Fabulous Florida, YEP and the power of new sneakers

Oooo, those Sunday night jitters. That icky feeling before you head back to the office, a feeling that's somewhere in the middle of "I know I forgot something important" and "Do I have to?!" Are they ever worse than after a long weekend, when they're actually Monday night jitters? Time to update the blog and take my mind off of whatever is coming up tomorrow! 

It's been a great and productive start to the New Year, and I just got back from a work trip to Florida. It sounds pretty luxurious, but trust me, I spent the majority of it in my classy rental Kia Rio driving down the west coast and back up the east coast. Florida is deceptively big. But I did come back with two positive impressions from my trip. First of all, I'm pretty convinced that if I'm lucky enough to grow old, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure I can move to one of those amazing retirement communities they have down there. It's like college all over again: You arrive to a totally self-contained campus that's loaded with tons to do, plenty to eat, and everyone living in your building is your age! And they DO have classes, but just like in real college... going is optional! Everyone I met on this trip was having the time of their lives at these places and really living life to the fullest. I was really inspired by the joy with which they embraced every day. 

Secondly, I loved seeing some of Florida's nature up close. Florida had beautiful flowers and tropical trees, but the animals were by far my favorite. There were lizards everywhere! And awesome seabirds and pelicans. And, best of all, I saw this guy! A local told me he is a "gopher tortoise" and that they dig holes and burrow, hence the name.  He looked just like a cartoon, and I almost died when he hid in his shell. If I ever go back for vacation, and have some spare time, I plan on doing a tour of the everglades. I read up on them when I was down there, and they really do seem like the most fascinating place. Plus, what's a trip to Florida without seeing a gator or two? No such luck this time!

Well, hello there.

Back in DC, I've taken on a new challenge. Before Christmas, I applied to be on the board of a national organization called Young Education Professionals. It's a totally volunteer-run non-profit that serves the pretty unique role of uniting everyone in the education area-- teachers, policy makers, non-profit workers, and more-- under one umbrella where they can network, train, share ideas, and more without the traditional "ed reformer vs. traditionalist" battles getting so much in the way. It's primarily targeted at people in their 20's and 30's, and I've enjoyed their events and programming for some time now, so it's great to be in a position to give back. My job, as the Vice President of Development and Partnerships, will be to help raise support for the organization with local individuals, businesses, and foundations. I'm really excited for the role and the chance to rock out E-board meetings again (APO shout out!) Check out the organization here: http://www.youngedprofessionals.org/yep-dc.html

Finally, I'm progressing slowly but surely on my goals for the New Year. I am registered for a piano class (yay!) and got some info about retirement plans from HR. I still haven't called any doctor's offices yet, but I haven't forgotten. I checked off all of my "mini resolutions" last weekend, which was great, and now I'm trucking forward with my other big goals I carried over from last year, including my goal to run a half-marathon in March. I'm reaching that point in my training where I can't chicken out anymore and things are starting to hurt. My "easy" runs are now 4 miles, which means I can't do them so easily on a lunch break if I actually intend to shower, and my hard runs have reached 7 miles, which, well, just stops being fun around mile 5. You real marathoners out there are laughing at me, I know, but sometimes I need to get myself little treats to keep myself going. A new little treat arrived for me in the mail this week: New running shoes! They are Mizunos, my favorites, and I swear-- just like when you wear a new shirt or something for the first time and it feels so glamorous, that's how putting on new running shoes feels. It makes your run so much easier! Just look at my purple shiny feet go!

Zoom zoom.

Anyhow-- that's all for now. My birthday is coming up, and my sister Kat is on her way to visit next weekend. Updates on those adventures next time!

Peace and Love. 

The Token New Year Post.

In every tall building pretty much everywhere, architects decided to skip the 13th floor. 13 is supposed to be bad luck, so, why not just pretend it doesn't exist? Unfortunately, Pope Gregory XIII decided to pass on this option when he signed off on the modern calendar. But, since the Mayans were wrong, and we've all got a nice long 13-ish year to look forward to, I guess now is as good a time as any to make some resolutions for the upcoming year, may good or bad luck prevail!

I debated blogging about my resolutions because, like so many other aspects of my life these days, on paper they look rather boring and adult. But since sharing resolutions makes it statistically more likely that you'll keep them, here we go:

1. Get a primary care physician. Although I've had my own health insurance since I graduated college, I somehow dodged this obligation by using walk-in clinics for the occasional Z-pack and relying on my OB-GYN for pretty much anything else. I have been telling myself for a while that this is a dumb system, and this time, I really intend to do something about it, be a big girl, and get a doctor.

2. Meet with a financial adviser. I now have the opportunity to get a match from my work for money that I put away for retirement. So how much should I put in? How much should I save? Can I ever get back that money I have hidden somewhere in the depths of the State of Maryland's retirement fund from when I was teaching? How much is too much to spend on delivery sushi? Time to let someone who is good at math tell me what to do. Maybe I'll even get crazy and buy some stocks! I've always wanted to buy some shares of Krispie Kreme ever since I picked it for an economics project in high school. Is 2013 the year to invest in sweet and delicious sugar and grease? Maybe....

3. Take a piano or guitar class. At one point in my life, I was learning piano. Then I quit because I was 8 years old and hated practicing. At another point in my life, I was learning guitar. Then I quit that too. (My primary reason for learning that instrument was to take revenge on my 8th grade nemesis by starting my own band, and as you can imagine, that didn't work out well for me.) Unfortunately, the only instrument I did take seriously when I was young was the clarinet. And more unfortunately, you can't sing and accompany yourself with the clarinet at the same time. I really, really regret not learning an instrument I can sing with. So that's changing in 2013!

There are lots of other little things too, (GET NEW WATCH BATTERIES FOR THE DEAD WATCH THAT HAS BEEN IN YOUR JEWELERY BOX SINCE 2010) but those are far too many to list here on this blog.

I'll close this entry out with one final resolution. It's a cliche, but I've always liked it. "Be the person your dog thinks you are." Wouldn't that be great? Have I mentioned I love my dogs? They're not even mine anymore. They belong to my parents. It's very sad. All the same, it's amazing to go home for breaks to visit and play with them, even if just for a little while. Going home for Christmas was so much more special because of my pups! Here's a video of them getting a stick on a beach in Rhode Island!!

Happy New Year! Peace and Love.

Hickory Dah

Do you know who Andy Williams is?

If you’re a grown-up reading this blog (and by grown up, I mean, someone older than 40) you probably do.

But if you’re a “millennial” grown-up, like me, you probably don’t. Well, you might not know him by name, but you WILL know his voice, especially if you listen to the Pandora Christmas station. And if you’re anything like me, you had no idea that this guy singing “So whoop-de-doo and hickory dah” was such a big deal.  I certainly didn’t, until my mom visited me and turned on Andy William’s Christmas special on PBS.

This Andy Williams Christmas Special blew my mind.  I'm still struggling trying to figure out anyone or anything to compare him to in our current entertainment scene. Not even Justin Beiber is this cuddly and innocent. Anyways, let me try to explain what I mean: Andy Williams was a pop star. And every year, he did a Christmas Special that was broadcast on national TV. And in this Christmas special, he and a supporting cast sang Christmas carols on a tacky sound stage wearing tacky costumes. Sometimes there was a coordinated, Broadway-esque dance scene --or!-- choreographed ice skating! to go along with the singing. And then, there were times when he would just be sitting on a couch snuggling with his wife and kids, singing Christmas carols.

 

And apparently, the American public gobbled up this corny goodness for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My mom said that you simply DID NOT MISS THE ANDY WILLIAMS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL. It was just what everybody watched. And everybody loved. For more than a decade!

"This was the era when there were only three channels on TV, and they went off at midnight," she remembered. "If something like this was on, you watched it! People couldn't believe they had this kind of entertainment in their houses, for free!"

I confess that I started watching this show sarcastically. I had a "get a load of this, it's so LAME" attitude. But when my mom went to change the channel after about 20 minutes, I heard a voice say "Stop! leave it on..." and it was ME! Something about that show had totally enchanted me, and dare I say it, inspired the warm fuzzies. I found myself so happy to just be sitting there with my mom, bundled in a blanket, watching something so PURE and HAPPY and KIND. There just isn't anything like it anymore, and now I get why old people think our country is going to the dogs and young people are all miscreants. I mean, my favorite TV shows are about zombies, drunk guidos, adulterous advertising executives, and psychotic self-centered brides. What IS wrong with America?

So, in the spirit of Christmas, and an ode to my mother's visit, I give you Andy Williams, everyone. Enjoy, and I won't judge you if you accidentally love it.

