I'm looking forward to a fun weekend in Atlanta. Some great people have been planning a shower for me (and indirectly for MTH although he'll be out on the golf course). I'm really looking forward to what they have cooked up. I didn't even get a copy of the invitation so I'm assuming there are a few surprises. Plus, I'll get to see my friends including MAT who's done a lot of the planning and is coming all the way from SF. I'm hoping that 2.718 and ETK will be taking some pictures to share with me (hint, hint).
We're staying through Monday morning so that means we'll get to do some more catching up on Sunday too.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
October
October has been a great month. The first weekend we went to Toronto for MAT (formerly MAK) and PT's wedding. The weather was awesome. It got up to almost 80 on the day of the wedding. That's crazy for Toronto.
The Dress
The Lace on the Dress
The View at the Reception
My toes match my dress (plus aren't those awesome shoes?)
MTH taking my picture without my knowledge
The following week, on Friday, MTH had to head to Charlotte for recruiting at work through Saturday afternoon. We didn't do too much that night as he was tired. Then, on Sunday, we headed to the National Folk Festival downtown. Very nice harmony.
On 10/19, MTH took me to the restaurant called Bank for a date night. It was a fun night. We started with the cheese plate which included a very nice blue cheese and a runny triple creme. Then, for my entree, I had a flatiron steak with asparagus and mashed potatoes. Somehow we still had room for a chocolatey dessert. On Saturday, MTH left to meet his brother and Dad in Buffalo for the Sunday football game. I had the house to myself until Tuesday evening as MTH headed to NYC straight from Buffalo on Sunday evening. That Saturday morning I volunteered at the Junior League thrift store, the Clothes Rack. That night I had a chicken cheesesteak and French fries delivered to the house for dinner. Yes, I was lazy and unhealthy. Then, on Sunday, a friend came over to help me start painting the guest bathroom. He helped me tape it and then we painted the primer coat.
As I mentioned, MTH went to NYC and was supposed to come back on Tuesday. He called me on Tuesday to say that he was actually going to come back on Wednesday. That was disappointing for two reasons. The obvious reason of course was that I missed him and wanted him to be back. The second reason was that my father was coming into town on Wednesday afternoon and I had made reservations for the 3 of us to go to a restaurant for dinner that night. My father and I went without MTH and had a wonderful meal. Now, I need to take MTH back so he can try the place as well. They have nice seafood which is hard to find in Richmond.
Finally, this past weekend, was our anniversary weekend. Officially our anniversary is on 10/29 but we celebrated over the weekend. On Friday night, we went to Metro Grill. I've mentioned this place before but I'm sure you don't remember. It was the location of our first date. We didn't choose to go there on purpose but it worked out with it being our anniversary weekend :) Then, on Saturday, we headed over to Charlottesville for the actual celebration. Our first stop was an orchard. We picked up a pumpkin for carving, some apples for baking and some sweet potatoes and butternut squash for eating. After picking up all of that stuff, we headed to Monticello for a tour of the house and the garden. I highly recommend going on this tour if you're ever in central Virginia. It's quite educational as well as interesting. We then got back to downtown C-ville around 5:30pm. We had reservations for something called a Spirit Walk at 7:15pm. It was a special event for the weekend prior to Halloween. It started in a cemetery near downtown (we were able to walk there). We had a guide who led us through the cemetery and then through the town of C-ville. Along the way, "spirits" told us about what had happened to them and their connection to C-ville. It was historic but a lot of fun. One of the spirits was a cowboy who sang and played the guitar. Another seat of spirits was a barbershop quartet. We even went to the courthouse to see a murder trial re-enacted. It lasted almost 2 hours.
As we don't like eating dinner early, we had made reservations for after the walk. We headed over to the restaurant and expected to have a drink while waiting. but, they ended up seating us right away - unfortunately. Somehow, they lost us and we waited at least 15 minutes and no one showed up. So, MTH went back to the hostess to find out what was up. The manager came by our table soon after to apologize and gave us our appetizers for free. So, all in all, it worked out fine. We started with a half pound of steamed shrimp and some Chincoteague oysters on the half shell. I had a French 75 and MTH had an Old Fahsioned. Then, for dinner, he had a whole red snapper, Chinese style. I had a deconstructed salmon BLT. Both were very good. We agreed that we'd definitely be happy to go eat there again. For dessert, we shared a root beer float. Lots of fun!
