Solo Travels...Part Uno.

I have recently unearthed the journal I kept during my 2007 solo trip to Western Europe (UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, and Switzerland) and it is pretty funny to look back on. I learned a lot on that trip...not only about traveling alone but about my patience, my ridiculous sense of paranoia, and how to appreciate a good beer. The excerpt below is word for word how I wrote it on my trip. I don't really know why I kept a journal other than the fact that I was traveling alone and needed someone to talk to. Maybe that makes me schizophrenic, but in the end I'm glad I did it.

Let's get to it.

September 11, 2007: Train from Paris to Amsterdam.  (My current thoughts are in italics)

I am currently sitting on a train from Paris to Amsterdam. I woke up at 7am this morning to pack and get my train at 8:15. Freaking 8.50 Euros to get to the station (geez I'm cheap). I would have walked had I not been so freaking far away or lost on my way in (Story of my life on this trip...I was constantly lost and I have an AMAZING sense of direction. What's up with that?). Anyways, I got to the station and the window was closed so I was freaking a little bit but the dude came at 8:40 finally. I got the 8:58 to Paris (from Bayeux) and then decided I would walk to Paris Nord from Lazarne, the end point of my train. The metro map made it look like I would have to change trains like 3 times and my street map made the stations look decently close together so walking it was. So of course things are a hell of a lot more confusing in real life than on a map but I managed to find Rue de Lafayette by accident thank God. Then I followed that for a good 45 minutes. Not Kidding. I really should have taken the metro. My feet are killing me. And along the way some woman asked me if I spoke English and I stupidly said yes. Then she flashes a postcard at me with some sob story about Bosnia written all over it. I was in a hurry and not the mood to be scammed so I said NO and she begged some more and I left. Simple. But there were probably some pickpockets lurking nearby to knife me or something (I was overly paranoid the entire trip...Mom you should be proud). Not 30 seconds later another woman asks me if I speak English and I say NON as French-ly as possible. I get to the station around 12 (my train got in at 11:05 so I'd been doing a lot of walking).
The line at the ticket counter was so long that I thought I'd miss my 12:55 train. Thankfully I got through the line around 12:20. However, the woman at the counter scared the crap out of me when she said the train was fully booked until the night. (Please excuse the language I'm about to use in the next little bit...I was totally confused and completely pissed at my situation. You live, you learn kiddos). And now an interjection about that disaster: Apparently my Eurail pass is for 15 days...which I thought meant 15 days of travel, but NO!! It means 15 consecutive days (how was I not aware of this?!? I mean I must have looked at my Eurail pass a million times. It is incredibly obvious that it is 15 consecutive days. Oh the youth these days...). All I can say is FUCK. I don't want to get it validated until after my long stay in Amsterdam otherwise I will use up 5 days of travel AND have to pay for tickets in Switzerland and Germany (the Eurail pass is a complicated beast but I still recommend them!). Fucking hell. So instead of using the Eurail pass and starting the 15 day clock, I had to fork over 100Euro for a damn STANDBY ticket. So now since I wasn't given a seat number for this 5 hour journey I am SITTING IN THE LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT of the train. There are a few fold down seats in here and they are right in the doorway. These are like the seat you might find on a bus or subway. And I get to enjoy this for 5 long hours. I am sharing my compartment with a rather large French speaking girl. She as that f-ing annoying frog ringtone that was all the rage 3 years ago in Australia (Haha wow. I still really hate that ringtone. What an annoying frog). Also she has a HUGE bag of food with her. WTF. And she threw her pack on top of mine. Ugggg, blast!!! Ok now she just moved (what a riveting play by play. You're welcome). I wonder if she is going to find a seat. Yes she did. Fuck it I'm going to look for one before I go crazy. (Can you feel the anger and frustration? This is the stuff Rick Steves never talks about). 

*** (Yes, I added in little "time has passed" stars in my journal)

Ok wow that failed miserably. So I had been eyeing this open seat for an hour - the guy who had been sitting there appeared to have found another place to sit. The seat is in one of those 4 person things with the table in the middle. Anyways he was gone basically from Paris to Brussels. Where the F he went I don't know but he came back and I had to move. Now there is even more luggage crammed in the with me from 20 Japanese businessmen who just got on. Wow the next few hours are going to suck.

*** (More time passing stars!!)

So as if sitting in steerage could not get any better, the 20 Japanese businessmen decided that they should come get their 40 Samsonite bags 20 minutes before their stop (if this has ever happened to you on a train, bus, or metro I'm sure you can relate. It annoys me to no end when people freak out about exiting the vehicle so they HOVER by the door for 20 minutes or slowly creep closer and closer to make sure they don't miss the stop). WTF?! I couldn't move an inch and I was blocking the door. Don't they realize that this luggage compartment is MY SEAT?! I decided to just say fuck you  Japanese businessmen (again, sorry about so much use of the F-word...it tends to happen when you are treated poorly whilst taking up residence on the floor of a dirty train) and not move an inch until we had come to a full stop (Normally I'm the "grin and bear it" type so I'll politely make room for others). It was apparent that I was going to have to get off the train so they could get by. So TEN MINUTES before their stop one of the assholes taps me on the shoulder and motions me to stand up. I glare at him with the meanest F-YOU look I can muster. By this point I've been sitting in FREAKING STEERAGE for 4 hours. I don't budge. What a jerk. I was happy when they got the hell off.

I did eventually make it to Amsterdam without biting anyone's head off. The story ends there because I was so excited to have my personal space back that I neglected to write for the next day or so. If this incident has taught me one thing it is this: RESERVE YOUR TRAINS IN ADVANCE OR PREPARE YOURSELF TO JOIN THE LUGGAGE. Oh and if a Japanese businessman is rude to you, simply ignore and prosper. 


Ciao for now!

Fjord-ing

When I think of Fjords I always think of the Swedish Chef from the Muppets.  Is that weird? It just sounds like every other word he says is "fjords" or "fjordy" or something like that.

Anywhozzle...next up on the Epic European tour is Norway (not Sweden yet...sorry chef!) and the beautiful fjords! After our stay in Bergen, T-Friend and I will be heading to the Sognefjord - Norway's largest and most spectacular fjord. We have decided against doing the more formal "Norway in a Nutshell" tour and have instead opted for our own itinerary that will allow us to actually spend the night in the fjords. We're all about getting off the beaten path and this will be a great opportunity to do so. We'll be taking yet another ferry from Bergen, this time heading to the quaint town of Balestrand. From what I've read in the guidebooks, Balestrand used to be THE place for vacationing celebs and royalty. And when I say "used to be" we're talking centuries ago. But, alas, Balestrand has since fallen off the paparazzi radar and instead hosts fjord-lovin tourists like us.

We've narrowed it down to two options as far as accommodation goes for our one-night stint in the town. We can either rough it in a pretty awesome little hut or comfortably rough it in the centrally located hostel. Both options are pretty amazing.

Should we live it up at Sjotun Camping?!

Or take in the views at Kringsja?! 

Surprisingly, the prices are relatively the same so this could be a rather difficult decision. While in Balestrand we plan to take a day trip of the fjord and possibly rent bikes, go on a hike, or rent some kayaks. Since the weather is typically around 70-73 degrees in July, we should have excellent conditions for outdoor fun. 

Speaking of weather, and digressing back to Bergen, AND segueing into my travel essentials (whew!), apparently Bergen gets more rain than it doesn't. Yup, we are pretty much guaranteed to be rained upon during our stay there. This knowledge, accompanied by the fact that I spent a fair amount of time in my sweet yellow rain coat during my last European jaunt has convinced me to invest in some new rain gear. 

I am a giant lemon. 

It may be snazzyawesomeyellow but that thing is about 2 sizes too big and makes me look like a shapeless lemon or someone who is trying way to hard to stand out. Enter the need for new rain gear. 

I'm thinking something like...

Can't really go wrong with NorthFace (and I'm also kind of obsessed with the Eiger...the mountain for which the NorthFace is named. But that' another story.)

From the makers of the oh-so-lovely lemon jacket: Columbia. I'm loving that cinched waist. 

Or maybe I'll stick to my annoying colorful guns...Marmot. 

