A New Addiction

The start of the race at Freedom Plaza

This weekend, I ran my first ever 5k! And let me tell you, I am hooked.

To be clear: running stinks. I don't like it. I am not one of those people that gets high on endorphins, loves the feeling of a good run early in the morning, or ever would ever be competitive at running. I signed up for the 5k to SHAME myself into getting into shape. If I didn't train, I'd look like an idiot finishing last in the pack. I knew that making myself stick to a schedule with a definite end goal would be the only way to make myself actually commit. And -- it worked!

It wasn't easy. At first, I started out only running a little more than a mile- and it was painful. I remember my birthday weekend coming back from a 1.5 mile run gagging and heaving my way to the end of the jog. But 8 weeks later, thinks were much improved!

I owe a lot of people thanks for helping me get ready for the race. My friend Shana, who completed a marathon last year, emailed me regularly with tips and turned me on to Hal Higdon's training program. My friend Holly who showed up outside my door for after-work runs every week and was extremely patient with my slow pace. My friend Rachel who inspired me with her half-marathon training. And of course, all of my friends who showed up to cheer me on!

But one person deserves the most credit. My dad! We used to run together when I was in high school and even during the summers in college. He always pushed me to do my best. When I suggested that he fly down to DC and join me in the race, I never thought he'd actually agree. But he signed on and began to train, and when we started texting each other daily reporting on our progress, there was no quitting!

The race was called the "Scope it Out 5k" and was to benefit colon cancer research. About 3500 people participated. We ran along Pennsylvania avenue to the front steps of the Capitol. It was a cold and misty morning, but dad and I had a blast- we finished the race running less than 10-minute miles and a total time of 30:26. I was very proud of our "couch to 5k" progress!

Crossing the finish line

So why the addiction? Well, even though running is boring, painful and stinky- the cheer of the crowd and the adrenaline rush of a race is the closest thing I've found to being on stage since I graduated high school. And I hate to admit it, but I loved that feeling then...and I love it now. So if I get to enjoy the adrenaline and the cheering, and get in shape at the same time-- it's worth it! I've already signed up for my next 5k in April.

Besides the joy of the race, my dad and I had a lovely weekend together. We visited the National Arboretum, the Smithsonian, and had a number of delectable meals. I miss him already. Here's to more races together!

Post-race smiles- and sweat!!

All our amazing cheerleaders!

Peace and Love.

Déjà vu

Or should I say "Date ja vu?"

Last weekend, Jason and I went on a trip down memory lane- reliving our second date ever, a rainy day in February 2011, where we donned trench coats and umbrellas and headed to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. I said it then and I'll say it now: The Smithsonians are my favorite place in DC for for a rainy day-date, and even though I've been there dozens of times, I still love the Natural History museum best of all!

In February 2011, we simply wandered the museum and enjoyed the displays, but in 2012 we kicked it up a notch. Jason bought tickets to the IMAX theater at the museum, and we watched a beautiful, vividly-colored film about coral reefs. Between the glorious cinematography of this documentary and my continuing obsession with "LOST," I really am craving a tropical vacation! When the movie was finished, we decided to keep the "Date-ja vu" going and head to one of our favorite downtown happy hour spots near the museum, Chef Geoff's.

Chef Geoff's is famous for its monster beer mugs at happy hour, but their bar menu is nothing to sniff at. They have some of the crunchiest, saltiest, most satisfying pub grub around. We ordered fried plantains and guacamole and sweet potato fries with a delectable yogurt dip. The place is warm and homey, and the perfect escape after sloshing through the freezing puddles of Pennsylvania Ave! This time around, Jason didn't have to go to work after our date, so we took our time and made dinner plans with some friends. Saturday was a really joyful day and I wish I could say that my trip down memory lane continued to be just as happy, but, alas...

Déjà vu continued on Super Bowl Sunday, and 2008's devastating loss reared its ugly head in the memory of every Pats fan glued to the TV. I watched the game with a bunch of Giants Fans, and I have to say that most of them were very polite about my stomach-churning heartbreak. I won't say much more on the topic besides that I rely on Fitzy to ease my pain. Crude as he may be, that man is the only one who can make me laugh even when I'm down in the dumps of a Superbowl defeat!

