Progress Report and Month 1 in Review

Holy July, Batman! Time sure does fly when you're... doing anything at all. I am completely in shock that July is already upon us and we're halfway through 2011. The past 6 months have gone by at warp speed, and I'm really hoping that this trend continues, at least until next June or so. Today also marks the completion of our first month of "deployment"... sort of. I feel like these first two months don't really count because Dan is still in the US and I get to talk to him pretty much every day, but he is away from home at least and we're just going to go with it. So in one super mixed up post, I'm going to take a quick look back at the past 6 months, check in on my 11 goals for 2011 (yikes...), and throw in a little we-made-it-through-the-first-month celebration. Off we go...


First, here's a little snapshot of what I've been up to the past 6 months:

The year started out on a rough note when my grandmother lost a tough battle with cancer in January. I still miss her like crazy every day!

I got back into running and have worked hard to stay with it, even through a few bumps in the road. As of this morning, I've run just over 450 miles in the past 6 months.

(I still do not have a single picture of me ACTUALLY running. A big race in a few months should clear that up though.)

I also started to prepare to say goodbye to my handsome 1st lieutenant for a year.

Despite the fact that he spent most of the past 6 months working or training out of town, we have been able to squeeze in so many wonderful memories, the best of which was a little wedding ceremony...

... and a quick beach getaway.

June 1 still came too quickly, though, and after a few days at home, we had to say goodbye (but luckily only for two months!):

So the first half of this year has been pretty full of happy things, with a few not-so-happy things wedged in there. I suppose it takes a little rain to make you really appreciate the sun, right?


At the very beginning of the year, I sat down to write out 11 little goals for the year. Since I haven't thought much about them since I hit "publish," I think I'm overdue for a check-up:
1. finish unpacking & decorating our apartment: Hmmmm... guess I should get started on this. I have quite a bit of donating/throwing away to do.
2. learn lots of yummy new recipes and cook more often: I've done pretty well with this, especially considering the fact that I'm cooking for myself now. I've made a few new recipes in the past 6 months, and I have a huge list of more to try!
3. save money: This was was a little tough thanks to some big expenses (car repairs and a wedding, for example), but I've been putting away as much as I can. I'm really hoping to do even better in the next 6 months though.
4. continue running: I'd say I'm doing pretty well with this one. Honestly, when I wrote these resolutions I don't think I had any idea that I'd be running (and enjoying it) nearly this much. I sort of recall hoping that I could manage two or three days a week at the most. I'm really glad I stuck with this one, though.
5. keep up with this blog: Again, so far so good. Some weeks are better than others but here I am, still writing! Hard to believe it's been over 6 months.
6. keep it together through Dan leaving and make the deployment as easy as possible for him: This one's a little hard to judge. I did pretty well saying goodbye the last time, but I feel pretty bad for the poor soul who has to sit next to me on the flight home from Indiana later this month. It's not going to be pretty.
7. ace the LSATs and plan for the future: This one is definitely a big fat fail so far. The prep book is somewhere on my desk, buried and collecting dust. I still have 6 months though...
8. watch more movies: I've been renting/Netflixing a lot since Dan left in an attempt to pass the time. I just finished watching No Strings Attached last night (because I fell asleep the first two times I tried) and I'm probably the most excited 23-year-old on the planet about the new Winnie the Pooh movie coming out this month. Opening night anyone?
9. spend lots of time with friends: I've made quite a few new friends in the past few months, and I've been lucky to spend lots of time with older friends as well. Thank goodness for these ladies who will be keeping me sane over the next 11 months!
10. get more sleep: This one definitely comes in waves -- sometimes I'm really good about it and sometimes I stay up much later than I know I should. I'm trying hard to at least a good night's sleep before long runs or stressful days. Some nights it's really hard to get to sleep/stay asleep in a bed that seems to be missing a certain someone, but I kind of expected that...
11. BE HAPPY: I sort of covered this topic here. In a nutshell: it's been a rough few months, but I've done pretty well so far at continuing to smile through it all. I'm learning how to keep my spirits up even when things get hard, taking time to be upset when it's absolutely necessary, and refusing to wallow in loneliness. This is only going to get harder in the next 6 months, but I'm definitely up for the challenge.


