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our first baby Benjamin James 11 lbs 7 oz Born: 12/15 |
| carrieann on twitter |
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so i had an interesting memorial day :) i tried to go out on sunday night after watching the pistons lose... but the metro closed at midnight, so i wound up back home pretty early. i woke up on monday and took the dog to the park, and then got an invite to go "hashing" that afternoon.
hashing is an interesting game. basically, you run around with a bunch of other people, trying to find a trail that has been premarked (usually with flour)... and at the end, is beer. the crowd usually consists of a mix of people, all of who both love to run and love to drink beer. so it's right up my alley! then afterwards, you all go out as a group to a bar. my first run was yesterday, so i'm no longer a "virgin" and have learned a couple of their drinking and "stretching" songs ;) you can find most of them here (click on songs to drink to)... but be warned, they are pretty vulgar. i had a great time running around downtown yesterday... and i look forward to the next time! eventually, if i start going often, i'll get a nickname and won't be 'just carrie' anymore :) so if you have a hashing group in your area... i highly recommend trying it out.
this week has nothing much going on. it will give me time to recover from the drinkfest yesterday... i could definitely use another day off!
hashing is an interesting game. basically, you run around with a bunch of other people, trying to find a trail that has been premarked (usually with flour)... and at the end, is beer. the crowd usually consists of a mix of people, all of who both love to run and love to drink beer. so it's right up my alley! then afterwards, you all go out as a group to a bar. my first run was yesterday, so i'm no longer a "virgin" and have learned a couple of their drinking and "stretching" songs ;) you can find most of them here (click on songs to drink to)... but be warned, they are pretty vulgar. i had a great time running around downtown yesterday... and i look forward to the next time! eventually, if i start going often, i'll get a nickname and won't be 'just carrie' anymore :) so if you have a hashing group in your area... i highly recommend trying it out.
this week has nothing much going on. it will give me time to recover from the drinkfest yesterday... i could definitely use another day off!
| posted at 10:32 AM ~ comments (0) |
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the weather has been so beautiful this weekend! friday i went out to eat down in old town alexandria. that place is so fun! i'd never been there, and loved the shops and the pier... great time :) yesterday was a lily day... i took her out to the park with the stream and she ran for a really long time with a springer spaniel... they were so cute! then later i took her for ice cream (really it was me that wanted it, and i felt guilty for leaving her home) :) dogs are fun to bring with you places. i even ran for 10 miles yesterday! first time i've been able to make it that far without upsetting my stomach! which is good, because i'm running a trail race next sunday that's 10 miles long... so if i didn't make it on my run this weekend, i wasn't going to attempt the race. so hopefully i'll do ok. no other plans this weekend... maybe get some dinner with a friend and watch the pistons game tonight... clean some house, do some laundry... good stuff. maybe even get out by the pool... they opened it at our apartment complex yesterday... it's a nice pool, but the rules cracked me up. one of them even has "no expectorating or blowing your nose". i wouldn't want to swim in someone's spit, but it's a public pool... so i just assume it's not super clean water. hilarious. anyway, it's nice enough weather to be laying out... so i might do some relaxing tomorrow out there if the weather holds up :) i love three day weekends!
