2011 Recap

Wow, what a year! I hope you all are having such a wonderful New Year's Eve celebration. I'm not going to lie, I am pretty happy to see this year go. It was crazy, beautiful, stressful and oh so lovely.

The year started off in Austin, and me seeing Zach's new home for the very first time. We celebrated with his sisters and the boys, and in general I was very overwhelmed by the whole Austin experience.

In April I had one of the most eventful 3 days of the whole year. I packed up my lovely apartment in the sky, moved back to my parents house, and tried to travel to St. Louis for Paige's bachelorette party. A freak tornado through the St. Louis Airport ruined my plans though and I spent the night in Detroit instead. Major fail. That Monday I went to Georgetown Hospital and had my thyroid and parathyroid removed. Hello new scar.

July Zach and I had a great little road trip to Lexington, KY to see Jack and Paige get married. Yay!!

In August I walked into work one day and walked out 4 hours later with out a job. I officially felt what this whole recession thing was for the first time. A week later I threw my sister and future brother-in-law a kick-ass engagement party. Too bad I don't have an MBA to start a party planning company. A week after later I met Zach in Florida, in a terribly depressed mood, and left engaged!!! I know I'm biased, but it was a one of a kind proposal!

September we celebrated the future marriage and future baby of Zach's sisters. So many things to celebrate :)

In October the Rangers headed to the World Series for the second time in two years! A rare benefit of unemployment I was there to take in all the Texas games. Not wanting to miss any of the action, my nephew James came into this world on the off day to witness the last two games.

And December marked the end of over a year of long distance!!

Hopefully 2012 will bring a new job. Cross your fingers please. I am so excited to marry my best friend and witness the marriage of so many wonderful couples. I'm drinking a glass of prossecco for you all. Cheers!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone. I'm about to head over to my parents to celebrate Christmas Eve/Christmas morning with the fam and then Zach and I are off to Texas for Christmas evening. I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful holiday filled with lots of time with the people you love!

Miracle of 34th Street

Last night Zach took me on a surprise date night. We drove to Little Italy in Baltimore and ate at Amicchi's. It is a great little restaurant that my sister actually worked at in college. I felt adventurous and ordered one of the best dishes I have ever ordered out at restaurant. It was called Chicken Dolores - breaded chicken topped with tomatoes, spinach and prosciutto. I mean YUM!! We shared a pitcher of Sangria, and just had a delightful night.

After dinner we drove to the Miracle on 34th Street. 34th Street in Baltimore goes ALL OUT for Christmas. I think its required on your lease you have to participate. People come to walk up and down the street, taking in the decorations. The houses are covered in lights and blow ups and Christmas figurines. I hope this gets you in the spirit!

Wedding Wednesday (on a Thursday) - Vendors

Okay okay I am late again I know. Zach's boss has been nice enough to give me some design work, so yesterday I got caught up in that.

As mentioned in an earlier post, now that Zach is back we can move forward with some wedding planning. Monday we met with Anthony from My Deejay. My sister is using the same company for her wedding and they got amazing reviews on Wedding Wire. Anthony said is style is to motivate the party with out being the center of attention. He seems like a great guy and hopefully he can keep our guests dancing the entire time. Knowing our families though, it won't be that hard. Song requests anyone?

Tuesday we met with George Street Photography. Once again my sister is also using this vendor. As photography goes, I found several ones that I absolutely fell head over heels in love with. However they were close to $5,000 - $6,000! People say splurge on the important elements of your wedding, but even I can't justify that cost. George Street was the most reasonable cost of all the photographers I found, and they had some really good shots. The representative showed Zach and I a portfolio of one of their photographers that matched our style and we really liked it. I'm confident he will do a great job for us! I'm not sure if I am allowed to share this link, but here is his portfolio haha!!

Interviewing ... a lot like Dating

In this whole process of unemployment I have been fortunate to have a good number of interviews. The interviewing process takes a lot out of you and it finally dawned one me ... an interview is a lot like a first date!

Before the interview you have a lot of nerves. You want to make sure you are looking your best. In this case you put on that good looking suit that you never ever where on a normal work day.

