design ADD & tidbits

I changed my header again. and my button. I'm sticking with the argyle background though, cause I loves it. I wanted something cleaner and not so busy, so voila. even made a matching button, cause I'm fancy and shit. sike. 

had a busy weekend - got this done on Saturday. it's the only picture I have so far, and it's on my cell phone, of course. I got the two flowers and the crab colored... I only have one more session to go until my sleeve is complete, and I can't wait. it's disgusting looking right now with the peeling and the flaking, so I'll wait til it's healed to take better pictures. 

spent Sunday with my best friend at her house for a Tastefully Simple party. pretty sure I'm hooked on their products now... especially the strawberry cheeseball. holy crap, that thing was delicious. I ordered $66.61 worth of stuff from the consultant. 666... fitting, no?

I had the day off yesterday, which was wonderful considering it was about 80 degrees and beautiful outside. I went to my first ever dermatologist appointment in the morning... I needed to have my moles checked out (I'm moley, ha), and to find out what the hell is going on with my skin. as I suspected, my recent breakouts are due to my crazy ass hormones going bonkers since getting off birth control. and my moles are A-okay. 

the rest of the day went as follows: 

-drop off prescribed antibiotic lotion at pharmacy

-stop to see a friend at her work

-get nails done (color= jade is the new black. it's gorgeous)

-pick up prescribed antibiotic from pharmacy

-go home and take a quick nap

-head BACK out to the dentist, have teeth cleaned and told I need to floss more (what else is new?)

-go home and change

-go to the gym and start C25K program (awesome, by the way)

-home again... shower, dinner, TV, bed

WHEW!

wish I could have relaxed more on my day off, but it just wasn't in the cards for me I guess, haha. I'll write a better post about the Couch to 5K program when I get some time, but I'm sure you've all heard of it. I definitely want to elaborate on my experience with it, because I'm not a runner... but I'm only on Week 1, so I'll see how I feel about it in a few weeks and update you!

oh. one more thing. who has two thumbs and has been a non-smoker for 6 months today? 
this girl!  :)

Happy Tuesday, readers!

listomania

• my next tattoo appointment for my sleeve is this weekend! I can't wait to get some work done now that I have some birthday money to spend. I plan on at least getting the rest of the color done, and hopefully will be able to start on the background as well. ideally, I'd like to get it finished, but I don't know how long I'll be able to sit. we shall see! 

photo taken after my last tattoo session in October.

•  we have been total rockstars when it comes to gymin' it up. we've successfully worked out at least 3 days a week for 4 weeks now, and it feels amazing! I took spin class last Wednesday and had a serious case of the DOMS until Sunday, so I spent a few days doing upper body exercises. I downloaded an app on my phone to track my workout routine, and it's really helped to make sure I'm working all of my muscles and I can even check to see that my form is spot on. I've noticed a huge difference in my strength and I can tell that I'm slimming down again after my month long hiatus during the winter. 

• regular season hockey is almost over! I'm counting on my Caps to bring home the Stanley Cup this year... that is, as long as we can make it out of the first round. we're hoping to score tickets for at least ONE playoff game this season... if they're in our budget, of course.

photo taken from last season's game 7 of round 1 against Montreal, which we lost.

• I'm walking on May 1st for our local March of Dimes, and I could NOT be more proud of our team. so far, we've succeeded in becoming the largest team in our area and one of our members is currently in 4th place for most money raised by an individual. we are walking in honor and support of our friend's baby Gianna, as well as others babies who were born too soon. so far, we've raised almost $2,000! if you'd like to help us out and donate (or if you're local and would like to walk with us), you can check out my personal page. go to the homepage for our team (appropriately named Gianna & The Baby Steppers) to read more about Gianna's story! 

photo belongs to Gianna's mama, Stephanie. don't steal, or I will CUT YOU.

• speaking of participation, I decided to sign up for the April Photo Hunt Challenge - you can find the link over on my sidebar under "Current Projects." I've been a huge slacker when it comes to taking photographs on a regular basis, so I'm hoping that the challenge will give me a little more motivation to get my camera out more often. I think now that the weather is nicer, I'll have more interest in getting out and about with my camera. 

• I need a vacation. badly. or I might kill someone. I have 4 weeks left of classes, which includes 3 more discussion posts, 1 more essay (600-700 words), 1 research paper (1200 words), and the final exam, which is in essay format. I am SO ready to be done. 

