21/365 Oh Happy Bed!

This is my bed...so patiently waiting for some attention from me! I think I will have to treat those flannel sheets to a cuddle with Page on a cold, rainy night!

20/365 Combos

Tawny Port and French Chocolate...a combination I highly recommend.

5/365 Yesterday's Photo "GPS"

Ooops...forgot to post this yesterday!  My parents gave me a GPS navigator for Christmas, and I love it!  The above photo is a bit blurry since I was driving and holding my Blackberry with one hand.  I'm not sure how I lived without one of these...

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!

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!

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.

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 Nice, Hot Bath

One of my Fall/Winter/Spring luxuries is a pre-bedtime bath. It's too hot for a soak in the warm tub in the summer, so I stick to baths in the cooler/cold months. When I'm freezing to death going back and forth to my car in the evenings during January...I so look forward to that hot bath!

Usually, I pour myself a small glass of port or madeira, get my book, put some soothing music on my iPod and just relax. Baths are especially nice when I'm in training for some race or event. They are also the best way for me to unwind...particularly on nights when I get home from rehearsal at 10 or 10:30 and need to be asleep by 11 or 11:30!

I have always loved evening baths, but lost the routine part of it in college because I had no tub. As soon as I graduated and rented a house, baths again became a part of my bedtime routine. When I lived in SC, I often would start bathtime at 9 PM (I was much less busy then!), light candles all around my room, turn off all the lights in my room and the bathroom, and soak for hours! Now, if I lit candles, I'd have to blow them out in 30 minutes, so I typically leave that step out. I do occasionally add bubbles, bath salt, or scented oil to my bath experience to make it special, though.

When I was at Disney World last month, Lauren and I stopped off at the Grand Floridian and popped into Basin to check out their wares. They had a special where you could fill a tube with Bath Bombs for $20. I got about 8 bombs, and have been enjoying them every now and then with my baths. My favorite so far has been "Serenity". Anyway, Monday night I threw a Lemongrass bath bomb in...and started noticing little flowers popping out of the bomb. Ok, really, they looked more like weeds. And the water was reeeeeaaalllly yellow. I guess that is supposed to be luxurious or spa-like...but it felt really weird to me! Like I was bathing in a yellow lake of sorts...definitely not my favorite! Once I drained the water, I had to clean out the tub. I would have taken a picture, but....you get the picture...I couldn't go get my camera downstairs because I had nothing.....ok, please don't get that picture!

I'm hoping that the rest of my fancy bath bombs don't have any strange weeds embedded in them!

Favorite Scents

Ever since I was in Elementary School, I've loved perfume, scented lotions, etc. My first love was Spring Rain by Crabtree and Evelyn, which has since been phased out (such a shame...I still love it!). In middle and high school, I moved to the more popular fragrances of Victoria's Secret as well as Bath and Body Works. Vanilla Lace and Sun-Kissed Raspberry were my choices (now when I smell those I can't believe I liked them!).

At some point, my fragrance tastes became more refined. I switch between 2 or 3 scents, depending on the season.

My winter fragrance:


I love all things from France, so it would stand to reason that I am a fan of Chanel, as well. This perfume is heavy enough for winter, but has a nice floral note as well.

In the summer, the last thing I want to do is put on a heavy fragrance, so I switch to this:

I first discovered this scent when I was staying at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, DC for my company's users conference (the company was paying...hence the Ritz!). Their toiletries are Bvglari White tea (or au the blanc), and I loved the clean, fresh, light qualities of the perfume.

However, in the past 6 months, I've had a bit of a scent obsession with thisTruthfully, I've always loved rose-scented anything. I tried this on in Sephora last fall, and really liked it...but couldn't justify a $70 purchase when I had a half bottle of Chanel Allure left. So, I left it on the shelf. When I was at Epcot in Disney two weeks ago, "Italy" had a perfume shop with Bvlgari wares. I tried it on again (for about the 6th time since last fall). I decided I had to have it. Lucky for me they only had a $140 bottle, so I didn't buy it. I bemoaned the fact that I wasn't going to get my new scent, but decided in these economic times, it might be for the best. Until yesterday. I walked into Sephora, determined to finally make a decision on this beguling scent! Lo and behold, I found a small bottle for $20! The perfect solution to my dilemma...enough perfume to last through the spring this and next year...but without having to pay $70!