Much like a date you are constantly thinking what the interviewer "date" thinks of you. Are they liking what they are saying? Do they find you attractive? There is lots of nervous laughter.

After a good interview, just like a good date, you wonder - did they like me? Will they call me again? Is there a future here? After a bad date there is the usual urge to go for the closest cookie or order a round of beers.

And like the dating scene, at least for me, there is always the wonder - when will this whole process be over? When will I find the one?

Santa didn't get me a job for Christmas, but he did get me a third round of interviews with a law firm in D.C. Hopefully I'll be off the market soon!

Things that make me happy ...

1. I spent Friday evening with some old friends from high school. One of the girls is my friend going through treatment for breast cancer and its kinda crazy how much of a bad ass she is. She is kicking cancer's ass with power and grace.

2. With last weekend being so crazy Zach and I officially celebrated his return with a date night in D.C. We went to yummy Lauriol Plaza (of course) and then cruised around Georgetown for a bit. So excited we can do this more than once a month now!

3. Sunday after church we went to Eastern Market. I was drooling over this jewelry stand when I went the other week with Shelby and decided to treat myself to an early Christmas present. Don't you just love??

4. I got the mail today and received this ornament from Zach's cousin. Thanks Maggie ... I love it!!

5. I heard back from one of the interviews I went on last week. They will be doing a second round of interviews the first or second week of January. Yay for not being ruled out yet.

6. I FINALLY get to meet this little man on Sunday.

7. Zach and I are meeting with a potential D.J. and photographer this week. Yay for getting things checked off the planning list!

Presenting this years Christmas card ...

Sometime over the cruise I found out Zach is not opposed to photo Christmas cards. I took this information and really geeked out, making a pretty snazzy card this year. I'm sorry, I'm kind of in love with it. Merry Christmas!!

Army Navy

Saturday the whole fam went to the Army Navy game. My dad went to West Point, and this is basically the only high point in his year. It took on a whole new level of importance when Janet got engaged to a Naval Academy man. Too bad Army never wins!!

Normally the game is held in Philadelphia, but this year it was at Redskins stadium. This was the first major family event that Zach has been to this year (yay!) and Michael's super cute Brooklyn girlfriend was down for the weekend as well. Mitch's family joined the tailgate, so we had a real crowd.

Army and Navy are not known for their football programs, but this year the game was actually pretty exciting. It definitely made the time go by quicker (I am more of a fan of the tailgate, then the game - blame Elon).

Below is a pic of my brother and his gf being super cute at the game. Awww.

A New Home

Zach's pretty much all settled in at his new place. I made it a priority to get the Christmas decorations up ASAP. Hope everyone's enjoying the season!

Long Distance Over!

Zach is about two hours away from parking his truck on my parents street and officially bringing 1 year, 2 weeks and 2 days of long distance to close. It seems so unreal that we are going to be able to see each other every day now. It has be an insanely hard year and I have a lot of thanks to you, my friends, for being a wonderful source of support. I am so incredibly happy.

Riley is ready to get out of the truck!

Hot Chocolate 5k

Saturday morning my Elon girls and I woke up bright and early and completed the Hot Chocolate 5k. The whole thing was sort of a hot mess. Traffic was crazy, parking was unorganized, the race started extremely late, and the runners were directed the wrong way on they course. I can't complain too much though, because the chocolate dipping tray at the end of the race was amazing.

Sam thanks for hanging in there with me!!

To read more about the craziness of race day click here.

National Harbor

Thursday I switched up my routine and headed to National Harbor to volunteer at the Hot Chocolate 5k racing expo. My ladies and I are running the race on Saturday, and I thought it would be a good activity to get me out of the house for a couple hours. Plus, I got this nifty long sleeve tee (see blurry picture below).

National Harbor is kind of out there when you are thinking about people traveling on a work day. So I didn't know what to expect for people who would be showing up. I saw a lot of moms and older people that I guess have more freedom to leave their work day at their leisure. Unfortunately I didn't see too many characters. However 22,000 people will be racing on Saturday so I am sure there will be some interesting people watching on race day.

When I got back from volunteering I had my second phone interview of the week. Maybe Santa will get me a job for Christmas?? Please :)

Costa Maya Mexico

Hello everyone! I hope you all eased back into work with out too much pain. Going through a weeks worth of job reports, I applied to 8 jobs today, so hopefully there will be some news this holiday season.