It's amazing how a month can go so quickly and yet drag by all at the same time. It seems like forever since I last saw my hubby, but at the same time, I can't believe it's already July. I'm crossing my fingers that the next 11 months go just as fast! I don't feel like I've gotten much done in the past 30 days (as evidenced by the lack of progress above), but I did manage a few good runs, two trips to see my bestie and my brother-in-law, and some quality time with friends and family. I've watched a bunch of movies, finished a really excellent book (review coming soon), gotten a great haircut, and written a whole bunch of letters. All in all it's been a pretty good month, and in the end, at least we're one month closer to the end! In celebration (and because this is what everyone else seems to do), here's one of my favorite old pictures of Dan and I:

taken at Dan's grandparents' house in the summer of 2006 -- we had been dating for about a year 

Happy weekend and happy July! I'm pretty excited to have the next three days off from work. I have nothing exciting planned for the Fourth, but I'm definitely looking forward to relaxing a little. I hope that everyone has a fantastic holiday!

   Love,

    Meg

When It Rains, It Pours....

.... and typically hails, and almost always floods, and there's usually some impressively large lightning thrown in for effect. At least, that's the kind of week I've been having. Between car trouble, family issues, a nagging stress headache, and a gazillion other minor annoyances, the past several days have packed a bit of a one-two (three-four?) punch. However, in a continuing effort to ward off the crazy focus on the happy, I figured I'd channel my favorite holiday (can you guess?) and talk about a few of the things I've been thankful for lately:

 -- yummy dinners/leftovers: I sauteed okra again last night and am kind of obsessed, and I also baked some great salmon for myself and a friend. I'm pretty excited that a leftover piece is sitting in the fridge waiting to be plopped onto a spinach salad for my lunch today. I also whipped up a box of 'pearled couscous' last night, which I've never tried before. It was delicious!

 -- haircuts: I got my locks trimmed last week, and I love that something so simple always boosts my confidence and gives me a whole new outlook on the world. I feel much lighter and it's great for running, I love how my short little ponytail bounces along behind me!

 -- (A)B&J on a waffle: my new favorite breakfast is something that most people have been enjoying their entire lives, but since I'm allergic to peanuts/peanut butter, the very first PB&J sandwich I had was also my last. After years of being hesitant (although I eat almonds, so I'm not sure why I was worried), I recently bought a jar of almond butter to try. While it's pretty bland by itself, it is the perfect topping to a waffle with a little bit of raspberry jam. I've also discovered that I like to add a spoonful to my oatmeal, and I'm pretty excited to try out a few more combinations that I was deprived of as a kid!

 -- Mumford & Sons on Pandora: I recently set up a new station with Mumford and Sons, David Gray, and Peter Bradley Adams (who I saw in a teeny tiny but excellent concert a few weeks ago). The genius that is Pandora has thrown in a little Matt Nathanson, Mat Kearney, Counting Crows, and of course the occasional Dave Matthews for a perfect balance of mellow and relaxing.

 -- vacations from work: While I love taking a few days off myself (and can't wait until my 4-day weekend in July!), sometimes it's just as nice when co-workers go on vacation. In general I like the people I work with and value their talents and insight, but sometimes it's nice to have fewer interruptions, fewer crises, and a much quieter workday. I am getting so much done this week!

 -- awesome runs: I had a fantastic long run this weekend and have gone on three great shorter runs since then. Despite the heat, I've been feeling great and the miles are flying by faster and easier. I'm crossing my fingers this continues!

