Speed Blogging

Time to play a little catch-up, since my vacation from work turned into a vacation from all-things-internet last week. It's always nice to take a break from social media, but nice to get back to it, too! In the interest of time and your attention span, here's the past 10 days, each in 100 words or less (kind of like speed dating, but less creepy): 

Friday:

Made it to the gym early for the first time in forever, had a crazy day at work, then met Dan at the mall (my very least favorite place in the whole wide world) to do fun things like purchase a new suit and look at ties (yawn). Can’t really complain, since I was rewarded with Taco Bell for dinner. I call that a win. 

Saturday:

Worked out super early, then hit the road (in the snow!) for my college town. Met up with wonderful friends, had lunch, and checked into our suite. Freaked out upon discovering that the wedding ceremony was to take place outside in 30º temps, was incredibly relieved to find that a last-minute change had been made and I would not lose a limb to frostbite. Enjoyed a beautiful ceremony, catching up with friends, yummy cupcakes, and dancing with my hubby. Headed back to the suite to celebrate our friend’s birthday. Just as I was getting into bed, the terrible sickness began. 

love this picture!

Sunday:

The terrible sickness continued. The morning was rough. Dan, who left at the crack of dawn for a day of military training, was also sick and was sent home, I was still 2.5 hours away. My wonderful friend kept me company while I considered dying and helped me finally prepare for the drive home. Drove an hour without pulling over to be sick (miracle), stopped at Wawa for a slushie that made me feel a billion times better, finally got home. Hubby and I crawled into bed and slept for 15 hours straight. 

Monday:

Dragged myself into work, still feeling horrible. Didn’t get much work done. Struggled mightily to stay awake, not get sick, not hack off my aching head with a letter opener (that’s gruesome, sorry). Felt the best I had all day at 4:55, when I crawled into my car and headed home for another 15-ish hours of sleep. 

Tuesday:

Felt a bit better. Went to the gym after work for a slooooow recovery workout, then grocery shopped for “snowstorm essentials” (ice cream, wine, wheat thins). Made amazing pasta for dinner. Stayed up way too late, much like a kid bargaining for a snow day -- I was absolutely sure that I’d wake up to 2 feet of the white stuff and a day off. 

lemon chicken, capers, and chives over angel hair

Wednesday:

Woke up to 2 feet of snow, jumped for joy, promptly stopped when I discovered that my office was still open. Cursed under my breath while husband drove me to work over increasingly dangerous roads. Sat at my desk sad and alone, as everyone else was snowed in. Finally left around 1:00, fit in a quick workout, and finally plopped down in front of a beautiful fire to read and eat for the afternoon/evening. Snow day: salvaged. 

snow!

Thursday:

Slept late. Read in bed amidst husband/cat/puppy snores (heaven). Took Teddy for a long, snowy walk. Ventured out to pick up our favorite sandwiches for lunch. Spent another evening on the couch with a fire, a good book, and a glass of wine. Ate delicious breakfast for dinner, despite a sadly failed attempt at hollandaise sauce. 

Friday:

Got up at a reasonable hour, hit the gym for a nice laid-back workout. Stopped at Whole Foods for gorgeous tulips (on sale!) and Dunkin for a humongous coffee. Got some work done, took the pup for a walk, cleaned up the house a bit, watched some Netflix. Headed out to see wonderful friends for the evening. Enjoyed great food and even better company.

looks like spring!

Saturday:

Gorgeous day, took full advantage with a run outside. Ran into this guy also out enjoying the weather:

Cleaned like crazy all day. Happy to report that our bedroom carpet does still exist. Completed five loads of laundry, scrubbed the bathroom floor, and spent at least three hours doing dishes, I’m pretty sure. Ate takeout since I couldn’t look at my kitchen for one more minute, watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days for the billionth time, and collapsed into bed.

Oh Andie Anderson, you get me every time.

Sunday:

Got up in time to sweat a little before kicking off my mom’s day of (early) birthday fun. Headed out to a vineyard for tastings and a glass of wine in the sun, then stopped at a great lunch spot. Saw a local production of Into the Woods (one of our favorites) that was extremely impressive. Finished off the evening at our new favorite Italian restaurant. Happy (early) birthday, Mom!