Over Thanksgiving week I went on a cruise with Zach and the entire side of his Dad's family to celebrate his grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary. Truly a wonderful thing, I couldn't love Maw Maw and Pop more if I tried. They are a great couple, and they started an even better family!

The cruise was great. It was 5 days setting sail from Tampa, stopping at Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico. Months leading up to the cruise I started looking at the excursions they had to offer. While I really wanted to go see the Mayan ruins (yes, I'm a geek who loves history), I knew I had to pick a more group friendly adventure if I wanted Zach to join in. I wandered over to zip lining and everyone was in aggreeance that it would be a great time.

What was I thinking??? I am not adventurous! I do not take risks!! lol. Our group landed in Costa Maya and hopped on a bus to take us to the jungle. I was holding it together pretty well, all the way through the gearing up processes, and standing in line waiting our turn. It wasn't until Zach and I were harnessed in and lifted 5 feet off the air that the sheer panic set it. We had 93 more feet to go and I started screaming (poor Zach!). When we finally reached our platform I was certain that I would not be able to go through with it. But alas, there were no ladder down, so I had to do the damn thing. I got hooked up, sat down, and was pushed along my way.

The actual zip lining was fun for the first 60 seconds. It was a very cool feeling, but then I just imagined the rope snapping, and my fun went out the window. We had four zips, and the last one took you over a breath taking lagoon. It was a pretty cool sight. I'm proud I did it, but I have come to terms that I am just not going to be cut out for the Amazing Race. Too much risk for me.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Cake Batter Rice Krispy Treats

After joining Pintrest last week I slowly started exploring the site. I stumbled upon this deliciousness and decided to try it out. Its a fun twist on the standard rice krispy treat, and a great treat to bring to parties or group gatherings!

Cake Batter Rice Krispy Treats

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 (10 oz.) bag of mini-marshmallows
• 1/4 cup yellow cake mix (the dry cake mix, not prepared into a batter!)
• 6 cups crispy rice cereal
• 1 (1.75 oz.) container of sprinkles

Method:

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and add marshmallows. Stir until they begin to melt, adding in (dry) cake mix one spoonful at a time so its combined. Stir in cereal so it is completely coated with marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix. Press into a baking dish (any size will do) and top with remaining sprinkles. Let sit for about 30 minutes before cutting. I find spraying a knife with nonstick spray helps to cut them.

The Hunger Games

I needed to download some new books to my Kindle for the cruise next week (yes, I am going on a cruise, yes I feel like a bum), so I decided to check out the latest book craze - The Hunger Games. I don't know too much about it, just that a lot of people are obsessed. I'll let you know what I think.

Me This Week

On another note - thanks to all those veterans out there. Happy 11/11/11!

Unemployment Update

Well I am about a week away from hitting the two-month mark of searching for jobs in D.C. I have been very lucky with getting interviews, but I am not going to lie, it's a stressful process. This week could possibly be a very good week in my job search, or another blow :/

Tomorrow I have a second interview with an association I interviewed with last Tuesday. I will also have a first interview with a staffing agency for a Marketing Coordinator position at a D.C. law firm. By Tuesday at noon I have to turn in a press release for a company that I interviewed with last Thursday. They want to make a decision on who to hire by Wednesday.

Cross your fingers people. I need all the good ju-ju I can get!

Week with the Fiancee

Well the Rangers lost :( But with the end of the World Series, I got to see Zach again! He flew in from St. Louis and we spent a great week together. My family had not seen him since February, so they were just as glad to see him as I was.

Saturday night my brother also had his girlfriend in town and all nine of us headed to Tio Pepes in Baltimore to officially celebrate Zach and I's engagement. Tio's is this Spanish restaurant that my parents used to celebrate every wedding anniversary at. The restaurant is made up of several small rooms, so the nine of us had a little privacy. This is nice, as we are sometimes loud and inappropriate.

Monday Zach met with his boss and got caught up on some of the things he will be working on when he starts back up in December. It seems like a great fit and we are both really excited for him to start. Wednesday we found him an apartment, and I am already planning on how I can decorate it for Christmas.

