2012 ended up to be a pretty great year that ended on a very high note. During the last few weeks of 2012, I completed my last class that I need in order to sit for the CPA exam, we bought a brand new car (our first big purchase together!), moved into a BRAND NEW apartment that we absolutely LOVE and we got to spend Christmas with my wonderful family!
Christmas Eve Dinner
Christmas Day
Visiting the church where we got married
This past week (New Year's Day through this past Saturday), Dave and I spent a lot of our time watching Homeland. My sister was talking about it over break so we thought we would give it a shot. We instantly got HOOKED! We completed seasons 1 & 2 in less than a week (not that I'm proud of it). It's so nice when we have a show that we both really enjoy together. Now that we are done with that show for now, I guess we will have to wait for Mad Men and Breaking Bad to come back!
This weekend was pretty much perfect. I really wanted to enjoy it because I start loosing my weekends very soon due to tax season. Saturday I started the morning by going to a yoga class. It was so nice getting back into it, something that I've really missed. I'm looking forward to getting back to my old schedule of yoga about 3 days a week. After yoga and a run, I got ready to go do some errands while Dave was at his soccer game. Later that afternoon, we headed out to District Taco for a late lunch/early dinner. After we ate we headed to the Sculpture Garden for some ice staking. It was so romantic skating under the stars and with all the sparkling lights around us. I had such a wonderful time and neither one of us fell down once! ;) After ice skating we picked up some hot chocolate, a sweet treat and headed home for the evening to finish Homeland.
Ice Skating with my LOVE!!
Sunday consisted of an early morning kickboxing class, a run with Dave to our favorite local coffee shop, Northside Social, errands, watching football and using one of Dave's Christmas presents: a pasta maker! We had so much fun making linguine together and it tasted AMAZING! We are looking forward to trying out raviolis this next weekend.
Coffee at Northside Social
Pasta making
This was the perfect weekend with the perfect husband. We had so much fun together which makes it hard to think about this upcoming tax season. For now, I'm going to try to enjoy every free minute I have.
So, my Thanksgiving break didn't go as planned but there were some definite goods times.
First...THE BAD
1. Horrendous traffic into the city on Wednesday...NEVER traveling the Wednesday before Thanksgiving EVER again.
2. Did not go to the parade due to how stressed out I got because of Wednesday's trip.
3. Got food poisioning which was AWFUL! (stupid deli wrap! :( )
4. Missed my parents and sister
Me at the High Line!
The GOOOOD
1. I have a wonderful brother-in-law who got us a car, through Uber, to get us out of the city on Wednesday night.
2. Drinks and girl talk on Wednesday night
3. Soccer game on Thursday morning (even if I was horrible)
4. Errands and pie making with Casey
5. Fantastic Thanksgiving dinner with family!
6. A game of Celebrity
7. A trip into NYC!
8. Being surrounded by family who genuinely care about me
9. Food poisoning = not gaining an ounce over break!
As Thanksgiving approaches, I'm reminded of how lucky I am for what I have and the wonderful life I have been blessed with. Here is a list of things I am thankful for:
1. My health
2. My husband, who loves me with his whole heart and is ALWAYS there for me. He makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the whole wide world.
3. My parents - they love me uncondtitionaly and support me with everything I do. They are always there for me and I love them more than words can say. I am truly lucky to have such amazing, selfless parents who would do anything for me and my sister..
4. My sister - we might not always get along, but I love her and am so lucky to call her my sister. I love you, Allie!
5. My new family - I'm so happy to be a part of the O'Brien family - you guys have made me feel so welcomed and I am so lucky to have married into such a fun and loving family. I love you guys!
6. My friends, old and new; I am so lucky to call you my friends. Thanks for always being there for me.
7. The Dunns - who have taken Winnie into their home with open arms and are treating her like a princess. She is one lucky pup!
8. My dad's new job - hopefully one that will make him happy and enjoy what he is doing
This list could go on forever...I am so lucky for the life I have and sometimes need to stop and remind myself how lucky I truly am. I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving spent with family and friends. Hopefully you will see Dave and me on t.v. during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! ;)
This morning when I woke up for my run I kissed Dave goodbye and wished him safe travels since he was heading to Chicago for work. I wasn't going to be back in time to see him before he left so I gave him the biggest hug and kiss.
On my way home from my run I see Dave standing at the corner in his suit with his suitcase. He said he had to see me one more time before he left. This simply made my heart melt! He is always doing the sweetest things for me and this is exactly what I needed after a stressful few days!
Thank you Dave for making my morning and more importantly making my life so great! I love you with all of my heart!!
This past weekend was spent in New Jersey celebrating the marriage of my beautiful cousin, Lauren, and her now HUSBAND, Neil. My parents came up to our place on Thursday and we brought them to Founding Farmers for a delicious meal. My dad absolutely LOVED their cinnamon sugar popcorn and the chocolate mouse we had for dessert! After dinner we took a stroll by the White House so my mom could get a couple pictures.
At Founding Farmers
My parents after dinner
The next day we drove up to New Jersey, stopping in Philadelphia to pick up my sister from the airport since she was flying in from Austin, TX. That night was the rehearsal dinner which was at a lovely Italian restaurant. There was lots of great food and even better company. It was a great night to start off the wedding weekend!
The beautiful bride walking down the aisle with her dad
The wedding started at 7pm on Sunday and it was at a beautiful winery.; the view was breathtaking. Lauren looked absolutely STUNNING and Neil was just as handsome. I'm so happy for them; they are truly the perfect couple. We had such a fantastic night celebrating, dancing and photo-boothing. Thank you Lauren and Neil for letting us be a part of your *special* day!
At dinner!
Photo-booth fun!
It was such a wonderful weekend surrounded by family and love! Now it's back to reality - taxes and schoolwork! :(
This past weekend was filled to the brim with a lot of fun activities! Since we knew that Saturday and Sunday were going to be super busy we decided to have a relaxing night in by watching The Lorax and The Hunger Games I had watched The Lorax as a kid and enjoyed it but wasn't too impressed with the new movie. I would give it 3 stars. I haven't read The Hunger Games but decided to watch the movie with Dave. I really enjoyed it and want to know what happens next, so it looks like when I'm not studying for school, I will be reading the books! We also took a break to get some fro-yo...yummy!!! :)
Saturday morning we drove to our jeweler so I could pick out a simple wedding band that I can wear when I'm exercising, at the beach/pool or doing other activities that I don't feel comfortable wearing my original ring since it has a lot of tiny diamonds and is very delicate. It was fun to be back at our jeweler...I mean what girl doesn't like to look at jewelry?!?! :)
Guitar-Shaped Margarita/Strawberry Daiquiri and a Funnel Cake! Concert FOOD!
Dancing to "Then" in the rain <3
Jeff & Susanna being cute! :)
Saturday afternoon we headed out to Bristow, VA for the Brad Paisley concert with our friends Jeff and Susanna. We tailgated for a little while and did a lot of people watching (OBVIOUSLY this is a must for country concerts!) Easton Corbin opened up as well as The Band Perry. They both were amazing and I especially loved The Band Perry. Their song, Postcard from Paris, has become a favorite of mine. Brad Paisley was out of this world! He's such a good performer, seems so genuine and has an amazing voice. This was my 3rd time seeing him in concert and he was just as good as the first two times. Unfortunately, it rained but that didn't stop us from enjoying the concert. The highlights from the concert included: being able to experience Jeff's first concert with him :) , dancing with Dave to "Ticks" (the night we met, we played this song on Guitar Hero together), dancing with Dave in the rain to "Then" (our first dance song), Carrie Underwood coming out and singing with Brad Paisley and just having a wonderful night with great friends!
The Band Perry: "Postcard From Paris"
Pulling up to Cirque Du Soleil!
Sunday afternoon Dave surprised me with tickets to Cirque Du Soleil Totem. This was the first time for both of us to attend one of their shows. We had such an amazing time; the tricks that they did were phenomenal. We kept looking at each other in awe of the performers. It was such a fun date and something different from what we usually do.
It was such a fun-filled weekend with great friends and my wonderful husband. Now we have my beautiful cousin's wedding to look forward to this weekend in New Jersey.
Two years ago today, the sweetest, most loving and caring man in the world asked me to be his wife. It was the happiest moment of my life (besides marrying him). It was such a special night and will be a memory that I will cherish forever. I love Dave more than life itself and am just so lucky to call him my husband.
The apartment all set up for when I came home from work!
Dave calling his parents after I said YES!
Dave - thank you for making every day so special and always putting a smile on my face. You make me so happy and I couldn't live without you! I love you with all of my heart!
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've been busy traveling: a trip to my parents' house and two weddings. I'm also taking a summer class so that I can start sitting for my CPA exam this winter. Life has been busy but I like being busy!
This weekend Dave and I are starting golf lessons with another couple and I'm completely ecstatic! I've taken a golf course in college and played a couple of times but it will be nice to learn from a Pro! The rest of the summer consists of a few long weekend trips, continuing training for my half-marathon, fun times with family and friends, summer concerts and hopefully some relaxation.
I hope everyone's summer is off to a great start! Below are some pictures from the last few weekends!
Celebrating Mother's Day!
Matt & Amy's wedding!
Delicious dinner in Quonnie!
Jo & Sam's rehearsal dinner!
Jo & Sam's wedding! (Yes, I know, Dave needs some sunglasses ASAP!!)
Where do I begin?! Life has been quite hectic lately and I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed. Tax season was brutal this year and I'm happy to say it is O-V-E-R! I've been working weekends and late nights since January, I haven't been able to commit to anything on the weekends and I haven't been able to travel. Dave has been my savoir throughout all of this. Every night he has a nice home-cooked meal ready for me, he cleans and he's there for moral support. He lets me vent to him about how stressed I am or if I am having a bad day. He tries to help me see the positive even when I didn't think there were any positives. I'm so thankful that I am able to come home to him every night. He knows how to cheer me up and make me smile!
Dinner menu that the restaurant had made up for my b-day!
Cutest b-day gift from my manager's daughter!! :)
Normally I would have the perfect birthday for a tax accountant, April 16th, since the deadline is normally April 15th. Unfortunately April 15th fell on a weekend so that moves the due date to the next weekday but now for some reason we are deciding to celebrate Emancipation Day, the deadline got moved to April 17th. Long story short, my birthday was a day of complete chaos. Dave made me a delicious breakfast and picked me up my favorite coffee along with flowers!! :) Work was stressful so I couldn't wait to come home and enjoy what was left of my birthday with my husband. We enjoyed a delicious dinner from Liberty Tavern and I opened presents. :) Ice cream cake followed presents and shortly after that I was ready to hit the hay!! :) There would be more birthday celebration later during the week.
Adorable flowers from my brother-in-law and his g/f! They look just like Winnie! T-minus 2 weeks until she is OURS!! :)
I made it through the deadline on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday were spent catching up on things at the office that weren't 4/17 sensitive. I decided to take Friday off because I was so exhausted from work. I attempted to sleep in, went for a long run and then got a massage! It was so relaxing; exactly what I needed. That night Dave and I went to Founding Farmers for my birthday dinner! We enjoyed lots of yummy food and a couple of drinks! ;)
FABULOUS dinner at Founding Farmers
Saturday morning we went on a run together (my favorite) then came home, showered and got ready to head to Frederick, MD for the day/night. We had a Groupon for a brewery tour at Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick. This was my first brewery tour so I was quite excited. Unfortunately my feet weren't prepared for the tour. I was wearing sandals and apparently you cannot wear open-toed shoes so I got to wear these horrendous Croc-like shoes over my sandals. They were not the perfect compliment to my dress... Other than the shoes, the brewery tour was a blast! That night we had another delicious dinner. Sunday was spent catching up on things and just relaxing.
A wonderful afternoon at the Flying Dog Brewery!
I'm so happy to have my weekends back and spend more time with family and friends!! I'm looking forward to trying new recipes, making some arts and craft projects, traveling and RELAXING!!!
Saturday was Dave's birthday and I wanted it to be the perfect weekend for him. His dad flew in from Massachusetts Thursday night and the two of them spent Friday in D.C. They had a great time visiting various museums throughout the day. I'm so happy they were able to spend some quality time together doing one of Dave's favorite activities.
Friday night the three of us had a fabulous dinner at one of Dave's favorite restaurant, Eventide, located in Clarendon. The dinner was outstanding! Dave and I both had the winter vegetable soup to start out with and it was out of this world! It was so creamy and very flavorful - highly recommended! The rest of our meal was just as tasty! I cannot wait to go back! :)
Jonathan and Dave
Dave's birthday cake
Dinner!
Unfortunately, I had to work on Saturday, but Dave and his dad were able to relax and venture out around town. That night we went to Medieval Times with a group of friends and had such a great time. All Dave wanted for his birthday was to go to Medieval Times. I will admit, I was a little apprehensive about the idea, but so glad we did it. It was such a fun experience and I'm so happy Dave could spend it with his friends and family!
Sunday the three of us went into Clarendon again to have brunch at Liberty Tavern. I had my first ever bloody mary and now I'm officially hooked! How have I gone so long without ever trying one of these tasty things?!?! After brunch we spent the afternoon at the Newseum and visited the MLK memorial. It was a fun afternoon and I was happy I got to spend it with Dave and Jonathan.
Outside of the Newseum
It was a wonderful weekend and I hope it was great one for Dave; he truly deserves all the happiness in the world and I hope I was able to make it a very happy birthday!