Next up on the journey...the night train from Oslo to Stockholm! And maybe a cameo by the Swedish Chef. 

Eurailin it!

Oh happy day! My Eurail pass has finally arrived in the mail! So now once I get over the pond I can actually travel around worry free.

T-Dizzle and I opted for the 4-day Scandinavian Eurail pass which basically means we can use it any four days in a one month period. That might not seem like much for a $250 pass, but when you start adding up the train costs from city to city they really start to add up. The Eurail pass definitely saves money! Imagine traveling all over the US for only $250?! That'd be quite the bargain.
The whole "4-day" thing means that we can travel on any train to any place for any distance 4 different days of our trip. This works out well for us because we have 3 major travel days planned: Copenhagen to Hirtshals, Bergen to Oslo, Oslo to Stockholm, and one day that we'll use the last day as "flex". If we had purchased those legs of the trip without the Eurail pass, it would have been well into the $300 range, especially considering the Oslo-Stockholm leg is a night train.

On my trip to Europe in 2007 I was completely new to the concept of a Eurail pass and didn't realize that some longer trains still require you make a reservation despite the fact that you have the pass. I ended up on a train from Paris-Amsterdam literally sitting on the floor in between cars with all the luggage. It was horrible torture. And loud. And long. And I felt like a loser. This time around I'll be making sure we have seats!

In other trip planning news, we may be adding another fabulous addition to our trip...my bff KRIS!! She currently lives in London but is hoping to make at least part of the trip with us. I'm crossing my fingers she can make it work because we'd have a ridiculous time if the three of us get together :)

What can I say? I heart her. 

In other, other news, how beautiful is my grandmother?! I never actually got to meet her, but wow, she's awesome!!! I think she looks a lot like my two cousins, Tamsin & Chelsea. I'll be visiting them in the Netherlands :) 

Carrie On!

p.s. I totally cupcaked in April and May...I'll be sure to mention my recipes in the next post!

Becoming a Morning Person

That's right...I'm trying.

For the past two weeks I've been forcing myself to get out of bed at around 7:15am. For me that is decently early considering I don't have to be at work until 9am. I've been making time to eat breakfast EVERY morning and I can already feel a difference in my energy level...it is kinda amazing. I am completely obsessed with Trader Joe's Steel Cut Oats. They are SO EASY to make and are quite healthy and super delicious. They come in a box of two frozen oatmeal balls...which sounds a little gross but I promise it is awesome. You just plop the ball in the microwave for two minutes, stir, and then zap for one more minute. And even better??? During those three minutes I can find time to unload/load the dishwasher or feed the cats. It is kinda of amazing how awesome breakfast can be.  Oh and each box is just under $2...so that means I get a nice yummy breakfast for $1. Score.

Go buy me NOW.

So WHY am I slowly transforming myself into a morning person? Mostly because I felt like I was wasting away my days by sleeping in. For some reason it just makes me feel so guilty that I didn't use my day better... and then it ends up affecting me for the whole rest of the day. That guilt just makes motivation to do other things hard to come by. So I finally got with the program and decided to FORCE myself to wake up early in the AM. I started off small by just setting my alarm 15 minutes earlier than normal. I also played little tricks on myself like putting my glasses on top of my phone (alarm) so that I have to pick up the glasses before I can turn off the alarm. Once I am capable of seeing in the morning, I am usually pretty good at feeling awake. I've also been sitting up straight when the alarm goes off and forcing myself to keep my eyes open. Gosh I sound like some type of lazy bum...all the more reason to get my butt in gear. 

I've also discovered that if my house is untidy (especially our bedroom) it makes getting out of bed harder in the mornings. Clutter seems to negatively affect my mood so I've been trying to keep things as neat as possible so the first thing I see in the morning when I get up is a nice, fresh and clean room. Same goes for the bathroom. 

And in other awesome news, I went to an 8AM yoga class on SATURDAY. Go me!! It was my first yoga class ever and it seriously kicked my butt. I was sore for about 2 days afterwards. I was nervous to give it a whirl so I did a lot of Googling about what to expect and things turned out nicely. I've even put some yoga videos on our Netflix instant que on Wii to do at home. So far, so good. 