 -- Magnum ice cream bars: Please tell me you've tried these. If not, stop right here. Nothing I could write would be more essential to your very well-being than you scooting out the door and getting to a grocery store as fast as your little legs will take you. Really, I can wait. My words will sound much better when you're distracted by crunchy chocolate and smooth ice cream anyway. Let me tell you, these are heaven in frozen form. Perfection-on-a-stick. Pure bliss wrapped in chocolate. The double chocolate are my own personal crack, but I hear that other people like the caramel ones too. I'm just more of a death-by-chocolate girl. The only problem with these? They come in boxes of three (and no, they're not cheap). So far my very small amount of will power has hung on bravely to just one a night, but it's only a matter of time before that snaps like a cheap rubber band and I start bringing them to work too. It's a good (if slightly miraculous) thing that those runs are getting easier, because I'm sure going to need it as the boxes continue to pile up in my trash can.

So there you have it, lots of things to be happy about. Which does seem to ward off that impending bad mood... or if nothing else, now I'm distracted by a sudden and intense need for a Magnum bar. Details, details....

   Love,

    Meg

Silent Sundays: Weekend Snapshot

[left to right: Friday night included (1) an amazing glass of wine to go with a great meal with friends, followed by (2) yummy frozen yogurt. Saturday morning I went for (3) a fantastic run, grabbed my favorite iced coffee and (4) got on the road headed for (5) a really fun lunch with a fellow army wife and wonderful new friend. Saturday evening I (6) sauteed some okra with garlic and butter for a fantastic dinner, (7) painted my toes a great summery shade of pink, and watched (8) No Strings Attached. This morning, after a good recovery run, I spent some quality time (9) at the pool (and yes, that is an actual picture of our incredible neighborhood pool) before heading out with my friend C for yummy nachos. The only problem now? Tomorrow seems to be Monday again.....]

   Love,

    Meg

Thursday Already?

We are so close to the weekend I can smell it... thank goodness. This week has whizzed by so far, and between training at work and an internet outage in my neighborhood, I have felt a little disconnected for the past few days. In the time that I haven't been facebooking, twittering, and otherwise engaging in social media, I've caught up on some movies:

Good: Bridesmaids. All I've been hearing for weeks is how absolutely hilarious this movie was, and I'll admit there were parts that had me laughing, but more of a oh-my-goodness-I-can't-believe-this-is-actually-happening-on-screen-how-awkward kind of laugh. I had a hard time finding humor in the characters and spent a lot of the movie feeling a little sad that people get such a kick out of watching someone completely self-destruct. I couldn't feel sorry for poor Kristen Wiig though, no matter how hard I tried.
Better: Valentine's Day. I expected lots of story lines badly tied together, with big names thrown in and expected to balance the lack of plot, but I was pleasantly surprised. While there were a few parts that felt contrived, for the most part each little dramatic arc weaved seamlessly into the next and the actors were surprisingly strong, despite their small parts. It was light and heartwarming but also honest, and the conclusion of the Julia Roberts story may have made me tear up... just saying.
Best: Blue Valentine. I've been wanting to see this one since it came out, but knew that no one would really want to watch it with me. I rented it and curled up in bed, expecting that no matter how good it might turn out to be, I'd fall asleep within 10 minutes as per usual. When it finished 2 hours later, I was very much awake. This was an absolutely incredible movie: heartbreaking and raw, dark and perfectly understated. I was not a huge fan of Ryan Gosling before, but he really knocked this one out of the park. I had heard an interview with Michelle Williams when this movie first came out about how she and Gosling prepared for filming and truly became their characters (they lived together for almost a month on their characters' budget and with their on-screen daughter), and all of this intense and in-depth work definitely paid off. The relationship between Gosling's and Williams' characters is complex but infinitely relatable and is captured artfully and simply. Probably not a date night movie, but a must-see nonetheless.
Next in my Netflix queue is the quasi-documentary Milk with Sean Penn, which I've been dying to see for quite a while. For now, though, I'm off to take full advantage of our restored internet access and catch up on some blog reading!

   Love,

    Meg

Country Mouse in the Big City

I am not a "country" girl. Although I have lived my entire life below the Mason-Dixon line and do not call a major metropolis home, I was raised in a decent-sized city and am certainly more comfortable in an urban setting than a rural one. My step-brother used to make fun of me for being "citified" when he found out I'd never been camping and was less than friendly with bugs, spiders, and snakes. I am used to functioning in a world where the grocery store is no more than 10 minutes away, Starbucks is right around every corner, and you can rarely drive 50 feet without practically running over an oblivious pedestrian. I am familiar with the correct balance of neighborly kindness and insistent driving necessary to navigate the suburban terrain... or I thought I was until this weekend.

Saturday morning I drove with Dan's younger brother T up to our nation's lovely capital. I dropped T off at the hospital where my brother-in-law is making a slow but sure recovery, but only after being picked for a random car search upon entering the gates. If I hadn't been so unnerved by the stern security guard, I probably would have laughed at him when, after making us open every single door and compartment in my entire car (including the hood) and pointing us onto the sidewalk, he barely glance in the driver's side door, didn't even make it halfway around the car, looked me square in the eye, and said "Have a nice day" before turning and walking away. I was baffled but relieved, and more than a little ticked that he couldn't even stand there while we put the pieces of my car back together. Good start to the morning.

After this, I headed out to navigate Maryland traffic and meet my best friend for brunch. She had given me the exact address and guessed it should take me about 15 minutes to get there. 40 minutes later, I thought I had made it. I called her before feeding the meter, and as we described our locations I realized that there was no way I was in the right place. After cursing resetting my gps about 16 times, I made a second attempt and, 30 minutes later, found the restaurant. I parked, shoved 4 quarters into the meter, and pushed the start button... and nothing happened. I put in two more quarters (ever the optimist) and the thing still blinked back at me like an irreverent teenager. Slamming back into my car, I drove less than a block and swerved into the next available slot, glancing at the sign and saying a little prayer that my car wouldn't get towed while I ran to meet my poor friend who had been waiting for almost an hour (in a shocking and rare stroke of luck, it didn't).

Some of the blame for turning a 15 minute trip into a trying 60 minute misadventure rests squarely on the shoulders of my gps. While the annoying little voice inside that box tends to know where she's going, she most definitely did not pass the course in communications. Her directions are often woefully inadequate and sometimes seem to resemble a foreign language. With each wrong turn I took, she got increasingly flustered and at one point wanted to take me on a 6 mile detour to avoid the next traffic circle. So I'm not very good at those... touche, little gps.

But directional issues and broken parking meters aside, the real reason that such an easy trip became insanely frustrating and at times a little frightening was the other gazillion city drivers on the road with me. In the center of DC, apparently, all typical regulations, kindnesses, and ounces of common sense take a backseat to getting-where-you-are-going-as-fast-as-humanly-possible. Small gestures like turn signals, obeying the speed limit, letting other traffic merge, and allowing pedestrians to cross streets without threatening their lives are forgotten. Drivers act as if they are on a bumper car track, zooming in and out of tiny gaps, nudging the noses of their cars into the tailpipes of others, and relying heavily on the use of their horns to communicate both joy and frustration. Had I not been enclosed in thousands of pounds of steel, equipped with an airbag, and almost an hour late to my destination, I would have gone home and tried again some other time. So many times I considered pulling over and trying to recollect my nerves, especially as a few defeated tears clouded my vision. I've rarely felt so out of place, so unprepared, and so utterly incompetent.

Now let's be clear, rush hour in my hometown is no picnic on the roads. I have been cut off countless times and practically been run down by a rogue crazy once or twice. Thankfully, though, my own roads seem like efficient, safe, and kind places now that I've had a taste of Dupont Circle on a Saturday at noon. I do love DC (and all my friends who reside there), and to any of you out there who may call it home, I am eternally in awe of your ability to navigate through that mess every single day. You are braver than I... or maybe you're just used to it. One thing this escapade left me sure about though? As much as I enjoy visiting the "big city," I've discovered that I am very happy right here at home, where I can run along university streets and get from point A to point B without almost dying and park in parking lots. Well, that, and now I know how to get to 14th Street NW and V Street with significantly fewer issues. Maybe.