Thursday my sister's fiancee gave Zach and I a tour of the Pentagon. You can't actually take any pictures inside, but it was a very cool tour. The Pentagon has grocery stores, a DMV, banks, even a Best Buy inside its core. The outer windows are tinted green (they are bullet and bomb proof). Evidently we passed the #1 person in charge of the entire United States Navy. Big deal.

Friday I dropped Zach off at the airport. We are almost one month away from officially ending long distance. Woo hoo!!

World Series!

As I write this we are less than two hours away from the first pitch of Game 7 of the World Series. The first Game 7 played since 2001 or something ... I can't find the stat anymore. What a series it has been! I seriously can't handle the stress!!

Game 1 started last week in St. Louis. It was a close game but in the end the Cardinals pulled away 3-2. It looked like Game 2 was going to be a repeat of last years 0-2 start for the Rangers, but after a crazy 9th inning the Rangers came from behind and won the game 2-1.

Friday I flew down to Dallas. The World Series was exciting, but honestly I was more excited to see Zach. Five weeks apart is simply unacceptable!! Friday night we join his sister and her fiancee for the World Series Gala at the Fort Worth Zoo. It was an event for family, media and employees, and boy did they but on a show! There were multiple buffets with delicious food, animals on display, and plenty of music. The attire was jeans and boots but I was feeling sassy and sported this little number from H&M. $35! I had to do it.

Saturday we picked up Zach's grandparents and took a spin on their parents' boat before the game. Not too shabby ;) However our good moods were pretty quickly squashed when we had to endure Game 3. A 16-7 debacle was simply demoralizing!! Not only did the Rangers lose, but they game was over four hours long. Brutal!

Game 4 put us in much better spirits. The Rangers won 4-0 and the stadium was going crazy!! After the game we got to go into a World Series reception and caught up with Zach's sister's future in-laws. They are some of the nicest people you have ever met. So Teaxs ... I love them!! We were leaving the reception and got to take a little stroll out of the field. I don't mean to brag, but it was pretty special. A friend of the GM decided he could throw from home plate to second base, and Zach's grandfather charged the field ("We'll someone had to catch for him!" he said). Love that man.

Game 5 put the Rangers up in the series 3-2. I flew back to Maryland on Tuesday morning and Zach's family flew to St. Louis.

On Wednesday the game was postponed due to inclement weather, but the day was still full of action. I became an aunt when Zach's sister gave birth to James David!!! What a sweetheart.

Last night for Game 6 it was looking like a victory. The Texas Rangers' family were escorted down below in the 8th inning to go on to the field when they clinched. But the Cardinals were not having it. In a back and forth match the Cardinals won in the 11th inning. Heartbreak!!! Even if you hate watching baseball you would have gotten jacked up by watching that game. It was so intense!!

So now we are here just before Game 7. I really hope the Rangers can pull it out. Go team go!!

Amarillo, TX

Last night, around 9:00 p.m. in Amarillo, TX, my nephew, James David Hurt, came into this world. Knowing he was coming into a baseball family, I guess the little guy wanted to be present for the end of the World Series.

I know I am biased, but he is just the cutest thing you have ever seen!! I am so excited to be an aunt, and it is just breaking my heart that I won't get to see the little man up close and personal until Christmas.

Welcome to the world J.D.!! We love you!

North Carolina

Last week I spent the majority of my time in the great state of North Carolina. Looking to get away from the house for a bit I drove down two Sundays ago to stay with my cousin Maggie and her husband George. Even though they live in a crazy little suburb in between Greensboro and Chapel Hill, I really, really love their house. We hung out, drank lots of Red Velvet wine (yum) and watched the Kardashian wedding extravaganza.

Monday I drove over to my lovely Alma matter and got a top of the line tour from the one and only Erin. So many things have changed there! I saw her really impressive office overlooking the football fields, then we walked to the new Greek courts, saw the completed business school/dorm complex on the old intramural fields, passed my old home-away-from home, McEwen, and ended up at our new two story bookstore next to Acorn. We rode on Alamance County's first ever escalator. It was impressive. Good job Elon.