| posted at 12:12 PM ~ comments (0) |
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it's thursday.. closer to the weekend, and it's finally nice outside! so i'm in a much better mood. i took a nap and got a good night's sleep yesterday... so that always helps. i even finally got lily some benedryl... poor girl has been itchy and sneezy lately, and the vet told me to watch her for allergies. she had red puffy eyes when we went in for her heartworm test, and the vet noticed an area where lily had been itching her fur out. so we're trying some benedryl in the hopes that it makes her more comfortable. if it doesn't, it means she's allergic to something else... so then the tests begin. but for now, i'm just hoping it is something airborne, and the benedryl will solve her problems. she's still her happy crazy self, so i'm not too worried :) got my grocery shopping out of the way last night... and joe donated some avocados to me, since they would go bad while he's out of town. so i attempted to mash them last night, and make guacamole... good god i am so inept in the kitchen. i think the avocados were not very ripe... i don't think they are supposed to be that hard to mash. i tried to bust out my hand blender only to discover it was broken. so i had to pitch it... and search around for my regular blender. i searched the whole kitchen and discovered i no longer have one. who knew blenders knew how to get up and walk away? :) so i went back to trying to stab/mash the avocados... but it didn't work. so now i have some really chunky avocado mix sitting in my refrigerator, until i can figure out something else to use to mash them up with, or some other recipe to make. if anyone has made guacamole before, i could use your advice on how the hell to smush those things. every time i attempt to make something, i realize just how much practice i really need at cooking. the simplest things just seem to go wrong... and i'm never sure just what i did. oh well... i'm looking forward to practicing :)
| posted at 8:42 AM ~ comments (0) |
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it's the middle of the week... happy hump day :) i'm actually not really in that great of a mood... joe's gone for six days, and i've got a lot of mundane chores that need to be done this weekend. cleaning, shopping, running... bleh. nothing exciting. i'm hoping this weather improves... a high of 58 is not what i was hoping for this spring. i'm hoping it gets near 80 this weekend, so that i can go lay out by the pool and give my glowing white legs some much needed vitamin d. they are scary, they are so white. i don't know who i'm kidding... i don't get super tan... but not blinding would be nice :)
saw star wars last night... and i have mixed feelings. i hated that he put chewy in the movie. wookies... ok. but did you really need to add chewbacca? the only character missing from the first three episodes was han... did we really need to associate everyone together? and the tarzan call was ridiculous. fight scenes were cool... and i did leave the theater feeling sad. makes me want to watch the first episodes again just to gain hope again :) so i'll definitely watch it again :)
saw star wars last night... and i have mixed feelings. i hated that he put chewy in the movie. wookies... ok. but did you really need to add chewbacca? the only character missing from the first three episodes was han... did we really need to associate everyone together? and the tarzan call was ridiculous. fight scenes were cool... and i did leave the theater feeling sad. makes me want to watch the first episodes again just to gain hope again :) so i'll definitely watch it again :)
| posted at 9:46 AM ~ comments (0) |
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sweet! i was aiming for under 54 minutes for the 10k race yesterday, since my last race i ran in about 55... and what do you know... i finished this race in 52:30!! i couldn't believe it! that's about an 8:30 minute mile... definitely a personal record for me! it definitely helped to have someone really cheering for me. and it gives me motivation to keep up with the training! i'm scheduled for a 10 mile race in two weeks... but it's still pretty iffy on if i can last all that way. and it's trail running, no less. they do have a 5 mile route, so i might just go with that. i'll know more after this weekend. it's memorial day weekend and i have monday off. so i plan on getting together with friends to go to a bbq, but other than that, i'm takin it easy. i think they are opening the pool in my apartment complex this weekend... might have to find some time for some relaxing in the sun :)
star wars tomorrow! :)
star wars tomorrow! :)
| posted at 11:20 AM ~ comments (0) |
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first off, the race was great this morning! i think i made it in about 54 minutes :) it helped tremendously to have a cheerleader on the route and welcoming me at the finish line... joe, you rock. :) we're going to a bbq tonight instead of star wars... but no worries, the movie is still planned for tuesday!
then last night. it was an interesting night. i had a good time dancing... but it was when someone came up to me and asked "is your name carrie by chance?" that i gave the "you are scaring me" look and said "yes, why?". he said he had been to my website, and wanted to congratulate me on my weight loss! holy cow! at first i didn't know whether to be scared or flattered... so i just said thanks (cause that was very nice for him to say)... whoever you are, if you come back to read this... thanks! i still can't believe someone recognized me out here (especially because we were out in maryland... not even in dc!) just from my site. how crazy is that?
