Etsy: Your one-stop shop for Holiday gifts!

How's that Christmas "to-buy" list looking right about now? It's December 9th, people! Have you tried to go to the mall lately? No? Well... it's a mad house! If you haven't started shopping yet, check-out these easy yet thoughtful gift ideas from Etsy.com. The site literally has something for everyone on your list... and you don't even have to put on pants to buy them!

1) For your caffeine-addicted boyfriend: This classy coffee mug will tickle his funny bone & make him think of you whenever he uses it. Because of his addiction, that will likely be every morning.

2) For your sibling who just got their first smartphone: Who wouldn't love this Harry Potter themed iPhone case? From the back, it looks just like a ticket to the Hogwarts Express. ALL ABOARD!

 

3) For your nerdy dad who likes to "experiment" in the kitchen: Make your dad feel like a real chef, (or chemist), the next time he tries to make your family dinner. This handy-dandy apron will keep all the ingredients off his shirt! (Therefore limiting the amount of cursing involved with the cooking process).

 

4) For your single gal-pal who loves her wine & chocolate: This clever wall-decor can go in the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, or wherever your friend likes to binge on Hershey's. Because we all know that chocolate really DOES understand...

5) For your festive, bird-loving mother: Most moms love Christmas and most moms love gardening. ERGO- the perfect gift! This gingerbread man bird-seed cake can be hung right outside your mom's favorite window so she can watch all of the cardinals & finches destroy enjoy it.

6) For your creepy, ultra-Conservative co-worker: For reasons unknown, co-workers think it is necessary to buy you holiday gifts. Actually be prepared this year when Ed from accounting hands you a batch of his wife's homemade peanut brittle. Ed, your gun-loving & homophobic co-worker, will probably throw on this t-shirt every day after work!

 

7) For your preppy aunt or cousin who secretly loves beer: Your aunt or cousin, (who only shops at Lilly Pulitzer), probably feels embarrassed drinking anything but martinis or cosmos. Allow her to give-in to her hoppy needs with these chic, girly monogrammed beer glasses. Drinking beer just got girly!

 

8) For your grandma who still can't get the hang of email: Old Grandma Ethel tried AOL a few years back but refuses to try again. She still insists on writing hand-written notes to all her friends and family. Help her write in style with this beautiful stationary that will impress all her addressees!

Hogwarts Awaits!

For my birthday this year, I finally received my acceptance letter from Hogwarts! (I have been waiting for my letter since 1999 when I first read The Sorcerer's Stone). It was hidden amongst other letters in Brian's mailbox. I wonder which owl delivered it to his apartment. Maybe Hedwig, or Pigwidgeon!?

The letter is "technically" an invitation to visit Harry Potter World in Orlando, FL. But I know Albus-D is totally waiting there to help me side-apparate over the Atlantic to Hogwarts & start my training. I can't wait to get my wand from Ollivanders!

Dear Ms. Leister,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been invited to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Please inform your nerdy boyfriend of the date on which you would like to attend and he will surely accompany you. We await your owl no later than November 30th.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

Marine Corps Marthon... CHECK!

Last Sunday I woke up at 5:00am, safety-pinned a bib to my t-shirt and stuffed my face w/ a peanut butter sandwich in preparation to run the Marine Corps Marathon! Nearly 30,000 runners came out despite the threats of Sandy to run 26.2 miles on a pleasant yet overcast morning.

It was my FIRST marathon and I finished in 4:43:15! My goal, of course, was to beat Oprah's 1994 time of 4:29:15 but there were a few obstacles along the way that held me back. 1) The five minute porta-potty line at mile 4... 2) The mad mob of people I couldn't get past for the first 10 miles... 3) My legs turned to lead at mile 19 and I had to push through the final 7 miles.

Overall, it was a great experience that I can now brag about forever. I kind of felt like I was gonna hurl for half the race & all of my bodily organs were messed up for 3 days. But despite all that, I'd TOTALLY do another one!

Click HERE to see a bunch of photos!

Here were my stats...

