wonderful weekend

Our first "no plans" weekend in a long time turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. C told me several times yesterday that this weekend was the most fun one he's had in a while... and that's saying a lot, because we've been doing a lot of fun things! Just goes to show that sometimes downtime is crucial.

We kicked off the weekend with dinner and a concert - totally low-key style. As I mentioned, we got tickets to go see Dierks Bentley with some of my book club girlfriends & their significant others. We started out by meeting everyone for dinner at Chipotle, and hung out for a while debating the merits of getting to the venue in time to see the opening acts. In the end, we just meandered our way over, and got there right before Dierks started. No one minded!

We had a great time, and we were back home by 10:30. How's that for a rowdy Friday night??

On Saturday, we had Stephanie and her husband over for an impromptu football-watching party... and unfortunately had to suffer through a VT loss. The guys cooked up some wings and cheese fries, though, and we picked up a Sam Adams fall sampler box, so at least the eats and drinks were good, though the game was not so much. 

We tried to use our Caps tradition to swing the game's momentum... no such luck.

After S & C left, we deemed nap time necessary, and snoozed for a while before hitting up the nearest Red Box for Spiderman 2 and pizza-making supplies. We were going to order pizza, but as we wandered around the grocery store, we realized that we really prefer making our own. So, personalized naan pizzas it was. Yum!

Look at these cuties who are finally starting to get along! #pileofkittens

Sunday morning called for a lazy breakfast. I pulled out the cast iron skillet and whipped up a new recipe from Iowa Girl Eats - it totally hit the spot!

C & I were brainstorming ways to remake this one, but change it up a bit next time. It's totally versatile and delicious. While C mowed the lawn, I got to work on a major house-cleaning session: from ceilings to baseboards and everything in between. It was a gorgeous day, and it felt so good to open the windows, get some fresh air in the house, and wipe away a season's worth of dust. Ick. Everything gets so polleny in the summer, there's no way to avoid it or ever truly keep it clean. The end-of-the-season wipe-down is critical. And refreshing!

I couldn't let the first truly fall-like day get away without a run, so I headed out for a few miles on a local trail while C pulled together a pot of chili for dinner.

I made the mistake of telling him that I didn't think it was spicy enough when I got home.... the final result had us both sweating! I have been looking forward to chili season for weeks, and I was so happy to have the first pot on the stove. It's been a long time coming!

Next weekend, I'll be getting ready for another business trip, so having some time to spend this way was wonderful. It felt like I recharged my batteries - no crazy to-do lists, no racing against the clock, just moving from one activity to the next whenever I felt like it. There is so much to be said for days like that!

And we allllll slept soundly last night. Hooray!

How was your weekend? How's the weather where you are? Did you do anything fun? Make it a great week!

The show must go on!

Wow. Monday blew past me and somehow it's Tuesday already! It's gonna be that kind of week, I have a feeling...

We had very little planned this weekend, and it was exactly what we needed. We were busy, but it was mostly playing catch-up with things that have needed to be done for a while. I grocery-shopped at Wegmans, went to the gym (twice!), returned library books, and even got several loads of laundry done. Nothing too exciting, but it was so nice to have a list of errands to run and not be trying to beat the clock the whole time. Anyone know what I mean?

Anyway. A few months ago, when I heard that Jennifer Nettles was playing in Richmond this summer, I immediately convinced C that we needed to attend the concert. After I bought tickets, I found out that my friend, Aileen, and her husband also had tickets! So we knew we needed to make a plan to get together before the show.

The show was Friday, and Aileen and C planned a great tailgate spread while I travelled the Midwest. Just as we were getting everything packed up on Friday, it occurred to me to check that tailgating was allowed since none of us had ever been to this venue… and wouldn’t you know, it’s not! (Whomp, whomp.)

We were determined not to let that little cloud rain on our parade, though – the show must go on! Luckily, we found a great park less than 10 minutes from RIR, and we set up our own pre-show party! We enjoyed a lovely dinner, grilling next to a pond, in a practically deserted park. It was probably the nicest, most low-key “tailgate” ever – and I loved it! It was just what I needed after getting home at 2 AM that day. We hung out and talked and relaxed before heading to the show. It was perfect!

Once we got to the concert, we had no trouble finding seats together – the venue was probably only 2/3 full! I thought for sure that Jennifer Nettles would be a sell-out show, but apparently she does not have as many fans in the area as I expected. (Although Aileen pointed out that maybe she just doesn’t have the name recognition as a solo act that she does with Sugarland – which is probably true.)

J.N. is down in that white blur somewhere... sorry!

The concert was fantastic, and C and I both had a great time. The set list was a mix of new, solo songs, Sugarland songs, and a few 70’s covers. Plus, Jennifer was just as entertaining and animated while performing as I remembered from the last time we saw her. I couldn’t have been happier!

J.N. and Brandy Clark (her opener), doing their duet - loved it!

