Bailey’s Travels

On  strangely mild Christmas Eve, Bailey and I were on our way to San Antonio, to Grandmother’s house we go. Well, Bailey’s grandmother, my mom.

It started at 4am!! Yes, I know, that’s super early. Our flight from DCA was at 6 am and I wanted to make sure we had enough time since it was our first time traveling. Lindsey dropped us and on our adventure started. Funny thing was that the security gate still hadn’t opened so we had to wait a bit. But Bailey was cool as a cucumber.

Okay. She was really hating the carrier. But our first flight was from DCA to Atlanta. It being such an early flight was I was beat so I feel asleep fast. But little to my knowledge I had left a little opening in Bailey’s carrier because I hadn’t zipped it all the way closed and she got out!!! Thankfully I woke up just in time because she had just gotten up. I wrangled her up and stuffed my poor little girl in her carrier. Needless to say, she tried to scratch her way out but to no avail since I made sure I zipped up the carrier.

And then we made it to Atlanta!! Home of Chick-Fil-A and Diet Coke. I had a two-hour layover which worked out great because it was plenty of time to (1) take Bailey to the airport dog park, (2) come back to my gate and (3) get some food!! After what felt like hours of walking, I’m sure it was more like 10 minutes, Bailey and I made it the dig park.

The dog park was a great size and little Bailey got to walk around for a while.  Unfortunately for Bailey, I forgot her collar so she couldn’t walk in the terminal.  (I left it on her retractable leash that was left at home.) But she was able to sit in her carrier with her head out of the top which she really seemed to enjoy. 

And off we go on our next flight from ALT to our final destination of SAT.  One of the stewardesses saw me board the plane with Bailey and immediately started talking to me.  She said that she didn’t have a problem if I took her out of her carrier during the flight.  I sat next to a young couple with their baby girl who loved animals so they didn’t mind either.  So into our 2 hour flight, I took Bailey out for a bit and she sat on my lap.  She really liked being out and enjoyed the view.

But sadly after a while of this, we began our decent and Bailey had to go back into her carrier.  She wasn’t too happy about it.  A short 40 minutes later we were in San Antonio and waiting for her Uncle Emilio to pick us up from the airport.

Bailey had a great time in San Antonio playing with Ita, her grandma, and her cousin Nyk.  She got to run around, without a leash and bark without being shhhh’ed.  She also had a few adventures escaping from our yard and played in the back of Nyk’s power wheels truck.  She also gained a bit of weight but who doesn’t over the holidays.  I know I did. 

It was sad to leave but I think Bailey was ready for it after 9 whole days of constant play.  She, once again, tried to escape on the plane but she didn’t.  And she did try to scratch her way out too.  I was also smart and bought her a new collar so she could walk around in the terminal.

Once we got home,  she jumped on the couch and fell asleep for an eternity in dog years.  I’m sure it was more like a week in dog years.  It’s been 3 days since we’ve been back and after our trip to San Antonio and to the office, she is ready for a few days of quiet relaxation on the couch.  Oh to be a dog, what a life!!

And I’m Back

So I know I’ve been MIA for the last few months, mainly because I’ve been busy but mostly because I’ve been lazy.  Yes, I’ve been very lazy lately but busy too.  Work’s been a bit crazy since September so that’s that.  Dang Congress.

Any who, these is what’s been going on lately…

Um, let me see… Well… Okay so here is what I’ve done…

The CHCI 34th Annual Gala was mid-September.  Per usual, the whole week was a bit crazy for me because of my boss’ obligations to the events of the week but the Gala went off great.  The food was exactly what was picked at the delicious tasting I had a few months back. And it’s great to see people all dressed up and having a good time, especially my wonderful co-workers.

I went to Vegas for my 24th birthday with my two best friends Lindsey and Ashley.  Had an amazing time, that I can remember thankfully.  Ate a bunch of great places.  Definitely recommend Sushi Samba if you are into asian fusion restaurants and like sushi.  AMAZING!! But overall, it was a great trip with my amazing friends.

The wonderful DC Drag Queen 25th Annual High Heel Race was the last week of October and a friend was going to be in it!!  I was beyond excited.  He even asked me to do his makeup and hair. I felt honored.  At the last-minute, he opted for no make up.  But still looked, well, great may be a stretch but he looked decent for a man who has never been in drag.

And then a couple of weeks go I went to a horrible A&M vs. Missouri game over the Halloween weekend.  I only say horrible because A&M lost, per usual, in overtime.  They seem to think that football is played in only two quarters instead of four.  Hopefully next year in the SEC will be a bit better, probably not but one can dream, right?  But while I was there I got to spend some more time catching up with Ashley and her family at their ranch.  There is nothing I love more than a beautiful country sunset like this one.

