Beer and Board Games

One of my favorite things about the winter is discovering creative ways of still getting together with friends.  Thankfully living in a busy city, we around surrounded by endless options.  

Recently we decided to head to Continental, a bar in Virginia that stocks up on board games.  

After a few rounds of beers, the board games became a little more entertaining than usual.  As you can see we noticed the board game didn't have all of the pieces so we improvised with items from my purse.  Eye drops, chap stick, etc.

It was a great way to spend time with friends as we prepare for hopefully a mild winter.

Wait, who had a straw in their beer??

Fall.

My favorite season!

  Not only does it bring out cardigans, boots, and SCARVES (secret obsession of mine) but it also means football, changing of the leaves, and more time outside without humidity and heat.

Since moving to DC I have become a huge fan of the game cornhole, ladderball, and more tailgating games.  Fall is a great way to spend time with friends enjoying watching the football games and even better potlucks! 

August: Happiness Project Update

This month of the happiness project, my primary focus was to spend more time with friends.  It was the perfect month to try this because at the start of the month my days were pretty full with socializing with friends anyway.


  

This was me exploring Buzz Bakery in my
neighborhood with two college friends

There were good and bad things about this month's project.  The good was I was able to maximum my time with friends.  I learned that I need to listen more, and talk less. Too many times I get distracted by technology or my surroundings and I find myself drifting the focus away from the person I am with. After this month, I realized one the biggest changes I need to work on to become happier is focusing less on whats around me and what else is going on and more time focusing on the friend I am with. 

  NYC Trip with some of my college roommates 

turned out to be a weekend of
laughter, healing, sharing, and loving. 

The bad part of the month was a small hiccup I ran into with one of my close friends.  During a vulnerable moment on Saturday evening,  I let my guard down and told a close friend about my horrible relationship with B.  Only a very few people know about him and the horrible struggle I have had after our emotionally destructive relationship.  Unfortunately, my friend was not as understanding as I had hoped and did not take the story well.    I have always feared this would be people's reaction.  This fear is one reason I keep this secret buried deep inside. It would be a lie to say that his reaction didn't affect me.  I was crushed to see how he took the story and how quickly he threw anger back at me. The hardest part is knowing I can't take back what I said, I can't take back my past, and I can only hope that eventually this friend will understand me and the experience I went through.  


This month's Happiness Project forced me to think a lot about the friendships I currently have, how friendships are built, and how to keep a friendship. 


I realized at the end of this month that friendships are built upon a lot of things.  Trust, understanding, loving, honesty, and communication.  


I also learned a lot about myself as a friend to others.  I know now what I need to work on personally over the next few months (and years) on becoming a better friend to those who are special to me in my life.


Over the last three years I have learned a lot about forgiveness and accepting. I realized this month I am truly blessed with amazing friends, however, a part of me is still hurt by what happened with the one friend and I can only hope that I can change who I am, in becoming a better person, to show them the real me. 

Weekend Get-away

Over the weekend I made a quick trip to Lancaster, PA to visit some old friends. 

These ladies have been there for me through thick and thin and although I don't tell them enough, they are the best thing that has happened to me. 

I don't know where I would be without them. 

Although our main goal for the day was bridesmaid dress and wedding dress shopping, we managed to fit in a mini trip to down town Lancaster for coffee, pottery painting and dinner. 

The artwork at this cafe was amazing! I especially loved the lamps with the Hebrew writing. 

My dear Irish girl.  She is there for me on a daily basis.  She knows me inside and out and has never judged me, let me down, or left me astray. 
I would give my life for this girl! 

The Bride, beautiful, loving, and has been there to me since I was five.  I can't believe she is getting married next year, but I can't wait for her wedding!

My soul sister.  We have shared many thing over the last 10 years.  She was the first person I met at college and has never let me down as a friend.  She is compassionate and loving to all friends.  I hope she is blessed with an engagement ring soon.  Her new beau makes her very happy.

One of the highlights for the afternoon was painting pottery. 

I love little shops like this and was so excited to pick out a piece and begin.

The girls were so careful to make sure their pieces came out perfectly. 

The design on this bowl is so pretty! I can't wait to see it, and eat something amazing out of it!

I was so sad for the weekend to end. It was so great to spend time with the girls.  I wish I could share photos of the dresses, but don't want the secret to be revealed!

Looking forward to my August mini-vacation with them in NYC!

