My body is still operating in daylight savings time and I don't appreciate it.

tooting my own horn

I hit a few milestones this past week and I thought I'd share:

-I was able to jog (at a VERY slow pace) for a half hour straight. This is impressive because previously I have only been able to run for 10 minutes, if that. I have feet that hate to run, so it's kind of a miracle that this happened.

-To date I have lost 16 pounds. I still have double that to go but it's an awesome start. As my friend Trish said, I've lost a small dog!

After reading the blog entry of a complete stranger, I have decided to run the nike half marathon in San Francisco next October. This is a race targeted towards women with a mid-race mani/pedicare station, the chocolate mile and a Finisher Necklace designed by Tiffany & Co. Definitely my kind of race.

Where do I belong?

You Belong in New York City

You're an energetic, ambitious woman. And only NYC is fast enough for you. Maybe you'll set yourself up with a killer career Or simply take in all the city has to offer.

What City Do You Belong In?

Weekend: A Photo Essay

Over the weekend I had an opportunity to put my photography skills (or lack thereof) to the test. My good friend Holly's sister was getting married and they asked me to take snapshots at the reception. Initially they wanted me to take the formal pictures at the temple and while I appreciated their confidence in my ability I deferred to my sister, the "real" photographer in the family. Because I have a 35mm SLR and my only digital camera is a cheapy, my sister was beyond generous and offered to let me use her digital SLR. After a test run at my sisters house where I declined to learn exactly how many thousands of dollars I was holding in my hands, my wrists and fingers were SORE (expensive = very heavy) but I was feeling slightly more comfortable about the whole situation.
The plan was to drive down to Richmond, where the reception was being held, Friday night and help out with last minute wedding details Saturday morning before the reception. That plan was altered due to the fact that the bride drove off with her brother Todd’s car keys and couldn’t be tracked down. This led to my friend Holly driving from DC to Richmond (where the bride and groom were spending their honeymoon night) to DC and back to Richmond. Nevertheless they didn’t call me when they were through. I got a call from Holly Saturday morning to ask me for a favor. Her brother Todd decided not to make the drive all the way to Richmond at 3:00 in the morning and went home to Fredericksburg instead.
Turns out among other things, he had the wedding dress in his car and for whatever reason wasn’t answering the phone. Since Fredericksburg is on the way down to Richmond I was given the lovely job of waking up this guy I have said maybe 5 words to and tell him he needs to be in Richmond ummmm…3 hours ago. After banging on the door several times he finally opened the door. I let Holly tell him the news over the phone and hightailed it out of there. He’s kind of scary in the morning!!
I got there in time to get ready and catch up with Holly a little bit before we had to drive to the reception. After leading Todd, who was following us, on a wild goose chase we made it 15 minutes after the reception had started. I immediately got my things together and was ushered into the food room to take pictures of the immaculate spread before the guests started eating. As you can see there was plenty of food to tempt me. I can’t tell you how badly I wanted a creampuff dipped in chocolate. Mmmmm…
I spent the next two and a half hours trying to capture all of the great moments of the reception. Sometimes I succeeded and other times I just missed them.
When it was time for the bride to toss the bouquet I took my place so I could get some pictures but I was forced to participate. After giving my camera to Holly’s boyfriend Tyler for safekeeping I took my place behind the other girls, fully expecting one of them to catch the bouquet. Unfortunately it was tossed over all of their heads so instead of watching it fall to the ground (like I would have preferred) I reached up and grabbed it with one hand. So mom…while the teaser post wasn’t about me going on a date as you originally thought it looks like you’ll be planning a wedding soon.
All in all it was a great experience. I feel a little more comfortable taking candids and have definitely learned some lessons for the future. So if any of you need some pictures taken let me know.
I haven’t yet posted the pictures to Smugmug (there are a lot of them and it’s kind of a hassle) but once I do I’ll let you know so that you can check them out if you’re so inclined.

Of course I'm unprepared

This is just a little taste of what I was up to last weekend. I want to wait until I have all of my pictures to post, so hang in there...

