#25

Remember this list? Well, let's just check number 25 off!

My cute mom, spunky grandma and bff Kalli finally made the trek to DC.

We had a fun girls weekend hanging out and catching up. I loved showing my favorite people some of my favorite places. We hopped around the monuments, went shopping, went swimming at the hotel, sported matching Washington DC sweatshirts, and walked Grandma Tammy to death :)

Snowed In...For a Week.

Exactly one week ago I was out braving the crowds in preparation for "snowmageddon" or the "snowpocalypse." I thought this storm would keep me inside for the weekend...and maybe a Monday snow day. Oh boy, oh boy was I wrong. This little blizzard smashed the records and landed a spot right in the history books. I've spent the majority of the last week in my little home. Safe and warm. Stir-crazy, but safe and warm. Four days off work. What's a girl to do?

Nightly Slumber Parties with Hope...check
Taxes...check
Workin' from Home...check
Sugar Binges...check
Chick Flick Marathons...check
Personal Art Project...half-check (see 25x25)
On-line Shopping...check
Cleaning and Organizing...check
Coke with Lime...check, check, check.

Sadly, that list was a stretch. This last week has been one of utter laziness...personal hygiene went out the window, self-control and diets were unheard of, pajamas were the outfit of choice, and responsibilities seemed few and far between. I'll admit, I'm ready to get back to real life (sadly, we're still cleaning up and getting around is still a big pain in the butt...). Real world, see you in the morning.

Snowmageddon Part II...

After spending last weekend stuck inside without a thing to do but twiddle my thumbs (it snows every weekend here...), I knew being cooped up during "snowmageddon" would drive me to drink (insane amounts of coca cola...nothing too risque). When the forecasters began calling for record levels of snow, I made a list of snow projects, and set out to stock up with the necessary items to complete said projects. Unfortunately for my waistline, most of my tasks involved F-O-O-D.

On Thursday night, I searched three grocery stores, Wal-Mart and Target for chicken....and four hours later walked away with the last package of frozen, fresh or pre-cooked chicken in northern Virginia....sadly, it was chicken leg quarters.

I know, they grossed me out too, but desperate times called for desperate measures. 

Seriously, imagine Christmas Eve shopping at the most popular mall times 500 and you've got the grocery stores the night before the storm. Parking lots were packed; sadly, shelves were not. It was serious pandemonium. Don't believe me? Here's proof.

Exhibit A

The Produce Department

Exhibit B

The Juice Aisle

Picture that through every grocery store in the DC area. I wish I would have taken out some stock in the local grocery chains....While the shelves were slightly bare, I was able to stock up enough to make lots of goodies...

Here's what was on the menu....

Omelette with tomato, cucumber, spinach, onions and peppers.

Homemade Tomato Basil Soup with homemade croutons and feta.

Chicken Pot Pies with Spinach Salad

Chocolate Molten Lava Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream

Roasted Pepper and Vegetable Beef Stew

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Feta Green Beans and Garlic Roasted Red Potatoes 

We just received word of another storm headed our way this week. I think my roomie summed it up best when she said, "Seriously the snow has got to stop, I'm turning into Ruby. When all this ends I'll need my own TV show."

Snowmageddon 2010...

I survived. I know y'all were worried (except my mother...she knew I was "responsible enough to hack it" in the record-breaking storm). Everyone else can rest assured that I'm still snow-capable (I haven't forgotten my Utah snow roots). 

Following the brunt of "snowmageddon," this guy showed up at our place ready to roll. Doesn't he look hardcore? Wayne's from Alaska so he knows how to handle the white stuff. The power was off at his place (and most of my neighborhood) so he came down to hang out. Luckily, my side of the street survived the outages and we were able to comfortably ride out the brunt of the storm. After hours of cooking, eating, watching movies, internet surfing and being cooped up, we struck out to assess the damage. Whoa baby, it was quite a surreal sight...

  That'd be a shopping cart...

Oh, and this is our street sign. 

And here we are playing in the middle of our intersection...because no cars were in our way. 

Wayne found a bike to ride...if only it wasn't stuck in three feet of snow.

Hope thought she could take me...let's just say she learned not to mess with a farm girl :)

Of course we hiked down to the Mickey-D's...only to find they were closed!!! You know its quite the storm if McDonald's can't even open.

There were insane amounts of snow, but we made it through Snowmageddon fairly unscathed. The trees, power lines and lots of cars weren't so lucky! It's hard to tell, but that's a car lot...lines of cars totally buried. Cuh-razy!

When the winds stopped howling, and the flakes were done flying, our neighborhood was quite magical. What a winter wonderland...

And I Quote...

"There's no good reason we're not married...except we make horrible decisions."

Direct quote from one of my best friends. Yep, she's probably right.

25x25

I realized something this week, I've been on hiatus. Not only from blogging, but from life, too. January has a way of making me way too introverted for my own good...I go to work, I come home and repeat the same every day, every week. Not the best way to be living. So I decided, its time to make myself accountable to all of you (hi mom and grandma...I'm sure you're the only ones reading this!!!) and post my 25x25. My half-birthday was a week ago, so I now have just under six months to complete the following 25 goals, activities, and self-imposed dares before I turn the big 2-5. Here they are (in no particular order)...

1. Go a whole month without buying any clothes. or shoes. or makeup.
2. Use my passport.
3. Use my new gym pass. Regularly. Like at least twice a week :)
4. Learn to love my church calling :) I have two. Love one, hate one.
5. Finally finish "1776."
6. Run 25 miles...heck, why not bump it up to 26.2 and run a marathon!
7. Go to the Maine Avenue Fish Market...so I can quit driving by and thinking "that looks cool."
8. Find my signature scent...preferably not at the fish market :)
9. Read the BoM. (again...I've read it before, don't worry!)
10. Visit the Hillwood Estate
11. Grow my own herbs. To pay homage to my farmer father.
12. Create a work of art...that's actually good enough to display.
13. Apply to grad school.
14. Go to the Congressional Cemetery.
15. Make 25 new friends.
16. Dance again. Country. Line. Ballroom. Whatever.
17. Take a cooking class.
18. Become a morning person.
19. Eat at the Shake Shack in NYC.
20. Find the best cupcake in DC.
21. Make a budget and stick to it.
22. Go bungee jumping and/or sky diving.
23. See a show at Ford's Theater.
24. Become a better parallel-parker.
25. Get my family to come visit me!!!

Lots of these adventures are going to require friends...any takers?!?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

The weather outside was truly frightful! DC was hit by the perfect storm the weekend before Christmas. Toilet paper was flying off the shelves at the local grocery stores in preparation for the big storm (seriously...I'm not kidding. No TP, no produce, no eggnog...the shelves were empty). Church was cancelled. Airports were closed (all 3 in the area...poor holiday travelers). 24 inches fell in 24 hours. It was quite the sight!

Storms like this separate friends from true friends. A true friend will help you scrape the 2 feet of snow off your car in leggings...thanks Hope!

Merry Christmas...it's looking like a merry one in DC :)