Free weekends…take some getting used to

Now that I’ve finished my yoga teacher training, I have plenty of free time on the weekends for leisure. It’s been pretty great, though by late Sunday I felt a little lazy for some reason. Guess it will take me a while to get back into weekend mode!

Saturday, I met my great friend Dena’s niece Carmela! She was the cutest little thing. Carmie (or Mela) was the first baby I’ve held in years. My discomfort with little squirmy people may be evident in this pic!

After visiting with the next generation, I went to watch my friend Steve brew some beer. I also got to taste some two-year-old mead. It was pretty tasty, but you have to be careful with the stuff–it’s pretty boozey.

In between processes, Steve and I checked out Twice Told Tales in downtown Crystal Lake. I was in search of a book for my boyfriend (can’t tell which in case he’s reading this…it’s a surprise). I was left disappointed because there was only one shelf of “classics.” However, there is no shortage of romance novels, if that is your genre. Half of the store is filled with romance titles.

The volume of these books amazed me. And, their titles made me laugh with astonishment. Here are some examples:
“Jessie’s Child”
“Back in the Bachelor’s Arms”
“At the Millionaire’s Request”
“The Baby Trail”
“Princess in Disguise”
“The Reluctant Cinderella”
“Having Her Boss’s Baby”
“The Secrets Between Them”
“Baby Blues and Wedding Bells”

This title topped them all and summarizes the overriding theme of these books:
I’ve never read one of these romance novels, and I’m not totally trashing them, but I think it is pretty interesting to read the titles, themes and see the huge amount of them in this store.

Sunday night (Oscar night!), my parents and I went to dinner at Chez Pierre Creperie in Crystal Lake for their George Washington’s Birthday dinner. The food was delish! I started with escargot and mushrooms in a garlic-herb sauce, then the house salad, the tilapia with yummy asparagus and finally a fruit tart. The small restaurant is cozy, charming and friendly. I would recommend stopping in for the wonderful crepes!

The Oscars were amazing, as usual! Of course, I fell asleep through the middle (but who really cares about the technical stuff, not me). I’m so happy for Kate and Sean. Both their performances were great. Slumdog was also very deserving of the top prize, and I hope to see more of that excellent cast!

A New Chapter in American History

I spent this past weekend in my nation’s capitol, Washington, DC. This was my first trip to DC, and it was worth every lost hour of sleep, leg cramp and teeth chattering moment.

We arrived at my friends,’ Kristin and Terry, apartment in Arlington, VA early Sunday morning. We spent Sunday wandering around the mall and caught some of the “We are One” concert. This would be our first experience with monumental crowds-only a quarter of what we’d see on Tuesday!

On Monday, we were tourists. We walked all around the downtown area and visited the Museum of American History. Here are some of my favorite shots of Monday.

Tuesday morning, we woke up at 4:30 a.m.! I was so excited for the day that I only grumbled for a few minutes before unzipping myself from my sleeping bag and eagerly grabbing for the cup of coffee Terry was handing me (thank you!). We were up and out by 5 and hopped on the Metro to Arlington Cemetery. We walked over the Potomac, like so many Americans before us, and entered DC. We were greeted on the mall by “volunteers” who kept saying, “Good morning!” to everyone who walked by. We walked as far up to the capitol as we could. Confusion was everywhere. We finally settled on a spot by MSNBC, well, we finally realized that the path had been barricaded ahead of us, and we were stuck!

Everyone around us was in good spirits despite the close quarters. We made some friends with a couple ladies from Florida (Thank you for the life-saving granola bar if you’re reading this!). We stood there, freezing, anticipating, laughing and waiting for about four and a half hours before the “entertainment” arrived. Aretha was a little disappointing ,but we didn’t really care…we knew what was to come next!

After President Obama’s speech, we tried to head out of the crowds and back to Virginia. The crowd was so controlled that we were stuck in our “block” until security removed a giant fence and we were able to walk, in a round-about way, back the way we came.

Even now, the fact that Barack H. Obama is our president has not completely set in. I keep thinking back to his words on Tuesday and the promise for a new America.

Where in the world is Bryan?

This is the question folks around here, who know the great traveler Bryan Long, find themselves asking quite frequently. This young globetrotter has been to more than 15 countries!

Are you jealous yet? I know, me too!

Jealously aside, you can’t help but admire Bryan’s ambition, service and open mindedness. He’s not just traveling to the far reaches of the globe to check exotic locales off his list and see the famed sites. Bryan brings with him a spirit of adventure and discovery that he unpacks at each stop. It’s no wonder that someday he will pursue a degree in anthropology.

So, enough of tooting Bry’s horn…the reason for this post is to give another recommendation to the folks of STA Travel that Bryan Long is indeed the best candidate for their 2009 World Traveler Internship. He has amazing experiences abroad and has a keen way of sharing his passion for adventure and the unique cultures he encounters with family and friends back home.

Bryan makes his case better than anyone can: