Category Archives: friends

a year later…

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As I get ready to finish my last week in my current rotation, I can’t help but think about what an incredible year this has been. There are a lot of things I could talk about (and at some point likely will because I have learned so much this year), but as I said goodbye to Maria tonight (she’s leaving for P-town to start law school), I can’t help but think about just how amazing it is that one year after moving here I have such an incredible group of girlfriends.

In fact, just tonight, I was reminded again of when I met some of them last year during a weekend in Rhode Island (some I knew before that trip, but have gotten to know much better since). I had no idea at the time that these girls would become some of my closest friends here in the city.

Reflecting on that, I can’t help but think about just how blessed I have been my entire life in the friend department. Following my “common denominator” logic, I would like to believe that I have been a good friend and, therefore, have been able to have good friends. But I know that there have been times when such has not been the case, and yet I have still been blessed. I don’t know how I would be where I am today without the friendships that I’ve had and continue to have (including my family, as I consider them my best friends).

I’m so glad that when I interned here two years ago, I ended up living where I lived because it was in the same building as Sara and Alisa and, as a result of those friendships, I now have the loveliest little group of friends I could have hoped for. And while some of them are moving on, I am so grateful for them all.

And with the next Rhode Island trip just around the corner, I can’t wait to see what the year ahead holds and the fun adventures we will go on. And I promise to start blogging more about those adventures and less about my whiney pants pity parties.

palmyra

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Just shy of five years ago, I headed to upstate NY to spend some time with my just exed ex-fiance (yes…sometimes I’m slightly masochistic). Needless to say that, while Palmyra was beautiful and it was fun to spend some time in upstate New York, the memory of that place was slightly tainted. So, when Montreal became cost prohibitive for our Memorial day weekend trip and Maria suggested we head to Palmyra instead, I was all for it. I was ready to make a new memory. 

The entire weekend was amazing. We stopped in Poughkeepsie where we were able to visit the Walkway over the Hudson, the Eveready Diner (featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives). We stayed in Albany the first night and let’s just say it was an experience. It’s the state capitol of New York and it’s kind of creepy. We decided it would be the perfect location for the next Will Smith post-apocalyptic summer blockbuster. Just to highlight the weirdness of the place, when we attended the little church Sunday morning, a very nice woman (probably my age) sitting behind us with her three darling children introduced herself and then proceeded to ask us why we were visiting. That probably doesn’t sound that weird, but it was the look on her face. A look that screamed, “Get out while you can! And take me with you.” 
And then, Sunday, we made it to Palmyra where we were able to walk through the Sacred Grove with almost no one else around. I’m sure it was a really great experience for both Jenna and Maria who had not been there before. For me, it was great in a different way. While I am well over the pains of my broken engagement, the fact that I’m still single when I would prefer not to me is a little painful. So I was dealing with a lot emotionally. Add to that that I had recently been out with a guy a couple of times who is nice and fun, but has no long term potential (sometimes I think that’s more painful than not dating at all) and it was just a lot to deal with…and yet it felt good to be dealing with it.
The next morning, as I thought more about my current single status and my desire for it to be otherwise, I had a very clear question come into my mind. What would you be doing if you weren’t worried about getting married? And so many thoughts came to my mind; getting out of debt, spending more time serving others, not stressing out about the fact that I am not now, nor ever have been, nor ever will be a size 6. You know…stuff like that. And while it is now two weeks later and not worrying about not being married is not easy, I am able to remind myself of that little question when I start to stress out (more to come on the dating front…).
And back to the weekend…while all of this emotional stuff was going on, the fun and games also continued. Seriously, road trips are the best! Especially road trips with friends who see nothing abnormal about starting dinner with Red Lobster cheddar biscuits, and then continuing on to P.F. Chang’s…only after seriously debating whether a stop at Chili’s for some chips and queso might be necessary. That’s right. Did it! Oh, how I love my friends! 

exactly what i needed

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This weekend I was supposed to be running a half marathon in Philadelphia with my lovely friend Anne. Sadly, neither one of us was really in a good place to do it…both struggling with various injuries. Thankfully, it would appear that my calf is almost back to normal, but running a half marathon probably would not have been the best idea. So, instead, I decided that it would be the perfect weekend to go visit Anne in DC before she and her husband move to Africa for the next two years.

Best. Idea. Ever.

Anne texted me on Thursday to ask me what I wanted to do. My response was “Nothing”. I’ve been to DC before and done the tourist thing, but I live in the most touristy city in the US and the last thing I wanted to do was push through crowds of tourists to see sites I’ve already seen. Thankfully, she was on board with that. So, we suburbed it up all weekend, which included going out to eat, going for a walk to get ice cream, laying by the pool until it started raining, and a little window shopping. It was lovely.

I realize that my life is filled with girl time and I have the most amazing girlfriends, but there’s something that I really appreciate about my happily married girlfriends and the time I get to spend with them. I think sometimes it’s so easy being single and having a bunch of single friends to create this fantasy about married life. (I know all of you married ladies are laughing right now, but try and remember what life was like when you were single…try and contain yourselves.)

