August Already?

I just looked at my calendar and realized it is August 8th! Where did the summer go? I guess I have been hiding indoors since June because of the blistering heat. We had company all summer and very little time to relax. A quick recap...

We had Austin's mom in town for a few days in July. It was great! We took her to all our favorite places and I finally got to have someone on my side about cleaning the house, walking the dog and getting rid of some bikes. She organized the house and helped in the transformation from bike shop to home! Hallelujah! I had a quick work trip to Annapolis during her stay and fell in love with the capital of Maryland. What a charming city!

Then my sister 's visit to town was like a whirlwind. I was recapping the visit to a friend and couldn't believe all the things we did while she was here. Touring the monuments, restaurants, bars, put put, Truckeroo (the most fun food truck festival ever,) Eastern Market, Old Town and lots of wine...I am still recovering and she has been gone for two weeks! My cousin Natalie came down as well and we got some great family time. We haven't all been together since Nat's wedding last summer!

This past weekend I survived my friend Kelsey's bachelorette party with only a sunburn from Tubing. It was so nice to hang out with her, get to know her out of town friends and laugh about how she and her future husband met. They are so wonderful for each other!

Also, I am on a mission to buckle down and start working hard at biking, running (I have been recovering from an injury since mid July) and getting back into yoga! The summer is almost over, and I have a lot of crunches and push-ups to do before getting in a bridesmaid dress. My sister motivated me so much to really take care of my body and kick it up a notch! I also FINALLY ordered some cycling shorts and gloves so I can be more comfortable when I commute to and from work. The whole diet and exercise thing only works when you have dedication and motivation (which clearly I lack considering this is maybe the 10th post having to do with weight.) So please send me your thoughts to make smart choices and be active instead of lazy. No one likes a couch potato!

Tonight is yoga with Melly, so I am starting the week off right! :)

Pedals or Pavement?

So I have been riding to work on my bicycle for almost a month now. Three times a week, which is awesome. Now, last night after a full day of work and biking almost 20 miles, the squid wanted to go for a run. If it was anyone else I would have declined but I don't like letting him down. SO, I took a deep breath and a swig of water and out the door we went. It wasn't twenty steps before it hit me - I wanted to DIE right there, on the side of the road. I could barely breathe, my legs felt like lead and the squid wasn't too happy. "Get it together wussy," was being yelled at me as we dodged oncoming traffic. What happened to my love of putting my feet to the pavement? What a horrible friend I am to my running shoes! I just couldn't do it, not one more step.

Thats when I realized I am not getting enough nutrition and hydration into my body each day. I think I mentioned that I was ravenous lately because of my change in physical activity, but I am not doing positive things in order to correct it. So here is to eating right, staying healthy and drinking water. AND spending more quality time with my running shoes, I deserve it.

White Walls

It has been five months to the day since I moved back to DC. I can't believe how the time flies. I was thinking today about how I have developed such a wonderful routine, reconnected with old friends and have made several new ones. The only problem is that YIKES-my apartment is in shambles!

When we decided to move to DC together I gave the squid permission to use his creative eye to decorate our apartment. Oh boy was that a mistake. I am now living among six bicycles, after the exodus of two others, avid collection of miscellaneous bike parts and the infamous Traveler-our lovable (and hairy) 90 pound dog. Even with all of that, my heart still has connected to Earl in a way I never expected, and I have great admiration for my hybrid bicycle so I am finally taking action and embracing a new design style-cycle bohemian chic. I can no longer look at these cold white walls unless they are covered in personality.

I started with a few purchases at Urban Outfitters inspired by an email from my friend Amanda. I got a duvet cover with bicycles and a floral pattern, a few organizational pieces and I plan on getting a few vintage ceiling tiles from Eastern Market to hang out the walls. My new lifestyle has awakened my soul in a way that nothing ever has before. However, in order to stay sane and not throw the bikes from the fourth floor, I figured I might as well try to incorporate the bicycles in my way instead of letting them take over.