 

   Love,

    Meg

Crunch Time

The only thing harder than talking oneself out from under the covers on a Monday morning after a particularly fun weekend? Talking oneself out from under the covers on a Monday morning after a particularly fun four day weekend. Ouch. Luckily, I went to bed super early and got a decent amount of sleep last night, so between that and the coffee, my eyes are at least halfway open this morning. Unfortunately, the extra sleep came at a price: there is still a rather large suitcase on my bedroom floor, spewing clothes and shoes at an alarming rate. The apartment is still the disaster zone it was when we left. My washing machine is calling to me. Tonight may be a long one.

We spent the extended weekend celebrating a very special couple who are now husband and wife (hurray!):

We had a great time meeting their families, catching up with some good friends, exploring the lovely state of Tennessee, and of course watching the stunning bride and her handsome groom exchange rings and vows. I know that this weekend was just the beginning of years and years of happiness for them, and we were so lucky to be able to share the experience!

The only downside to the fact that M's wedding has come and gone? Her wedding day also kicked off our own two month countdown. I am a little bit in shock that we are so close, and all the details of this past weekend only served to hammer that home -- in 60 days, I've got to pull off not only a 6 hour event for 150+ people, but an entire weekend for the wedding party and immediate family. My list of things still left to do before September 28 stretches for at least a mile, and while we are not quite in panic mode yet, I know it is rapidly approaching. Last night, though, Dan and I spent some time drooling over looking at honeymoon details and actually making some decisions. We are thisclose to locking it in and we're both so incredibly excited about what we've picked (details when it's official). I have a sneaking suspicion that the anticipation of a week in paradise is going to be very helpful in powering through the craziness of the next two months.

Speaking of powering through: if you need a little help on this Monday morning, look no further. 

   Love,

    Meg

Monday Musing

It's true! The list is short, but the handful of you who stop by here to read regularly are definitely on it. And today, I believe you were promised a wedding-free post, yes? Well here you have it, ladies and gentlemen: here's what the heck is going on in my life that is absolutely not related to a wedding... at least, not related to my wedding. Since one of my very best friends is getting married this Saturday, I make no promises on that front.

I have not run in four days. To most people, this is a very normal statement. To me, who ran every day for the slightly more than 100 leading up to last Friday, this. is. killing. me. I've been fighting with my legs again, hoping that I could keep up some extremely low mileage while hitting the crosstraining hard and strengthening. It seemed to be working, and at the beginning of last week the pain was so much better that I actually considered venturing off the treadmill and heading outside to test the waters. Thursday morning, however, it returned with a vengeance -- bad enough to stop my nice little daily streak in its tracks. After a few days now of extended elliptical sessions (most boring 45+ minutes of my day, every day), my leg feels much better. I almost hopped on the treadmill this morning, but decided to give it just a little more time. I'm crossing my fingers that tomorrow will be the day and that the pain will stay (far, far) away.

Someone has a birthday coming up on Wednesday...

Someone is going to be a whole quarter of a century old... wow. Someone is also very hard to buy gifts for....

As I mentioned, this lovely girl is getting married this weekend!

I'm incredibly excited to celebrate with M and her new hubby. I finally found shoes for the big day over the weekend, so I'm officially ready!

I am absolutely itching to DIY something big -- like furniture-sized big. I'm thinking I should start with something easier, like an ottoman/bench:

or a bookshelf/dresser:

before I tackle an bigger project like one of these:

The ladder probably wouldn't be so tough, but that chair? That would take some skill -- skill that I surely haven't developed quite yet. For now, I'm just keeping my eye out for old, cheap furniture that I could re-invent -- especially because.....

We're moving! Dan and I found a great place for rent in an absolutely perfect location across town, so in a major effort to make September the craziest month possible, we will be packing up and moving into our very first real house! I am super excited to have a bigger kitchen, a yard, three whole bedrooms, and neighbors who reside more than three feet away. I am not a huge fan of moving in general and so I'm not looking forward to the extended packing/throwing away/organizing/unpacking cycle that is to come, but I'm definitely going to be happy once all of that is over and we can (fingers crossed) come back from our honeymoon to a great new home.