It is now my personal goal to NEVER sleep past 930am...meaning no crazy late morning awakenings on the weekends. We'll see... this girl really loves her beauty sleep! Hopefully the benefits of becoming a morning person will far out weigh the super coziness of my bed. 

And then there were...

100!!!!!

YES!!! This is my 100th glorious post over here at Carrie On and I'm excited to have obtained this magical moment on the very day that Brian and I closed on our cute little house 1 year ago!! We've officially been home owners for 1 entire year. And so far, only the boiler, the bathroom sink, and the fridge have broken. Let's hope there are fewer maintenance issues in year two ;)

Closing day 2009.

Celebrating amidst the boxes.

I don't really have anything special to write about today in honor of my 100th post. Life has continued as usual for us around these parts, so that's as good a reason to write as any. Deuce had a minor encounter with the emergency vet clinic last week (he had crystals in his wee wee and had to have emergency surgery to remove them) but he is doing much better now. He's been sporting a pretty sweet cone and has actually managed to keep it on for an entire week. He's one tough cookie. However, if this whole crystal-in-the-wee-wee thing happens again, they will actually remove his manly parts and give him some sort of prosthetic. Yikes to that on SO MANY levels...

Totally drugged out and rocking the kitty catheter.

A slightly more dignified smaller cone.

So anyways, here's to 100 more posts...and hundreds more beyond that! Time to celebrate...

Boatin' to Bergen

*Quick disclaimer - I'm getting into some detail about our trip to Scandinavia this summer, but I am not listing dates/times/etc of when we will be there :) Sorry - don't want to give away too much about my personal life!

The next stop on our whirlwind adventure will be Bergen, Norway. Never heard of it? Neither had I until T-Friend mentioned that she had read about it in a guidebook. I was pretty much just researching major cities (think Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, etc.) and not really thinking about what else might exist beyond the major transportation hubs. Planning a trip with someone else is great - without Tessa's input I would have never even considered heading to Bergen.

Beautiful Bergen.

But I digress.

So in our hunt for our most affordable options, it became obvious that boating it around was actually a great bang for our bucks (kroners in this case). Not only does a ferry/cruise/boat get us from point A to point B, it also provides a place to stay for a night. We really get to kill two birds with one stone by doing the overnight thing - we get where we want to go, and we get to sleep while doing it. No wasted travel day on this leg of the trip!

Kinda like a pseudo cruise. 

After our jaunt in Copenhagen we will make our way entirely across Denmark to Hirshals, where the ferry departs. We may make a pit stop on our way to Hirtshals and spend a night in some other cute little Danish town. The entire journey from Copenhagen to Hirtshals will take about 5.5 hours.  We will be doing this during the day, so it will be nice to take in the scenery of the entire country. 

Upon arrival in Hirtshals, we will board a ferry bound for Bergen. Passengers on the ferry can opt to make the journey in airplane-like seats, or rent a small cabin. We are opting for the latter option so we are refreshed and ready to explore Norway on our arrival. The boat itself is pretty basic, but it does offer a nice dinner buffet with fabulous views of the passing fjords. The last leg of the trip will take us through some pretty spectacular scenery as the sun begins to rise (it doesn't set till SUPER late...think 11pm). Overall ferry travel is a pretty awesome deal - travel, accommodations, AND view of the fjords. 

Our home in Bergen will be Marken Gjetehus (MG), another highly recommended hostel. After doing a bit of price comparison, we managed to get a private room at MG for only about $13US more per night than the 6 bed dorm room. Because Bergen isn't a huge place, the accommodation prices are a lot more reasonable than many places in Norway. We are paying about $45 per person per night. It is possible to stay in a large dorm for about $25-30, so this isn't too bad for our own space!

A typical room at MG...again, small but perfect for our needs.

Bergen itself is a quaint little town, and we should have plenty of time to explore it in our short stay there. We are using the town as the jumping off point for our fabulous "Norway in a Nutshell" tour. More on that next time...

And stay tuned for posts about:

- Hostelling

- Eurail passes

- Dining in a foreign country

- Lessons I learned on my Euro2007 trip

Taking a Look...

