ode to charlotte.

today turned out to be a sad day. my hubby's childhood pet of 18 years had to be put to sleep this afternoon. she was his little black cat, appropriately named charlotte, of e.b.white's celebrated spider. with her birthday only yesterday, she made it one more year but she just couldn't take it any longer. cancer claimed her tiny 7 lb body, spreading too fast to control. over the past few years, she's battled quite a few medical maladies, including bouts of epilepsy; it truly is amazing she has lasted this long.

even so, reality slowly sinks in. if you've ever lost a family pet you know how deep the loss can hit. this once frisky kitty will no longer pounce onto stephen's top bunk and snuggle up for the night as in the days of old. throughout thick and thin and all the phases of life, she has been there for him. a constant companion during the rough days of adolescence and welcoming comfort to embrace upon returns home. she was one of the family, and she will be missed.

to charlotte...one very special kitty.

hoyapolitik.

my husband is brilliant. no bones about it. so when i found out today that he had been formally asked to be a commentator on a georgetown blog, i was thrilled he finally found a suitable medium to share his thoughts with the world!

he had started a blog long well before i started mine, but after three excellent posts, he stopped. it just wasn't fulfilling. he's the kind of person that feeds off the insights and intellect of others - a "thought vulture" as he calls it. he needs the real-time feedback and discussion, and let's face it, most blogs can be a bit lonely in that department. so what better way to engage online than on the hoyapolitik - a dynamic forum filled with lively exchange between the top minds in his field.

truth be told, he has yet to make his posting debut, but if you are at all interested to read passionate dialog on all things related to international security, this is the blog for you. alright steverod!

the other a-rod.

so i'm still nursing a nice sun-burn from attending the legg mason tennis classic finals yesterday afternoon, but oh was it worth it. we first caught the doubles match at noon between the #1 american team, identical twins, bob & mike bryan and the #1 israeli team, jon erlich & andy ram. it was so fun to see them tag team across the court!

and then at 3pm, the match we had all been waiting for commenced. top american player and tennis hottie, andy roddick, faced up against the newest american tennis sensation, john isner! what a thrill it was to see this rookie persevere all the way to finals and have two americans battle for the title! and, of course, to see andy play up close and personal... sigh :)

i'll keep this post short and sweet, but in the end, both mens doubles and singles titles went to americans claiming their 3rd legg mason title yet! that's right, both first seeded bryan brothers and the other a-rod went home with their rank reinforced and confidence confirmed.

i'll leave all the match highlights to the pros (sorry could only find the footage in spanish!), but i did take a few snap shots of the event. enjoy!

taken with tennis.

yesterday steve and i went to our first ATP tennis tournament ever... i had been wanting to go to the legg mason tennis classic in dc for years now but the timing just never worked out. but this year, it did, and i surprised stephen with a pair of tickets friday's mid-day match.

after stopping at our favorite sandwich shop, jetties, to split our usual "surfside" (yummmm) for lunch, we headed to rock creek park to catch a mens singles quarterfinals round. we got lucky with a great pair-up, close scoring game and an underdog win. recent college grad turned pro and wild card entry, john isner, battled the court with german favorite and number 2 seed, tommy haas. between john's killer ace serves and tommy's consistent playing, this match was neck and neck through all 3 sets and 2 tie breaks. in the end, isner clinched the win and rookie advanced. yessssss.

after racing home to try to beat rush hour traffic, i hopped in the shower for 10 secs and then rushed out the door for some girlie time with my old boss jen. we had a faaaabulous evening catching up over pedicures and cheap chinese food - perfect combo ;) i even ran into my book club buddy, sarah, at the nail salon who was beyond shocked that i had trekked the 45 minutes out to sterling on a friday night! meanwhile stephen stayed on the gtown waterfront and hung out with his buddy john mccary and his old iraq friends. at least there was no hurry for either of us get home at an early hour...

we both came to the realization late last week that our original weekend plans would probably have to be put on hold, yet again, due to encroaching work deadlines. this will be the 2nd time we have had to reschedule our trip out to assateague island within the last month. :( since june, we have been scheming and dreaming of making it out to the eastern shore to set up camp on the beach with the legendary feral horses. sigh...one day. and our packs remained stuffed with our gear, sitting by the door, ready to go once we are. whenever that we'll be.

but i guess one good thing has come out of our predicament. now we'll actually be in town this sunday to catch the LMTC finals match up!!!! i would love love love to see andy roddick in action. i mean, who wouldn't?? i think i'm hooked.

ps. believe it or not, but stephen and i made it onto espn! our friend sally spotted us on the tube while working out on the treadmill. ha! i guess isner's big upset made it to the highlights. sweeeeet.

all smiles.

yesterday was a big day - normalcy to my life returned, finally.

after a few rounds of happy hour drinks with coworkers at tony and joe's on the waterfront, stephen took me to the cutest restaurant in georgetown to celebrate... since the spring, he has constantly raved about this dc gem so i was thrilled when he surprised me with 8pm dinner reservations to ristorante piccolo!

we got lucky with a romantic balcony table for two, overlooking the historic c&o canal. after we split linguini with mussels (which was soooo good i can still taste its velvety texture) and some white wine, we headed next door, literally, to check out stephen's new office! the sentia group has been in the process of moving locales this last month, and he's been in charge of all the transitionery details... on top of his actual work, oh, and grad school. sometimes i don't know how he does it.

