Life Without Facebook, Part 2

Today marks the halfway point in Lent, meaning there are only three weeks and four days left until I can log into Facebook again. Surprisingly, I’m doing okay without Facebook in my life, but I think it’s because I’ve been supplementing with other social media outlets like Tumblr and Twitter. The thing is, I find myself participating in the same morning routine with Tumblr that I did with Facebook; alarm goes off, check any emails that may have come in overnight, then immediately look at Tumblr (or Twitter, but usually Tumblr). Afterward, I read the little book I got at church.

Part of the reason I gave up Facebook is because I noticed how much time I was spending there via the app on my phone or on the site itself. I decided not to give up all of social media because I wanted to still be active on Twitter. I use Twitter as a personal branding tool and a way to learn more about social media and health care since both are career interests of mine. I only follow a handful of people on Tumblr (about 15 or so), so I figured staying involved there wouldn’t be an issue. However, it has become clear to me that Tumblr has become my crutch, my way to find out what’s going on with people.

I’m definitely glad I decided to give up Facebook for Lent; in fact, I don’t really even miss it anymore. At the same time, I sort of feel like I’m cheating since I’ve been spending time on Tumblr. I know it’s not the same thing –Tumblr is a blogging site whereas Facebook is, well, Facebook –but it feels like I’m defeating the whole purpose of wanting stay away from Facebook in the first place.

While I knew before Lent that life can and will go on without Facebook, I’ve realized that I’ve placed a certain level of importance on social media and I want it to be a part of my life. Maybe my relationship (yes, relationship I think is an appropriate word) with Facebook was bordering on extreme but I enjoyed the way it made me feel connected to people. Isn’t that the point of a social network?

Life Without Facebook

I was totally against Facebook when it became available at Virginia Tech in 2005 (I think that was the year); I thought it was stupid, creepy and I wanted no part of it. Of course, curiosity and peer pressure got the best of me and I reluctantly signed up. In the beginning it wasn’t all that exciting to me, but as Facebook became available at other schools, I became more interested. I started finding people from my childhood I had lost touch with due to my family moving from New Jersey to Virginia and was able to connect with people I had met while attending East Carolina University.

Fast forward six years later and some might call me an addict. I have the Facebook app on my phone and checking people’s status updates is one of the first things I do when I wake up in the morning. When there is a lull in my workload at the office, I’m using Facebook on my phone to see what other people are up to. Someone got engaged? Definitely have to check out Facebook to see if there are pictures of the ring. Someone broke up? Had a baby? Experienced some other life event that interests me? I’m on Facebook checking it out. Wow, writing this all out really does make me out to be an addict, doesn’t it?

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, I’ve decided to give up Facebook for Lent. Forty days and 40 nights with no access to other people’s lives, photos, etc. I’ve removed the app from the main screen of my phone (but not from my phone altogether because it was preloaded on my Android and thus, unremovable –kinda creepy right?), and no longer have a tab open on my home computer’s browser dedicated to Facebook. Now I’m not the most religious person but since I’ll have a few extra minutes in the morning from not looking at Facebook, I’ve decided to read from a little book of prayers I picked up from church on Ash Wednesday. If I find I have some time at work during the day, I’ll fight the urge to look at Facebook by researching something else on the Internet, like stuff about Lent or the Bible (or cars or potential vacation spots).

So far, and it’s only been about a day and a half, I’ve done okay. However, it was really hard last night while watching the Hokies beat Georgia Tech, not to get on my computer and see what people were up to, a usual habit of mine during the evenings. I wonder if I’ll get to the point Brad has reached, giving up Facebook completely and deactivating my account, calling Facebook a social disease. I guess I will find out in 30-something plus days!

The Turpins Are Moving to Richmond!

Yes what you're reading is true: Lindsay and Eric are moving to Richmond! I honestly never thought the day would come but after everything that has happened, both Lindsay and Eric are ready for a change. I know Eric was nervous about asking for a transfer at work but thankfully his boss (and his boss' boss) said it was okay. What's crazy is that this has all happened in the past two weeks!
Last weekend, the Turpins came to Richmond to house hunt and invited us along to get our opinion and advice. We looked at seven houses but ultimately they fell in love with the house I knew they would; the house our friends Niem and Nina put on the market since moving to California.  Lindsay was so cute when she saw the house saying she loved it so much she felt sick. We didn't stay long before we headed back to the Realtor's office so they could make an offer. To make the deal that much sweeter, after a little negotiating, their offer was accepted later in the evening!
Now the fun begins! Eric, Lindsay and Lane will be back on Tuesday for the home inspection and then plan to hang around the rest of the day. They close on March 11 and will move down here shortly after. I cannot tell you how excited I am to have them here. While I will miss going away for the weekend to see them, it will be so much more convenient having them close. I cannot wait to see what fun is in store for the four (er five) of us!

I was gone for a minute, now I'm back again

Happy New Year!! I cannot believe it's 2011 and that I haven't posted since November 16, but I have been incredibly busy! Let me briefly bring you up to speed on all that I've been up to since my last post.