Yes friends, I know this sounds like night and day from my palace on eighteen, but it is SO much more my speed. It also has introduced an entirely new element, a live-in boyfriend. It is the most exciting and fun part about it all. It is going to take a lot of work, but at the end of the day, I have my bicycles, my dog and my love. I must say, even though I have moved down fourteen floors, I have certainly traded up!

I love you Earl.

It has been a week and a half since I started riding my bike to work. I have managed to bike 6 our of the 10 workdays. I am SO happy. It is so interesting that starting a routine can either make or break you day. I have always been such an active person, always doing yoga or running to loose weight or change bad habits. Every time I have always dreaded having to do the task at hand and inevitably loose steam and give up. This is the first time I have truly looked forward to something. From the moment I wake up my new mindset is - brush teeth, make coffee, put on biking clothes and then I am off to work! I never have a feeling of displeasure, its only when I can't bike in that I am devastated and agitated. Funny how things change.

I never really properly introduced my bike. His name is Earl. He is from the Trek Family and dashingly handsome in his powder blue suit. He listens, is always on time and waits on me hand and foot. Literally. He has my back, but sometimes even the good ones can let you down.

So Tuesday I had a travesty happen - I wrecked Earl. His condition is stable; the squid checked him out and he's gonna be fine. I totally forgot how embarrassing it is to bust your ass in front of a ton of people. Not to mention it brought back memories of an adolescent biking accident when I thought I was Evel Knievel and flew down a hill in my neighborhood and smashed through a pine tree with my blue Schwinn bike. OUCH! It still can make my sister cry with laughter. Thanks Kate.

Anyway, it was hot, I was gaining confidence with every pedal push and Earl was on a roll. I also knew that because I had a program to operate for work I wouldn't be able to ride again until Friday. Bummer, I had really been getting used to our hot, sweaty dates.

I was just crossing back into the District on 14th Street bridge, passing the Jefferson Memorial (Which is my all time favorite monument)  and I come to a large group of teenage girls. In my former life I was one of these girls - thinking I was hot shit and owned the sidewalk I was strutting down. The girls were spread across my path about eight bodies deep - you know, one of the big sidewalks that could also double as an access road for work trucks - and I had no where to go but the grass. So I gracefully jumped off the sidewalk into the grass to pass them by, speeding up as I did to look "cool." Then as I tried to reconnect my tires to the sidewalk - BAM! I was down and sliding down the gravel in front of the wide-eyed girls. "Are you ok? Do you need help?" and I jumped up and yelled "you need to watch out for bikers and share the sidewalk" I added "little bitches" under my breath. Karma - 1, Lacy - 0.

There really is no moral here, but two things I would like to add. The grass is no place for my Earl. And this is a habit I do not intend on breaking.

Ease on down the road

I have wonderful news - I am officially a bike commuter! Well, a "cycling" commuter I guess is the appropriate term according to the squid. I have been tip-toeing around the idea ever since I got back to DC and decided not to bring my car. My commute was 1:15 door to door by walking and taking the Metro. It was so exhausting and left me feeling drained everyday. Just awful.

Then of course birthday month rolled around and the furthest thing from my mind was hopping on a bike, throwing on a helmet and riding. Until I received the most amazing birthday present ever - a new bike from my love. It is baby blue, has a super cute clock AND a place that you can open beers. I'm SPOKED. Hehe.

So last week, the inaugural bike ride occurred. It was epic. I thought it best to start my journey in Alexandria to get me home after a long day of work. Luckily, Nicole had picked me up and driven us in that day after a few meetings we had. I wasn't sure what to wear, so I grabbed my Lulu Lemon pants, comfy top and my Tom's. I picked literally the hottest day so far this year to try this out, but at least I knew it would get better. I started out on my journey and quickly realized - wow, no wonder everyone wears the shorts that look like a diaper - Potholes hurt and there is no shortage of them! I took the Mount Vernon trail, passing the airport, intermural fields and then went over the 14th street bridge down the National Mall to my house. I managed to do my first trip in 45 minutes! I have ridden everyday since then and I couldn't feel better! I get 18-20 miles a day on a bike, the perfect combination of function AND exercise. I like doing things that take me places - I am hooked.

If you don't have a bike get one. It is the most satisfying thing you can do on wheels. Just watch out for the potholes.