Day Trip to Annapolis!

Today I was finally feeling a bit better and the Squid and I went to Annapolis. I just love this city because it is super close to DC (only about a 45 minute drive - if you get lost like we did) and every restaurant you go to has seafood!! Well, those aren't the only reasons I love it, but it was yesterday. 

We started off by taking a quick drive over the Bay Bridge. It is something that the Squid hasn't ever done, and I just thought it would be beautiful and the weather and boaters didn't disappoint! Then we went to Cantler's Riverside Inn to have some crab's and soak in the sun. It was a bit chilly, but a great sunny afternoon on the porch deck. I never realized how hard it is to eat crabs, but I did get to work out my frustrations with the mallet. 

After eating our fill, we slowly made our way into Annapolis and drove around a bit before parking and exploring the city. We made our way to Middleton Tavern, a place I have been before on a work trip and had great drinks and of course sat right next to a guy from Alpharetta, Georgia. It is such a small world. We joined him in trying there famous shrimp shooters and the cocktail sauce was out of this world! 

Then I took the Squid to a cigar shop where the shop keeper decided he would give us a little magic/comedy show while he helped us pick out cigars! Small places like this are the best place to find local talent. Then we walked up the narrow streets to the State House and took some pictures of the dome and the sunset. It was just lovely. 

It is so wonderful when you find someone to share your life with because you have a built in best friend anywhere you go. We laughed and joked all day long and just got to spend some much needed one on one time together. Sometimes you forget how special that can actually be.

Annapolis, we will see you again soon! But please be warmer when we come back!!

Friends and Fond Memories

You know birthday month isn't all about me. It is a wonderful excuse to make my friends get together. For them to rally and celebrate. I reach out to friends all over the country to check in, see how they have been and when the next time is that I can see their pretty faces, and their husbands, and babies, and dogs.

I have shared so many amazing memories with my friends over the years in the month of May. It has always been a month of endings and new beginnings. With the end of school, graduations, farewells. And the beginning of summer, vacations and new memories. I crave the days when all my closest friends lived in the same city and were completely accessible all the time. When the most last minute plans turned into the best nights of our lives.

This month in history I have watched friends walk down the isle, introduced strangers that have become life long friends, strengthened family bonds with a walk on the beach and had one too many margaritas with old friends. I have driven and flown countless miles to be close to those I love and had many, many birthday songs sung. Oh, and the Squid gave me a ring.

To those friends who I haven't talked to our seen in a while, I have not forgotten about the good times we have shared throughout the years on my birthday, and think about you all the time. Countless bottles of champagne and martinis on rooftop decks, seedy bars, and swanky restaurants. The cookouts, make outs and black outs. I think about the days when we were working on our tans, and crunching away our tummies to look hot in a bikini. When we were jumping fences to get into members hill at the horse races, consoling crying friends on party buses, and yes even eating boxes and boxes of pokey sticks and pizzas after a night out drinking. I remember you driving to Charlotte to celebrate my birthday because I was alone and even brought plastic glasses so we could sit by the pool with wine and not get in trouble. And of course I remember turning 21 in a sublet apartment in DC when two friends brought over a giant bottle of wine and we braided each others hair. Seriously, the best times of my life.

Mars and Venus make pizza

Why do you always get sick when you have a deadline, or life milestone, or some significant goal? I woke up this morning with a swollen throat and creepy crawlies. My first thought was NOT NOW, I have way too much going on for this. But inevitably life throws something in your path to slow you down so you don't get too far ahead of yourself. Okay, I get it.

Anyway, I didn't let it stand in my way, but proceeded with caution and opted for a nice soothing yoga instead of my usual Insanity. I breathed deeply through my yoga and then the Squid and I went to Jack-n-Dabes (this would be Jackie and Dave's House, we are weird) and had a pizza showdown. The competition was simple, make the best pizza ever. It was girls vs. guys and it was ON.

The girls pizza channeled a fresh and light palate pleasing combination of pesto, goat cheese, roasted red peppers, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese.

The guys pizza was a take on a meat lovers pizza, but their pepperoni went bad, so they ended up with tomato sauce, Gouda, bacon, mozzarella cheese.

