Random Updates.

1. I just ate the biggest veggie burger ever. I’m so full and can barely move. Need to revisit diet plans immediately.
2. One of my bestest friends got some fantastic news today at work. It’s not public yet, but I’m so proud of her and excited for her new adventure!
3. I had a really great sales call this morning. I need to congratulate myself for the good calls as much as I berate myself for the bad calls.
4. After work today, I got on the metro before I realized that I drove to work. Shoot.
5. I’m trying to go to bed early tonight so I can go to the gym in the morning tomorrow. Fall makes me want to come home and watch TV instead of working out….so I need a new schedule. And more sleep.
6. I can’t wait for M to come this weekend. He has requested Outback Steakhouse on Friday night. Too cute. (I also had to get the Comcast Sports Package just for his visit. The Comcast representative asked me if I was trying to “hook a man.” Great.)
7. I have to take a client to the UFC event on Saturday night. Mentally preparing for hiding in the back of the box with my face in the mac n cheese.
8. I need a manicure. Desperately.
9. I picked up $85 worth of dry cleaning this week. Since when did laundry become so expensive??
10. I wore my new glasses today, but my eyes are killing me. Aren’t glasses supposed to be more comfortable than contacts?

That’s all I got for today! Goodnight!

To recounting the day,

Lia

Humility.

Today I’m thinking a lot about being humble. Sometimes I feel like I only consider my humility when a great humbling experience has caused me to evaluate my place in the universe. When I got a promotion at work, when I first met my “little sister,” when I was named student marshal at college graduation—these moments all caused me to think about how fortunate I am and how lucky I am to be guided to these situations, and I am humbled. But most days I’m not thinking about that. Most days I’m trying to appear like an experienced employee with knowledge and the ability to cope with difficult customer situations. Most days I’m struggling to maintain an even composure and not get too stressed out. Most days I’m thinking about how difficult life can be and dwelling on everything that isn’t perfect in my life.

But what I should be focused on is a big dose of human humility. We all should. I am a fortunate person. I have a job that gives me the opportunity to prove my 24-year-old self every day (some days in more difficult ways than others). I have an amazing boyfriend who considers me and loves me. Every day I am humbled by M’s ability to be honest and give me a reality check even when I don’t want one, but I don’t frequently acknowledge this. I have a big loving family, and in particular, a relationship with an amazing mother that’s growing stronger as we get older. She’s exactly the type of mother I hope I can be. She’s even-keeled, strong-willed, hard working and has raised my brother and I to be the people we are today. I am humbled by her.

All of these beautiful things remind me of my place in the universe. I am a very small piece of something much, much bigger. My thoughts and actions make waves, but the ocean is large. Humility reminds me of a poem one of my very dearest friends adores:

You are a child of the universe.

No less than the trees and the stars;

You have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,

Whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations,

In the noisy confusion of life,

Keep peace in your soul.

       

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,

It is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

For while, I thought this poem was about happiness. I still think it is, but now I also think it’s about remembering who we are and where we came from. It’s about looking up instead of looking down at ourselves. It’s a call to remind us to be joyful and thankful and prayerful and humble.

This week, I’m aiming to remember to wear my humility on my sleeve—to allow myself to show weakness and gratefulness and appreciation for what’s going on around me. It’s a big world.

To this beautiful world,

Lia

Weekend Recap.

This weekend I spent a superfun weekend in Philadelphia with my dear best friend from college. She recently moved to Philly, and this is the closest we’ve been geographically since graduation, so I was very excited to finally make a visit up 95 to see her. Unfortunately, the pouring rain on Friday prevented me from getting there on time for our dinner reservation, but luckily she had pizza, wine and OnDemand waiting, so we caught up and relaxed before falling asleep on the couch.

On Saturday, we woke up for a yummy breakfast at a nearby restaurant and trekked out to some craft stores to pick up supplies for our Saturday afternoon project. We were making “trifecta board”—motivational posters filled with things that remind us to be mindful of our spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing. We spent the whole afternoon shopping, cutting, gluing and crafting our boards. It was a lot of fun, and maybe I’ll figure out a way to show you all a picture of mine (even though it got in the way of a little merlot accident so the right side has an artistic purple streak). Dinner on Saturday was Italian deliciousness and then we had drinks with some friends. Most importantly, we made some late night Rice Krispy Treats (per my request), and we fell asleep with sticky sugary fingers. This morning, we had a delicious French toast brunch and then I drove home. I’m so thankful for such a close friend that I can always count on for fun, a touch of ridiculousness and good old-fashioned girl time.

Tonight I’m relaxing and watching Sunday night TV. Laying on the couch alone watching fall television has been making me miss my Pittsburgh roommate. She is the queen of TV, and for the past two years, she’s planned our TV schedule out by the night. I’m a little bit lost without my roomie, and I’m missing our Sunday night routine desperately. I’ve enjoyed living along these past nine months, but it’s nights like these that are making me lonely for a roommate. We’ll have to see how these next few months ago and figure out what to do when my lease renews in February.

