rolling THUNDER.

memorial day weekend. although this is the first in a long time that we've actually been in town for the holiday, we were well aware of the tradition of bikers rolling into town to honor pow/mia soldiers - a.k.a rolling thunder. and with over 1/2 million bikes come to honor these missing troops, it is quite a sight (and sound). all weekend you could hear bouts of engine revs and roars...leaving me stuck constantly humming the classic AC/DC song thunderstruck. i just can't help it.

with the amazing weather we've been having lately, all the windows are open, and the vespa has gotten some good use. we rode it up rock creek parkway yesterday to head our church's annual spring picnic. of course we passed many many bikers - kind of intimidating. although the big roll into the city wasn't until today at noon, they all congregate in the pentagon parking lots the morning before their big parade downtown.

as stephen rode the vespa to the mall for his weekly get together of sunday morning frisbee/soccer, i had the car to head to dsw to pick up a pair new running shoes. taking route 110, to pentagon row, i always pass the pentagon and surrounding lots. usually dead empty on the weekends, today it was a sea of glinting chrome and black leather. and it went on and on and on - i was amazed!

after scoring my favorite asics kayano's for only $85 (on clearance from the $135 MFRP)!!, stephen and i returned home at the same time...just after noon. he recounted his almost full on embarrassment by getting stuck in the motorcycle rally - all these massive harleys and stephen on his little red italian scooter. lol.

we then decided to put on our new running shoes and take the 15 minute walk to iwo jima memorial. believe it or not, i've never been even though it's practically in my backyard. it was all decorated for the weekend and tourists/bikers were everywhere snapping shots. as we walked around, stephen explained all the battles engraved around the memorial base where the marines have fought. it's astounding how much military history he retains - he could go into succinct tactical detail if i had only asked! rather, i just wanted to the gist of why we were there and what the outcome was. :)

between the motorcycles, iwo jima, shopping sales and countless bbqs we've been to this weekend, i have to say it's been quite the ideal memorial day. THUNDER!

free for all.

every year for few weeks in late may, the shakespeare theater company holds free concerts in rock creek park. it's been years since we've been, but this year we thought we would try and turn it into a double date with our friends john & d'ann. the real trick is getting the free tix. since you are only able to get them the day of the performance, a beautiful sunny day friday makes that probability all the more scant. so after my online reservation attempts failed miserably (timed out pageloads = supreme frustration), i implored stephen to save the day. so at lunchtime, he scooted to the harman center in chinatown to stand in line for the coveted tickets. and he picked them up in a breeze!

after returning home from work, we packed a mini picnic, picked up our friends and headed up the beautiful parkway to the carter barron amphitheatre. what a great quick escape...surrounded by serene lush greenery, you absolutely forget you are in dc. a gorgeous day turned into a chilly evening. during intermission i made stephen go get my accenture/NMAI chief joseph blanket from the car so i could fully enjoy the rest of this great play. :)

i truly loved the modern take on this classic, hamlet. with many of the actors juilliard trained and frequenters on the long-time soap, all my children, the drama was very present - a much needed ingredient in any of shakespeare's works. and of course the delightful combination of wit, double entendres, pregnant phrases, and plot twists makes for an entertaining time.

it also brought back many memories of my one and only writing class i took in college - shakespeare and film... my professor, ann cole brown, who during one of our individual review meetings, noticed my tridelta pledge pin and recounted her delta days at michigan. a few years later as a delta officer, we were looking for a new academic advisor, and i recommended her whole heartedly. she was awesome - funny, warm and courageous...breast cancer survivor. and she really brought shakespeare to life for me which is a gift i will always treasure. thanks ACB!

better together.

happy anniversary to my love!

honestly, it's hard to believe we've been married as long as we dated...3 years. i find it funny how the perception of time changes. it seemed like our dating years were so drawn out and slow-moving, whereas now, we are beside ourselves in no longer being newlyweds. weird.

we also found this anniversary a kind of odd one to celebrate. maybe it's because it was a busy wednesday or the not-quite-yet-a-milestone status... so instead of the typical hoopla, we just we decided to take it easy. hey, at least we weren't stuck on a trans-atlantic flight like last year!

upon returning home, i was greeted with a sweet kiss, a funny card and a beautiful bouquet of pink, red and white gerbera daisies. stephen was so upset that our favorite flower shop, ultra violet, was closed today, but he certainly didn't lose any points in my book. since i had to run off to my weekly golf lessons (my swing is getting sooooo good), we decided to do a late dinner afterwards.

apparently we both had cravings for italian, so after picking stephen up we decided to find a good but laid back place that served pasta. after walking around clarendon for awhile we finally succumbed to the usually disdained chain - the cheesecake factory. surprisingly it was quite hopping at 9pm mid-week. who knew?

after some peach bellinis and a split puttanesca, we enjoyed a relaxed reminiscence of our years together as one. from the good to the bad, the ups and downs... evaluating our past to dream about the future. it was a fun and fulfilling time just "being" with my best friend. although some things have changed, some things never will. and we both agreed, we are far far better together than apart.

i love you, muttley.

back to reality.