And despite what you all might be thinking, it’s not because it makes me realize how great my single life is…I generally appreciate that. I think it’s that it gives me hope and makes me realize that it’s worth waiting for that guy who really wants to be with me and appreciates everything I have to offer. My girlfriends have all married great guys. None are perfect, nor are my girlfriends, nor are their marriages, but they are good. And they are happy. And isn’t that worth waiting for?

Um, on top of all that, I just love Anne. She’s one of my favorite people. And while we weren’t able to run the half marathon this weekend, we did relive some great St. George memories and we made plans for our next race: Casablanca, Morocco in October 2012. My goal was to run another marathon next year and doesn’t that just seem dreamy? I’m trying to convince her to run the Great Wall Marathon after that, but I’m not sure she’s going to be having it.

Oh, and we also planned out the next 10 years of my life. But I’m going to go ahead and keep that to myself for now…but I’m kind of excited! Such a lovely weekend with such a lovely friend.

life’s little mishaps

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Last night, before The Bachelor Finale party (side note: watching The Bachelor with my girlfriends is so entertaining and really, the only reason to watch it) at my place, Kelly and I got pedicures. This was a last minute decision on my part, but it worked out. As we were chatting, I commented on how I didn’t realize how early she’d be getting in to Vegas today for our girls’ trip, since Sarah and I aren’t getting in until tonight. Her response was, “You mean Wednesday, right?” And in that moment, I knew we’d had a serious break down in communication.

She checked the hotel reservations, and sure enough, they are only for Wednesday and Thursday nights. Somehow between all of our emails, texts, and phone calls, the lines got crossed and what Sarah and I understood as a trip that would start Tuesday night, Kelly understood as Wednesday morning.

All I could do was laugh. I mean, what else could I do? I found this seriously comical. And then the texts that followed between me and Sarah had me rolling on the floor (not literally) because they were so funny–I would share, but they were inside jokes and the explanation would kill the humor.

I never worry about stuff like this, especially since Sarah is about as easy going as they come when travel is involved. So, I told her that I would just call Christy (who I’d been hoping to see anyway) and see if she would be a total lifesaver and let us crash at her place…oh, and pick us up at the airport. (Quick disclaimer, I would never ask such a thing if I didn’t know that I would do this very thing for someone in a similar situation.) I was laughing about the whole thing even while I left a message on Christy’s voicemail.

Thankfully, it is working out beautifully. Christy is going to pick us up and let us crash at her place. We are saving money on one less night in a hotel. I get to see Christy who I adore. All is well in the end.

The moral of the story (besides just being funny) is that, at least in my opinion, things really do always work out, especially if you believe that they always work out. Once again I will thank my mother for teaching me this lesson over and over and over again so that my instant reaction in these situations is to laugh rather than freak out. And really, how much better is this vacation story already? Can’t wait to see what the rest of it holds!

the life of a former esthetician

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My personal MAC collection

As many of you know, once upon a time I was an esthetician. This had been a dream of mine as a girl, and so after I finished undergrad (well, most of it), I went to beauty school in Arizona. One of the benefits of this experience was that I learned how to apply makeup. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I had done my makeup before I went to beauty school, but this was different. This was brushes, and tints, and shades, and techniques. This was for black and white photos, color photos, weddings, costume parties. It was not something I learned easily or quickly, but I did learn.

Since going through the makeup classes in beauty school, I have become an observer of faces and how makeup is applied. I love looking at prints adds and dissecting the techniques. I try new things every so often. I update my colors every six months or so. MAC is my brand of choice. I love the colors and the price point. Great product that’s accessible to the masses…and you can try it on.

Anyway, a few days ago Jenn asked me if I would help her with her eye makeup. I said sure. In truth, this makes me a little nervous because, while I do my own makeup daily, I don’t do other people’s makeup very often anymore…and eyes are the hardest because everyone’s eyes are shaped so differently…and let’s not forget that the lovely Jenna had her makeup done by uber professionals when she attended the Emmys. Anyway, we decided we’d have a little makeup party tonight, so Jenn, Sara, Maria, and Jenna all came over and I busted out my own person MAC counter.

It was so fun to push myself. It was fun to be doing makeup again. It was fun to transform how my friends looked. Not that they didn’t look great before. (I have really pretty friends.) But to just show them how to change it up. Or how to make their eyes look bigger. Or bring out the gold in their irises. It was really quite a fun time…once I got over my nerves. I just hope they enjoyed it as much as I did! And I hope MAC appreciates the sales they’re going to get tomorrow.

P.S. Even with all of my experience, I still get intimidated when I go to the MAC counter (I never tell them I was an esthetician), but it’s worth it to learn new techniques and find new colors. And if you feel the same way I do, scheduling a makeup lesson is a great way to go.