I've been sniffing my wrist all morning since I'm wearing Rose Essentielle today...

Off to Disney!

Well, it's finally the day that I leave for Disney World to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon! I'm quite excited...for many reasons. I'm a little bit excited about the race...mostly excited that I'm going to be at Disney!

I grew up going to Disney World on a fairly regular basis. I fully subscribe to the idea that Disney World is a magical place. As a child, there was something about the place to me that was relaxing, fun, and very exciting. I think part of the reason I still love all things Disney now is the sense of nostalgia it creates for me. It brings back fun memories and happy times...with the promise of more to come!

Anyway, I'll be seeing Mickey and Minnie, lots of Princesses, the world showcase at Epcot, fun stuff at the Magic Kingdom, and more. We'll be eating well, too...with reservations at the Rose and Crown in England, the Italian restaurant in Italy (night before the race...we need our pasta carbs!), and at the Brown Derby at Hollywood studios.

I'll have pictures and a full report once I get back!

Oh Wine, How I Love Thee (in moderate amounts!)

It's no secret to those who know me well that I enjoy wine. Now, I don't know as much about wine as some folks, but I know what I like and why I like it. And I'm learning more and more all the time about how wine is made, the grapes it comes from, how to taste it, etc. Since I never really had any wine (or alcohol, for that matter) until I turned 21, I've had to increase my knowledge exponentially since then!

I first started drinking wine on a regular basis (like once a week) with my roommates in my house in SC the last year that I lived there. We cooked dinner together once a week or so, and would open a bottle of wine to go with it. At that point, my knowledge of wine/food pairing was limited to red with beef and white with chicken and seafood (which, while it's somewhat accurate, isn't so much a hard and fast rule like I thought). We would get a $6 bottle and have some with dinner. Oddly enough, you can buy wine in the grocery store in SC (unlike in MD where you have to go to a liquor store), so we would pick up whatever was cheap at the store. I'm such a wine snob now that I don't think I could drink much of whatever we had then!

My current roommate Maureen knows a lot about wine, and has taught me a lot as well. I read stuff about wine, and my boyfriend (can I still say it's weird to write that!) knows a lot about wine as well. So, I'm surrounded by folks who like good wine. Maureen and I go through a couple of bottles a week with dinner, post-work, etc. So, when our local wine store has their dollar days sale (a dollar over cost...so no retail mark-up), we often buy a case or two since it's a good deal. This time, we went a bit overboard and bought about 4 cases.



That is our table once we took it all out of the boxes. Yikes! This time, I also bought mostly higher end wine (like $15-$20 a bottle normal retail). Maureen averaged about the same. Since we have a lot of parties where we just tell people to grab a bottle off the rack and open it, Mo decided that we should write the price we paid for the wine in paint pen on the bottom of the bottle. That way, we can say, "Pick one under $12!". Parties are not the place to drink really nice wine...that's best for a good dinner!

Wine rack in the kitchen

I also got another wine rack for the basement to store "extra" wine (the bottles that won't fit on our rack in the kitchen) and wine we are storing to age and and drink in a few years (or ten).

To be super-organized, I put tags on the bottles that are aging with the name of who owns it, what it is, and if I knew, the price paid for it on the back of the tag. Cool, huh?

Here are a few of my favorites that were purchased:

These two are kind of a pair (from the same producer but different vineyards) and will live on the rack for about 10 more years



This is a nice dry rose that will go well with a seafood grill night on the deck

This went into my homemade red sauce yesterday...and the rest went into my tummy with a spaghetti and meatball dinner. Yum!

A nod to my Charlestonish roots


For a nice Italian dinner

Aging on the rack for awhile

A Spanish Rioja...a nod to the Spanish branch of my family (Hi Jeff and Sara!)

Tasty port.

This ought to last us until summertime, I hope! I prefer red wine in the winter, so we'll have to consume that first..and try the whites once we hit summer!

Fabulous Weekend in New York

I seriously don't think I could have asked for a better way to celebrate my 30th and Maureen's 40ishth birthday. Of course, there were a few glitches here and there...a couple of tense moments...lots of tiredness...but overall, I think the weekend was pretty perfect!

On Friday afternoon, 4 of us hopped on the train headed for Penn Station in New York (the other 4 had left earlier in the day).

