La Petite Chic

Living La Vida Loca!

Tomorrow, I'll be doing this

under one of these

while drinking one, okay, several of these (on the rocks with extra salt, please!)

and perhaps doing a little bit of this

here

all to celebrate the second (!) anniversary of this

oh, and this

and le sigh, this.

I'll be autoposting a little post on our actual anniversary, September 1st, but other than that, you won't hear from me until I'm back next Saturday.  Hope your Labor Day will be as incredibly special as ours is!

Maybe I Am a Winette

Now that I've, ahem, recovered from the concert on Monday night, I thought I would share some highlights with you.  First things first, the locale was awesome.  It's one of those outdoor concert venues where you can either buy a pavilion seat right in front of the stage or you can buy a cheaper lawn seat that sits behind the concert pavilion.

For me, it's a no-brainer.  With lawn seats, you can take your beach chairs, spread out a blanket and bring a picnic basket full of goodies, including alcholic drinks.  Plus, you can still see the stage and hear the music just fine.  Actually, the music is at a reasonable listening level and you don't leave the concert with your ears ringing from sitting too close to the speakers.  In the pavilion, you are not allowed to eat or drink anything besides water.  Sure, I suppose it's great if the weather is rainy and nasty but otherwise, duh, lawn seats are the way to go! 

For those of you who were following my Twitters that night, you may have noticed my progression from sober to tipsy to all out drunk by the end of the night.  Monday night.  I'm the type of girl who starts to feel good after just one glass of wine, so you can imagine how good I was feeling after sharing two bottles of red, red wine with Jon.  Yesterday was a great day at work, let me tell ya.  For you non-Twitterers (coughcoughRavencough), here's a snapshot of my UB40 Twitters:

enjoying Frank the Tank (red wine) at the UB40 concert 07:42 PM August 25, 2008 

concert hasn't even started and we just cracked our second bottle! 07:59 PM August 25, 2008

oMB, if I weren't married I'd do Maxi Priest 08:37 PM August 25, 2008

dude, I swear I'm not dry 08:38 PM August 25, 2008 

umm drunk, npt dry, whoops 08:39 PM August 25, 2008

jon won't dance with me :( booooo 08:44 PM August 25, 2008

oh how I love a man with an accent 09:02 PM August 25, 2008

ph my god. I'm drunk white girl who loves reggae, am a freak a drunk freak HA'! 09:03 PM August 25, 2008

this is why we spent half our honeymoon in Jamaica Mon 09:10 PM August 25, 2008

dude U broke the seal duck 09:42 PM August 25, 2008

umm I just took my pants off 09:53 PM August 25, 2008

Yeah, that last one there?  That was right after I insisted that Jon take my pants off.  As in remove my pants in front of a lawn full of people because I was so hot from dancing that I thought I was melting.  In my defense, it was dark by that point and I was wearing one of those long shirts that can pass as a short dress if you're skanky like that.  Apparently I am.  If you're wondering why Jon had to take my pants off, it's because I couldn't take them off without crashing into the lovely couple behind us.  It's really quite hard to take off jeans when you're sweaty and sticky.  And drunk.

I sat on my lawn chair as Jon ripped them off of me, but curiously we heard a popping noise.  Jon started laughing and said, "That's why you couldn't get them off, they were still buttoned!"  Umm, no, I totally unbuttoned and unzippered them!  Upon closer inspection on Tuesday morning, it appears that in Jon's zeal to get them off of me, he ripped the zipper off!  Off my Seven jeans!  I sense a new pair of jeans for me in the very near future.

As you may have guessed, we LOVED the concert.  UB40 puts on a fabulous and fun live show and makes sure that everyone gets up and dances.  I even had Jon dancing by the end of the night!  My favorite part of the concert was the very last song of their encore, "Can't Help Falling in Love With You."  Before Jon picked "Making Memories of Us" as our wedding song, we had already decided on "Can't Help Falling in Love With You".  We were going to use the Elvis version since it's a little slower, but nonetheless, that song holds special meaning to us.  It was an absolutely perfect night for slow dancing under the stars with my love. 

UB40

A sampling of our dinner...yum! Red, red wine (Frank the Tank) from VA winery Vino Curioso. Wings from Chics-n-wings (including the Herculean, shake-n-bake, Thai and classic buffalo). DELICIOUS!!!

