the tensioner belt that made you whine so noisily) cost all of the cash I had put aside for the MacBook I am seriously coveting. It was a hard decision to have you fixed...but one day of sweating through my shirt on the way home from work convinced me. You know that I don't like to spend on credit or my "regular" savings, so it looks like I'll have to wait until the Fall to actually have a home computer that can open iTunes in less than 5 minutes. Thanks.

Signed,
No Longer Sweating During My Commute

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Dear Gilbert and Sullivan Theater Co I sang with last summer,

Do you really have to be located in Baltimore? If you were somewhere closer to me...say Odenton, or even ya know....Bowie....I totally would have come back this summer. Well, that and if I could skip the auditions...seeing as how I depise auditions! I'm a lowly choral singer...singing by myself makes me want to cry! Oh well, I will miss you this summer...but my waistline and Triathlon finish time will be much happier!

Signed,
A former Chorus member

************************************************************************************

Dear MacBook,

I promise I am doing everything I can to acquire you. But do you have to be soooo ridiculously expensive? If you were say....$500 cheaper I could definitely acquire you now. But you aren't, so I'll have to wait until the Fall. In the meantime, I'll be the one drooling on the window of the Apple Store as I covet you...

Signed,
Your future owner

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Dear Couple making out in Lane 1 (the widest lane) of the Swim Center,

Ewwww. Just ewwwww. Don't you see the folks around you completely grossed out by your PDA? And seriously, other people are waiting for a lane to swim. If you want to make out, you should probably head to the shallow end with the kiddies. And young man, I'm sure you think you get a better swim workout with your girlfriend hanging onto your neck as you doggie paddle down the lane, but we'd all be better off if you just swam on your own.

Signed,
The swimmer in lane 3 who was shooting you dirty looks

P.S. Could you also please tell your girlfriend that strolling around naked in the locker room is a bit off-putting as well?

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Dear Bike,

Oh how I love you! I mean, I definitely enjoyed my time with you last summer, but this year I've really noticed how nice a ride you have. Even after 20 miles, you glide effortlessly down the road. You are worth every penny I paid for you!

Love,
Your smitten rider