Happy Tuesday! 

fill in the blank Friday [& other happenings]

happy April 1st, readers! 

luckily, I haven't had any pranks played on me today. 

but that could change... it's still early! 

I wore my new mustard top today just for Kaley. it's lovely. 

I've got a busy weekend ahead: 

girls night this evening which includes dinner & a movie; 

errands, housework and a 3rd birthday party tomorrow;

and dinner with my in-laws on Sunday. 

oh, and somewhere in there, I have to write

a 600-700 word essay on the theme of love within 

Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. 

awesome. sauce. 

but for now, I'll fill in some blanks over at the little things we do with Lauren! 

if you'd like, you can join in on the fun here!

1.   The best prank I ever pulled was  telling Sean's mom one year that I was pregnant. I thought it would be hilarious (yet, kind of an obvious PRANK), but she thought we were serious and was genuinely disappointed when she realized it was a joke. 

2.  The best prank ever pulled on me was    Christmas 2009. we always get scratch off lottery tickets in our stockings from my dad... I mean... Santa. I scratched off my lottery ticket, and after staring at my card dumbfounded for about 4 minutes, realized that I had matched the 3 icons that resulted in a win of $10,000. I screamed out loud, saying things like "oh my god, is the gas station even OPEN on Christmas?" and "shit, there's no way they carry $10,000 in cash to hand out, I'll have to mail it in or something?!" I turned the card over to find out how to redeem my moolah, and discovered that in order to claim my cash, I had to mail it to the Tooth Fairy, who was located at 123 Gumdrop Lane or some shit. it took me a minute to realize it, but it was a fake lottery ticket. I was SO pissed. 

 

 

oh... and the whole thing is on video. thanks Dad. 

3.  A day without     laughter    is a day wasted.

4.  The most important things in life are     the people in it.

5.  I dream of      having a handful of kids that I can spend everyday with, thanks to my successful design business, where I establish my own style through the spaces I create, traveling with my family, enjoying my marriage to the fullest, and maintaining awesome friendships with my favorite women. 

6.  I dread       the day that I have to say goodbye to my father.

7.  A discovery I made this week was      despite Lily's weight, slight heart murmur, and lovely peeing habits, she's as healthy as she can be! no cardio, kidney, or viral issues, which is a huge relief! now to figure out why she's peeing right outside the litter box. =/

silence the mean girl

I saw this over at Amy's place and KNEW I had to repost and share with you all. if you haven't heard about the Mean Stinks campaign yet (it's slowly making its way around the blogosphere), check it out over here on Facebook.

this is so fitting for me right now, because in recent months, I've decided to make a conscious effort in shedding my inner mean girl. while I will always be an opinionated and vocal person, I will no longer waste my time focusing on negative energy. this means trying really hard not to gossip about others, even when it's encouraged by others. it means biting my tongue when the rude part of me wants to rip someone a new one, and ignoring the negativity around me. it means not criticizing women based on what they wear, how attractive they are, or who they know.

I wouldn't say that I've really been a MEAN person, but I've made the mistake in the past of speaking the truth for the sake of showing how "honest" I am, and I've hurt peoples' feelings. I've gossiped (haven't we all?) behind the backs of other girls, and I've participated in general harassment of others for a good laugh. I've been involved in other folks' drama just because it was interesting and entertaining for me, and not because I actually gave a shit about the outcome. I'm not proud of that, but it was a very Mean Girl thing to do, and I'm passed that stage in my life.

females have the tendency to bring each other down - instead of seeing the good in each other, we pick each other apart and constantly compare ourselves to the girl standing next to us. don't get me wrong... it's difficult sometimes, because it's so easy to get caught up in gossip and it's even easier to judge someone based on appearances. acting like a Mean Girl is something that every girl has done at one point in their life, and while it's not something we SHOULD do, we are all guilty of it. 

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the first step in changing your usual behavior is accepting that it's time for an adjustment. I feel that making this a goal for myself will greatly increase my own positivity in life. I want to be a happier, healthier, nicer MandeeFoFandee, and this is only one of many steps I'm taking to achieve that status.

so instead of looking at another girl and thinking "god, she should really do something with her hair," I'm going think "wow, that's a great top, and it's really flattering on her." instead of partaking in the bashing of other women amongst friends, I'll attempt to say something positive about the situation or person of interest. I want to encourage women to be themselves, and I want to treat others with respect that I would expect from them. 

I think it's awesome and inspiring when women lift each other up. while we obviously all live very different lives, we are all similar in that we live through the same life experiences... we all encounter heartbreak & love, life & death, old & new. it shows courage to praise and strengthen one another for no reason other than the fact that they have the same body parts.