As we were all sitting there enjoying our pizzas and taste testing each other's creations it dawned on me. John Gray was right, men are from Mars, and women are from Venus! Men enjoy the simplicity of greasy, meaty, smoky flavors from their pizza (not to mention they couldn't kneed the dough in a circle, so it was a wonky looking rectangle) that either put them in a food coma or cause a heart attack. It was tasty, yes. But I felt so guilty for eating it. Our pizza on the other hand was lovely. It had more complex flavors, lots of textures and was so pretty with its green, red and white colors (in a perfect circle.) It tasted fresh and something you could even eat on a hot summers day.

If you haven't caught on yet, the pizzas are like us. Men are simple, creatures of habit and can be hard on the stomach, and sometimes give you a heart attack. Women are complex, thoughtful, complicated and easy to enjoy year round. It takes a strong woman to be with a man. I mean, the number one killer of women is heart disease. Ladies beware, and if you have a good man keep him happy. Your life depends on it.

May 1st - "Officially" Birthday Month, so whats up?

You have to love it when your friends know you so well. While there is really no significance to May 1st in my life, I got numerous Facebook messages and texts to wish me a "Happy Birthday Month." Yup, let the celebrations begin!! But first, the questions...

Every year during this month, I question a lot of what is going on in my life. The current questions are coming from the dissatisfaction I have with my job. Our summer concert series begins this Friday night and preparing for the "season opener" makes me remember why I enjoy event planning. Being at a venue vs. a destination management company is completely different. Right now there is a lot of sitting at my desk and planning, but there is never anything that is urgent, or any fires to put out. I sell the space, get the proper documents from the clients and move on. I say "no" a lot. I don't own anything and my opinions rarely matter. Uh-oh.

I took the position needing a serious change from my chaotic job dealing with dine-arounds, galas, tours, transportation and traveling from Miami to Boston and everywhere in between. Everything was changing around me so change was the obvious choice. I was newly engaged, had moved apartments, and was traveling and working so much. I was finally in a committed and solid loving relationship, but professionally felt frazzled.  This coming from someone who has always felt empowered, confident and successful by her work and had a revolving door of boyfriends that just weren't right. Talk about a 180!

Now, I feel stale at my job because there is no opportunities to move up. There is no continuing education. There are no sales goals. I am the only producer in the office. I have no one that I can relate to and no one to truly turn to for guidance and support. And was recently told that I needed to "step up" my performance. This was after telling the boss I had generated thousands of dollars in sales and created a funding stream for almost all of our community programming. WTF.

I love this time of year to reflect on life and ask tough questions because it makes me think about how I can continue to get better at my job, and seek out the right profession for my new, married lifestyle. It just brings to mind the saying "you can't have it all." Sounds like a cop out to me. I mean, I get a birthday month, don't I?

What is with the rain?

Have you ever felt like you just need a do over? That is how today felt for me. I woke up to rain and knew that was going to alter my mood significantly. But I did a rain mantra to try to alter it. What are some positive effects of rain? It makes a soothing sound on a roof - doesn't work for me since I am on the ground floor of a three story building. It washes away pollen and makes the air smell fresh - which would be nice if I could admire it from inside the comfort of a car or home. I am a bike commuter for goodness sake! And that is where the positive list stops, because I mean, come on - rain is only fun if you are hungover and want an excuse to stay inside, or if you have time to sit on a covered porch and sip coffee or wine. I know its great for the soil and the world, but sometimes a girl needs to catch a break. 

So I hopped on my bike and headed into work, forget fixing my hair, it was pointless. Our concert series starts this Friday too, so today was the day our tent was to be set up. Of course. So I am standing out in the rain, waiting for everyone to arrive. Then, the mist rolled in. Oh great, whats better than rain? Let me tell you - its mist. Its just annoying because you think you don't need an umbrella, but if you don't have one, you end up soaked, just very slowly. The whole time everyone is yelling at me "where is your jacket, you are going to get sick!!" SHUT UP. 

The rest of the day was looking up, got a lot of work done, feeling good about life and then I unlock my bike, hop on and begin to ride. Kathunck! Kathunck! Yep, that's right - I have a flat tire. OMG. I don't know if Uber has ever been considered a HERO, but they were today. In just 5 minutes, I was whisked away into a humid taxi (cause you know they don't worry with AC when it's raining) and home in the blink of an eye. The whole time the cabby was asking me all about bikes "how much do they cost?" "what type should I get?" Dude, I have NO idea, I am not a traveling bike professional. Geeze. 

I opened my door, climbed into comfy dry clothes and opened a bottle of wine. Now I can finally enjoy the rain.

Happy beginnings

Four months. 120 days. The most wonderful man in the world. A house built for love. Connection for life. Happiest heart. Luckiest girl in the world.

Its incredible to think that it has been such a short time since we said our vows, but our love is deeper and more meaningful everyday. The joy that my baby family (the Squid and Taco of course) brings me is unshakable. I can't believe that they have only been in my life for three years. Looking back, I have discovered more about myself since I met them then I ever thought was possible. What a cool feeling to know you found the one and that they can bring out the best parts of you.

The Squid works late at the shop, so imagine my surprise to see him walk through the door tonight, home early to take me to dinner for our anniversary. Off to Granville Moore's we went for some mussels and frites! He always works so late, that it is virtually impossible to ever have a meal before 9pm. It was really fun, especially since we haven't been going out lately. Such a treat!

Birthday month is certainly off to a wonderful start!!

The Rat Race

Today I have decided to do absolutely nothing. Seriously, when I woke up I thought to myself, you are allowed to have one day that doesn't require you to move, talk to anyone or do anything. I would like to say that it could pass for a day of meditation and wellness, but I have been watching LOST and Madmen for like 8 hours, so I think it I am having more of a TV vegfest. In the moment, it was heaven.

But this evening it got me to thinking, should I consider it a reboot or a waste of time? I mean, you can only do so much in a weekend, and you don't have to have consent plans every day until you die. But I always feel terribly guilty for laying around and not engaging in something for my health. On the flip side, we all live these fast paced lives that require so much time and energy, yet create a whirlwind of anxiety. Sometimes you need to get off the grid, right? 

A good friend once told me this saying, and I think of it all the time. "You run round and round trying to win the rat race. If you are lucky enough to win, at the end of the day, you are still a rat." This is somewhat disturbing to me to think of how hard I work and try to get ahead, it may not really ever change the outcome of where I end up. I like to consider myself an optimist, and looking back over the past 8 years that I have been working I can see how far I have come. I started as an intern at an Advertising agency in Charlotte, NC and now, I am the Marketing and Programming Manager of beautiful park in Washington, DC! I think it is safe to say that while I might be a rat, I am a pretty darn lucky one. Sometimes it takes looking back on how hard you have worked to recognize everything you have done has gotten you to the here and now. Success doesn't happen overnight, or in just one race.

So for now I am okay with taking a day here and there where I can just "be." I am an independent successful 29 year old (for 27 more days) and am so excited about the direction my future is headed. Now, I need to get back to first episode of season 4 of LOST. I mean, at lease I am actually not off the grid. 

Bluegrass Island

Today was a great day to officially kick off what I call "birthday month." It started a bit earlier this year because well,  I have been trying to rally all my friend for years to celebrate for 31 whole days, but once your actual birthday date has passed, it gets harder and harder to convince people to celebrate. I didn't want this last year in my 20's to come to a close without the proper amount of celebration!!

The brunch reservations I made about two weeks ago were finally upon us to Le Diplomate, this wonderful new place on 14th Street. The drinks they serve are delicious and hands-down they has the best lamb sandwich I have ever tasted in my life. It is definitely the type of place you would feel comfortable rocking a full skirted polka dotted dress with plaided hair and a beret, sitting at a beautiful bar in the corner with a vintage steel framed Peugot hanging over a few framed French jerseys above you. Make my creative wheels spin and concept an entire photo shoot! After brunch, we popped over to El Centro to enjoy their nice roof deck and partake in a few margaritas. Once finished there, it was off to Northeast DC to enjoy the Kingman Island Bluegrass Festival!!

Traveler didn't know at the time we got him "dressed" that he was in for a great day on an Island! It was his first experience going to a festival, and I will have to say that I was really nervous about how he would behave.  He met several new friends and even had an encounter with a Saint Bernard! He wasn't the most perfect pooch, but he certainly got around to different crowds and would have won the "most sociable" had there been a contest. Like mother, like son.