Thanksgiving (November 25, 2010) - Brad and I spent Thanksgiving with our friends Eric and Lindsay. Lindsay is my friend who was involved in a tragic car accident in October. The boys deep fried our turkey and Lindsay and I made all of the side dishes, it was amazing. Brad and I were finally able to meet Lindsay and Eric's son, Lane. He is absolutely adorable and growing so well. Here are some pictures:

Sleeping angel

Bath time!

Brad and his Godson

QualityNet Conference (November 30-December 2, 2010) - Right after Thanksgiving I headed to Baltimore, Md. for a work conference. I thought this year's conference would be a little less stressful than last year but I was so wrong! I worked very long days on very little sleep and without three square meals each day. The conference was exhausting but was very successful.

Brad's 30th Birthday (December 11, 2010) - Although Brad told me he didn't want to do anything for his 30th birthday, his sister Lisa and I schemed the whole week before to plan a small surprise party for him. It was SO hard to keep a secret but I did it and Brad was totally surprised. We had the party catered by a friend of Lisa's who made some of Brad's favorite foods and we got a cake made that looked like an X-Box controller. Check it out:

Christmas (December 25, 2010) - Brad and I spent Christmas with my parents in Northern Virginia. After all of the craziness of work and the holiday season, it was nice to relax, sleep in and be spoiled by my parents. It was also nice to catch up with friends, some who I hadn't seen since college. Pictures from our mini-vacation are below:

Santa Delilah

My gift from my sister; a Hokie inspired lap top cover!

The girls; my parent's dog Lucy and Delilah

 New Year's Eve (December 31, 2010) -  After a few days in back in Richmond, Brad and I traveled to Eric and Lindsay's for New Year's Eve. Lindsay and Eric cooked us dinner (beef burgundy with bread and salad) and I made us dessert (blueberry cheesecake bites). As we were sitting down to dinner, Eric opened a bottle of champagne, looked at Lane and said "I hope one day you have friends as good as our to spend New Year's Eve with." He almost made me cry! Check out some cutie cute pics of Lane (and one of Eric during our whipped cream fight)!!

While 2010 had its ups and downs, overall it was a good year. I'm looking forward to all that 2011 has to offer and hope to be better about sharing it all with you!

"Go Shorty, It's Your Birthday"

Ah yes, 50 Cent, today IS my birthday and I spent the day wine tasting in enemy territory, a.k.a. Charlottesville, with Brad. Despite today's beautiful scenery, neither Brad nor I took any pictures!

Our first stop was to Jefferson Vineyards on the original vineyard of Thomas Jefferson. Of the three wineries we visited, Jefferson Vineyards definitely had the best wines. We were greeted by a sorority girl proudly displaying her Delta Zeta sweatshirt and settled at the bar in front of one of the wine tasting staffers, an energetic older man. I can honestly say I liked every single wine we had the opportunity to taste except for the Rose. I don't typically like Rose wines so that wasn't much of a surprise. As part of my birthday gift, Brad offered to purchase a bottle of wine so we went home with their easy drinking Vin Rouge.

After a quick stop to our friend's new apartment, we moved on to Blenheim Vineyards owned by Dave Matthews. Brad and I had been wanting to visit Blenheim for quite some time, but I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. Not only was it incredibly crowded and the service wasn't that great, the atmosphere wasn't what I was expecting. They did have a fabulous deck overlooking the vineyard with a beautiful view of the mountains, but since we hadn't planned to drink or eat there we didn't take advantage. Despite the spotty service, I did like their chardonnay and took a bottle home with me.

Our last stop was to Sugarleaf Vineyards which was featured on the Real Housewives of D.C. The reviews on Google looked promising but again, I was slightly disappointed. I already knew the drive to the winery would be sketchy; a single lane dirt road leads you to the "estate" and if you come upon another car, it makes for an awkward situation. When we were inside the tasting room it was pretty crowded. Unlike the other wineries, Sugarleaf charges a wine tasting fee plus tax as well as an additional fee if you want the glass. Bottles of wine are pricey too, ranging anywhere from $23 to $40. Only want a glass of wine? You might as well buy a bottle as you'll be paying $8-9 a glass. Brad made a point that since they are a small winery they need to make money; to me, the quality of their wines did not warrant the cost. We tasted several white wines and a couple of reds, one of which I considered taking home, but we left empty-handed, deciding to save our money for dinner.

We had originally planned to have dinner in Charlottesville and I had gathered several suggestions from friends, but I had taken my car in for service and since they're not open on Sunday (and close at 5 p.m.), we had to get back so I could pick it up. Instead, we decided to have dinner at The Hill Cafe Three Monkeys which is where we are headed in a few minutes.

Today was a great day, despite some of the disappointments at the wineries. I received tons of text and Facebook messages from friends and family and got to spend lots of time with Brad. Brad's 30th birthday is coming up soon and we might be going to Las Vegas to celebrate, stay tuned!

Happy Halloween!

Witch -  Circa 1987

Wizard - Circa 1991ish?

Wizard and Bear - Circa 1991ish

Birthday Present - Circa 1993

Birthday Present and Little Red Riding Hood - Circa 1993

In honor of Halloween I thought I'd share some photos of me and my sister through the years. Our mom is awesome and made every single one of our costumes (dad helped too!). We had some pretty cool costume ideas, like the birthday present and the refrigerator (wish I had pictures of that one, it was awesome!) and my mom (and dad) helped turn our ideas into reality.