Lauren and I waiting in the train station

Our train was a bit delayed, but eventually we got to the City, and headed to our hotel- the Westin Times Square. It was quite lovely!

Night view from our window

After meeting up with the rest of the group, we headed to dinner at La Masseria, a small Italian restaurant a few blocks from our hotel. It was fabulous...I had a Veal chop with Black Truffle Sauce..yummy, yummy! We shared a few desserts...my favorite was the Limoncello Tiramisu.

Sharon and Mo


Ellen Corby and I

Everyone was having fun playing with cameras

Since it was almost midnight and my birthday, we headed back to the hotel. The bar closed at 12 AM, so we headed up to the room where Maureen happened to have a giant bottle of champagne.

A little dancing and silliness...and then we decided to go back to our rooms. Lauren thought it would be appropriate to give me my birthday gifts...a crown, a pretty pretty princess skirt, and a tshirt that reads, "Let me explain that to you through interpretive dance". Of course, I had to model my gifts.

Sleepy Princess...:)

Saturday morning brought breakfast with an old friend, and at 1 PM...I attended my very first performance at the Metropolitan Opera! It was fantastic! We saw Rigoletto. All of the singers were fabulous...with a few minor issues here and there...which you can expect from live performance. As usual, I cried at the end...tragic operas tend to do that to me.

After the opera, we walked to La Bonne Soup for dinner- where I had a filet, pomme frites, and a lemon tart. Most of us were tired, so we headed back to the hotel bar. When I got back, there was a message from the front desk letting me know I had a package. Lo and behold, a certain special someone had sent me Port and truffles from my favorite place...with instructions to share (Thanks, J!). Before sharing, we hit the hotel bar for a quick drink. And then, the cupcakes showed up.

Attempting to figure out which wine goes best with cupcakes

Everyone was tired, so we moved the party to my room...complete with pajamas. This also allowed us to enjoy the port and the truffles.

Pajama party!

Port and truffles...yummy!

Lauren deciding on a truffle


Yum!

Phyllis was not sure about the wasabi truffle

Sunday morning, I got up and drank my coffee by the window..looking out at the city.

Once we got moving, there was a little French Bistro on 9th ave that was calling our name...and was very tasty!

Since there were a couple of hours to kill before our date with Wicked!, we did a little shopping and a little wandering around Central Park.

And then...it was time for Wicked!


It really was a phenomenal show. Sometimes, Broadway shows don't live up to the hype...but this one did. I enjoyed it immensely!

Another dinner...this one at 5 napkin burger (where I suprisingly didn't have a burger because I wasn't feeling well)...and back to the train station to head home. Our train was delayed in the station for about 30 minutes...another of the few glitches of the weekend.

So there you go...my lovely birthday weekend in the City!

Thoughts on Turning 30, The Big Three-oh, Getting Old, Etc

***This post was written prior to my actual birthday, but since I'm in New York City I thought I'd schedule it to post on the appropriate day.***

It's interesting to think that I'm turning 30. Thirty years of living on this earth. I'm actually quite excited to be reaching this milestone. All of my older friends say that their thirties were truly the best years of their life. I've had friends who had a crisis about turning 30. I had a "quarter-life crisis" at 25, so I don't plan on having one now!

When I was 15, 30 seemed so old! I imagined myself married with kids by the time I hit this age. Who would have thought I'd actually be thankful to not be married at my age? But, I am. I've had such fun being a single gal for the past three years or so. I've been able to do so many things and have so many opportunities. Not that I want to stay single forever, mind you...but it sure has been a fun ride recently!

When I was thinking back over where my life has taken me in the past 15 years or so, there was one thing that really stood out. You see, when I used to imagine myself as a "grown-up" single woman...I had this vision of myself in a high-powered job, living in a fancy apartment all by myself...but I never imagined myself with friends. I'm not sure why that is...maybe I was still in my introverted stage at that point in my life and thought I wouldn't need friends or people around me? But the thing is, when I think about all of the fun experiences and memories that I have from the last half of my life (and really the first, too) the things that really stand out to me are the people I've known and loved. My friends and family. As cheesy as it sounds, they have helped shape me into the person that I am, and I think without people, my life would be sad and boring. Because of that, I think the fact that 6 of my close friends are traveling to New York with me to celebrate is a fitting way to celebrate my 30 years on this earth.