today's a gorgeous day... 75 degrees and sunny. perfect day for a bbq! :)
then last night. it was an interesting night. i had a good time dancing... but it was when someone came up to me and asked "is your name carrie by chance?" that i gave the "you are scaring me" look and said "yes, why?". he said he had been to my website, and wanted to congratulate me on my weight loss! holy cow! at first i didn't know whether to be scared or flattered... so i just said thanks (cause that was very nice for him to say)... whoever you are, if you come back to read this... thanks! i still can't believe someone recognized me out here (especially because we were out in maryland... not even in dc!) just from my site. how crazy is that?
today's a gorgeous day... 75 degrees and sunny. perfect day for a bbq! :)
| posted at 1:11 PM ~ comments (0) |
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yes. i'm that cheesy. and yes, it's friday, and i'm in a fantastic mood :) it's crappy, crappy weather, but i had a great night last night, and am looking forward to the weekend. bowling tonight... happy birthday to robyn :) and to my friend colleen... who is still stuck way out there in las vegas! i miss ya, sween. then dinner tomorrow with joe and his family, and then my race and star wars on sunday! next weekend is memorial day weekend... there's a bunch of stuff going on around here. i'm hoping to check out the jazz events in alexandria... sounds like it's right up my alley. i'm hoping it's good weather... my friends are also planning a bbq so good weather would help :)
anyway, it's the weekend and it's starting out pretty great so far :)
anyway, it's the weekend and it's starting out pretty great so far :)
| posted at 10:10 AM ~ comments (0) |
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man! i'm pretty bummed. i couldn't convince anyone to come with me to the midnight showing of star wars last night... so i had to break tradition of seeing the episodes on opening night. i have a plan to see it sunday though... and i can't WAIT! it sounds so fantastic... i'm getting antsy just thinking about it. i know this will be one i will see multiple, multiple times :) the band i like is playing at finn maccool's tonight... scythian is having a "revenge of the scyth" theme in honor of the movie opening :) gotta love it :)
nothing else going on... we cancelled plans to see the nationals again. i'll get there one day, i swear. so this weekend will be dinner, drinks, a race, and then STAR WARS on sunday :) should make for a good weekend.. it's almost friday...
nothing else going on... we cancelled plans to see the nationals again. i'll get there one day, i swear. so this weekend will be dinner, drinks, a race, and then STAR WARS on sunday :) should make for a good weekend.. it's almost friday...
| posted at 8:38 AM ~ comments (0) |
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woohoo... well, i'm now a member of the board of arlington dogs :) i'm pretty excited about it... they are a pretty active group in the community, and i'm looking forward to helping out, and learning about the arlington county procedures, etc. i like being active in all of these groups... makes me feel like i'm actually accomplishing something. plus i get answers to my questions about what is going on, and how to get things we need for the park. so now i'm a member of this group, my neighborhood association, and the working group for the park. meetings, meetings, and more meetings. tonight is no exception... the neighborhood meeting is tonight, so i'll be busy from 7:30-8:30pm. but i don't mind... i like them... and i meet a ton of people in my neighborhood! it's nice to start being able to recognize people, and wave to familiar faces :)
this weekend is shaping up... got plans to go bowling on friday, and then go to see a nationals game (this is my 3rd attempt at going... haven't made it to one yet) saturday night :) then sunday is the 10k race downtown! the capitol classic should be a fun one... running all around the monuments and city is great :) i've been slacking on my training... so tonight i'm dragging lily with me for a short run, distributing surveys for the park, and then going to the meeting at 7:30pm. phew. but i need to get in that run... i haven't gotten one in since thursday! :( wish me luck!
this weekend is shaping up... got plans to go bowling on friday, and then go to see a nationals game (this is my 3rd attempt at going... haven't made it to one yet) saturday night :) then sunday is the 10k race downtown! the capitol classic should be a fun one... running all around the monuments and city is great :) i've been slacking on my training... so tonight i'm dragging lily with me for a short run, distributing surveys for the park, and then going to the meeting at 7:30pm. phew. but i need to get in that run... i haven't gotten one in since thursday! :( wish me luck!