 (Sidenote: I’m watching Pan Am right now (I know, I know…instead of the Steelers) and I’m absolutely in love with it. Still mad at ABC for cancelling Brothers & Sisters, but at least they replaced it with something almost as fantastic.)

So anyway, I’m gearing up for this week. I’m hoping to have a little bit more structure over my evenings. I had to give up working out a few days last week because of a strained muscle in my ribs, but it’s feeling much better tonight so I think I can start to take it easy again. I also have several errands to run: returns at Marshalls, pick up my new eyeglasses, pick up roughly $100 worth of dry cleaning, grocery shopping and I’m in desperate need of new bras. (I’ve had a stray underwire poking me in the chest for weeks. It’s time for new ones.)

Goodnight everyone! Hope you’ve enjoyed TV preview week!

To new Greys, Housewives, and all the new shows,

Lia

Mr. Hazel

Tonight our young professionals group at work had the great pleasure of meeting one of Northern Virginia’s greatest proponents and developers, Mr. Til Hazel. I don’t think most people in the DC area know Mr. Hazel, let alone recognize how important his influence has been to what NOVA looks like today. This man was responsible for key legal and real estate developments that led to the creation of the Capital Beltway, George Mason University and Tysons Corner. We were so lucky to meet such an icon and hear his stories. He’s had me thinking all night about his accomplishments, and a few of the things he said have really got me thinking:

• Individuals are truly the movers and shakers. Committees and groups work to an extent, but it’s truly motivated individuals that make great changes. We should not be discouraged because we are only one person. We should be empowered because we are one capable person who can inspire great change.
• There are always politics….even if it’s not politicians creating the politics. There will always be challenges of status or beaurocracy or leadership that will delay and derail. Don’t give up. Some of the most important developments have been made because individuals didn’t give after for decades of discouragement.
• Criticism isn’t bad. Criticism is only bad if it’s a question of integrity.

This last point was one of the most powerful for me. I think so many young people (especially at work) are worried about always pleasing everyone and making sure that they are maintaining a positive impression for everyone. He’s made me realize that we can’t always please everyone, and we shouldn’t. You need to ruffle a few feathers to figure yourself out. It’s okay if people occasionally criticize you’re methods; you’re just finding what works best for you.

On another note, I’m so excited to be heading to Pittsburgh this weekend. DC has had me too stressed out for these past 2 weeks, so I’m so excited to get in my car, put on an audiobook and head west. I need some Burgh and M and family to remind me what’s important.

This crazy week just needs to end!!

To learning from legends,

Lia

This week.

So I’ve been on a little bit of a blogging hiatus, and I’m finally feeling like I should get back into the blogging rhythm. I’ve had a really tough week at work, and most days I’ve been working too late to want to do anything other than lay on the couch with my eyes closed hoping that sleep will distract me from thinking about one more work-related issue. I’ve been trying desperately to relax this weekend, but I ended up going into the office yesterday, which negated some of these efforts. However, I met up with a close friend from college to watch the Penn State game afterwards, which made it a little bit better. I have a feeling this coming week isn’t going to be any better, but I’m hoping that I can scrape together enough optimism to prevent me from running out of the building or handing in my resignation (both of which I’ve threatened to do in the past 5 days).

Anyway, all that aside, it was nice to have a weekend alone in DC. As much as I wish M was here, he was with his best guy friends in State College for the game, and I know he had a really great time with them. I’m heading to Pittsburgh next weekend, so I know I’ll have a great weekend to look forward to in just a few days. It’s weeks like this that make me wish so much that he lived here in DC with me. As hard as it is to have a bad week at work, somehow it’s so much harder to come home to an empty apartment with nothing to do but stew about how I could have done things differently or what I should have done in retrospect.

On the brighter side, I stuck to my diet really well this week! I’ve never been good at diets, and I don’t think I’ve really ever spent more than 2 days on an eating plan, but I made it through the whole stressful week eating healthfully and resisting carbs. I did indulge in some pita bread this weekend, but I think that’s  a fair treat after eating mostly vegetables and fruit this week. One more week of this and then on to Weight Watchers! It sounds silly, but I think I’ve already noticed a difference in what I look like. I’m aware that this is mostly in my head, but it’s still good motivation for staying on the right track.

Today I’m going to get my messy apartment back in shape, prepare some food for the week and work on improving my attitude for Monday. I have a big presentation tomorrow afternoon, so I’m pulling together every piece of confidence I have to get through the presentation and then worry about other work issues when I’m back in the office. Summer is officially over, and everyone is back to work in a big way.

More updates this week, I hope!!

To making it till Friday,

Lia

Chicago!!

I spent a fantastic long weekend in Chicago with my mom for the wedding of a very close family friend. The bride’s younger sister was my very first friend from Kindergarten, and we’ve truly grown up together from grade school to graduating from Penn State. She lives in Philadelphia now, so it was so great to spend some time with her, especially to celebrate the wedding of her sister!

