Transplanted Texan

Diego

2012-01-24T10:01:00.000-08:00

I have to say that we have the best dog ever, though I might be a little biased. He's a six-year-old miniature schnauzer I got from a breeder in PA when he was just 8 weeks old. He's been with me through good times and bad, heart ache and triumph, and single/dating/engaged/married. He doesn't do any useful tricks and doesn't always come when we call him, but he always seems to know when I need extra cuddle time.

And the best thing - Scott loves him just as much as I do! See for yourself:

2012

2012-01-17T16:48:00.001-08:00

Can you believe it?! Well, I guess it isn't that hard - it's already more then two weeks into the new year. Strangely, I haven't had any trouble remembering to write 2012 on everything. I always seem to have an easier time remembering with even years.

We spent Christmas in Texas with my side of the family. It was awesome! My sister is getting married in May (I'm matron of honor!) and we spent some time doing wedding planning and chatting over how excited we were for the big day. I can't wait for it to arrive!

I was on call for NYE 2011 so I kept it pretty tame. Our good friends, Ruth and Adam, were having a party at their place right around the corner, so we spent our night there with a lot of our other friends. It was a lot of fun catching up with everyone!

Here are my resolutions for 2012:

- Photograph/blog more

- Slow down and enjoy being married (it's awesome!)

- Be more attentive to my friendships

- Learn Spanish (found out my company will pay for it!)

- Run the Rock N Roll DC half-marathon and the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler this spring

- Continue to make my health a priority

- Be more financially prudent, save more/pay off debt

- Renovate the basement!

Sadly, I have no pictures to post from our adventures in Texas or NYE. I'm going to try to make more of an effort to take pictures this year. And post more often! There might be some big announcements coming ... stay tuned ;-)

Carnival Liberty

2011-11-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

The cruise was a lot of fun! We saw The Bahamas, St. Thomas, San Juan, and Turks and Caicos. It was nice to get away and relax for a week. It was only my second cruise, and I still can't believe how much they fed us! And the food is pretty decent too! Although, Scott and I definitely need to get back on our workout schedule ...

My favorite part of the cruise was St. Thomas, where our dear friends, Sharmane and Chris, got engaged! It was awesome, very beautiful and so fun to witness.

My favorite island was Turks and Caicos, I really want to go back there with Scott and stay for a while. It was absolutely gorgeous and relatively un-commercial. Overall, it was a great time!

Cruisin'

2011-11-10T09:06:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow night we are heading down to Miami to board the Carnival Liberty with 54 of our closest friends. We're so excited! I went on a short cruise many years ago and this will be Scott's first. We're visiting The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Grand Turk, and St. Thomas. Check out our ship here.

We are seriously pasty white since we haven't been in the sun since our honeymoon in Aruba. We're definitely piling on the sunscreen next week! Here are a couple of pictures from our trip:

At the restaurant we had to ourselves

Beautiful Aruban sunset

Married!

2011-11-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

One of the best shots from Smith Family Images

Duck, NC

Love him!

These were just a few of my favorites - for more check out Facebook.

I've been married to the love of my life for almost five months and couldn't be happier!

London Trip

2011-03-27T05:32:00.001-07:00

Last week I visited my dear friend, Rachel, in London. It was a little spur of the moment - I bought the tickets less than three weeks before I left.

I discovered while I was there that St. Patrick's Day isn't a big deal to the British. We had to search to find a bar even remotely decorated in green. We settled in to a local pub near where Rachel lives and had a pint of Guinness ... and a burger! Apparently, Rachel said that Americans always order burgers - even when there is great local cuisine available. She let my burger slide that night since I'd had fish and chips the night before :-)

Rachel was a great tour guide. She taught me the bus routes and how to use their subway system, the Tube. Public transportation is fantastic over there. You really don't need to own a car. She took me on a tour of London ... we saw Big Ben, St. Paul's, and Harrods, among other sites. Harrods was amazing! I've never seen so many different types of products in one store. From designer gowns to Louboutons to gourmet chocolate and cheese to china to furniture ... It was truly breathtaking.

We also went to Kensington Palace and had lunch and tea at The Orangery. It's this great little restaurant overlooking the gardens. It looks like it used to be part of the palace grounds and the architecture is spectacular. And English tea and scones are heavenly. I'm scouring the internet for a good scone recipe.

Some of Rachel's friends invited us for an authentic Indian dinner on Friday night. Oh my goodness, it was amazing! I've never had Indian food that flavorful before. And we also had Indian desserts, which were really tasty.

My final day there we spent in Oxford. It was so beautiful! We climbed to the top of a local cathedral to get a view of the city, which was fantastic. We walked around the Oxford campus and along the river. We found a great antique jewelry shop where I bought the earrings I wear at my wedding.

On the way home, I was able to upgrade my coach ticket to business class for a substantial discount. So I flew business class for the first time in my life - it was awesome! The seats recline all the way into a bed and you get your own TV with on demand movies. Oh, and the food is actually good!

For more pictures, check out facebook.

Naturally Thin

2011-03-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

I read this book and it completely changed the way I view dieting/fitness/food. It's a refreshing look at how to really enjoy food while still taking care of your body. I totally recommend it!

I'm down to 134.7 lbs :-)

Quick Update

2011-02-23T08:40:00.000-08:00

I had my bridal shower and bachelorette party this past weekend. My sister, Lori, and best friend, Anne, came in town for the festivities. It was a blast! We'll probably do another GNO at the beach closer to the big day.

Alas, I didn't take any pictures. Check my facebook page if you'd like to see some of the celebration.

I'm reading a book by Bethenny Frankel (of Real Housewives of NYC fame) called Naturally Thin. Wow! It's a great book and contains some great pointers for eating healthy and listening to your body.

I'm down to 136.0 lbs!

Hierarchy of energy sources

2011-02-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

My background, prior to the pacemaker world, is in Genetics. For those of you who don't know (because I didn't when I signed up to major in the subject at A&M), Genetics is not the study of rare, provocotive diseases. Well, you study them some times. The majority of my coursework was math, biochemistry, biology, microbiology, chemistry, biochemistry, chemistry ... You get the idea. I spent many nights wondering what I got myself into and why I hadn't chosen an easier major.

Chemistry was never my subject. In fact, my first C ever was in my second semester of Organic Chemistry (evil class). However, biochemistry, while still difficult, was fascinating to me. It's probably the most self-centered characteristic to desire to learn exactly how processes work in the body because you want to know how your body operates. It's also the most rewarding, and I still draw on my biochemistry knowledge when interacting with my patients today.

One area I've always been drawn to (for obvious reasons) is the biochemistry of dieting and weight loss. When I was at A&M, the Adkins diet was all the rage. And then when I was in grad school, whole grains really started to gather steam as a healthy alternative to traditional pastas and breads.

I still have a lot to learn about how you burn calories when you work out. There seems to be a great deal of information about this subject, however, a lot of it is in disagreement. I can't seem to find a good source of information on the internet that says "this is how calories are burned, and this is the breakdown of those calories, and this is the graph of heart rate to calories...". I'm sure this information is available in text books, but come on. Who pays for information any more?

Last weekend they were having a sale on sport watches and telemetry bands at my gym so I bought one. It's pretty cool. It gives me my heart rate, and breakdown of time in each heart rate zone, calories burned, and the percentage of those calories that come from fat.

Interestingly, when I run or take a spinning class, my heart rate goes really high, >170 bpm. I've always thought this was a good thing - I'm not chronotropically incompetent. However, I noticed that after these workouts, my percentage of calories from fat is very low - 13-17%. I understand this is an estimate from a watch but I don't think it's too far off. On the other side, when I do low-impact work outs or circuit training, my heart rate only gets up to about 155 bpm, but my calories from fat percentage is much higher, 25-35%. This is because there is a hierarchy of energy sources in the human body.

The way your body uses fuel (carbs, fats, protein) is based on many different factors, such as gender, hormones, underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, etc. I'm just speaking in generalities today. Most humans burn energy in the following way - carbohydrates first, then fat, then protein.*

Using protein for fuel is a biochemically complicated and energy inefficient process. That's why you don't usually see people who are breaking down proteins in their bodies for energy unless they have severe illnesses such as anorexia.

Carbohydrates are the easiest for your body to break down and the go-to energy source for hard-core athletes. This is because you burn a TON of carbs when your heart rate is high and you're exerting yourself to the max.

Your body burns fat while you sleep, when you're going through your day, and when you work out. The way your body uses fat is interesting. It uses your fat stores and turns them first into sugar, and then into energy. Fat is a great energy source, providing 9 calories per gram. Carbs and protein provide 4 calories per gram.

Tired of the biochemistry yet?

The reason why all of this is important is that if you are trying to reduce your body fat, you can maximize your time at the gym by doing low-impact workouts that keep your heart rate in the fat-burning zone. And the great news? These workouts are perfect for beginners!

As for diet, eating a high protein, moderate carb, low-fat diet is going to maximize your weight loss. Why? Because your body won't use the protein you're ingesting. It will use the carbs you take in and the fat stores already there to provide energy to your body. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, and fiber also contributes to weight loss by regulating your digestive system.

A bit verbose entry, I know. But it's essential to understand how your specific biochemistry functions to maximize your results.

Weight loss this week ... not so good. I'm at 138.1 lbs.

So, a gain of 0.1 lbs. Looking forward to next week.

*Disclaimer: I'm not a nutritionist, and I'm drawing on knowledge that is ~7 years old. Please forgive any inaccuracies.

Not the biggest loser

2011-02-02T14:10:00.000-08:00

One of the frustrating things about dieting and getting fit is how people react when you talk about it. Believe it or not, I feel like it's easier for people who have 50 or more pounds to lose to gain support of people around them in their journey.

Whenever I bring up that I'm dieting for the wedding, or how I'd really like to slim down, people react in very interesting ways. They say, "You look great how you are!" or "Why are you worried about losing weight?" or "You shouldn't be so focused on 15 lbs." While I understand some of their sentiment is driven by wanting me to feel better (and I appreciate the thought) it really isn't what I'm looking for.

I'm not dieting to get more compliments. I'm doing this so that I maintain a healthy physique and develop habits that will take me into marriage and parenthood.

Look, I don't have some unrealistic goal weight in mind or some delusion that when I'm finished I'll look like Giselle Bundchen. I'd like to be around 120 lbs when I get married. I'm five feet four inches tall and that's a perfectly healthy weight for me to be.

Speaking of weight, I haven't lost any this week but I also didn't gain any. I'm still at 138.o.

I am so inspired to watch the shows about how people's lives change when they get in shape. What's even more inspiring is to see how they completely change their lives to keep the weight off. While my 15 to 20 lb weight loss will never win any reality show contests, I still feel like when I achieve my weight loss, I'll be my own biggest loser.

Week 2

2011-01-25T15:32:00.000-08:00

Oh the ups and downs. I had to go to Dallas for work this past weekend. I sell pacemakers and ICDs (internal cardioverter-defibrillator) and once a year we have a sales meeting at one of our regional offices. About 1200 sales reps from all over the country descended on the Sheraton hotel to talk shop and hear about what new products are coming down the pipeline.

If you've ever traveled on business, you understand how hard it is to stick to routine, especially a new one you're trying to implement. My company feeds us well at these meetings and it's hard to walk away from such good fare. I didn't exercise at all while I was away, and I felt the ramifications of that decision Monday morning.

I weighed 139.6 lbs.

Are you kidding me?!

0.1 lbs?!?!

What a bummer.

My exercise routine was great last week. My diet (while I did stay within my points) could have been better.

I had an epiphany when I was in Dallas. I realized that when I eat poorly, it negates all the hard work I do at the gym. I knew that before, but I really felt it last weekend.

I've heard figures like losing weight is 60% diet and 40% exercise; for me, I feel it's more like 80% diet and 20% exercise. I actually lose more weight faster when I don't work out and just watch my diet.

Regardless, I resumed my routine yesterday with circuit training. Well, this morning I weighed myself and...

138.o lbs?!

I know that weight fluctuates every day due to hormones, muscle repair, and hydration. At this point, I don't care. I'll take what I can get!

Preparing

2011-01-18T10:58:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we (Scott and his parents, Paul and Roslyn) went down to Duck, NC to meet with some wedding vendors.. We were fortunate enough to stay with the mayor of Duck and get his advice on how to work out the logistics of how our day will flow. For the most part, it was a successful trip. We're still working out how to shuttle everyone to the ceremony and reception site (there isn't parking at either venue) and who will DJ our wedding. Everything else is pretty much falling into place.

One of the things we've been working on for the past couple of months is getting in shape for the big day. We joined a gym in August and started working out with personal trainers. I even started taking spinning classes (I'm learning to love them!). Scott has done great - I think he's lost about ten pounds and he looks great! It's inspiring to me to watch him dedicate himself to improving his health.

My weight loss has been harder and very much a yo-yo. I started at 140 lbs (gasp!) and I'd really like to be down to 120 by the wedding. It's frustrating because I feel that I've been working out like crazy but it's not really showing on the scale. I totally get the whole "muscle weighs more than fat" thing but it's very disheartening to workout so hard not feel any different.

This year contains so many milestones for me, I'm turning 30, getting married, changing my name ... I just want to look and feel my best when each of those things occur.

My high school weight was 117. I have to say that I'm in better health now than I was then, but I think I have an emotional attachment to that number. When I'm around 120, I feel confident, outgoing, pretty, healthy, adventurous... and it's been too long since I've felt that way.