Really, it was great timing for a concert - a fun event to close out a super busy (traveling) work week, and a fun event to kick off a low-key weekend. Friday-night concerts are not usually my thing, but this one was just perfect. Thanks for a great show, Jennifer Nettles!

So tell me...

• Do you tailgate for concerts? What would you have done if you already had your picnic packed and then found out you couldn't tailgate?
• What's the last concert you went to?
• What's fun for you this week?

A Long Run and a Lesson Learned

Yesterday was long-run Sunday, and Suzann and I headed to Burke Lake Park early to get the miles in. We got to the park around 645, and were pleased to see that there was no ranger in the booth, so we didn’t have to pay! Hooray! The weather was strangely perfect, about 70 and cloudy, and the trail was packed! It’s been so rainy around here that we were expecting to find the path pretty muddy, so we wore old shoes and clothes we could get dirty in. However, we were happy to find that it seems all the foliage has protected the trail, because aside from a few big puddles, all was dry!  We did the 5-mile loop once and then stopped for a bathroom/water break. By the time we headed out for our second loop, the park was even busier than when we first arrived. It seemed like people were taking advantage of the cooler temps and slept a little later this morning before setting out for their own runs. Not us! Out before the sun, per usual.

We ended with 10.7 miles – half a mile longer than my previous longest run! Wheeeee! It was hard though – I was running on an empty stomach (bad Lindsay) and got kind of nauseous towards the end of the run. Suz was patient with me though (you’re the best!!) and walked a little ways with me while I forced my stomach to behave. We finished strong, and rewarded ourselves with Starbucks. We felt a little disheveled throughout the run – she tripped over a rock and almost wiped out, I tripped over a branch and almost twisted my ankle, I had a rock in my shoe, she needed to pee… Not our usual ability to just go the whole way without stopping. C’est la vie – some runs just aren’t meant to be smooth and easy! We had a great time at the park, and it was really nice to take advantage of the cool weather and change up our usual course. Pretty views and an unpredictable course always make things a little more interesting.

On Saturday, I learned a valuable lesson: BodyStep is not for me. In a moment of courage, I stepped (no pun intended) outside my comfort zone and decided to take the Les Mills Step class without even a friend around to provide moral support. Brave! (Or something.) I took the class on “launch day,” which is when the new choreography is revealed, thinking that I’d be fine since no one else would know the choreo either. Um, wrong. I like to think I’m a pretty coordinated person… yeah, apparently not so much. There may or may not have been multiple times when I was just standing behind my step, staring blankly at the instructors – my feet just would not do the things they were supposed to be doing. Pretty sure I will avoid that class from here on out… but at least I can say I’ve given it a whirl. I’ll stick to my Pump and Combat, thankyouverymuch.  

Last night, we went to the Sugarland concert at Jiffy Lube Live – it was a freakin’ BLAST. We had so much fun! My college roomie, Michelle, and her boyfriend, Joe, went with us, and we had such a good time. The weather was great, and Sugarland put on an amazing show! They are my favorite band by far, and I was so excited to get to see them live. They did not disappoint! The cherry on top? I got to christen my brand-spankin’-new, authentic, purchased-in-Nashville cowboy boots at a country concert. Love. Check ‘em out!

I am exhausted today - this weekend was crammed full of activities, and it flew by. I need a weekend to recover from my weekend! (Don't we all?) It's going to be an early bedtime in our house tonight!

Hey there, June!

Happy first day of June! Can you believe summer is just about upon us? The months are absolutely flying by this year - can't believe 2012 is almost halfway over!

It's a busy day around these parts - preparations are well underway for my sister's wedding tomorrow! My mom & I went and got massages first thing this morning - let me tell you, it was SO necessary. I told the girl working on me that my right shoulder had been feeling extra tight, and that my knees were hurting a bit lately, and she went to town on me. Hurt so good! Every time she rubbed out a knot in my shoulder, she found another... the 50 minutes flew by! My sister spent the afternoon getting pampered at another salon in town, and I hope she enjoyed her personal time as much as my mom and I did.

I've been in a cleaning frenzy all afternoon, trying to get the house ready to have people here. My (almost) brother-in-law and his groomsmen are getting ready here tomorrow, and I want everything to be spic & span - in tip-top shape! So it's been a tornado of cleaning products and country music and laundry going.

A huge thunderstorm is rolling through right now, but everything is supposed to clear up & be perfect for tomorrow. Cross your fingers! We need sunshine and good times. I'm hoping the rain clears up soon so I can go get my mile-a-day in for the #RWRunStreak. I've done so well so far... we will ignore the fact that it's only been four days so far. Still going strong!

Have a wonderful weekend!

~~~~~

C & I went to Groovin' in the Garden at Lewis-Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond last night with his family. Carbon Leaf was playing, and so we went and ate dinner at an awesome BBQ joint and then saw the concert! It was a great way to spend the evening. I think we'll keep an eye on what other concerts they have this summer!