I've decided that since I am completely immersing myself in this Scandinavian adventure, I should share some of my planning ideas with you. And it will be nice to look back years from now and see how this trip came to be.


Before I start, let me preface this by saying that we (Tessa & myself) are doing this trip on a super tight budget, so we have been researching our butts off to find the best deals. There are probably a million ways to plan a trip, and this is simply what we've decided to do. Also, we have planned our itinerary based on the idea that we want to make this trip into one giant adventure. Sure we'll do some of the typical tourist stuff, but we will also be traveling off the beaten path to try and get a more complete sense of the countries we are visiting. We had originally planned to do a Western Europe tour (Copenhagen, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Munich, Belgium, Netherlands) but for some reason Scandinavia kept calling our names. Maybe it is the fact that we would probably NEVER get a chance to go back to Scandinavia (it's a lot more realistic to visit other European countries like France and Germany again in the future) or maybe we are just trying to avoid the summer tourist scene as much as possible, but either way, Scandinavia sounds like an amazing place. Sunlight till midnight, YES PLEASE!


So without further adieu, let's talk about Copenhagen...the first stop on this Epic Adventure.

Flying into Copenhagen was the cheapest option for me from the US, so it was a logical first stop. Finding a decently priced flight to anywhere in Europe was a lot of work, but thankfully KLM/Delta has some great deals. Also, interesting fact, it was SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper for me to fly into one city (Copenhagen) and fly out of another (Amsterdam) at the end of the trip. I was so surprised when I started doing searches with this criteria. AND it actually worked out to be cheaper for me to fly out of Richmond than from other major airports in the area. So, I won't have to leave my car for a few weeks and face a massive parking bill when I return. Double score. Finally, I used sites like kayak.com and expedia.com to make my general searches easier, but I ended up booking directly through the Delta site. The price was just as cheap (or expensive, depending on how you look at it). Oh and don't even bother calling customer service to book a flight. The best the lady could do was practically DOUBLE what I found online. Sooooo not worth the 30 minute annoying conversation I had with her.

Anyshnitzel...Copenhagen. I arrive about 6 hours before Tessa, so I will be jetlagged and wandering around by myself. But I'll be in freaking Denmark so I'll get over it. The hostel said I can check in a few hours early, but it is still 3 hours after I arrive on the plane. Based on my past European travel experiences (also done on an insanely tight budget...and yet still epic), it will probably take me a while to get from the airport to the train station to the city, so hopefully I won't have too much time to kill before I check into the hostel and Tessa arrives.

2007 - Arriving in Chartres, France...notice my authentic backpackers pack in the background (I told you I was hardcore). And notice the decently nice room...NOT a hostel...more like a Motel 6. Yeah, their standards are slightly higher than ours.

In Copenhagen we will be staying in the Copenhagen Downtown Hostel. We will have our own room but will be sharing a bathroom with other people on the hall. That may sound weird to some people, but I promise you it is NO big deal at all. Most people are in hostels because they are traveling around to see new places, not because they expect a relaxing, luxurious vacation. Those people stay in hotels. Hostels are actually nice places (if you do a bit of research and find the good ones), although EVERY hostel will get good and bad reviews alike. In my 2007 trip, I didn't stay in a place I didn't like, even though I had read a few negative reviews about each of them. Seriously, you just have to go in with the right expectations and you'll be fine. Remember - a hostel is a place to sleep after a long day of exploring!!

Here is an image of what our room should look like. Small but clean, cozy, and perfect for sleeping. 

This room is about $50 a person per night...so on the more expensive end of the hostel spectrum. We decided to go for a double room (versus staying in a dorm with other random people) since it is the first leg of our trip. I want to be able to take a quick power nap in the room before Tessa arrives and I don't really have that luxury in a dorm. Resting up will be super important to get over any jetlag so we can go full speed ahead for the rest of our stay in Copenhagen!

Other exciting plans for Copenhagen include a VIKING FESTIVAL, a trip to the Carlsberg Brewery, and a night visit to Tivoli (an amusement park/place of awesome and culture). We've got several nights in the city so we'll have plenty of time to squeeze in other events of awesomeness. 

