Holly
Friday, July 06, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
Dancing in Dupont. . . .
Dancing in Dupont!
Current mood: happy
Who needs to write a blog when there are pictures!?
On the way home we hitched a cab ride to Adams Morgan with the new chic Kelly and three guys and indulged in HUGE slices of pizza on the walk home (by huge I mean one slice is equal to a medium pizza. . . I LOVE IT).
I love having Charity in the Metro area. I LOVE going out dancing with friends.
Current mood: happy
Who needs to write a blog when there are pictures!?
On the way home we hitched a cab ride to Adams Morgan with the new chic Kelly and three guys and indulged in HUGE slices of pizza on the walk home (by huge I mean one slice is equal to a medium pizza. . . I LOVE IT).
I love having Charity in the Metro area. I LOVE going out dancing with friends.
My sweetest thing......
My sweetest thing. . .
Current mood: loved
I don't ever take Mark for granted. . . because he is the sweetest man in the world. Throughout our relationship, he has done lots of sweet, romantic things that make me feel so special and loved.
I love that we work well together. He is not only my best friend but he (with Bella) is my little family. I love everyday of it. We are a team and as a team we sometimes have our bad moments. . . one of us is grumpy, sick or tired. . but the other one always pulls it together to make the other one smile again. I love that.
He teaches me things. Sometimes, they are things like product liability, and contract law (offer, consideration, acceptance) and sometimes it is how not to walk up a mountain ("you are KILLING your knees"). He has gotten me into Rock Climbing which I really enjoy (although, I am still unnerved by it from time to time. . I am learning). We plan hiking/climbing day trips and would never waste a beautiful day laying on the couch.
He makes me laugh. Sometimes, so hard I am about to cry. There is always humor in our lives. We both have the same fun but sometimes dorky sense of humor.
He listens to me. Even when I am rambling, yelling (sorry but it is not on purpose I was born without volume control) or griping about my job for the 12 millionth time.
He looks out for me. I love the way he worries or defends me. When someone hurts my feelings or takes advantage of my niceness. . he gets truly upset. He wants to keep me safe. One time before I was about to go out of town and the forecast was calling for rain. . . . he got and installed me new windshield wipers so that I would be safe. When my dad was in the hospital and I was trying to be my parents rock, he understood when I had to be gone a little longer and called and texted me constantly, worried about how I was doing. . . and missed me.
I do not know how many surprise dinners, little gifts or just spur of the moment slow dancing sessions he has done for me. Just last night, I came home from a busy tiring day at work to find that he had gotten me some little presents (some of the things I realized I needed on our hike Monday), then after I changed out of my work clothes, he took me outside where he had a little table (tablecloth included) set up outside, with wine so we could sit and talk about our day before the next surprise. . . (per my mentioning how much I would love it) he cleaned the grill and then cooked us steaks, corn and zucchini on the grill. I was in heaven. (oh not to mention he rented me the movies I had been wanting to see).
All of this makes it easy to understand, why I love this man more than I have ever loved any man, Why I am so happy with this man, and why I completely and truly love my life and every day with this wonderful, wonderful man who loves me.
How [not] to somersault down a mountain
How [not] to somersault down a mountain. . . .
Current mood: sick
This week I had both Tuesday and Wednesday off of work so Mark and I decided to be adventurous. . .or at least finally put to use all the camping gear we have purchased. So Mark planned a hike and we set off towards Love, Virginia to hike the three ridges (which is part of the Appalachian trail).
We left later than intended (maybe my sleepy head fault) and had to stop a couple different places for things (Panera for breakfast. .. . Giant for batteries. .. . Starbucks for brunch). So we did not get to the mountain till 1PM.
As soon as we pulled up it started pouring. So we prepared our packs and changed our shoes under the cover of the Jeep. By the time we were ready to hit the trail the rain had ceased.