Isn’t that gorgeous!!  Makes me miss Texas but after the eat-a-thon I had for the four days I was there, I’m still trying to work off the couple extra pounds I gain.  Totally well worth it for the Blue Bell new creations of Christmas Cookie and Spiced Pumpkin Pecan.  It’s good things these bad boys aren’t sold in DC or else I would be in big trouble.

And up next on the itinerary….

My mom is coming for Thanksgiving and I can’t wait!!  So excited for her to be here with me.  I think I’m going to make a couple of Cornish hens for dinner that day.  What she doesn’t know is that she’s taking me shopping for Black Friday.  I’ll let her figure out that one when she arrives.

I’m going home to San Antonio for Christmas and New Year and Bailey is coming with me!!  This’ll be the first time Bailey gets on a plane so we’ll see how she handles that, and what else I learn about travel, with pets this time.

In January, Ashley and I are going to get together again but this time in Miami for her 25th birthday.  All I can think is this stupid song but none the less, very excited!!  Yippee!!

Let the new adventures begin!!

Things I’ve Learned From Traveling

After my most recent trip to San Antonio, I’ve feel like I’ve learned a few things about traveling that even though they are somewhat “no brainers” they are like modern marvels for me.

1) Flying is very susceptible to weather. Because of stupid hurricane Irene, that bitch, two of my flights where cancelled. One of them was even before the hurricane was in the DC area. It wasn’t even raining at the time when my flight was to land at DCA. Thankfully I was able to get the first flight to DCA the following day. Thank you nice lady that I called at Continental.

2) Doesn’t matter how much you don’t care if it’s “window or aisle,” aisle is better if you have the bladder the size of a pea. I have the bladder the size of a pea. You would think that I would learn that this means I should sit my butt in an aisle seat but I still don’t. Yes, I am that person who crawls over the sleeping old man and the grandmother to make it to the “lavatory.” (Why do airlines use the word lavatory? I’ve always wondered this.)

3) This goes in part with #2 and may just pertain to me but I really shouldn’t drink coffee in the morning. I’m not a coffee drinker. It gets me all sorts of jittery and gives me the shakes, no joke, but whenever I have a morning flight I always get a cup of coffee. Yes, I’m fully aware of how stupid that is. Especially since caffeine makes you pee like crazy.

4) There is really no such thing as comfortable clothes on a flight. Doesn’t matter if you’re on a flight for 2 hours or 20, it’s going to suck. My motto is, “Might as well look good doing it” so I’ll be that person other passengers may judge due to my choice of shoes.

5) I’ve become an expert packer. Not to blow my own horn but I really am. Ask any of my friends. I can pack for a 10 day trip with nothing but a carry-on including 3 different pairs of shoes, outfits for every day, and options for nighttime. This is where the OCD in me comes out. I organize, roll, fold, and plan everything out. I’m also a big lover of solids. So from shampoo to conditioner to lotion, everything is in solid form to TSA won’t pitch a fit about the bottle sizes and stuff.

6) Going along with carry-on items, you need to be mindful of where you are sitting in regards to back, front, middle, of the plane when you have a carry-on that will be going in the overhead bins. The last few times I’ve flown, even though I’m in the front/middle of the plane, the overhead bins get full and my bag ends up having to be checked. I know, I get pissed because that totally defeats the purpose of using a “carry-on” suitcase. Also having the upper body strength of an 8-year-old girl doesn’t help on the getting my suitcase in the overhead bin part anyways. This is when I look around desperately for a nice gentleman who will help. I’ve been pretty successful on getting help.

7) Check the stupid seat pocket when exiting the plan. I’ve lost several books this way over the last few years. Most recent was “The Girl Who Played With Fire.” I was greatly upset when I realized I had left my book on my first flight. Mind you, you think I would learn but I haven’t. And my book was getting super good too!! Guess I have to hit up Goodwill in the next few weeks in hunt for my book. Maybe I should stick to magazines?

8) Pack stinken’ snacks, and no candy doesn’t count. I’m a snacker. I can eat all day long. I know this yet, do I pack snacks, no. I end up buying a little bag of candy at the airport, eating that, and then wondering why I still feel hungry. And airplane food sucks beyond belief and totally not worth the $7 for a tiny bag of pretzels and a stick of Slim Jim.

Happy Travels!!

Exploring…

So the other day I went to go see Lindsey’s band Over The Line play at Auld Shebeen’s in Fairfax. First off, the concert was awesome, like always. I’ve been to every show that they’ve had in the last two months. I feel like a major groupie/roadie. Yes folks, I’m that cool, I’m with the band.