Day#2: Things I Am Grateful For

Day #2 -- I am Grateful for My Friends

Thus far in my life I have been blessed with the most amazing friends ever.  During high school, I hit a few rocky patches with some girls who I had thought were my friends for a long time.  After quickly realizing trust and friendship go hand in hand I began discovering the true meaning of friends.  

Friendship is:

loving one another unconditionally and being there
 for each other even if we don't understand the choices the other has made. 

 Its being a guardian angel, italian mother, sister, care-taker, and sometimes devil's advocate.  

Its listening to you cry at 4 a.m. when you have just had your heart broken

Its sharing a secret to another, letting them 

know they aren't the only ones on that bumpy road

Its pouring you a glass of wine when you have had a rough day

Its making you laugh by reminding you of the good ole days

Its cleaning your entire room after one of you has just puked
 your guts from drinking too much

Its driving you to the hospital when you are pain

Its making you feel sane when everyone else is acting crazy

Its making you feel crazy when you need to break free from sanity

Friends are there for you when you need them 

and they are there for you when you don't think you need anyone at all.

Friday Smiles

I woke up this morning so thankful for many things in my life.  But the best thing to wake up to was a text from a friend that made me laugh.  What a great way to start out the day.. 

Quote for the day:

“We don't stop laughing because we grow old; We grow old because we stop laughing”

- MIchael Pritchard

Breath of Fresh Air

Sometimes in life you just need to get out of the city and clear your mind, body and soul in the peaceful countryside.  This weekend I met up with my college roommates in northern New Jersey.  It was so nice to be with the girls who know me best.  After a LONG and exhausting bus ride to Philadelphia I was greeted with a delicious home cooked meal.  It was the first time in a long time that I had shared a  meal with one of my oldest friends. I need to tell her more how much I appreciated this small act of kindness.


Chicken, Rissoto, Cauliflower and Brussel Sprouts! YUMMY! 


Although we talked for hours and wore each other out, we were so excited to wake up in the morning to head out on the road to Jersey.

After a fun drive through the countryside, jamming out to my dear friend's creative road trip playlist, we finally arrived in the dirty JERZ! Walking in the front door of that New Jersey apartment, immediately filled me with so much happiness.  After having a rough past year with some personal issues, its always good to meet up with these girls to relax and forget about life's problems.   It was so nice to laugh, and share a wonderful 24 hours with some of the most beautiful, loving, strong and intelligent women that I know.  I don't know where I would be without them. 

It was once said that:

"A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are." 


Its crazy to think that I have known these girls for 9 years, and even though we don't live down the hall from each other anymore, we are closer than ever. What these girls don't know is its the little things like sharing a homemade meal together and dancing around in the room to zumba is what keeps me smiling each day.  I love these girls and hope they know that I am positive God put them in my life 9 years ago to be my guardian angels for the next 70 years. 

Packing up the car Sunday morning I was immediately overcome with "sleepover feeling".  You know that feeling of sadness you experience after everyone has gone their separate way after a great sleepover.  I am already counting down the days until I see them again.  

Thank you, to the loves of my life for accepting me for who I am, laughing with me when I make a complete idiot out of myself, finishing my thoughts when I stumble over what to say, and picking me up when I am down. I love you all.   

Leaving on a jet plane, or a megabus

So excited to head out of town for a weekend of relaxation and girl time. Hope i dont get stuck next to a smelly person

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At War with the Vending Machine

It only seemed fitting that today I have a guest blogger.  This weekend I am heading out of town to visit my best friends in Philly/NJ.  My good friend was having a bad week and she sent me an email describing her no good, horrible, awful day.  I had to share it with you all..


Today was just one of those days. Everything that anyone said and did, every phone call, almost every moment of this day made me want to cry or punch something in a fit of rage. The mail machine didn't work (not that it ever does). The copier ate my paper. My boss was being extra grouchy and unapproachable. I ripped a brand new pair of stocking before noon. Flo arrived. Need I say more?

I could go on but the funniest of all my mishaps had to be my fight with the vending machine. After Flo showed her face, I convinced myself that I was a fat cow who didn't deserve to or need to eat lunch (I tend to get emotional and overly dramatic on days like this). That was short-lived. Not thirty minutes later I decided that I would punish myself and Flo by eating chocolate for lunch. I'm still not sure how I justified that as "punishment," but I had justification at the time. I scrounged up $1 in change which isn't an easy feat as I pay for almost everything with my debit card and NEVER have cash or change handy. I snuck downstairs, careful not to let anyone see me heading for the frowned-upon vending machine to select my poison. A Mounds bar, to be specific. It's one of my personal favorites but the name weirds me out a little bit - not sure why. Why can't it be called a Coconut Dream bar? Or Coconut Creme Bar? Anyway... I digress.