The work week was a busy one, filled with events and meetings. I helped out with the Sower's Seed lecture, a series sponsored by some Trinity Alumnae that encourages Trinity Graduates who work in careers of service to come back and speak to current students about their life path. The speaker this time was Philonda Johnson, A KIPP principal here in DC. At 25, she was the youngest principal of a KIPP school in the nation and now, at age 28, gave a beautiful speech that brought me to tears. Check out a video about KIPP DC HERE. Yay Teach For America! Yay Trinity!

Looking forward to an exciting week. I'm going to take my first ever work trip this Tuesday to visit some potential donors in Pennsylvania, and on Friday it will be off to Los Angeles for my Israel trip reunion with Shana!!! I couldn't be more pumped for all the good things I have to look forward to this week.

Peace and Love, and reports from LA soon!

Twitterpated

January is a really big month for birthdays. Last weekend, there were 4 separate birthday parties in one night, and this weekend, there were even more- including my own!

But why so many in January? What's going on in April that leads to so many winter babies? I was shocked to learn that most of my friends don't remember Bambi's sex ed lesson where he and Thumper learn the horrible truth about what happens when you become "Twitterpated." Owl dutifully explains that this confusing state of affairs happens each and every spring. And it can happen to anyone!! Oh, Owl, your words are so very wise, as all my January birthday buddies and I can confirm!

Needless to say, I turned 25 this weekend and it felt great. Meredith took me out to brunch at Coco Sala, and the food was so good that I wanted to cry. The s'mores French toast can hardly be called "breakfast," and it took every once of my willpower not to demolish our flatbread smothered in hash browns, cheese, bacon, and chicken sausage in five minutes. I highly recommend this place for brunch, I don't think it gets enough credit in DC's elite brunch scene, but it has yet to disappoint.

Saturday night we hosted close to 40 people for a birthday house party. Meredith themed it "Tori's favorite things" and decked out the place with dinosaurs, baseball paraphernalia and puppies. The star of the night was a buffalo chicken dip that made the whole house smell like heaven. Everyone seemed to have a great night, and I felt so lucky to be surrounded by so many friends!

In other news, life at my new job has been lovely. I have a funny and kind boss, and great coworkers. Trinity is a pretty special place and I've had the chance to meet and work with students, have lunch with professors, enjoy the amazing gym, and generally feel that my efforts to fundraise here are going towards an important cause. THIS ARTICLE is a really great profile of Trinity's history and work, and if you read it I think you'll see how well it connects to what I was doing here with Teach For America and how it dovetails nicely with my desire to live and work my faith.

More updates as they arrive. Peace and love!

A Beautiful Start to 2012

2012 is off to a great start. Here's a short list of my goals for 2012, and my progress on them thus far:

1. See Third Eye Blind Live in Concert!! Ok, that wasn't a real resolution. I am embarrassed to confess that New Year's Eve marked the third time I've seen Third Eye Blind in concert, which is two times too many for a washed-up 90's band. But you know what, until I get sick of screaming that classic lyric: "I believe in the sand beneath my toes!" I don't really feel bad about it. We made sure this year to avoid past mistakes of arriving late, abusing the open bar, or being part of an awkward crowd. This year was about having fun with people who we care about the most. Kate Pennington joined us from Denver, and of course we had handsome men in tow to join about 7,000 other DC-twentysomethings at the Washington Hilton.

2. Try Mussels at Granville Moore's on H St! When Katie Hornstein visited me the first weekend of January, we made getting dinner at this H St gem a priority. Too bad they don't take reservations and there was a 2 1/2 hour wait! It's gonna be a little while before I have the patience to wait around for these mollusks, even if they do beat out Bobby Flay on national TV. A more reasonable resolution: Grab mussels at nearby Belga Cafe (AWESOME), and start spelling "mussels" right (my sister informed me I had been spelling it MUSCLES in my plan-making text messages. Oops.)

3. Train for a 5k: But only AFTER my birthday celebrations are over. Jason made that goal difficult this weekend by treating me to an early birthday dinner of the best Italian food in DC, followed by tickets to Billy Elliot at the Kennedy Center! You know the food is amazing when Bill takes Hill there for Valentine's day. Hey, at least we walked from downtown Georgetown to the Kennedy Center. Baby steps?