On Sunday, when we returned to Richmond, we went for a run. We have the Ntelos 8k coming up on 11/10 (my birthday!!!). Then, we headed to La Diff and These 4 Walls to try to find a dining room table. Finally, we bought one. It should be delivered soon. We are now close to set for Thanksgiving. Remember, that I mentioned that I had primed the guest bathroom the previous weekend? Well, I decided to paint the first coat on Sunday starting around 4:45pm. I thought it would take me an hour or so. Well, almost 4 hours later, I finally finished. I now have one more job on my list of things that I would not be good at! I still have to finish the second coat. It must be done prior to Thanksgiving!
Last night, MTH carved a pumpkin and I made an apple pie.
The Dress
The Lace on the Dress
The View at the Reception
My toes match my dress (plus aren't those awesome shoes?)
MTH taking my picture without my knowledge
The following week, on Friday, MTH had to head to Charlotte for recruiting at work through Saturday afternoon. We didn't do too much that night as he was tired. Then, on Sunday, we headed to the National Folk Festival downtown. Very nice harmony.
On 10/19, MTH took me to the restaurant called Bank for a date night. It was a fun night. We started with the cheese plate which included a very nice blue cheese and a runny triple creme. Then, for my entree, I had a flatiron steak with asparagus and mashed potatoes. Somehow we still had room for a chocolatey dessert. On Saturday, MTH left to meet his brother and Dad in Buffalo for the Sunday football game. I had the house to myself until Tuesday evening as MTH headed to NYC straight from Buffalo on Sunday evening. That Saturday morning I volunteered at the Junior League thrift store, the Clothes Rack. That night I had a chicken cheesesteak and French fries delivered to the house for dinner. Yes, I was lazy and unhealthy. Then, on Sunday, a friend came over to help me start painting the guest bathroom. He helped me tape it and then we painted the primer coat.
As I mentioned, MTH went to NYC and was supposed to come back on Tuesday. He called me on Tuesday to say that he was actually going to come back on Wednesday. That was disappointing for two reasons. The obvious reason of course was that I missed him and wanted him to be back. The second reason was that my father was coming into town on Wednesday afternoon and I had made reservations for the 3 of us to go to a restaurant for dinner that night. My father and I went without MTH and had a wonderful meal. Now, I need to take MTH back so he can try the place as well. They have nice seafood which is hard to find in Richmond.
Finally, this past weekend, was our anniversary weekend. Officially our anniversary is on 10/29 but we celebrated over the weekend. On Friday night, we went to Metro Grill. I've mentioned this place before but I'm sure you don't remember. It was the location of our first date. We didn't choose to go there on purpose but it worked out with it being our anniversary weekend :) Then, on Saturday, we headed over to Charlottesville for the actual celebration. Our first stop was an orchard. We picked up a pumpkin for carving, some apples for baking and some sweet potatoes and butternut squash for eating. After picking up all of that stuff, we headed to Monticello for a tour of the house and the garden. I highly recommend going on this tour if you're ever in central Virginia. It's quite educational as well as interesting. We then got back to downtown C-ville around 5:30pm. We had reservations for something called a Spirit Walk at 7:15pm. It was a special event for the weekend prior to Halloween. It started in a cemetery near downtown (we were able to walk there). We had a guide who led us through the cemetery and then through the town of C-ville. Along the way, "spirits" told us about what had happened to them and their connection to C-ville. It was historic but a lot of fun. One of the spirits was a cowboy who sang and played the guitar. Another seat of spirits was a barbershop quartet. We even went to the courthouse to see a murder trial re-enacted. It lasted almost 2 hours.
As we don't like eating dinner early, we had made reservations for after the walk. We headed over to the restaurant and expected to have a drink while waiting. but, they ended up seating us right away - unfortunately. Somehow, they lost us and we waited at least 15 minutes and no one showed up. So, MTH went back to the hostess to find out what was up. The manager came by our table soon after to apologize and gave us our appetizers for free. So, all in all, it worked out fine. We started with a half pound of steamed shrimp and some Chincoteague oysters on the half shell. I had a French 75 and MTH had an Old Fahsioned. Then, for dinner, he had a whole red snapper, Chinese style. I had a deconstructed salmon BLT. Both were very good. We agreed that we'd definitely be happy to go eat there again. For dessert, we shared a root beer float. Lots of fun!
On Sunday, when we returned to Richmond, we went for a run. We have the Ntelos 8k coming up on 11/10 (my birthday!!!). Then, we headed to La Diff and These 4 Walls to try to find a dining room table. Finally, we bought one. It should be delivered soon. We are now close to set for Thanksgiving. Remember, that I mentioned that I had primed the guest bathroom the previous weekend? Well, I decided to paint the first coat on Sunday starting around 4:45pm. I thought it would take me an hour or so. Well, almost 4 hours later, I finally finished. I now have one more job on my list of things that I would not be good at! I still have to finish the second coat. It must be done prior to Thanksgiving!