Life in Numbers

1:  Week away from our two year anniversary

5:  Days until we leave for our anniversarymoon in Mexico

0:  Things packed for said anniversarymoon

27:  Days until my 27th birthday

38:  Days until Jonathan's 28th birthday

4:  Hours until we see UB40 live in concert

3:  Bottles of red, red wine we're packing in our picnic basket

2:  Advil I'll swallow before I go to sleep tonight

30: Assorted wings we're also packing in our picnic basket

24:  Steamed shrimp with Old Bay, again packing in our picnic basket

2:  Tums I'll chew before we eat

18:  Minutes left in the work day

Pie in the Sky

I'm a baker who doesn't make pie crusts. The last time I tried to make a pie crust, I was 16 years old and about to start my senior year of high school.  It was not a pleasant experience, thus I've been using store-bought pie crusts ever since.  It's not such a big deal because pie doesn't top my list of favorite desserts so I rarely feel inclined to make one.  Plus, the store-bought pie crusts taste just as good and make things so much easier. 

Today, though, I made my first homemade pie crust for the first time in 10 whole years, but I can't really say it was by choice.  Pie crusts were on our shopping list today, but I didn't remember them until we were already in the check-out line.  I frantically ran around the frozen food aisle but could only find puff pastry sheets and already formed pie crusts.  Though neither was what I was looking for, I grabbed the latter and ran back to the checkout line.  After loading the groceries in the car, Jon said, "Oh, the pie crust sheets are in the refrigerated section, didn't you know that?"  Umm, no, Jon, thanks for that! 

I had a minor hissy fit as I informed him that I was planning to make a pie with a top crust, so the stupid pre-formed pie crusts I bought wouldn't work and ohmygodJonwhydidn'tyoutellme???  I hate when things don't work out the way I planned!  So when we got home, I decided to make my own pie crusts.  After much cursing and flinging of dough and flour (not all directed towards Jon!), I had my pie.  Though the crust isn't the prettiest I've ever seen, it sure does taste good!  The filling is a mix of nectarines, left over from our stop at the roadside stand last weekend, and strawberries.  It's the perfect end of summer pie and even I, the self-professed non-lover of pie and Jon, the self-professed non-lover of nectarines, loved it.  I wouldn't call myself a master of pies, but at least I can truly call myself a baker now!

I used the pie crust recipe from the side of the can of Crisco shortening for the crust and my own variation on a recipe I found online for a nectarine pie.  Here's my version:

Nectarine-Strawberry Pie

• Pastry for 2 9-inch pie crusts
• 1 cup of sugar
• ¼ cup of flour
• ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
• 4 average sized ripe nectarines, peeled and sliced
• About 2/3 of a pint of strawberries, sliced
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• cinnamon-sugar to sprinkle on top (if desired, I sprinkle it on just about everything I bake!)

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Line your pie pan with the bottom layer of pie pastry.  Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon, then mix in the sliced nectarines.  Spoon the mixture onto the pie crust.  Layer the sliced strawberries on top of the nectarine mixture, then dot with the butter.  Cover with the top pie pastry and make a few slits in the top for the steam to escape.

To prevent the edges of your pie crusts from burning, cover them with strips of aluminum foil and remove them during the last 15 minutes of baking.  Bake your pie until the crust is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble through the slits, about 35 to 45 minutes (mine took 40).  Enjoy!

To the Characters at My Gym

To the woman who insists on hovering near my machine while I'm in the midst of a set:

The more you ask me how many I have left, the more I'll add onto my set.  Back off!!

To the creepy man who stares at me while I'm lifting:

Dude, there's a mirror. I can see you!!

To the god-awful stinky man who has a knack for finding the machine right next to mine every. single. time.:

I don't know what you eat, but you have the foulest smelling sweat that my nose has ever encountered.  And I've been in a football locker room!

To the woman who wears a fluorescent thong unitard over equally fluorescent spandex bike shorts:

Jane Fonda called; she wants her outfit back.

To the pregnant woman who looks to be about five months along:

You are awesome and an inspiration.  P.S.  You look great!  (See, I'm not always snarky!)

To the wee man with the grotesquely huge muscles:

What are you trying to compensate for, huh?

To the woman who reserves a machine by throwing her water bottle on it, then disappears:

I won't hesitate to move your water if you're not back in five minutes and there's not another machine open.  Tough cookies, lady; you can't reserve machines!

To the trainer who measures my body fat at 16%, says that's kind of high and then tells me, "Hey, you look good though!":

Hey douchebag, I googled it when I got home and 16% body fat for a woman puts me in the athletic (i.e. LOWEST) range!  Dumb ass.

To 99% of the people working out:

There's a reason why there are antibacterial wipe stations everywhere--you're supposed to wipe down the machine after you're done!!  Novel idea, eh?

To my iTunes:

I hate you for erasing my workout playlist.  That is all.

