The Week I was a Dog Owner (sort of)

For five days, I was the proud (fill-in) mom for Taco Chan. This 4 month old Golden Doodle, was such great company while I worked from home, sort of got along with the cats, and forced me and Madison to stay outside more to play and for walks. It got us thinking that we definitely need a dog… but we’ll have to wait awhile for that, what with our crazy travel schedules and small Dupont apartment.

Just wanted to share some highlights from the week, enjoy!

Hanging with Taco in Georgetown

 

 

Taco chillin’ at Baked and Wired

 

Passed out at Dean and Deluca, had to carry him home!

On a Walk around Dupont

 

 

He’s actually sleeping here…

 

Madison and Tacoooo

 

Action Shot

Caught! (napping in Urbie’s bed)

 

Speaking of Urbie….

 

Aww look at this little guy!

 

Certainly won’t miss the 3am bathroom emergencies but Taco was a great “test” to see if we could handle a puppy.  I figured watching him would get “wanting a dog” out of my system, but I’m thinking that wasn’t the case…

DC is a Blossomin’

The DC Cherry Blossoms were late this year, and it took three tries to see them in bloom.

TRIP #1

Mom, Dad, Rachel and Matt came to visit Easter weekend, and although this was the warmest weekend we’d had, the blossoms were NOT ready to bloom. The Peak was supposed to be this weekend, but obviously, it was pushed back… by two weeks.

 

Trip #2

The weekend after our lovely visitors left, Madison and I walked down to the Mall, hoping to see the blossoms.  Both of us were traveling Sunday-Tues/Wed, and we didn’t want to miss them!  Unfortunately, they were still holding out.

Trip#3

FINALLY! We made it down to the Mall on a gorgeous Friday evening, biking around the Tidal Basin and were table to see the beautiful blossoms IN BLOOM.

For all of you who couldn’t make it down to see the blossoms, I hope these photos will do, and that they’ll remind you that spring is just around the corner! Talking to you, New England!

sNOw Cookies

Hey ya’ll today is a “Snow Day.” This means: the Capital Weather Group convinced us all that we were in for a good storm and all we got was some freezing rain.

Since pretty much all of DC closed down in preparation for the “Snowquester” (so ironic) Madison was home working with me from the Anchor Media Offices!

Caught working in Yoga Pants

(It was also laundry day)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, feeling like I should do SOMETHING exciting today, I went to my favorite food blog, Smitten Kitchen, and made these bad boys:

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature (smooth is what we used, but I am pretty sure they use chunky at the bakery)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips

For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar, regular or superfine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Place sprinkling sugar — the remaining tablespoon — on a plate.

Are you really surprised I have a purple spatula?

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crisss-cross pattern (I used the back of a small offset spatula to keep it smooth on top), but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.

Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

If you’re wondering, they taste really good. Visitors Welcome!

VVQ

Super Bowl Plate

Happy Super Bowl everyone!  When my team’s not playing, I could care less about who wins… instead, it’s all about the food. A few friends came over for our BBQ-style game night.  We enjoyed pulled pork courtesy of the CA Devines, mac and cheese, Boston Baked Beans, coleslaw, potato salad, and some homemade BBQ, which I am now calling VVQ. I started using a recipe I found online and then as I kept adding ingredients and tasting the results, I went rogue and came up with a tangy and spicy result. The recipe is below – next time, I may experiment with using canned tomatoes  instead of ketchup to cut down on the sugar, but here you go:

In a sauce pan, combine all the ingredients below, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes:

1 cup ketchup
1  tablespoon light brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
3 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sprinkle of oregano

Voila… VVQ!

Andddd we’re back.

Photo taken during trip up the CA coast. Very high up. Lots of curves. Lots of nerves.

Welcome back to the V Life everyone! It’s been 87 days since my birthday and therefore my last post and I need you all to believe me that my honest intention was to blog weekly after my daily challenge was completed.  However, “Life” (the V Life to be specific) happened and I found myself with no time to write.

Let’s catch up shall we? Since my last post on Oct 22, I:

v  Celebrated 4 years with the marvelous Mr. Madison Calvert.  You read that correctly, and I can’t believe it’s been 4 years either! This guy must like me or something….

v  I was Bon Qui Qui for Halloween. Do NOT get Loud with me.

v  Went on a fantastic West Coast Tour of our country for 10 days when Madison left LivingSocial to work for new Brand Analytics (Chicago will have to wait a little longer).  We drove from San Diego to Vancouver, well we flew from San Fran to Portland, but still – that’s a long drive! I, even amidst the beauty and that gorgeous Pacific Ocean, now firmly can say I am an East Coast girl. Sorry but it’s true. We got to see some friends and an aunt along the way, and it quelled my travel itch after Mom and Dad went to Italy for three weeks!

v  Got sick immediately after the trip due to a cold when I got the flu shot, landing me with the biggest swollen glands I’ve ever had, a finger infection, and gums so swore I couldn’t eat.  TMI? Nah. I recovered.

v  Went home for Thanksgiving and Mom and Dad nursed their biggest baby back to health.  There is nothing better than having your parents take care of you when you’re sick, even when you’re 25 years old.

v  The next week, I attended a ceremony during which of PR News honored me as “someone to watch in PR that’s under 30.” Or something like that. I was SO SURPRISED to have not only Auntie Kelly accompany Uncle Steve to the event, but Mom and Dad flew down too, posing as my servers at Founding Farmers to catch me off guard.  I had a great time hanging in DC with the 4 of them and celebrating this unexpected but awesome award.

v  December was a blur. Christmas shopping, holiday social media campaigns, holiday parties, Les Miserables, family photos, Christmas, after Christmas shopping…

v  I was able to spend a good 3 weeks at home around Christmas which was so great just hanging out with the family in sweats all day, chillin’ by the fire. For NYE, Madison and I went out in NYC and spent a lot of money, but we had a lot of fun and I wore my gold sparkly shoes which was obviously amazing.

v  This year, my new year’s resolutions are simple: more yoga (meaning more than no yoga), volunteer more, and bring back the V Life. Voila! Already making progress!

Well, that’s about it! I’ll try to post a little more frequently than once every 4 months.

-V

Oh, PS: I am also “THE” Twitter Butler now.  See for yourself here.  Here.  Here.  Here.  Here.  Here.  Here.  Here.  Here.  And here.

Here are some more photos since I’m no longer doing a “photo a day” blog:

San Fran Chillin

Madison and his “fav” quarterback!

Didn’t take this one, but it was too cute to not include it.

 

 

 

October 22 – V

Whoo hoo! Happy 25th birthday to me!

Happy Birthday to Me! And might I add, CHALLENGE COMPLETED! A post a day for a year  -DONE.  I’ve had several requests for a self-portrait, so yesterday Madison and I walked down to the National Mall, I set up my tripod, and we had some fun. What a workout running into photos and posing, plus, doing acrobatics in boots is no easy feat. (The boots had to make an appearance since they are as much a part of my identity as my hair: “Big black boots, long brown hair, she’s so sweet with her get back stare.”) We had quite a few observers as we ran around the Mall, laughing, and doing silly poses while trying to time the seconds left on my camera’s timer. I love how this photo came out – I think my happiness really shows through.  I’ll post the other photos from our shoot on Facebook later today so you can see how silly we looked.

This last post is bittersweet for me – many of you know how excited I am to no longer have to schedule time into my day to post on this blog. This was a very busy year for me and this added task sometimes seemed like a chore.  On the other hand, I have a photo a day to document my life as a 24 year old which is pretty awesome.  I’ll be able to look back and remember all the great times I had, where I traveled, and who I spent time with.

24 turned out to be a great year to document for all my friends and family and random internet friends, looking back it makes me smile to remember that:

• I traveled so much that I only spent 218 days in DC, visiting 6 countries and 15 U.S. cities/states.  Mom and Dad will be happy to know I spent 52 days in RI!
• I discovered a freckle on the palm of my hand
• I like oysters (a lot, apparently)
• I started a business
• I saw Martha Stewart in real life
• I completed a certificate program at Georgetown University
• I saw sea turtles up close
• My post popular tags on The V Life are Washington DC, traveling, Rhode Island, Dupont Circle, coffee, wine, Paris
• My Droid takes really good pictures
• I like to eat/cook/bake/dine out
• I like sharing what I eat
• I followed through on my New Year’s resolutions, especially biking more in DC  – oh, and starting a business
• I still really like wine and Paris

I just wanted to thank you all for following along with The V Life.  Every day I try to have as much fun as possible and to continue learning and adventuring, and having my family and friends alongside me supporting me is just a wonderful feeling. Cheers to all of you for making this year so memorable!

Love,

V

PS: You can’t get rid of me that easily.  Although I most definitely will not be posting here daily, you will still be able to check in and see where I’m traveling and what I’m eating. More on that here.

October 21 – Au revoir twenty-four

National Rouge

I just would like to ask a question: WHERE DID THIS YEAR GO? I JUST turned 24! Right!? Wasn’t I just on a redeye to London? Apparently not, since I have already written 364 posts on The V Life.

We went for a walk down to the National Mall today, taking photos of the foliage, plus some fun shots that I’ll post tomorrow (ooo get excited!). I’m resting this afternoon, and watching some good ol’ Patriots football since tomorrow will be very busy.  I’m bringing on my first employee tomorrow, so in addition to the meetings and work I have to finish, I will also be training. This is really exciting news for Anchor Media!

-V

 

October 20 – To Everything There Is a Season

Fall colors in DC!

Beautiful, beautiful day! Today I got to wear my birthday dress and everyone came over for some drinks and then dancing at Policy.  I had an ahh-mazing time, thank you to everyone who stopped by to help me celebrate the big 2-5! There were SO MANY CANDLES on my cake. AHH! One more day as a 24 year old….

-V

October 19 – It’s what’s on the inside that counts

The cool way to decorate apples – caramel that slides right off.

Well, I made a mess in my kitchen today. Caramel everywhere. Just trust me that the apples taste really good.  They just look… awful. I’m not sure why the caramel slid right off, but I guess, gravity happens.

Allison and I enjoyed a delicious dinner at Commissary: Fish Tacos! Mmmm- need these in my life more often. Lazy Friday night for me – caught up on Nashville, my new favorite guilty pleasure, and watched 666 Park Avenue to see what it’s all about – soooo ridiculous (but you should watch it for a good laugh).

-V

October 18 – All good things must come to an end

Unhinged

You’re looking at Yola. Or what used to be Yola. =( I biked down for a meeting here, only to find that one of my favorite coffee shops in DC was closed for good. Just to jog your memory, this is where I discovered my Greek yogurt and oatmeal breakfast of champions.

Curious to learn more about why they closed, I looked them up on Twitter and found that they linked followers to an article by Laura Smith, Yola’s founder. Read the article and let me know what you think…I thought it was really pessimistic and don’t think the last impression she made with their customers should have been full of complaints and whines. I get that she is upset that Yola had to close, I would be really down too, but it’s a business. Businesses don’t all work out. They had a great product, but it was really expensive. Instead of blasting entrepreneurship, and discouraging others to open their own restaurants  I think a better approach would have been writing about looking forward to her next challenge, and learning from this experience.

I will seriously miss this place though… I need to find another non-chain coffee shop that’s close enough to work from. Le sigh.

-V

PS: Other good things coming to an end…daily V Life posts… folks, it’s almost my birthday!