Last night, MTH carved a pumpkin and I made an apple pie.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Ireland, Day 2
Free breakfast at the hotel
Set off for tour of the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods of Belfast where much of The Troubles occurred
Stop first in the Falls Road neighborhood (predominantly Catholic and pro-Irish) - parking across the street from the Sinn Fein (or click headquarters)
Murals were a major part of the tour for both neighborhoods - here's some from the Fall Road area
The black taxi used to be one of the only means of getting around if you didn't have a car as there was no bus system
Bush is a prominent topic in these murals
Frederick Douglas spoke of the oppression of the Irish
The Irish also feel a kinship with the Palestinian movement
Next stop - Shankill Road (predominantly Protestant and pro-British) - to get to this area from Falls Road, you must cross a barricade. Amazingly, there are barricades between the two neighborhoods that have been there since around 1968. Since the easing of the troubles, some of the barricades are opened during the day. But, they are still all closed at night. Here are some examples of murals from Shankill:
The men pictured were part of the Ulster Volunteer Force - a paramilitary group in answer to the IRA
This mural is a reminder that both sides endured terrible tragedies due to The Troubles
British flags were everywhere throughout this neighborhood
Next, we set off to check out an exhibit at the Golden Thread Gallery that showed the history of The Troubles time period through pictures - Out of the Darkness
We had a very hard time finding this place as they did not give an address, just a poorly hand-drawn map
After seeing the exhibition, we were hungry so we consulted our handy guidebook. We found that one of the oldest pubs was nearby in a place called Pottinger's Entry. It was a very small alley type street that had lots of shopping on it (redevelopment). The pub is Morningstar Bar.
Then, we were off to see the Belfast City Hall.
MTH and I are sitting in the chairs for the mayor and other important people. Interestingly, the mayor is only in power for one year at the time. It switches from a Protestant to a Catholic and back.
Next we just walked around Belfast to see the sights. Here MTH is posing with a large wire sculpture.
Here's our hotel in Belfast. It was across from the square with the City Hall.
That night we went to Deane's Restaurant. It was quite good. Upscale Irish food. Then, we headed to Fibber McGee's for some real Irish music. It was quite fun. Plus, MTH got mistaken as an Irishman. I think he though he was cool.
Set off for tour of the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods of Belfast where much of The Troubles occurred
Stop first in the Falls Road neighborhood (predominantly Catholic and pro-Irish) - parking across the street from the Sinn Fein (or click headquarters)
Murals were a major part of the tour for both neighborhoods - here's some from the Fall Road area
The black taxi used to be one of the only means of getting around if you didn't have a car as there was no bus system
Bush is a prominent topic in these murals
Frederick Douglas spoke of the oppression of the Irish
The Irish also feel a kinship with the Palestinian movement
Next stop - Shankill Road (predominantly Protestant and pro-British) - to get to this area from Falls Road, you must cross a barricade. Amazingly, there are barricades between the two neighborhoods that have been there since around 1968. Since the easing of the troubles, some of the barricades are opened during the day. But, they are still all closed at night. Here are some examples of murals from Shankill:
The men pictured were part of the Ulster Volunteer Force - a paramilitary group in answer to the IRA
This mural is a reminder that both sides endured terrible tragedies due to The Troubles
British flags were everywhere throughout this neighborhood
Next, we set off to check out an exhibit at the Golden Thread Gallery that showed the history of The Troubles time period through pictures - Out of the Darkness
We had a very hard time finding this place as they did not give an address, just a poorly hand-drawn map
After seeing the exhibition, we were hungry so we consulted our handy guidebook. We found that one of the oldest pubs was nearby in a place called Pottinger's Entry. It was a very small alley type street that had lots of shopping on it (redevelopment). The pub is Morningstar Bar.
Then, we were off to see the Belfast City Hall.
MTH and I are sitting in the chairs for the mayor and other important people. Interestingly, the mayor is only in power for one year at the time. It switches from a Protestant to a Catholic and back.
Next we just walked around Belfast to see the sights. Here MTH is posing with a large wire sculpture.
Here's our hotel in Belfast. It was across from the square with the City Hall.