after spending 2 full months working from home, today is my official day back to reality. although i've enjoyed logging onto my laptop in my pjs for the past several weeks, i have to say i'm actually looking forward to some day-to-day structure. either that or i'm super bored of the countless CBTs. but at least i got to take FULL advantage of our company's "bench" policy for consultants between projects...in my 3 years with the firm, this is an absolute first.

fortunately for me my upcoming project is a mere 10 minute walk from home. and my role should be all the more interesting... it entails some immigration-related strategy work for the department of homeland security's US VISIT program. really, it's quite exciting! at least i'll stay challenged over the next 6 months. bonus: my new team seems super sharp AND cool. i'm pumped.

so in the spirit of getting back into the grind, i thought i do a quick post on the contents of my "commuting bag" - repacked with all the essentials. y'know, because my 1/2 mile walk is so unbearably long. :)

contents (l-r): longchamp bag (from mom via paris), heels & crocs combo, stick of deodorant (for icky muggy days), go-to water bottle, 2 mini cases for cosmetics and such, diva sunglasses, airborne (life saver), daily planner, favorite parker pen, pink ipod nano (vday gift!), keys with self-defense mace & gym card, aquaphor tube (obsessed.), mini brush, cellie, metro card, change purse/flip wallet/card holder, duck umbrella (april showers...), badge.

green cleaning.

happy earth day!

as many of you know, i'm quite the clean freak. but over the past few months i have been increasingly bothered by the types of products i use... what chemicals i spritz about the house and the resulting fumes i breathe in. slowly i've been going through my cleaning arsenal, trying to figure out what i need and what i can replace. i started to "go green" by picking up a clorox greenworks bottle the other week, but even then, i was left questioning - what exactly is in these products? yes, it does have epa's design for enivronment seal and claims to be 99% natural, but what does all this really mean? needless to say, as one not liking to be duped by a slick "green" marketing campaigns - which we are now constantly bombarded with - i decided to heck with it all; i'm making my own products!

that's right - i'm embracing good old fashion vinegar, baking soda, and the like. if it was good enough for my grandmothers and the generations prior, it should be good enough for me. so after searching online and finding some great resources on thedailygreen.com, MSLO's site and a select number of blogs, i put together a comprehensive list with SIMPLE ingredients. time to phase out my cleaning cabinet from mass-produced to home-made.

here's my list (if you want quantity ratios, just ask):

1. all purpose cleaner (vinegar, borax, washing soda, castile soap, water, lemongrass oil)
2. window wash (lemon juice, club soda, peppermint oil, cornstarch)
3. gentle powder scrub (indian clay, baking soda, lemongrass oil)
4. laundry detergent (indian clay, lavender oil, baking soda, borax, sodium percarbonate)
5. carpet cleaner (castile soap, water, vinegar rinse)
6. carpet freshner (baking soda, lavendar oil)
7. shower spray (water, tea tree oil)

first up, i need supplies. after a 5 minute drive down wilson blvd, i got to clarendon's market common to jump start my new project yesterday. after returning some not-quite-right throw pillows at c&b and pb, i used the returned funds to get my gear. stop #1 - whole foods. i found dr. bronner's castile soap (on sale too!) and picked up some essential oils in lavender, lemongrass, tea tree and peppermint. stop #2 - the container store to pick some of my favorite casabella products - supply caddy/bucket and 2 spray bottles - as well as some hermetic jars and powder shakers for the dry materials/mixes.

then i had to make a trip down route 50 to the pet store to pick up some more food for our "ravenous wolves" - recently nicknamed by one of our friends after spying both f&w scarfing down their kitty kibble like a hungry pack. ha! lucky me, target was right next door, so after making even more returns (i'm picky), i filled my cart with the essentials - baking soda, vinegar, borax, club soda, etc - and even grabbed a few method products that i just didn't feel like making right now - wood polish (alternative: olive oil & lemon juice), floor wash (alternative: castile soap, vinegar, water, essential oil), toilet bowl cleaner (alternative: castile soap, baking soda, vinegar, water, essential oil), & dish soap (alternative: ?)

after getting home, i surveyed my materials and started to clearing out the under-sink cabinet full of cleaning supplies. i really really hate to have things go to waste so i am planning to use up everything i have first. if i've survived this long with toxic household chemicals, i don't think a few more weeks are going to kill me. so this effort will be a phased approach, but i did want to have everything ready to go whenever those products do run out. at this point, the only thing left to get is bentonite (indian) clay which i'll probably have to order online anyway... i also plan to design some nifty labels/instructions on the mac and personalize my custom collection. one step at a time though. :)

till then, i'm looking forward to truly loving my home the safe eco-friendly way. yay for green cleaning!

money honey.

maybe it's because tax day was this week...or that april is financial literacy month...or just this state of shock hit single stuck in my head - whatever it is, i've got money on the brain.

as the numbers-oriented one, managing our personal finances has become my practical contribution to the marriage. not that i mind...after all, my father set a great example of a household CFO. but sometimes finances just get jumbled, illusive and let's be honest, annoying. and with all the identity theft risks out there from online shopping, credit card swiping and the like, it can be a little scary as well.