I was reading today about how recording everything you eat and your activity keeps you accountable and helps you have more success in weight loss. Well, I've been doing that with Weight Watchers online, but there are times when I fail to record because I know seeing everything I eat is going to be painful.

A while back, I used this blog to record a bit of my weight loss journey but I stopped when life got busy. I'd like to renew that commitment now so that I have the accountability of my readers and a place to vent about the process (I think Scott might be getting a bit sick of it).

I'm committing to posting my thoughts on this journey, pictures, and my progress up to and after the wedding.

January 18th. Day 1. 139.7 lbs.

Our House

2011-01-11T08:27:00.000-08:00

The front yard

About a month ago we closed on our first house together. It's a 3 bedroom/2 1/2 bath split level/rambler style house built in 1955. I moved in on December 5th and Scott will move in after we get married in June. It's a whole new world for us to own property. It's wonderful, but gone are the days of maintenance men and landlords. So far, we've been fortunate to not have any major problems arise, but there are so many things that you have to do when you move into a new house. We got the fireplace re-mortared and sealed, cut down trees, and installed an invisible fence for Diego. It's really starting to feel like "our" place. I'm sure it will feel even better when Scott is here with me. Enjoy the pictures :-)

Basement media room

Our master bedroom (still need to buy furniture)

Dining area

Love my new washer and dryer!

Looking at the house from the back yard

Enormous couch in the media room

Kitchen (granite and stainless steel, yes!)

Master closet - too small :-/

Back yard from the house, our lot is 0.46 acre, large for Northern VA

Living room

Countdown continues...

2011-01-05T08:03:00.000-08:00

Less than 5 months until I'm Mrs. Cress!

Reid

2010-11-06T11:02:00.001-07:00

I promise I'm doing other things these days besides wedding planning.

One of the most important being a big sister to my younger brother, Reid. He's been living with me since May and is leaving for Army boot camp this Wednesday. Though I love my brother, it hasn't been easy having him here. I've had to adjust my schedule and single living situation to accommodate living with a 20 year old guy who loves to play XBox all the time. However, I think these last six months have been great for both of us. I can only hope that his future military service will give him structure and lead him to a career he can be proud of.

In addition, I've put some more things on our wedding website! Check it out here.

In other news ... Scott and I have a contract on a house in Falls Church! Pictures to come soon :-)

Thoughts on Weddings

2010-09-27T09:19:00.001-07:00

Scott and I decided to do a beach wedding. We thought, "Wouldn't it be great to have all our friends spend a week in the outer banks which culminates in our wedding?" And it is a great idea (his idea, I have to confess). I love that our friends and family will be celebrating with us for seven days, not just four hours.

I just never thought about how much everything with the word "wedding" near it costs.

Chairs. Approximately $450 for our guests to observe our twenty minute ceremony.

Tent. $1000. (not including delivery/set up)

DJ. Starts at $150/hour (minumum 3 hours)

And you think, "oh, I'll just get little favors for everyone." Well, $4.00 per person for 150 people adds up! It's crazy.

But, I will only do this once. I couldn't be happier with the man I'm marrying or the family I'm marrying into. I'm so blessed. So what if personalized napkins cost $200?

Celebrating the love of your life with all your friends and family: priceless.

And for everything else, we'll be using Master Card.

Something new...

2010-09-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

I'm engaged!! Most people who read this blog already know via Facebook that Scott popped the question August 28th. And most of you have heard the proposal story, but it is worthy of repeating.

Scott and I had been talking about getting married for a while and we'd looked at rings, but he was really adamant on waiting until November or December of this year to pop the question. I had no idea he bought the ring and June and had been waiting for the perfect moment to propose.

The Saturday he proposed we had a flurry of activity. I gave blood that morning, then headed to the spa for a facial and manicure (which Scott had scheduled for me earlier in the week, I thought he was just being nice ;-)). That night our church had a night at the baseball park and I noticed (happily!) that a lot of our close friends replied Yes to the invite. I looked forward to spending time with everyone one last time before summer ended.

We got to the park during the first inning and found our seats to sit down. Scott kept on getting texts and calls and walking away to answer them, which was odd for him, but I just figured his cell phone coverage was acting up. I had an inkling earlier in the day that he might propose, but he was so good at convincing me it would be later this year that I brushed it off. I had another inkling when he was on his cell phone so much, but again, I reminded myself not to get my hopes up.

Not too long after we sat down, Scott got up and told me he wanted me to meet someone. So he took me across the isle to a row of empty chairs and I look down and his whole family is sitting there! Then I saw my best friend Anne, who lives in Massachusetts, and I knew something was up. Scott said, "Babe, look up there!" I looked, and a group of our friends I hadn't seen before stood up with a banner that said "Marry Me Shani". I immediately started crying, looked back to Scott and he was on one knee. I can't remember exactly but he said something like, 'I love you so much, I'd be honored to have you as a wife, will you marry me?' Of course I said yes!! We hugged and I cried and he cried and I can't believe I'm going to be a Mrs.!!

We are getting married in the outer banks of North Carolina on June 4, 2011. Enjoy the pictures!

MA w/A, B, & C!

2010-07-06T08:45:00.000-07:00

The last weekend in June I decided to take a much needed trip up to Massachusetts to see Anne, Brian, and their little girl, Cassie. Cassie is almost a year old and growing like a weed. It's so fun to watch her problem solve and talk and laugh! She is such a blast to be around. We just need to get her to say Aunt Shani ...

Since Anne has started running (she's kicking butt!) I have thought about how great it would be for us to run together, but since we live so far away we don't usually get an opportunity. Fortunately, there was a 5K race the weekend I visited her so we both signed up. I think I must have brought the heat from DC with me because it ended up being a very hot run. Anne still did great - she finished right at 30 minutes, I was a couple of minutes behind her. It was a strange course; the mile markers were small and a bit off their distance and the hills made it hard to keep track of where you were in relation to the finish line. But we all finished and I hope that we can run again together, maybe in DC!

I realize I'm not taking a lot of pictures anymore because I rely on other people (let's be honest, with better skills) to take them and post them on their blogs or Facebook. Brian took a few for us, thankfully, and Anne posted them on her blogs.

For more info and pictures go to http://ourmoopoints.wordpress.com/ or click on One Running Mum on the right side of my blog.

The Outer Banks - 2010 edition

2010-06-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

This spring has been a wonderful but busy time. Work is going wonderfully, Scott is amazing, my dieting/training is right on track, and my brother moved in with me!

Yep, after not living with Reid since freshman year of college, (specifically, ahem, summer 2001) he decided to spend the summer with me working in Virginia and preparing to enter the military in the fall. It was great having family to come home to.

Needless to say, keeping up with everything was a full time job, and on top of my full time job, I was in need of a little time away doing ... nothing!

Enter the outer banks of NC. I was introduced to this little piece of heaven last year right after Scott and I started dating. It is a wonderful place to relax, and thanks to some planning, I got to spend five days there last week with forty of my closest friends for relatively little cost.

Enjoy the pictures from the trip. There are a whole lot more you can check out on Facebook.

Wouldn't this be a great spot for a wedding?! ;-)

Reflections on 29

2010-04-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

April 12th I turned twenty-nine years old. When you think about your life as a child (which I classify as any time before 19) you picture where you'll be in 5, 10, 20 years, etc. I have to say that I pictured a very different life for me when I was a kid. I thought that I'd be living in Texas, like all my relatives. And married with a family, again, like all my relatives who are in their late twenties.

With all the expectations one has for their life, it's a very transcendent place to be when one is peaceful at every point along the path. Which is a verbose way of saying that man, I never thought I'd be here but I'm so glad I am. Who would have ever thought this Texan would end up in northern Virginia selling pacemakers and dating an artist at 29?! I am so blessed to have my employment, my health, my friends, my family, my boyfriend, and most of all, my relationship with God. It is the only thing that makes me special and has gotten me through the darkest times on my journey. Thank you so much, readers of this blog, for supporting me along the way, it means the world to me!

These are a few pictures from my party, where the theme was ... TEXAS!!

Update 3

2010-04-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hello folks! I'm happy to report that training is going well! I ran in the Cherry Blossom 10 miler about two weeks ago and I'm running in the GW 10 miler this Sunday. The last race went ok. I didn't do it for time - which was good, since I ended up stopping with a friend to use the restroom. I'm hoping to do the race this weekend in 100 minutes or less. I've come to enjoy running more as my weight has gone down. Not only are my runs easier, but I actually feel good at then end of the run and some days even look forward to my runs (some days).

My diet has been going well using WeightWatchers. I'm trying to convince one of my girlfriends to do it with me , which will make it easier to stick to. My weight right after the last race was 133.2, today it is ... 134.4 lbs. I've gone up a bit, which is normal considering my training schedule. I have to be honest, it's a bit dissapointing. I try to focus more on my overall weight gain/loss since I started and I'm still consistantly losing. My body fat percentage has gone down 2.5%!

More to come.

Update 2

2010-04-07T06:21:00.000-07:00

The Cherry Blossom 10 miler is this Sunday! Pray that I run a good race and that my knees and hips have minimal pain. My training runs have been really great, no doubt due to the awesome weather we've been having here lately. Today's high is in the 90's and I love it! Bring it on spring allergies, I'll take you over blizzards any day.

The diet has been going really well. I feel like I've finally hit my groove with my eating habits. My 10 year high school reunion is this July, followed a week late by my dear friend Noelle's wedding (where I will be a bride's maid) so I've got sufficient motivation to be in good shape this summer. Not to mention pool and beach time ... bikinis, ugh!

So my current weight is ... 132.8 lbs! This is the lowest I've been since before Scott and I started dating. Ironically, I think he's gained about 15 lbs so I guess there is something to that physics law "matter is neither created nor destroyed, just transferred from one form to another". Ok, I feel like a nerd now. My goal weight is still a good 15 lbs away, so continued prayer for my motivation hit plateaus.

When all this is over I'll put up some before and after photos, that's where I can really see a difference.

Regan's 30th on the River

2010-04-05T06:53:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Regan turned 30 this past week. He's one of my aggie friends that I've kept in touch with up here in DC. In addition to turning 30, he also is leaving the marines to start grad school at ... Harvard! I'm so proud of Regan although I will miss him dearly when he leaves this summer. I told him I'd visit him in Boston, but only when there isn't any snow on the ground. Here are a couple of pictures from the boat.

Update

2010-03-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report things are going well on the dieting/training front! My current weight is 134.8 lbs. Of course we would all like to lose 2+ lbs a week, but since I'm in training, that really is unlikely, as I'm pretty sure I'm retaining water from muscle recovery. Anyway, the diet is going well. It certainly helps that Weight Watchers is online and so easy to use. I also have a ton of support from Scott, who always supports me and tells me I look great no matter what (isn't it awesome to have a guy like that?!).

My training schedule was awesome this week. I ran 15 miles total, with all of my running outside since the weather has been so great. My IT band isn't giving me too much trouble, which was a welcome change from training last fall. I hope to incorporate more weight training as my schedule allows.

What worked this week:
- Fruit! having fresh foods around totally helped satisfy cravings, especially mid-morning and late-afternoon
- Water, I drink at least 64 ounces a day and more on my running days. Did you know that drinking cold water speeds up your metabolism by as much as 30% even after you're done drinking? Water is essential to weight loss and long term weight maintenance
- Sticking to my training schedule, even if I didn't go as far as I planned, just getting out there got the endorphins going and helped me make better diet decisions

What didn't work:
- keeping candy around! Having snack food in big bags made it that much easier to grab something when I got hungry, especially when I was out of my fresh foods and didn't have time to prepare something
- Grazing, one of my biggest challenges to weight loss. I don't really eat when I'm stressed, I eat when I'm sitting around the house and I'm bored. A few M&M's here and there add up to a lot over an entire day
- Sadly, eating with Scott. We're getting better about this since he wants to drop a few pounds too, but I definitely find it harder to stick to my diet when he wants to indulge. Since he can naturally eat more than me, he doesn't always understand that I really can't share a decadent dessert with him every time we eat together. I hope this gets easier as I adapt to new eating habits.

Please feel free to share your weight loss trials and triumphs.

A Little Rant and New Goals

2010-03-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple of months since my last post. I made it through the winter blues and Snowmageddon 2010 relatively unscathed and I'm looking forward to a sunny spring. (You're listening, Mother Nature, right?!)

One of my goals of 2009 was to run a marathon. I accomplished this goal, however, my performance was definitely lacking. Part of this was due to the diagnosis of IT Band syndrome. Basically, this syndrome is diagnosed when a piece of tissue that runs along the outside of your leg becomes stressed and causes knee pain. According to my orthopedist, I have knees that are prone to this because of the angle my knee caps are in relation to my hips. IT Band can be exacerbated by weight gain. For every pound of weight one gains, FOUR pounds of extra pressure are put on the knees. WOW. I had no idea!

That brings us to my little rant. I think I'm the only person who GAINED weight training for a marathon. And I'm not talking a little - I gained 15 pounds between Jan-Oct 2009! With my training schedule, I felt hungry ALL the time. And I didn't reach for carrots and fruit, I enjoyed peanut butter and cookies and whatever else was in the pantry. It was very depressing. My friends tried to tell me, "Oh, it's probably just muscle", but I knew better and got irritated that I couldn't seem to get it under control.