I'm not saying shit is going to be all kumbaya and that I'm suddenly going to be the most perfect person ever, but I do really want to try to silence that inner bad girl part of myself that often gets me into trouble. this is a process that I began in the beginning of the year... just never really blogged about it, I guess. most people will roll their eyes when they read this, I'm sure, because it sounds ridiculous to some. I've been doing well for the most part, although I have had a few relapses here and there. 

I'm sure that I'll slip up in the future, but I'm only human. robots are mistake proof, and I am surely not a robot.

so tell me... do you have an inner mean girl?

tidbits, yo

• UGH. slacker blogger. very busy weekend for this girl - beer night Friday, errands Saturday afternoon, birthday celebration Saturday evening, and hanging out with friends/writing a paper Sunday. 

• as you saw in this post, I finally upgraded my phone. I was the proud owner of the LG Dare for almost 2 years. my upgrade day was St. Patrick's Day (luck o' the Irish, say what?), so on Friday, we ventured out to Verizon to get the Droid X. I was torn between that and the Thunderbolt, but I just couldn't justify paying $250 for a cell phone... and the extra memory and the kickstand was just not worth $100 to me. so far I'm really loving my Droid. if you have any recommendations for apps, let a sister know! 

• check out my sweet birthday card I got from Kaycie. does she know me well or what?

• I went out with friends this weekend to celebrate my 25th birthday! we started out with a small group and dinner at a local Japanese Steakhouse, and then moved next door to Cadillac Ranch. I was so happy to have so many people come out to celebrate with me - we had an amazing evening full of laughter, flowing drinks, and memorable conversations. I am a lucky girl. here are some pictures (most were not taken by me, and I'll have more to post once Kaley uploads hers! AHEM!)

• on the other hand, I don't know if I'm ready to turn 25. I know that 25 is not old by a long shot, but I just feel very "adult" saying 25.

• I'm slowly moving through my 2011 Reading Challenge. I've now read 9 books this year - I finished two of Emily Giffin's books within about a week. I loved the first, Something Borrowed... I was really drawn to the narrator, Rachel, and was thrilled with the ending. The second book, Something Blue, was... alright... it's from the perspective of the other main character, Darcy, and I honestly hated her. I ended up liking her a bit more by the end, but overall, I was kind of underwhelmed with the story in comparison to the first. I'll be doing lengthy reviews for both books when I have the time. 

• speaking of reading and writing - I wrote an 800 word essay on the reliability of Nick Carraway as the narrator of The Great Gatsby for my English class yesterday during my lunch break. I started it Sunday and emailed it to myself to finish and send over to my professor from work. went to save the file, and it was corrupted. instead of copying & pasting like an intelligent person would do, I just x'ed out of it. lost the WHOLE thing, minus the measly two paragraphs I had written the night before. talk about pissed... I had to re-write the entire thing last night. 

• Bear is really ridiculously good looking. just sayin. 

• spring is officially here and I am SO excited. that's pretty much all I have to say about that. 

• since I had my last training session in February, I've only been to the gym once, and that was for a spin class. last week. I really need to get back into the swing of things when it comes to working out, but if I'm being honest here, that month off felt amazing. I'm still doing well with my eating habits... still staying away from fatty, greasy, and non-nutritional food. I need to stop making excuses as to why I can't work out, starting with tonight!

Happy Tuesday! 

Miss Chow: a story about love

I know I didn't have much time to post about her on Friday, but I wanted everyone to know everything that happened/is still happening with her story. 

let me begin by saying that I am SO honored to know good people. thanks to the love of so many people, we raised $1400 to contribute to her vet expenses. it amazes me to know such generous and kind folks, and I hope that if any of them ever encounter a tragedy like this, that someone is there to help them. 

I think it'll be easier if I just copy & paste all the updates I posted on Facebook and on the Chip In site. so much happened in such a short period of time that it's all kind of blurry now. 

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as you know, I hit a dog on Thursday evening on my way home from work. there was no way to avoid the accident, but I knew I had to take immediate action. I got her out of the road and thanks to the help of a stranger, I got her to my car and to the local veterinary clinic. They got her stable with fluids and pain medication, but they discovered through an ultrasound that she has some loose fluid in her abdomen, which meant that she was bleeding internally. Thursday night was a sleepless one for me... we weren't sure if she would even survive through the night.