but wow - all the hard work was definitely worth it - this new place is so sweet. a renovated historic townhouse combine the charm of the past with the modern style and conveinence of today. plus, leather couches, persian rugs and swanky office furniture complete the package. all this and only steps from m street. compared to my current corporate digs, i'm beyond jealous! great job honey!!!

truly, yesterday was a great day, full of restored confidence and new found hope... i'm baaaaaaack and i'm all smiles.

picasa perfect.

despite the painfully obvious fact that i've been quite the deliquent blogger, i'm not hanging my head in shame. no, no. well, ok, maybe a little... a 2 month hiatus is just pathetic. but nevermind, i'm back and i'm motivated. and that's all that really matters.

now, i know y'all have just been dy-ing to see all the vacay pics...(and can i blame you? they are fabulous!) BUT i think it's only fair to warn you. truth be told, my stack began with over 900 photos (no joke) and it took me this long to pare it down....to a third of size....y'know, for your reasonable enjoyment.

that's right - 300! and each one is annotated. gasp! and i did it all tonight. double gasp! and all via picasa, my latest google crush. oh yeah it's sweet.

so excuse the short return post but the fingers are a little pooped. no worries though; i know you can still waste plenty time perusing through these pics. after all, that's why you really read my blog, i know. till next post...

enjoy europa

two for two.

today is stephen and i's anniversary (05.21.05!) and lucky us, we will be spending it crossing the atlantic. well at least it's on route to holiday! last night we celebrated a little early... he took me to the BEST restaurant in georgetown - 1789. and surprised me with a luxury i would never get for myself - personalized crane's stationery! i truly married a wonderful man :) here's to the two of us...on two terrific years.

i recently got tagged by my good friend (and former bridesmaid!) katie with an interview meme. her questions are quite appropriate for today - hope you enjoy.

1. you had a BEAUTIFUL wedding and did it all yourself! what were some details that you think brides-to-be tend to forget? what is your best advice now that your wedding is over?

i think i the one thing i learned the most through the whole wedding planning process (or dare i say, saga) was the complexity that goes into planning and executing an event, and doing it well. i considered myself a creative and organized person so i thought it wouldn't be too difficult, even with the family abroad. let's just say stephen is quite the trooper ;) together we learned to appreciate the level of effort that goes into the big and little and everything in between. really the lesson for us wasn't really missing details, it was more planning for the event transitions as the day progressed from ceremony to cocktail hour to dinner to dancing to bouquet toss to cake to good night. you kind of assume things will happen naturally, but really, they don't. i think we just lucked out, but honestly, do yourself a favor and at least hire a "day-of" wedding coordinator. they'll help keep everything on que! lastly, best advice that was given me? remember to breathe...and enjoy the engagement; marriage will come soon enough. :)

2. what do you most love about your husband steve?

i find this to be hard question...mainly because there is so much to love! but if i had to pick one thing i would have to say his strength. physical, yes, but spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and that of character as well. he is my grounding support and with him i am secure. we have been through quite a rollercoaster of life events over the past 5 years, but throughout it all he has remained true - someone i can trust, respect and with seek discernment. his strength is my strength, which is why when he leads, i follow.

3. what do you love most about being married?

marriage is great. besides the tax breaks and other perks (wink), my favorite part is that my best friend is always near. the first 3 years of our relationship we spent in separate cities, 150 miles apart. we both drove that I-95 stretch so often that we could navigate from dc to philly with our eyes closed if it weren't for all the traffic and tolls! in the end it was all worth it, and it just makes us all the more thankful for the moments we have together.

4. you have been married for two years now…what is your favorite memory in your married life?

my favorite memories in marriage have been being fully a part of stephen's successes. i love how equally invested we are in each others lives, goals and ambitions. his successes are my successes, and vice versa. likewise for disappoints that come our way. the connection is selfless and unified. i don't brag about him much, and maybe i should more, but he certainly does me proud in the large and in the small.

5. just for fun…if you could do any job, besides the one you are doing, what would you do? give us some details.

i'm such a nerd. my profession of choice? i want to be an economist. bor-ing, right? for most maybe, but i sure don't think so. since graduating college and entering in the consulting field, i have come to realize a lot of about myself. one happened to be that i love mathematics. i'm serious. i'm one of those freaks that actually sees the beauty in the numbers. ha! but i'm also one of those that i like to have real world applicability in what they do, and well that's where economics fits in. and i'm not talking the fluffy poli-sci undergrad econ either. all graduate programs are doctoral (nope, no masters given) and the majority of the coursework is basically advanced mathematics. may sound like hell, but i assure you, it gets my blood pumping! anyway, i'm still a few years from any prospect of going back to school, but for now i am excited. currently i'm researching, networking and determining what exactly i want to do. will probably change jobs in the early fall...not too excited about the interviewing part (uggh), but fortunately for me, dc is the place to be.

............
would you like me to interview you? here are the rules:
1. leave me a comment saying, “interview me” and also leave me your e-mail address if i don’t already have it.
2. i will respond by emailing you five questions. i get to pick the questions.
3. you will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. you will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. when others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.