I'm happy to report that I've lost several pounds since the marathon in October. I feel pretty good about it, especially since I enjoyed myself a lot when I was home for the holidays in December. But I definitely wish I could get back down to my ideal weight. Let me be clear, however, I don't view myself as fat or unhealthy (my physical was actually really good this year) but I do feel better and my clothes fit better when my weight is lower. Blogging about this familiar journey would help keep me accountable and hopefully encourage me when I want to reach for those Girl Scout cookies or Cadbury Mini Eggs (my kryptonite).

I've already started training for my next two races - the Cherry Blossom 10 mile on April 11th and the GW Parkway Classic 10 mile on April 25th. I've been successful doing WeightWatchers before so I've started tracking my points again. Along with my running schedule, I'm hoping to be down to my ideal weight range by the time I head to the Outer Banks at the end of May.

So here it goes: As of this week I weigh ... 136.0 lbs. My goal weight ranged is between 116-120 lbs (which I haven't weighed since high school!). At 5 feet 4, this is a healthy range and I've already discussed my goals with my internal medicine doctor. I would also love to get my body fat percentage down to 20-22%.

Please keep me in your prayers that I stick to my training and diet plan. A few words of encouragement would be great too! I'll try to update weekly on how things are going along with tricks that have helped me get through the tough times. More to come soon ...

Christmas in Texas

2010-01-03T16:20:00.000-08:00

This year I went home for the holidays. I wasn't able to go home last year because of work obligations so I was really excited to be in Houston this year. Not only was Scott coming with me, but my step-brother and step-sister had flown in for Christmas so it was extra-special to have almost all my family around to celebrate together.

We flew down a few days before Christmas and were there for almost a week! After going through the blizzard before we left, it was so nice to have weather in the 60's, although Scott said it didn't really feel like Christmas.

Scott got to meet a lot of my family while he was in town and he fit right in! We played lots of poker (and lots a few bucks in the process) and enjoyed my family's Christmas traditions.

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday and wish y'all blessings in the new year.

Let It SNOW!

2010-01-03T16:03:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we had a mammoth snow storm. They were predicting record snow fall and for once the weathermen were right - when the weekend was done we had a total of 24 inches on the ground and snow drifts as high as three feet in some places.

For those of you in colder climates, this might seem like no big deal. But in DC, and specifically for me, this was huge! Scott is more accustomed to snow than I am so he graciously stayed with me to weather the blizzard. He even dug my car out three times so that he could go help people whose cars were stranded in the snow.

My friend Jenn was one of those unfortunate people who got caught and ended up staying with me Saturday night until the roads were cleared by the snow plows. We went out after the snow had stopped falling to take pictures, enjoy!

Movin' Out, Movin Up

2009-11-20T14:05:00.000-08:00

There comes a time in a woman's life ...

Some times it's clear that things need to change ...

When one realizes that roads are diverging ...

Oh, what the heck, I moved out! The reasons are fairly simple - basically it was just time for me to have my own space. I lived with my former roommate for over two years, which is the longest I lived any where in ten years. I was getting restless and realized that it was negatively affecting my relationship with my landlord/roommate. I found a great place closer to my work with an awesome floorplan and decided to make the big move.

The new place is a 4th floor walk-up loft with a fireplace and balcony. I can have my dog, Diego, there, and it's gated with awesome amenities.

My only fear was getting all my furniture up to my new apartment and all those stairs! Enter Scott - my wonderful boyfriend (who has great guy friends!). We packed the UHaul last Friday night in four hours ... it's very odd seeing all your possessions fit in a box, by the way. And then Scott and his parents coordinated the big move the next day. The UHaul was unloaded in just under an hour! Thanks to Scott's friends and my friends for making it possible!

I can't wait to have everyone over once my place is set up.

Pictures to come once I find my camera :-)

I love Johnny Depp!!

2009-11-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

"I mean... Edward Scissorhands ... I love Edward Scissorhands." This is what I kept on saying Saturday night, when Scott and I went out in Georgetown for Halloween. Coincidentally, he was dressed as the sharp-handed one himself. It was an amazing costume; he made it himself. He even won a prize - third place! (I still say he was robbed by the 1st place winner - Lady Gaga and a guy dressed as the MTV moonman).

We could not walk down the street without someone asking to take a picture with Scott. I felt like the girlfriend of a celebrity, it was pretty surreal. I was so proud of him though, he really did a great job!

Scott's Friday night costume - 1920's gangster, to my flapper

And for the record, I heart Scott more than Johnny. ;-)

The Marathons Of Life

2009-10-26T06:35:00.000-07:00

My medal - finisher!

About ten months ago I was blogging about my resolutions for 2009 and decided that one of them should be to run that infamous 26.2 miles known as a marathon. I don't know what possessed me make that a goal, except that I'd run in several 10 mile races and figured that 26.2 wouldn't be unachievable if I trained for it.

The Last Well group from church who handed out water - Scott is far left

Yesterday was the day of the race - the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC. There were close to 30,000 runners, so I wasn't alone in my madness. My sweet boyfriend, Scott, came to hand out water and run with me at the end. I started out the race thinking, OK, this isn't so bad, as long as I run slow enough, I should be able to make it!

WRONG... At mile 2, my right knee started hurting. And I don't mean, 'Oh, this is uncomfortable' kind of pain, I mean, 'Why are there knives stabbing the back of my knee cap?!' kind of pain. Thankfully, Scott was at mile 4 handing out water and I had thought ahead to give him a bag of Advil so I stopped and took four of those. That helped for about a mile and then the pain came back.

So tired and sore - mile 25

As if that wasn't enough, at mile 8 both of my hips started hurting. Again, this was legit, OMG pain that would normally stop me in my tracks. I really thought I could pull through it so I kept on going. At mile 14 the pain of all my joints overtook me and I stopped and told a marine that I needed the medics to look at me. As I was jogging to the medical tent, I was thinking about how long I've trained for this race and that I never want to run it again and if I had to crawl across the finish line, I wanted too just so I could have it in the rear view mirror of life. So I kept jogging past the medical tent and thinking that I just needed to make it to mile 20, where Scott would be waiting to cross the bridge with me to the finish line.

I loved my shirt! Finish line under the arch

Scott was there and ran with me to mile 22, where the pain was overwhelming to the point where I had to walk. Walking itself was so painful, but I wanted to at least jog across the finish line at the end so Scott took my hand and walked with me the rest of the way. He had my camera and was able to get a few shots at the end. I completed the race in about 5 hours and 30 minutes. I wanted to do it in under five hours but with all the walking I had to do because of my joints, I'm pretty satisfied with my time.

Scott and me at mile 23

I came home and took some prescription pain killers, which took the edge off the pain of my aching joints. My victory meal? A tavern in Seven Corners called Dogfish Head. I had amazing buffalo chicken dip and macaroni and cheese.

I slept like the dead last night, I don't think I've ever been so tired. If any of you out there are thinking about running a marathon, DON'T. Well, I guess it's a worthy goal, and I think I'll be more happy about doing it when I'm healed. If you want to run a marathon, make sure you train outside, stick to your training schedule, and listen to your body. Most people aren't designed to run that far. If I had been more diligent about training my joints for hours and hours of running, I probably could have performed a lot better yesterday.

Collapsing after the race

Cheers to another resolution completed and to never running that far ever ever again!

Um.. I'm still a blogger, I promise!

2009-10-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time. This is why I've been MIA:

His name is Scott and he is amazing. More to come :-)

Twitter

2009-08-26T08:34:00.001-07:00

I realize I might offend some people with the content of this post but hear me out.

I don't get Twitter.

Oh, I know some people say it's just like updating your Facebook status but I beg to differ. I mean, I don't have a problem with the occasional tweet or the play-by-play during a life-changing event such as a birth, but to have entire conversations through a microblog ... I mean, seriously? Who has time for this?? Does every tweeter have a very forgiving boss???

What I want to know is when texting went out of style. And what about that very archaic practice of actually CALLING someone and TALKING with them on the phone... so last year, right? And frankly, I don't really care if Kim Kardashian just got a latte at Starbucks or Ryan Seacrest has deep thoughts about a sandwich. The worst is when a person doesn't have the guts to tell someone what they're actually feeling and so instead tweets it so everyone can know their business. Um, soo 7th grade.

To me all of this passive-aggressive communication is a sign that even as we as a society find new and different ways to connect through technology, we become more inept at face to face conversation and thereby less socially adjusted. Misunderstandings and unintentional offenses abound when one's sole communication is a few sentences into the Internet abyss.

So give your texting thumbs a rest and call someone. Instead of tweeting all night, go out and spend some quality time in deep conversation with someone you care about. Try not tweeting about your bad experience at Subway and ask the person behind the counter how their day is going.

You just might make a new friend and learn something about yourself.

Upstate NY

2009-08-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

As most of my friends (and most of the northern VA area) know, I am from Texas. Born and raised in Houston, and my parents, and their parents, and their parents, are from Texas. I'm proud of my heritage, and would have it no other way. What few people know, is that I have a few clusters of relatives who live elsewhere. My step-mom's parents and sister live in Kentucky, and my step-dad's kids live in Glens Falls, NY. Their house is in the Adirondack mountains a short drive from Saratoga, where the horse races take place. I've been several times to visit them, the most recent being this past weekend when my step-dad, mom, and step-brother were up there as well.

The drive is long from Great Falls - it took me about eight hours total. Diego made the journey with me and he was an excellent passenger. With him and my iPod, the eight hours went by pretty fast and before I knew it, the New Jersey turnpike turned into 87 to Albany and the Adirondacks were rising out of the horizon in the distance.

While I was there this weekend, we played poker, shopped a bit in Saratoga, and Ralph (my step-sister Susan's husband) and I serenaded everyone on our guitars (or tried to!). My visits with this side of the family aren't frequent enough and are always too short. But, we always make the most of our time together, and this past weekend was no exception.

Here is a video of all the animals we had with us this weekend, sans Susan's African Gray parrot named Ivan (he's not into having his picture taken).

Legwarmers!

2009-08-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

There is this great 80's cover band in northern Virginia called the Legwarmers. I first heard about them five years ago when I was interning on the Hill, and I've wanted to check out a show ever since. What's so fun about going to see the Legwarmers is that everyone dresses up, and there are some pretty incredible costumes, for sure.

This past weekend, several of my girlfriends and I went to see the Legwarmers at the State Theatre in Falls Church. It was so awesome! I saw Madonnas, the Brat Pack, and even Dee Snider! Not to mention the music - all the hits from the 80's that we know and love: Journey, the Go Go's, Michael Jackson ... It was awesome!

Again, I tried to capture our attempt at 80's garb; I'll let you judge for yourself!

Southern Prep

2009-08-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

I have this great group of friend who love to throw theme parties. A few weeks ago, in celebration of one of our friends who is moving south for grad school, we had a Southern Prep theme party. Really, having a theme party is an excuse to show off how well you can dress the part. I took some pictures of everyone who was there, and I hope we represented the south well. See for yourself ...

Amanda's Birthday

2009-07-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

This is a shameless post to highlight a cake that I made for my friend Amanda's birthday. I made it from a tweaked strawberry box cake. The frosting was homemade, as were the chocolate covered strawberries and decorations. It wasn't perfect, but it tasted great and everybody loved it!

After we had dinner and recovered from our sugar comas we went out dancing. It was a great time.

Dad's 4th of July Visit

2009-07-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Dad came in town for the holiday. I'm so proud of myself because we did so much while he was here. We saw two movies, went to a Nationals game, and toured historic landmarks.

The highlight for me by far was visiting Mt. Vernon on Saturday. We toured Washington's home then visited the Grist Mill (a legit, working mill from back in the day), which was such a treat.

Dad would probably say his highlight was watching NASCAR on Saturday night in lieu of fireworks. The Coke Zero 400 at Daytona was an awesome race, definitely a photo finish. Jeff Gordon, my favorite, leads NASCAR drivers with most wins in restrictor plate races, but he didn't do too well that night (28th place in that race, though 2nd overall in points for the year). At least he didn't DNF. Tony Stewart won the race when Kyle Busch lost control in literally the last few seconds before they passed the checkers. It was a race marked by several intense crashes and lots of jockeying by the drivers. I really wished I had DVR that night.

It was awesome having Dad here and I missed him the instant I dropped him off at the airport. I can't wait to see my family again at Thanksgiving!

Half Way There

2009-07-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

Six months have gone by in 2009. It's hard to believe it's already July. My Dad is here visiting for the holiday and while I have a few moments here before we get started on our DC adventures I thought I'd do a little update on how my new year's resolutions are going.

Here they are:

1. Learn conversational Spanish: Does anyone have Rosetta Stone Spanish?? I'm looking for this on Craig's List or Ebay but I haven't gotten it yet because it's so expensive.
2. Take belly dancing lessons: I started taking classes a month ago and I LOVE it! I'll probably take another class after this one ends.
3. See a volcano when I'm in Hawaii in February: Well, I drove by one but I didn't go to the rim.
4. Run the Cherry Blossom 10 mile in 90 minutes: I ran it in 96 minutes - 2 minutes better than last year. I'm going to try to run the Army ten mile in 90 minutes.
5. Train for the marine corps marathon and try to run it in October (or at least the half): The training is so hard. I ran 13.1 miles a few weeks ago but I'm not sure if I'll make it to the race. I've also gained 10 lbs since I started training - which I tell myself is muscle but I know I've been indulging my increased appetite a bit too much. Stay tuned ...
6. Visit another country: Not yet
7. Continue my guitar lessons and learn a new song on the piano: I've come a long way on guitar; still working on piano
8. Visit Annalise in the summer so she can show me Moab: I didn't get to go because I had a family reunion in Texas the weekend that I scheduled my trip to Utah. I'm hoping to make it out there this fall.
9. Keep following where the Lord leads me spiritually, emotionally, relationally, geographically ... Always

That's the six month update. Hopefully I can get good enough at belly dancing to record a little video and put it up here. Don't look for that any time soon, though, my movements still resemble the Elaine dance too much to justify an audience.