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update posted Friday 12:03PM:  

she made it through the night and animal control will (hopefully) not be collecting her until Monday because she's still pretty unstable and bruised up. no owner has shown up yet, so I'll be going around to local places tomorrow with a picture of her to see if anyone recognizes her and to look for missing dog fliers. if anyone could offer to give this dog a loving home, that would be amazing.

at this point, I received an emailed picture of the pup, so I posted ads on Pet Finder, Craigslist, and the Anne Arundel County Animal Control  website. I also contacted several rescue organizations by email and called our local ASPCA to report the found dog and to inquire about the possibility of someone fostering her once she got healthy. 

I posted her story and a description of her on Facebook and asked people to pass it along. I tagged a bunch of people in her picture to make sure it would make it's way to tons of different people, in hopes that I could possibly find her owner.

at the suggestion of a couple people, I started the Chip In donation site to seek funding for her care. I knew that she wouldn't really be treated for her injuries unless I had some way to pay the vet. 

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update posted Friday 6:39PM: 

just talked to Dr. Ruiz. they said she's still in the same condition as she was in earlier today - no better and no worse. legally, because she could potentially be someone's dog, any willing foster or adoptive pup parents will have to go through animal control to take custody of her. so pretty much, what I'm doing is awesome, but I can't just walk in there and take her if we get enough money donated.

I will definitely keep everyone up to date! I'm going to the vet tomorrow to see the pup and talk to the doctor about actually finding out what exactly is wrong with her and how/if she can be treated. I'm also going to call Animal Control tomorrow to see what their policy is with adopting homeless animals. I mean it makes sense to me that they would rather her be in a good home than in their facilities, but who knows.

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and this is when I realized that things were going to be okay...

update posted Friday 9:01PM: 

I am seriously in tears right now. you all are SO amazing to hand over your hard earned money to help this poor pup live a full life. we are up to $1,000 in donations already! you are all unbelievable. I wish I could tag every one of you in this post, but you know who you are! I owe you guys... big time. 

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update posted Saturday 10:53AM: 

wooo! we're up to $1200 in raised funds for Miss Chow pup! heading to see her now and talk to the vet about possibly transferring her to another facility or to a rescue place. will keep everyone updated!

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update posted Saturday 1:17PM:

visited Miss Chow at the vet this afternoon and this is what I found out:

legally, they have to turn her over to animal control because they have already been notified of her whereabouts. the good news is that she cannot go there until she is stable. I paid $800 of her balance today at the vet. they are going to run blood tests as well as do more extensive x-rays to figure out exactly where the problems lie so that she can be treated accordingly. if there are people lined up to foster and possibly adopt her from animal control once she's there, that is a VERY good thing.

the good thing is that she's not necessarily getting any worse, but she's not getting better either. she's not mobile at all and there's definitely something wrong with her back legs. they're trying to keep her out of pain but the pain medicine also causes her to be sedated all the time, so it's hard for them to gauge where her pain is coming from. every time she comes out of her loopy state, she TRIES to get up on her back legs, but she can't.

the vet said that it's still very early and that the owner could still show up. it might be a situation in where the owner was on vacation and someone was supposed to watch the dog, but she got out, etc. there are a number of different reasons why the owner has not shown up, so we just have to keep up hope that they're out there looking for her too.

either way, they are going to treat her the best they can while she's there. the vet seems eager to work with me in helping her and diagnosing her injuries. I don't have an exact vet bill, but I will know more on Monday after they run the rest of the tests. luckily, animal control is letting them keep her and treat her until she's better, and I'm hoping that by the time she's ready to be transferred, we'll have enough money together to pay for her treatment AND have a place for her to call home!

please keep in mind that there are no guarantees that she will live on and lead a happy, normal life. her injuries might be so severe that there is no possibility of survival. trust me, it's devastating to think that might be the case, but it is possible and I want everyone to be aware of that. we are going to try everything we can to help this poor girl.

thank you ALL so much for your support. please continue to pass Chow's information around! we still have $426 in our fund at the moment and I'm holding onto it until I find out the results of the rest of the tests. 

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update posted Saturday 6:40PM:

Dr. Ruiz called me at about 4:30 this afternoon to let me know that miss Chow is standing on her two back legs, which was one of the biggest problems she was having, and also what worried the doctor the most. she's still a little stiff and wobbly, but because she's putting weight on them, there's less chance for a spinal cord injury.

she's also eating now, which is GREAT! this means they took her off the pain medicine drip and have switched her to oral pain medication. she's still super anxious and stressed, so they're going to continue her pain management to keep her calm so that she doesn't injure herself any further.