Tuesday morning I headed back to the real world for a couple interviews. As I am writing this now I am not too positive any of those are going to pan out, but wouldn't it be lovely if they did? Cross your fingers folks!!

Thursday night my mom and I headed through tornado warnings and massive D.C. traffic to get back to cousin's. On Friday after we collected Maggie we drove down to Wrightsville Beach to celebrate one of my other 30+ cousins' marriage. Joe and his wife Kathryn got married on the lawn of a beach front hotel in Wrightsville. They were absolutely glowing ... so in love. I hardly know them but I was tearing up at the ceremony. Don't you just love love? My family and I rented a house for the weekend where I think we had 19 people sleeping there? It was sort of fabulous.

Sunday morning the fun had to come to an end and my mom and I drove back to Maryland. Thank you North Carolina for treating us so well. Can't wait to see you soon.

Man I love this city ...

I had a lot of appointments and an interview in the city today. There was some down time in between each appointment so I had the chance to walk around a bit.

Really glad I'm not leaving the area :)

Wedding Wednesday - Veils

One of the big drawl backs of weddings is how darn expensive they are. I mean it's crazy! One of the most insane price items are veils. Let's be honest people. A veil is a piece of mesh will some lace or bling on it. It's not fricken cashmere ... I don't get it.

After our Bellini's Sam and I headed over to Priscilla's of Boston to see if I could get a good deal on one of those suckers. Priscilla's is going out of business. Everything was 5o% off and I thought, hey, this could be good. Hahaha, boy were we fooled.

I picked out a handful of veils and started to do some modeling. I'm not going to lie, I did tear up when I put on the first one. I am definitely going to be a veil kinda bride. The second one I tried on Sam quickly ripped off my large noggin. "This veil costs as much as your wedding dress ... you will not be buying this veil." I tried on a couple more but was not quite in love with anything. Even with the 50% discount the veils were still more than I wanted to commit to if I was not in love. The search shall go on!

Here is a pick of me modeling. Don't worry - this is not my veil or my dress!

Bellinis

Saturday morning I picked up my friend Sam and we headed over to Virginia to meet my Big for brunch. Our brunch location was Whitlows on Wilson. Its been one of my favorite dive bars since moving to Virginia, but never actually been there before 5:00 p.m. Feeling festive Sam and I ordered Bellini's to go with our breakfast. I knew a Bellini involved champagne, but at a loss for what else was involved. Its pretty simple, champagne and peach schnapps. Simple - but delicious!! As Sam said, its like drinking candy! If any one is having a festive morning ahead of them and whats to branch out from the standard mimosa, I would highly recommend it. Cheers!

Post Season Baseball

It won't be October till tomorrow but we have already made it to play-off baseball. The Rangers have made it to the ALDS for the second year in a row. They are currently losing (badly) so I hope they turn it around quick. Hopefully it is a long, long October. Go Rangers!!

Bridesmaids!

I am very excited to say that I officially have all my bridesmaids. I am very lucky to have seven amazing ladies stand by my side as I start with my forever with Zach: my maid of honor sister, Zach's two sisters, my two cousins from North Carolina, my sorority sister Shelby and my birthday buddy/childhood friend L.B.

I know bridesmaids have to go through so much when preparing for a wedding, so I really want to make sure my ladies know that they are extremely appreciated. I found these super cute cards on Etsy to officially ask everyone. I followed up with a gift, but I can not share with you yet ... the North Carolina girls haven't received theirs yet. I think they went over really well though!

The girls have already proven to be extremely helpful. Check out this dress suggestion BM lucky #7 picked out. I can't wait to celebrate with them and the rest of all the important people in my life.

Meet Ups

The past two weeks I have been really lucky and been able to meet up with a lot of great people. It kicked off two weeks ago when Cheers to the Tiny Things E came to D.C. with a bunch of her sorority sisters. We have gone from not seeing each other more than once in a year to seeing each other 4 times so far this year and I am really excited about it.

Last week I went to Baltimore for the evening and got to see a bunch of my favorite ladies. I met up with two of my girls from high school. We caught up over Coronas at the Inner Harbor. After happy hour I walked over to the Pratt Street Ale House, an enjoyable little Baltimore pub, and had dinner with a group of Elon girls. Shelby was working a conference in Baltimore and the other girls live in Baltimore that we really don't see nearly as much as we should.