I have so many good memories of Halloween. First, there was the town Halloween parade (which is part of the reason we came up with some neat costume ideas) where we would parade around the high school auditorium and hope that the judges would award one of us with a trophy. Despite our well-executed costumes, neither one of us ever took home a prize.

Then there was Mischief Night, the night before Halloween. In the North, the night before Halloween means mischievous teens pull pranks like throwing rolls of toilet paper in trees, smashing pumpkins, spraying shaving cream on car windshields and pulling other pranks on friends and neighbors. Although my sister and I never participated in any of the mischief, it was always fun to wake up the next morning to see what had been done. We hated when the vandals got our pumpkins though.

The day/night of Halloween was always fun, too. At our house we had a scary green mask with a wrinkled, wart face and crazy, curly black and white hair we called Mr. Greenhead who we would dress in our parents old clothes and put out on our front porch.  When I was really young (see witch photo, circa 1987) my mom would take me trick-or-treating before she left for work in the late afternoon. As my sister and I got older, our dad would take us as soon as it got dark. We would bring back pillowcases full of candy, then dump out the contents on our living room rug and sort through every piece.

Now, Halloween isn't quite what it used to be. The people in my neighborhood don't usually leave their lights on for Trick-or-Treaters (much less decorate their houses), so at most we get 4-6 kids. Older kids are discouraged from Trick-or-Treating, and towns and neighborhoods decide when people should celebrate Halloween if it's during the week or on a Sunday. I'm thankful I grew up in a town that always celebrated Halloween and in a family that did fun Halloween activities together. I hope to continue the tradition when I have kids one day.

Lucky Number Seven

This was the surprise waiting for me at the front desk yesterday; beautiful flowers to mark the seven amazing years Brad and I have been together. I love the card he sent: "Roses are red, violets are blue, thanks for putting up with me the past seven years. I love Delilah...oh yeah, and you too!"

We continued our celebration that evening by going to Acacia Mid-Town, a restaurant we've both been wanting to try for quite some time. It just so happens that it's Restaurant Week in Richmond and Acacia's menu is featuring some pretty amazing options. For my appetizer I opted for the duck confit with potato gnocchi, fresh cranberries, local Swiss chard and pomegranate molasses. I've never had duck before and I wouldn't normally be drawn to it, but the other elements of the dish were what drew me in; it was simply delicious. Brad chose the crab fritters which were also very tasty. For the main course, I had the seared sea scallops with fresh pasta, local kale, golden raisins, leek flower, pecans and shrimp butter sauce, while Brad had rock fish with local broccoli puree, sautéed brussel sprouts, sunchokes, roasted pumpkin and red wine sauce. After trying the fresh pasta I don't think I ever want to eat boxed pasta ever again.

With two good dishes under our belts, Brad and I were both looking forward to dessert. I ordered the black forest cake with cherry sherbet while Brad opted for the apple ginger cake. Have you ever seen a cake plate after everyone has had a piece and there are just a few scraps left? That's exactly how my dessert looked, like they put together some of the leftover scraps of black forest cake and arranged them on a nice, fancy plate. The scraps definitely had a nice rich flavor but I would by no means call what I was presented a cake. Brad's apple ginger cake was equally tasty but as he put it, was the size of a postage stamp. Definitely not the way I would have hoped a delicious meal would have ended.

Despite our skimpy desserts, Brad and I had a great time together, like always. I look forward to 70 more years together with Brad, even if he thinks we won't live that long!

Emotional Roller Coaster

I haven't posted in awhile because Brad and I have been dealing with a tragedy our best friends experienced on October 7. Until now, I haven't been able to decide if it's appropriate for me to share their tragedy or even how to write about it. Thankfully, things are looking up and I feel ready to share what happened.

On October 7, our friend Lindsay, expecting twins in November, was t-boned by an ambulance as she left the mall. Her car was so badly damaged, they had to use the jaws of life to get her out. Despite a broken collar bone, broken left shoulder blade, broken ribs on both sides and a broken pelvis, she is doing well. As a precaution, the doctors delivered her boys, five weeks before they were scheduled to arrive. Lucas weighed 4 lbs. 11 oz. and Lane weighed 4 lbs. 8 oz. Lane is doing really well and is not having any major problems despite being born early. Lucas though, was on Lindsay's left side and absorbed most of the impact. When he was born, Lucas was not breathing and doctors found three fractures in his skull along with bleeding in his brain they could not stop, causing his brain to swell. On October 14, he was removed from life support and passed away a few hours later. Lindsay is now in a hospital separate from Lane where she is undergoing two weeks of intensive physical and occupational therapy. It will likely be months before she is able to walk again and until then will rely on a wheelchair and walker to get around.

I learned of the accident as I left my yoga class the evening of the 7th. I had two missed calls from Brad and a text that said to call him as soon as possible. My initial reaction was that something had happened to Lindsay and Eric's dog Layla. Layla was diagnosed with cancer in early spring, underwent chemo and was doing well up until about three weeks ago. Her vet optimistically gave her one month to live but said realistically she had about one week. Of course my phone call to Brad yielded a much different scenario. At that point all he knew was that Lindsay had been in an accident and that as a precaution they were delivering the babies. 

