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Last weekend I celebrated yet another birthday. Funny how they have a way of coming around every year, no matter what. At the Maynard House, we celebrate a lot of birthdays in September. My sister's is the 19th, Susan's is the 20th, Amy's is the 21st, mine's the 22nd and Staci's is the 23rd. So we're busy! For Susan's birthday we had a cooking class/demonstration by Debbie where we made some fantastic manicotti. Then we had a dinner for Amy's birthday at Maggiano's. So we were ready for some different cuisine. My wonderful roommates (and Staci, the LSU grad) surprised me with a Cajun feast! We had gumbo, shrimp creole, maque choux, cornbread and cherry pie for dessert. I was pretty much in heaven. It was so fun to have a nice, relaxing day which pretty much consisted of sleeping in, getting my hair done (I have such a crush on my stylist...even though he's 24...and gay), shopping and eating! My fabulous roommates got me the external hard drive I've been wanting (I know, boring gift, but I need it!) and tickets to a jazz concert at Kennedy Center and we're all going tomorrow night. Oh, and my wonderful sister Anna sent me some chocolate covered cinnamon bears from Utah (why can't you get those anywhere else?). What a great day!No other good blogging topics this week, I've just been working too much and trying to get over a stupid cold. Susan and I are going to the Pitt/UVA game in Charlottesville on Saturday, so hopefully I'll get some good photos to post. GO PITT!!! :)Fall has finally arrived! I love the smell in the air and the cooler mornings as I leave for work. The leaves are starting to change...summer's over!
Eileen and I went on a little road trip last week to Virginia Beach and Raleigh, NC. We both needed some R&R and decided to combine a beach trip with our trek to yet another DMB concert. So, we packed our swimsuits and a lot of snacks and set off. We were excited to be heading into Sonic country (I hate it that Sonic advertises here, even though the closest Sonic is 3 hours away!). We stopped for lunch and I got a cherry limeade (the best drink EVER). We arrived at the Courtyard by Marriott (gotta love that associate discount!) and then headed out to get pedicures. We had dinner and vegged out in the hotel room. Day #2 started out with yet another visit to Sonic for more beverages and then we hit the beach. It was VERY windy (sand was everywhere) and chilly because of the partly cloudy skies. But, we were troopers and stuck it out for a couple of hours, then we switched to the pool. We caught part of the Steeler game and then got ready for dinner. We found a GREAT pizza place and then went back to the hotel. Day #3 was CLOUDY. Only about 10 minutes of sun all day. And it was way too cold to enjoy the beach or pool (though the ocean was the warmest place to be outside). We put on sweatshirts and took a walk through town. Of course, we stopped at Sonic again for drink #3! We took it easy again and just enjoyed listening to the ocean. Why is it that whenever I'm at the beach, I start to feel really nostalgic and wish I lived at the beach? What about it makes me want to quit my job and move into a small apartment with a view of the water? I could be a waitress or something like that and have a nice, simple life, no car payment, no worlkdly distractions and just enjoy falling asleep to the sound of the ocean every night? I love living in the city, but I really want to live by the ocean, it's the most calming place in the world for me. Day #4 we decided to get up early and head to Raleigh (after stopping at Sonic of course!). There were no clouds there and the temp was warm! We got there in time to spend a few hours at the hotel pool soaking up the sun. SO nice. Then we got ready for the concert. We enjoyed our short time in NC, people are so nice there! The concert venue was smaller than Starlake and our seats were decent. Not too many tall people in front of me! However, the girl next to me was a dud. During the AMAZING concert full of fun, upbeat songs, she just stood there. Why go to a DMB concert if you're not going to sing along?!? So annoying. But Eileen and I had a blast as usual and we glad we made the trek. We got up on Day #5 and drove back to D.C. (one last Sonic stop!). It was a fun road trip and a great way to spend a long weekend! We love DMB and can't wait until the tour next summer to do it all again!
I got tagged by Anna so I have to put this on my blog. . .
A- Attached or single: single and loving it
B- Best Friend: it depends on the time in my life...Kristi, Gina, Anna
C- Cake or Pie: Pie...preferably cherry, made by my mom
D- Day of choice: Saturday. I get to sleep in (sometimes).
E- Essential Item: My cell phone and Diet Coke
F- Favorite Color: To wear - Black. Otherwise - green
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Gummi bears, especially chocolate covered cinnamon ones!
H- Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA (GO STEELERS)
I- Indulgence(s): Ice cream and reality TV
J- January or July: Definitely July...I hate the cold and snow.
K- Kids: I love them and can't wait to have my own. For now I'm content with spoiling my friends' kids.
L: Life is Incomplete Without: My friends & family.
M- Marriage Date: ??? (Though I'd like an April wedding when the cherry blossoms are in bloom)
N- Number of Siblings: 3 siblings and 1 sister-in-law
O- Oranges or Apples: Oranges (unless it's an apple pie)
P- Phobias or Fears: Dark staircases, needles, drowning, spiders
Q- Quote(s):
"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination." ~ Oscar Wilde.
"God does notice us, and he watches over us. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other" ~ Spencer W. Kimball
R- Reason To Smile: Music , being able to travel, living life to its fullest
S- Season: Fall. My birthday is the first day of fall and I love the clean crisp smell in the air. I love pulling out sweaters and being outside.
T- Tag Three +: Michelle B., Melissa, Michele L., Ana
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I hate onions, but love french onion soup.
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Mmmmm...meat.
W- Worst Habit: Spending too much time on the internet when I should be in bed...or working.
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: I'll have to go with X-rays (never had an ultrasound). It's so cool to see your bones!
Y- Your Favorite Food: Cajun. And ice cream. And pie. And Primanti's. I'm hungry.
Z- Zodiac: Virgo
Jen, Liz and I drove down to Woodbridge yesterday to see Nico's blessing. Rafael did a great job and little Nico was a superstar! He's getting bigger and is still adorable and such a charmer!
He's such a good baby and I can't wait to go and spend much more time with little Nico!
Check out that hair! You can't really tell in this photo, but he has great highlights. Rafa just gave Nico his 2nd hair cut (and he's not even a month old)!!!
My roommate Jen and I went to New York last week. I love that city SO much. The weather was amazing and we shared the city with MANY other visitors to the city. We had a lot packed into 2 1/2 days, but we made the most of it. We decided that we wanted to see two shows, so on Saturday, we saw Spamalot (SO FUNNY) and then Jersey Boys (WOW). They were two very different shows, but both incredible. Spamalot made us laugh the entire time and Jersey Boys was full of great music from beginning to end. I loved it! Sunday we went to church (I love going to church out of town) and met up with Susan, Emily H. and Duane, and then hung out in Central Park all afternoon. We had a late lunch at a great Italian place (see the photo of my yummy food!) and then put our name in at Serendipity (the wait was 3 hours) for dessert. I met up with Emily Price and her husband Jonathan (they live in NYC now)...it was great to see Emily and catch up. Plus, I was happy to have Emily meet my D.C. friends because I think everyone should know Emily! On Monday we walked around by our hotel (we stayed near the South Street Seaport (near the Brooklyn Bridge) and it was a fun part of town! After a nice, relaxing train ride (no sitting in Labor Day traffic), we were home. I'm ready to go back and play in that city again!