Just try not to be obsessed:

 

Peace and Love.

Aventuras, Actualmente.

This blog, and its title, was born in 2008, when I went to Spain to study abroad. Spain was the first time I fully immersed myself in the Spanish language. It was also my first life experience where I felt really, truly uncomfortable and out of my element every single day. Someone once told me that living through another language is like using a prosthetic limb: you can get by, but it's awkward, and you can never quite feel 100% of what is going on.

Despite my "Aventuras" in Spain being one of the most challenging chapters of my life, it was also incredibly special. Learning a second language has been the one of the best decisions of my life. It has opened so many doors for me, and I've never stopped using it. From giving tours in Spanish of Dodger Stadium in LA, to teaching Spanish in Washington, DC and now, using Spanish to communicate with a variety of communities at my current job, I can't emphasize enough how important this "accidental" major has been to my career. But I do have one regret. I have never fully immersed myself in the language since that rocky semester in 2008.

So, when I got an email through some TFA contacts inviting me to apply for a professional development conference in Mexico, I was thrilled. An application process was involved, and I was accepted with a generous grant that would fly me to Mexico for four days to engage in a conference with other young non-profit leaders called "El Arte de Dar: Ladrillo Por Ladrillo" (The Art of Giving, Brick by Brick.) I peer pressured some other TFA friends to apply, and they were also accepted. We were so excited!

But as the week of the conference approached, I started feeling apprehensive. I remembered all those moments in Spain where I felt so lost and confused. I remembered a tearful breakdown my first week in the hotel, and missing classes and even a FINAL EXAM because I never quite understood what was going on. I thought about how hard it was to scrap by then, when I was at the peak of my Spanish learning. That was when I was 20 years old. Now I'm nearly 26. How was I going to make it through this week?!

What I didn't account for was everything else that has changed me as a person in the last six years, and how much I've grown since I was that timid student stepping out of her comfort zone for the first time. I remember our professors encouraging us to make friends with the young local Spaniards, telling us it would be the best way to enjoy our time in the country. Ugh, I wish I was mature enough then to have taken their advice then, because after this trip, I realize what I was missing out on the whole time.

In Mexico, I met young Latinos from all over the world. Participants arrived from Spain, Cuba, Miami, Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico, and many other places. Everyone there was enthusiastic, kind, passionate and so much fun. And to my relief, I was able to dive right in to speaking Spanish without too much pain at all! It was so invigorating to  dust off and actually use the language I worked so hard to learn for four days straight, day and night! One moment that really struck me as special was making friends with participants from Brazil. For them, Spanish was also a second language, and I was taken aback by the fact that we were able to communicate despite not knowing anything at all of each other's native tongue.

Besides the thrill of making so many new friends and learning about their countries, their lives and their non-profits, the conference itself was a really valuable experience that would have been fantastic in any language. We had typical "retreat"-style leadership and trust exercises, and there were also excellent sessions on topics like personal branding, or how religion influences our work in the non-profit sector. Best of all, conference participants got the opportunity to partner with a Mexican non-profit called "Ayudame, soy Tambien Mexicano." (Help me, I'm a Mexican too.) It is a Habitat for Humanity type non-profit in Mexico that works to provide sustainable housing for some of Mexico's most poor.

We spent a full day hauling adobe bricks and building two homes alongside families in rural Mexico (about 3 hours outside of Mexico city). The power of this day is something I'm still processing. This is the first time I have truly witnessed what life is like in the "third world." No water, no electricity. No medical care. No nothing! It felt both powerful and hopeless to work in this community, due to the vastness of the crisis I witnessed.

I returned home fully exhausted, yet fully thrilled with my experience last week. My only regret is that, apparently, speaking Spanish is STILL too mentally taxing for me to handle gracefully, as somewhere between the bus from the hotel and my arrival in DC, I lost my digital camera. Not entirely surprising, but I was mad at myself all the same. So the pictures below are thanks to the beauty of social networking, and the talents of my new friends!

Hasta pronto, todos. Paz y Amor!
A special thanks to the Schusterman Foundation for sponsoring the trip!

America!!!!

Cleaned apartment? Check.
Baked cookies? Check.
Watched at least 5 episodes of "Parenthood"? Check.
Worked out? Check.