Hiking was HARD work but still fun. The up-hill part kills me with the
asthma and of course it kills Mark's knees with all the stopping and
going. On the way up he walked behind me thinking it would motivate me
more to keep pushing through, but getting frustrated every time I
stopped. So it caused some tired, grumpy arguments. I hate the up
part. I really need to remember to get my asthma prescriptions from the doctor, and find a way to not kill myself going up a mountain.. I did use my inhaler . . . two puffs every four hours.
It rained half the way up the mountain. Which broke the heat and felt
nice. When we got to the top the views were BEAUTIFUL. I took lots of
pictures. I can not say that the view alone was worth the pain of going up the mountain. But it was beautiful.
Since I was slower than Mark had anticipated (don't know why, he knows
I am a lousy up mountain hiker) we were running late on time. It was
only like 2 hours from getting dark and we were almost exactly two
hours aways from the flat camping area. We hustled down the mountain.
Which actually I can do very fast. . . even run if it was not so
rocky. At one point I stopped to fix my shoes so Mark went ahead. . .
when I was walking to catch up with him, I saw him sitting on a tree
stump. . . and did not see the loose rock at my feet and fell down. I
hit the ground in a roll (which is what you are suppose to do to not
break anything) and just scrapped up my shin and shoulder a little. Mark thought I was showing off . . ."Look I can not only go fast down this mountain. . . but I can do somersaults down it".
It started getting dark and we started to worry (maybe me more than we) but then we saw the campsite. There was also an outhouse near the campground. . . it made going to the bathroom outside in the woods seem so luxurious. It smelled worse than anything I have ever seen in my life. . . and I also made the mistake of looking down the hole. . . ughh. It may haunt me forever. I think I will fore-go the outhouses in the future. We skipped sleeping by the shelter because there was this one kind of strange guy there so we went down the path to grassy, flat area for tents was. We lit our little stoves and sat down for a dinner of Santa Fe Chicken. For food out of a bag it was pretty good. The rice could of stayed in the hot water for a smidgen longer, but it was still good. . . especially after a 9 mile walk up a mountain. We had three camp stoves, two Mark made and one we bought. We had to boil water for the dinner, so we used the coke can stove first, it lit easily and the flames were big and large but it went out fast. . . then we lit the second one he made out of stuff he bought at the container store. . . it boiled the water in about 7 minutes, then we put it in the sf chicken back and had to wait or 10 minutes (seems like an eternity when you are STARVING). Mark also lit the store bought ($30) stove, and boiled water for coffee it took about 7 minutes to simmer , then it ran out and we put the pot on the homemade stove and finished it off. It tasted like bland hotel coffee but at least it had flavor (tired of drinking plain water).
After dinner, we got everything into the tents and settled down to bed, with fears of bears and psycho murderers on our minds.
About 20 minutes after we retired it started storming and POURING. Luckily the tent Mark..'s mom gave us kept the rain out. Unluckily,since all the vent holes were closed because of rain condensation from our breath all night made the whole inside (us included) of the tent moist, also the rain made the temperature drop. We had not planned on cold weather so it was a very, very cold night.
In the morning, we got up early and fixed a breakfast of Chili before heading off the mountain. I took one HARD tumble on the way down the mountain, luckily I rolled again which saved me from being injured.
In the morning, we got up early and fixed a breakfast of Chili before
heading off the mountain. It was a breakfast for champions. We then packed up our tent and gear. Our bags we much lighter since half of our water supply was gone. Carrying 30 lbs on your back is NOT fun.
We set off down the Mauhar Trail to loop back toward the car. This trail was only partially uphill and the rest down hill. The beauty of this trail is it passes a couple of 40 foot waterfalls. Niiiiice.
We ran into a couple of Appalachian Trail hikers short cutting through the Mauhar Trail. Mark conversed for a few with one of them. The guy had been hiking through for MONTHS. . he was nice but he definitely smelled like he had been hiking for months. Made me aware of the fact that I probably didn't smell so sweet myself.
After loading our packs into the car we went back to the stream for a
quick (and COLD) bath before changing and getting on the road. I had only intended to get my feet wet but my dear sweet boyfriend made sure I got immersed in the water. It was COLD but it felt really. . REALLY good! Then we hid by the shelter of the rocks and changed into some clean clothing. Ahhh it felt nice not to feel so dirty. Plus you could definately see where our packs had been rubbing on our backs wrong. I had a bruise on my waise and red rub marks all on my shoulders from the straps.
It was a HARD hike. I thought I was not going to make it up the
mountain and am not a fan of my asthma. But I used my inhaler (I probably whined a little too much. . . but it does not feel good to not be able to breath). But all in all I enjoyed the trip and the camping experience.
On the way home we stopped at Ponderosa for lunch. It was HORRENDOUS!
Mark thinks that 20 years ago all the Ponderosa's went out of business
and someone just forgot to call this one.
I am sick now with a cold. I am sure it is from camping in the rain. Fun, fun.
Currently reading :
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)
By Bill Bryson
Release date: 12:00 AM
Current mood: sick
This week I had both Tuesday and Wednesday off of work so Mark and I decided to be adventurous. . .or at least finally put to use all the camping gear we have purchased. So Mark planned a hike and we set off towards Love, Virginia to hike the three ridges (which is part of the Appalachian trail).
We left later than intended (maybe my sleepy head fault) and had to stop a couple different places for things (Panera for breakfast. .. . Giant for batteries. .. . Starbucks for brunch). So we did not get to the mountain till 1PM.
As soon as we pulled up it started pouring. So we prepared our packs and changed our shoes under the cover of the Jeep. By the time we were ready to hit the trail the rain had ceased.
Hiking was HARD work but still fun. The up-hill part kills me with the
asthma and of course it kills Mark's knees with all the stopping and
going. On the way up he walked behind me thinking it would motivate me
more to keep pushing through, but getting frustrated every time I
stopped. So it caused some tired, grumpy arguments. I hate the up
part. I really need to remember to get my asthma prescriptions from the doctor, and find a way to not kill myself going up a mountain.. I did use my inhaler . . . two puffs every four hours.
It rained half the way up the mountain. Which broke the heat and felt
nice. When we got to the top the views were BEAUTIFUL. I took lots of
pictures. I can not say that the view alone was worth the pain of going up the mountain. But it was beautiful.
Since I was slower than Mark had anticipated (don't know why, he knows
I am a lousy up mountain hiker) we were running late on time. It was
only like 2 hours from getting dark and we were almost exactly two
hours aways from the flat camping area. We hustled down the mountain.
Which actually I can do very fast. . . even run if it was not so
rocky. At one point I stopped to fix my shoes so Mark went ahead. . .
when I was walking to catch up with him, I saw him sitting on a tree
stump. . . and did not see the loose rock at my feet and fell down. I
hit the ground in a roll (which is what you are suppose to do to not
break anything) and just scrapped up my shin and shoulder a little. Mark thought I was showing off . . ."Look I can not only go fast down this mountain. . . but I can do somersaults down it".
It started getting dark and we started to worry (maybe me more than we) but then we saw the campsite. There was also an outhouse near the campground. . . it made going to the bathroom outside in the woods seem so luxurious. It smelled worse than anything I have ever seen in my life. . . and I also made the mistake of looking down the hole. . . ughh. It may haunt me forever. I think I will fore-go the outhouses in the future. We skipped sleeping by the shelter because there was this one kind of strange guy there so we went down the path to grassy, flat area for tents was. We lit our little stoves and sat down for a dinner of Santa Fe Chicken. For food out of a bag it was pretty good. The rice could of stayed in the hot water for a smidgen longer, but it was still good. . . especially after a 9 mile walk up a mountain. We had three camp stoves, two Mark made and one we bought. We had to boil water for the dinner, so we used the coke can stove first, it lit easily and the flames were big and large but it went out fast. . . then we lit the second one he made out of stuff he bought at the container store. . . it boiled the water in about 7 minutes, then we put it in the sf chicken back and had to wait or 10 minutes (seems like an eternity when you are STARVING). Mark also lit the store bought ($30) stove, and boiled water for coffee it took about 7 minutes to simmer , then it ran out and we put the pot on the homemade stove and finished it off. It tasted like bland hotel coffee but at least it had flavor (tired of drinking plain water).
After dinner, we got everything into the tents and settled down to bed, with fears of bears and psycho murderers on our minds.
About 20 minutes after we retired it started storming and POURING. Luckily the tent Mark..'s mom gave us kept the rain out. Unluckily,since all the vent holes were closed because of rain condensation from our breath all night made the whole inside (us included) of the tent moist, also the rain made the temperature drop. We had not planned on cold weather so it was a very, very cold night.
In the morning, we got up early and fixed a breakfast of Chili before heading off the mountain. I took one HARD tumble on the way down the mountain, luckily I rolled again which saved me from being injured.
In the morning, we got up early and fixed a breakfast of Chili before
heading off the mountain. It was a breakfast for champions. We then packed up our tent and gear. Our bags we much lighter since half of our water supply was gone. Carrying 30 lbs on your back is NOT fun.
We set off down the Mauhar Trail to loop back toward the car. This trail was only partially uphill and the rest down hill. The beauty of this trail is it passes a couple of 40 foot waterfalls. Niiiiice.
We ran into a couple of Appalachian Trail hikers short cutting through the Mauhar Trail. Mark conversed for a few with one of them. The guy had been hiking through for MONTHS. . he was nice but he definitely smelled like he had been hiking for months. Made me aware of the fact that I probably didn't smell so sweet myself.
After loading our packs into the car we went back to the stream for a
quick (and COLD) bath before changing and getting on the road. I had only intended to get my feet wet but my dear sweet boyfriend made sure I got immersed in the water. It was COLD but it felt really. . REALLY good! Then we hid by the shelter of the rocks and changed into some clean clothing. Ahhh it felt nice not to feel so dirty. Plus you could definately see where our packs had been rubbing on our backs wrong. I had a bruise on my waise and red rub marks all on my shoulders from the straps.
It was a HARD hike. I thought I was not going to make it up the
mountain and am not a fan of my asthma. But I used my inhaler (I probably whined a little too much. . . but it does not feel good to not be able to breath). But all in all I enjoyed the trip and the camping experience.
On the way home we stopped at Ponderosa for lunch. It was HORRENDOUS!
Mark thinks that 20 years ago all the Ponderosa's went out of business
and someone just forgot to call this one.
I am sick now with a cold. I am sure it is from camping in the rain. Fun, fun.
  |   |
Currently reading :
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)
By Bill Bryson
Release date: 12:00 AM
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Ahhh the air is fresh with cigarette smoke in Virginia
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Ahhh the air is fresh with cigarette smoke in Virginia
Current mood: disappointed
In January of this year DC did something that made me very happy, They banned smoking in restaurants and bars. As, a severe asthmatic this was music to my ears. It meant I could go out for a fun night of dancing, without feeling that someone was sitting on my lungs the next day.
However, banning smoking indoors does not mean the smokers say "oh well, we have had a good go at it, lets all quit cold turkey". . . no it does not unfortunately not.
When contemplating the ban on smoking a lot of politicians and business owners were worried that it would effect their businesses, their profit and the traffic of people that come through the city for food and fun. They worried that people would begin crossing the boarders of DC to spend their money in Virginia or Maryland.
Being a non-smoker I said "pashhhhaaaa, like people would really drive an extra half hour to places that are not as cool, just to smoke". It seems I have GREATLY underestimated the smokers will to smoke.
I have heard several comments from people about how they miss partying in DC, but now they must go where smoking is allowed. I have heard I have even heard that Virginia is the new place to party.
However, it hit a whole new level this weekend. When one of my co-workers was accepting a notice to vacate from a resident who has lived in the building for over 7 years. . she of course inquired as to why he suddenly had the urge to move. (let me interrupt to point out he is a mid to late 20 something male). He talked about rental prices in Virginia, commutes but the scale tipper for him was in Virginia you can smoke inside establishments. He said that a number of his friends had moved to Virginia for that very reason. They were smokers and they wanted to be somewhere they could enjoy their habit.