4. Complete "Grown up" Living Room Remodel: Three cheers to Dulles, VA for having every furniture warehouse known to man within a 3 mile radius! Three jeers to every furniture manufacturer in America for making so much ugly, expensive crap to sift through! What's a girl gotta do to get a 3-cushion, beige sectional at a reasonable price these days? After an extensive search today, I'm happy to report I'm the new owner of a probably-too-big-for-the-living-room-but-whatever-so-were-all-our-Christmas-trees-growing-up-and-they-were-still-awesome couch!

5. Appreciate more Art and Culture: Does getting hooked on LOST count?

On Tuesday, I start my new job at Trinity Washington University, where I'm joining the Advancement team. I'm so excited. More on that next week!

Peace and Love,

Tori

Christmas Calm

Honda ran a great ad campaign this holiday season, with the theme "At a time it's easy to go overboard..." The ads showed people making a huge deal of the holiday season: hiring Bette Middler to sing carols, for example, or Bobby Flay to cook Christmas dinner. I loved this ad campaign because I think so many of us in America can relate to the pressure the holidays bring to do things bigger and better. After all, it's Christmas! It's here! Once a year! Make a scene! But ever since my dad was sick a few years ago, Christmas has taken on a new meaning for me and my family. Contrary to the stressful norm of the holidays, my family treats Christmas as a time to unplug, eat good food, and just enjoy spending time with one another doing absolutely nothing.

(Katie and I ... being ourselves.)

Christmas 2011 was exactly that, to a greater degree than ever before. It had been more than a year since we managed to get the four of us- just my mom, dad, my sister and I- all together to enjoy some plain and simple family time. And since I only had a few days off, we decided to stay in the Berkshires this year and just relax. My mom cooked amazing food all weekend- one night was an Italian antipasti feast, another a seafood smorgasbord, and I'm still dreaming about our Christmas eve "roast beast." We watched movies together, played xbox, went for walks with our dog, and sat around in front of the fireplace reading books. For the first time in practically forever, we sat down as a family for a football game and got to cheer on the Pats together (ok, not our WHOLE family...sorry Mom.) Our only excursions into civilization were to the Berkshire Mall for some necessary last-minute shopping with Dad.

(He helped us wrap.)

Overall, it was a lazy, calm holiday. But I needed it. I think we all needed it. What's the point in ending a year in a frenzy of stress? For me, at least, 2011 has felt like a non-stop panic fest. It's been a year of perpetual transitions. And I still am not settled! Christmas was a time to take inventory of all the blessings in the year, and take a deep breath before launching into 2012.

Check out the albums from my time home, and the prerequisite family photo shoot. The albums SHOULD be public:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100325942061346.2558575.5515657&type=1&l=45e1f1206a

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100325935215066.2558572.5515657&type=1&l=8673ec8b92

Peace and Love- see you in 2012!

Trash to Treasure

As the gaping time between blog entries can tell you, life's been a bit of a mess lately. Figuratively speaking, it's been a year of messy transitions. 2011 was a year for switching careers, switching homes, switching routines, and switching priorities. But literally speaking, it's been a mess lately too, as any visitor to my small apartment could tell you.

Call it an early New Year's resolution, but I decided last week that it was time to clean up the mess. Time to knock off those nagging to-do lists. Time to follow up on emails, follow through on promises, and get my life in order to kick off 2012 the right way. And there may not have been a better symbol of the mess in my life than my disgusting, broken, get-what-you-pay-for dresser, which can best be described by this online review:

Rating

Do not Recommend

tprice80

from Auburn, AL, Nov 24, 2010

This was the worst money ever spent. It is a total piece of junk. Not sturdy, falls apart, completely unusable about a month after purchase. Drawers will not open. Drawers fall apart. Screws fell out.

I wish I had taken a picture of this thing, for the sheer humor of how BAD it was. As of two weeks ago, exactly 2 of the 6 drawers still worked and the top of the dresser had warped into a U-shape. It was like the dresser was a mouth full of bad teeth, sneering at me. So, none of my clothes could go into it, leading to piles of wrinkled filth all over my room. As I tried to push it out of my bedroom, it literally collapsed into a million pieces, and I collapsed with it. Anyone who has seen me fall in real life before, please take this moment to laugh a little evilly in your head.