The next morning, before I was awake, Eric called Brad to give him the news that Lucas was unlikely to survive. When I woke up, Brad gave me the news and we decided to drive to the hospital, not only to provide Eric and his and Lindsay's family support, but to help take care of Layla. We didn't tell Eric we were coming but needless to say, when he saw us, he was glad we were there. As you can imagine, the weekend was long and emotional, and we spent a good deal of timing waiting; waiting for news about Lucas and Lane, waiting for news about Lindsay and the surgery to reconstruct her pelvis, just waiting.

My friend Andrea and I were supposed to throw a couple's shower for Lindsay and Eric that weekend and Lindsay, in her groggy, pain-med induced state, happily stated that we could have the shower later, when her and the boys were home. Everyone at work knew I was throwing the shower so when I returned to work on Monday, everyone was excited to know how it went. It was really painful to have to tell them what had happened, and especially the news about Lucas. I didn't realize how much emotional weight I was carrying on my shoulders from the weekend. When I got home from work I was exhausted and after waking up from a nap, I could not stop crying. It was especially difficult because Brad was in Las Vegas for work and there's only so much a dog can do to help you feel better.

Things got better as the week progressed but Thursday was very difficult as it was the day Lucas passed. Eric asked Brad to be both of the boys' God Father which was quite an honor for Brad; I almost cried when he told me. The following Saturday, October 16, Brad and I decided to go back to Northern Virginia. Lindsay and Eric both talked openly about  Lucas' death, their immediate and long-term plans for the future and how they were feeling. Lindsay, although still in significant pain, is doing really well. She is able to move herself from her bed, to her wheelchair and back. Although she despises being so far away from Lane, he is motivation for her to work hard in her therapy sessions. Eric has been bonding with Lane by feeding, holding and changing him and taking lots of pictures for Lindsay. It was nice to see both of them in such good spirits and it helped bring me peace, knowing that they're going to be okay.

As Lindsay and Eric continue to heal, more details are emerging about the accident. Lindsay was hit by a Patient Transport Ambulance which had just dropped off a patient and was heading to another call. A witness has come forward to confirm that Lindsay had the green light and police are now looking for a witness to clarify whether or not the ambulance's light was red or to provide any details about what happened on the ambulance's side of the road. As far as I know, charges will be placed against the ambulance driver.

Tomorrow it will be two weeks since the accident happened and a week since Lucas passed away. Even after seeing Lindsay in the hospital and seeing pictures of both Lucas and Lane, it still doesn't seem real. All of this has really made me reconsider the things I gripe about and get angry over. I'm trying to be more patient, to not take things for granted and to consider what really matters in life. I want to learn from Lindsay and Eric who have proven their love for each other and the strength of their relationship, and I want to spoil Lane to bits and pieces.

"How Can I Keep From Singing?"

I don't think many people know that I love to sing. Not the car-windows-rolled-up, music-blasting-so-no-one-can-hear-me kind of singing or the drunk-Top of the Stairs-karaoke kind of singing  - I'm talking about serious singing, with a choir or as a soloist. I distinctly remember (and I'm sure my parents wish they could forget), being three years old and singing for the entire two hour car ride home from my grandma's house. In elementary school I started singing with a group called the Kid Company. We were sort of a cabaret-style group that sang mainly show tunes complete with choreography. We would put on an annual performance for our parents and friends as well perform at events, nursing homes, hospitals, etc. in the community. I don't remember what grade I was in but one year I was chosen to sing a solo: "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" from Cinderella. I even had a magic wand I shook around while I sang. In addition to being part of the Kid Company, I auditioned for and performed in various musicals such as Annie, Fiddler on the Roof and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, to name a few. In sixth grade I was selected to play Charlotte in my middle school's production of Charlotte's Web.

Once I got to high school I realized I wasn't really much of an actress. I was never able to land any of the big leads in the shows I auditioned for and I knew it was because I couldn't act. I dunno what it was but I could never really envision myself as someone else. It always felt fake to me. Confident in my singing ability, I continued to sing in my high school's choir. When my family moved to Northern Virginia, I was lucky enough to be part of a choir with an amazing choir director, Pamela Potts. Ms. Potts was one of those teachers who absolutely loved what she did and genuinely cared about the well-being of her students. With her help, encouragement and support, I continued singing with my new high school's chorus and auditioned for the county, district and state choirs. My junior year of high school I was selected to be a part of the all-Virginia state chorus. If I have one regret in my life it's that I didn't participate in this chorus because the concert was the same day as my first prom.

My senior year of high school I was also part of an extra-curricular chorus, the chamber choir. This was a small select group of students who sang during the spring and winter concerts as well as gave performances in the community and at graduation. I will never forget one afternoon I was having a very stressful day. A couple of us sang together for a little while and afterward I felt so amazing, as if all my stress was gone. I realize I probably sound like a complete music nerd, but there's just something about singing for me - my voice with the others, the challenge of singing a difficult song - it's almost therapeutic.

When I went off to college I considered minoring in music, but at ECU the requirements for a music minor were just a few credits less than the major. Instead, I did the next best thing and joined the University Chorale. I really wanted to be in the chamber choir and the director pretty much told I'd be in if I had been a music major. Even so, it was nice to be singing with a group of talented students. After I transferred to Virginia Tech, I had pretty much given up the idea of singing. There wasn't a group similar to ECU's University Chorale and I didn't have the time to participate in a choir for school credit. But then, during my music history class (which I despised), the teacher asked us to fill out a student profile which included information about our experience with music. A few days later I received an e-mail from the teacher inviting me to participate in a small, extra-curricular chorus that sang mostly Gregorian chant-style music. Excited for the opportunity to sing again, I joined (and even received one school credit!). Unfortunately, and maybe it was because it was an extra-curricular group, we were terrible, embarrassing even. To this day I'm embarrassed that Brad came to hear us, we were terrible, a far cry from the type of group I was used to singing with. Needless to say, once the spring semester came around, I was no longer part of the group and I haven't sang with a chorus since.

So why am I writing about all of this? Because after a six year hiatus from choral singing, I have decided to sing again. On Monday, I start rehearsals with the One Voice chorus of Richmond, a community chorus promoting racial reconciliation. I am excited beyond words to get to sing again, to have music in my life again. Two years ago, I auditioned for a choir through the University of Richmond. It had been so long since I had sight read music and sang that way that I didn't do as well as I knew I could do. In fact, the director told me I was average. Average. Average is something I know I am not. So instead of letting it get me down, I took another break and thought about what I wanted to do. Earlier this week, as part of my new project, I listened to some of my old high school chorus CDs. After a couple of listens, I knew what I had to do, so I Googled "Richmond, VA choirs." At first I glanced over One Voice's website, but once I checked it out, listened to their music and discovered I didn't need to audition, I was hooked. I immediately (and excitedly) e-mailed the director who wrote back with equal excitement, welcoming me to the group. My first concert with One Voice will be on November 20 and will feature music from Show Boat, West Side Story and South Pacific - all Broadway musicals. Until then, I am very much looking forward to my weekly dose of music therapy.

Note: The title of this post is a choral piece that was sung by the middle school students selected for the all-district chorus in 2001, the same year I was chosen to sing with the all-Virginia choir. Click here to listen to the Virginia Tech Chamber Singers' performance of the piece.

It's a good thing I have a sense of humor

I came into work today and found this note on my desk. It was written by one of my co-workers whose husband went to the University of Virginia (UVA) or as I like to call them BooVA. If you can't see it clearly the note says "Real Housewives of New Jersey vs. Virginia Tech football. Which one is trashier? Sorry for your loss." I knew immediately the note was from her even though she tried really hard to disguise her handwriting. I mean, no one else in my office watches the Real Housewives so I knew it had to be her! Either way, the note made my morning, even if it did make fun of my beloved Hokies.

5 Reasons I Love Fall

5. Warm days, cool nights
4. Pumpkin spice lattes
3. Skinny jeans and riding boots
2. Crunchy maroon and orange leaves under foot
1. Virginia Tech football



In keeping with my obsession of all things Virginia Tech, I purchased these fabulous maroon and orange New Balances thanks to Brad who found them super cheap online.

I must admit, they're a little more fuchsia than maroon but they totally work. Also, if I had bought them for exercising, I would have definitely chosen the wide version as they are ridiculously narrow.  Even so, they're perfect for football season which begins MONDAY!

LET'S GO.....HOKIES!

My new project

Although I have a six-disc changer in my car, I rarely ever listen to CDs anymore. Part of this has to do with the fact that I have an iPod, but mostly it's because I'm not taking long drives to and from Blacksburg or to and from Northern Virginia much any more. Also, a couple of months ago, when I thought I was getting a new car, I took all of my CDs out of my car and put them in my home office. Since then, they've been sitting on my bookshelf collecting dust. With so many good CDs forced to serve as homes for dust bunnies, I've decided I will make listening to each one of them again my new project. We're going to be getting more staff in our suite at work within the next couple of weeks, so this will be a great way to block out all the new noise coming my way. So far, I've listened to Nick Lachey (don't judge me, I had to throw the CD away anyway because it was all jacked up), the first (and best in my opinion) Britney Spears album and one other that I can't remember right now because that was on Friday and it's now Sunday evening. (I started this post Friday but I didn't finish it until tonight by the way) Anyway, look for more updates as I hit milestone listens (like my first 50 CDs listened to) and rediscover some great CDs. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Remember that creepy guy from the gym...

...the one who said he thought I was in high school right after he asked me if I had any kids? Well his creepiness has continued. Last week when I got back from vacation, I jokingly asked him if he missed me and he came close to me and said, "you're not my only girlfriend here you know, but you could be, but that's not up to me." Eww. Then today he rolled up to class in jorts. JORTS! Normally he wears inappropriately short running shorts (and our instructor calls him Ken doll), but I guess he forgot his workout attire today and was forced to wear jorts, gross. They were light blue when we started class and dark blue when we finished. Disgusting. Also, he thought my co-worker was my sister although we look nothing alike. When I told him my sister was also blond but lives in Greensboro, North Carolina he said, "why? does she work in a textile mill?" Uhh no, she works for a t.v. station jerk! This guy is seriously a creeper. I don't usually take my phone into the gym but I might next week so I can snap a pic of this creep!

