This guy...

...set off this morning to finish up his last day at his current job. It has been a great one, largely because it has been instrumental in shaping his perspective on what he really wants to do and his next step is going to be spectacular. After months of networking on the DC start-up scene and many, many hours spent learning a new programming language and studying his heart out, he has landed the exact job he wanted at an incredible company that will give him amazing opportunities to continue growing and learning.

So, I am more than a little proud. Actually, I'm just about bursting with pride and happiness for him.  Tonight we are celebrating with friends, which will probably continue throughout a weekend filled with college football, a little GMAT studying and a lot of being thankful that all that hard work paid off in such a fantastic way.

Enjoy the long weekend everyone!

New vacuum: A love story

A very generous birthday present from Greg arrived Tuesday afternoon, and though some feminists might get up in arms about its implications, I am positively thrilled.  It is just the toy I have been wanting for months: the Dyson DC41 Animal.  If you are not interested in me fawning/nerding out over this engineering marvel, I completely understand and you are free to stop reading now, though I do hope you will come back later...

Quite the looker eh?

You see, my previous apartment was a 500 square foot studio with hardwood floors and Greg's was a loft with polished concrete ones, so both of us had managed to get by with a broom and a dustbuster before.  Our apartment, where we have now lived for over a year, has wall to wall carpeting with the obvious exceptions of the entry way, bathroom and kitchen.  On top of that, the carpet was new when we moved in and pills everywhere.  Oh, and did I mention that we have a cat who spends considerable time rolling around on that carpet (and pulling/chewing on it)? We do have a small handheld vaccum with a HEPA filter for pet hair, but I have to hunch over to use it, it has a very small nozzle and it does not retain a charge for more than half a room.  For friends that have been to our place, I promise (!) that I vacuum, especially before you come over, but it has been a losing battle.  I really love our apartment, but that carpet has been the bane of my existence.

Not any more though!  After taking this beauty for a spin last night I have to say that I love it even more than I thought I would and I even love our carpet again. Some girls might prefer jewelry, but to me this present is somehow truly romantic.  Thank you Greg for gifting me with my heart's vacuum desire...I know that we are going to be very happy together.

Balance

I was struggling a little bit yesterday afternoon.  The combination of a stressful work week, an early morning wakeup to catch the train to Baltimore and underlying anxiety about my rapidly approaching GMAT test date were getting me down.  I passed out about ten minutes into my train ride home and woke up to a missed call and voicemail from my friend Steph, who moved to Madison, WI about a year ago to take an incredible job, which unfortunately means I hardly get to see her anymore.  And yet yesterday, out of the clear blue sky, she happened to be briefly in town and had called to see if I had a free hour to catch up before she had dinner with her family.

Reflected sunrise from our balcony this morning - new day!

I hesistated for half a second in my grumpy, exhausted state and then realized that it was exactly what I needed.  Over the seven years of our friendship, across a wide range of experiences and places from Madrid, to Madison, to DC, our lives have always run remarkably parallel in all the ways that matter.  She also happened to be having a stressful time at work and as we sat and traded stories over that hour, I felt a burden lift off of me.  We talked about how this must just be what being a "grown-up" is like sometimes; the balance between the professional and the personal tilts the wrong way and leaves you feeling off-kilter. It happens to everyone and when it does, you just have to hit pause and recalibrate.  Surprise visits from beloved friends are definitely part of what sets that balance right again.

American Football

Football season officially kicks off this weekend with the first college games and I could not be more excited. I grew up watching a lot of football but my love of the game, at both the college and professonial level, has really grown over the last three years under Greg's enthusiastic tutelage.  I cannot wait to wake up on Saturday morning and flip on the first College Gameday of the Fall.  I love the marching bands, the school spirit, the fascinating storylines and the additional sense of pride and determination that define the college game. I also love the clean slate and the sense of hope that feeds the (deluded) thinking that maybe this could be the year for my team, or much more likely, for Greg's.


'cago Bears

Sunday mornings have also taken on a new meaning now that I have been sucked into the world of Fantasy Football.  I had my first draft of the season last night with former co-workers and the second one, with a group of our friends, happens tonight.  I love that Fantasy allows you to follow so many players and teams with interest, though it does feel strange when you find yourself rooting against teams you traditionally love, such as the Chicago Bears ( or the 'cago Bears as I called them growing up), which is my Dad's team, or the New England Patriots, which is the team I grew up with, depending on the player.  In any case, I am so happy that football is back and that Fall is coming with it.

The weekend

The main event this past weekend was my friend and former coworker's wedding, which was a very fancy affair in downtown DC.  Local weddings are so much fun and this one was even more so because our friends Lindsey and Mike were there along with another former coworker who we hadn't seen in forever.

All dolled up!

The bride and groom were gorgeous and happy, the venue was stunning, the food and drinks were delicious and the wedding band was one of the best I have ever seen.  The lead guy seriously seems destined to be a star and we all had a little crush on him.  What more can you ask for from a Saturday night? 

As always, the weekend is never long enough but it was a great one. Happy Monday and best wishes for the week ahead!

The Farm

For nearly fifty years my family has owned a farm in northwestern Illinois. My dad grew up in Chicago and his mother, who grew up on a dairy farm in Virginia, missed the country and found a retreat in hills that reminded her of home near Hanover, IL.


Wednesday's sunrise, courtesy of my mom

I  grew up spending summer weeks waking up to see dairy cows grazing in the misty fields, eating red plums off the tree and blackberries straight from the bush, taking walks through the creek, cooking campfire breakfasts up on the ridge, and watching my dad and his brothers build enormous bonfires and set off bottle rockets in the fields on the Fourth of July.  My parents and my brother, Chad, have been out there for the last couple of weeks and leave for home today.  I don't envy all the AP work (including Moby Dick) that Chad was sidled with while he was there but I do miss the freedom of those summers off that allow him to still spend long stretches in that magical place.  I can't wait to be out there celebrating fifty years next July.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Molly's slow roasted tomatoes

It is almost the end of August and somehow I have let it pass me by without truly enjoying the amazing tomatoes that this month has to offer.  I have loved tomatoes since I was very little.  There is actually a famous (within my family) video of me at 18 months eating a tomato like an apple in my high chair after toddling into the garden to pluck it myself.  While I love peaches and corn and berries, nothing tastes more like high summer to me than the perfect tomato.  Although I also want to rush out to the store and get the last of the heirlooms while they are at their peak, I have had a recipe for slow roasted tomatoes in the back of my mind for seemingly forever and I thought it was high time I made it.  It comes from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg and follows below:

Slow roasted tomatoes with coriander

• 3 1/2 lbs ripe Roma tomatoes (about 20)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt
• Ground coriander

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Farenheit.  Wash and dry the tomatoes, trim away the stem end, and halve them lengthwise.  Place them in a large bowl, and, using your hands, toss them gently with the oil.  Arrange them cut side up on a large baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and ground coriander, about a pinch of each for every 4 to 6 tomato halves

Bake until the tomatoes crinkle at the edges and shrink to about half their original size, 4 to 6 hours.  They should still be juicy in their centers.  Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Put them in an airtight container, and store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.


Lunch today!

These tomatoes are so delicious and tomato-ey and this book has been a favorite for years.  I read it cover to cover just over three years ago and I absolutely love cooking from it.  Each recipe is clearly and lovingly written and is preceded by a story from her life that connects to it.  I often re-read those stories as I prepare the accompanying recipes and it's like catching up with an old friend.  I'm glad I finally remembered to try this one...it makes for the perfect late summer lunch!