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Monday, July 30, 2012

Brilliant! Bloody Brilliant!

I have a weird obsession with all things British. This includes everything from British accents, Downton Abbey, and the Spice Girls to Pimm's & Lemonade, big hats, and Wimbledon. What can I say?! It's a thing.

That said, going to Wimbledon is on my bucket list. I HAVE been to London, but not good ol' Wimbledon! Someday. It WILL happen. In the meantime, I will have to satisfy my professional tennis craving with other local tournaments - like the CitiOpen (formerly known as the Legg Mason Tournament), where we ventured yesterday! I woke up bright and early, ready to use my best British accent and pretend I was actually in Londontown. Funny enough, we ended up parking right next to a red Mini Cooper! What's more British than a red Mini Cooper. Not much, well, maybe the Queen, but really - not much. 

The tournament was held in Rock Creek Park, a beautiful area in Northeast DC. We had sun, a cool breeze, and low humidity. The day couldn't have been better. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay all day, so we watched the first match on the main court between Serra from France and Farah from Columbia. Bridget & I quickly developed a fondness for Farah as he was the underdog......and maybe a little cuter than Serra. (Is it socially acceptable to admit that?) Sadly, Serra defeated Farah in a nail-biter of a match. 

Coincidentally, a former UF Alum took the court following the Serra-Farah match! Jesse Levine, who graduated the same year as I did, has apparently evolved into a pretty great player. It's always so inspiring to see fellow Gators with such success.






A few thoughts...
  • Bridget & I decided that we would make bloody brilliant match commentators. And by bloody brilliant, I mean ridiculous and weird.
  • What do you think ball boy/girl training is like? B & I spent the majority of the match contemplating this comical thought. 
  • Why are people going to sit in their assigned seats in the sun when, clearly, there are unguarded shaded sections of seating?
  • Note to self: Go back to Rock Creek Park in the fall! 


Cheerio! 

Sunday, July 29, 2012

The "Soul-Soothing" Great Falls


Yesterday, we ventured to Great Falls. Talk about scenic, huh? 
We did a bit of hiking, a lot of "overlooking" and believe it or not, some haikuing.
You would never know it, but nature brings out your inner poet! 
Ok ok, I'm done with the bad jokes.


It was a perfect summer day, and the waters were raging. 
We even saw some daredevil kayakers attempting to resist the current via paddle & probably some serious core strength. It was pretty cool, and I decided that someday I'd like to attempt that.


Do you want to hear our haiku?

Hiking the hot trails
Great Falls soothing our three souls
Having fun - so there.

(one thing you should know - we wrote this in response to a haiku my mom had sent us about her having fun down in Palm Beach, FL with my Dad, and yes, we were jealous)

And then my mom comes up with one in response that blows ours out of the water:

Oh falling water 
laced with white, why oh why do
you delight - breathless!

...so she may have better natural poetic ability than us. Whatever.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

365 Grateful - Week 30

July 22, 2012
...for colorful & tasty summer vegetables.

July 23, 2012
...for the excitement a season finale brings to a dull Monday night.

July 24, 2012
...for the discovery of amazing new songs. I am obsessed! 

July 25, 2012
...for cute save-the-dates that make me so happy & SO EXCITED!

July 26, 2012
...for July days that, even if only slightly, feel a bit like fall.

July 27, 2012
...for the start of the Olympics! 
We may have played an Opening Ceremonies drinking game with our wine :)

July 28, 2012
...for a safe trip to Nicaragua for Flan. 
She sent us this picture this morning! I'm so excited for her.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

365 Grateful - Week 29


July 15, 2012
...for dinner & a scenic evening walk with my visiting aunt! 

July 16, 2012
...for the discovery of a fun local coffee shop. 

July 17, 2012
...for post-work goodies. 

July 18, 2012
...for weekday birthday celebrations downtown with new & old friends. 
Happy Birthday Adriana!

July 19, 2012
...for record album-lined walls. 

July 20, 2012
...for entertaining nights full of high heels, tater tots, and rain showers.
(and new friends - hi sara!)

July 21, 2012
...for a morning chatting with two of my favorite international jetsetters
 - Andre in Scotland & Ebben in Burkina Faso! 
(these two will change the world, just you wait...)

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Staycations > Vacations

This past week was so great! Bridget passed her NCLEX aka she's officially on summer vacation for the next couple of weeks. Kati took the week off of work. And I had my last week of freedom before the new job! (It's starts tomorrow - eek.) Upon realizing that we obviously needed to take advantage of this magical free time we all had, we decided to go on a DC staycation. This staycation included such adventures as the Coldplay concert and a successful shopping expedition to the outlets. 

Last Wednesday, we decided to transform into our tourist-selves yet again, and venture to the Newseum. I have to admit, my attention span at museums is usually less than 2 seconds, but I could have wandered the Newseum for hours -- possibly days. I think it's safe to say it's my favorite museum - ever. I know, that's a pretty strong statement, but by golly it's true. 

 



Some things I loved about the Newseum: 
  • They have a 6th floor terrace with views of the Capitol and the Washington Monument. 
  • I spotted Stephen Colbert at least 5 times while wandering. Any museum that includes Stephen Colbert in their repertoire automatically rules in my book. 
  • Their 9/11 exhibit is incredible. It broke my heart all over again. They have an antennae from one the towers on display, as well as the front pages from around the world that covered that horrific day. 
  • Giant pieces of the Berlin Wall are on display, as well as one of the guard towers.
  • They have an entire exhibit on Pulitzer Prize photography. It was so captivating. 
  • They surprised me with newspapers dating all the way back to the 1500s - including newspapers covering the Salem Witch Trials, and the life of the Pirate Blackbeard. I don't think it gets more awesome than that. 
  • Two words: Glass. Elevators. 





After satisfying our cultural hunger, we headed to Chinatown to satisfy our actual appetites at Matchbox. I LOVED THIS PLACE. We sat outside. The sun was setting. We had delicious cocktails and fun chatter. We were surrounded by beautiful architecture, including a goblet of fire. Note: Any restaurant that displays a goblet of fire will immediately become my favorite restaurant upon discovery of said goblet. 







Delicious avocado crab salad!

...check out those 'Matchbox Infusion' cocktails! 


Following our tasty meal, we may or may not have headed to Iron Horse Taproom and parked ourselves in front of a big screen TV playing an outdated version of 'Robin Hood' for 3 hours. #ladiesnight

365 Grateful - Week 28


July 8, 2012
...for afternoon showers & pretty flowers. 

July 9, 2012
 ...for COLDPLAY <3

July 10, 2012
...for the newly established BCPC: Brightly Colored Pants Club.

July 11, 2012
...for discovering fun new things about DC everyday! 

July 12, 2012
...for this sunflower. After weeks of anticipation, it finally bloomed! 

July 13, 2012
...for good ol' Pops! I miss him.

July 14, 2012
...for solid movies on TV. I did not move for 3 hours. It was awesome.

Friday, July 13, 2012

coldplayspiration

creative mood + coldplay on my mind = these.

"Yellow"

 "Paradise"

"The Scientist"

"Charlie Brown"

"Strawberry Swing"