We'll eat some traditional Danish food

Go on a canal tour or just walk around the wharf

And see the REAL Little Mermaid. 

In somewhat related news, I'm thinking about investing in a FlipCam so I can take some short videos while on our trip. I think it will be nice to recap everything here with some video action added in :)

Next up, Bergen, Norway - stop #2! 

Drink This!!

I've always been a fan of Vitamin Water, but one of their new flavors is ridiculously good.

The flavor is called "Connect" and it is a blend of black cherry and lime. It has a dab of caffeine and other nutrients. I don't really drink Vitamin Water for the vitamins necessarily...this is more about the flavor. In fact, I think I could whip up a pretty yummy margarita using this stuff. Seriously, it is THAT good.

Officially Official Officially

I am going on an Epic European Frolic with my bff Tessa!! The ticket has been booked and the planning has commenced. I've been pinching pennies to make this journey happen and I'm kind of shocked that it is actually going to take place! We'll be staying in hostels and traveling by train so I'm sure I'll have lots to share when I get back. July can't come soon enough...

We will be starting this epic journey of awesomeness in Copenhagen, Denmark and then making our way to Berlin, Prague, Vienna, & Amsterdam. I'm also very excited because I'll get to see my cousins and aunt & uncle in the Netherlands! My cousin lives in Amsterdam and is Dutch, so we will have an inside look at the city. I visited this part of my fam (my dad's sister married my fabulous uncle...who is Dutch...HI AUNT WENDY!!) on my last trip to Europe so I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

I've been to both Berlin and Amsterdam before, but wasn't able to stay long in either place so there is still plenty for me to see. It will also be nice to have a travel companion. It is SO CHALLENGING trying to get a table in a restaurant in a foreign country when you are just one sad, lonely girl. Do I seat myself? Will they bring me a check? What does the menu say? Can I read a book at the table? Gaaahhhh just give me a beer. So yes, it will be MUCH nicer to have a travel buddy - especially someone as awesome as T-Friend.

A few scenes from my '07 trip...

Eating (or at least trying to eat) raw herring in Amsterdam. Blah!!

OKTOBERFEST!!

Probably one of my favorite cities ever. Brugge, Belgium.

My cute little room in Interlocken, Switzerland.

Seriously, I love you Switzerland. Spiez here.

The London EYE. Another bff, Kris, pictured here doing the "eye" with me, will also be joining us for part of the fun. She went to London and never left. 

Any tips or hints about the places we plan to visit?

Check It

Lookie here!!! I got tagged by HotChildInTheCity to join the "Pretty Mafia". I am SO NOT preppy by any means...well maybe a little...I did go to U of R. But I definitely dig the whole mafia thing. So, without further adieu, I give you my fantabulous answers to these very random questions.

1. Who is your style icon?
I really don't have a style icon that I look up to (I'm really not fashionable at all...nor do I really care to be...it just isn't in me!). I like to look put together, but I'm not crazy about labels, fashion, and all that jazz. I do think my bff Mandy has fabulous style though!! So she wins. 

Fabulous.

2. What is your favorite socialite lit book?
I'm not sure I really understand the question...socialite lit?? A Google search didn't even help me on this one. The closest thing on my bookshelf to preppy literature is David Sedaris. If you don't believe me, go out and buy the book "Me Talk Pretty One Day". 


3. Favorite party theme?
Any party thrown on the 400 block at U of R during the 2006-2007 school year. A few themes of note: XXX-Mas, Breaking of Spring, Tanzanian Independence Day, and Trick-or-Trashed (sorry family - that sounds much more vulgar than it really was). 

4. Go to Halloween costume?
Anything DIY. I refuse to buy a pre-made Halloween costume. BORING!! I particularly enjoy costumes that involve multiple people and parts. This past year my friends and I were ice cream flavors and sprinkles (and Deuce was the banana). Put it all together and you have a banana split. 
I will never have a go-to costume because it is mandatory for me to create a new costume each year. Talk about pressure...
HOWEVER. You really can't beat the "pillow case dress" style - anything is possible with a pillowcase.

Happy banana.