Dr. Ruiz will be checking up on her a few more times throughout the day tomorrow, and then she'll run the rest of the tests on Monday. we're keeping our fingers crossed that there are no kidney or liver issues and that her blood comes out clean and that there are no serious fractures. 

ALSO. I'm teaming up with my friend Nicole Palermo, who has been working her butt off saving dogs for the last few months. she truly is a saint, and is going to help me make sure this pup doesn't end up being euthanized. her friend Kim, who runs a rescue organization, spoke to animal control this afternoon. they told her that the owners of the dog have until February 17th to come in and claim her. after that, she gets put into the adoption program.

I'm in dire need of someone to foster her when she's well until we can find a permanent home for her. she's going to have a long road ahead of her and it's going to be difficult to find someone who wants a dog with a potential vet bill.

thank you all SO much for continuing to pass this information on and donating! it makes me SO happy to know that there are good people in this world!

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FINAL update posted Sunday 6:15PM:

AWESOME NEWS! I was just contacted by a family who is the owner of Chow! They saw the ad on Pet Finder and called me immediately. They will be going to the vet tomorrow to get an update on Chow's progress, and then we'll be getting together in the evening to talk about everything. The woman said she's been in the hospital and that's why she didn't know that Chow was missing. I am so relieved to know that Chow will have a place to go when she's all healed up.

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me, posting her story, and donating your money. If I could go out and save every animal out there, I would. You are all amazing people and you should be proud of yourselves for doing such a good deed! I continue to be impressed by the good hearted nature of the people I associate with.

I'll be meeting with the family tomorrow. I've informed them that I've paid $800 of the vet bills and that I still have another $631 in donations to go toward her care (yep, that's a total of $1,431 raised). I'm not sure what to do from here in regards to the money. I was thinking that I could donate the money to an animal organization, or even to Muddy Creek Animal Hospital for working with my crazy ass. I don't know if the owners have the money to pay me back, and I'm honestly not worried about it at all, because my goal was to get Chow healthy.

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everyone agreed that the best thing to do would be to pay the remainder of the donations to the clinic to go towards Chow's continued treatment. I'm also going to suggest to the owners that we go ahead and get Chow microchipped. ;)

I cannot tell you how lucky I feel to associate myself with such amazing people. to those of you who passed on the story, donated, or just kept Miss Chow in your thoughts: I thank every single one of you, from the bottom of my heart. if it weren't for you guys, this story may not have had such a happy ending afterall. 

Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

black & white on cloud nine

sharing this photo for Black & White Wednesday over at The Long Road to China. it's my most recent favorite accessory. it's a giant teal ring from Buckle that I got for Christmas from my sister-in-law. it only fits on my pinky, but that doesn't stop me from wearing it all over the place.

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I'm also linking up at pastor girl's ponderings today. this photo puts me on cloud nine... not only does it include some of my favorite things (pistachios, wine, Apples to Apples, beer), but it's a reminder of a great night with amazing friends. 

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if you're visiting from Carlotta or Lisa's blogs, make yourself at home!

I'm happy to have you here at The Bear Naked Truth!

iheartfaces - best January face

I'm entering the big girl world of photo challenges 

and submitting this picture of my friend Nicole 

for the Best Face Photo in January challenge. 

this photo was taken at our annual Secret Santa party

that I blogged about a few weeks ago in the beginning of the month. 

it's my first time entering at iheartfaces, so I'm real excited!

wish me luck! 

Nestie GTG FTW (part 2)

I am a lucky, lucky girl, let me tell you. this month, I've had the pleasure of having TWO encounters with Internet strangers, and it has been awesome. I mentioned in this post of yore that I was planning on having a little get together with good friend and fellow Nestie, Tara, when she came to visit from Florida. fortunately, fellow DC'er Rebecca was able to join in on the fun as well! 

we decided on a girls night... one, because Sean was too busy drinking his life away during the Ravens loss to the Steelers, and two, because girls nights are more fun anyway. we met up at Jaleo on 7th Street in the city (Rebecca's recommendation... SO good) and started the evening off with a pitcher of sangria. 

and let me just inform you that this beverage was, hands down, the best sangria I've ever tasted in my life.

pardon the quality, it was taken on my cell phone.

before we knew it, that pitcher turned into 4 (yes, four) and we were talking over each other in conversation... about books, husbands (and how stupid they are sometimes), pets, our jobs, city living, etc. we tried hard to convince Tara that a move up north would be exceedingly beneficial for her, but something about the 40 degree weather was giving her enough reason to decline. 

ring shot, courtesy of Tara (clockwise from left: Rebecca, myself, and Tara)

we ate a multitude of different foods... from miniature sweet shrimp, to salmon, to roasted potatoes, to asparagus, to scallops with a butternut squash puree, to hazelnut cake for dessert. it was the first time I'd ever eaten at a Tapas style restaurant. 