First, let me tell you about the weekend. We got in Saturday morning and had beautiful weather almost all weekend. Momma and I checked into the hotel and immediately hit Michigan Avenue to take in the Magnificent Mile. One of our first stops was the American Girl store where we spent WAY too much time looking at the dolls and remembering which ones I got for Christmas between the ages of 8 and 12. There were so many excited little girls in that store (which is enormous), and it was so fun to see some of my old favorites and all the new dolls they’ve developed over the years. After a few more stores (and a little bit of rain) later, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding. I’ll tell ya’ll about the wedding in a minute.

On Sunday, we had a full day to explore. I took Momma on a tour of the city, stopping on Navy Pier and then heading down to Millennium Park to look at the “bean” and do some people watching. We headed back on Michigan Avenue (of course) to do a little more shopping. After relaxing in the hotel for a little, we headed back out to Lincoln Park to walk around the streets and have dinner at one of my Chicago favorites, Sapori Trattoria. The food and wine were just as I remembered, and we had an amazing dinner.  Afterward, we were too full to do anything but take a cab back to the hotel, but I managed to muster up enough energy to catch up with friends at the lobby bar before heading to bed. This morning, we had an early lunch with one of my friends from college and headed back to the airport for our flight. It was so, so nice to spend some uninterrupted time with my mom, and I’m missing her desperately already. I definitely didn’t take advantage of the time we had living in the same city, but I’m appreciating our weekends together even more now. I’m hoping we get the change to do it again soon!

Now, on to the wedding. I guess I should start by saying that the bride comes from a Jewish family, and the groom was raised by a southern Christian family—both with very strong religious backgrounds. I think everyone was interested to see how the wedding ceremony would be structured, especially because a rabbi was going to be conducting the service at the hotel. I had no idea what to expect. I had never been to a Jewish wedding before, especially not a Jewish/Christian wedding. It was the most beautifully lovely, touching, meaningful and spiritual wedding that I had ever been to. I was holding back tears the whole time watching this beautiful union and knowing that love in God’s house (whoever you believe that God to be) really does trump all. The rabbi conducted the ceremony both in English and in Hebrew, and he carefully explained all of the traditions from both the Jewish and Christian side so the congregation would understand. He spoke honestly to the couple, telling them that their love for each other in God’s eyes is the most important piece of themselves that they will carry forward, and if they can cherish that, nothing else will matter. The bride spoke vows rooted in the Jewish faith to her husband, and the husband proclaimed traditional Christian vows to his wife. I loved this part because usually the bride and groom say the same vows to each other, but I thought it was so meaningful that they could each say vows in the language that meant the most to them.

Secondly, the bride was amazingly beautiful. She literally looked like a bridal magazine. She was so calm and happy that it really made everyone feel at ease and excited to celebrate with the happy couple. The reception was smaller because it was a destination wedding, but I thought it was just perfect. Everyone there was truly there because they wanted to celebrate their love, and everyone from grandma to the younger cousins were out on the dance floor doing the Hora (for the bride) and singing Rocky Top (for the groom). I am still so full of joy for them, and I wish them a super fun honeymoon this week in Curacao!

To wedding bells and beautiful vows,

Lia

Feeling Lousy.

I’ve been sick all week, and I’ve been liberally throwing myself nightly pity parties on my couch. I haven’t been to the gym. I haven’t made dinner. I’ve been eating junk food. And I’ve been watching every Bravolebrity on DVR. I’m letting myself indulge in this because a) I’m not feeling well and I think I little R&R might not be a bad thing and b) next week I’m attempting to go on a cleanse next week. A cleanse? Crazy right? Probably. I’ll likely get about 8 hours into in and decide that I will simply not survive without carbs. That’s what happened in college when I foolishly decided that I would only eat carrots and yogurt for a week. (That lasted until about 6pm that night.) So this time, I’m going to try it a little differently. I’m aiming to cut carbs and meat out of my diet by focusing on fruits, vegetables and lean dairy. I haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to handle the protein issue other than Greek yogurt. I’ll likely include beans instead of nuts because I’m focusing on fat reduction, as well. Check back on Tuesday to see how I’m surviving Day One.

In the meantime, I’ve been letting myself indulge in a lot of the meals I won’t be able to eat on this new plan. I totally understand that this is counterproductive to what I’m trying to accomplish, but shrimp tacos and turkey sandwiches and crunchy potato chips are just too hard to avoid right now! Next week I will be better.

In other news, my momma and I are heading out to Chicago this weekend for the wedding of a family friend. I’m so excited to get back to Chicago for a girls weekend! It will be the perfect way to say goodbye to summer.  Additionally, M is heading out to Vegas for guys weekend. I’ve never seen a group of guys plan so many events for a weekend away (even though one is truly the ringleader of this madness). I think they have every second of this weekend planned with pool parties, DJs and late night entertainment (some of which I probably don’t want to know about). Regardless, I’m glad he’s getting a weekend in with the guys. I claim so many of his weekends that I worry about him sacrificing his time with friends to be with me. Even though I know he doesn’t mind, that guy time is still important. Luckily, he lives in a frat house of men during the week, so I guess there’s enough male bonding that I don’t have to feel guilty.

Anyway, I think I’m going to head to bed shortly and hope to be over this cold by the weekend. Sweet dreams!

To LOTS of Vitamin C,

Lia