Where did the time go?

I can't believe summer officially kicked off this past weekend. It feels as though Christmas was just the other day. Where have the past few months gone?

Since Frank's teams typically play in a local soccer tournament on Memorial Day weekend, we stick around town. (I need to talk him into playing in a tournament at the beach one year!) We kicked off the summer season by hanging out with our local friends - Dinner/drinks with Kelly on Friday night...Chuck's birthday BBQ on Saturday night...Lunch with Megan on Sunday, BBQ with Chuck & Kristen on Sunday night...and the best of all...ALONE TIME ON MONDAY! Since Frank's teams didn't make it to the play-offs, I had him all to myself on Monday. We had originally planned to meet my family at Lake Anna but since the weather wasn't cooperating, we decided to veg-out all day. We had a lazy breakfast, read the paper, and by that time I was itching to do something so I went for a six miler (which ended up being just about the only hour that the sun decided to poke its head out from the clouds making it a heck of a lot hotter than I anticipated!). We did a little shopping (I got new running kicks!), read some more, and just finished a delicious meal. I loved relaxing with just the two of us - especially since we don't get to do it that often.

Ascension Sunday?

Yes, I was baptised Catholic. Yes, I received First Communion. Yes, I was confirmed Catholic. Yes, I try to attend mass almost every Sunday. Yes, I agree with most of the Catholic beliefs. Despite these accolades, I would not nearly consider myself a religious aficionado. There are times though when religious topics do arise that I find myself pondering. Take yesterday for example - I read in our church bulletin that the Vatican approved churches in the United States to move Ascension Thursday to the seventh Sunday of Easter in order to heightened the celebration. (Essentially making yesterday Ascension Sunday.) Um - Excuse me? In order to make it more convenient for American Catholics, we are no longer recognizing the actual day Jesus ascended into heaven? What's next? Are we going to change Christmas to ensure it falls on a weekend to appease everyone's schedule? I am perplexed at some of the rule changes the Vatican approves - yet, they still can't get past allowing a father to marry (along with many other dated beliefs). Perhaps if we conjure a theory to prove that priests marrying will bring more parishioners to church (aka pad their pockets), they'll reconsider.

No Plans!

For the first weekend in a very long time, Frank & I didn't have any plans - even the soccer schedule was extremely light. After the past few hectic weeks at work, I definitely was in need of a relaxing weekend! On Saturday, I went for a great 6 mile run (who knows - maybe I'll do another race this year!) and then finally planted my veggie garden. Hopefully this year we'll get to enjoy more of the tomatoes than the squirrels. I'm determined to find a way to out-smart them (that doesn't involve violence).
We even managed to find time to clean out our closets over the weekend - a task that had been on our to-do list for quite some time. I made some money to boot - I just had another Craig's List customer come pick up a bag of my clothes! I got a chuckle out of some of the things we keep - We are quite the pack-rats with paper work. I finally went through my files from the wedding and was a bit shocked at what a Nazi I was! I had pretty detailed maps drawn up and our days planned out hour by hour to help with the planning process. I still think I had to be like that since the wedding was on Long Island and our time/trips up there were limited (Frank prefers to think I'm just crazy anal). I also found a few notes from when Frank & I started dating and were hiding our relationship from our co-workers...Notes that he left on my desk, proving he can be a romantic at times!
Now that our closets are in order, I am off to sit back and relax some more...I think I hear a book calling my name...

Congrats Chuck & Kristen!

Last night we celebrated Chuck & Kristen's engagement at DC Coast - A fun-filled evening complete with great food, music, and most importantly, GREAT COMPANY! Frank & I are both excited to be a part of their wedding party and are looking forward to celebrating with the happy couple over the upcoming months...The countdown is officially on until October 24th! Congrats you two!


Ali and her date, Frank & I with Mark & Sarah

The Bridesmaids!

The happy couple with Mark & Sarah

Happy Mother's Day

I'm very blessed to have such a wonderful mommy. Laura & I appreciate everything she does for us and today was our day to show our appreciation. The three of us enjoyed getting our nails done, eating a leisurely lunch outside, and a bit of shopping...but most importantly just spending time together! Love you, Mommy!

From one extreme to another

Geez...What a tease last weekend was! Gorgeous sunny skies, temps in the 80's-90's, eating outside, BBQ's with friends, soccer, jogging, gardening - Just enough to get me really hankering for summer!

...Enter stage left...The return of rainy spring. I have to say, Saturday didn't end up being a wash - and I did get to enjoy dinner outside on Friday night, but man, yesterday was a drag - and the week outlook isn't lookin' too hot either! As I mentioned, the weekend didn't start out badly - An early dinner in Georgetown with Kelly and then (get this) an evening at the Opera with Placido Domingo! (Love my random nights with Kel!) A nice ending to a crappy week! On Saturday I got in a run outside, spent the afternoon at a baby shower, and then at our neighbor's for a Kentucky Derby party (where I reaffirmed my dislike for Mint Juleps). Unfortunately, I spent a good deal of Sunday working - I suppose I should be thankful for the crappy weather since I was stuck behind my computer. This week I am vowing to leave work at a reasonable hour each night - and not work over the weekend!