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!

Date Day In Purcellville, VA

Mr. Handsome and I had a fun little date day yesterday! We packed a picnic basket and drove out to Purcellville, VA to get our drink on at the area's local wineries and breweries.

Our first stop was Hillsborough Winery. And OMG, it was freaking beautiful. We ate our picnic of olives, cheese, crackers, grapes, wine, and cookies underneath these vine-covered trellises.

Here was the gorgeous view from our picnic. Rows of grapes and rolling hills for miles!

We also had a wine tasting in Hillsborough's Cellar Room. (I was extra nice to the lady pouring so we were given extra tastings from the winery's reserve collection!)

Rows of grapes and rolling hills for miles!

After we were properly wined-up we decided it was time to switch gears and head to a brewery. We found Mad Horse Brewpub a couple miles away in Lovettsville, VA.

Mad Horse offers a great deal- You can drink six 4oz pours for only $5.00. We split these tasty samplers while inhaling free bar nuts and watching the World Cup. It was AWESOME!

I highly recommend driving an hour west of DC to visit these two alcohol-creating establishments. Pack a picnic, bring some friends, drink a ton, and enjoy!

Wild Wedding Weekend!

The overall theme of my Memorial Day weekend was WEDDINGS. One on Saturday (Colleen & JP Morgan in Woodbridge, VA) and another on Sunday (Megan & Paul Turkevich in New Orleans, LA). Both weddings were joyous events! The colors both brides used for their weddings were pink & gold. (I am going to be the Maid of Honor in a pink & gold wedding next year so I took LOTS of pictures for the bride-to-be).

Colleen & JP had a Catholic ceremony followed by a reception at a nearby yacht club. They had butter in the shape of roses, a beautiful ombre wedding cake, and guests that danced like party animals!

Megan and Paul had an outdoor, evening ceremony at a historic building in New Orleans followed by an indoor reception in a large event hall. They served shrimp & grits as appetizers, had a killer photo booth and hired a brass band  to lead us in a parade around the city! Mr. Handsome and I stayed 3 more days in New Orleans to tour the city and eat an unhealthy amount of beignets, po'boys and oysters. 

Congratulations to both couples!

SAVOR: (Beer-A-Palooza)

This past week was packed with fun adventures. On Thursday afternoon me and a few co-workers headed to Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, MD for a "Backyard Symposium." We drank Deadrise Summer Ale (their new seasonal brewed with Old Bay seasoning!) and listened to industry big-wigs talk about the state of the industry and the importance of product quality. Gotta love work field trips!

Saturday morning me & Mama Leister drove to a park in Arlington to participate in AWLA's Walk for the Animals. The 3 mile walk benefited the shelter I volunteer for each month in Shirlington. There were hundreds of puppies, the weather was absolutely beautiful, and all participants got free t-shirts and tote bags. (YEAH SWAG!) My favorite dog was a fat dachshund named Buddy...

Saturday night I attended one of the greatest beer events of the year... SAVOR DC! Breweries from around the country came together at the National Building Museum to serve their terrific beers to thirsty consumers and industry professionals (like myself). All of the beers were paired with tasty finger foods like salmon ceviche, sticky toffee pudding and strawberry rhubarb tarts. The best part of my night was meeting Kim Jordan, the female founder/owner of New Belgium Brewing (Aka- My role model!) The second best part of the night was meeting David Walker, the delightful British co-owner of Firestone Walker Brewing in CA. 

Our Trip to Norway! (Nogne O Tasting)

Mr. Handsome and I put our faces on and took a trip to Norway after work on Wednesday! More specifically, we went to the Norwegian Embassy for a beer tasting courtesy of the lovely importers as Shelton Brothers. (In other words: My awesome beer reps gave me, their favorite retail partner, an invitation to the tasting with a +1 ticket!)

We walked over a mile through torrential rain from the metro to the ambassador's residence in DC. Once there, we were served a variety of tasty beers from Norway's Nogne O Brewery as well as European delicacies such as brownies w/ caramel goat cheese, lettuce wraps w/ salmon mousse & roe, and smoked halibut accented with wasabi & avocado cream. NOM NOM NOM!

We are now besties with the Norwegian Ambassador and his staff. We've also been invited to a dude named Rocco's bar in downtown Philly, the Fairmont Hotel's free happy hours, and several random breweries in Bumble-Town Louisiana. (We're such social butterflies).

As the Norwegian's say... "DRIKKE OG FEST!" (Translated into English... "DRINK AND PARTY!")

Happy Weekend!

It's been a fun weekend here in DC! Friday was my 5 year "Date-A-Versary" w/ Mr. Handsome so we went out to a special dinner at Eventide in Arlington. The manager sent us free champagne to honor the occasion and we stuffed our faces with ahi tuna, cod, nachos, and biscuits! (NOM)

My buddy Erika came into town on Saturday to run the Nike's Women's Half Marathon. It's an awesome new race that gives out medals custom designed by Tiffany & Co. (Yes, I will be entering next year). We got to romp around the city visiting the Botanical Gardens, the Capitol, and the Nike's Women's race expo where we got to met Shalene Flanagan! (An Olympian and near medalist in this year's Boston Marathon).

Shalene Flanagan!

The Capitol

Cacti at the Botanical Gardens

Blooming Tulips at the Botanical Gardens

A piano full of shrubbery!