A Tribute to Three Faves

In my family, we like to group our birthdays.  We have three in March and two in December.  Two of my friends followed that trend and have birthdays this week.  I really appreciate it because it makes it so much easier to remember.  Thanks guys!

Sara's birthday is October 12th, which unfortunately (or fortunately?) fell on Yom Kippur this year, so the day was spent fasting.  The upside of that is that Sara got to spend the evening eating lots and going to bed early.  What more could a girl want? HA!  Anyways, happy birthday to my fellow name twin and one of the funniest and most outgoing girls I know.  This girl's got enough spunk to take over all of Washington, D.C. one day, which I know will happen, so watch out.  I miss our wine drinking on the Seine and our French dinners in D.C., but I'm lucky enough to swap emails with her and get the occasional video chat in, which I'll settle for right now (only ten months until we head home, but who's counting?).   

The second birthday of the week goes to Poorna, one of my fellow Kempsville High School Yearbook survivors and my favorite Boston resident.  She's snarky and spunky enough to keep up with Mike, but fun and witty, which makes her another one of my favorite people.  We had so much fun on her visit to Turkey, even if a snow storm prevented her from leaving.  I can't wait to have her be my dentist when we're all in New England together next year and am so happy that the decision to join the yearbook staff in 10th grade gave me one of my longest lasting friendships. 

Not our best picture, but the guy in the background still makes me laugh.

And last but not least, I couldn't go this week without giving a tribute to my favorite Red Sox player and the man who embodies everything good about Boston.  While it may not be his birthday week, David Ortiz "Big Papi" has done more for Boston and the Red Sox than I can describe.  He has been the unofficial and official leader of the team, the heart and soul of the Red Sox organization, and a great representation of everything the people of Boston and New England stand for.  He was there to lead the team to their first World Series in too many years as well as bring the city together after one of the scariest tragedies.  I'll never forget after the bombings, he got on the microphone and said "This is our f****** city!"  It summed up the spirit of Boston in one sentence.  So, here's to you, Big Papi.  Thanks for all you did for the me, the Red Sox and Boston.  It didn't go unnoticed. 

Now if only l had a picture with him....

So, here's to you three! Happy birthday and thank you for being wonderful people who I'm lucky to have in my life, even if it's only on a TV screen or hundreds of rows up in the stands of Fenway!  

Washington, D.C. and Maryland

I couldn't come all the way to the United States without making a trip up north to Washington, D.C. and Maryland, especially if it meant I could actually hang out with little miss Emma!   Since Andrew was home for Father's Day and heading back to DC that Sunday, I caught a ride with him.  It was so fun to hang out with Andrew in the car and hear all about his life in DC, even if we did hit REALLY bad traffic.

I spent that night with Rachel since she took the next day off of work.  We went to this new cheese and wine bar in Ballston, Cheesetique, which was so much fun. The next day, Rachel and I went to brunch at Metro 29 which had been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  I had the eggs benedict (my go-to brunch choice) and it didn't disappoint.  I didn't think it went above and beyond, but it was definitely good and I would return.  I need to watch the episode that Metro 29 is featured on.  After brunch, we spent the afternoon at the pool.  It was so hot that we only lasted a couple of hours, but it was so nice and relaxing.

That evening, I met up with my bridesmaid Sara and another one of our friends Kirsten for dinner at the Commissary in DC.  If you guys haven't been, you totally should. I had the chicken salad sandwich, while they both got the chicken burgers.  After dinner, I saw Sara's new apartment.  She's had some big changes in her life recently and I'm so proud of her for following her gut and doing what she knows is right.  Plus, her apartment is super cute.

I spent the night at my uncles' house while Andrew was house sitting on Monday.  I love their apartment and their pugs! Plus, getting to spend one more night with Andrew was fun. Overall, my time in DC was a lot of fun.  It made me miss living there with some of my favorite people so much.  I even saw our old apartment building, which made me even more nostalgic.  Maybe we'll return one day....inshallah.