- I ran the race in 4:43:15
- I finished 11,933 out of 23,532 finishers, (AKA- In the top 50.7% of all finishers)
- I finished 4,099 out of all 10,005 female finishers, (AKA- In the top 40% of all female finishers)

ROCK ON! Now... which race should I sign up for next? :)

SAVOR: A Craft Beer Experience

On Friday afternoon my boss came up to me at work and offered me two free tickets to go to SAVOR, a craft beer & food festival at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC! Due to the fact that the tickets were $120 a pop, I had to pay nothing & Brian loves beer, I felt "obligated" to say yes. Tough life I live... the perks of my industry :)

And let me tell you... SAVOR was AWESOME! Sixty craft breweries from across the country came and were offering tasting of two beers produced at their brewery, (that's 120 beers, readers!)... In addition, each beer was cleverly paired with a delicious food offering. And all the food was fabulous.

My favorite beer?
Ithaca's Apricot Wheat Ale... (Surprisingly it's a year-round offering!)

My favorite food?  
Butterscotch Cheesecake... or maybe the Chocolate-Covered Red Velvet Cake-pops

My favorite pairing?
Saranac's Blueberry Blonde Ale paired with Creamy Coconut Macaroons

I guess I have a LITTLE bit of a sweet tooth :) .... Oh well, it was great! I would definitely go again next year.

RUN, RUN, RUN!

This Spring has been FULL of races. And I'm not talking about those horrible circles where the little men hit horses with sticks. I'm talking about ME, running my butt off around DC!

On March 17th I ran my first half-marathon. IT-WAS-AWESOME! Because it was St. Patrick's Day, there was a lot of spirit along the course. Spectators were even offering runners cups of beer! (Which I kindly declined). I did, however, accept Gatorade from a stranger. It only occurred to me after that I could have been drugged by runner-haters... OOPS! I finished in 2hr 15 min averaging 10 min 20 seconds per mile. Here are a few pics of me strutting my stuff around DC...

Here's me at mine 12 during the 1/2! I'm sorry the photo quality is crap. I won't even tell you how I uploaded it to my computer because you will laugh at me.

 Here's a picture my friend Laura took at mile 5 of the 1/2! I still look pretty happy in this one. The exhaustion didn't start until mile 9 or so.

AND here's me after the race with my shiny new medal! I'm sorry again for the crappy picture quality. I love how I'm holding a banana. I wasn't hungry at all. I was actually nauseous because of how hot it was. But everyone else was eating them so I thought I should too. PEER PRESSURE!

Yesterday I decided to take things down a notch and run a 5k at Wolf Trap, a popular theater/park near my house. I was joined by my friend Traci & Aunt Aimee. Somehow I busted my butt and ended up finishing in 27 min 24 seconds, (averaging about 8 min 46 seconds per mile). WOOHOO!

Because of my awesomeness, I also signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon this October! I'm looking forward to a dreadfully hot summer full of long-distance training. Should be a blast!

Happy Valentine's Day!

For Valentine's Day, Brian and I got together to cook a wonderful meal. We busted out the big guns this year and cooked homemade sushi! Here's a wonderful picture of me after rolling our vegan California Roll, (so much avocado!)

Here's another picture of me "testing" our food before dinner. It would be such a shame to be poisoned on Valentine's Day. Do you like my beautiful roses in the background?

And here, dear readers, is our finished product! We made 3 different kinds of rolls...
1) The Elephant Roll- (avocado & peanuts)
2) The Vegan California Roll- (tofu, avocado, carrots, cucumbers)
3) The Mock Unagi Roll- (mushrooms & crumbled tofu cooked in tangy orange sauce)

NOM, NOM, NOM! Happy Valentine's Day!

Who You Gonna Call!?

Hello, readers! I'm sorry for the blogging recess. But I'm back now and excited to share with you a picture of my new best friend...

It's Dan Akroyd! My company sells a vodka that Dan, (we're totally on a first name basis), co-owns and he came to our office a few weeks ago. I got to meet him, take this snazzy picture with him and get his autograph. He's a really cool dude! We're making plans to get together next week for tea. I'm hoping to get his opinions on the most recent Twilight movie!