Yesterday I was in the city all day so I texted my old co-worker Meghan. Since I am going to be staying in D.C. I thought I should advertise that to my old colleagues, and I really did miss her. We dined on Shake Shack and she shared all the good company gossip. It was a thoroughly good afternoon.

The good times keep on rolling with two more sorority sisters coming into town this weekend. Yay!

Bye Bye Virgina

Today I came to grips with reality and officially became a Maryland resident again. With Zach's job in Columbia, it doesn't really make any sense for us to moving back to Virginia, so while I am still not working I wanted to take advantage of the free time and go to the MVA. 45 minutes and one completely heinous license picture, I am now a Maryland resident.

I moved to Virgina a month after college and it was one of the best decisions I have made in my young life. Growing up in Maryland I was close to D.C. but never really took advantage of what it had to offer. Moving to Virginia I was so much closer to the city, and had the best time experiencing everything it had to offer. Virgina ... I will miss you.

Wedding Wednesday (on a Thursday)

Well I meant to write this yesterday, but I got tied up. With a one day delay here is our first Wedding Wednesday! We are still waiting for a contract to be signed, but I think we are all set for our church and our venue!

Since we began dating Zach and I went to church at Holy Trinity in Georgetown. We knew for awhile that is where we would want to get married. The church is in the middle of a gorgeous Georgetown neighborhood, very close to the campus. So that was an easy decision, all we needed was a date.

When I started looking for a venue I wanted to be as close to the church as possible so it was a big pain for our guests to get from point A to B. Unfortunately, Georgetown is also a very expensive neighborhood, so I knew we had to branch out our search a bit. Looking on weddingwire.com I found the perfect place ... the George Washington Masonic Memorial. It is a beautiful building that sits on top of a hill over looking Old Town Alexandria. It is within walking distance to the metro, hotels, restaurants and shopping, and is not too far away from the city. I was nervous that I built the venue up to much, but when I went to visit it last week I knew it was going to be perfect. It is a very beautiful space, and very D.C. Just what Zach and I are looking for!

November 2012 here we come :)

Unemployment Update

Sorry for my absence ... its been a crazy few weeks. I got back from Texas last week with some exciting new developments. Zach received a pretty great offer to start working in Maryland again and we are almost certain that he will accept it and come back!!! That is great for so many reasons. Our long distance relationship could become a no distance relationship as quickly as December 1, and I can now start looking for jobs in D.C. and Baltimore!

So that has been what I have been up to. I've met with a couple recruitment agencies, and have been applying for positions in D.C. and Baltimore. Hopefully it won't be too long until something comes up and I am back in the working world again. Keep your fingers crossed, and your ears open!

Texas Showers

To cap off my time in Texas, Zach and I drove over to Dallas to visit his family and celebrate his sisters. His younger sister Becky is getting married this May and his youngest sister Rachel is having a baby boy this October! Since the majority of his extended family is on the east coast it was decided we would double up on the showers so everyone could be there to share in the fun. I hadn't had the chance to see any of Zach's family since the beginning of the year, so I was so excited to see everyone again.

We started off Saturday morning with a baby shower for Rachel. She is possibly the cutest little pregnant girl you have ever seen. I mean, get out of here with your cuteness girl. My major project for this shower was the Onsie Decorating Contest. For the past couple months I have been collecting blank onsies, stencils, paint, fabric pens, etc. We set up a table and every woman at the shower had the chance to decorate one. Rachel definitely won't have to do laundry for awhile once the little guy comes. Can't wait to meet him!

Saturday afternoon we joined the boys at Rangers stadium for Becky and Rankin's wedding shower. Friends and family gathered in a suite, and we got to watch the game (unfortunately it was a loss). I made this game board (I swear I thought I pressed spell check) where everyone could guess the score at the 3rd, 6th, and 9th inning. Rachel's in-laws put together these amazing gift baskets for the winners.

It was long day, but it was so much fun to hang out with family and friends. I'm excited for a more normal year next year when we can more normally visit each other.