Sometimes I take for granted the incredible city that we live in. It is hard to believe I have lived in DC for a cumulative five years and there are still surprising places that I haven't discovered. This city is made up of some many neighborhoods and personalities that I still get butterflies when I turn the corner and stumble upon something life changing. I am thrilled that I had the day to explore new places and people and can hold my head high knowing that I could wrangle three friends into a string music kind of day. Birthday month is certainly going well so far.

A Coming of Age in the 21st Century

So for many cultures their is a coming of age ceremony. In Jewish cultures, it is being bar/bat mitzvah on your 13th birthday. In Hispanic cultures the quinceanera or "festa de quinze anos" celebration happens when young girl's turn 15. In India, Hindu male children on their 12th or 13th birthdays have a grand "thread ceremony" in which the boy wears a blessed thread symbolizing his coming of age. But here in America it seems event planners have recognized a way to Capitalize on the American right of passage - the "Sweet Sixteen." 

There have been numerous books, movies and elaborate TV shows chronicling the awkwardness of a teen at her birthday party. I mean, even at 16 some of us were still in braces (I forced my orthodontist to remove mine just days before my 16th birthday) wore horrible clothes, had acne and most likely a bad haircut. We might have had a boyfriend, but not likely. I think we all wish it some ways it was more like the birthdays for some upper East-siders, those that were beautiful, rich, drinking at parties and wearing fabulous couture, al la Gossip Girl.

I would like to paint the picture of my 16th birthday. It was supposed to be all about me - I am sure you can sense a trend here - and I intended on keeping it this way. My birthday falls on the 25th of May, and is usually at the close of the school year. but this particular year my birthday fell on a Wednesday. My mom had over the Christmas holiday several months earlier gotten engaged to a fabulous man. They were still deciding on a wedding date and all of a sudden my mom called and said, how would you like it if we got married on your birthday! In the words of 16 year old Lacy "MOM, its my birthday!! You can't!" So after some debate, they settled on May 26th, one day after to pacify my needs to have a day that was only about me. But in all truth, her wedding was the highlight of that birthday. It is what I remember most about that year, and what could very well have helped me get a little closer to that whole idea of a "coming of age." I was able to stand next to my mom as she said her vows (not many of us can say that) and watched her marry the man who just this December walked me down the isle. I can't picture a better way to spend a birthday. That weekend, I still had one hell of a party with a cake, tons of friends and wore a pink top, because that is what you wear on your "Sweet Sixteen." However, it pales in comparison to the feeling of not only being a daughter, but being treated like an adult who is significant enough to witness the union of two adults. 

As my stepdad says, "flattery will get you everywhere!" Well done Mom and Paul. I love you!

30 days until 30 feels great!

So there has always been a significant build up to the most importtant day of the year. My birthday! But this year marks a very special milestone, my 30th. So I decided to get back to blogging after my cryptic one a month posts and will attempt to do something everyday until May 25th. A 30 day challenge if you will. So today is Thursday, and since it is tbt "Throw back Thursday" I thought I would start with one of the most terrible birthdays I can remember. My roller skating party when I was 8.

I was one of the lucky ones growing up that had a pool in the back yard and every year we would have swim parties for my birthday. My mother was wonderful and always made a huge deal out of the day. Balloons, a Clown (he totally wasn't a scary clown) and aways the perfect theme and cake! We would swim all day and he parents love it because we were all in bed by the time the sun went down.

Well, all of my other friends always had roller skating parties because, well, they didn't have pools in their backyards so they really didn't have a choice. Georgia summers can be stifling without a pool to seek refuge, so indoors they went. I was jealous beyond belief and demanded that I have a roller skating party. And of course it was the most horrific experience ever.

I don't remember most of the days details, but I do remember one of my best friends couldn't come to the party, fighting with another friend at the rink, falling so many times that I think there were more bruises than normal colored skin and I am pretty sure I went home crying with the worst headache I have ever imagined. Seriously, hangovers to date haven't even been this bad. So I went to my room and put a cold rag on my head and pouted for the rest of the day. What. A. Diva.

Looking back it is a ridiculous example of my lifelong struggle with the grass is greener syndrome. Or the fence complex. I was the kid that had the coolest parties, but because everyone else had something different, I wanted it their way. My 8 year old self was much smarter in this area than my current 29 year old self because you know what? She NEVER had anything other than a pool party until we moved away from that house. And to this day I seriously hate roller skating rinks.