I ate more than anyone should eat this weekend. I'm also pretty sure I finished my bibliographic essay, which means I'm finally done with my master's program. We'll see. This week is going to be a big one, and while the weekend itself was really nice, I've been looking forward to these next days for a while. Rob is coming home! Until then, here's a look at the past few days:

Up bright and early on Saturday to take Rocky for a check-up at the vet. 

He's so confused about being in the back seat of my car. 

Made homemade almond milk.

My sweet friend Claire came over on Sunday to hang out and have dinner.

Grilled artichokes and a glass of wine on the back deck. Not too bad.

I also drank tea, went to bed early every night, and spent some time reading outside. What did you do this weekend? 

Happy Monday!

 As you may know, my wonderful boyfriend Rob has been in China since May 25th.

What you might not know, however, is that this is not his first month-long excursion to another country while I spend a few weeks on my own at home in Virginia. Two years ago, right after moving into our first apartment together, Rob had to go to Turkey and Greece for three weeks with his undergraduate class. He packed up his suitcase and I drove him to a friend's house in DC, where he spent the afternoon before catching a flight across the ocean.

In an attempt to keep myself busy and not so sad, I invited a friend over for dinner as soon as I could. This is  when Rob called from the airport with ten or fifteen minutes to kill before he had to get on the plane. It was the last time I was going to be able to talk to him on the phone for a month, and do you know what I did? I talked to him for a minute and then told him I had to go. I was cooking and my friend was sitting at the bar and I felt like a bad hostess, being on the phone.

As soon as we said bye and hung up, I felt terrible. I tried to text him but his phone was already off. So I sent him an email, and waited for his layover in France, which felt like forever. That's when I received a sweet reply explaining that he didn't mind, to please not worry about it, and that his flight went well. Then he walked around and got lunch in Paris, which for some reason I love to picture in my head. Just Rob, walking around France with a baguette in his hand. The usual.

Luckily, I had a real-life do-over moment a month ago when I not only drove Rob to the airport to catch his flight to Canada and then China, but actually got out of the car, waited in line for him to check his baggage, and then walked with him until the security checkpoint, where I kissed him goodbye and then proceeded to walk around the terminal, searching for a little coffee shop, all the while crying like some kind of insane person.

China is further than Turkey, and this time he's gone for two more weeks, but at least I said goodbye properly. I'm thinking that the next time he takes a month-or-more-long trip outside of the country, I'm going to have to tag along. That's going to be my new do-over.
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I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All the opinions expressed here are my own.

There are several things that I never imagined I'd ever say before going Paleo. One of them is "This salad could really use some bacon." Another is "We'll just take one more order of chorizo" when asked if I'd like to order some dessert, and finally,"I'm free after CrossFit," or really anything that involves me doing a pull-up or putting weight on a bar. 


I have been a runner for almost a decade. It changed my life, and it is in my bones, and I will always identify as a runner. I was on an amazing team with amazing people and running changed my high school experience for me, and then I went to college and running got me through a lot of that, too. I still run with some of my girlfriends from cross-country, but we mostly do it to catch up and have a chance to talk in the midst of our busy lives. So running has turned from what was a team sport to me into a mostly individual thing--something I do with my iPod or an early morning mist. I love what it has become, but there was something missing from my recent exercise experience. 

It was motivation, and I've found it.

The things I love about CrossFit are the same things that I first loved about running. This is also a team, and, like my old one, we're tied together by incredibly specific things. My cross-country team's Pasta Parties have been replaced by CrossFit's endorsement of Paleo. My wonderful friends might not be in the gym every morning with me, but there are plenty of amazing people there to cheer me on when I feel like quitting. 

Most importantly, I have never felt stronger; never more aware of the potential that lies within my body. And the compliments I've received in just three weeks about the looks of my arms and shoulders? Well, those help, too.

Every day, CrossFit reminds me of where I came from, and encourages me to get to where I'm going.