The next morning, I headed to Maryland via the metro.  I got to experience the fun that is the metro reconstruction, which actually wasn't bad at all. I was so happy to make it to New Carollton, though, because Anna was there waiting for me!!  After a wild year and a half apart, I was SO happy to see her!  We headed back to her parents' house in Severna Park.  When we got to their house, Emma was asleep, which gave us adults to catch up. Being able to hang out with her and her Mike (my Mike's best friend!), as well as her parents was so nice.

After an hour or so, the star of the show woke up from her nap and, if I wasn't in love with her already, meeting her in person sealed the deal!

So happy to meet this little lady, but missing Uncle Mike!

That night, we met up with Karen in Baltimore and all spent the night cheering on the Orioles!  I'm always a little torn as a Red Sox fan, but it was a good game and Camden Yards is a great place to spend an evening.

Wearing white in order to remain neutral, but so happy to be spending the evening with two of my favorites!

Anna, Mike and I went into Annapolis on Wednesday night and met up with Karen and Anna's friend Nikesh for dinner. Anna and Mike were happy to have an adult night out and I was happy to tag along!  We even found a Turkish store across from the wine bar!! You really can't escape the Turks!

The next few days, we spent time hanging out on the river and lounging around the house. 

Views like this make happy hour even better!

Watching my friends as parents is one of my favorite things.  The love Anna and Mike have for their little girl is so obvious and endearing.

Pop Pop might be Emma's biggest fan...after Uncle Mike

We ended my week in Maryland with crabs because....Maryland!  I'm not the best at picking crabs, but it's fun and such a Maryland thing that I was happy to participate!

I had such a fun time hanging out with the Ficks and the Degenhards and getting to spend time with my favorite goddaughter.  I was so sad to say goodbye, but Anna and Mike are coming to visit for Thanksgiving, so that made saying goodbye a little bit easier.

love this little one so much!

birthdays all around!

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I've always been lucky to have grown up with good friends.  Even middle school, the three years that most people try to block out of their mind, was pretty enjoyable for me because I had a great group of friends.  My friends changed as I was growing up, but for the most part, I always had at least one good friend I could count on. Now that I'm halfway around the world and haven't found any new friends, I have an even deeper appreciation for the friends I have, even if they are thousands of miles away.

Two of these amazing ladies I am privileged call some of my closest friends had birthdays this week. I love birthdays and I love my friends, so here's my little celebration of these two lovely ladies!

Sara
Somehow, amidst Michael Jackson and Farrah Faucett's deaths and the power outage in Charles de Gaulle airport on our arrival to Paris in the summer of 2009, I found this sassy, loud and always a bundle of fun.  We survived power walking through the cobble stone streets of Paris with the most Parisian lady I have ever met (shoutout to Szcepsy Fierce) and I couldn't be more happy that JMU Study Abroad brought me one of my favorite Parisian wannabes (not unlike myself).

I remember hoping that I'd meet a friend or two in my study abroad program, but figured that since it was only six weeks long, we'd probably all go our separate ways when we returned to JMU.  While that was true for a lot of people in our group, Sara is different.  She's sassy and stubborn, but she's also one of the most caring people you'll ever meet.  She has thousands of friends and, yet, she is somehow able to make you feel like you're the only one when you're with her.   She's a huge Phillies and Eagles fan, which makes her okay in Mike's book, but she also has an awesome FIANCEE who is Mike's beer drinking soulmate.  I'm pretty thankful for that study abroad trip for a multitude of reasons, but Sara is definitely number one.

just because....

Bon anniversaire, Sara!  Je t'aime mermy!

Poorna

High school can be tough.  Most of my friends from middle school ended up at different high schools, which meant a few years of navigating the halls of Kempsville, while trying to figure out how to fit in.  I joined the yearbook staff my sophomore year to help me find a group to call my own.  Not only did I find a group, I found this girl I am lucky enough to call one of my closest friends.  Her determination and drive, as well as her sarcasm, made the late nights in yearbook worthwhile, as well as serve as a model for me as I navigated high school and college.  She has been by my side since high school and I couldn't be more thankful.  I'm so proud of what she has accomplished and I know that when I get back to the states, she'll definitely be my go-to dentist.  

I can't wait for you to come and visit! Two months and counting!


I love you both and am so thankful for friends like you!