Yes, folks, that's my version of "Hurrication" and I couldn't be any happier. As of right now, Monday at 10:30 PM, I still have power and internet. Yay! I've just been hunkered down in my little studio apartment, waiting it out. It is VERY windy, and I feel lucky. The internet tells me trees are down all over my neighborhood, cars are smashed, Connecticut Ave is flooded, and lots of people are without power. I'm crossing fingers that I stay connected to the world and that all of my friends and family stay safe!

Being trapped inside is kind of a blessing in disguise. I'm using this unexpected break and imposed solitude to catch up on all the things that have been lingering on the back burner. (My ironing pile, for example.) On that list of "to-dos" is this sad little blog. I've been wanting to write this post for a while, but knew this entry was dependent on photos. And editing and uploading photos takes time. But, thanks to a day off, and a gloriously lucky power grid, I am finally ready to write! Now to the real story...

___

As many of you know, I do a lot of traveling for my job. My trips are busy, but my hours are odd. I might meet someone for lunch one day, and then dinner. But what to do with that pesky 3pm-6pm time frame when I don't have a meeting? What about a day where I'm attending an event late at night, but the day is free? Well, as thrilling as hanging out in a Holiday Inn Express can be, I've decided to try and sight-see, no matter where I go, or how "boring" it is. I have been so surprised at all the hidden treasures I have found!

I started this process in the NYC suburbs of Connecticut. I was too far from NYC to play in the city, and had time to kill between a morning coffee meeting and an afternoon tea. So, after lunch, I pulled out my GPS and had it search for nearby attractions. It found something called the "Eli Whitney Museum." Somewhere in the back of my brain, covered in cobwebs, I remembered learning about this guy in AP US History. With nothing to lose, I hit "go," and found my way to a beautiful park tucked into the middle of nowhere in CT! There was a tiny educational museum, and better yet, this historical covered bridge. There were trout swimming below, and the sun and smell of the woods was wonderful. Such a lovely detour!

More recently, I had a trip to Cincinnati and Cleveland. When I told people about this trip, it was pretty uniformly met with sympathetic groans. "So boring, Cincinnati, ugh" people said. But this time, I decided to do a little research ahead of time. Unfortunately, a lot of museums are closed on Mondays, when I had a window of free time. One museum that WAS open, however, was the childhood home of President William Howard Taft. I decided to geek out and give it a shot. And lucky me! Since there were no other dorks trying to see a presidential childhood home at 3pm on a Monday, I got a private tour-- for free!! It was wonderful, and so fascinating, especially during election season. I can't speak highly enough of the hospitality and knowledge of the park ranger who gave me my tour.

You can't go traveling to a different city without learning what you MUST eat when you are in town. Friends told me about some freakish chili in the Cinci area that I had to try. To my surprise, this chili isn't to be found at one famous restaurant. It's actually available in a series of chains that battle it out for prominence in the region. The most famous is called "Skyline" chili, and it's more of a meat sauce than a chili in my book. Made with Greek flavors of cinnamon and chocolate, it's unlike any chili you've probably tried. Oh, and they serve it on spaghetti!

Now that I've got a little taste of all that is out there, hiding in the not-quite-off-the-grid nooks and crannies in America, I am obsessed. There are so many wonderful tour guides and joyful volunteers that want to share their time with you. There are so many beautiful gems to be discovered. It's made me wonder why, for example, I've never visited the Crane Paper museum in Dalton. Or why I pass by the countless historical road signs I see around DC. I'm making an effort to change that and learn about the amazing history (and hokey tourist traps) all around me. For example, I found this pumpkin cannon about 45 minutes outside of DC last weekend. I fired it for $3. It was worth every penny!

What is hiding in your neck of the woods? This weekend... go find out!

Food and Friends

Most of the time I think people who post pictures of food on Facebook are annoying, so I suppose writing a blog about it is even worse! If that's the case, this entry officially makes me a hypocrite. But, the adventures of my life this week have seemed to center around food, so, away we ago...

First food adventure: Making Asian pork-filled dumplings from scratch. This was a real project, not for the faint of heart, and brought me back to the one time my mom and I tried to cook pierogies from scratch and ended up doing more cursing than eating. You'd be shocked how little filling you can put in each dumpling. I'm telling you, it was not even a teaspoon. And if you get a little too aggressive, they break and won't seal. Gah, so many wasted wrappers!  These came out delicious, albeit a little bit ugly, but in the end I decided that the frozen ones from the super market are just as good and don't take two hours to make.