Stowecation: Seven Amazing Days in Vermont

Every time I tell someone Brad and I decided to vacation in Vermont, I get a funny look. No, we don't ski and no, we didn't go in the winter. We chose Vermont (specifically Stowe) and we chose August because of all of the outdoor activities and ideal weather. Brad and I went on a lot of adventures and took hundreds of pictures over the course of seven days so here are the highlights of my favorite moments.

Sunday, August 8
In doing my research for our trip, I found the website of Green Mountain Inn (our digs for the week) extremely helpful. It was there I found the recommended hiking trails we decided we would tackle on our first day. Feeling ambitious, we had planned to hike Pinnacle Trail, Moss Glen Falls and then ride a gondola to the top of Mount Mansfield and hike down. The Inn's website describes the Pinnacle Point trail as "fairly gradual for the most part, though there is a short rocky section as you near the top." The trail may be "fairly gradual" for a local, but for Brad and I the trail felt like an almost vertical climb! Despite the difficult terrain, the view from the top was absolutely amazing and the chilly breeze felt fantastic. Needless to say, the 2.8-mile hike was pretty exhausting and we completely crashed when we got back to the Inn. Check out the pictures from our first adventure!

You can't tell from the picture, but the trail was pretty steep

Beautiful view despite the clouds

Tuesday, August 10
On Tuesday we had originally planned to go to Montreal, but after two days of hiking and some rainy weather in the forecast for later in the week, we decided to rent bikes and spend the morning tackling the 10 mile round trip bike trail in town. The bike trail was paved and was pretty easy to navigate, although going over some of the wood slat bridges was a little scary because they were so narrow. Our rental was for a half day so we took our time, spending about 2 hours or so riding the entire trail from start to finish, making a few stops in between.

Our bikes for the morning

Cornfields and mountains

We finished up our biking adventure around noon and with the whole afternoon ahead of us, we decided to visit Ben & Jerry's. When we arrived, the next available tour time wasn't for an hour and a half so we bought our tickets and headed over to Green Mountain Coffee, Brad's favorite coffee roaster, to kill time. Green Mountain's visitor center is housed in an old train station and the main lobby is set up for a self-tour. In different places around the lobby there were big plastic coffee beans you could slide over to reveal an interesting fact about coffee. There was also a computerized quiz you could take to determine your coffee personality. After our tour we moved into the retail shop. I bought some coffee for my dad, a pretty star key chain and some iced coffee.

Sign near the front porch

Even with our visit to Green Mountain, we ended up being about 15 minutes early for our Ben & Jerry's tour so we spent a few minutes taking pictures. Check them out:

Moo cows!

I have no words, just laughs

I had actually been on a tour of Ben & Jerry's before but it had been so long I couldn't remember what we were going to see. Unfortunately, they don't allow pictures of their factory (you know, so Haagen-Dazs doesn't try to steal any secrets) so I don't have anything I can share from that part of our trip. I will tell you though, their sample of the day was chocolate chip mint (my favorite ice cream flavor) which was absolutely delicious. Brad, however, wasn't a fan so he bought himself a different flavor from the cafe outside. After we finished our ice cream (I got chocolate fudge brownie frozen yogurt which is just as good as the ice cream), we called it a day and headed back to the Inn to figure out what to do for dinner.

Wednesday, August 11
Wednesday was a day I was really looking forward to because we had made reservations to go kayaking down the Lamoille River to the Boyden Valley Winery. We needed to leave the Inn by 1:00 p.m. so we slept in and had a lazy morning so we would have plenty of energy to make it down the river. When we arrived, we were greeted by two college tour guides who seemed happy to talk to some young kayakers. After a brief lesson, we suited up with our life jackets and carried our kayak to the water.

We were told it would take anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours to get to the winery depending on how much we relied on our paddling or the river to move us. I wanted to do the in between thing, paddling a little bit and letting the river take us a little bit, so Brad and I took turns paddling and cruising. It was so incredibly beautiful that day; the bright blue sky and puffy white clouds above us, the water clear and cool beneath us. The ride was relatively easy but my arms felt like they were on fire and I quickly realized I had forgotten to apply sunscreen before we left the Inn. Despite my burning arms, I was really enjoying myself but was curious about how much of the river we had left to cover. Brad and I both agreed we probably had about a half hour more to go, but moments later I looked up and saw a tent at the same time Brad said, "we're here!" I have to admit, I was a little disappointed the trip was over so quickly but I was excited to taste some wine.

After a short tour of the winery, we tasted a variety of wines and were treated to some delicious Vermont cheddar cheese, French bread and pretzels. I fell in love with a $60 bottle of red dessert ice wine that I decided to buy. After all of the wines had been tasted, the guides took us by bus (powered by vegetable oil) back to our cars.

The river

Entrance to the winery

Thursday, August 12
When I woke up on Thursday I wasn't feeling well. This was the same day we decided to get up early and head to Montreal, a two hour drive from Stowe. Our first stop was to a large outdoor farmers market called Jean-Talon Market in Montreal's Little Italy. There was so much beautiful, fresh produce and Brad told me everything smelled amazing (darn my stuffy nose!). I wish I had taken some pictures but because the Jean-Talon Market is a local spot, I didn't want to look out of place.

