I did a terrible thing to my mom the first weekend in August - but it turned out alright in the end. Two of my good college girlfriends were getting married on the same weekend. One was a brunch wedding on Notre Dame's campus; the other an evening wedding in Madison, WI. Being that South Bend and Madison are much closer together than, say, DC and either of those cities, I though - why not go to both weddings? Then I get to be part of both these friends' special days.
So off I went to the morning wedding by myself at Notre Dame. It was a lovely wedding though I did not know anyone except the bride and groom. Personally I thought it was genius of the bride to have a brunch wedding as that's about my favorite meal. The significance of not knowing anyone at the wedding is that I was going to be drinking mimosas by myself. When I called my mom between the wedding and reception I told her just that and I don't think she believed me. Ha! Proved her wrong. I downed a few mimosas while making friends with the bride's grad school friends. After brunch and congratulating the bride & groom, I was on my way with my mom (and sister in tow) to Madison.
Five fairly contentious car ride hours and a couple of outbursts later we arrived in Madison, threw on our outfits for wedding #2 (my mom was my date) and made our way there. We had missed the wedding itself but arrived at the beginning of the reception, in time for the toasts & all. My college girlfriends & I got our groove on, catching up & dancing. Being that we are all Minnesota alums, bride included, we went up to the DJ to make sure he played the Minnesota Rouser. His response? "I am a Wisconsin alum." Negotiation ensued for the next five minutes, with him making excuses - "I don't have the Minnesota Rouser" and "I don't know where to find it" - until he finally came around, provided he could also play the Wisconsin fight song, which we deemed appropriate given the bride is also a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. It was a fabulous moment, one in which I knew I was back in Big 10 country.
And the plus side of dragging my mom on this marathon wedding weekend is it finally ended a debate we'd been having for years about my own fictitious wedding. While I recognize weddings are celebrating marriage, a commitment to one another, love, et cetera at the end of the day I want my own wedding to be a fabulous dance party. I happen to believe good food and an open bar help dance parties be their most fabulous. My mom differed, believing open bars and really drinking in general at weddings was an unnecessary expense.
Well, after three signature cocktails (yes - the bride had a signature cocktail for her wedding) at wedding #2 my mom changed her mind.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Moving Day!
It's moving day! Today I made one of the best decisions of my life: hiring movers. While I sit in my empty bedroom and blog one last time from my single girl apartment two attractive, buff men are loading my belongings into a truck. I am actually getting some me time to enjoy on this day off work for... work.
I am looking forward to living in the new place. It's a beautiful old row house, DC style. Hard wood floors, high ceilings, an elegant staircase, and more. I am living with roommates again, four nice twenty-something girls. It will be a nice change of pace. I am one of those rare people who kind of likes moving. I like cathartic act of packing and cleaning things out, followed by the opportunity to create a new space.
I am looking forward to living in the new place. It's a beautiful old row house, DC style. Hard wood floors, high ceilings, an elegant staircase, and more. I am living with roommates again, four nice twenty-something girls. It will be a nice change of pace. I am one of those rare people who kind of likes moving. I like cathartic act of packing and cleaning things out, followed by the opportunity to create a new space.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Life Lessons: Beer & Business Lunches
Life lesson learned today: Even if you attend a business lunch at a brewery, even if you order a beer with lunch in part because everyone else is, it's still not a good idea to choose the fancy Belgian style beer with over 10% alcohol content.
I'm Moving! Apartment Nostalgia
I'm moving next week! My alter ego girlfriend lives in an awesome group house that I got a spot in. The impetus for the move is twofold: living with cool people and saving money. My hope is the money I save goes to the "dreams" account - funds to pursue some of the aspirations I still have for my twenties.
My apartment rented out really quick, which makes my heart happy. A couple viewed it & fell in love with it. They loved how I had it set up, from my orange wall to the furniture and more. Can't exactly explain why that makes me happy, but it does.
Though I am excited to move, there are some things about living alone I will miss. For example, if/when I eat ice cream for dinner, no one judges me. If I forget to bring my towel into the bathroom, it's no big deal. I can sit in the bath for a while and just relax. And I like lazy weekend mornings (well, and afternoons) where I stay in my pajamas all day. But alas, those times will come again.
P.S. As I write this blog post, one of the Presidential helicopter is flying over my apartment. Just in case you forgot I live in DC.
My apartment rented out really quick, which makes my heart happy. A couple viewed it & fell in love with it. They loved how I had it set up, from my orange wall to the furniture and more. Can't exactly explain why that makes me happy, but it does.
Though I am excited to move, there are some things about living alone I will miss. For example, if/when I eat ice cream for dinner, no one judges me. If I forget to bring my towel into the bathroom, it's no big deal. I can sit in the bath for a while and just relax. And I like lazy weekend mornings (well, and afternoons) where I stay in my pajamas all day. But alas, those times will come again.
P.S. As I write this blog post, one of the Presidential helicopter is flying over my apartment. Just in case you forgot I live in DC.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Home of...
On my latest return trip to DC from New York, upon pulling into the city the bus driver said: "Welcome to Washington, DC, home of the cherry blossoms and the health care reform bill."
Funny.
Funny.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Glee - It's Infectious
Have you watched Glee? It is one of my new favorites. The Americana setting of this Midwestern high school reminds me of my own high school experience. The storylines and characters play on stereotypes which I can relate to from what I remember about high school - the cheerleaders, the jocks, the show choir kids, and so on. And I love the whimsical quirkiness of the show, how characters can burst into song at a moment's notice. My personal favorite is "Don't Stop Believing" because it's about me: "Just a small town girl (check), livin' in a lonely world (check), took the midnight train goin' any where (check)..."
OK I digress. I love the show and enjoy watching it with my roommates who, being musically talented for the most part, are generally apt to burst into song at any moment. However, the mornings after Glee walking to the subway I am surprised no one bursts into song. Wouldn't a rendition of "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" from Oklahoma be a good thing to sing and dance to on the way to the subway? Especially on some of these gorgeous cool mornings? Once on the subway, the poles to hold onto and the subway seats seem to make the perfect stage for song and dance. The sites of Washington would be so well suited for any number of songs: Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" sung on the National Mall; Les Miserables' "I Dreamed a Dream" sung on the hilly dramatic landscape of Northwest DC (perhaps on one of the bridges over Rock Creek Park); Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA" really anywhere in the capital city; grooving to "Celebrate Good Times" walking & dancing down 14th Street on a Friday night out. It would make life interesting.
But alas, my morning metro rides are filled with drably dressed bureaucrats, muted tones of navy, grey, and black, DC's unofficial uniform. Oh well. My imagination can run wild as I listen to my iPod.
OK I digress. I love the show and enjoy watching it with my roommates who, being musically talented for the most part, are generally apt to burst into song at any moment. However, the mornings after Glee walking to the subway I am surprised no one bursts into song. Wouldn't a rendition of "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" from Oklahoma be a good thing to sing and dance to on the way to the subway? Especially on some of these gorgeous cool mornings? Once on the subway, the poles to hold onto and the subway seats seem to make the perfect stage for song and dance. The sites of Washington would be so well suited for any number of songs: Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" sung on the National Mall; Les Miserables' "I Dreamed a Dream" sung on the hilly dramatic landscape of Northwest DC (perhaps on one of the bridges over Rock Creek Park); Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA" really anywhere in the capital city; grooving to "Celebrate Good Times" walking & dancing down 14th Street on a Friday night out. It would make life interesting.
But alas, my morning metro rides are filled with drably dressed bureaucrats, muted tones of navy, grey, and black, DC's unofficial uniform. Oh well. My imagination can run wild as I listen to my iPod.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Top 5 Sporting Events
Being this is World Cup season, I was prompted to think of the top 5 sporting events I would go to live. This was really hard for me to think through being that my first love is college sports, then professional. There is just so much to choose from. But, what I came to is (drum roll please!):
1) BCS National Championship Game in a year where the Illini or the Gophers are playing
2) NCAA Men's Basketball championship in a year where the Illini or the Gophers are playing
3) Wimbledon
4) Superbowl, preferably in a year where the Bears make it
5) World Cup championship
What are your top 5 sporting events?
1) BCS National Championship Game in a year where the Illini or the Gophers are playing
2) NCAA Men's Basketball championship in a year where the Illini or the Gophers are playing
3) Wimbledon
4) Superbowl, preferably in a year where the Bears make it
5) World Cup championship
What are your top 5 sporting events?
