Hello—long time, no talk! I have been really, really busy at work—and probably will be for the rest of the year!—but am still trying to make time to write some blogposts when I can. I thought it would be fun to do a life lately post since these are always fun to write and a good way to give y’all a rundown of a lot of different parts of my life.
First, let me say that I am living for the warmer temperates we have been having the last month or so. It’s seriously made my outlook on life so much brighter—especially after this winter when the colder temps really put a damper on my social life. In the DC area, we’ll still get a colder day here and there, but I am hoping that now we are into May, it’s sunny and 70+ from here on out–a girl can hope, right? We are expecting the Brood X cicadas to join us any day now, but I am hoping their visit is quick. I remember the last time they came, I was in the 7th grade and let me jus tell you, 13 year old boys a cicadas do not mix. It feels more Biblical this time around, as we’re in the midst of a plague with the locust emerging.
Anyway—here’s a little look at my life lately! I’ve also been making some changes around my apartment as I got my balcony all set up for summer and bought a new mattress—so look forward to some more apartment content as soon as I can shoot some photos for those posts.
I GOT THE VACCINE! /
You guys—shot girl summer is happening! I got the vaccine!
Ironically enough, back in mid-March, I was texting with my friend Molly and told her I was going to start looking for a way to get the vaccine. While we were texting, I got an email from Arlington County saying it was my turn to register for a vaccine slot. I was able to get one on a Friday afternoon and it was a very exciting day. I went to a community center here in Arlington for my first dose and it was such an organized process—very similar to a Chick Fit A drive-thru. They clapped for you once you got your shot and it was such an emotional experience. With my first dose, I didn’t really have any side effects; I had a sore arm for like 24 hours and that was about it.
Several weeks later when I was eligible for my second dose, I was able to register at a different community center in Arlington. Having heard that the side effects for dose two were worse, I was a little nervous about everything going in. Luckily, I was able to schedule my appointment for a Saturday—we’ve just had so much going on at work, while my team would be so supportive of a sick day, it just stressed me out too much! I started hydrating really well with water and gatorade about an hour before my shot and then kept it up after, and I think that really helped. I was very fatigued and slept like 12 hours straight. But when I woke up, I felt fine and never had any other symptoms. The anticipation was definitely worse than the actual event! (I got the Pfizer vaccine and never had Covid to my knowledge.)
As soon as you can get the vaccine, I encourage you to do so!
UPCOMING TRAVEL /
I am so excited for all the upcoming trips that are on the books for this year! And, I am keeping my fingers crossed that we’re able to get permission to travel for work in the back half of the year; while I think my travel schedule in 2019 was unsustainable, I do love work travel—it’s a great way to bond with coworkers and really see the fruits of your labor.
My first trip is actually this week—my family is heading down to Clemson, South Carolina as my youngest sister, Lindsey, is graduating from college! The past four years has really flown by and I am so proud of her for completing this level of her education. We fly in on Thursday morning and her graduation takes place that evening. (They’re spreading graduation out over more days to accommodate for social distancing.) We’ll then spend the rest of the weekend in town and have some fun dinners and lake time on the agenda. I haven’t taken PTO yet this year and this trip couldn’t have come at a more perfect time—last week I really hit a wall and started to feel that burnout.
Later this month, for Memorial Day Weekend, my sisters and I are heading down to Asheville, North Carolina and I am so excited! I was born in North Carolina and lived there until I was eight, but have never been to Asheville. The Biltmore has been on my list for years—especially after seeing all the Vanderbilt summer homes in Newport—and I’m excited to check out a lot of the craft breweries in the area and do sunset happy hour at The Grove Park Inn. We’re going to make a road trip out of it and head down on Thursday to really make the eight hour drive worth it. I’ll be sure to share out trip in real time over on Instagram and will do a full recap blogpost here once we’re back!
Then, at the end of June, I’m heading back to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina for a week. This was one of the highlights of my year last year and I am so glad it worked out for us to return this year. Most of the other travel I do throughout the year is really go-go-go, but last year, I realized how restorative and relaxing a week at the beach can be. No agenda except for ocean swims, beach reads, and orange crushes? Sign me up.
I’ve got a few other fun trips in the works—and a fun staycation in a few weeks—that I can’t wait to share more about.
SPRINGTIME WALKS /
Above is just a sampling of some of the hundreds of photos on my camera roll of the beautiful flowers that have been in bloom here in Arlington over the past month! My daily walks are one of the best things to come out of the pandemic—I don’t know how I went basically 29 years of my life without ever stopping to admire the beauty all around me, especially in the springtime. I’ve found a new go-to route in Arlington—I walked the same route a lot when I lived in Dupont, I think I’m just a creature of habit!—and seeing it in full bloom has been so restorative a the end of a long day of Zoom meetings.
Because of my walking hobby, I’ve been thinking about getting an Apple Watch—my sisters have both gotten one in the past year, and my cousin who also loves walking around the neighborhood has one and loves it. I used to be squarely anti-Apple Watch because of how distracting they are—I’ve gone to so many happy hours and dinners where people basically ignore the conversation around because of the constant notifications on their watches. I’ve really been turned off to them for that reason. But as walking has been a mainstay in my life for a year+ now, I think it’d be cool to get some of the stats the Apple Watch provides. I’ve also gotten back into Orangetheory lately and would love it for class as well. I’m holding off on it for now as I prioritize budgeting for travel—but I’ve got my eye on the SE model; will keep you posted on what I decide—and would love any input you have!
MY HUNT FOR THE PERFECT LEGGINGS /
My favorite workout leggings from Old Navy are almost five years old now—I own four pairs, hah–so I have been on the hunt for new leggings as my current faves are hanging on my threads at this point.
I love the Zella Live In High Waist Leggings for lounging and errand running, but they aren’t my favorite to workout in. I also have an older version of the Zella Live In High Waist 7/8 Leggings with Pockets that were kind of my inspiration for this quest—I really like those leggings because of the pockets and the length, but I think the size I ended up with is too big because I constantly have to pull them up. Not a great leggings experience. So to start, I ordered the current version of the Zella Live In High Waist 7/8 Leggings with Pockets, but I didn’t love the new ones—they were too long on me (I’m 5’4″) and I didn’t think the quality was as good.
So then I went back to Old Navy considering how much I love the leggings I currently have from there. Because they’ve changed up their leggings fabrics + “brands” since I last bought leggings, I basically bought out the store. The good news is I found a winner—I love, love, love the High-Waisted Elevate Powersoft 7/8-Length Side Pocket Leggings! And, good news for those on the shorter side like me, they make them in the “short” length. I bought a pair, but am kicking myself for not buying multiple since they are now sold out in my size (L) in my preferred color (black). I am hoping they restock them, and when they do, I am buying like four more pairs!
For what it’s worth, I also tried a couple of pairs of Aerie leggings—specifically the Offline Goals High-Waisted Legging, which is more of an activewear legging, and the Offline OG Legging, which is more of a loungewear legging. I bought a pair of bike shorts from Aerie last summer that I really like, which inspired me to look at Aerie—but I returned both pairs of leggings since I like the Old Navy ones a lot more.
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That’s a little look at my life lately—I hope you have a great week!