I put my precious dollar in the machine, selected B6 and watched the spiral metal holder go ALMOST all the way around. Just shy of releasing the creamy, dreamy, chocolaty, coconut treat into the tray at the bottom. Yes, the machine ate my dollar and my Mounds bar refused to drop the 6 inches it needed to for me to retrieve it. I stood there staring at it thinking, "I can leave a note on the machine for the nice old man who fills it just like everyone else.... But NO! Then everyone will know I was going to eat JUNK FOOD! Me. Healthy, fit, always-pestering-people-to-be-active me. F*&%. Now what?" So instead, I decide to shamelessly shake the machine in an attempt to shake the mounds bar free. I suddenly hear the crinkle of plastic and a thud. A mini-bag of 94% fat free popcorn dropped into the tray. Fantastic. I want 300+ calories of nothing but sugar and it gives me fat free popcorn, which ended up being my lunch.

I suppose this was all a blessing in disguise as I I certainly don't need the extra calories, fat, sugar, carbs and all things bad for one who watches their weight. It would have tasted good, I'm sure, but ultimately would have left me feeling bloated and guilty.

Thankfully, by the (almost) end of the day I'm laughing about it all. And, let's face it, the fact that I have almost no obligations to fulfil this evening and that a martini (or two) is in sight doesn't hurt. ;)


--Wild Irish Rose

Return to Sender: With Love

Have you ever gotten a little to close to someone where side jokes and witty comments start turning into jabs and hurtful remarks? I realized that many of times I lose control of my words with friends and end up saying things that start out as funny but slowly turn into sarcastic comments that could be taken hurtful by my loved ones.


This weekend a friend, that I have gotten all too comfortable with in conversation, shed some light on my recent remarks.  As a way to stop talking to each other in semi-hurtful (but joking) ways, we decided with every rude remark we must follow up with three compliments to each other.  It really makes you realize how often you slip in sarcasm when you are immediately following up the conversation with the compliments.


Just something to make you think about what you say and how you say it.

The Great Outdoors

The weather lately has been so beautiful.  Highs in the 60s and 70s during February is crazy talk, but there is nothing better than being outside with friends on those sunny, warm days.  
                                                      Capitol Bike Ride anyone? 
For those of you not familiar with the D.C. area.  D.C. recently started a Capitol Bike Share program which allows you to pick up bikes from a bike station and ride it around either for a few minutes or all day. The great part is the stations are all over the city and you can pick up and return at any location.  For only $5 a day, its a great way to tour the city or just go for a fun bike ride with friends when you are on a tight budget.  

My friends and I rode 7 miles, trying to weave in and out of all of the tourists.  We did unfortunately have to make a few pit stops for lunch and bathroom breaks, but all in all it was a great afternoon! 

Only downfall is, no one told me how sore my rear end would be after the 7 miles...ouch!

Dinner with Friends

One of my recent new years resolution was to begin sharing a meal once a week with a friend.   This week I was lucky enough to share two different meals with some close friends.  On Tuesday I went to Carmines a NYC Italian restaurant that is all family style.  Trust me, when they say the portions are huge, they aren't kidding...Look at the size of these meatballs!

Tonight, I met up with two of my college friends for dinner at a local restaurant in Northern Virginia, Eventide.  Little did I know that there were two levels to this restaurant, the Lounge and the 2nd floor dining room.  To our surprise we had made the reservation for the 2nd floor dinning room by accident, a little fancier than expected.  However, this accidental reservation turned out to be one of the best meals I have had this winter. I had the rich and delicious Lobster and Winter Squash Gnocchi which was TO DIE for.  On a side note, its a perfect place for a date.  The large chandeliers that hang from the ceiling in between modern light fixtures create not only a romantic ambiance but also add a touch of class to the space. 

 I thought I was completely stuffed, but when Ann suggested walking to Crumbs for dessert we all agreed.  Wait to you see what we ordered...

 Ann ordered the Peanut butter and Chocolate cupcake and I opted for the Vanilla filled with Raspberries. Erica was the smart one who sampled a little of each.

 Had to show you the raspberry filling...I could only eat a few bites because it was so sweet, but it was the perfect ending to a fulfilling dinner. 

Now that I consumed approximately 8,000 calories in comfort food this week I need to squeeze in a longer workout over the weekend.