A Special Weekend

This weekend was my birthday. The big 4-5. Ugh! My first treat was coming home Friday night to a huge bouquet of flowers at my door courtesy of my wonderful brother, R.

On Saturday my sister, S, treated me to an overnight stay at the Bavarian Inn in historic Shepherdstown, WV. What a neat little town it is. And what a beautiful drive to get there and back! The Inn was super easy to find, thanks to the good directions on the Web site (http://www.bavarianinnwv.com). Once I entered West Virginia on Saturday morning, it began raining rather heavily. Combine that with twisting 2-lane roads and your power of concentration really gets a workout! We met up at the Inn, checked in, and then hopped into her Jeep to go see the shops in Shepherdstown and have lunch. The top photo is of the Yellow Brick Bank, which is the restaurant where we ate. It used to be a bank, and what was the vault is now the wine cellar. It's a neat place with funky decor and good food. We enjoyed salad, wine and good conversation. The middle photo is of one of the lodges at the Inn, which is situated on the Potomac River. The bridge in the photo is the Potomac River Bridge. The bottom photo is a view of part of the "downtown" area of Shepherdstown. There are some cool shops in the area and we visited nearly all of them! What else can you do when it's pouring buckets outside? At least temperatures were in the low 60's, so we didn't need coats.

Once we'd had enough of that, it was back to our room to freshen up and change for dinner. We dined at the Inn and the food was excellent. The server and other staff were all very friendly. When our server brought the dessert tray to us, we selected a slice of double-chocolate cake. My sister let it slip that it was my birthday, and the slice of cake arrived with a lit candle on a plate on which was written "Happy Birthday" in chocolate icing. Tasty!

We were so full and sleepy that we just went back to the room and watched movies for the evening. The next morning it was FREEZING outside. A cold front had moved in overnight and it was windy and overcast. We went to breakfast at the Inn, which was also delicious. There was a trio of people sitting a table behind me: a couple and a middle-aged guy were having a rather intense discussion about the disintegration of the guy's marriage thanks to his wife's chronic alcoholism. The man actually broke down in tears as he explained what had been going on with both her and his children. When we left the restaurant, S and I were discussing what we'd overheard and discovered that we'd both felt like walking over and giving the guy a hug. We felt so sorry for him in his predicament.

We went back to the room, gathered our things and went to our cars to head back to our respective homes. The time just flew, but it was so nice to have that one-on-one time with S. She's such a wonderful sister!

Once I got home, I had just enough time to unpack, run errands, put groceries away, and get freshened up and changed to go to dinner at R's. At my request, he'd made roast beef, mashed potatoes and green beans with Black Forest Cherry cake as my birthday cake! He'd done the roast in a crock pot and it had simmered away for 10 hours, so it pretty much fell apart on the serving platter. OMG, it was so good, I strong-armed him into giving me some of the roast to take home!

Now it's the start of a new work week. Yuck. At least we have Thanksgiving to shorten next week!

Fun in the City

My friend Marie and I hopped on Metro Saturday and rode into D.C. to visit the Newseum. Cool place. I like the way they display the newspapers of different states and of different countries both outside and inside the place. Checking those out can take up a large chunk of time, though! It was very eerie for me to see the car that the 2 "D.C. Snipers" used during their terror spree in 2002. The car is located in the "G-Men and Journalism" exhibit section.

After we finished at the museum, we walked around and eventually started heading to our Metro stop. We'd both been commenting on our hunger levels when we happened upon a neat looking restaurant on the corner not far from our Metro stop. It was called Oyamel and was a Mexican tapas style place. Marie convinced me to try it, so in we went. I love the decor, but am not fond of the tiny "2-top" tables that leave maybe 12" between each one. They make guacamole right there at your table if you order it. Can't get any fresher than that! Also, they hired a "juice guy," whose sole job is to juice fruit all day long. I ordered a glass of fresh mango juice and, boy, was that tasty! I liked the food I ordered and I think I would come back again at some point.

After that, it was back on the Metro and back home. It's fun to "play tourist" sometimes -- especially when you do it with someone new to the area.

SATC: Saw It, Loved It!

My friend Marie and I did finally get around to seeing SATC and we both really liked it. I missed that series when it ended. We ended up grabbing some food at Hops afterward and rehashing the flick.

Someday I want a clothes/shoe closet like the one in that apartment. Too fabulous!

Movie Time!

My brother and I, in keeping with a long-held tradition, went to see the latest Indiana Jones movie together. I think we both enjoyed this one as much as the others. Sure, it's a predictable plot, but I think most fans suspend their disbelief and just sit back and enjoy the ride. I can't believe Harrison Ford is in his 60s now!

I wonder if Shia LaBeouf will take over the reins (or WHIP, I guess) and become the next lead for Indiana Jones films? I think it might be kind of cool to keep the character appearing in theaters from time to time.

I am now looking foward to the "Sex and the City" film. I have heard nothing but great things about it and I am sure that I will love every minute of it's 2.5 hour length. Of course, the plan is to go with a couple of g'friends and OF COURSE the we'll have to go for cocktails afterward. I mean, that's a given, right?

Field Trip Sunday

This past Sunday, two friends and I hopped on Metro and went to D.C. to (mainly) see the cherry blossoms. It wasn't the best day for it in terms of weather, but that made for a smaller crowd -- always a good thing in my book! We exited at the Smithsonian station and our walk took us right by the World War II Memorial, so we visited it first. It's a beautiful memorial. I never managed to find the fabled "Kilroy was here" inscription that is depicted in a photo on the Memorial's Web site.

We traveled onward to the Tidal Basin to view the cherry blossoms. We'd all brought umbrellas, and they came in very handy as it started to drizzle and mist on us. We saw a bride and groom having photos taken just at the edge of the Basin, under the beautiful trees. She wore a strapless gown and must have been FREEZING, because I was even chilly in my layers. I hope their photos turn out beautifully and make the trek well worth the effort!

We walked ALL the way around the Tidal Basin and discovered that the side opposite from where we'd arrived was the WINDY side. Man, we were cold! Fortunately, we stumbled upon the FDR Memorial which has a lot of stone walls and (thank you, Eleanor) REAL restrooms! It was nice to get out of the wind and rain and actually be able to wash our hands in warm water, even!

We came across the Korean War Veteran's Memorial and checked it out. That is one spooky wall they created. The images are faces of those who fought the war and supported the troops, and they've been lasered/sandblasted onto Academy Black Granite. The effect is amazing: the farther away you walk from the wall, the more "ghostly" images appear on it. I don't know how they accomplished that, but KUDOS to them! The 7-foot-plus-tall statues of the soldiers are made from stainless steel and are bottom-lit, so that they also appear ghostly at nighttime.

Three and a half hours later, we trudged back to the Metro to head home. My dogs were barking and my lower back was screaming, but I'm glad we did the tour.

If you have never seen these monuments, plan to do so. They're well worth seeing, and they're all my favorite price of admission: FREE!

"Raise"-ing My Spirits

Something really good happened this week: I got my performance review. All elements are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being "excellent." Well, I got ALL 5's! I was told that I'm a real asset to the company, and my boss said he is keeping his eyes open for more challenging opportunities for me. It also came with a nice raise, so WOO-HOO for me!

Now, if everything we all have to buy would just quit jumping in price on a regular basis (y'know -- things like groceries and gas), maybe I'd actually have a little disposable income for a change. Yeesh! It's nice that I'm appreciated, at least!

The Price of Being $ingle

So, it's Wednesday evening and I'm home from having met the guy from the singles group. Yes, that's right, it's 8:30pm and I have been home long enough to have changed clothes, checked messages, etc., and am here writing about it. Oy. Bottom line? He's crass and cheap. And about 100 lbs. overweight, but he carries it sort-of well. But what I discovered about his personality is that he gave his "best," apparently, during our phone conversations. I have to say that I wasn't captivated by anything he said this evening. (And I had WANTED to be.)

He waits until we're 3 hours into the meet to ask for the check, receive it, and then look at me and say "Do you want to go half?" How shitty is that? I mean, we didn't go crazy or anything--shared 2 appetizers and each had several glasses of wine. I decided to try a new variation on a Cosmo, but that was it. Period. No actual "dinner." And he waits until the check to say this, about going "halvsies?" Eeeeewwwwww. What could I have said, but "yeah, ok.' And inwardly groan. THEN, after having "gifted" me with that little bomb, he proceeds to go to the loo and then comes out and spends about 10 minutes chatting with the blonde, female member of the "trio" that is apparently going to play at this place. Niiiiiice, n'estce pas?

Well, we're done. I'm disappointed (and insulted re: the whole check thing) but not damaged. Just...DONE. C'est tout. C'est finis. And BUH-BYE.

I Nearly Forgot...

The meet-up last Sunday evening was good. Met some really nice people, both male and female. I was hoping to meet this one member who recently moved to this area. We'd e-mailed, and this was to be his first meet-up event, too. There had to be 40 or 50 people there -- it was jammed. And dark. Didn't see him. He later e-mailed that he didn't see me, either. But we're continuing to e-mail and are probably going to meet in person soon. I look forward to future gatherings, especially when the weather warms up.

Monday, Monday

It was another very cold day today--ugh. At least the sun shone brightly. I started out with the intention of slogging through all the laundry I needed to do, only to discover I had enough quarters to wash and dry ONE load. And it's a federal holiday, so all banks were closed. Crap. I'd planned a trip to the grocery store and car wash, but was intending to go AFTER laundry. Switch-'em, change-'em. Threw a baseball cap on my head, grabbed my warmest coat and off I went on my errands.

HGTV was doing a marathon of their "international house hunters" show, so that droned on in the background while I dumped, switched over, took out, hung/folded what turned out to be 4 loads of laundry. Ick. I should never have fired that maid (ha ha). At least I could visually "escape" to tropical climes courtesy of the TV. All the shows were taking place in areas like Santa Domingo, Honduras, and Cabo San Lucas. Hey! Maybe I'll become an ex-pat one day...

Meanwhile, there was more drudgery to get through here in freezing friggin' Virginia.

BRRRRRR! When's Summer Coming?

As I write this, it is about 20 degrees with a wind chill of 8 outside. This is NUTS! Yeah, I know it's January and not June. But I just really don't enjoy frigid temperatures. Inside of me beats the heart of a beach bum. Give me a balmy breeze off the ocean and sand between my toes. Shoot, add an umbrella drink and it's nirvana for sure!

I'm not a *complete* party-pooper when it comes to certain aspects of winter, though. For example, two days ago we had a very pretty snowfall with a lot of flakes the size of 50 cent pieces. It just coated the trees, grass and shrubs like a mantle and it was postcard perfect. I can appreciate the beauty in that--even more if I'm inside my home, dry and warm and sipping hot chocolate!

By and large, though, a day this cold makes me think of Jimmy Buffett's music. Lines like "I gotta fly to St. Somewhere" and "I gotta go where it's WARM!" come to mind.

I recently found out that one of my "Florida cousins" wants to spend her 50th birthday celebrating at a beach house. Now, there's woman after my own heart. Her birthday is on March 4 and I very much plan to be there with bells on. I can hardly wait!

Meanwhile, I'd best get into the rain locker and then wrap myself in nice, warm layers to brave these awful temps outside. I've got a manicure and pedicure on my agenda today--woo hoo!

Life is Richer With Friends

This weekend was off to a great start! I discovered a "care package" in my mailbox on Friday when I got home from work. It was from my best friend, Beth, who relocated back to Alabama last year. She is too funny! She well knows my penchant for dark chocolate and had sent 4 small bags of M&Ms (both the plain and the peanut kind). Also included were a couple of sticky note pads in the shapes of flip-flops and she put this little stuffed frog in there. What a hoot: you squeeze it's little "hand," and it plays "I like to move it, move it." I had quite a good laugh out loud over this. Beth, you're too good to me! She knows I'd been feeling kind of low over Chris' passing, and so decided I could use "a little happy," as she wrote in the card she included.