Phew... thinking about all things non-wedding for that long has left me exhausted -- and surely behind on at least sixteen things. I am off to catch up!

   Love,

    Meg

Showered in Love

Friday the 13th, indeed. I woke up from a dead sleep with a jolt, realizing suddenly that I was supposed to have made cookies for a coworker's baby shower today. Between getting home at 11 last night and working on a pre-wedding DIY project until 1:30, all with a splitting headache (which decided to stick around today, too), the cookies had literally not occurred to me until I sat straight up in bed at 5:45 this morning and said a word that may have made the cat blush. Thank goodness for my awesome hubby, who was guilted into willing to go to the store and pick up cake mix and applesauce at 6 am, while I managed a quick workout and then raced home to whip up a slightly undercooked batch of double chocolate cookies. One of which I ate for breakfast. Friday the 13th, indeed.

Today's overload of wedding pictures/Pinterest-happy collage comes with a slightly different theme: the bridal shower. My best friend and incredible soon-to-be-matron of honor:

is getting married at the end of this month, and I am throwing a shower for her and her lucky fiance tomorrow. I crafted the invitation by myself, and I'm pretty proud of it:

With less than 24 hours left until the party, I am still working on a few decorations and details, so I'm of course hitting up my favorite place for great ideas. Because we wanted to invite the guys to this one too, I've been trying to make sure that the decorations, etc. aren't too girly. I'm sticking to pretty simple and flexible details, since I haven't actually seen the venue and everything I do has to make the 3 hour trip up there. Here are a few things I may be working on this evening:

Such cute signs!

 

 favors!

love the DIY "poms"... just not sure I could pull off such a high degree of crafty

[via the pretty blog]

Sew cute (ha!). Not sure if I have the time for these (and then there's that little problem of me not being good at sewing anything. ever.) but perhaps a little puffy paint? My high school days of designing shirts for spirit days are calling....

Needless to say, my weekend is shaping up to be a bit full. Hope that yours is happy!

Love,

 Meg

Weekend Twofers

[grumble grumble] Monday morning [grumble grumble] temps in the triple digits this week [grumble grumble] sore legs [grumble grumble] so much to do this week [grumble grumble] I'd rather be in bed. Excellent -- now that we're caught up, let's begin.

My weekend seemed to settle neatly into pairs:

2 delicious meals

1. As you might have guessed from Friday's picture, my mom and I kicked off the weekend early with a yummy trip to Melting Pot on Thursday night. The highlights included two fantastic pomegranate martinis (half off!), the Boston lager cheese fondue, and our usual dark chocolate with Baileys for dessert. Yum indeed.

2. Dan and I headed out for date night on Friday and ended up at our local Mellow Mushroom. We often order takeout from here, but it has been years since I ate in their actual restaurant, and we enjoyed it a lot. We ordered a ton of food and brought home lots of leftovers, which is always a plus. I was in a rare mood and didn't feel like wine or beer, so I ordered a hard cider which turned out to be exactly what I was craving.

2 tough runs...

1. I have begrudgingly reinstated the long run in my training. Through most of the winter, I milked the "sore shin" excuse primarily on Saturday mornings (the pain drove me crazy all week, but came in handy when I wanted to sleep late on the weekends), so it has been tough to get back into the habit, but this Saturday morning I hit 11 miles for the second weekend in a row. I have been really good about starting early the past two weekends, hitting the street before 7 am to avoid most of the disgusting heat. This weekend was tougher than last, but I think it was mostly a mental thing -- I thought very seriously about cutting it short several times, but ended up just gritting my teeth and suffering through all of it.

2. My recovery run yesterday was equally rough. All I cared about was three easy miles to get me past my goal mileage for the week and loosen up my legs a little. I let myself sleep late, and then wimped out and headed for the treadmill to avoid the heat. I turned on the platform diving trials to keep my mind occupied... and it didn't take long to realize what a mistake that was. Something about the combination of running but not actually moving forward and watching people do handstands on an extremely high ledge and then spin through midair really did a number on my stomach. I watched maybe three dives before I had to turn it off, and I felt queasy for the rest of the day.

... and 2 great runs

1. Friday afternoon after work I headed out for just a couple miles, and despite the awful heat it felt pretty good. My legs felt fast and it was one of those (rare) times when I could have kept going and going. Getting home in time to shower for our date took precedence, though.

2. This morning I managed to talk myself out from under the covers early enough to have plenty of time for a run. Monday mornings are often a struggle because they are the one morning a week that Dan has to be at work by 8, so we are both rushing to get ready and out the door on time. This morning, though, I managed 6.5 miles (a workday morning record) and still had time to dry my hair and pack a lunch. Nice way to start the week.

2 movies... kind of

Saturday evening, we headed out to meet Dan's family at a drive-in movie "theater" in one of our neighboring counties. It was absolutely packed with a strange mix of relatively normal people who had also made the trip from our hometown and some real characters from the outlying counties. The line for the snack bar was truly people watching at its best. I made it through nachos, previews, the first movie (Brave, which was adorable and quite funny), twenty minutes in line for a bathroom (twice), and about five minutes of the second movie (The Avengers) before that morning's 5:00 wake-up call caught up with me. Luckily, it was easy enough to snuggle up under a blanket and nap -- and thankfully Dan enjoyed the movie enough to stay awake and drive us home at a ridiculous hour of the night early morning.

catching up with 2 great friends

Between work, wedding planning, running, and trying to find time for sleep in between, I have been terrible lately at keeping up with friends from college. Luckily, one friend was visiting my hometown this weekend and we were able to meet up for lunch on Saturday. I had such a great time hearing about her life and getting updated on lots of our mutual friends. I also finally got to talk to one of my awesome bridesmaids last night after weeks of playing phone tag. As tough as it can be to find time to sit down for a phone conversation these days, I love getting to talk to my girlfriends and know that I need to do that more often.

...and 1 breathtaking sunset

Finally, an 11th wheel: a wonderful addition to our weekend that has no matching set. Last night we headed out for milkshakes and a drive with some beautiful scenery...

Not a bad way to end a weekend!

This week is going to be a bit crazy... I'll be writing tomorrow about why (hint: those wedding bells off in the distance are getting louder by the week). Hope everyone has a fantastic Monday!

   Love,

    Meg

Laziness At Its Worst (or Best?)

This weekend was completely, utterly, incredibly... blissfully lazy. I went into it with a to-do list miles long, but instead the list of what I did not accomplish trails on and on: I did not make muffins with the poor bananas that are slowly browning on our kitchen counter. I did not reorganize our closet, as I have been vowing to do for weeks now. I did not cook dinner even once, despite having all the ingredients for a soup I have been dying to try. I did not prep my lunches for this week, an omission which I regretted this morning as I ran late. I did not get ahead on reading for work, or spend time on the wedding details that so desperately need my undivided attention. I did not clean my desk or file any of the paperwork that has been piling ever higher, most likely burying something very important and time-sensitive. I did not plan meals for this week, determine what groceries we need, or even take stock of our refrigerator to see what should be consumed in a timely manner. I did not make a dent in our overflowing laundry basket or sink. I neglected the dozens of errands that need to be run. And I am being absolutely honest when I say that this list doesn't even really scratch the surface. I could go on for weeks.

Despite all that, I do have a short list of things I did do this weekend: I slept more than any person should be allowed to sleep in two days, and it felt fantastic. I lounged on the couch, snapping pictures of this snoozing pair:

I sipped coffee at Panera and attempted to work on that to-do list, managing in the end to write two emails and four and a half handwritten notes to wonderful friends. I spend a while on the phone with my best friend, catching up on her life after going far too long between conversations (in a perfect world, she would still live next door... oh how I miss those days). I spent time with my mom and stepdad as well as Dan's brother and his girlfriend. I practically devoured a good book and realized how much I miss reading all the time. I literally devoured the delicious breakfast sandwich Dan made Saturday morning, wasting not one thought on how many calories I was inhaling. I went to the gym twice and enjoyed taking my time, spending as long as I wanted to on each machine, relishing the feeling of not having to rush through my workout. I laughed with my husband until my sides hurt. I took Tess down to the dog park and chatted with new friends while she had a blast rolling around with her new canine buddies.

So while the number and importance of things I did not get done this weekend may wildly outweigh those things I did get done, I would argue that my time was well spent. So what if I have a lot to catch up on this week? I would take time with friends over time with my washing machine any day. I would always rather snuggle with my husband and our furballs than clean the actual furballs that Tess and Toby leave behind. I will pick sleep over cleaning ninety-nine times out of one hundred (wouldn't you?) Besides, if I've learned anything in my few short years, it's that the laundry? It will still be there tomorrow.

   Love,

    Meg

Great Friends, Great Wine, Great Weekend

As Monday mornings go, this one seems particularly hard to get behind. Maybe it's the cold rain falling that made my morning walk to the gym positively bleak, or perhaps it was the face that I stayed up entirely too late last night throwing together a batch of chili to simmer in the crockpot overnight. Could be that this is the first five day work week I've faced in quite some time. Most likely, though, it's because all I really want to do is go back to our vacation, curl up besides our gorgeous fireplace with a glass of wine and good friends, and continue to ignore the real world for a few more days weeks.

Our home this weekend was absolutely gorgeous. I was a little nervous because I had never seen one of the condos at this resort, but Dan and I were very pleasantly surprised when we walked in. It was spacious, incredibly clean, very well-equipped, and wonderfully decorated:

The real fireplace was by far the best part, and we enjoyed great fires both nights that we were there. There were so many pieces of furniture/decorations that I wanted to take home with me, including these awesome lamps in our bedroom:

We were lucky enough to be joined this weekend by our wonderful friends T, who deployed with Dan, and N, who helped so much to keep me sane here at home. Their adorable nine month old little girl is just about the sweetest thing ever and was so much fun this weekend. We have just gotten to know them just over the past eight months or so, but they have quickly become some of our closest friends, and this little trip was the perfect way to get away and celebrate the five of us all being together again.

Friday night, we snuggled in next to a fire with lots of great wine, munched on cheese and crackers and an excellent pasta dish (thanks to T, who is a fantastic cook), played the game Mad Gab, and stayed up super late just having a ball. Saturday morning I headed to check out the resort gym, which turned out to be pretty nice, and then we packed up for a day of wine-tasting. We took our time and enjoyed beautiful views:

... some great wine:

... and one very happy little girl:

... who especially loved a few fast stroller rides through gravel parking lots with her dad.

We made it to two wineries and had planned to have lunch at the brewery before heading to two more, but by the time we made it for lunch it was almost 4:00, so we postponed the remaining wineries and relaxed over some beer and excellent food:

... and then headed back to snuggle up by a fire, play with the little one, eat a light dinner, top off the night with oreos and milk, and crawl into bed early.

Sunday morning, we woke up to a beautiful view:

I made it to the gym again, and then we packed up, checked out, and headed out to make up for the wineries we missed on Saturday. We ended up tasting at three more venues, picking up several more bottles to bring home, and enjoying a fantastic lunch (fish and chips and a great hefeweizen) before finally waving our white flags. We snapped a few more pictures:

the girls

guys being... guys

... before saying our goodbyes and heading back home, already making plans to hopefully check out another wine expo in February. 

I was exhausted last night (and still am this morning), but it was absolutely worth it. Dan and I are so lucky to have such great friends and as much as I love spending girl time with N and her baby girl, having our wonderful husbands home is perfect. I am really looking forward to lots more wine and dinner dates, late night laughs, and weekends away with these guys!

   Love,

    Meg

Friday Favorites: Wonderful Person Edition

I feel like I may owe today a thank you note for finally getting its butt in motion and showing up. Not like I've been waiting for it all week or anything.

It has been one heck of a week (see: all the fun I had on Monday and Tuesday, followed by a really wonderful cold), so if ever a weekend has been earned, I think it's this one. I have lots of exciting plans to sleep, drink hot liquids, stick close to my couch, buy stock in Kleenex, and not cough up a lung. And maaaaaybe (please don't tell my mom) a Christmas movie or two... all in the name of feeling better, right? I could use a little holiday cheer in my life right now.
Luckily, despite the abundance of ick in my week, it was also filled with just enough wonderful to even things out. This particular week, wonderful seemed to come in human form (ok, ok... and maybe in the form of half a dozen donuts. oops.) Throughout the little rough patch of the past few weeks months, the phrase "you find out who your friends are" has really rung true. Unfortunately, there have been a handful of people who have proven... less than supportive. Luckily, it goes both ways though: other amazing people have truly left me speechless with their constant love and willingness to listen, distract, feed, coach, or just sit there and listen to me cry. While I've been hurt by the silence of a few in my life, the holes they left have been more than filled by some truly wonderful people. Since we're sneaking up on my favorite holiday and all, it seems like a good time to give a little thanks for those people. There's no way to mention everyone, but here are a few of the highlights:

this is one of my very favorite pictures EVER. I promise I had on clothes.

This beautiful lady found time in her incredibly busy first-year-teacher schedule to come spend last weekend with me. M is the kind of friend who shows up with pumpkin spice donut holes, doesn't blink an eye when you ask her to go with you to visit your sick father, and makes you laugh even when life really isn't funny (otherwise known as: the best kind of friend). We had a fantastic time talking about weddings (!), sharing cheese fries, admiring this guy, and laughing until we cried over this gem. I am so so very lucky to have this girl in my life.

My mom has always born a striking resemblance to superwoman, but these days when I have needed it the most, she has kicked it into high gear. She has taken me out to dinner three nights in the past week (once with two of her best friends, who are truly some of the nicest ladies I know), refilled my wine glass or coffee mug countless times, and spent hours listening as I talked my way through emotions and stress. She never complains when I call her daily (sometimes more) and always makes time to answer my basic cooking questions, provide advice that is always right in the end, or just laugh at my latest crazy cat story. It is no great surprise that the voice of reason in my head sounds an awful lot like her. I am not exaggerating one bit when I say that I don't know what I would do without her to keep me from going insane, becoming a hermit, burning down my apartment building, or a myriad of other awful things.

Not many people can honestly say that they have awesome coworkers. Even though some most mornings, getting out of bed is a painful process, I am incredibly lucky to get to spend my days with the people I do. The other half of my two-person department, especially, is a wonderfully spunky and sweet lady who has become a confidante, friend, and partner-in-crime. She has me in stitches multiple times a day, and I cannot count the number of trivial stories I have been halfway through telling when I realize that she has no reason to care, but she always listens anyway. She also chased me out of the building at 1:00 yesterday when she couldn't listen to me cough a minute longer, with strict instructions to make myself tea and go to bed. Which I absolutely did... after purchasing the aformentioned donuts.

this picture has nothing to do with anything... but really, who doesn't need a little more wrinkled cuteness in their life?

A large group of people I am thankful for today share no common bond or connection, besides the fact that I don't actually know them at all. They include the guy at the seafood counter in Harris Teeter, who is always smiling; the random whiz who posted on a cell phone blog and helped me fix my phone; the wonderful vet tech who clipped my furballs claws even as he slithered off the counter to escape; the guy who understood my barking this morning as "grande skinny peppermint mocha." They include whichever neighbor had a fire yesterday evening and filled the street with that wonderful fall smell, and the one who didn't laugh at me when I attempted the elliptical today and had to give up after less than 10 minutes. They include Terry Gross, who consistently makes an hour at the gym the most interesting hour of my day, and David Crane and Marta Kaufmann, who created a show that I can watch a million times (and have) and never once get sick of it. And they include all of you wonderful bloggers out there, who share love stories and recipes, workout tips and adorable baby pictures, exiting news and everyday moments. Your words always keep me going.

And of course no post about wonderful people would be complete without a mention of this guy. I am incredibly lucky to have a husband who can make me laugh from halfway around the world, checks in on my father constantly, and puts up with all of my quirks. I finally printed out some pictures from our mini-wedding to frame, and I love having his face around the apartment a little more. Now if only his actual face could be here....


Happy weekend, everyone! Hope it is filled with equally wonderful people.

   Love,

    Meg

Leaving on a Jet Plane

In 24 hours, I will be on my way to this lovely state...

to soak up every minute of four days with this wonderful guy:

I am absolutely in shock that this weekend is here -- the past two months have, somehow, been both the fastest and slowest of my life. I am beyond thrilled to see my hubby, but very sad to have to say goodbye for another 10-ish months.

This weekend was a nice balance of relaxing (including a few hours by the pool with an excellent book) and fun. I cooked some of this...

butternut squash, raisins, maple syrup, cinnamon, and some cereal thrown in for crunch

...which tasted much better than the horrible-quality picture would seem to suggest.

I also ran this many miles...

 ... all at once! I headed out without much of a plan Saturday morning, and I ended up back at my car just as the Garmin hit 13.3. It was a tough run but definitely do-able, and I am so relieved to know that a half-marathon is officially within my grasp.

On Sunday, this lovely lady:

came to spend the day with me. It was really wonderful to see her and I was so grateful for her company! All in all, it was a very fun and blissfully laid-back weekend.

Since then, I've been up to my ears in to-do lists, to-pack lists, and trying to keep myself entirely too busy to ponder the conflicting emotions surrounding this weekend. Unfortunately, Dan will not get a two week R&R, so these four days are all we have. We are hoping to spend some time with a few of these guys...

and do a little of this:

eating, shopping, and maybe even some smooching!

I'm excited to enjoy a fun weekend, but I know that Monday's flight home will come much too quickly.

Between working extra hours and getting ready for the trip, I doubt I'll be around here much in the next few days. Hope that everyone has a fantastic week, and I'll be back to post about the trip when I return!

   Love,

    Meg

Friday Favorites

It's been quite a while since I've done one of these, and at the end of a long (even though it was only 4 days, someone explain this to me?) and somewhat lonely week, I could definitely use a little gratitude and happiness. So off we go -- a few things that have made my week lovely:

As I mentioned, I've had some yummy food this week! A few nights ago I piled cream cheese, smoked salmon, onions, and capers on yummy bread for a delicious dinner, and last night I had pierogi (the plural of pierogie). I've also rediscovered a love for dried apples -- they are healthy but just sweet enough to taste like a treat!

I was in serious need of a new pair of running shorts (2 pairs just wasn't cutting it now that I'm running practically every day) and picked these up at Dick's last week. They are super comfortable and I love the color -- hard to see but it's kind of a salmon-y pink and a light green. The only problem is that they don't have a little pocket for my key, cash, etc, so I won't be able to wear them on any long runs. Still cute though!

I received these adorable keyrings in the mail today, thanks to a lovely etsy shop. I finally decided it was time to retire my old wallet/keyring combination because I was tired of lugging around a heavy wallet everytime I pulled out my keys. These are so adorable and lightweight, and I'm excited to be able to switch up the patterns every once in a while. 

I am seriously looking forward to see this lovely lady tomorrow! She is a wonderful friend from college who also happens to share my name! She is home from Arizona (aka entirely too far away), where she's in graduate school studying super-smart science-y things. I'm so excited to make the trip down to my college town to see her while she's here!

 

I don't say this often, but I think it all the time: I am so thankful for all you awesome bloggers out there! I follow lots of blogs for lots of different reasons, and I am inspired and moved by each and every one of you: the women who write them. You are astonishing runners, incredible cooks, impressive photographers, fantastic mothers, and simply amazing writers. I feel so lucky every day that you ladies choose to share your lives, and I can honestly say that besides talking to my sweet husband, reading your posts is often the highlight of my day.

Happy weekend, everyone!

   Love,

    Meg