Happy September!

Fall has officially arrived here in the DC area! Temperatures are dropping, pumpkins are adorning storefronts and festivals are popping up everywhere. Fall is definitely my favorite season - It means my birthday and all the major holidays are just around the corner.

Friday night I had happy hour at a new restaurant in the city called GCDC (Grilled Cheese DC). It was an upscale bar with classic cocktails and craft beers with a menu featuring nothing but grilled cheese, mac & cheese & cheese boards. It was DELICIOUS!

Last weekend I drove up to Middletown, CT for my cousin Jimmy's wedding. It was a LIVELY family affair with lots of dancing, booze, bagels and small-town fun. Because we stayed in a hotel managed by my company, Mr. Handsome and I had a special amenity waiting in our room when we arrived...

Yesterday I went to the Wiener 500, an annual dachshund race at the Ronald Reagan building. There were HUNDREDS of dachshund puppies who all lined up to race for the championship bone. There was also a costume contest and a trick contest for all the dogs. (I was in heaven!)

Happy Fall, Everyone!

Studs, Glorious Studs!

Happy Labor Day, loyal readers! I hope you have fun plans for this weekend. I'm spending my time relaxing at home, visiting with friends, gorging on Caramel Apple cupcakes and Middle Eastern food, etc.

One fashion trend that I've been getting into lately is adorning beautiful stud earrings.The more color and sparkle, the better! Here are some cute examples I found on Etsy of simple, sparkly, fun stud earrings...

Pumpkin, Cheese, & Hot Pockets!

Here's a fun list of some stellar adventures I partook in this past week...

1) I went to Total Wine and spent over $50.00 buying PUMPKIN BEER. My favorite season is almost here, and one can never have enough pumpkin-flavored delicacies. NOM NOM PUMPKIN!

2) Mr. Handsome and I went to a cute little cheese & wine shop in Shirlington called Cheesetique. The wine & beer hit the spot, and the cheese was quite scrumptious. Their menu boasts lovely cheese plates, grilled cheese sandwiches, mac and cheese, cheese shampoo, etc. (FYI- That last one was a lie. They don't sell cheese shampoo)

3) I saw "Boyhood"- a cute indie film about a boy and his hood. The producer filmed the same actors over a 12 year period to show the progression of their lives and screen family. Such a neat concept!

4) I went to Wolf Trap on Saturday night to see JIM GAFFIGAN perform live! It was Mr. Handsome's 28th birthday present from yours truly. We had a romantic picnic, (fully stocked with pumpkin beers), and then laughed our faces off while Jim talked about seafood, steak, and hot pockets.

That's all for now, loyal readers! Keep it classy.

Dewey Beach to The Emerald City!

This past week has been a fabulous vacation sensation! On Sunday and Monday I drove up to Dewey Beach, DE to have some beach time with my dad's family for a Leister-palooza. It was fun and relaxing laying on the beach, eating lots of Mexican food and drinking delicious margaritas :)

On Tuesday morning Mr. Handsome and I woke up super early to catch a flight to Seattle, WA. We spent Tuesday through Saturday frolicking through The Emerald City & embarking on many exciting adventures. During our trip we...

-Visited 3 breweries & 4 wineries
-Encountered a giant bridge troll in Fremont
-Took a ferry to Bainbridge Island
-Shopped Pike's Place Market (TWICE)
-Hiked around Point Defiance and Owen's Beach in Tacoma
-Made some underwater friends at Seattle's Aquarium
-Visited the Space Needle & Chihuli Sculpture Garden
-Took an Underground Tour of Seattle's historic Pioneer Square

PHEW! What a trip. I think we might need a vacation from our vacation. I promised Mr. Handsome we could take a "relaxing" vacation next year. (Maybe Hawaii? I'd love to learn the luau!) Tomorrow it's back to the grind and back to reality, (sigh). Until next time!

July 2014 - Food, Friends, Fun!

July has been a busy month for yours truly. I've jumped around from happy hour to happy hour, seen several live shows and movies, ran a half-marathon, hosted a huge event at work, climbed a mountain, and much, much more!

One of my happy hours was at 100 Montaditos, a new Spanish restaurant in Arlington. Si tu no hablo espanol, "montadito" translates to "adorable baby sandwich packed with flavorful awesomeness."

This Friday my cousin Alexa and I went to a film festival in Rosslyn to see How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days on the big screen. We noshed on a picnic from Whole Foods and enjoyed the warm summer weather.

Earlier today Mr. Handsome and two of our friends went hiking up Old Rag Mountain. It was a 9.5 mile loop through strenuous terrain with lots of boulders and treacherous heights.

Here's Mr. Handsome and I on top of the mountain. SELFIE!

And here is the view from the top of Old Rag. GORGEOUS!

Last week I saw Clones of Clones (Mr. Handsome's band) rock out at DC9 on U Street in DC. They played extremely well opening for a well-known group called Some Kind Of Wonderful.

And finally... Last night I shared a romantic picnic at the Georgetown Waterfront equipped with Luke's Lobster Rolls, brewskies, cherries, carrots, BBQ chips and snuggling. NOM!

From what I'm told, there are still 6 weeks left of summer 2014. There are sure to be many more adventures to come!

4th of July Weekend

Happy three-day weekend, loyal readers! I just love random holidays that provide us with extra days off work. This 4th of July was pretty fantastic. I left work early on Thursday and read all 446 pages of the new Sophie Kinsella book. (No one can accuse me of not being dedicated).

On Friday Mr. Handsome and I woke up early and ran a HALF MARATHON together. We have officially dubbed it the "Baby, You're A Firework Half Marathon." After finishing, we went to Brooklyn Bagel and bought our official race trophies, (AKA- bagels). We spent the rest of the day watching the World Cup, eating delicious gnocchi dishes, and viewing the fireworks with friends.

On Saturday I picked up Mama Leister in McLean and we drove out to Middleburg, VA to get our drink on! We had lunch at a random lobster truck on the side of the road, (which luckily sold one of the best lobster rolls I've ever had). We then headed to Chrysalis Vineyards for a lovely wine tasting of some local Viognier and Norton wines. We ran into an ADORABLE dachshund puppy and then spent the rest of the afternoon shopping at the cute stores in downtown Middleburg.

I hope you all had a fabulous holiday!