Pork dumplings take over my tiny kitchen

Second food adventure: I traveled to the NYC area this past week for work and was lucky enough to hang out with my college roomie and dear friend Stacey! She always plays a great NYC tour guide, and this time we started our evening at the High Line, a public park in Chelsea build on an abandoned stretch of elevated rail road track. It was really cool and a beautiful night! But the real adventure was dinner at Stacey's pick: Max Brenner's Chocolate by the Bald Man. The restaurant blends chocolate factory and fine dining and we ate an embarrassing amount of food, and of course, chocolate! Check out the chocolate in action:

A beautiful evening to look over the Hudson!

Yeah, I'll have some of that.

Third food adventure: Today, I finally took a much-anticipated cooking class in downtown DC with a new friend from book club, Kate. We signed up for a gluten-free baking class, and although I'm certainly not a gluten-free eater, I was excited to learn about ingredients and techniques that I wouldn't normally use. The class was part of a series from Living Social, and if you have the ability to sign up for classes in your city, I highly recommend it. I was pleasantly surprised to see how delicious our treats came out, and how applicable the techniques were to non-gluten baking as well: for example, how to make a good meringue and fold it into a batter, or the right way to boil and peel fresh fruit to use in a tart. I had a blast and our food was so delicious! Many thanks to the instructor and chef, Emma, who owns the Happy Tart bakery in Alexandria.

Kate in the beautiful test kitchen

Finished product number one: peach and blueberry tart!

Baking project number two: almond chocolate apricot cake!

So, I didn't do a beautiful job spreading the ganache...

Well, that's about all I can muster to write at the moment. This food coma's got me dragging!

Peace and Love. 

August Rewind

Here are a few reasons why, despite some funny challenges and odd situations, August was one of the busiest, happiest months on record!

- I miss my family. Lately, DC and Massachusetts seem very far away from one another. But, this month, I did get to visit my sister in Boston, and spend all day with her. We had a great time. I feel the closest to her I’ve ever felt in my adult life, and I’m really, really proud of her.

- If you’ve met me, you know that I sweat. A lot. August featured the single sweatiest day of my life, despite about 1.5 lbs of deodorant and baby powder—but, it was with good reason. Singing the anthem at Fenway Park during the 100th Anniversary Season was worth every nerve-induced drop; because that’s something I’ll be able to tell my grandkids about!

- It’s sad that I can’t have a pet in my apartment, and if I’m realistic, I know I don’t have time to be fair to a dog anyways. But meeting and playing with Baby Bronco, the world’s most joyful Labrador puppy friend, helped ease my pain a little bit!

- My new neighborhood is literally NOTHING BUT HILLS. It is the worst for going on runs, and makes me miss the flat beauty of the national mall so much. But I haven’t quit my regime since January, and this month, I ran six miles for the first time, ever. The best part? It was with my healthy dad by my side!

- I bragged endlessly about the beauty of Berkshire County in the summer, so I was pretty bummed when it poured rain when I brought Jason home this month. But, watching him try Teo’s Hot Dogs, eat venison, and shoot a gun for the first time on his trip to my little town definitely made the trip worth it!

- It’s been an adjustment to pay for rent living alone in DC. But thank god for the discounts of DC’s restaurant week. This month, I tried literally 18 Mediterranean dishes in one $35 meal. It was quite a feast. My friend Kate put it best: “Dude, I got a cramp walking home from the metro.” See you in February, restaurant week, you glorious institution!

- My favorite babysitting family moved to the suburbs. No shock, considering the state of DC public schools. I’m going to miss babysitting those little munchkins! But, I did meet some fun new babies and lovely parents in my new neighborhood and am looking forward to watching a new batch grow up!

- I wish she didn’t live all the way across town, but the return of Kate Pennington in all her glory to Washington, DC has been great. I’m so happy to have one of my best friends back, and thanks to her amazing brain power, we’re going to the Nats game tonight with tickets won from a Trivia night at a local bar!

- Weddings are so expensive, and it feels like there’s so many on the horizon. But, there are rare times when I get to dance the night away with great friends. We went to one this month at the historic Hotel Monaco in DC, and I had a blast!

Feeling that first creep of coolness in the night air means that August is definitely over and fall is on its way. I’m noticing the days getting shorter. The beginning of September brings more weddings, dinner parties, and the return to work trips. Updates soon! Peace and Love.