Look for a blog about Dad's visit to DC some time next week.

A Comedy of Errors

2009-06-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

I have this new friend, I'll call him RS. RS and I met at church and then he found me on facebook (thank you to my weird name). Last week RS emailed me and (assuming that I like country because of my Texan roots) invited me to the Rascal Flatts concert on Saturday night. I was going to politely decline, as I really only like old school country, but I figured what the heck? I need to broaden my horizons a bit and check out a new country band. Plus, I thought I had heard a couple of their songs on the radio and they were pretty good. A bonus, too, was that Darius Rucker was their opening act - AKA Hootie and the Blowfish lead singer. I mean, who doesn't love "I Only Wanna Be With You"?!

So RS picks me up Saturday (of course he had to wait on me because of course I wasn't ready) and we head off to the concert. They were playing at Nissan Pavilion which is a bit of a hike from where I live and the traffic gets pretty bad when there is a concert. It took us quite some time to get there and by the time we did, the concert had already started.

RS was hungry and wanted to grab some concessions before we sat down so we headed to the stand to see what goodies we could find. RS gave his order to the clerk, and honestly, I wasn't really paying attention to what he said, and then asked me what I wanted. I muttered something like, "I'm not really sure what I want" as I was looking for something appetizing on the menu.

I ordered a miller lite and then changed it to a water when I noticed the cashier plunk down two hot dogs. I thought to myself, hmm, that's odd. Why would he order for me? We don't really know each other that well. But I chalked it up to him taking the lead and being chivalrous enough to get something for me just in case I was hungry. Then he took both hot dogs and walked away. Again, I though, that's weird, he didn't ask what I wanted on my dog. Again, I didn't think too much of it when we sat down and started eating. We finished, he grabbed some other goodies and then we walked into the concert.

The concert was good - and it would have been better if I didn't have Miss Drunky McDrunkerson next to me dancing with a man half her age in a space that could only fit two people, and definitely was not made for spin your partner and do-si-do. I really liked the music and Darius Rucker was awesome! He's got a great voice and I loved that he played all the old Hootie hits with Rascal Flatts. I thought that RS was quiet during the show - but it's a concert and loud so you can't exactly carry on a conversation.

The show ended around 11 PM and RS and I headed out. We were chatting on the way home - just getting to know each other better. He's from Oklahoma, so it's nice to hang out with people who understand where you grew up and all the little idiosyncrasies that come with that.

I realized about halfway home that I had taken off my flip flops and had my feet up on the dash of his jeep so I quickly apologized for making myself at home and put my feet down.

He kindly said, "That's OK, no prob. Actually, you know what else you did?"

I replied, "No?"

He said, "You ate my hot dog."

I thought back... OH CRAP.

"I did, you're right!! Now that makes so much more sense!", I exclaimed.

He said, "Well, you said you didn't want anything so I just ordered my food and fixed them and when we sat down you grabbed one. I thought about saying something but I didn't want to make you feel weird."

I told him, "OMG, it would have been fine and I would have laughed (I was laughing then anyway) and I would have gotten you some more food. Now I feel like a total jerk for eating half your dinner! But I did think it was pretty crazy that you ate your hot dog in two bites, I remember thinking to myself, man, he's hungry!"

I felt like such an idiot but RS was pretty gracious about it. He said he wasn't sure if he should say anything and of course I said I was glad he did. Strangely, that seemed to ease things up a bit in the conversation; I guess there had been a hot dog shaped elephant in the room.

Folks, it's not my policy to eat other people's food, so don't be afraid to bring your dinner around me. Next time I'll pay more attention to who orders what and make sure to ask whether or not I'm eating someone's meal!

Jazz in the Gardens

2009-06-28T09:45:00.001-07:00

There are tons of free concerts in DC - especially in the summer. Always on the lookout for new experiences, I decided to join my buddies at the sculpture garden this past Friday night for a free jazz concert. The sculpture garden is near the National Mall in the heart of DC at the National Art Museum. It's a lovely place - trees every where and beautiful sculptures all surrounding a large fountain.

The weather forecast for Friday night called for a slight chance of showers. As I was headed into the city, the weatherman said most of the storms were outside DC proper, so I kept on my merry way under blue skies.

I arrived at the concert, where my friend Tom had already staked out a great spot underneath some large oak trees right next to the speakers, so we had great sound coming in as we poured the wine and broke into the cheese and crackers. Some other friends joined in and I noticed that a few (myself included) decided to bring umbrellas - just in case.

I was just pouring my second glass of wine when the band came over the speakers to say that they were taking a little break because, in their words, it was going to "spritz" on us a little, but not to worry, they'd be back. So we all grabbed our little umbrellas, protected our blackberries and iPhones like they were children, and hunkered down to wait for the "little" storm to pass.

So it began to rain. A little at first, then harder. Then pea-size hail started coming down. Then the rain turned into torrential downpour and the only thing that wasn't wet was the top of our heads, which were all still protected by our tiny umbrellas. Then marble-size hail started falling and there was no way anything was going to be left dry. So I turned to my friends and said, "It sounds like there are people in the fountain having a great time - let's just ditch the umbrellas and go be kids again!". We turned around (our backs had been to the fountain up to this point) and sure enough, there were at least 100 adults playing in the fountain during the storm like it was 110 degrees outside and it was the only respite from the heat. I threw my umbrella down, rolled my jeans up, and jumped in!

It was great! The water was warm because that day had been a hot one, and it felt nice after having the hailstorm soak our clothes. We only had a few minutes in the fountain when the rain stopped and the Mall cops told everyone to get out. We were able to snap a couple of pictures before the threat of being arrested was really upon us.

It was a grand time. Some times it's nice to tap into your inner child and forget about things like hair, makeup, and oh crap how dirty is this water?! Enjoy the pictures - I'm not sure how I'll ever get the smell out of my jeans.

Rachel

2009-06-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

Today I am blogging from Atlanta airport - otherwise known as the armpit of the US air travel industry. Well, maybe that's a big harsh. But it does seem that no matter where you're headed, you have to fly through Atlanta, and it's invariably delayed in getting flights in and out. However, I'm in luck today because so far my flight is on time.

But I digress. The real purpose of my blog today is to dedicate a few paragraphs to my dear friend Rachel. She's appeared in my blog numerous times and even has one herself - you can find it to the right by clicking on Reading Is Sexy.

Rachel and I met in the fall of 2007 when I joined a small group through McLean Bible Church. She was leading the small group at the time and has since passed the torch on to me. When I joined back in 07, I didn't get to know a lot of the girls very well, but over time I got closer to Rachel and she has proved to be a very dear and loyal friend to me.

When I went through a break up last year, Rachel came to my house and sat on my couch with me and just let me cry. We've spent quiet moments in prayer and we've been on crazy adventures with the Aggies. She is always up for exploring DC or whatever local band might be playing at Jammin Java and she has a healthy obsession with Coldplay (which I share). Rachel introduced me to the world of Edward and Bella, for which I'll always be greatful. While we are different in many ways, we both love the Lord and I have learned so much about myself by being friends with her.

Why all the accolades for this lovely lady? Well, she has answered the call to become a missionary and is leaving today for England. While I will miss Rachel while she's across the pond for the next couple of years, I know that she's doing God's work and I applaud her courage to answer the call to ministry. I look forward to visiting her some time next year.

CrackBerry

2009-06-10T18:56:00.000-07:00

So I have a problem. My name is Shani, and I'm addicted to my BlackBerry.

A couple of weeks ago my fourth Pearl bit the dust (my 4th PDA in less than two years, might I add) so I hopped into Verizon to replace it. Immediately.

With all the buzz about the iPhone, I decided that it was high time for me to jump on the touch-screen bandwagon and invest in RIM's offering: the BlackBerry Storm. Those cool commercials where one jumps seamlessly from application to email to browser to camera to phone ... I was hooked.

After the inevitable haggling about whether or not I got the discounted two-year price, (perspective - two years is longer than any relationship I've ever had) I joyfully clutched my new cool phone in hand and explored all it had to offer. I even downloaded Facebook on the way home and updated my status on how stoked I was to have a new toy.

Two weeks later ...

I stumble into Verizon, barely able to see straight through the frown lines that are now permanently etched into my forehead ...

"Give me a new phone NOW! This Storm is a piece of ****!" I breathlessly exclaim to the cool Verizon sales guy, who casually looks me over and says, "Well, there is a new version of software available if you'd like to test it out---" .. "NO.", I cut him off. "Well, perhaps you need a few minutes with our technical supp--" ... "NO!" I say, exasperated. "Look, dude, I've been using BlackBerries longer than you've been out of school so trust me when I say I know my way around technology. I sell pacemakers for a living! So just give me my refund and a Curve and I'll stop making a scene and telling everyone how crappy this phone is."

Realizing that I'm the definition of 'not going to be swayed', he points me in the direction of the cashier/refund/constantly look annoyed/Verizon person where I wait for what seems like the duration of Gone With The Wind for my transaction to be processed.

The saddest part of this whole story is that for the past two weeks I've been annoyed. Uncharacteristically snappy and irritable. And the culprit? That stupid waste of plastic and metal that was constantly glued to my hand and the recipient of copious profanities. I realized this discouraging little fact on my way home, when for the first time in two weeks, I could type a text message without hitting 27 keys when trying to say "btw - be there n 5." That was the fatal flaw in the Storm - touch screens will never be a superior substitute to the keyboard. But how sad is it that something so stupid could have such a profound effect on my mood?!

Regardless, I will sleep well tonight. And knowing, that at any point, should I wake up and find the need to do so, I could send an email, or text message or even post a comment on someones Facebook page that will be spelled correctly with proper punctuation, absolutely warms my heart.

My name is Shani, and I'm addicted to my BlackBerry.

Baptism

2009-06-01T06:50:00.000-07:00

Baptism is a familiar concept in Christianity. I was baptized when I was 10 years old and many of my friends were baptized as infants. Every denomination has a different opinion on baptism and when it should take place but almost all agree it is an important threshold to cross on your spiritual journey. It is the public display of an internal heart change.

Even Jesus was baptized:

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice cam from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased". Mark 1:9-11. (NIV)

Last night we had baptisms at our church. Twelve people were baptized and among them was my friend Tom. I could summarize his journey and what led him to his decision, but I won't do it justice, so the video below says in his own words why he chose to get baptized last night.

Little Blog

2009-05-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been more than a month.

I'll post as soon as I figure out how to load pictures onto my new MacBook Air.

It's awesome and small and I'm definitely not cool enough to have one.

Be jealous. Be very jealous.

Jeff turns 20-10!

2009-04-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

Jeff's blue steel look

Last weekend my friend Jeff had a part to celebrate his 20-10th birthday ... Ok, ok, he turned 30. The party was at a single family home in Arlington affectionately referred to as "The Fun House". It was basically a frat house occupied by people who've been out of college for ... well, a while. It was a neat spread, complete with a dance floor, two kitchens, several bedrooms, and a wall of fame signed by everyone who had ever lived there. Jeff himself was an alumni with rights to have parties there whenever the need arose. Rachel came with me and we had a great time! Here are a few pictures ...

A rare appearance by Michael Jackson (complete with sequin glove)

Rachel and me - and we did bring sexy back ;-)

28?!

2009-04-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, April 12th - Easter Sunday - 2009, I turned 28. It's amazing the amount of change that has happened in my life this past year.

Relationships beginning, ending, reconnecting ...

Running 10 miles - twice ...

Work being good, then bad, then really bad, then back to really good...

Visiting Texas, Utah, Massachusetts, Hawaii ...

Surfing, learning guitar ...

Leading small group with Rachel ...

Going out on good dates, bad dates, and dates I didn't know were dates ...

Watching hours and hours of movies and the countless conversations about the rodentia of northern Virginia (most recently Sunday night) with the aggies ...

And of course Coach and that wonderful discount.

I've learned that a lot can happen in a year; but if you're going the right direction, things should only get better. God forbid we reach the pinnacle of our personal development at this age and have the downward spiral to look forward to the rest of our lives.

I never would have pictured being here geographically, emotionally, spiritually, or relationally but I'm so happy things have worked out the way they have. I am so blessed.

Me at 28

My friends invested in some light reading for me (all political science theory) - and a beret!

Another One Down ...

2009-04-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

I ran my third 10 mile race today and finished 1:36:44, almost a whole minute better than last year! I'm really proud since I had many interruptions in my training schedule.

I enjoyed the race, but I can barely walk tonight. My hips probably won't take much more running, but I'm hoping they'll make it through at least one more 10 mile race (the Army 10 miler in October) and the Marine Corps Marathon at the end of October.

I always say that the next race will be my last but for some reason I keep signing up for more. There is something about being in the heat of the race and having all those people going towards the same goal that is very inspiring.

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the Cherry Blossom Race but I suppose that's ok because it's not like I looked that great after running 10 miles!

My birthday is this Sunday, April 12, and I'm looking forward to having a great post with some pictures from my cocktail party next week.

Until next time :-)

Anne is preggo!

2009-03-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Anne came in town and I got to spend the morning with her eating delicious pancakes and shopping for baby clothes. I'm not that into shopping - I prefer to buy. But a curious change took place when Anne found out she was having a little girl; I got really, really excited about buying cute baby clothes and little toys for her little one! It's amazing how many little dresses and shoes are out there for baby girls. I mean, they even had little Uggs! I'm sure that when I was a kid they didn't have all that stuff - or maybe I'm bitter because I had to wear my sister's hand-me-downs.

Regardless, we had a great time and I can't wait to see Anne again at her baby shower in May. She's due July 11th (I think!) and I'm so excited for her and Brian.

Texas

2009-02-27T07:39:00.001-08:00

After enjoying paradise for a few days, I headed to a different kind of paradise to visit my folks in Houston, Texas. I was very excited to be home since I hadn't visited since last May. I had a great first day - ate some Mexican food, saw my cousins, and caught a movie with my brother. I even got Freebirds!

Thursday started out very unexpectedly. I am training for the Cherry Blossom 10-mile and even though I was on vacation, I still had to respect my training schedule (I even ran in Hawaii on the beach, but who can complain about that?). So Thursday morning, I woke up to go for my run in my parents subdivision, was nearing the end of my run, and SMACK! I fell after getting caught on some uneven sidewalk. Let me tell you, that is not a good way to end a three mile run. Basically, my face and right hand broke my fall.

My Angelina Jolie look

Fortunately, I was only a few blocks from home so I was able to make it there in time to be patched up by my folks (after sitting down a few times on the way for fear of passing out). With a fat lip and pretty intense wounds on my hand, I was out of commission most of Thursday and Friday. My parents were great; it was like being 8 again with them bringing me ice and neosporin. Everybody needs a little TLC every now and then!

this still hurts ...

I had made plans to meet up with some high school friends for dinner Saturday night at Mamacita's, a restaurant owned by Gina's family. It was great catching up with a few old friends. Fortunately, I had healed a bit and the swelling had gone down so I didn't look terrible in the pictures. I can't wait to see everyone again when I'm in town.

Marjie, me and John

Gina, me and Kelli

Sunday night I went to dinner with my Mom, step-Dad, sister and her fiance. I hadn't seen Lori since last May and it was awesome catching up with her and checking out her new bling (very good job, Bill!).

my sister, Lori, and me

I look forward to my next visit home. There is no place that feels quite the same as where you grew up.

Hawaii

2009-02-27T07:21:00.000-08:00

Random parrots on Waikiki

Since I had such a crazy holiday season and needed some summer weather ASAP, I decided around the new year to take a beach trip. I had hoped that someone would be able to join me on my vacation, but Anne was taking a cruise with her husband and it wasn't a good time for my Mom so I decided to just go it alone.

near Diamondhead, I think

I have been on countless business trips by myself so traveling alone has never felt uncomfortable for me. However, when I told people I was making the trip to Hawaii by myself, there was a lot of 'Wow, really?' and 'That's so courageous of you'. I had no idea it was weird? I guess from the outside looking in, maybe it seems a little anti-social or introverted but I assure you, I met a lot of locals while I was there and saw the inside of my hotel room very little (mostly just to sleep and eat breakfast).

Kailua

Diamondhead

Regardless of my single-occupancy status, I had a wonderful time. Hawaii is hands-down one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. It's so beautiful, it's hard to believe it isn't man-made. The water is crystal-clear blue and the landscape is brilliantly colorful. I was relaxed and at home immediately after getting off the plane.

Kailua

My dear friend Regan lived in Hawaii for a few years and wrote down a list of things to do and see on my trip. Armed with my guidebook, a rented compact, and my blackberry's GPS, I ventured into the unknown. What I found was a people who are very friendly and laid back and an environment which constantly amazed. I tried the local fare and it was amazing: shrimp from the famous Giovanni's Shrimp Truck, Korean BBQ, and lots of fish. I laid out on Kailua and Sunset beach while watching the windsurfers catch some awesome waves. I even tried surfing, got up twice in two hours, and acquired a new found respect for "surfer dudes". I will surf again, and hopefully on the north shore.

The last night I was there, my friend Sean came to Waikiki on business so we went to dinner at a local burger joint. I imparted to him all my Hawaiian wisdom, gave him my guide book and map, and told him, "Don't stay in Waikiki on your down time". Oahu has so much more to offer.

Sean and the Delorean

On Waikiki beach

Before I left for the airport, I visited the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. It was a somber experience to see the destruction and know what happened there in 1941. I'm glad I was able to appreciate what our servicemen did then and continue to do now.

It was the perfect escape from the DC winter and I can't wait to visit again.

Secondhand Serenade

2009-02-27T07:13:00.000-08:00

John Vesely - lead singer for Secondhand Serenade

The night before I left on my trip, Austin, Tom, Jeff, and me went to the Birchmere in Alexandria to see Secondhand Serenade play.

Tom, me and Austin

The band is alternative/emo/rock fronted by John Vesely, who composes all the music and writes all the lyrics. It usually isn't my genre but I love their A Twist In My Story CD; the music is very moving. John comes from two classically trained musician parents so it's no wonder that he has such a talent for composing.

Me and Jeff

We had a great time and I enjoyed being able to meet some of the band members from Secondhand Serenade and their opening act, White Tie Affair. It was a great night for sure, but I had to go home and finish packing so I could be on a plane by 7 AM.

Me and the lead singer for White Tie Affair

Me and the lead guitarist from Secondhand Serenade

It was totally worth it. :-)

Great Falls

2009-02-27T07:06:00.000-08:00

It's been a few weeks since I blogged so I'm doing a few posts today to try and catch up. A little preview: in the past two weeks I have hiked in Great Falls, seen Secondhand Serenade perform, let loose in Hawaii (!), and visited my folks in Houston.

Before I left on vacation, we had a brief respite from the cold here in Virginia so Rachel and I took advantage by walking around Great Falls park and getting some cool photos. It was a beautiful day and I little preview of what was to come for me in the next couple of weeks.

My 25 Things

2009-02-05T08:14:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by my best friend to write 25 interesting things about myself. This trend was started on Facebook. I resisted even reading any of the lists until yesterday when I read Anne's. I have to say, it was pretty interesting learning new things about her so I decided I might as well jump on the wagon. Here's my list.

1. I'm really inspired by people who live with painful, noticeable disabilities. They remind me I have nothing to complain about.

2. When I'm running on the treadmill, I fantasize about performing or being serenaded by the music I'm listening to. When I get off the treadmill I fantasize about not being so wiped out.

3. I love red wine from the Barossa valley in Australia. South American wines give me a headache.

4. I'm irrationally protective of the people I love. Especially my younger brother.

5. I was the biggest two-percenter at A&M, I didn't even go to a game until I was in grad school. How ironic that now I love being an Aggie and watching A&M football, and they suck miserably.

6. In a perfect world I'd probably bake all day. And weigh 400 lbs because of it.

7. I'm the jack of all trades and master of none. I really like trying new things but stop when I lose interest or become so good people start noticing. I don't like the pressure of being on top. I love flying under the radar.

8. Even though I'm 27, I still love reading People and US. I read them every time I get pedicures - which I've gotten every month for the past eight years.

9. I have over 60 pairs of shoes. It might be more but I stopped counting a while ago.

10. Mt. Vernon is my most favorite place to visit in the DC area.

11. Cockiness and laziness are my least favorite qualities in a person. I'm really attracted to humility and quiet confidence. People who don't rest on their laurels or talk about their accomplishments are the most interesting to get to know.

12. My perfect vacation is laying on a beautiful beach and no alarm clocks.

13. My hair has always been naturally curly and my eyes have always been blue/green. And Shani isn't short for anything.

14. Anne is such an awesome best friend. She totally keeps me accountable in a loving way. She is probably the most honest person I know and inspires me all the time.

15. I go to www.yahoo.com everyday.

16. My secret shame is Real Housewives of OC. I just can't stop.

17. I like reading books about string theory and quantum mechanics. I balance this with such classics as the Twilight series.

18. Chocolate is my biggest vice - dark chocolate especially; I have it everyday.

19. Rollerblading is my favorite way to exercise.

20. Freebirds rocks, Chipotle sucks.

21. It really irritates me when people use their upbringing as the reason not to succeed. Suck it up. Everybody had a childhood that wasn't so ideal.

22. I have a weakness for musicians and engineers. I'm also really attracted to men who are handy. A guy has got to know how to fix a toilet, right?

23. I get so much out of leading bible study with Rachel. The girls constantly amaze me and it's awesome to see the Lord's work in their lives.

24. My ego is shamefully fed by people telling me I look younger than I am and getting carded for beer. Hey, I'm knocking on 30 so I'll take it!

25. I can't wait for Nats baseball to start again and I'm looking forward to a summer of weeknight games and weekends by the pool!

Dinner Party

2009-01-28T06:20:00.000-08:00

Last Friday Rachel came over and helped me make an amazing dinner for our friends Sarah, Sean, Austin, and Tom. I made pot roast (my Mom's recipe - awesome!) with carrots, green beans, and mashed potatoes. The guys got me a nice cookbook for Christmas so we were determined to make a dessert from the book. Rachel followed the recipe for mocha pecan pie exactly but it never set up right and ended up looking more like chocolate soup.

Thankfully I had a dessert in reserve. It was a recipe I made up out of my love for nutella. If you've never tried nutella, you need to - fast! It can be found in the grocery store next to the peanut butter.

Here's the recipe for Nutella Mousse Cups:

1/2 cup Nutella

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

2 tbs Godiva chocolate liqueur

1 cup whipped cream, whipped

3 tbs powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

12 pre-made (or homemade) chocolate dessert cups

chocolate shavings (opt)

two pints raspberries (opt)

Mix nutella and cheese together until blended. Mix in liqueur. In a separate bowl whip cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until whipped cream stands on its own. Gently fold in nutella cheese mixture until incorporated. Spoon or pipe into the dessert cups. If desired, sprinkle shaved chocolate over the mousse and decorate with raspberries.

It's delicious! One of my friends liked the golden raspberries so much, he ate all the raspberries off two cups and left the chocolate. A girl would never do that ... ;-)

Concert at the National Cathedral

2009-01-20T18:54:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago my friend Tom and I went into DC to see a concert at the National Cathedral. It was a spectacular concert and lots of fun to get dressed up. We also enjoyed walking around the National Gallery of Art and taking some really fun pictures. I can't wait to go explore the museums when the weather is better!

Black Tie and Boots Inaugural Ball

2009-01-20T18:47:00.000-08:00

My friend Regan invited me to the Texas State Society Inaugural Ball last night and it was a blast! There were probably 10,000 Texans packed into this beautiful hotel in DC. Many famous country acts performed and Regan and two-stepped and waltzed the night away. Here are a few pictures from the event.

The Dark Knight Spoof

2009-01-13T08:03:00.000-08:00

This is so hilarious! I had to share it ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2yv8aT0UFc

New Year's Eve 2008

2009-01-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

Me and Sean

Margaret and me

I wanted to post a few pictures from NYE 2008. I spent the evening with the aggies, Rachel, Margaret, and a whole bunch of people I didn't know. They were all super nice,though, and it was fun getting to know some new people here in the DC area.

Me, Tom, and Rachel

Me and Rachel

I bought a really special dress to wear for NYE at Ralph Lauren. I paid way too much for the dress but I guess I was just psyched to find such an awesome dress and shocked even more to discover that some how I am a size 2 at Ralph Lauren?! We'll see how long that lasts ... :-)

2008 Review

2009-01-01T15:48:00.000-08:00

So here we go ... 2009 is now upon us and it's time for me to list my New Year's Resolutions. But first, I thought it would be fun to list my 2008 resolutions and see how I did.

1. Run in the Cherry Blossom 10 mile : I ran the Cherry Blossom in 9 hours 37 minutes, and I also ran the Army 10 mile in 9 hours 38 minutes.
2. Blog at least once a week : I had 50 posts for 08, so pretty close
3. Do my bible study everyday and not all on the day before I meet with my small group : Well, I had good intentions, but I have to confess that I cut it close a couple of nights
4. See some touristy stuff in DC, since I live 12 miles from the Smithsonian : I took many trips into DC this year and I look forward to many more!
5. Stick with my money management plan so I can save some for a rainy day : Definitely paid down a lot of my debt in 08
6. Spend less money at Coach : UMM, really didn't do so well here, seeing as how I am moonlighting at Coach. However, because I have a discount now, I'm really saving money, right?!
7. Learn how to play my guitar : I learned how to play my guitar and even played a song for my Dad when my family visited at Thanksgiving
8. Learn a new song on the piano : This one will have to rollover to 09

So all in all, I think I did a pretty good job in 08. It was fun setting goals and being able to accomplish them. I have a pretty good list for 09, so let's see how far I get on this one.

1. Learn conversational Spanish
2. Take belly dancing lessons
3. See a volcano when I'm in Hawaii in February
4. Run the Cherry Blossom 10 mile in 90 minutes
5. Train for the marine corps marathon and try to run it in October (or at least the half)
6. Visit another country
7. Continue my guitar lessons and learn a new song on the piano
8. Visit Annalise in the summer so she can show me Moab
9. Keep following where the Lord leads me spiritually, emotionally, relationally, geographically ...

So that's the list. 2008 was a great year and the Lord blessed me so much by surrounding me with amazing friends and family. I look forward to 2009 and what comes my way.

Stay tuned!

I'm no Annalise ...