This blew my mind, they were actually relocating so that they could smoke while they ate?? But then another thought occurred to me. . . .this Ban on Smoking in DC that I was so excited about just increased the smoking population in my home state, Virginia. Virginia where the ban on smoking was stopped short. Virginia where I hope to return one day. Just great!
Virginia is for Lovers or no. . . . smokers!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/04/AR2006010401310.html?nav=hcmodule
http://www.smokefreedc.org/
http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2003/10/13/story2.html?page=1
Posted by Victorious!! on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 at 10:27 AM
Victorious!! Says:
So, they recently passed a similar law in Lee County, Alabama (the county that Auburn is in), and I must say, I agree- for a non-smoker it has been a wonderful change. I haven't heard of anyone moving or travelling out of the county to hang out because of the new restrictions, but I guess it's probably happening. I really don't believe in restricting people from doing as they choose, but smoking is unfortunately not one of those fine lines for me. It may be extreme to say, but if smokers want to smoke inside their own homes with the windows closed, then be my guest- but personally, I am very happy that legislators are passing laws restricting smoking in public places. Recently, when I was at buffalo wild wings, a guy was ranting about how pissed off he was that he couldn't smoke there anymore, saying "This is a free country, isn't it? I should be able to smoke where I want!" Well, unfortunately, this is one freedom that infringes on the freedom of other people, such as myself, who do not want to breathe in harmful smoke. Is his right to smoke more important than my right to breathe clean air? Does this guy want thick, toxic, smog billowing from a power plant in his back yard? Probably not, but it's a free country, right?
I guess I am most dissapointed that, in 2007, when there are more ways to quit smoking than ever before, people still choose to harm themselves, and others inadvertently. It's not like in the 60s when ignorance was bliss- we KNOW now what smoking does to you. I can draw you a picture if you want! But people are still continuing to smoke, and kids are still picking up the habit. I'm not sure what the answer is, but for now, I am glad that I can go out to dinner and not have to be concerned with how close to the "smoking section" I am. Hopefully, Virginia will follow suit and pass a no smoking ordinance in public places also. Who knows, maybe then people will to drive all the way to North Carolina to hang out.
Posted by Lazy pulse on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 at 10:37 AM
Lazy pulse says:
As a social smoker, I applaud these laws. I smoke when I drink, and usually only when others are (sometimes, that shit smells like a filet mignon after 3 highballs). In Cali, I almost never smoked in bars because, well, NO ONE was smoking! Kudos DC, kudos.
Posted by Being Christ Centered IS Okay Ya Know on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 at 2:45 PM
Being Christ Centered IS Okay Ya Know Says:
I love the fact you are taking a stand on this. I can't stand the smell of smoke in the "non-smoking" section of resturants. I hate the fact I have to dodge cigaratte cherries in packed clubs. You go girl!!!
Posted by Dissertation meltdown!! on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 at 3:34 PM
Dissertation meltdown!! says:
I was very happy when this law went into effect and I am pleasantly surprised each and every time we go to a restaurant or bar and notice halfway through the evening that our eyes aren't watering and we're not sucking down water because our throats are sore. So if they want to go to VA or MD so be it. We plan on moving to MD in the near future and thank goodness they too are jumping on the safe and healthy bandwagon.
Wake up VIRGINIA!!! Isn't NoVa it's own state yet?
Ahhh the air is fresh with cigarette smoke in Virginia
Current mood: disappointed
In January of this year DC did something that made me very happy, They banned smoking in restaurants and bars. As, a severe asthmatic this was music to my ears. It meant I could go out for a fun night of dancing, without feeling that someone was sitting on my lungs the next day.
However, banning smoking indoors does not mean the smokers say "oh well, we have had a good go at it, lets all quit cold turkey". . . no it does not unfortunately not.
When contemplating the ban on smoking a lot of politicians and business owners were worried that it would effect their businesses, their profit and the traffic of people that come through the city for food and fun. They worried that people would begin crossing the boarders of DC to spend their money in Virginia or Maryland.