5. Extravagance you cannot live without?
Hmmm...tampons?? Ok that was gross, sorry. But really - those little lifesavers are not universally available and would be considered an extravagance to some...
Superficially speaking, I'll have to go with high quality make-up, Starbucks, & my Mac.


6. Living person you admire?
Geez, there are MANY people I admire. My friends, my family, my co-workers. Sorry, I can't just pick one so this answer is going to bore you. 


8. Trait you deplore in yourself?
I HATE that I am not a morning person. Seriously it drives me crazy that I don't jump out of bed every morning ready to run a marathon and take on the day. I just have a thing for my really cozy bed. Blah - who am I kidding? It's totally mental but I just can't break it!!!

This is how I like my mornings. 

10. Greatest Achievement?
Becoming a homeowner before my 25th birthday. Pretty standard, but it means a lot! And, of course, in a more figurative sense I am very proud of my relationships with my friends and family. 




Anything else you are dying to know?! Or did those questions and answers pretty much cover it?

March Cupcakery...in April

In case you thought I FAILED at my New Year's Resolution to bake one new cupcake recipe a month, you would be wrong. I did, in fact, bake a very delicious cupcake treat in March.

I present to you...Dark Chocolate Mint Cupcakes!!

Recipe and image from here.

I ended up making these amazing treats pretty late one Tuesday night. I forced myself to git-er-done before the month changed to April. Sadly I didn't take any after pics...but mine looked a little bit uglier than the image above. What can I say? I'm not a baker by any means. 

Overall the recipe was super easy and very yummy. I also tried to use as many organic ingredients as possible...so I think that made them "healthier." I also splurged on some fabulous buttercream icing from Whole Foods that I crushed some mint chocolate in to. 

Still contemplating April's recipe...and when I will have the time to make them. As you can see - life has gotten in the way of this little blog :)

A few really random updates - just in case you are wondering.

- There is an absurd amount of pollen everywhere. It is incredibly annoying and gross. And Mr. Chips keeps rolling around in it and turning green. I need to stop letting the cats outside. 

- I've been keeping up with running and hope to run the Carytown 10k faster than any other 10k I've done (which is 3 races...I need to beat an official time of 1:00:56). 

- Brian and I went up to NJ this past weekend for his brother's wedding. Fabulous time on so many levels. I actually got to hang out with his family more than I ever have since he was on Best Man duty. I can't even express to you how much fun I had (Singing Karaoke to Ginuwine was involved). 

- I planted a ton of plants in our front yard (and got an ugly sunburn in the process). I am really crossing my fingers that these babies don't die...

- There is a Europe trip in the mixing bowl to rendezvous with one of my best friends in the entire world. This REALLY needs to happen. 

Tessa. Me. Fun.

Epic time.

We've been to Hong Kong, Australia, & Mexico together (and even survived a ridiculous expedition through the snow/ice/mud/un-human-friendly-conditions in Tasmania) so I think it is time to add a wide variety of European countries to that list. 

Look out world!

Photorific!

Some delightful pics from last weekend's 10k!
Sorry the quality is sort of off...I took them from the event website.

FOCUSING on not feeling pain. 

Going crazy for the cameras. 

More jumping. No clue who the guy in purple is...

Last year's race!

Also, it has been decided that Tristan and I will be running the Carytown 10k in May. It is the day after Strawberry Hill races, which should make for an interesting run. If you don't know what Strawberry Hill is, imagine the Kentucky Derby full of country folk. And mix in some super well dressed people too. Add one part open bar and one part alumni tent and you have a recipe for fun. But not TOO much fun since we will be running bright and early the next morning at 8am. 

Ah, well, who are we kidding...we'll definitely have TOO much fun!

The Result(s)!!

Whew...ok. RACE TIME. More like recap time. So here we go.

In case you are unaware, I ran in the Monument Ave 10k this past weekend in Richmond. The weather was nice and clear for the race but it was COLD...When we started the race it was about 35 out. Not so fun.
So - My goal was to complete it in under 1 hour. I semi-sort-of met that goal.