2008-12-24T11:16:00.001-08:00

But every now and then I can fake it! I love to bake, especially at Christmas. I've been baking and cooking up a storm lately for parties and gift giving. Here's what's been going down in my kitchen.

Just a taste (pun intended) of the Christmas baking I've been doing: all manner of cookies, fudge, almond truffles, pumpkin truffles, white chocolate macadamia truffles, nutella truffles, cherry chocolate scones, turkey cheese scrolls, a white chocolate raspberry trifle ... I guess January is going to be the time to get back on the wagon with my diet. :-)

These sugar cookies were awesome!

Super simple, and a great appetizer for parties.

Where my heart will always be. :-)

Nostalgic Music

2008-12-17T09:54:00.000-08:00

At what point in life does some experience go from routine to past?

There are some experiences that remind me so much of home that their very mention takes me back to that time and place. This is especially true when it comes to music.

For example, this past weekend I visited Anne and Brian in MA. We had a great time exploring the cape in the frigged weather (it was 16 degrees with the wind chill) and eating some delicious cupcakes.

What was so special to me, however, was being at the Cheers bar in Boston before I had to leave on my flight Monday afternoon. The theme song, "Where Everybody Knows Your Name", always reminds me of the Thursday nights I would spend at my Mom and Step-Dad's house. Even though I didn't get all the jokes, I knew all the lyrics to that song by the time I was seven years old.

As I've gotten older, I have come to appreciate the little things that take us back to when we were young. Every time I hear Billy Joel, I'll think about my friend, Ben, who always played his songs in high school. The song Dancing Queen always reminds me of Annalise, who sang it in our high school pop show (I think my Dad still has the video). And Bon Jovi's album Crossroads will forever be memorialized as the soundtrack to many drives to Hallettsville, TX to visit my Granny. (My Mom is a huge Bon Jovi fan.)

I wonder if anyone else can relate. What music takes you back?

Thankful

2008-12-05T06:29:00.000-08:00

Last week my parents came in town to visit for Thanksgiving. They brought along my brother, Reid, and it was a blast seeing all of them.

We decided to meet up in DC when they arrived and spent some time on the national mall and inside the Smithsonian. Go to my mom's blog here to see some pictures of us inside the National Art Museum. One little tip, though: if you decide to park on Ohio Ave NE on a regular work day, move your car by 4 PM. They were about to tow my car when we arrived at 4:05. They didn't tow it (thankfully) but I did get a nice little $100 ticket as a parting gift.

The Thanksgiving meal can be a little overwhelming, but with all of us cooking we pulled it off in no time. Including my roommates family, we had eight people surrounding our table. Everyone loved the dinner and we were full for days. During the meal we went around and said what we were thankful for. Everyone was so blessed and thankful for having employment, food on the table, and wonderful friends and family to share it with.

I guess most families watch football after they eat. My family got to have ECGs, blood pressure measurements and card tricks courtesy of me, Adrianne and John. Adrianne is Marie's eldest daughter and just started medical school. She was eager to try out some of the clinical procedures she'd learned and I jumped on the bandwagon with my electrophysiology background. John (Marie's boyfriend) entertained the patients with card tricks. Even though we'd just consumed a huge meal, everyone checked out great!

I look forward to next year's holiday, but I hope Adrianne isn't going to be doing a surgical rotation around that time ...

Delinquency

2008-11-26T07:48:00.000-08:00

It's been three weeks since I blogged.

Three weeks!

I could say I've been working a lot, which would be true. Try fifty hours a week at my day job and 10-20 hours a week at my night job and that adds up to a lot of time.

But, the truth is that I started reading the Twilight series when I was in Utah for Annalise's wedding and I've been obsessed with it ever since. I'm surprised my Mom didn't get any pictures of me reading while we were hiking.

I haven't been this into a book series since, well, I've never been into a book series. When I get home at night, all I want to do is get lost in the world of Edward and Bella.

It is so pathetic. And wonderful.

I finished all four books in a week and then felt a huge void so I started reading the fourth book again, slower, so I can actually get all the little side stories I missed the first time.

Everything culminated last weekend when Rachel and I saw the movie. Now my obsession is complete.

My parents are coming in town today for Thanksgiving so pictures of that are to follow.

And I'm not going to read while they are here. Well, I'm going to try...

Doing My Part ...

2008-11-05T08:10:00.000-08:00

The election is over! I was so sick of all the ads and phone calls that I got to the point where I didn't care who won. This area is so politically charged - go figure, it's DC - and the last two years have been interesting to say the least.

Let me preface this by saying that I worked on the Hill in the spring of 2004 as an intern for a democrat from Texas. Although my time in politics was brief (four months actually), I learned a lot while I was there and I believe I have a unique perspective because I worked in the thick of things for a while.

The most important lesson I took from my time on the Hill was that regardless of party, the congressmen really believe that what they are doing is right for the country and, more importantly, right for their constituency. Having that knowledge completely changed the way I listened and participated in political discussions.

The second lesson I learned was that the media is TOTAL crap. I would watch resolutions debated on the floor of the House of Representatives and watch it later on CNN or Fox News and they would completely slice and dice sound bytes to get the story they wanted. In some cases, what they reported was almost completely fabricated from what was originally intended. I stopped watching political news after I worked on the Hill. If I have a question about a bill, I go to the text of the bill itself and draw my own conclusions. You can find this information at http://thomas.loc.gov/. Also, check out http://www.votesmart.org/index.htm, if you want to know how congressmen really vote on the issues.

I have to say that working on the Hill made me somewhat cynical about politics in general. I don't usually discuss my political leanings with acquaintances and I certainly would not argue at a bar over which party has it right. Life is too short to alienate people from you because you don't agree politically. In the end, the system has corruption and hypocrisy on both sides. But I felt that today, after this historic election, that stating some of my opinions in this venue would be beneficial.

While having people in power who support my beliefs is important to me, being a christian has given me the understanding that I answer to a higher power than the US government. Now, that's not to say that I'm above the law, however, when they conflict, God's law rules my life. In the bible, it says 'give to Caesar what is Caesar's' and 'obey the laws of the land'. As a christian and as a proud American I do this every day. However, I don't think that the government should be used to push forward religious agendas. And while there might be earthly consequences for sinning (i.e. killing someone or stealing), I don't believe that all consequences of sin or "un-christian" morality should come from the government.

For example, I am pro-life. I believe that life begins when conception occurs and it is wrong for someone to take that life away. However, I also believe that the consequences of abortion will be dealt with by God at the second coming so whether or not it is legal doesn't make a lot of difference to me. I mourn for the loss of life and for women who make that decision (because they will truly never be the same) but free will allows them to make that decision anyway. That being said, I do believe that there should be more options and more education for women considering abortion, but that is a topic for another blog.

I feel the same about gay marriage. I think it's wrong and somewhat ironic that homosexuals want to bend to the convention of marriage when their life is very unconventional compared to societal norms. And I know that people who support gay marriage will say that there are lots of happy gay marrieds with great marriages who are great parents and look at all the unhappy heterosexual marrieds who are bad parents but that argument doesn't hold a lot of weight to me. I still think it's wrong because my moral compass - the bible - tells me it is. Using bad examples of married people to support the "for gay marriage" agenda is flimsy to say the least. Yet, again, how would allowing gay people to marry affect my beliefs? How would that change my view of marriage? It wouldn't. Their number will be called on the day of judgement - just like mine.

At the end of the day, my core beliefs are rooted in my faith. I don't have hope in government or society or a good politician who is well-spoken to make my life better. I believe that Jesus is the only one who saves and gives us peace. And I don't think Jesus would picket or be aggressive towards democrats or republicans or independents or martians. He loved people (aka sinners)and built relationships with them that changed their lives forever. That is how real change happens. Not through some government resolution, but one person investing time in another.

As an American, I support President-elect Obama. As a christian, I have faith that God is in control and will lead this nation and my life according to His plan.

Annalise's Wedding

2008-10-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

Annalise with her Dad

Annalise and Steve

The setting was beautiful

Could the weather have been more perfect?!

It was beautiful. The weather was amazing! Steve and Annalise couldn't have made a more perfect couple. The pictures say it all.

Mom and me next to Bridal Veil Falls. She was my date for the wedding!

I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Congrats Annalise! Let's not wait 8 years next time ;-)

My life in license plates

2008-10-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

Virginia DMV has this great program where you can get vanity plates for relatively low cost. Consequently, there are a lot of vanity plates on the road and it's a game of mine to figure out where and how people came up with their particular plate.

Some are easy, like the name of a sports team or the initials of the auto owners. And other people choose phrases; meaningful ones usually but some times I just can't figure out why someone would put "BIG BLR" or "WAS HIS" on their plate.

There are times when I'm mulling over something while I'm driving and I look up and all the sudden I see my answer in a license plate. Case and point: tonight I was thinking about something and I look up and the license plate says "GT OVR IT".

Who knew vanity plates could be so profound?!

Fall is here!

2008-10-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

Today I was "working" in my sun room, which is enclosed with windows - hence the name sun room, and I was completely distracted by how beautiful everything was outside. Every time the wind would blow, it would shake the trees so that it looked like leaves and pine needles were raining from the clouds. It was spectacular! I was so enraptured that I decided to take a break from "work" and capture some of it on my digital camera. What came out doesn't do it justice but at least you get the idea.

Laura and Joe's Wedding

2008-10-14T06:12:00.000-07:00

On October 4th, my dear friend Laura married Joe, her fiance and a dear man. The wedding was in a garden in Maryland and it was beautiful. Laura asked the girls in our small group to sing at her wedding and it went great! It was so nice to share in that day with her. Here are some of the pictures from the wedding.

We love you Laura! I hope you're having a great time in Hawaii with Joe!! :-)

Shenandoah

2008-09-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I decided to brave the terrible weather with some friends and go camping in the mountains. We had been planning the trip for a while and when the weather looked less than favorable, not one of us was deterred since we had been looking forward to camping for so long.

We left on Friday night after work around seven. It had stopped raining here by then so we thought it would be better in the mountains too. Well, it was supposed to take a little over two hours to get to the campsite but it ended up taking almost four because the fog was so bad it was like driving through cotton candy.

I was so frustrated but we finally made it and the guys helped us set up the tent and canopy until it started pouring down rain. I mean, it was so bad it was saturating the ground and everything else. Thankfully, our tent was dry (relatively) on the inside so when the rain subsided Rachel and I laid down for a bit. Then around 4 AM it started storming: lightning, thunder, and HARD rain for about an hour. I would have been more scared if I hadn't had my earplugs in and slept through the majority of the storm.

Saturday morning greeted us with cotton candy fog again but thankfully the rain had stopped. We had a great breakfast of pancakes and campfire cooked bacon (I don't recommend it). we went for a hike and I shot some great waterfall picks before the sky opened up again to pour on us some more.

Saturday night was spent by the campfire smoking the hookah I got last week and playing games. It was dry and awesome and probably my favorite part of the trip. It was great getting to know everyone better.

Sunday was foggy at first and then ... beautiful! Our drive home was amazing; the rain subsided completely and the sun came out and then mountains were gorgeous. Unfortunately I was driving during this time so I didn't get any pictures of it.

The other thing was that I was sick all weekend with a cold that got worse as I got more wet. I finally feel better today and as I reflect on my first camping trip in over ten years I am happy I went. It definitely wasn't ideal camping weather, but everyone made the best of it and in the end we had a great time. Hopefully I'll get more pictures for my next trip and it will be a little more dry.

Frontline Fall Retreat

2008-09-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

As promised, this is my second blog this week - go me!

This past weekend I went with five hundred other Christians to the boonies of Virginia for some fellowship and R & R. It was a great weekend, with lots of great sermons and quiet times with God. I met a lot of new people, including Nadya, who is from from eastern Europe and rode down with us. She is an au pair for a family who goes to my church.

In addition to some great spiritual growth, the retreat offered really cool recreation activities like ropes courses, a zipline, and tons of outdoor sports like beach volleyball and ultimate Frisbee.

I did the ropes course with Noelle (my dear friend from A&M who was in DC for job interviews) and we had a blast! I fell and bruised my arms a little bit but other than that we did pretty good for our first time out there.

It was a great weekend and I can't wait for the spring Frontline retreat.

The End of the Season

2008-09-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this last week but I never got around to it so this week you get two blogs!

I went to my last Nats game last Tuesday with Sean. It was a little sad having to say goodbye to baseball for a year (especially when the Aggies are sucking so bad in football right now) but I look forward to going to even more games next year and maybe buying some Nats gear.

We had a great time at the game, and they won again! We had hot dogs, fries, beer, and the best - funnel cake!

I managed to get more powdered sugar on my shirt than in my belly but it was so much fun. Next time I'll wear funnel-cake-eating appropriate clothes.

The Simple Things

2008-09-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

I've always been moved by nature. Most people are surprised to learn that about me. I really enjoy the outdoors (when I'm dressed for it) and I love a good hike. Speaking of which - the aggies and Rachel and me are going camping in a few weeks to Shenandoah so I should get some good pictures of the leaves changing that weekend.

Last weekend I was outside and this really pretty blue butterfly landed on my hand. I let my dog, Diego, smell it and then he decided it might make a tasty snack. No worries, though, I rescued the butterfly before Diego could eat it up.

That cute little insect stayed on my hand for at least twenty minutes! My roommate snapped this picture of me before it finally decided to fly away.

Oh, I got five inches chopped off my hair last weekend, but you can't really tell. The curse of curly hair ...

