Monograms!

Cute, personalized & prep-tastic, monogrammed gifts are the perfect way to show someone that you're AWESOME at present-giving! No matter what you're presenting someone as a gift, adding a monogram says, "I know your full name and can spell it too! I like you so I spent a little extra time & money to add letters to this otherwise plain gift." Weddings, Birthdays, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Half-Birthdays, whatever! Gifts for every occasion could benefit from a little monogram love.

Here are some cute monogram finds from Etsy that are sure to WOW your gift receivers.

A monogrammed necklace. Silver, personal, classy, prep-tastic!

A monogrammed bracelet. Silver, personal, classy, prep-tastic!

A pair of monogrammed earrings. Silver, personal, classy, prep-tastic!

A little monogram love on a serving plate. You + Me = US!

 Monogrammed iPhone chargers. So you can tell yours apart from the 10 other chargers in your house!

Monogrammed Tervis Wine Tumblers. I don't think an explanation is necessary. TRULY-AMAZING!

 Monogrammed Car Decals... So you can tell your silver car apart from the 100 other silver cars at the mall!

Monogrammed Beach Tote... All you need is a Lilly Pulitzer pullover, JCrew sandals, and a big sun hat!

Monogrammed Lockets... A great everyday necklace!

Monogrammed keychain... Cute, personalized, classy!

Monogrammed windbreaker... adorbs!

And, finally, the monogrammed koozie... because tailgating w/out a koozie is un-lady like.

The North Face Endurance Challenge

I woke up bright and early this Sunday morning to run the North Face Endurance Challenge. It was a half-marathon trail run from the scenic Great Falls, VA to Sterling, VA along the Potomac River.

My synopsis of the race... it was terrible. As Mckayla would say, I was not impressed. 772 people competed in the race, (which is not very many), so I expected it to be a fun, non-crowded event that I could run quickly & finish w/ a decent time.

What I did NOT expect, (but what actually happened), was for 75% of the race to be along a single-file path, meaning you could only go as fast as the person in front of you, had to maneuver around walkers and couldn't pass the out-of-shapers who didn't run up hills. I was hoping to run an average mile time of under 10 minutes. I ended up running closer to 11.5 minutes/mile because of the single-file paths. I also saw 7 people face-plant because of the tree roots and rocks all along the course.

But the WORST part of the race was the actual distance. Paying over $70 for a race hosted by a respected company, I expected the course to be 13.1 miles long. However- according to my GPS watch and the watches of those around me, the course was 14.5 miles long! Whoever mapped out the course should have his/her head checked, (or should stop smoking on the job).

On a more pleasant note, I did end up getting pretty decent stats! While my time was abysmal, (2:34:05), I finished 223rd out of 772 runners, (the top 28% percentile!) I also finished 69th out of the 333 female runners and finished 12th out of 71 runners in my age group! Not too shabby considering the circumstances.

Needless to say, I will not be running this race next year. Nor will I be shopping at The North Face any time soon.

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day weekend! I hope you all have exciting plans full of warmth and sunshine. I plan on celebrating with my new colorful cactus friends, Margo & Rita. (Margo & Rita... Margarita! HA!)

 When the weather gets warm, it's a sign that the time for Pinkberry has arrived! (I had my first one this week. NOM, NOM, NOM!)

 

Happy Memorial Day!

DACHSHUNDS!

I have an obsession... a slightly unhealthy obsession. I will cross the street to pet this obsession, secretly rent books out of the library on this obsession, and Google pictures of this obsession if I'm having a bad day. What IS this obsession, you ask? DACHSHUNDS!

They are just so cute and long and goofy-looking and cute! OH how I love those adorable, little-legged dogs. I am already a member of several dachshund meet-up groups, (despite now owning one), and aspire to one day attend NYC's bi-annual Dachshund Day! (And also own my own dachshund, dress it up in a hotdog costume & parade it around the neighborhood on a daily basis).

Here are some adorable dachshund-themed pieces I found recently on Pinterest & Etsy. It's cute little things like these that fuel the fire of my dachshund love!

Dachshund Love Decal... I would honk & wave excitedly if I saw this on someone's car!

Dachshund Cookie Cutter... The dogs are so cute you want to eat them. (Now, you actually can. Ethically!)

Dachshund Love Thank You Notes :)

Dachshund Book Marks!

Dachshund Mug... Simple & Classy!

Dachshund Artwork... HAHA! (silly puns)

Dachshund Umbrella... Adorable!

Dachshund Clock!

Dachshund-shaped Oil & Vinegar Canisters. Bon Appetit!

Garrett Oliver Beer Tasting!

My boss and I went to a fantastic event this past Wednesday at the National Geographic Building in DC. It was a beer & food tasting hosted by Garrett Oliver! (A celebrity in the beer world, Garrett is the head brewer at Brooklyn Brewery in NYC & has published several books on the art of brewing beer).

We were given the opportunity to sample 9 different beers from around the world while listening to Garrett's entertaining commentary. We drank Altbiers, Stouts, Barleywines, IPAs, Double IPAs, English Pale Ales & more! Paired with cheese, meats, breads, olives & other delicious foods... it was a feast!

I'm steadily moving away from fruity wheat beers and experimenting with more daring, hoppy alternatives. (What can I say? It's all in a day's work!)

Tea & Scone Tasting @ Living Social

My friend Kay and I attended an awesome Living Social event today. It was a tea & scone tasting hosted by Capital Teas!

We sampled a wonderful array of teas including Slimming Oolong from China, Earl Grey from Sri Lanka, Genmaicha from Japan, Darjeeling from India & Chamomile from Egypt. We paired our teas with lemon poppyseed & black currant scones. (I felt so British & cultured & snooty!)

Happy Sunday Fun-day!

Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! (AKA- Cinco de Drinko)... May you celebrate the day with lots of tacos, guacamole, & margaritas! May you not celebrate with Coronas or excessive tequila shots. We are celebrating with delicious stuffed Mexican peppers and our pinata friend, Churro the Burro!

 Bon Appetit!

Ole!