[Thanks to the genius behind The Oatmeal for capturing some of my feelings in comic form: enjoy the section on "cutting each other off."]

   Love,

    Meg

Silent Sundays: Father's Day Edition

I am so lucky to have several many amazing "fathers" in my life today...

my wonderful stepdad (with my mom, I love this picture!)...

my incredible (and adorable) grandfather...

my sweet new father-in-law...

... and, of course, my actual father, without a doubt the most impressive and loving man I know. He is without a doubt the greatest dad a girl could ever wish for, and I am so lucky to call him mine!

(and one day I'm going to find the person we were actually looking at when this picture was taken!)

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there, hope your day was fantastic!

   Love,

    Meg

Friday Favorites

My favorite thing about today is not that it's Friday (shocker, I know). It's not that it has finally cooled off outside and actually looked like it might rain on my drive to work this morning (everyone needs a rainy day sometimes, and I think I'm overdue). It's not that my running is going well (even though it is), or that I have a clean bedroom (even though I do), or even that the little brigade of ants who welcomed me home from work on Wednesday has been completely taken care of (even though it has, thank goodness). Nope, my favorite thing about today is that this morning, while looking back at the last several weeks, I realized that actually, if I'm honest, it hasn't been that bad.

This past month (-ish) had all the potential to be incredibly, incredibly bad. Not just trip-you-when-you're-not-looking bad, but shove-you-back-down-every-time-you-try-to-get-up bad. Between having to say goodbye to my sweet husband, his brother's serious injury, and all kinds of speed bumps in between, it would have been easy to just sink into the fog of bad luck and misfortune. There were so many times I was tempted to crawl into bed, skip a run, cancel plans with a friend, and wade around a little in my misery (and maybe a bottle of wine). I've gotten lonely, scared, upset, anxious, and frustrated. I've wanted to call it quits, do whatever it took to get Dan out of his contract, and move to a different city state country. Sometimes running away has truly looked like the best option. In short, this month could have sucked me in, chewed me up, and spit me out a much more jaded human being.

In spite of everything, though, and mostly without a whole lot of conscious thought, I've figured out a way to navigate this minefield. I've kept myself running (literally and figuratively) on a steady diet of contact with good friends and family, iced coffee, skype dates with my hubby, and the determination to stay strong for others who needed me, with a little pinch of denial thrown in for good measure. It hasn't always worked, and there were certainly times when I got overwhelmed by everything that's happened, but for the most part, I feel like I've made it through intact. Bumped around and bruised a little, but still smiling.

Instead of looking back on the past several weeks and remembering the bad parts: the goodbyes, the scary phone calls, the hours upon hours of driving, the long sleepless nights in a bed much too large for one body, I am able to recall the happier memories. The tipsy but wonderful vineyard tour with Dan and our best friends. The phone calls and emails from friends and family to check in on me and let me know they are thinking about me. The night after Dan left, when my best friend and I stayed up talking until almost 3 AM. The runs that felt amazing and proved to be incredible stress-relievers. The dinners with my wonderful and (mostly) drama-free family. The nights when my friend C came over just to hang out, watch bad tv, and make sure I was still laughing. And just to prove that despite all the gloom still hanging around, the sun continues to poke its way through at even the most unexpected times, the gorgeous flowers that were delivered this morning to brighten my day:

How does Dan even have time to think of this when he's working so hard?

I am so lucky to have the most loving and thoughtful hubby, a few dedicated (and truly persistent) friends, and an incredibly sane, stable family. They have all made the difference in ensuring this month was "not too bad," instead of the horror it could have become. So my favorite thing right now is not that it's Friday (although that's a close second). My favorite thing about today is that despite everything, I am still able to face it -- and the next weekend, the next week, the next month, and maybe even the next 11.5 months -- with a smile.

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all have wonderful weekends planned!

    Love,

     Meg