Another Nats game

2008-09-03T18:38:00.001-07:00

I'm getting the most out of the $40 pack of tickets I bought at the beginning of the season.

The aggies (Sean, Reagan, and Austin) and Alexis came with me to the Nats game on Saturday night. I honestly don't even remember who they were playing.

It was an incredibly hot night and for some stupid reason I decided to look cute because I'd been living in scrubs for the past week. I wore some nice jeans and this pair of boots I hadn't worn since last winter. I was so hot that I had to take off my shirt and wear the tank top I had on underneath. No worries, guys, it was totally conservative - sorry.

I think I was having a clumsy day. You ever have those? A day where you try but you just keep bumping into everything. I think I have fourteen bruises from last Saturday.

The biggest came when I was bringing my beer back to our seats and I totally ate it coming up the concrete stairs. I mean, I really went down. The only thing I could think of was, "I have to save the beer - it cost $7.50!". I managed to save about $3 of it and in the process spilled most of it on my arm and in my hair. The only silver lining was that I was so hot that it felt good to have something cool on me. Even if it was miller lite.

Back at the seats we enjoyed some good baseball, stadium food and camera time. Alexis and Austin were going crazy with the camera (I think they were a little bored).

Oh, the Nats played the Braves. And they won. Again. I think I bring them luck. :-)

The Nats

2008-08-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm not a huge baseball fan but I LOVE going to baseball games. It's such a summer activity and it gives me an excuse to eat a bunch of really bad food and drink beer.

This summer I bought a pack of tickets so I could go see the Washington Nationals play whenever it worked with my schedule. It's been a little tricky getting people to go out during the week - partly because the stadium is a little far from where I live - but my friend, Jenn, was free and came with me this past Tuesday to watch the Nats take on the Dodgers.

So I'm on the metro on my way to the game and I ended up meeting these two random guys - Sean and Ron. They ended up sitting with us at the game while we downed hamburgers from Five Guys and miller light. It was great! That's one thing about DC that I love: you never know who you're going to meet but it's for sure that you'll have a story to tell about it!

We also met this guy with an owl. And these other guys who were hanging out that the bar and arguing with each other about who was a better player back in the 1940's.

I can't wait for this Saturday, when I go to my next Nats game!

Oh, by the way, the Nats beat the Dodgers 2-1. :-)

The Fair and the Party

2008-08-19T06:05:00.000-07:00

A lot of activities took place this weekend but I'm going to compress it somewhat so that this blog doesn't take up all the space on my page.

First, Alexis and the aggies and I went to the Prince William County Fair on Friday. The forty-five minutes we were there were a lot of fun. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate and it started pouring on us so we decided to come back to my place and watch movies.

Oh, and take my advice - even if you're really hungry, do NOT eat a corn dog and then get on this centrifuge ride called the Gravitron. I seriously thought I was going to hurl.

Saturday was the big day for Rachel, the woman with whom I co-lead my bible study. We had a party/fundraiser for her at my house and it was awesome! Not only did we raise some cash for her, but we had a great time hanging out by the pool and meeting some new people.

It was the third and final party in three weekends that we've had here at the house.

On Sunday I rested.

The Girls

2008-08-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

I know I've mentioned them before, but I haven't really written much the wonderful girls in my small group. I see them every Wednesday night at 7:30 when we laugh and catch up with each other and keep each other accountable and study whatever book we're going through at the time.

The most important and most wonderful aspect of this group is how we minister to each other.

They have been with me through the break ups and the bad days. They have also been there through the excitement of new relationships and promotions. We go through all the hills and valleys together and I can't imagine a greater and more dynamic group of women than these. I hope that I give to them as much as they give to me.

We decided to take a picture of the group a few weeks ago and here it is. I love y'all!

Exploring the Virginia Wine Country

2008-08-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

I am a wine drinker. I prefer reds to whites but occasionally I'll be in the mood for a good pinot grigio or chardonnay. I have always enjoyed getting back to the source; seeing where the wine takes on its flavor and who the people are that make it.

I went to a few vineyards in Texas but I had yet to explore Virginia wine until this past weekend. My dear friend Alexis and I went to the Breaux vineyard with some friends we met at church a few weeks ago.

We had a great time getting to know these guys and learning a little more about what vintages Breaux had to offer. The wine was excellent and I even had a white wine that I really enjoyed. The day was a little hot but breezy and perfect for sitting outside and sipping on a few glasses with some good friends.

Here is a picture of all of us: Alexis, Austin, Reagan, Shani, and Sean.

By the way, these guys are all aggies who just moved to the area after finishing their masters degrees! It's so great to have a little bit of Texas right here in VA.

Road Rage

2008-07-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

Everyone who's ever lived some where with more than one stoplight can relate to a little road rage every now and then. Unfortunately, DC is one of the worst traffic jams in the country (literally - the roads were designed to handle 10% of the current population) and therefore I experience road rage on a daily basis. Add that to the fact that my job is 40% driving (put 27,000 miles on my gas-guzzling SUV last year) and I am in a constant struggle to keep my cool and avoid the speed traps.

Well, the other day, I was coming home from work and a Miata gets right on my bumper. For those of you who don't know, a Miata is a very fruity two-seater Mazda product that can only be appropriate for old ladies to drive to their bridge clubs. And let me just say this, I drive a Mercury Mountaineer. It is a VERY large vehicle, seats 7 and has 8 inches of ground clearance. I could literally crush a Miata with one tire.

The person driving this Miata was not an old lady but a middle-aged man with a bad attitude.

This guy gets on my tail in his Miata, gets frustrated so he goes around me and while doing that gives me a dirty look. I look over and he looks like he definitely puts that car on one leg at a time; I mean, the guy is right up against the steering wheel! He looks like the type who still lives at home with Mom and plays lots of World of Warcraft: think "Comic Book Guy" from the Simpson's.

So then he gets in front of me at the toll booth and guess what - he has a handicapped license plate! I mean, what handicapped person drives a little Miata?!

Well, anyway, at the suggestion of one of my friends, I was told to blog about this incident to help me get over my annoyance at how stupid DC drivers can be. And I know, God loves stupid drivers so I should love them too.

And their Miatas.

Why I love living in Great Falls

2008-07-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken in my driveway looking toward the backyard.

Hard to believe I'm just a short metro ride to Washington, DC. :-)

Plymouth

2008-07-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

My best friend's husband selfishly moved her to Massachusetts about three months ago for a promotion with his job (I know - the nerve!). I have missed her dearly and I was so excited to fly up there this past weekend and spend some time hanging out.

The first day we water skied on her parent's boat, the second day we got pedicures and saw Sex and the City, and the third day we shopped. Par for the course when it comes to Anne and me! By the way, gratuitous cussing and nudity aside, Sex and the City was a pretty good movie.

We had a great time on the lake! I hadn't water skied in 12 years, but I got right back up. It really is like riding a bike.

Anne's parents have this raft thing that you hold on to (for dear life!) and let the boat pull you around the lake. It was awesome and I got some good shots of Brian flying over the wake.

I can't wait to see Anne and Brian again. Hopefully I can come in the fall when all the colors are changing. Or maybe I'll take that beach vacation with her that I've been blogging about for a year ...

Home Depot

2008-07-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

Today I had to go into Home Depot to pick up a giftcard for my roommate. I don't have many occasions to go into Home Depot because I don't own a home, but I used to go there a lot with my Dad so I know my way around.

While I was waiting in line for the self-checkout (which took longer than a regular line) I was thinking about how strangely romantic it was being surrounded by all the tools and equipment. And I was thinking how much I really want to go into Home Depot with a man - a man who knows his way around. And I don't just want to pretend like we're shopping, I want to build something with a man, create something tangible and strong and enduring.

Maybe I'm going way out on a limb here, but I think there is something so sexy about a man who is handy. If you're just getting to know a guy, and you discover that he can't fix a toilet, isn't that a little bit of a let down? It's like finding out he likes to watch Gossip Girl or something. Ok, maybe that's a stretch - but I guess my type is no metro whatsoever.

And OMG I never want to hear the phrase, "I'm in touch with my feminine side", unless he's kidding. I'm from Texas, and real men are masculine. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be?!

Mama Mia!

2008-07-06T06:14:00.001-07:00

My Dad came in town this weekend to keep me company on the 4th and get me out of my mood. It was really awesome having him here. There's nothing like being with your family when you feel lonely. I felt like last week I was emotionally vomiting all over everyone because I was so sad about the break-up and it's been nice to have Dad here to get some perspective. Stu was great - truly. I was blessed to have him for the time I did, but life will go on and I will be with the right person one day.

But enough about that. Dad and I have had a lot of fun this weekend. We haven't done much - mostly because the weather hasn't been great - but we've had a good time catching up and taking it easy.

On Friday, we saw Wanted - not a good movie. The story line was ok and the special effects were good but there were so many f-bombs that it just destroyed whatever dialog might have been important to the plot. That night we came home and watched Ratatouille and it was really good! I was impressed because I'm not a huge fan of Pixar movies, but this one was awesome!!

On Saturday the weather was better so we decided to go into DC and see Mama Mia! at the National Theatre. It was a great show. My Dad knew all the ABBA songs, he said he used to listen to them in these things called records. I'm anxious to see if the movie, which comes out next weekend, lives up to the musical.

Dad leaves today. It's been wonderful having him here and having him remind me of who I am. It's always nice to have people on your team. I can't wait to go home again and be with my family. But maybe I'll wait until the fall when the weather has cooled off a bit - like to 90. :-)

Friends and Family

2008-07-02T04:22:00.000-07:00

I am truly blessed to have the people I do. This break-up has been so hard and I have such great people around me to lift me up and remind me that everything will be ok. My friends have all rallied around me to make sure I'm ok and eating. My parents have been great - my Dad is flying up here this weekend to be with me for the holiday. He knew it would be hard for me to be alone with a lot of free time.
I'm glad that Stu ended things now if he didn't feel like they were going to work out long term but it still hurts and I miss him so much. I miss the way that he looked at me and the way he would lead me into a room. I always felt secure with him and he never made me feel stupid for saying the wrong thing. I have never felt as good in a relationship as I did when I was with him.
Every day it gets a little easier. I didn't wake up crying yesterday which was a real improvement. I have this deep sense of loss - almost like a death - that I'm still working through, but I know that the Lord is carrying me. I know that I will be ok and that in hindsight this will be a good thing.
I have to hope and pray that there is a plan in all this. And I guess the plan right now is for me to be single.

Trouble in paradise

2008-06-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like my life is going to change from now on.

Stu and I broke up on Saturday after dating for six months. There was no fight, no cataclysmic event that ended everything. It just simply didn't work out. In the end, I have nothing bad to say about him. He is a decent and honorable man, which in a way makes it so much harder to move forward. Is there really someone out there who can treat me as well as he did? We never fought, he never raised his voice at me, and he brought peace to my life. But at the same time he was passionate when the occasion called for it and had an adventurous spirit.

I was blessed to have the time I did with him and I will always remember our time together as some of the best moments in my life. I learned how to be pursued by a good Christian man and he has forever raised the bar for future relationships.

Stu is the best man I have ever dated, so I have to believe that the person the Lord has intended for me is that much better. If you are a praying person, please send up prayers on my behalf.

My heart is shattered.

The new addition

2008-06-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

For a few months now Stu has been talking about getting a dog. After several attempts to adopt a pet and countless hours online, he found the right one this past weekend. The story is quite remarkable ...

Stu went to Petsmart last weekend to take a look at some puppies they had up for adoption. He noticed this one female lab/German shepherd mix right away and spent some time playing with her. He liked her a lot but decided to give it a week to make sure she was the right one.

While he was walking around the store, he saw the dog again walking with her foster dad, so he stopped and played with her. He walked around a bit more then walked out to his car and the dog was sitting right next to his car. It turns out that the foster dad had parked right next to Stu! So Stu played with the dog again and then went home.

When he got back to his house, he was opening a package when he accidentally sliced his finger open. While he was waiting for his friend to come pick him up and take him to the hospital to get a few stitches, he saw the dog again ... In another amazing coincidence, Stu found out that the foster dad lives two doors down from him! Needless to say, he decided that this was the dog for him.

She is about 10 weeks old and a black lab/German shepherd mix (we think). She is very sweet and should get to be about 65 lbs. Stu has been great with her and is deciding on a name any day now. My vote is for Sam (short for Samantha). What do you think?

Crabbed Out

2008-06-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are not from the Atlantic coast, crabs are a very big deal here - specifically in Maryland. Since it started to get warm here again, Stu has been talking about getting a bushel of crabs and picking them (where you literally sit in front of a big pile of crabs and "pick" the meat out).

Last week we got crabs here in VA with Stu's buddies to celebrate his 34th birthday. It was a lot of fun! It's kind of like a crawfish boil back home but with less vegetables and more meat. Everyone had a great time and I definitely ate my fill.

My gift to Stu was taking him to Annapolis for the weekend to take it easy and see the sites. And while we were there, we got crabs again! I ate a ton and I have to say that I'm crabbed out for a while.

We also got icecream (twice) and tried to eat it before it melted all over our hands in the 98-degree heat. Here is a picture of us on main street.

What I didn't get on camera was the icecream that was all over Stu's face while he's was chowing down. It's so nice to know that no matter how old you get, you are never too old for a good icecream cone on a hot day. Happy Birthday, babe!