It's back...kind of!!

A couple of months ago I did a stupid thing and spilled water in my new laptop. It of course stopped working and after talking to HP Support, who told me it would either cost 395 or 795 dollars to repair depending on the problem (i opted against the extended warranty), I decided that I couldn't exactly afford that at the moment and let my computer collect dust underneath my desk. My friend Corey B. offered to take a look at it, so I entrusted my computer to him. Corey the genius found that as long as the battery has been removed it works just fine. So here I am...sitting on my bed with my ghetto laptop with no battery but it WORKS!! I still have to see if purchasing a battery will do the trick. I'm hoping that the battery is corroded, and not the connectors in the laptop. Cross your fingers for me. Thanks again Corey, I owe you big time!!

new favorite treats

As you may or may not know, my friend Corey and I have given up sugar. It was (which is why, if you read his comment on my pants entry, he was a little upset I didn't aknowledge the role he played in my victory). I've definitely been more strict with what I allow myself to eat. For example, among other things, Corey will have syrup with his french toast and I will not. Because of my lack of sweet options I have had to get creative with my treats. Last night I bought some graham cracker sticks to dip in peanut butter. It was so delightful. If you've never tried it, do it, you won't be disappointed. Another delicious treat is pita bread and carrots dipped in lemon hummus. So delicious.

very belated mail update

I keep forgetting to post about these (I should have done it weeks and weeks ago) and I don't have any pictures but I wanted to say thanks to Jill for the note and darling "A" and "Good Mail Delivery from Anne" stickers. Pink is one of my absolute favorite colors and they are being put to good use! Thanks also to Kristi who sent me a note and some cute post-it notes. You couldn't have known this but I am a post-it FREAK. I have post-its lining my monitor and scattered all over my desk. Thanks you guys!

SYTYCD LIVE!!!

Last night I went with Erin to see the So You Think You Can Dance concert at DAR Constitution hall. I had been looking forward to this for months and was SUPER excited. I met Erin in Chinatown (which was packed thanks to the Eric Clapton concert at the Verizon Center) for a little dinner and then headed off to the show.



Can I just tell you how awesome the show was? I morphed into a screaming teenager at the sight of my favorite dancers, much like I screamed when I went to the N'Sync concert in college. I was hoping to see all of my favorite dances and they didn't disappoint.



Travis has always been my favorite but Ivan definitely won me over with his solo. He danced to My Love by Justin Timberlake and it was so incredible. He definitely stood out in all of the pieces he appeared in, and I dug his yellow shoes in their disco number. This concert definitely made me wish that I didn't stop taking dance classes when I was 10 or so. Maybe I'll try to find some community ed classes so that I can try out for next season...

The metro ride back home was pretty miserable. The Eric Clapton concert got out about the same time as our show and the train was PACKED by the time it got to our stop. I was intent in getting home though so Erin and I shoved our way in. You can see that even an elbow to the head couldn't ruin my happiness.




Best...night...EVER!

It wasn't a fluke

I went to the mall today in my ongoing search for the perfect pair of jeans. For the second day in a row the sales associate suggested I try a smaller size...yup you guessed it the size I haven't fit into in YEARS. The same size of the jeans I'm sporting in my post from last week. Much to my surprise they not only fit, but were comfortable and looked GREAT! Now I don't fit exclusively in this new smaller size, I can only wear them if they are of the stretch variety but still. . .Happy day!!

Enn Why See

Sorry for the delay, I know it's Wednesday but I've been sick....My cousin and I took the train up to NYC Friday after work. If you've ever taken the train in DC you will know that the process is not unlike herding cattle. Once you make it through the swarm of people in the holding area onto the train there is a mass exodus to find seats. Betsy and I decided to take a gamble and sat in the part of the train that has two sets of seats facing each other. Unfortunately after we, and the rest of the train, had settled in to our seats we heard the announcement that the train was sold out and please make every seat available. So the 3 1 /2 train ride was spent playing footsies with my cousin and watching the gentleman sitting next to me drink his beer and diet coke. We arrived in NYC famished and my Uncle Denny didn't disappoint. He had cashew chicken from his favorite Chinese restaurant waiting for us when we walked in the door of his apartment.