| posted at 9:24 AM ~ comments (0) |
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not very often that i get to post that :) it's been a great morning so far :) had a very fun night on saturday at finn maccool's. scythian was playing, which always means a great time! nothing big going on this week. i have a meeting tonight, and then robyn's birthday is on friday. i think we are going bowling, which should be fun. i didn't get my run in yesterday... i've been in a slump... but i think it's from the lack of sleep i was feeling last week. i feel much better having taken those days off, so i'm back in full force. one week of no long run won't kill me... especially since i had two days of over 6 miles last week. just means i have to up the miles this week. i will most likly run my 10k race on sunday, then go for another 4-5 miles later in the day. it's a little bit of cheating, since they are all supposed to be done at once... but it's fine. three more weeks until official training begins... then i can't have ANY excuses for not training. 20 weeks of pure willpower... i really hope i can stay motivated!
| posted at 9:49 AM ~ comments (0) |
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got home at 3am last night and my head is killing me. i got someone to snap a photo of lily and i though from the parade yesterday... so here we are:
:) she's a cute one! nothing planned for today... it's rainy but i need to go running for my long run at some point. i'm exhausted though... so i'll need a nap definitely before i go. 10 miles... oy.
:) she's a cute one! nothing planned for today... it's rainy but i need to go running for my long run at some point. i'm exhausted though... so i'll need a nap definitely before i go. 10 miles... oy.
| posted at 11:20 AM ~ comments (0) |
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what a great day. i took lily to the parade, and she was so good! i have such a great dog! she walked up and down, and let all the little kids come up and pet her... she just stood there and gave them lots of kisses as we went by :) it was really, really hot though... poor girl. i brought water and a portable bowl... but she's passed out right now... it was a rough day for her. but she enjoyed it! we even stopped by a pet store (they sell more expensive dog things) and she got some doggy ice cream! peanut butter flavored, of course :) it was fun! i think i have also been recruited to join another group called arlington dogs. they have spots opening up on their board, and i was asked if i'd be interested... so of course i said yes :)
in other news, i'm going to the nationals game tonight... should be a great time! then tomorrow going to watch joe's softball game, and join his fellow team members back at finn mccool's, since that's their sponsor for their team :) what a great weekend :)
in other news, i'm going to the nationals game tonight... should be a great time! then tomorrow going to watch joe's softball game, and join his fellow team members back at finn mccool's, since that's their sponsor for their team :) what a great weekend :)
| posted at 5:00 PM ~ comments (0) |
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the weather is a little dreary and a little cold... but man, am i in a good mood. it's friday! woohoo! had fun last night hangin with the old pantheon crew. we might get together next friday and all go out on the town... plans are still undecided about that. but last night was fun... and i got to see joe, which is always good ;) things have stepped up a notch with him, and i guess you could say i now have a significant other in my life :) it's been a while since i could announce something like that... i'm now a firm believer that the best things happen when you're not looking for it :) and man, he's a good one... :)
as for this weekend, no plans... just the parade tomorrow (which will be broadcasted on cable, so you can watch lily and the dork that i am, marching through arlington, if you're in the area) and some cleaning. i gave lily a bath so now my tub smells like wet dog. charming, i know :) i have a long run scheduled for sunday... still tryin to get up to 10 miles. if i make it, i get to drop down to 8 miles next sunday, and then in two weeks, aim for 12! training for the marathon will officially begin! found out a friend of mine is also running it, so we plan to have some long runs together on some sundays. i'll need the motivation, that's for sure :) although, i've been doing pretty good these past 8 weeks motivating myself to run 5 days a week. it helps to read stories about other people running online... i definitely get inspired by people who love it as much as i do :) i'm not sure when the switch from hating running to loving it actually occurred... in high school, all the way through college, running even just a 5k (3.1 miles) had me dying and gasping for breath. my friends marc and noelle used to let me attempt to run with them... they'd chat and i'd struggle to stay standing as i lagged behind them. jackie even tried to get me to sign up for a WALK... and i outright refused. i laugh at my old self... it's really amazing how much time can change a person.
anyway, enough babbling for a day... off to work and happy friday!
as for this weekend, no plans... just the parade tomorrow (which will be broadcasted on cable, so you can watch lily and the dork that i am, marching through arlington, if you're in the area) and some cleaning. i gave lily a bath so now my tub smells like wet dog. charming, i know :) i have a long run scheduled for sunday... still tryin to get up to 10 miles. if i make it, i get to drop down to 8 miles next sunday, and then in two weeks, aim for 12! training for the marathon will officially begin! found out a friend of mine is also running it, so we plan to have some long runs together on some sundays. i'll need the motivation, that's for sure :) although, i've been doing pretty good these past 8 weeks motivating myself to run 5 days a week. it helps to read stories about other people running online... i definitely get inspired by people who love it as much as i do :) i'm not sure when the switch from hating running to loving it actually occurred... in high school, all the way through college, running even just a 5k (3.1 miles) had me dying and gasping for breath. my friends marc and noelle used to let me attempt to run with them... they'd chat and i'd struggle to stay standing as i lagged behind them. jackie even tried to get me to sign up for a WALK... and i outright refused. i laugh at my old self... it's really amazing how much time can change a person.
anyway, enough babbling for a day... off to work and happy friday!
| posted at 8:25 AM ~ comments (0) |
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the past week i've not been getting a good night's sleep. i think lily's been keeping me up, so we might have to try putting her back in her crate for the night, for about a week, and see how it goes. i've just been dragging all day long... not even coffee has been helping. ugh. no big plans for this weekend. i'm meeting up with people from my first job out here tonight... then i have the parade on saturday. other than that, i'm just relaxing and catching up on some much needed sleep. there may be plans to go see the nationals play on saturday night... but nothing definite. i welcome an easy weekend :)
| posted at 8:42 AM ~ comments (0) |
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well, i enjoyed myself this weekend. the weather was spectacular... friday night i enjoyed some good mexican food and some wonderful company... then saturday morning i woke up to 70 degree sunny weather :) it matched my mood perfectly :) so i took lily to a dog park nearby (about 10 min driving) that i had heard about... and it was beautiful! it was inside a park that had a bunch of trails and a stream... and the place i snapped a photo of is the actual dog park... there's a little beach at the top of the stream, and then the stream is the perfect depth for lily, who doesn't like to swim in waters above her head. she was splashing around and having a grand ole time running up and down the stream banks :) it's perfect for the hot weather mornings coming our way! then saturday night, i went to a bbq for joe's uncle's birthday... met some really great people and laughed a lot :) i tasted some really tasty rum from barbados... mmmm... which might have contributed to my laughter ;) then later, my friends and i ventured down to adams morgan... we probably should have stuck to our original plan to go country line dancing... oh well. i had an ok time, but i'm not sure i can speak for everyone else. yesterday i went out running, which upset my stomach quite a bit... i apparently am not one of those people that can drink the night before and stay out until 3am, and then go run 10 miles the next day :( so i need to take it easy on saturday nights from now on. then we ventured downtown in the 80 degree beautiful sun to see "the animation show". i liked some of them... but i don't think i grasped all of the concepts they were trying to portray in the shorts. so it was alright... but i enjoyed my dinner on the patio much more :) all i needed was a hammock and i would have thought I'd died and gone to heaven ;) so it was a long, but really great weekend. there's a bunch of stuff coming up this week... meetings tonight and maybe tomorrow... wednesday i say goodbye to a coworker, and discuss the future of my position at work... then i have another goodbye party to go to on thursday night for a friend at my first job in dc... then saturday i am marching in a parade with lily! :) our neighborhood association needed people to be in it, for arlington's 'neighborhood day' parade and festival... so that will be entertaining :) plus i'd like to get in a viewing of 'hitchhiker's guide' sometime this week... i've heard good things, and having read the book recently, i think i'd enjoy it.
anyway, so that's a long update on what's going on. life is grand... i'm probably going to be broke as a joke for a while, after all these escapades... but it'll be worth it :) the weather out here is gorgeous right now... i'm lining up all the places to take lily, and to visit... have i mentioned how much i love this city? ;)
anyway, so that's a long update on what's going on. life is grand... i'm probably going to be broke as a joke for a while, after all these escapades... but it'll be worth it :) the weather out here is gorgeous right now... i'm lining up all the places to take lily, and to visit... have i mentioned how much i love this city? ;)
| posted at 8:39 AM ~ comments (0) |
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la dia de celebracion! por que? porque hoy es cinco de mayo! i usually celebrate this fabulous day with some wonderful margaritas y cervezas... however, i'm attempting to really cut back on spending over the next few months, to a) make headway on paying down the debts i owe (credit cards, student loans, etc) and b) saving for running shoes and gear :) so i'm limiting myself to one night out a week... and this saturday the plans are shaping up to go country line dancing :) yo quiero bailar mucho! man, i would love to get a degree in spanish. i love speaking that language. plus i think about 60% of the population around my neighborhood speaks it... it would be nice to be able to interact with my neighbors :) maybe spend some time over in spain, or south america... or mexico even... hmmm...
| posted at 8:48 AM ~ comments (0) |
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well, despite the incredibly sad news on thursday, i had a pretty good weekend. i wish i could have afforded to fly home for the funeral on saturday... but it wasn't feasible. so i kept her in my thoughts as i lent a hand at the 'building together' community service project saturday. i spent the majority of the time painting and cleaning brushes... it was fun :) looking forward to doing it again next year :) then i went out with friends... nothing crazy. i did get my running in yesterday... the once a week, long, slow distances are getting tough. i've discovered that over 8 miles, my stomach no longer wants to keep quiet, and starts to cause me major issues. i wound up on the couch for a couple hours yesterday waiting for it to feel better after my 10 mile run. i think there were a couple factors involved... so i need to look at what i eat before i go, and what i bring with me to rehydrate. the water fountains along the trails don't work... so i spent two hours yesterday running without water. so that very well could have been a huge factor for my stomach problem. regardless, it hurt. but after a good dinner, it felt a lot better... thanks for the good food, joe :)
in other news... a friend and i have started dating :) he's wonderful :) don't know if he reads this or not... but i think he knows what i think already ;) nothing else really big coming up this week... there are some good animation shows by mike judge that are playing at a small cinema in dc. my friends and i are going to check those out this weekend. then mother's day is on sunday, but i won't be there to celebrate my mom in person... hopefully she forgives me. i may be in michigan the following weekend... but it's not looking very promising. the next scheduled visit back home is at the end of june, for jackie's baby shower... the little sommerville is due at the beginning of august! time's flyin by. i'm sad i won't be there when she has her... being far away from friends in times like this makes me homesick. thank god for digital cameras... but it's not the same. i wish they had a plan for frequent flying to detroit and back... maybe i should learn to be a pilot, and fly myself home and back! strap lily in the back of the plane and we'd be set ;) hell of a lot faster than driving 9 hours.
happy monday!
in other news... a friend and i have started dating :) he's wonderful :) don't know if he reads this or not... but i think he knows what i think already ;) nothing else really big coming up this week... there are some good animation shows by mike judge that are playing at a small cinema in dc. my friends and i are going to check those out this weekend. then mother's day is on sunday, but i won't be there to celebrate my mom in person... hopefully she forgives me. i may be in michigan the following weekend... but it's not looking very promising. the next scheduled visit back home is at the end of june, for jackie's baby shower... the little sommerville is due at the beginning of august! time's flyin by. i'm sad i won't be there when she has her... being far away from friends in times like this makes me homesick. thank god for digital cameras... but it's not the same. i wish they had a plan for frequent flying to detroit and back... maybe i should learn to be a pilot, and fly myself home and back! strap lily in the back of the plane and we'd be set ;) hell of a lot faster than driving 9 hours.
happy monday!
| posted at 8:09 AM ~ comments (0) |