Officially my brother and I crossed the finish line in about 1:06 which isn't too bad. However, I had to take a massive break right around mile 3 thanks to an insane shooting pain in my knee. It is most definitely IT band related. I've had issues in my left knee before so I know exactly what the pain feels like (it was on the right side this time). And it isn't pretty. I imagine that childbirth feels something like how my knee felt. It was intense.
Anyways so this random pain came right out of the blue and I really had no choice but to stop several times to try and "work it out." Thank God Tristan is a real runner because I could not have conquered the pain without him. We stopped about 3 times during mile 3 so I could try and get through the pain by stretching out my knee and hip for a bit. Tris had me do some dynamic stretches for a few minutes and I ended up adjusting my gait and felt SO MUCH better. It is really a miracle that I was able to keep running!! The worst part of it all was that I was IN THE ZONE when the pain hit and when we stopped I was barely even breathing...I felt good and we were right on track to finish in under an hour. STUPID IT BAND!
I am guessing the pain came on so suddenly because we were running on the street, which is slightly sloped on the sides. Running 3 miles on the slope was not such a wise plan.

But now for the good news. Tristan made sure to stop his watch every time we stopped to work through my knee. As soon as we started running again, he started the watch up again. And...drum roll...in pure RUNNING time we completed the race in 59:57!!! I am definitely proud of that. Even if we didn't "officially" come in anywhere near an hour, I was able to actually run 6.2 miles in under 1 hour! Also, our 1st mile pace was somewhere in the 12 minute range thanks to the fact that the road was crammed with people. After the mile 3 incident we made up so much time and even ran a few miles at an under 9 minute pace.  I highly recommend running with someone who knows what they are doing...Tristan paced me so well that I didn't even feel like I was going that fast!

In other news, because I pushed so hard the last few miles, by the time we got to the finish line I really wasn't in the best shape. We literally sprinted (at least in my mind) the last half mile-ish so that I would make it in under 1 hour on Tristan's watch. After already running 5.5-ish fast miles I was so extremely exhausted that the last half mile did me in. After we crossed the finish line I started to heave and felt ridiculously sick. I almost puked 6 times and couldn't even open my eyes. Tristan had to help me stand up because the world was spinning. It was really embarrassing because there were SO many people around watching. Thankfully there was other puke on the ground and lots of other runners crossing the finish line. Oooops.

But at least I know I pushed myself to the absolute max and I am really proud of that! It was also really nice to have that runner's high for a solid 2 days afterwards.

Next up, the Carytown 10k (I think?!). I'm kind of scared to run it by myself and it is the morning after the Strawberry Hill Races (dun dun dun!).

Pictures of the race to come as soon as I can snatch them from the pro photographer's website! I really can't wait to see my horrible-almost-puking face at the end of the race.

Toodle Loo!

Working Woman

I did it...I bought a pant suit. Well actually my mom very generously got me a pant suit. And I feel like a real life grown up! It was about time that I updated my style a little bit.
Last weekend my fabulous mom and I had a fun little weekend in Raleigh. We paroozed several great stores like Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic & (surprisingly) the Limited. For some reason I always have flash backs of Limited Too when I think of the Limited, so I haven't really been in a while. But I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. We picked up lots of really great work-appropriate things like...

I'm such an adult when I wear this. Pant suit from The Limited.

Simple. Cropped cardigan from The Limited.

Richmond colors!!! Scarf from The Limited.

Nice spring jacket from Ann Taylor Loft.

I found several other things but can't seem to find them on the interwebs...

Next up, I'm on the hunt for a nice pair of nude heels that I can wear all the time. Any suggestions?!

An Ode

...to St. Pattie's Days of yesteryear.

2009...Doin it right at Sine's. (That's pronounced Shin-Ays)

At the time, this made sense for the holiday. Fabulous day.

Seriously...the best weekend ever.

love. endurance. strength. Important St. Pattie's Day mottos. 

Oh and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my lovely parental units. You picked a fabulous day to tie the knot!

This WILL scare you.

Just came across this picture I took a few years ago. It was taken in Barbados in some sort of museum plantation house. How FREAKY is this baby doll?!?!? Honestly it might be worse than Chucky.

In other news, HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout out to my #1 fan and best lady on earth...my mom!