I'm just a ray of sunshine at the gym, aren't I?

Back to the Heart of Things

These past few days of the Olympics are what I've been waiting for, my love, track and field.  I know the trepidation of toeing the line.  I remember the euphoria of winning a race and the disappointment of running poorly.  The smell of Bengay brings me back to stretching on the sidelines before a race and the sound of the starting gun still puts me at attention. 

There was a time in high school when people swore I would one day be racing in the Olympics. I was asked to sign autographs for random strangers "just in case" and I had my photo plastered across the front page of the sports section too many times to remember.  I stood on countless medal podiums and have boxes of medals and ribbons in my old bedroom at my parent's house.

Yet, I never knew the glory of the Olympics.  Being an Olympic athlete takes so much more than having a natural talent.  It takes more than just giving up your Saturday mornings for track meets and more than wanting to be a star.  This is a lifestyle; it's a full-time commitment.  I retired after I graduated.  Racing competitively for eight straight years took it's toll on me and more than a physical break, I needed a mental break.

It's been over five years since my last race.  But lately, I've been running, running several times a week.  I'm finally back in the condition where I can feel the elation of runner's high.  My muscle definition is starting to show again and my lungs feel strong.  I know I'll never be in the Olympics but it feels good to be out on the road doing what comes naturally for me.  Because at heart, I am a runner and it feels so good to be back.

A Family Affair

*I was recently interviewed by the wonderful Daddy Dan over at his blog.  My interview is posted today, so go check it out!  While you're there, check out some of the other great interviews he's done...it's a great way to find a new blog to read!  Also, be sure to check out pictures of his son, 'Babito'.  He's so adorable and makes me realize that maybe having a baby boy won't be so bad after all!*

I consider Jonathan and I very lucky because not only are we very close to our parents, but we also love our respective in-laws as well.  I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I'm very much like Jon's mother and in turn, he is very much like my father.  I guess what they say is true; girls marry men who are similar to their dads and men marry women who are similar to their moms. 

We're only an hour away from my parents in Maryland and about three hours from Jon's parents in Pennsylvania so we get to see our parents quite frequently.  Because we're so close to our parents, Jon and I have decided to move to Maryland rather than moving South in a year because we want to be near our parents once we start having babies.  Though we were seriously considering the Carolinas, we feel that family is definitely more important than a warmer climate and a bigger home.

This weekend, Jon's parents were in town to visit us, so we decided to take them to one of the local wineries for a wine tasting.  Virginia has a reputation for making great wines and there are plenty to choose from just within a half hour's drive from us.  We figured we would combine our wine tasting with a shopping trip at the outlets (of course!), so we settled on Tarara Winery for our tasting. 

You wouldn't believe how beautiful it is out there, especially because you're just about 35 miles away from DC.  There are farms and forests and fruit and vegetable stands all along the road.  We ended up doing two flights of tastings, one with their Reserve wines (fancy) and the other with their everyday wines (cheaper).  I  have to admit, the Reserve wines definitely tasted better, but the everyday wines were also quite delicious.  Oh, and get this...their winemaker has a blog!  No wonder I like their wine!  In addition to grapes, Tarara also grows other fruits and they're currently in blackberry season.  Their best-selling wine is actually made with blackberries but it was a bit sweet for my liking.

They also have apple orchards and I was surprised to see that apple picking season is almost upon us.  As I've mentioned before, I'm definitely ready for autumn and all of the lovely things that come with it, but where did the summer go?  I mean, goodness, we're already into apple picking season?  We're definitely coming back for it though because believe it or not, Jon makes an awesome homemade apple pie (the only dessert he makes) using his mom's recipe.  Pies are the one dessert I have trouble with and I think it's because I get flustered by making the crusts.  Apple picking starts in September and his parents have already planned on coming back down to pick some apples with us.  Maybe we can even have a pie baking showdown, with Jon versus his mom!  I'll be the judge, of course!

On our way home, we stopped at one of the roadside stands to buy some fresh picked fruits and vegetables and we planned our weekly dinner menu around the great stuff we bought.  You really can't beat fresh produce, especially tomatoes, so you can bet we're going to have some delicious BLTs this week.  Have I ever mentioned my love for bacon?  Or tomatoes?  I think I could be a vegetarian if not for bacon and when you put it together with a fresh tomato, it's just perfection. 

On Sunday, my parents drove down to have brunch with us and Jon's parents before they hit the road back to Pennsylvania.  They don't get to see each other very often, so it was nice to get our parents together and enjoy some great food with them.  Both sets of parents will be going on the cruise with us in January, so that's probably the next time all of us will be together.

