I Made It Through The Wilderness! (Camping)

I left work early this past Friday to embrace the wilderness and go camping w/ some buddies out in Centerville, VA! We pitched our tents at a lovely camp site only 100 yards from both the full-service bathroom facilities and the camp store. (Hot tea was provided in the morning fresh from the site's Keurig!)

For me, that's roughing it. Prior to this outing I considered camping staying at a low-quality hotel. I dabbled in a little bit of Girl Scouting back in the day but quit once I finally realized you can still get the cookies without wearing the dorky vests. To say the least, camping has never my forte. I "came down with the flu" whenever our Girl Scout troop headed out to sleep in the woods.

Here are some photos from my night in the wild! We roasted S'mores, drank snobby craft beers, played with our camp-fire pet (Gizmo the Corgi) and took lots of walks through nature.

Luke's Lobster

All week long I've been craving a lobster roll. A delightful, flavorful, buttery sandwich filled with chunks of seafood goodness. To fulfill my craving, Mr. Handsome and I walked to Georgetown last night to patron Luke's Lobster, a little seafood joint right off M street. Luke's has a small, New England town feel and is rated 4 1/2 stars on Yelp. Not to mention, it offers INCREDIBLE lobster rolls, crab rolls, lobster bisque, clam chowder, and sodas/chips native to the New England region.

To say the least- Luke's completely satisfied my craving for delicious Maine lobster. Here are a few fun facts about lobsters you may not have known...

• Prior to the Mid-19th century lobster was actually considered a food for peasants & a mark of poverty, served only to indentured servants and prison inmates. It wasn't until Bostonians and New Yorkers developed a taste for it that lobster became a popular seafood option at upscale restaurants.
• It is estimated that lobsters can live for up to 100 years! (Unless they are caught by fishermen and cooked for consumption to nourish my belly).
• Unlike most animal species, lobsters are monogamous and mate with the same partner for life. Some other animal friends that mate for life are swans, wolves, bald eagles and turtle doves.

Lobster love all around!

Colleen's Bridal Shower

Yesterday I went to my friend Colleen's bridal shower out in Farifax Station. Colleen and I met on a trip to Nicaragua back in college where we taught English to little ninos in the small town of Matagalpa. (Probably the most cultural experience I've ever had).

Yours truly was the one who actually lit the sparks between Colleeen & her fiance, JP Morgan. A couple days into the trip, JP secretly told me that he TOTALLY liked Colleen. Being the good friend that I was, I went and told Colleen that JP TOTALLY liked her. Turns out, she TOTALLY liked him too! Ergo, I was the matchmaker extraordinaire that got this happy couple together. You're welcome.

Here are some pictures from Colleen's tea party bridal shower yesterday afternoon...

Congratulations to the happy couple! See you at the wedding in May.

Asheville, NC (AKA- Stomach Flu Vacation)

Mr. Handsome and I took a romantic weekend getaway to Asheville, NC this month. It was super romantic, until we both got the stomach flu and started throwing up everywhere. YAY vacation!

Mr. Handsome got sick about 30 minutes after we arrived at the hotel on Friday evening. Twenty-four hours later, yours truly was bringing up the chunks. Before almost dying I actually did manage to do a lot around town. Asheville is a small city so it wasn't difficult to do almost everything between our trips to the toilet.

We were both feeling ill on Sunday night but managed to head out to a lovely little vegetarian restaurant called "The Laughing Seed." Here is Mr. Handsome waiting for his foodz.

And here I am! Waiting for my foodz and drinking ample amounts of water.

And here is a romantic little archway at "The Laughing Seed" that I may have walked through more than necessary.

This is the vegetarian pho we both ordered. I ate approximately 4 bites before switching back to water.

I made a reservation through work contacts to tour Green Man Brewery on Sunday afternoon. Despite feeling awful, we managed to walk around the brewery for about 50 minutes before wanting to pass out.

Before I died on Saturday night I dragged the sickly boyfriend along to The Grove Park Inn for a can't miss happy hour overlooking Asheville. I drank pink Zinfandel and made friends with a lovely couple named Rob & Chris Something.

On Friday night (while the boyfriend had his head in the toilet) I met up with a dear old friend from my happy days at Camp Thunderbird! Monica and her fiance took me out for drinks and an awesome dinner in the River Arts District.

On Saturday morning I toured the Botanical Gardens located adjacent to the U of A (University of North Carolina, Asheville). This interesting statue was located in one of the garden's ponds. Creepy, yet hipster.

Here's a picture of "The Wedge Brewing Co" in the River Arts District!

A beautiful creek that runs through the U of A Botanical Gardens!

PIGGIES! (That proudly trot along outside of the Asheville Museum of Art)

In case you didn't know... Asheville is an incredible city for art. Here is a mural I found underneath a bridge near downtown. Too cool!

Next time we go on vacation, our goal is to not get sick. DREAM BIG!

DC Brewer's Ball

As a valued member of the beer industry I am given access to a number of alcohol-related perks. One of those perks is tickets to the Annual DC Brewer's Ball at the National Building Museum! The ball features tastings and food pairings from over 50 breweries and restaurants as well as a silent auction benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Last night I attended the ball with Katherine, my friend & co-worker. We tasted beers from a number of domestic craft breweries and gorged ourselves on delicious food samples. We met up w/ our other co-workers (Cia & Kat) and even managed to sneak into the VIP suite where we were given gift bags filled with beer swag!

My favorite beers of the night?

Devil's Backbone Eight Point IPA

3 Stars Phoenix Rye Saison

Victory Swing Session Saison

Note to all attending breweries: Keep Brewing What You're Brewing!

March 2014

I've been out of school and working in the professional world for almost 3 1/2 years. In that time I have never taken off work to simply relax and pamper myself. Yesterday, I put an end to that trend!

I left work shortly after lunch to visit Red Door Spa for an afternoon of pampering. I sat in a comfy leather chair and was given a 1 hour pedicure followed by a 1 hour manicure by a wonderful lady named Chi. Chi even gave me free glitter as a sassy accent on my ring fingers. (Girl knows me so well!)

I also wanted to use this post as an opportunity to congratulate my two friends, Jess & Bryce, who got engaged last night while vacationing in Nashville! I have known Bryce since I was 8 and Jess since I was 14. Both were close friends growing up and I am thrilled that they'll finally be getting married :)

Congratulations, Jess & Bryce!

Happy Valentine's Day! 2014

Happy Valentine's Day, my lovely readers! Unlike most people, I really like Valentine's Day. It's corny and predictable and you get to give out cute little gifts to all your loved ones. If you're single, you get to binge on chocolate and watch chick-flicks. If you're in a relationship, you get flowers and a fun-filled date night. What's not to love!?

This Valentine's Day Mr. Handsome and I stayed at home and made a homemade pizza pie! (Crust and all, people. CRUST-AND-ALL!) We also had a House of Cards marathon and watched a handful of the new episodes Netflix ingeniously posted at midnight.

New Belgium Brewing sent me a care package at work equipped with a 22oz bomber of one of their Lips of Faith beers, a cute "Beer Mine" bracelet and two signature glasses. If you haven't tried their beers, I highly recommend it! Fat Tire & Ranger IPA are my favorites. 

Mr. Handsome and I ate the last M&M from our "Valentine's Day Advent Calendar" vodka bottle. (Never fear... It's going to get a makeover when I load it back up again for Easter!)

Happy Valentine's Day! May yours be filled with love and lots of chocolaty goodness :)