Battling our way through traffic-heavy downtown Montreal, our next stop was to Old Montreal and the waterfront. Our main motivation for visiting Old Montreal was the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montreal and it certainly didn't disappoint, it was absolutely gorgeous. We took a tour to learn about the church's history and discovered a smaller, though still incredible chapel inside the basilica behind the pulpit, amazing!

We spent at least an hour at the basilica and afterward we were both starving. Although we had a dinner reservation for a little later in the evening, I still wasn't feeling well and wanted to head back to Vermont. We felt really bad about the possibility of canceling our reservation at Au Pied de Cochon (which means the leg of the pig in French), which was made by the restaurant's former owner, a friend of Brad's friend, Jonathan. The restaurant has been featured on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" and a member of the current staff has his own show on Food Network Canada called "Wild Chef," so there was no way we could not go. After debating what we were going to do, we decided go to the restaurant to see if they could fit us in a bit earlier. Thankfully, with the help of a little explanation from Brad, they seated us at the bar right away. Our waitress was nice but I think she could tell we were a bit uncomfortable with the menu, which was in French, so she sent over a manager to explain everything to us. We started with a liquid fois gras (fattened duck liver) that I wasn't able to taste because of my stuffy nose, but Brad said it tasted like the gravy they serve with Salisbury steak. Next it was on to our main course: I had the seared tuna and Brad had the pot pie. Halfway through dinner my nose decided it would clear up a bit and I was able to taste the absolutely fantastic food we both had. Both of us stuffed, we decided to skip dessert, a decision now I hate to admit I regret, paid our bill and headed back to Vermont.

This is just a snippet of our week in Stowe and I couldn't have asked for a better trip. I hope you enjoyed reading about our adventures as much as we enjoyed living them!

What I've Been Up To Lately

I can't believe the month of July went by so fast. I feel like it was just a few days ago I was writing about my memories of July 4th. Since I've been so busy and I haven't been posting as much as I've wanted to about all the things I've been up to, I'm dedicating this post to the month of July.

Michael Buble Concert
At the beginning of July, my friend Janice invited me to see Michael Buble at the Richmond Coliseum. I'm familiar with most of Mr. Buble's songs but really only those on the radio. Other than his radio songs and a couple of covers, I was a little lost during the concert. It wasn't bad I'm glad I didn't pay for the tickets. He did have a great opening act though, Naturally 7, who sang acappella which is one of my favorite styles of music and we had pretty darn good seats!

Janice and I before the concert

Well hello Mr. Buble

Visit From a BFF
In mid-July one of my BFFs, Amy Slife, came for a weekend visit (she's the thinker in "Thoughts from Comm Ave.) We spent her first day in town sampling the amazing restaurants in Richmond. It started with brunch at Kitchen 64 with Amy, her sister Leah, her sister's boyfriend, our friend Jenny and myself. I had the French toast which was amazing and I think it was the pitcher of Mimosas that really got us going! We moved from Kitchen 64 to Short Pump's newest wine bar, the Wine Loft (after a brief stop at HomeGoods of course). The atmosphere and decor really added to the ambiance but I felt the wine was overpriced. Leah's boyfriend was nice enough to pick up the tab that time! Our next stop was my all time favorite, Cafe Caturra. We sampled a couple different wines and their Wine Fare, Olives & Almonds and Breads & Spreads, delish! Our last stop of the night was to my house where we played Rock Band until 3:00 a.m. I'm pretty sure we played almost every song on the play list. On Sunday, Amy, Leah and I saw Counting Crows at Innsbrook After Hours. Despite the two hour wait, the show was a blast.

Amy and I at Cafe Caturra

Leah and her boyfriend

 Miss Teen Virginia Pageant
The same weekend Amy was in town, Brad's niece Abigail participated in her first pageant. Since I often like to watch Toddlers & Tiaras on TLC, I was definitely intrigued. (However, I was definitely not intrigued by the $20 ticket price.) Unfortunately (or fortunately)  I had to leave early because of the concert but I was able to snap a few pictures and take a few videos before I left. As it turned out, Abigial received second runner up, not bad for her first pageant!

Brad and I showing our support

Abigail in her casual wear (she's second from the right)

(Video is of Abigial during her first Q&A)

Welcome Home/Birthday Party and Visit to Lake Anna
This past weekend was quite busy. Friday night one of my BFFs, June, held a party for her husband Jason who's been in Texas for the past couple of months for some military training. She decided to have a party for him which sort of doubled as a birthday party for her. While I was there I met a guy named Kyle who looks a lot like the infamous Brody Jenner. We busted out some of our favorite college drinking games like beer pong and flip cup (which the girls totally dominated) and even some card games like Kings (on an iPad). Despite the three hours of traffic I sat in to get there, I had a great time. On Saturday, I spent another three hours traveling to Lake Anna to see my friend Meghan. Her and her husband just had a baby, Cadence, in May and it's been that long since I've seen her. It was so great to be back at the lake again, despite the cloudy skies, and to have the opportunity to play with Cadence.

