Countdowns and the Pope

Drew and I are fixated on countdowns these days with so many big events coming up soon. Here is our current countdown:

7 days until Drew turns 26 and we are again the same age
11 days until Foxfields (horse races in Charlottesville)
19 days until my 1/2 marathon
24 days until Drew graduates with his Masters
26 days until we arrive in the Dominican Republic
45 days until my 5 years college reunion
94 days until I start graduate school
364 days until I graduate with my Masters

I could add about 500 more items to the countdown but I think I'll stop here for now.

This past weekend Drew and I joined the Northern Neck kids for the Strawberry Hill races in Richmond. Much like Foxfields, we reserved a plot along the race track, and dressed up, grilled, played games, drank beer, and spent the day with friends and thousands of other Richmonders, at this yearly tradition. It was a fun day minus the early afternoon thunderstorm that drenched us. Drew was the designated driver for the day so he was in charge of grilling. Drew spent the entire day on Sunday doing yard work which was desperately needed. I stayed inside because pollen is everywhere! While weeding our backyard, Drew came across a plot of dirt that used to be a garden so he fixed it up for me and I plan on planting an herb garden this weekend since I cook with basil on a nearly nightly basis and fresh mint and rosemary is always a hit too.

In running news, I am now up to 8 miles, which is a record for me. I am going to get to 10 before the race and then pray my body and adrenalin will take me an extra 3 on May 5. Other exciting news is that the Pope just landed in the US and will be in DC for the next 2 days. I don't know if I am going to brave the crowds since we were able to have an audience with him while in Italy this past summer. I do love that he is in the US though - he's so adorable in person.

Unfortunately my computer is acting up so I have to postpone posting pics from this weekend. Check back later this week. :)

Amanda

Running!

This past weekend was the Ukrops Monument Avenue 10k which I ran on Saturday morning, along with 29,999 other people! The event is extremely popular in Richmond and takes over the entire city for the weekend. Dad and Kristina came to Richmond on Fri night and woke up very early with Drew to come cheer me on. They were troopers, standing in the pouring rain for over an hour. My running partner Sarah and I finished in just under an hour which was our goal. Since it was a 6.2 mile race, we ran 9:39 min miles. Also, I came in 8,341 place which I guess isn't too bad out of 30,000 people! I think I have been bit by the running bug and plan on continuing this hobby. My next race is a 1/2 marathon (13 miles) on May 4 on the GW parkway where I grew up. I am really looking forward to it. Here are some pictures of the race, lunch afterwards at Hill Street Cafe, and our evening out in the Fan. Thanks dad and Kris for making the trip- it was awesome of you!

Ryan, Dad, Drew and I pre race (8 a.m.)


Runners lined up and ready to start


The winner


Drenched right after the race

Julia and Kris at lunch

Dad and I at lunch

Carri and I in the Fan protecting ourselves from the rain

Drew and I Sat. night

Easter, Bunko and Baltimore

These past few weeks have been really busy and I've been traveling a lot, but I am finally home and have a little time to blog. Here is what we've been up to since I last wrote.

• Easter- We spent a very relaxing Easter weekend in the Northern Neck. We celebrated Dad C's birthday on Saturday night with a feast cooked by Mom C. It was delicious! Then Drew, Ryan and I headed to Rose's Steakhouse Bar to get drinks and visit with friends. On Sunday we attended church, visited with family afterwards and had a very nice brunch at Indian Creek with Grandma and Grandad C. It was a bit chilly for Easter but otherwise it was a great day. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures- I am so mad at myself!
  
  
• Bunko- Mary hosted a "Little Black Dress" themed Bunko at her house in Arlington this past Tuesday which was so much fun. She made all kinds of amazing desserts and we enjoyed champagne while trying to win money (which didn't happen for me). Kristina and I host next month- please let me know if anyone has a good theme idea.
  
  
• Baltimore- I headed to Baltimore on Thursday to cover a work event and got to spend some time with my cousin Emily. She has the cutest house in Federal Hill. We ate dinner in little Italy with my coworker Maya and her fiance Neal. Emily showed us around some really great developing areas of Baltimore but unfortunately there was not time for much else because of work. Drew and I are planning on visiting her soon so we can see more!
  

In other exciting news, I have been called for jury duty. I don't know why I am so excited about this but I am. Drew is finishing painting the living room today and our furniture comes Tuesday so I promise to post pics.

Enjoy the pics.


Roses Bar


Carri and I



Drew and Carri

Bunko!

Colleen and Mary

Cindy and I

Kris and Colls


Abby, Cindy and I


Wearing the Bunko Crown

Mary and her awesome spread

Baltimore

Neal and Maya- they are getting married in Sept.

Emily and I

27 and Under Construction

First, thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes. 27 was a great birthday and I am fine with officially entering into my "late" 20's. For approximately one month, Drew and I will be different ages, until he also turns 27 in April. So go ahead, call me a cougar :) - for the next 30 days or so.

We celebrated my birthday a day before with our parents and Kristina and Ryan at the Tobacco Company- http://www.thetobaccocompany.com/- in downtown Richmond. I highly recommend it! On my actual birthday Drew and I had a relaxing Sunday doing whatever I wanted which included seeing the movie Vantage Point (which I don't recommend but I semi-enjoyed it because I have been to the exact place it was filmed in La Plaza Mayor in Salamanca Spain), buying books at Barnes and Noble, and sushi for dinner.

Here are some birthday pics-

Also, Drew and I spent this past weekend working on our living room before the new furniture gets here. We sanded and painted all of the dark wood trim which is now white and are painting the room "tuscan beige" (not pictured) on Thursday. Here are some pics about 1/3 of the way into the project. Also, I have discovered I really enjoy painting. The Findley's have hired me to do their living room next but after that I am available. I work for food :). Drew on the other hand is an awesome painter but would much rather spend a free day golfing. Enjoy!





Next project is painting the kitchen/cabinets and putting down new flooring.

And last but not least, I'll leave you with a pic of the sweetest thing on four legs.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy 61st Birthday!! As you know, my father is very multifaceted. Here is a brief photo montage in honor of his birthday.

Armond the dancing queen:


Armond the GQ Italian model:


Armond the hard worker:

Armond the life of the party:

Armond the pug man:

Happy Birthday Dad! Love, Amanda

The Attack of the Flu

Our home is finally flu free after an awful attack which left Drew is bed for 5 days straight- Monday thru Friday- he only left the house to go to the doctors. No work, no school, nothing. High fever, body aches, sore throat, cough- it was a very nasty strain. After a trip to the doctors, a flu test, and some strong meds, he is feeling better this week with only a residual cough. I escaped the flu but it makes sense because 1. I got the flu shot and he did not and 2. A nurse informed me that you build up immunity to your spouse (that makes me laugh) so you are less likely to get the flu from them than a stranger. Pretty interesting.

In other health news, in case you did not hear, Gia had a severe allergic reaction to her yearly vaccines and it caused us to miss our trip to Charlotte. It was very serious- she ended up being put on an IV and catheter and barely slipped by without an overnight stay in an intensive care unit. Did you know they had those for dogs? Thankfully she is okay but she gave us a huge scare. As a result, she may never get another vaccine (except rabies which is required by law) again in her life so while she will be the "pug in a bubble"- not able to go to doggy day care, dog parks, etc.- it may also be my excuse to get another dog for her! Since she is vaccinated now for another year, we don't even have to think about that for awhile. That gives me a year to convince Drew!

A bit of good news is that Drew and I finally bit the bullet, took advantage of President's Day sales, and bought some new furniture. We ordered a couch, chair and ottoman. The fabric for the large chair and ottoman is the stripes with pillows in the brocade. In the pic below, the couch is the brown material with pillows in the stripes and brocade. I don't think the photos do the colors justice- they look much better in person and I pray it all looks great together.




That's it for now. I promise to post pics of this coming weekend when my girlfriends visit in Richmond. Hope everyone is staying healthy!

Grad School, 2008 Election and Weddings

Thank you to Grandma Christopher who wrote us a very sweet note this week letting us know how much she enjoys the blog. The blog was created to keep family and friends up to date on our lives and whereabouts and we feel like so far it's been a success. Thanks to everyone for checking it from time to time and we promise that the posts will get more interesting once we start traveling again soon.

This weekend was very low key. I took the GRE's, finalized my application to grad school and made a portfolio of writing samples, while Drew continued his health kick by working out at the gym. I am hoping to get some good workouts in this week, in preparation for my 1/2 marathon in May and our upcoming trip to the Dominican Republic! Drew just booked our trip to Punta Cana last night- we go for a week in May.

We are both really excited for the Virginia Primary on Tuesday. We've been glued to the CNN and have tuned in to many of the debates since the primaries began, so we are happy to now have the chance to participate. We have not 100% made up our minds about who we are voting for but are both leaning towards Barack Obama. I just finished his autobiography and am beyond impressed and awed with what he has done in his life and how he has dedicated it to helping others. We think he is what American needs. Regardless of who you are voting for, this is a very inspiring video and worth watching- http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/yeswecanvideo.

I almost forget my very exciting news to share... My cousin Meg and her finance Steve recently won a wedding in Old Town Alexandria!! Kristina and I were on hand to cheer them on at the finals and we even made the newspaper (quotes and a picture!). Check out the article here-http://www.alextimes.com/article.asp?article=8467&paper=1&cat=149 - for full details. It's a pretty amazing story. Congrats Meg and Steve!

Drew and I are off to Charlotte, NC next weekend to visit friends so we'll have lots of pics to post then, but in the meantime, here is a pic of Harold and Gia sharing a stick at Aunt Cathy and Uncle Chuck's house this summer while we were in Italy.