Second, the bar was great. Typical Irish bar. Food looked good. (We ate before the gig.) And they have an Irish band play upstairs in the dinning room too.

But that’s not what this post is about…

Next door to Auld Shebeen’s is an ice cream shop called Woody’s. We had some time to kill before and I wanted something sweet so we went. And Oh-Emme-Gee it was so good. This super thick, very creamy, yummy yummy delicious goodness that feels like heaven on your tongue.

According to the t-shirt that Woody was wearing it is “Voted Best Ice Cream In The World By The Kids In Fairfax County”. Now, isn’t that the cutest thing in the world? I thought so.

Anyways, if you are ever in Old Town Fairfax by George Mason or Auld Shebeen, be sure you hit up Woody’s.

Sweat Ceiling

So when I moved to the mid-Atlantic almost a year ago I thought I would be greeted by snow in the winter and milder summers than what I’m use to in Texas. BOY WAS I WRONG!!  DC and the surrounding areas have broken records today.  This is how it right now…

Yes, the feels like is 117!!  In case you have never been in that heat, it’s like an oven.  No seriously, it feels exactly like when you open your oven to put in a tray of cookies and you get all that heat in your face.  Just like that.

I have no problem with the 100+ degrees.  Come one, happens all the time in San Antonio.  I worked outdoors for a summer.  I can deal with it.  But living in an oven not so much.

So now, my plans until the Sweat Ceiling is lowered will be to stay indoors with the A/C on the coldest setting ever and cuddle with Bailey on the couch.

Disclaimer: I did not come up with the term “Sweat Ceiling.”  I’m not that creative.  The Washington Post is calling this heat wave that.  You can imagine why…

A Delicious Tasting

This past week, I got to go to a food tasting for an annual gala held in September.  My COS, chief of staff, was unable to go, mainly because it takes about 2 hours of your day, so he nominated me from our office because of my LOVE for food, especially desserts.  I, of course, was very appreciative of this and accepted to attend.

So I get to the Convention Center to meet up with the other people from the organization at noon.  They take us through everything.  The tables, the center pieces, the linen.  I feel a bit of an outcast.  Mainly because I’m the only one from a participating Member’s office but I’m familiar with the event and know that it means a lot to a lot of different people.

Finally we get to the tasting room which is set up beautifully with different center pieces and the ways the tables can be the day of the event.  I was more concerned with the food.

This is all the possible dishes as they would be served.  I would have been okay eating each and every one of them.  I’m like a cow, I have four stomachs.  At least I like to think so.  I, of course, was interested in the desserts.

I would have had them all right then and there if could have.  Yes, there are SEVEN different options.

First, the salads came out…

Upper left was some sort of red snapper.  The fish was a bit rubbery because it was out for a bit so we nixed that option since salads would already be plated once guest arrive.  Upper right is a red and yellow beet salad.  This was honestly my first time eating beets. Is it just me or do they kind of taste like corn?  Not my favorite.  Lower right was a duck and bean salad with a mango salsa on top.  Mango salsa, amazing.  White beans, amazing.  Duck, tasted Chinese.  That’s the best way I could explain it.  Tasty but for a Latino oriented event, may not be the best. My favorite was the lower left, “Love from Peru.”  It has a marinade shrimp with a great “potato salad” made the way it’s made in Peru.  I loved it!!

Next came the main course.

Excuse me for starting to devour my food before I took a picture of everything.  There was, from upper left, filet mignon, rib eye, crab stuffed chicken, and halibut in a wonderful cream sauce and capers.  The chipotle mashed potatoes with cijotle cheese served with the chicken was melt-in-my-mouth amazing!!  I could have had a bowl of just that and been perfectly satisfied.  And the filet mignon, wow.  No words.  Very tasty but I was so ready for….

DESSERTS AND LOTS OF THEM!!  There was chocolate, mocha, cake, pie (not pictured), and others.  (I’m drooling in my mouth just looking at this picture.)  Everything was so delicious.  Of course, some were better than others.  The mocha cake, lower left, had a very strange texture and the banana cake, upper left, well, tasted like bananas so that was a no go for me.  But I loved everything else.

Of course, my wonderful lunch had to come to an end and I had to hop in a cab to get back to work.  Needless to say, I had the best lunch EVER!! (Sure beat the left-overs I was going to have that day.)  And my job rocks.

It May Be Raining Cookies

Today has been a crazy office day.  With the talks about the debt ceiling and budget cuts, the mood/atmosphere in the House is pure mayhem.  It may not be Monday but it sure feels pretty manic.  (And I’m sure this is what it’ll be like for the next few weeks.)