On Friday evening, I met 3 of my girlfriends for dinner at the Firehouse Grill. It really did used to be a firehouse back in the day. It's just a little place -- there are maybe 6 or 8 tables in the "dining room." I think the place survives on bar business. The food is inexpensive and adequate -- nothing to write home about, for sure. Now, the girls and I try to get together for dinner 1 night a month. I hadn't been able to make it when they got together last time, and what with the holidays and all, it had been quite a while since we'd had a chance to get all caught up with each other. So, I'd really looked forward to Friday. It was fun! We had cocktails, dinner, then moved to the bar (they were setting up for live music in that li'l ole dining room) for more cocktails. It was great to relax and talk and laugh the way that we always do when we get together. I have known Karen and Shelley since the early 80's, and Debbie I've known since the 90's, so we go back a ways, the 4 of us. Karen, bless her heart, is working to get her master's degree -- I say "you, go, girl!" Unfortunately, once she's done with that, she and her husband and 2 kids will be moving to Pennsylvania (in 2009). I'll be sad to see her leave the area, but I'm happy that they'll have a house they've had built and in an area that's probably much better for the kids to grow up in. God knows I won't miss this area when I finally move away!

On Saturday evening, my friend Marie made me a fabulous meal at her place and we had a really fun visit. I got to meet Tiffany (her Yorkie) and Gabriella (her cat) and fell in love with both on the spot!

Life is richer with friends like I've got. I wouldn't trade them for the world, and may God bless each and every one of them!

Go Figure

I'm gonna rant a little bit here. Today, a male acquaintance at work took me to lunch. During said lunch, I had to disabuse him of the notion that our friendship was going to progress to a "friends with benefits" level. The guy is married, firstly. He's out of my dating age range, secondly. He's not my type, thirdly. The first point renders the other two points moot in my book.
I find it just about impossible to have respect for men who stray in their marriage. It's a sore spot for me, as it is with most of the females I know.
I must say that I was proud of the way that I handled the situation. I didn't yell at him, I didn't sit there and chastise him, either. I simply pointed out the very important fact that he's married. And that our friendship was not at THAT level! He told me that he appreciated my being direct and honest with him. I hope he means that. I seriously doubt there will be future lunches. I don't want to send mixed signals!

Christmas in Greensboro, NC 2007

 

I spent this past Christmas with my sister, Marsi in Greensboro,NC.

You can read her blog at http://marsimumbles.blogspot.com/.

She'd mentioned to me quite a few times the neighborhood near her that decorates with "light balls." Now, these are not the store-bought version you might think of. These are homemade out of chicken wire, mostly in a ball shape but some in square or rectangular shape, around which one wraps strings of lights. These are then attached to phenomenally long extension cords and hoisted (God only knows how) into trees. These trees, mind you, are sometimes as high as 2 stories! When you have the participation of every single house on the same street, it's quite an impressive sight! I actually gasped out loud when we drove onto the street and saw what appeared to be hundreds of colored light balls/shapes seemingly suspended in mid-air (obviously you get this effect only when it's dark out). These pictures don't really do justice, but at least in the close-up you can tell what they do to get the effect.

If you go to Marsi' blog, you will read her recounting of Christmas day. It was quite funny. I had a great visit with her and it was the first Christmas we'd spent together in years. She's blessed with 2 sons and a daughter (all young adults) and it was a treat to get to see them also.

Got the photos up--good!

Well, I see that the Chris-related photos posted okay -- that's good. I'm brand new to this whole blog thing.

I ancitipate more upbeat future postings, rest assured.

Starting the New Year With A Loss

Well, here it is the start of a new year...and I lost a friend. Chris passed away on January 5th from cancer. We'd just begun our friendship around the beginning of last year. I'd met her at work. She was an intelligent, talented and witty lady and I enjoyed her company a lot.

I have lost plenty of family over the years, which is rough, but this is the first friend whom I'd met on my own that I've lost. Obviously it's having quite an impact on me.

I find myself reflecting on what a talented artist she was, and wishing that she had continued with it. Her specialty was the "stippling" method. One of the things she and I had in common was a love of the beach and all things "beachy," especially seashells. You should see the incredible renderings of all kinds of seashells she stippled. Some of this work was actually sold, but that was quite a few years ago and not here in this area.

I'll attempt to post a few images that relate to this installment.