That night we went to Deane's Restaurant. It was quite good. Upscale Irish food. Then, we headed to Fibber McGee's for some real Irish music. It was quite fun. Plus, MTH got mistaken as an Irishman. I think he though he was cool.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Irish Vacation
MTH and I are trying to plan our trip to Ireland. Since we've been to Dublin before, we're going to check out the rest of the country. We're thinking of going to Belfast as well. Anyone out there been to Belfast? If so, what would you recommendn doing?
We know that we'll be going to County Cork and County Clare later in the week. Do you recommend any other places that we must see?
I've found an interesting website that helps you to find places to stay along the route. But, if you anyone has any suggestions based on their past experience, we'd love to hear about great places to stay.
I hope to hear from a few of you!
We know that we'll be going to County Cork and County Clare later in the week. Do you recommend any other places that we must see?
I've found an interesting website that helps you to find places to stay along the route. But, if you anyone has any suggestions based on their past experience, we'd love to hear about great places to stay.
I hope to hear from a few of you!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Adirondacks
I'll be posting more pictures from the latest triathlon I've attended this coming weekend. For now, I'll share some scenic pictures of nature from the Lake Placid area.
It's the real thing! Like Christmas in July
Clear water of Mirror Lake
There's Lake Placid
Looking East at the top of White Face Mountain
It's the real thing! Like Christmas in July
Clear water of Mirror Lake
There's Lake Placid
Looking East at the top of White Face Mountain
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Two New Musselmen
What is a Musselman? Some of you may say they are crazy people. That may be true but they are also very tough people. This past weekend, my husband, MTH, and my sister-in-law, KSH, finished a half ironman length triathlon in Geneva, NY. It is called the Musselman Triathlon (thus, the fact that they are both now Musselmen). The distances are: 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run. The day was beautiful. It started out around 60 degrees and ended around 82 degrees. I'll let the pictures tell the story:
Picking up MTH's bike in Geneva
KSH and MTH getting ready for the swim
MTH mentally preparing for the day
MTH's wave of swimmers - they all start at once!
MTH exiting the water
MTH heads off for the scenic bike route
KSH is off on the bike
First guy out for the run - he won
MTH coming back in from the bike ride
MTH off for the last leg - just a half marathon to go
KSH gracefully dismounts the bike after a multiple hour bike ride
She's flying!
And, she's done!
Here comes MTH
Finally, time to relax
Picking up MTH's bike in Geneva
KSH and MTH getting ready for the swim
MTH mentally preparing for the day
MTH's wave of swimmers - they all start at once!
MTH exiting the water
MTH heads off for the scenic bike route
KSH is off on the bike
First guy out for the run - he won
MTH coming back in from the bike ride
MTH off for the last leg - just a half marathon to go
KSH gracefully dismounts the bike after a multiple hour bike ride
She's flying!
And, she's done!
Here comes MTH
Finally, time to relax
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Running Update
I haven't talked about running in a long time. MTH and I are signed up for a 10k next week - Lawyers Have Heart 10k. It's in Georgetown. It'll be nice to head up to DC and see a few people from our old life. Today, I ran 5 miles. It was a little hard at the end but I think I'll be able to do the 10k (6.2 miles). I'm sure there a hills which may make it hard but I'm looking forward to a race. I haven't done one since April 2006 when I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. Father's Day weekend MTH and I are both doing events at the James River Adventure Games. I'm doing the James River Scramble. MTH is doing the James River Splash One Miler. My parents and sister are coming to visit so they'll be there to cheer us on. After that, I have no events planned for myself. Of course, in mid-July will be the big day for MTH. He'll be swimming, biking and running in the Musselman Half Ironman Triathlon in Lake Geneva, NY. We're staying at a bed and breakfast as there were no hotels in the town available. It's called Belhurst. We've decided to drive so I'm hoping that there will be time to stop by a winery or two.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Day Trip Ideas
Since we're still trying to meet people here in Richmond, we don't have a ton of things to do on the weekends (except MTH's working out and working). I decided that I wanted to go on a day trip this weekend. We kind of did one last weekend when we went to Charlottesville to see GT play UVA and went out to dinner with friends after. We came back that night. It turned out to be a nice trip but we were then home for MTH to work out on Sunday.
I found one good resource at www.richmond.com. They called them One Tank Trips. Not sure if MTH and I will do one these tomorrow but we're thinking about it.
If you have any ideas for day trips, please let me know.
I found one good resource at www.richmond.com. They called them One Tank Trips. Not sure if MTH and I will do one these tomorrow but we're thinking about it.
If you have any ideas for day trips, please let me know.
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