Any ways, cookies and sweets are always greatly appreciated and greatly needed in my office, especially by me.  Sugar is what makes the office go round.  This is how the raining cookies began:

Went to staff my boss at an award presentation where cookies and brownies were served. (I got a brownie.)

Intern comes back from a briefing with diet coke and a cookie.  (MAJOR SCORE!!)

Girl Scout group takes a meeting in the office and gives me a box of Thin Mints.

Needless to say I’m on a HUGE sugar rush and give the fact that my lunch consisted of chili cheese fries, I definitely need a work out tonight.  We shall see if that really does happen…

Why, Hello Summer/Warm Weather

Living in San Antonio and Texas, you have a ridiculously long summer.  It usually starts around March and end in October.  Yes, summer is 8 months.  But June, July, and August are hell.  No seriously, it’s 95 by 10am!!  Going outside is not an option, unless you’ll be by a pool or river or some other aquatic body. 

Any who, when I moved to the Mid-Atlantic area I was introduced to this thing called seasons.  It’s when the weather shifts from cold to warm, warm to hot, hot to cool, and cool to cold.  Yeah, crazy, I know.  But in May, it starts to get warm, people start doing things outside, and the use for heavy coats is finally over.  YAY!!

With Memorial Day around the corner, the unofficial start of summer is here and this girl couldn’t be happier.  All those pairs of shorts, skirts, and dresses that were shoved to the back of my closet since November has started to reemerge into my wardrobe.  I couldn’t be a happier person!!

And because it’s not Texas and one can actually be outside, there are outdoor events during the weekends.  Crazy thought!!  A ton of places around town have outdoor movie nights which I think is just genius.  The BF and I went to one last night to see Casablanca.  It was great to see this huge crowd of people just outside, on picnic blankets, having fun.  Now that’s something you don’t see back in San Antonio.  Totally something I’m going to take full advantage of.

In the end, I am thrilled that the sun is out, the birds are chirping, and the smell of hotdogs is in the air.  I could do without the allergies though.

A Working Doggy

During times of recess and it’s slow in the office, I like to try to bring Bailey to work with me.  Mainly because no one in my office cares too much but mostly so Bailey isn’t alone all day at home.  She loves it here.  At least, I think she does.  While in the office, Bailey runs around, begs for food from anyone eating anything, and greets people as they enter.

If I bring her in the morning, she is tuckered out by mid afternoon and takes a nap under my desk where I have a doggy bed and blanket.  If I bring her in the afternoon, say after lunch, she’ll be all sorts of active running around and wanting to play, like today.  I also forgot her toys today.  I’m a bad mother.

But usually she looks like this…

Doesn’t she look like a perfect little angel?  Just sleeping away and chasing squirrels.  Please ignore the extra love handles and tummy rolls she has.  She is sensitive about that area of her body, just like any woman would.

Bringing Bailey does make the day go by faster.  And given that fact that “It’s Friday, Friday, Friday” I wouldn’t mind this day going by fast.

Snow? What’s that?

Being from San Antonio, I had no real concept of snow.  To many Texans, especially those that live in the south, they have no idea what it is.  Snow occurs in San Antonio and south Texas once every decade, if that.

Moving to the “north” (even though I know Washington DC is more of the mid-Atlantic but you get the picture) was different for me, weather wise.  For one thing there is this thing called seasons.  Totally new notion.  There is summer, which is HOT!! Fall, not so hot but with a few nice cool and breezy days.  Winter, which is cold and snows and rains.  And spring which is when it becomes warm and bearable again.

In San Antonio, you have “hotter than Hades” summer, “not so hot” summer, and gray fall, which is really winter but it’s not that cold to be considered winter.  It’ll freeze a couple of times but no snow.  It’s just cold enough that it gives people an excuse to pull out coats, boots, and gloves and pretend they are in the middle of a blizzard.

Anyways, back to snow, it’s very foreign to me.  Is it rain, is it sleet, is it ice?  (These are things we get in San Antonio.) No, it’s snow.  Snow is light and fluffy and cold.  It can be compacted which will turn it into ice.  It is movable when only a little bit.  And, in the end, makes everything look very pretty.

But despite the fact I think it’s AWESOME given the fact that I have never been exposed to it until now, Bailey does not share these same feelings.  Fact: Chihuahuas are not meant for cold weather.  Sorry Bailey.  So in the mean time Bailey is to suffer being locked up, indoors, on the couch.  What a life.

I figure, as long as this doesn’t turn into Snowmageddon or Snowpocalypse 2011, I think Bailey and I will do just fine.  (I think I have enough food here to survive a good 2 weeks, at least.  I like to buy in bulk, even if it’s just for one.)