Oh, and I can't finish up without mentioning my bargain of the weekend a la the Outlets.  I got a Gap sweatshirt for only $2.95!  I was expecting it to ring up for $12 or so, but when it rang up as $2.95 and I actually kind of screamed, "Are you serious?!"  I live in sweatshirts since I'm always cold, so this totally made my day.  Jon was also quite pleased. 

(photo stolen from E-bay)

More on the Monkey

I haven't been inspired to write lately and I hate to write something just for the sake of posting so that's why you haven't heard from me in a few days.  I've had one of those weeks where nothing particularly interesting has happened, but there have been some odds and ends that merit mentioning. 

Like how Jonathan and I have already exchanged our two year anniversary gifts, 16 days early.  We don't go overboard with anniversary gifts for two reasons: 1) We go on vacation to celebrate our anniversary and 2) My birthday is 20 days later and Jon's is 31 days later.  We have a lot of celebrating to do in the fall!

The traditional gift for the second anniversary is cotton and the modern gift is china.  I've been wanting to get more pieces to complete our dinnerware set so I told him to buy me the coordinating platter and call it a day.  China gift done and done.  He outdid himself and not only bought me the platter, but two more placesettings as well!  Obviously, the only china Jon would want as a gift would come in a paper carton or plane ticket so I opted to go the cotton route for him. 

Remember my post about Pleepleus?  Jon is still obsessed and after closer inspection, realized that we bought the wrong monkey.  The original Pleepleus has a furry face rather than a smooth face and has a longer tail and limbs, and oh, woe is Jon, we bought the wrong monkey!  Now do you understand why he puts up with my shopping habit?  Because I have to put up with that! Ahem. It turns out that the original Pleepleus (Swinger the Monkey, if you really want to know) is a retired Beanie Baby.  Meaning that crazy Beanie Baby-obsessed people on E-bay can charge whatever the hell they want for it. 

$19.99 later, Swinger the Monkey, err, Pleepleus, was mine.  He arrived yesterday, and knowing that I would never be able to keep it a secret until September 1st, I propped the new Pleepleus up on Jon's man chair (yes, he has a man chair) to hang out.  When Jon called me on his way home from class, I told him that a visitor stopped by and was waiting to see him.  He was so thrilled to see the 'real' Pleepleus sitting on his chair when he got home.  Of course he had to have a beer with the new Pleeps to welcome him to the family.  We're going to the outlets tomorrow; I intend to be rewarded for putting up with my man and his monkey.

I wanted to get Jon something else so again, I turned to Three Sheets for inspiration.  My husband is definitely a tee-shirt and jeans kind of guy, so I decided to stick with the cotton theme and bought him two Three Sheets tee-shirts.  I'm know he'll love them.  Aren't they cute?

  

Also, I intended to mention several odds and ends in this post, not anticipating that talking about our anniversary gifts would be lengthy enough!

Uncorked Memories

Speaking of traditions, I wanted to share another one of the traditions that Jon and I have.  I've always been the type to save little mementos of my romantic relationships.  I have a shoebox full of ticket stubs, cards, post-it note messages, etc... that I have accumulated over the four years that Jon and I have been together.  The box doesn't take up that much room in my closet and sometimes it's nice to go back and read the sweet messages from the beginning of our relationship to the ticket stubs of all of the wonderful places we've been together.  Now that I think of it, it's sort of like a blog, only my shoebox of memories is something physical that I can hold and admire.

Along with all of those other mementos, I also save the corks from every bottle of wine or champagne that we drink together.  I would estimate that I have about 95% of the corks from every bottle we've shared since we started dating in September of 2004.  You all know we love to drink wine so you can imagine how many corks I have.  Originally, I intended to make something out of them like a picture frame or a cork board but honestly, we don't have any empty space on our walls to hang another picture and I wasn't too sold on the idea anyway.  Regardless, I kept saving them, figuring that I would eventually find a use for them.

A few months ago, Jon and I popped into Pottery Barn to look around and I finally found the inspiration for what to do with all of our corks.  They had taken large, glass cylinder vases and filled them to the brim with old wine corks.  They were even selling bags of old corks for about $30 for a bag of 20 or so corks.  Who needs to buy a bag of corks when you have a whole shoebox full of them sitting at home?  I didn't even need to purchase the cylinder vases because I have a whole box of leftovers ones that were used to hold my bridesmaid's bouquets at our wedding reception.

These wine cork-filled vases make a beautiful accent piece in our home, and even better, they hold a special meaning to us because they are literally filled with our memories.  It's a great way to display all of our cherished wine corks! 

Here's a photo of two of our vases: