Travelling Lore

Last weekend I ran my very first 5k hosted by the German School of Washington D.C.'s Oktoberfest Run with a group of friends.  For those who don't know me, running has always been my least favorite way of working out.  I'd much rather be in the gym doing abs or doing some Les Mills Body Pump.  In fact, the farthest I'd ever run before was about two miles--and that was only a few days before the 5k!  Though my completion time of 40:30 has plenty of room for improvement, I was pleased with myself for going through with it.  The group mentality of being together with everyone else trying to accomplish the same thing was encouraging. I doubt I'll ever find running enjoyable, but let me just say that if you put your mind to it, you can do it.  When I first started I could barely run a mile without huffing and puffing.  But by sticking with it and going for a 1-1.5 miles run a couple of times a week, you'll definitely start to notice an improvement i...

Last weekend my boyfriend and I hosted a blind wine tasting party.  We provided the hors d'ouevres and light dinner fare and asked our guests to provide a bottle of wine for the blind tasting.  Thanks to everyone who came out for a memorable evening!  I'd also like to thank Limes and Lavender 's Etsy shop for her mini chalkboard signs and South House Boutique 's Etsy shop for her burlap wine bottle bags .  They were exactly what I was looking for this type of event! Pinterest was a good source of inspiration to figure out what types of cheeses would be good choices for different types of wines.  Little did I know that everyone would bring only red wines!  The poor Brie de Paris was left without a chardonnay wine partner. Olives and salami and crackers, I believe, are quintessential appetizers for a wine-filled evening.  Like many others, I think Whole Foods has the best olive bar around; I'm especially partial to the garlic-stuffed green...

This past weekend my boyfriend and I decided to make an afternoon out of some light W&OD bike riding accompanied by checking out some local breweries and a winery.  Our first stop was at Adroit Theory , which is a nano brewery in Purcellville, Virginia that focuses on crafting barrel-aged beer.  Their brewery presentation is very different from something you might generally expect.  They have a very casual feel like you might expect from most breweries, but they have a heavy metal theme reflected in their decor and bottle-naming series.  I personally liked that they decided to try something different with their decor theme; it helps make them stand out and reflects (I assume) the interests of the owners.  They have some beautiful barrels used as tables in their tasting area where you can sip on your brew and watch them label bottles behind the glass production room. Adroit Theory doesn't have a set flight, but they do offer tasters--which range fro...

I discovered Sole Society about a month ago, which is a website that focuses on selling shoes, bags, and accessories for women and where shipping is always free.  I made my first purchase several weeks ago after receiving a coupon and finally deciding on a weekend travel bag .  I'm very happy with that purchase, so I decided to take the leap into my first shoe purchase with them. One of the things I'm pretty excited about with SS is that they consistently make shoes for those of us with smaller feet; they even make shoes as small as a size 4!  I took a big leap of faith and chose two pairs of shoes on Final Sale (no returns)--because I'm pretty frugal about clothes and am always looking for a deal--and crossed my fingers that everything would work out.  Thankfully it did!  Not only were they true to size (it really helps to read product reviews), but I was pleasantly surprised at how cushion-y the shoes felt.  Needless to say I will be a repeat custom...

This is the year of Boston.  A short two weeks after our surprise birthday appearance we flew back for the annual Maine Labor Day Weekend beach and lobster dinner weekend.  The weather (and the company) couldn't have been more perfect considering the initially less than thrilling rainy forecast for the weekend.  So happy to have had so much sun shine down on us in Maine! But first, Harpoon Brewery !  We had a few hours of afternoon fun there trying all of their beers.  Of course I checked all of them into Untappd .  I personally don't think their beers are super amazing, but their UFO flight (except their plain hefeweizen beer) was pretty decent.  Hello UFO raspberry, white (orange and coriander), and big squeeze (grapefruit) tasters!  The UFO white is the one you'll find most often in bars in the area. And then off to Maine!  Proof of the perfect weather: Plus I learned that in nearby Portland, ME there are a ton of craft ...