Me and Kyle, a.k.a. Brody Jenner

Lake Anna

Cadence

 

 

 

What's Ahead

I've been talking about how much I'm looking forward to my vacation with Brad and now it's finally here! I'm going to try and post occasionally while we're away but if not, I'll have plenty to share when we return.

A Whole Buncha Stuff

Richmond had another Heatpocalypse this weekend with temperatures reaching a record-setting 105 degrees both days. Up until this point the heat really hasn't bothered me but over the last few days the combination of high heat and humidity coupled with the ridiculously high pollen count has made breathing somewhat cumbersome. I can't breathe that well out of my nose because it's stuffy and I get winded when I breathe through my mouth. Thank you global warming, allergies and asthma.

On Saturday, the Turpins returned from their annual vacation at Holden Beach. I don't think I've talked about them much here yet but they are the couple we do everything with. Tailgate at football games, go to wine-tasting events with, go on vacation with, etc. However, things are changing a bit because Lindsay is pregnant with twin boys! She's six months along and looks absolutely incredible, especially considering she's carrying two babies. Anyway, we've been watching their fur-baby Layla for the past week. She's great and her and Delilah get along really well. Although I have to admit, even though I don't think Delilah minded having Layla around, I can tell she's really glad she doesn't have to compete for our attention anymore. One of our favorite things to do when the Turpins come into town is to go to 3 Monkeys. Not only do they have a fabulous drink menu, their food is delicious, particularly their three cheese grilled cheese. Yum! It comes with bacon and tomato and I always ask for no bacon and Lindsay always asks for no tomato. After dinner the boys wanted to run to the ABC store to get some Wild Turkey American Honey (nice name, eh?!). I really do not enjoy bourbon, whiskey and the like, but I actually didn't mind the taste of American Honey. At first it tastes like bourbon, YUCK, but the after taste is cinnamon and honey and absolutely delicious.

On Sunday I was crazy enough to go to the pool with the lovely Jenny Banner and it was surprisingly very relaxing. Of the 3 hours we spent there, I think we were in the pool about 2.5 hours, it was just too hot to really lay out and relax. Also, can I talk about the fratastic party that was started while we were there? It was like all of a sudden all of these fratty looking guys showed up with burgers, guacamole and drinks and basically took over the pool Apparently they're all employed by Vector home security systems for the summer and the company rented out a bunch of the apartments (oh ahem, excuse me, flats) at West Broad Village for them to live. This of course is all according to the lifeguard, Blair, who would prefer to have a real job at a bank but he just moved back into town from Chicago where he spent the past three years. Also, can I just say that I find it incredibly inappropriate to wear a thong/boy bottom-type bikini bottom to a public pool? I'm glad you think you look hot and maybe you like being stared at by creepy old men and frat boys but really, please keep that sexy bathing suit for when you're at home.

Anyway, in more exciting news, when Jenny and I got back from the pool we learned that our girl Cax, one of the hippies from Two Hippie Chic, is engaged! Her and her boyfriend, well I guess now fiance, went to Jackson Hole this weekend where he proposed at their campsite. Check out her blog post, it's really cute and he did a great job with the ring!

That's all for now. I have a busy work week ahead of me. My mantra for getting me through this week is "9 work days until vacation." I can't wait!

You Talk Too Much

For as long as I can remember, I have loved to talk. As a kid, I would make tapes of myself talking to my sister or singing songs from my favorite movies and TV shows. On my report cards in elementary school, all of the teachers would say I was a great student and contributed in class but I was chatty with the other students. I will never forget my middle school ski trip to Camp Bernie in New Jersey. All of the girls were in bunk beds and we had been up half the night talking about all the things middle school girls talk about. We had already been warned once by a teacher to quiet down and I had made an honest effort to stop talking. Of course, a few minutes later, I was the one being sent out to the main room to sleep by myself on the couch. Looking back, I probably got a better night's rest that way but I really hated the fact I was singled out as the biggest talker when there were definitely some other girls who were just as bad.

Today my "problem" with talking was reiterated. Apparently, I chat too much with a co-worker in the suite down from mine. I can't say I was surprised when this came up in conversation, I do venture over there periodically throughout the day, but I try to keep my conversations limited to the morning when I fill up our water pitcher. It probably doesn't help that our CEO has a direct view from his office to the front desk which is where said co-worker sits. I'm not trying to pass  blame or down play the situation, but given the fact I'm not allowed to use work e-mail for non-work related business (thank you government) and the fact that it's very easy to hear what I'm saying if I call her on the phone (thank you small office of cubicles), sometimes our conversations are better suited to in-person encounters.

The truth is, my chattiness, my love to talk is a part of me and I can't change who I am. In the past I've done my best NOT to talk, to keep quiet. After a few minutes though, people would start to ask me what was wrong. They'd ask if I was upset, what was bothering me. It was nothing, just my attempt at being quiet.

I'm not mad or upset about what I was told today. Like I said, I wasn't really surprised when it was brought up. It did make me realize though that you can never be too comfortable.  You always need to be aware of your actions and how people perceive you. I'll keep that in mind the next time I fill up the water pitcher.