Saturday morning I woke up absurdedly early so I went for a jog (er...walk) around the neighborhood. I walked down to the Met and on the way back up I walked down a street I'd never seen before. We got ready for the day and left around 11:00 to meet cousin Ben for a little lunch and shopping in SoHo. He had given us directions to the rendevous point but there was a little confusion thanks to subway construction and 3 Lafayette Street subway stops. This is Betsy waiting for our third train (although I think this expression is more "I am so embarrassed that my cousin is taking pictures on the subway, she's SUCH a tourist" than "Hmmm...I wonder which train will get us to the stop we need.")



We got lucky and found Ben when we emerged above ground with the intent to call him if this wasn't the stop we needed. We had AWESOME cuban sandwiches at Cafe Havana (I think) where we sat at the bar against the window and I tried not to flash the kids outside (I was wearing a skirt). After lunch we set out for a little shopping. The first stop was Sabon. They have awesome lotions and scrubs there and they even let you wash your hands in this beyond cool sink.



I tried the sandalwood creamy scrub and the carrot body cream. Soooo luscious but unfortunately my skin is so dry that it only kept my hands soft for a few minutes. We then set out to find the "Japanese Gap" that Ben has been raving about. They are opening a flagship store in SoHo but I guess they had a mini-flagship opened while that was being built. After searching several blocks it was determined that it doesn't exist anymore. What a bummer, apparently they have affordable jeans and cashmere. Maybe next time! While in SoHo I had my first celebrity non-sighting. I of course was looking into a store (it wasn't even a cool store) when Claire Danes passed us. We later met up with Betsy's friend Clara and Uncle Denny for an afternoon viewing of the movie "The Queen." I got a REALLY nice nap and everyone else seemed to enjoy the movie. You guys should all go see it. The 5 minutes or so I caught between naps were great. After the movie we went out for BBQ at Rack & Soul which was fast and delicious. We then parted ways with Denny and did our one and only tourist activity which was to go to the Top of the Rock. If you don't know what the Top of the Rock is, let me explain...it is the roof of Rockfeller Center and it has unobstructed 360 views of the City. To get up to the 67th floor you ride this cool elevator which has a glass ceiling with a film projected on it, and cool colorful lights. Here...let me show you...



Can I just tell you, New York City is breathtaking. It's beyond words it's so great and being at one of the highest points looking out was awesome. This is a really blurry and dark picture of me and the Empire State Building. They also took a few "professional" pictures of us which I am tempted to buy because I look HOT, but I probably won't. Oh, this is also where I had my second celebrity non-sighting as I was looking away as Lester Holt (from one of the morning shows) passed us in the Rockefeller Plaza lobby.

Sunday was low key. I of course woke up at a ridiculously early hour but didn't go on a walk because I felt yucky. Instead I laid in bed and read my book. I contemplated going to The Bodies exhibit at South Street Seaport but on the account of my condition I decided to pass. Uncle Denny, Betsy and I went for brunch and headed off to the bus station. When I picked up the tickets that I had purchased online I noticed (and immediately spout off expletives) that I had gotten tickets to take us from DC to NYC. Too bad we were already in NYC. Good thing Greyhound doesn't care where you're going, as long as you have paid, so we had no problem getting on the bus. I however, had a problem not keeping the tears in and had a little breakdown in line. I just felt so sick and weak and I think the running around trying to make sure I could get home put me over the edge. I sure am a sensitive being! We made it to DC and spent some time hanging out in front of the beyond sketchy bus terminal waiting for my sister to come pick us up. Ladies...please don't go to the DC bus terminal at night...it's scary.

I took some pictures of reflections of me on the subway train, check them out...



I also have some pictures in my camera of this really cool piece of art which I will publish when I get a chance to upload them.