When it comes to furniture, I have commitment issues. I've moved every year of my life (sometimes more than once in a year) for the PAST 7 YEARS. This is clearly not the time in my life to spend cash on actual furniture. Actual furniture prices make my head spin. I think I always planned on winning my furniture from a Showcase Showdown on the Price is Right or something. When do people actually go out and buy this stuff?

But there simply was no way I was going to buy another iteration of fake furniture: No more clear plastic drawers, particle-board trash heaps or milk crates. So I decided to go to Goodwill, and embrace the DIY- "design on a dime" spirit. And that's where I found this:

What a beauty. And for only $45. I could tell it needed a little -- ok, a lot-- of love. It was filthy. It was missing handles. The stain and polyurethane was chunked off and melted by an... iron? Well, melted by something. Time to roll up my sleeves and get to work.

I drove straight from Goodwill to the Home Depot and picked up just a few basic miracle workers: Rags, Sandpaper, primer in a spray-can, and black acrylic paint. And, battling cold and the setting sun, I began the attack.

One intense session of scrubbing, a very sore right arm (sanding is really tough labor! I swear!), 3 coats of paint, and only a few minor cuts and scrapes later, I couldn't believe how AWESOME it came out. I'm so proud of it and it's totally changed my whole room! Now my clothes have somewhere to go- and I have a piece of furniture I'm proud of.

This silly dresser project was a great way to kick off the "clean up the mess" campaign in my life. My to-do list is getting smaller and smaller. I'm not there yet, but I'm on my way. Epilogue to the story: I told my mom about the brand of dresser that this is, and she told me that it was worth $700-800! Incredible!! Thanks to my Mom for the painting advice, Meredith for the use of her SUV, and Ron for his incredible lifting powers! Peace and love.

A Little Trip to the Big Apple

New York, New York. To all of my friends living in the Big Apple, I salute you. Every time I visit your metropolis, I return to little DC utterly tuckered out. In one day of business meetings in New York, I easily walked more than three miles! Cabs are expensive and your subway scares me (really, how long does it take you to learn that thing! I am so spoiled by the DC metro.) Also, every time I visit your city it is extremely hot and humid, which is not conducive weather for pre-business meeting nerves. But I have to say: when I took this job, trips like this were exactly what I envisioned, and overall I had a fantastic time!

Awesome perk number one was my room at the Algonquin Hotel. I was told it is the oldest hotel in NYC, and has a very rich Hemmingway-esque look and history. I’ve never stayed at a place like this and since my family is really more into lodgings that have “Budget” or “Econo” in the name, I doubt I’ll stay someplace like it again any time soon. The bed was an enormous king and the Victorian bathroom fixings and décor were lovely. The lobby was luxurious and the walls were papered with old cartoons from "The New Yorker." And you KNOW it was high class when the mini-shampoos are from Bath and Body Works! You better believe I brought those home. The free cocktail upon arrival and free sit-down breakfast in the morning didn’t hurt either. I was only sad my work took up more time and I couldn’t lounge around and enjoy the place more!

During the day I went around Manhattan meeting some of CER’s supporters and donors, talking to them about CER’s priorities and asking them about their needs. It was exciting tromping around the city in heels and a blazer, handing out my freshly minted business card and learning a lot about the state of education in NYC from some amazing people. I had a real “living the dream” feeling when I was there, and hope it’s just the start for me doing trips like this.

Best of all, I got to grab a bite with Stephanie and Stacey and catch up on their NYC lives since we last visited. My old Syracuse girls are so dear to me and I’m happy to report that they’re both doing very well in their journalism careers. I’m so proud of them! I enjoyed my copy of “Parenting” magazine compliments of editor Steph the whole train ride home, probably to the surprise/judgment of my fellow passengers!

Since my return to DC, my schedule has been packed with the usual joys of life these days- visiting new restaurants in my neighborhood, wine nights with the ladies, babysitting my adorable charges, cocktail parties, delightful dates, amazing fall weather… I take back the phrase “usual joys.” There is no such thing. I’m amazingly grateful and lucky for all the cool and special things I get to experience lately.

Tomorrow I go to an official “weather watchers” training class with the Washington Post. Prepare for a gleefully nerdy entry soon!

Peace and Love.