Baseball and summer - they just go together

2008-06-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

I am a fan of baseball. Well, that's overstating. I'm a fan of baseball games. I enjoy the beer, hot dogs and other food you would never admit to eating. And you would never admit to paying as much as you did for it. (A 12oz Miller Light cost $7.50?!) But there is something romantic about being at the game that I just can't resist. So when that first pitch is thrown out on opening day - you can be sure I'll be in the stands for the rest of the summer, soaking up the sun and watching the Washington Nationals suck it (like they did last Friday: 10-1 against SF Giants).

Thankfully, Stu is a fan as well ... here's one from Friday.

The 1st Wedding of the Summer!

2008-06-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday my coworker, Don, and his fiance, Sherri, tied the knot in Tyson's Corner. It was a beautiful wedding at the top of the Tower Club. The view was awesome - looking out over Tyson's and northern VA. The wedding was small (about 40 people), which is great because small weddings are more intimate and you get to know people better.

One thing I learned from this occasion was that Stu and I share the same affliction - chronic lateness. It seems that we are always about 15 minutes behind the rest of the world. It's part of growing up in the South and in Texas (when did anything start on time in Houston?!). But we both agree that it's a good idea to be on time when the ceremony for the 40-guest wedding you're attending is only 25 minutes long and your presence (or absence) is noticed. Thanks to Stu's driving, we were at the wedding right before it began. Hopefully that will be the case for the rest of the weddings this summer...

Here is a picture on the balcony at sunset. I have to say, we make a cute couple! ;-)

My little brother isn't so little anymore ...

2008-05-28T04:43:00.000-07:00

I flew to Houston, Texas over the weekend with Stu to watch my little brother graduate high school. The ceremony was great and I'm so proud of his hard work! He is planning on enlisting in the army at the end of the summer so say a little prayer for him.

It was a wonderful but hot weekend. Stu had a great time meeting my family and they really enjoyed getting to know him better. It was hard to say goodbye but the 92 degree, 98% humid weather helped a little. ;-)

Wilbur

2008-05-22T04:44:00.000-07:00

Imagine walking into your boyfriend's graduation party ... you're excited because he's worked so hard for this, and everyone is there - including his parents, brother, and all his friends who live in the area. And everyone is saying hello and giving him their congratulations, and you look to where everyone is staring ...

Front and center is an entire, 55 lb, pig, spinning around on a metal spit over a pit of coals.

I have to say it was a bit like a train wreck - I just couldn't look away. And I didn't have the reaction I expected either. I thought I would look at it and think, yummy! But instead I was feeling for that animal (nicknamed Wilbur) and thinking about how he died.

I've long since been of the mindset that we were meant to eat meat. I back this up with my degree in genetics. And common sense - look at our teeth, lettuce is not meant to be our primary source of nutrition. Additionally, there are certain proteins our bodies require that we can only get from eating flesh. But I digress.

Being the good Texan omnivore that I am, I've always enjoyed salad and steak. But this past weekend, I felt a little understanding for the vegetarian's plight. It is a little distressing watching the animal you are about to eat roast for ten hours. It makes it very real that something had to die for you to be fed.

All that being said, after my shock wore off, and Wilbur was ready to be eaten, I chowed down. And he was delicious. Definitely worth the effort. Everyone else thought so too - there was very little leftover. However, I didn't take any pictures of the pig on the spit - I thought I'd spare y'all that reaction.

So, I learned that I love meat, but I don't want to be a part of the killing process.

And I'd prefer it to be cut up into small pieces before I eat it. Like, I don't want to say to myself, "Wow Wilbur's hind quarter is really tasty!".

Stu's graduation party was a blast, and the ceremony was great too. Here is a picture of us next to his project.

Basilica

2008-05-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time I was a singer. That is, I sang in choir and took voice lessons for many years. I had the privilege of being a part of a high school choir that was very good and won multiple awards. It was a lot of fun and I miss all my choir friends from ten years ago. Shout out to Annalise ;-)

Last fall I decided to start singing again in the choir at my church. Again, there are amazing singers in the choir and it has been so much fun being a part of such a talented body of people.

This week we performed at the Basilica in Washington, DC. It was a great time, and singing with the orchestra was a whole new experience for me. Not to mention, the Basilica is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever visited.

Stu and my roommate/landlord Marie came to watch me perform. We almost didn't make it because of crazy DC traffic but Stu saved the day with his speed racer driving and I got there just in time to get onstage. I'm so glad they came and it was a great night.

Stu's Thesis

2008-05-09T04:46:00.000-07:00

You might have noticed that Stu has been MIA from my blog lately. Not to worry - there's no trouble in paradise - he's been working very hard on his master's thesis in architecture so we haven't been able to see each other as much.

Stu has been working on his masters for two years and specifically his thesis for more than a year. His design takes Tyson's Corner and reworks the roads and landscape to create a city center with a dome and mixed use properties. It's centered around the idea of the metro line being extended through Tyson's and out to Dulles airport. It is a great design and very impressive.

I'm very happy to say that Stu defended his thesis on Wednesday and it went great! His committee members liked his idea and how he executed his project. They had lots of great compliments and said his project might receive honors at graduation!

I was fortunate enough to be able to take the day off from work to watch Stu's defense. His parents drove up from South Carolina to attend as well and afterwards we all went out to lunch. It was great meeting them and getting to know them better.

I look forward to Stu's graduation next weekend and the subsequent "pig roast" party (they are literally roasting HALF a pig!). I can't wait to post those pictures!

Anne visits!

2008-05-06T04:49:00.000-07:00

My best friend Anne and her husband Brian recently moved to Massachusetts. They left right after my birthday in April. Thankfully, Anne has a lot of family and friends in this area so she has lots of reasons to come back and visit.

Her brother and sister-in-law are expecting their first child and Anne was back this weekend for one of the baby showers. While she was in town I got to see her and catch up with her. Even though we talk almost everyday, it just isn't the same as getting together. We went went out to dinner after church and got margaritas and got caught up on everything. It was so great seeing her and I can't wait to visit them this summer in their new house!

I also went to the Reston Pet Fiesta this weekend with my friend, Molly, who also has a miniature schnauzer. Diego was totally wigged out by all the animals so we only stayed for an hour or so. I snapped this shot of him on the way home. He was so hot and tired! As soon as we got home he laid down in the shade in the backyard and took a nap.

I laid out by the pool for a few hours Saturday. It was so nice to just lay there, listen to my iPod, and not think about anything. I look forward to a lot of that this summer!

Foxfield

2008-04-30T04:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure of driving down to Charlottesville, Virginia with some of my girlfriends to attend the Foxfield horse races. I was thinking that it would be very Kentucky Derby with sundresses and mint julips.

Well, everyone was dressed nice, but it was more frat party than anything. I have never seen so many intoxicated people! The group I came with was pretty tame, though, and we had a great time.

Even when it started to pour down rain the last hour, we just hopped in my SUV and made the best of it. It was great to get away for the weekend.

A day in the life

2008-04-29T04:41:00.000-07:00

A little blog about how lazy and impatient I've become in this automated world.

I walk out to my car every morning in just about the same way. I'm usually carrying way too much stuff but I hate making two trips so I deal with it. I reach for my keyless entry (which is always at the bottom of my purse) and try to unlock everything before I drop something important and probably breakable. Once in my car, I turn on the radio with the steering wheel controls (where I can also adjust the AC and cruise control), put in my hands-free ear piece for my blackberry and I'm off to work.

Once I get to the hospital, I park my car in the garage and go inside through the automatic doors. They almost don't open because I walk too fast for the sensor. I always hesitate a minute to make sure they are indeed open so I don't smack myself in the face (I'm not going to say if that has ever happened before). Then I have to wait (way too long!) for one of the two very slow elevators to go up to, yes, the second floor. I'm on the first.

At some point in the day I use the restroom. And yes, they are automatic toilets with automatic flushing and automatic sinks and hand dryers. If the door to the restroom was on a sensor, you could get in and out without touching anything! In an OCD person's perfect world ...

Some times I think I should go out to the mountains for a few days like that kid in "Into The Wild" and learn to live without anything modern. I think it would be eye-opening for me to see how we could survive without all these conveniences.

Then again, he died at the end of that movie.

I'll stick with being lazy and impatient.

Happy Birthday to ME

2008-04-17T04:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Saturday actually, I turned the ripe old age of 27. It's strange to me and even as I type this I can't believe how fast the years have gone by. I feel like just yesterday I was hanging out in the choir room with Annalise talking about how excited we were to be in senior musical and how we couldn't wait to graduate.

That was eight years ago ...

It's fun to look back some times and see how things have changed. I went off to college and then moved 1400 miles away from everything I knew. Annalise moved right after graduation and now lives in Utah. She just started cooking school. I haven't seen her since the year 2000, but one of these days we'll hang out. And maybe she'll cook me dinner. :-)

My party last weekend was a blast! I had about 30 of my friends come over to the house to hang out and celebrate with me. The attire was 1940's style it was great to see people get into it. We even had one guy in a zoot suit!

Stu got a cookie monster pinata. I tried to break it but couldn't so he had to step in. Now the cookie monster is headless and sitting in my foyer - it's a little morbid. It was a great time.

I have to admit that I was feeling a little down about being 3 years away from 20-10 but Stu said I had nothing to worry about. It helps that he'll be turning 34 in a couple of months. It makes me feel young.

So here's to another year gone by ... I'm so happy to be 27 and not 17. Every year gets better and better and I can't wait to see how this year turns out.

Run, Shani, Run!

2008-04-07T05:00:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I ran in the annual Cherry Blossom 10-mile Race. It was a beautiful course through Washington, DC along streets lined with cherry trees in full bloom. There were about 10,000 runners and a ton of spectators who came out for the event.

I had my own little cheering section - Anne and Stu got up at 5:30 to metro into DC with me and watch me run. The race started at around 8 AM and I finished around 9:40 AM. My official time was 1 hour 37 mins giving me a pace of 9 mins 44 seconds. Not bad for my first race!

The weather that morning was about fifty degrees with light rain. I thought it would be hard for me to run in the temperature (I trained mostly on a treadmill indoors) but the weather didn't slow me down. The hardest part about the race was finding a little space to run. Because there were so many runners, there was a lot of moving around to find the right position and not bump into anyone. Miles 5 and 6 were probably my hardest, but I didn't stop (wahoo!) and Anne and Stu were at the end to snap a few pictures.

To celebrate the day, Anne and Brian and Stu took me to get pancakes. They were awesome! The perfect indulgence after running so far.

I think I will run again - perhaps a half marathon. But I'm not going to think about that for a few weeks. My knees need a break!

TGIF!!

2008-03-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

After another long week at work, I decided I needed a night to go out and have fun with friends. I have't been into the bar/club scene since grad school but every now and then it appeals to my mood.

Last night Stu and I went to this bar in Arlington called Clarendon Ballroom. I used to go there a lot when I interned on the hill. It's a fun place to dance and chill out. My only complaint was that I got there at 8:30 - pretty early for a club - and they charged me cover! Now, granted it was on $5, but still ... Women should never have to pay cover! (sorry, guys)

Anyway, once we were done there we grabbed a burger at Hard Times (very good) and then went to Liberty bar. It was great! Stu has so many friends up here that he has known since high school and it's so much fun to get to know them better. We hung out until 1 am ... I was so tired. I don't know how I used to stay up all night and then work the next day. I guess I'm getting old.

We haven't taken many pictures together, Stu and me that is, so I had one of his friends snap a few when we were at Liberty. We had a couple of beers in us by this time ... ;-)

I know, I know ...

2008-03-25T08:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's been more than a week since my last post, but I have a good reason! I sing in choir and on praise team at my church and we had FIVE services to perform at for Easter this past weekend. Not only was I living on the risers Saturday and Sunday, but I also had four hours of practice on Friday night! Add boyfriend time, best friend is moving in three weeks time, and work time - I had no time left for blogging.

I survived the weekend and the services were great at church. I'm singing this weekend on praise team, which I'm so excited about! It's just me and the worship leader (usually there are 3 or 4 people on stage) so I'm a little nervous too. I've never sung in front of two thousand people before. If you are interested - you can watch online at 9 AM and 10:45 AM EST. Here is the link http://www.mcleanbible.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=17257.

On a positive note, I had my first guitar lesson with my dear friend Alexis a couple of weeks ago. I've been practicing when I can and building up my fingers. I learned A, G, E, and D. Wahoo!

I'm such a poser.

More to come when I find time ... does anyone have any extra I can borrow?!

Washington DC

2008-03-12T04:16:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned before, I live about 12-15 miles from DC. Actually, that is a little misleading. It takes about 30-45 minutes to get into the city depending on what time of day you decide to go. If you metro (our version of the subway) it takes about 30 minutes as well.

I've been learning more about the metro again since I started seeing Stu. He likes to take me into the city and explore whatever new exhibit is available. It's been great for me to get more familiar with what DC has to offer.

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian to see the 3-D U2 Imax they were showing there. We got there early with the intention of walking around the museum before the show. Unfortunately, the museums close at 5:30 on Saturdays so we only had about 15 minutes before we had to leave. We walked from the Smithsonian to the Capitol South metro across from the House office buildings. It's about 3 metro stops (Stu was a little winded).

We ate dinner at a surprisingly good mexican food place called Tortilla Coast. Stu and I both spent time working on the Hill and that was one of the restaurants government workers used to frequent. It was great to think about all my crazy times as an intern. I can't believe that was four years ago!

We metro-ed back to the U2 show (at Stu's request) around 9pm. It was a great show! Worth the money if you like U2.

I took some pictures of the mall at sunset. Here they are: