Brooklyn

Just watched Brooklyn at Ambler. Super packed for the 1:05 pm show on a Sunday. But it was probably my favorite movie I've seen all break. Such a poignant movie with some funny lines. So good.

Beating #25

As a lifelong La Salle basketball fan, I'm used to disappointment. But every once in a while, you hope that your expectations vary from reality. Today was that game. After a slow start, La Salle took the lead and really never looked back. It was too close for comfort (especially the final seconds) but they eked out a win over #25 Dayton. My dad wanted to storm the court but no one else seemed to be as excited as we were. And it was especially meaningful to me considering I was on a plane to Rome when La Salle beat ranked Butler at home. So I finally got my home win against a ranked team. We'll ride this high until next week when they lose to some crummy team in the A10. 

Pretzel Grilled Cheese

Enjoyed a nice dinner with the Bucks in Medford at the Pop Shop--a little restaurant in a former bank with a huge variety of grilled cheeses. I opted for the grilled cheese on a pretzel. So good but the proportion of the pretzel to the cheese was too much. But I was glad to see Maggie before she leaves for Florence and it's always a pleasure to see Catherine. I think my break was filled with many good people and good food.

DC: Day 3

Kristen and I spent a lazy morning getting ready to go to the Renwick Gallery, which is right by the White House. All the exhibits were crafted for the space and we were amazed in every room.

The security guard in this room was very serious--any step close to the strings, he yelled!

Those are real bugs. The whole room was decorated with real bugs--and they were all huge.

Kristen and I laid on the floor in this room and stared at the netting hanging from the ceiling. So cool.

We ended our afternoon in Georgetown, eating expensive and delicious cupcakes (carrot cake for me and maple with bacon crumbs for Kristen). We wandered around, couldn't find a sandwich shop, and went on a wild ride around Arlington because our Uber driver got lost multiple times. But I was so happy I was able to see Kristen and spend the weekend with her!

DC: Day 2

Sunday with Kristen in DC consisted of church, the Botanic Gardens, the Air & Space Museum, pizza with Cody, and a spectacular view of DC from the top floor of Kristen's apartment building. And I realized how much I hate the cold but also how much I missed my friends.

DC: Day 1

So when I arrived in DC on Amtrak, Cody picked me up and we headed to her apartment in the Petworth neighborhood of DC. It's directly north of the capitol, with some up-and-coming features. We got lunch and headed to the zoo, where we drove all around looking for free parking but ended up just paying for parking. We went to dinner at T.H.A.I. in Shirlington while we waited for Kristen to get home from work. So I was pretty tired by the end of the day!

Looking Back and Looking Forward

December 31st/January 1st is a good time to reflect on the past and create a new start. My goals for 2015--I just reread them. I think I did a good job with them. And now that 2015 is behind me, I can look toward 2016. But 2015 shaped me and changed me and I'm ready to take on 2016.

So some goals:

Continue to journal every day.
Relax a bit when I'm late or I mess up. It's not the end of the world.
Remove toxic people from my life.
Run fast and NO MORE STRESS FRACTURES.

Here's to a new year.