Break

I need a break. A break from emails, work, meetings, master naturalist classes, lectures, discovery labs, working on the weekends, etc etc. I need a day to catch up on my DVR, craft, sleep in, enjoy being home. It seems like every night there's something else....and every day a to-do list at work that is ever growing.

Valentine's Day Spirit

The bed is officially up and put together (no longer sitting in pieces in the living room and dining room). Check - something accomplished! :) What do you think? I think I need bigger lamps on the nightstands and something over the bed. Maybe a carving!! My dad has a perfect one of a tree that's really long horizontally so maybe I can convince him to lend it to me. And I want to get a rug for the end of the bed/middle of the room. And we need new curtains b/c now the old ones don't match. It's a never ending process....
I've been working on some craft projects the past few days. I made Sally and I some countdown blocks with the Cricut. Love it! As you can see my boss who offered to cut the blocks did not do so in perfect 4" squares, but they are still cute! Love the color combination. Now I just need something to countdown to. Maybe my trip to Denver next month.And today I made a little Valentine's Day banner to hang in the dining room with the Cricut. Makes crafts so easy. Just cut the hearts and letters out, Mod Podge'd them together, and hung on a ribbon using Christmas tree hooks. I'm going to make one for Christmas too! Who knows what other holidays I could do. "Give Thanks" for Thanksgiving - can you imagine a bunch of pumpkins or turkeys. Cute!

70 here - Blizzard there

A couple of weeks I was looking out at this in Massachusetts -Today it's cloudy but 70 here and a blizzard up there. Crazy weather.

Finished another craft project/decoration for 2011 - heart frames. Decided to finally hang up the mirror in the entryway that I've had in a closet for a few months. Something about putting holes into my walls was freaking me out but I got over that this weekend. Wanted something to go alongside the mirror so I put together these cute frames that I can change out each season. Hearts cut with the Cricut I got for Christmas!

Now I just need to get some decor going for the table underneath the mirror. Oh and put the new bed together that's sitting in pieces in the living/dining room. OH well another day.

Looking through my blog posts made me want to start up the photo a day thing...gonna think about that. I really did like that idea.

Chef's Kitchen - Take 3

You might remember that I got to go to the Chef's Kitchen here in Williamsburg a couple of times before. Well, I had given Sally a gift certificate there for her birthday or something and she cashed in by giving me one for Christmas this year and so we went! It was AWESOME! Did I expect anything less, no. Seriously, someone asked me what my favorite restaurant in the area, and even though it's not technically a restaurant, I said Chef's Kitchen. It's just delicious - even things that you think you won't like. I feel lucky I've been three times already. And hoping to go again with my mom soon!

This time I didn't do a full dinner but a traditional class, only difference I see is that we had to buy our own wine. Still got a lot of good food, recipes to take home, and learned some good tips watching them cook what we were eating. Here's what we had (minus the delicious bruschetta b/c I forget to take a picture of that).

Oh and the class was all recipes from the movie, Julie and Julia!

2nd course - Potato and Leek Soup w/ Peas

3rd course - Duck and Flounder - showed us how to de-bone a duck like in the movie

4th course - Beef Bourganion (spelling?)
5th course - Chocolate Souffle

Runner I Was Not

I have never been a runner. Never. Even in middle school when you had to run a mile or whatever, I hated it. That's why swimming was always so perfect for me. Completely opposite from running. Running = vertical. Swimming = horizontal. Running = hot. Swimming = cool. Running = moving slowly and looking like a fool. Swimming = gliding through the water nice and gracefully.

Well, something changed in the fall. For whatever reason, I had the desire to run. Now, I've had that random, out of nowhere desire before which usually led to one run around the apartment complex to which I'd run for about 15 minutes, be sore the next day, realize how crazy runners are to do what they do, and that would be the extent of my try at running. But this time was different. I had a program, a routine, something to accomplish and work towards. I won't lie, the first run was really hard. I was only running for a minute at a time and I couldn't imagine how I could possibly finish this program and run a 5K (~30-45 minutes). But I kept at it. I was sore a lot but I wanted to finish. I had the drive. I even got all the way through SEVEN weeks of the program! Seven weeks of running three times a week! Amazing. And then came Thanksgiving, where I even ran for 25 minutes straight! Also amazing. I couldn't believe it.

But then I got sick, and it snowed, and the time changed so it wasn't light out when I got home from work.

FINALLY, I went running for the first time in over a month on Friday. I joined the rec center so no more excuses if it's raining, cold, dark outside, snowing, whatever. I wasn't sure what my ability would be after that far of a break but I started back with the Week 6 workout. Only a week behind where I was. And how did I feel.....SORE! But I went again today and felt better. I really want to do a 5K in 2011. Crazy, but also super exciting and the craziest thing is that I actually LIKE running now. Wow, never thought I'd say that. Thanks c25k program!

1st completed craft of 2011 (sorta)

Finished my first craft project of 2011. I started this set of scrap napkins over a year ago - living in the apartment, using my mom's sewing machine. Finally finished the last three that had been sitting pinned and ready to be sewn since then - in my own house, in my craft room, and with my sewing machine. Yay for completed projects! I needed something easy to complete, would get my mind off of other things, and would make me feel accomplished in not too long of a time period.

2011

I'm worried for the year 2011. Thinking about my goals for this year and what I want to accomplish made me sit back and think about 2010...and you know what, I had a pretty AMAZING year! I met a guy, fell in love, traveled to New Orleans, bought a house, went to the theater, expanded things at work, kayaked, went camping (twice), bonded with some new friends, traveled to Maine, made a bunch of kids super happy at camp, traveled to the Outer Banks, met a workout routine that I actually enjoyed (zumba), went running, traveled to Wilmington, became a board member, kayaked in the freezing rain and survived, and brought my boyfriend home for Christmas! I'm sure I'm forgetting things but it was an awesome year! So I'm just afraid that 2011 has a lot to live up to. But I'm still excited. I'm sure there will be more awesome things to come. :)