And really, how bad can 30 be? I have fabulous friends, a good job, enough financial security to buy myself diamond earrings, a great guy in my life...shoot, 30 seems to be shaping itself up to be one of my best birthdays yet! At least, I'm not complaining...:)

Sparkle, Sparkle! Happy Birthday to Me!

I turn 30 this weekend. More thoughts on that later. Back in the fall, I decided that an appropriate birthday present for myself would be a pair of diamond earrings.

I've never had diamond jewelry of any kind...but have always wanted it. When I was 11 and getting my ears pierced, when my Mama asked what kind of earrings I wanted, I said "Diamonds!". She laughed and said I'd have to wait until I was older to have diamonds. So I waited. And waited. I wanted diamonds in college, but figured I'd meet a man and get married someday soon and he would give me a diamond ring. And then, I could find some earrings that matched. Well, by that rationale, I've been waiting for a diamond ring for 10 years! I actually sort of stopped caring about that 3 years ago...but I digress. Since I've wanted diamond earrings for years, and am tired of waiting around for a man to give them to me...I decided buying them would be a great way to celebrate turning 30.

I actually bought these back in December at La Belle Cezanne in downtown Annapolis. While they are not huge (really...I'm not a "big" jewelry girl anyway), they are a nice size and are set beautifully. They really sparkle! They are a little over a third of a carat each. I tried on the 3/4 carat ones that were beautiful...but a little big and VERY expensive. These actually fell nicely in my budget range and are absolutely lovely. They have been living in my ears for the past month, and probably will be there for awhile longer. So, if you're a friend IRL, take a look at my ears the next time you see me!

A close up...please ignore how gross my earlobe looks...

Cold Cupcakes

It's days like today that I wonder why I left South Carolina for Maryland. Currently, it's 3:30 PM...and the temperature is 13 degrees. That's right...thirteen..not thirty. Yikes! I've ventured out to run a few errands and get to and from work, but that is about it. When I arrived at the office this morning it was 7, so I guess 13 is an improvement? It's all relative, I suppose.

Anyway, last night, I caved into my craving for cupcakes. As most of you know, I have a huge sweet tooth. Dessert is often what I look forward to most. I like cake, and I guess I've always liked cupcakes...but not like I do now! Back in the summer, a cupcake bakery opened in Eastport (a subdivision or seceded colony of Annapolis, depending on your point of view). For the past few years I've been hearing that cupcakes are all the rage, and I wondered why. Various cupcakeries have popped up in larger cities..New York, DC, Baltimore...but the Baltimore Cupcake Company was the first one I heard of in Annapolis. I thought "How good can a cupcake be?" And then, one day last summer, I swung by and picked one up. And I was hooked.

Last night's purchases from L-R (Pink Vanilla Woo, Cookie Dough, Dark Chocolate Raspberry)

Over Thanksgiving break, I had cupcakes from a Mt. Pleasant bakery with my friend Sallie (hi, Sallie!), and it reminded me how hooked I am. I picked 2 up during the crazy singing season one evening as a quick treat, but it didn't quench the craving. Actually, it made it worse. During Messiah rehearsal one evening. I was having a severe case of the cupcake blues. Everyone kept offering me treats (homemade cookies, fudge, snacks), but all I wanted was a cupcake. Performances came and went, Christmas came and went, and I never got to slake my cupcake thirst.

Until last night. I had a few minutes, so I went out of my way as I drove home to pick some up (Thank goodness Eastport is not really on my way home or I'd have cupcakes every day!). I made my selections and headed home. As I was gushing in a text about how yummy they were, I was asked the question "What's the big deal about cupcakes? What makes them better than something else?" I had to think about this question for a minute. And then, I realized the simple truth. For an icing lover like me (I used to buy tubs of icing and eat them in one sitting), cupcakes have a much higher icing to cake ratio than a regular piece of cake. The Baltimore Cupcake Company's have a huge icing to cake ratio. And therein lies the answer to my cupcake craving. It's really a pretty way to feed my icing addiction without being the piggy Page who eats icing straight from the tub...

Pink Vanilla Woo up close (vanilla icing on chocolate cake)

A blurry shot of Dark Chocolate Raspberry