I was a little nervous at first, being a picky and somewhat non-adventurous eater, but the food was absolutely wonderful and our waitress was amazing as well. she made sure to keep me updated on the Ravens/Steelers score so that I could somehow gauge my husbands' drunk factor in my head. 

photo courtesy of Tara  (clockwise from left: Rebecca, myself, and Tara)

all in all, I'd say my second ever Nestie GTG was a huge success, and I can't wait for more. in fact, I'm even interested in bringing Sean to this restaurant to try out more items on the menu. I'm not sure if he'd agree to it after seeing our bill. 

like I said, that sangria was fucking delicious. 

Happy Thursday!

Secret Santa Recap [in photos]

ketchup

ugh, I have been a sucky blogger. even though I blogged almost everyday of the week last week, I feel like I haven't written anything of substance in a while. unfortunately, my sociology class doesn't end until Friday at midnight, so I'll most likely be busy all this week.

AND I'm finally getting my ass back in the gym tonight (I haven't been since before Christmas... shame), and I'm really excited about it. I got so busy and caught up with the holidays, and then I was sick for a few days, and now I've got this damned class... I haven't even thought about working out. but I need to get back on track with exercising and eating right and there's no time like the present! 

we had a very successful holiday party this weekend - it was our fourth (or fifth?) annual Secret Santa party, and this year we decided to add a little twist and ask that everyone come decked out in their ugliest holiday sweaters. the sweaters were hideous and hilarious. 

Kaley and I organized mostly everything with the exception of two dishes. we had a traditional holiday meal, complete with ham, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, green bean casserole, mac & cheese, and biscuits. Kaley made a cake and pumpkin pie for dessert and we made that damn candy cane bark as well. it turned out really well, but it was a giant pain in the ass to break up those candy canes.

we made mustache favors... which didn't really turn out that well, but they made for some funny photos. we gave out prizes for the tackiest sweaters and did a white elephant/steal a gift game. it was a GREAT night and I think all our friends had a blast. I'm already thinking of good ideas for next year's party! 

at some point in the evening, we decided it would be a good idea to pretend we were 21 again and partake in beer bongs. I'm not sure WHY we thought it was a good idea, but I definitely paid for it on Sunday. I spent the entire day in bed with a horrible headache and bouts of nausea and beer shits throughout the day.

ANYWAY. I just wanted to let ya'll know that I might be a little too busy for blogging this week. I will, however, be filling out last week's blanks with Lauren. if I have time, I'll upload all the pictures I took at our Secret Santa party this evening. I'm also incredibly behind on my Reader too, so if you haven't seen any comments from me lately, that's why! 

Happy Monday!

Nestie GTG FTW

remember back when I posted that blog about all the fun stuff that was coming up during and after the holiday season? and remember how I was mucho excited about my very first Nestie GTG with Krystyna, who was visiting the DC/VA area to be with family during the holidays?

WELL, dear readers, you will be happy to know that my first get together with an internet stranger went amazingly well. it went about as awesome as possible... the only thing that would have made it better is if we could have stayed out longer. unfortunately, because we took the Metro in, we had to be on the train by midnight. 

we met for dinner at Gordon Biersch downtown and enjoyed a delicious meal, tasty beer, and each others' company. we talked about everything from books we've read to TV shows and school and where we've lived. I was a little nervous that it would be awkward, but it was far from it. Sean & Krystyna's husband, Andrew, talked about sports the whole time... mainly college football. I was relieved that they had something in common and had plenty to discuss. 

the obligatory ring shot - Krystyna on the left, mine on the right

dinner @ Gordon Biersch

drinks @ Clyde's

needless to say, I'm awaiting the day that Krystyna & Andrew visit the area again and can't wait for our next chance to hang out! 

also, neither of us brought our cameras, so all these pictures were taken with Sean's cell phone. please excuse the quality and the massive red eye. and if you know Sean in real life, tell him to stop bragging about his stupid 8 megapixel camera on his Droid. he thinks he's cool and frankly, it's getting out of hand.