Gifts

Jake is back from Milwaukee! Hooray! Dublin and I were very pleased to retrieve him from the very busy airport yesterday. (Seriously, the cell phone waiting area at Reagan National is kind of a joke.) My in-laws sent back some great gifts for me though, I couldn't be more pleased. First is a new carrying case for my camera. It's smaller than the full gadget bag I have and made just to tote around the camera with one lens, attached. I actually had one like this but when I upgraded lenses it no longer fit so I'm glad to have a new way to transport the equipment around. Next they got me a book I'd been wanting titled The New Rules of Lifting for Women. Strength training is actually very important for runners but in the past I had shied away from it as I was afraid I would build big, unsightly muscles. This book is a great resource that includes diet tips and workout routines and explains why it's okay for women to lift similarly to men. I look forward to diving into it. The other book they chose all on their own and it's a recipe book for cooking fresh seasonal produce. It's great because I can plan more meals around what's available at the farmers markets (when they're open that is). I was very pleased with this choice.

So today my team lead is taking me out for our traditional holiday lunch at Old Ebbitt Grill. Yes, this is like the third time I will have gone there this month. It really is a great place though and despite it being considered touristy I totally recommend to everyone. Hopefully this means the day will go by quickly. We have some stuff to catch up on tonight including laundry and tidying up. We are hosting for drinks on New Year's Eve prior to our dinner reservation at Ray's the Steaks. There are 8 of us total so I think it'll be a fun but low key evening. Post-dinner celebrations are being hosted by our friends in the neighborhood of the restaurant so it will be an easy walk rolling of our full bellies over to their place. I have never eaten at Ray's the Steaks before. It gets really great reviews although New Years Eve isn't the best night to judge a restaurant's overall performance. I'm sure it'll be great though, I know the company will if nothing else.

I have a laundry list of resolutions that I'll touch on in a subsequent post. Life has been really good this year but there is always room for some improvement. I know it's cliché to vow to make changes based on the New Year but I like the feeling of the milestone bringing a new beginning.  For those that have noticed my lack of photography don't worry. I've been on a short hiatus through the holiday season but I'll be getting right back into in the coming weeks. Some members of my photography class have planned an outing to go shoot together in DC next weekend and I'm looking forward to it a lot. I also entered a local contest but I'll get into the details of that more later.