so today i decided to check in on our financial status. first, it was time to pull our credit reports. i try to do this 3x a year - april, august, december - to take full advantage of the free factor. for me i found it to be a good ritual to get into, not only for our financial security but also peace of mind. well this month it was transunion (my least favorite of all the providers). fortunately no major surprises this time...only a few minor errors to fix, as usual with transunion - uggh. i even coughed up the money to see our credit scores. i can't tell you how much it burns me up to have to actually PAY to see something that i'm judged by others on my fiscal worthiness. it doesn't seem right. oh well - i still paid - out of dreaded curiosity.

and since i was firmly in finance mode, i also decided to tackle the balance sheets; y'know, to ask the age old question: just where did our money go?? well this is where i get frustrated - not with the transactions but with my software. as a long-time quicken user, i was quick to buy and setup intuit's mac version when we bought our macbook last year. the problem? it's super buggy - especially on the one key function i rely on weekly...budget reporting. no joke, the program has the budget v. actual formula reversed, so when i spend UNDERbudget, the report marks it in the red and when i go OVERbudget, it's in the black. simple fix, you think? apparently not for quicken.

anyway, today i got fed up. for the past year or so, i've just retrained my thinking when reviewing reports, but it's confusing, it's static and it takes manual effort - in short, not worth it. yeah, it is over.

so when considering my financial management options, i decided to try out the unique online solution - www.mint.com. i have to confess...i'm smitten! not only is it web-based, FREE, and automatic, but you can link in all your accounts to see your full asset/liability ratio, receive email alerts when you go over budget and compare your money spending by category to other americans by state/city. it's definitely innovative, and more importantly, intuitive. and that's a first for this industry.

now, it's probably not for everyone. i know my dad would probably balk at its simplicity as he expertly manages all his investments and accounts, but then again, he's not your average personal finance guru. however for the rest of us, i think it's brilliant.

check it out...and know where all that money really goes.

back to class.

tonight's my last free evening till who knows when... so why not blog? right.

actually first, stephen and i took advantage of our gold's gym membership and went to a spinning class tonight. last time i took one of these classes was back in my senior year in high school! stephen was a complete newbie so we decided to go to the intro class that started just before the actual class. very informative. then the lights went out, black-lights on and the music pumped on high - whew, what a workout. my butt is already sore; tomorrow is going to be bad news for these legs!

after we got home, stephen was so sweet and poured me a nice hot bath to soothe the aches and also so i could finally use the lush happy pill he surprised me with a few weeks ago! i love that he works in georgetown and likes to remind me of his love though all the fun little gifts he has at his finger tips. i'm such a gifts person anyway - he certainly knows my love language! surrounded by a cheery citrus scent with some candlelight and classical music, i truly felt pampered.

then dinner time - extraordinaire. first time ever at home...surf and turf. while i fixed up the lobster tails, he prepared the steak. very yum. of course the championship game was paused during the actual meal itself but that just makes viewing time that much more enjoyable - bye bye annoying commercials.

so here i am, sitting on the couch next to hubs, watching the last few minutes of the kansas v. memphis game (go jayhawks!) and using my evening's high to prepare for the week ahead...

well, first, i start class tomorrow night! class, yes, class. my good friend friend d'ann had to take some econ prereqs for her graduate program at gw's elliott school, so i jumped at the opportunity to take them with her. i had been thinking about it for awhile but couldn't find any classes that were conducsive to my schedule or budget. but when she mentioned USDA's graduate school - i was very suprised. i've only been sort of exposed to their academic offerings through those ubiquitous blue GS totes i see people carrying around everywhere... but i never could figure out what "graduate school" this was. well, it's the government's - and it's conveniently located in l'enfant plaza (just a few metro stops away) and for under $400 a class, it was cheap. so here i am, i have my samuelson microecon book in hand (thanks to half.com) and i'm ready to be a student again! i'll keep you posted on how things go, but at this moment i'm super excited...if not equally as anxious!

tuesday nights...econ class - duration: 3 hrs, 10 weeks.

next up are my new golf lessons i just signed up for at capital city golf school - finally!!! my parent's wrote me a check for xmas to better myself on the green, and i've just now taken that step. starting on wednesday, i will be on my way to becoming the lady version of tiger woods. jk. but really, i'm so proud of myself of starting to really embrace something to call my own. especially now that the weather is warming up, i'm all about spending some quality time on the range with a bucket of balls and a good instructor to teach me to actually hit the ball right. sigh. plus i love east potomac park - the view alone is worth the trip.

wednedsay nights...golf lessons - duration: 1 hr, 8 weeks.

now this week of new beginnings and self-improvement was originally supposed to be capped off with my oh-so-anticipated lasik surgery friday morning (!!!), BUT unfortunately this had to be rescheduled to may. bummer. probably better on the finances since i'm really bankin' on using that stimilus check to help pay the balance. although insurance covers 25% (i'm lucky, i know), perfect vision never comes cheap. at least i have the confidence of having tiger woods' own lasik surgeon - dr. mark whitten. see, tiger and i, we really do have a lot in common :)