Being a non-smoker I said "pashhhhaaaa, like people would really drive an extra half hour to places that are not as cool, just to smoke". It seems I have GREATLY underestimated the smokers will to smoke.
I have heard several comments from people about how they miss partying in DC, but now they must go where smoking is allowed. I have heard I have even heard that Virginia is the new place to party.
However, it hit a whole new level this weekend. When one of my co-workers was accepting a notice to vacate from a resident who has lived in the building for over 7 years. . she of course inquired as to why he suddenly had the urge to move. (let me interrupt to point out he is a mid to late 20 something male). He talked about rental prices in Virginia, commutes but the scale tipper for him was in Virginia you can smoke inside establishments. He said that a number of his friends had moved to Virginia for that very reason. They were smokers and they wanted to be somewhere they could enjoy their habit.
This blew my mind, they were actually relocating so that they could smoke while they ate?? But then another thought occurred to me. . . .this Ban on Smoking in DC that I was so excited about just increased the smoking population in my home state, Virginia. Virginia where the ban on smoking was stopped short. Virginia where I hope to return one day. Just great!
Virginia is for Lovers or no. . . . smokers!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/04/AR2006010401310.html?nav=hcmodule
http://www.smokefreedc.org/
http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2003/10/13/story2.html?page=1
Posted by Victorious!! on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 at 10:27 AM
Victorious!! Says:
So, they recently passed a similar law in Lee County, Alabama (the county that Auburn is in), and I must say, I agree- for a non-smoker it has been a wonderful change. I haven't heard of anyone moving or travelling out of the county to hang out because of the new restrictions, but I guess it's probably happening. I really don't believe in restricting people from doing as they choose, but smoking is unfortunately not one of those fine lines for me. It may be extreme to say, but if smokers want to smoke inside their own homes with the windows closed, then be my guest- but personally, I am very happy that legislators are passing laws restricting smoking in public places. Recently, when I was at buffalo wild wings, a guy was ranting about how pissed off he was that he couldn't smoke there anymore, saying "This is a free country, isn't it? I should be able to smoke where I want!" Well, unfortunately, this is one freedom that infringes on the freedom of other people, such as myself, who do not want to breathe in harmful smoke. Is his right to smoke more important than my right to breathe clean air? Does this guy want thick, toxic, smog billowing from a power plant in his back yard? Probably not, but it's a free country, right?
I guess I am most dissapointed that, in 2007, when there are more ways to quit smoking than ever before, people still choose to harm themselves, and others inadvertently. It's not like in the 60s when ignorance was bliss- we KNOW now what smoking does to you. I can draw you a picture if you want! But people are still continuing to smoke, and kids are still picking up the habit. I'm not sure what the answer is, but for now, I am glad that I can go out to dinner and not have to be concerned with how close to the "smoking section" I am. Hopefully, Virginia will follow suit and pass a no smoking ordinance in public places also. Who knows, maybe then people will to drive all the way to North Carolina to hang out.
Posted by Lazy pulse on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 at 10:37 AM
Lazy pulse says:
As a social smoker, I applaud these laws. I smoke when I drink, and usually only when others are (sometimes, that shit smells like a filet mignon after 3 highballs). In Cali, I almost never smoked in bars because, well, NO ONE was smoking! Kudos DC, kudos.
Posted by Being Christ Centered IS Okay Ya Know on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 at 2:45 PM
Being Christ Centered IS Okay Ya Know Says:
I love the fact you are taking a stand on this. I can't stand the smell of smoke in the "non-smoking" section of resturants. I hate the fact I have to dodge cigaratte cherries in packed clubs. You go girl!!!
Posted by Dissertation meltdown!! on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 at 3:34 PM
Dissertation meltdown!! says:
I was very happy when this law went into effect and I am pleasantly surprised each and every time we go to a restaurant or bar and notice halfway through the evening that our eyes aren't watering and we're not sucking down water because our throats are sore. So if they want to go to VA or MD so be it. We plan on moving to MD in the near future and thank goodness they too are jumping on the safe and healthy bandwagon.
Wake up VIRGINIA!!! Isn't NoVa it's own state yet?
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