Weekend Review {12/10}

Since Teh Running Bestie arrived on Wednesday night, life was a blur.  Thus, no Friday post.  /shrug.

When you have guests coming and you want to let the room air out,
but you don't want the beasts to mess up the sheets.
#BabyGateToTheRescue

FRIDAY

Last day of class was on Friday.  This semester the last week really snuck up on me.  I'd been checked out since before Thanksgiving, so I've been struggling through since returning from Thanksgiving break. 

After making a drop off for the Company holiday party downtown, I headed into the office.  I had already told Teh Running Bestie that we should do lunch together since we wouldn't get to hang out Friday night (due to my Company holiday party being that night).  She agreed.  I took care of some work things, informed my people that I was going to lunch and finishing the afternoon from home, and headed to Locals Sushi in Park Circle to meet Teh Running Bestie and Teh Chief Smartass.  I wasn't impressed with either the limited lunch menu or the PC location menu, but I figured something out.

After lunch, I made a pit stop at Holy City Brewing for Teh German.  I ended up getting beer for a coworker, too, and a hoodie for myself and a shirt for Teh German since they had a hoodie I liked and a long sleeve shirt I knew Teh German would like.  (I'm wearing my hoodie as I write this and I love it, more than I thought I would.  Prob a new fave.)  NBD, but HCB liked my comment to Teh German about picking up beer for him and then liked my selfie with our new baby (below). 

Our new baby.

I headed home to finish up work things and eventually get ready for the party.

Caught this moment of adorableness in the afternoon.

 

While I was wrapping white elephant gifts, I gave Teh Running Bestie Christmas gifts for the dogs.
Pax and Secret vs Teh Running Bestie.

After present wrapping, I finally hit the shower to start getting ready for the party.  Since it was cocktail attire, I rewore the 20s dress I had worn for the previous weekend's party.  It was a hit.  Everyone loved it.  Thanks, Amazon.  I also got complements on the pearl necklaces I added, which were borrowed from Teh British Neighbor.  She's the bestest!

Dis why he's my husband.

Company part was at The American, a classic movie theater downtown.  From the way the planning was going early in the week, I was really worried.. but the event actually was spectacular.  It was a fancy "The Office" themed event.  We played office bingo as an ice breaker and then moved down to watch a movie that was filmed, compiled, and edited over the last few weeks.  Finally, we ended with drinking, snacks, and an awards ceremony where we all got awards based on our winning personalities.  I won: Most Outspoken.  No surprise there.

Daaayyummm, we so sexxxaaayyyy.

Teh German reminded me around 11 that I had a half marathon to run in a few hours, so by 11:30 we were in our Uber on the way home.  By 12:15 I was asleep.

SATURDAY

The alarm went off at 0430 on Saturday morning and no one was pleased.  I got up and got ready and managed not to forget anything (a miracle, since I hadn't laid out any of my running stuff the night prior).  Teh German was headed into work early, so he was up when we left. 

These cuties were confused why they weren't getting fed.
(It was too early.)

I drove us to Kiawah, parked at the Harris Teeter to avoid the parking traffic, we walked to the shuttles, walked almost a mile to the club house, and then I laid down and tried to sleep.  I was mostly unsuccessful, but I did fall asleep for a short bit.

Then it was time to go pull a Forest Gump.  Teh Running Bestie and I didn't stay together for this race, which had been discussed beforehand.  I ran almost all of the entire race, with the exception of water stations and taking off my jacket and a pit stop to pee.  My total time was 2 hours 27 minutes.  I was aiming for less than 2:30, so I was pleased.  Through miles 6-7 I was playing the pass/get passed game with the 2:30 pace setters due to the jacket situation and bathroom stop.  Around mile 8.5 my shoulders started hurting VERY badly.  I kept trying to stretch them out, but it wasn't working.  This discomfort lasted the rest of the race.  Around mile 10, I got tired.  This also coincided with the course getting super narrow (2-wide) and it eventually went to trail (packed sand) instead of paved.  The GU gel did eventually kick in within a mile, so I was able to carry on.  When I reached mile 11, I knew I was in the home stretch, so I tried to push myself.  With the clock offset, I couldn't tell if I was closer to 2:15 or 2:30, but if I could get close to 2:15, that would have been awesome.

The finish line is never further away than when you can see it at the end of a long stretch.  For real.  That last .1-.2 miles just about killed me.  After crossing the finish line and getting my medal and a mylar blanket, I went to finish line to cheer on finishers and wait for Teh Running Bestie.  When I saw her come around the curve, I started cheer/yell/screaming for her.  I considered running through the finish line with her, but since we hadn't run together, let her finish on her own.  After getting through the chute, we grabbed an unfulfilling snack, a cup of water, and rested for a few minutes.  After a bathroom trip, we headed towards the shuttle to get back to Willow.

We headed towards civilization to meet Teh German and Teh Chief Smartass at Famous Toastery for brunch (of which, I am the Yelp Duchess, FYI, thank you, you're welcome).  After brunch, we headed to the outlets so I could return some Crocs that I had rejected for house shoe options and then came home for showers and naps.

It was after 3 when I finally laid down to nap.  I woke up at 5.  After getting up, we all agreed on Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner.  In the most tragic of events, Teh German had forgotten his wallet at home and didn't have his ID so he couldn't order a beer.  When I managed to pull up a copy of his ID from my phone (shut up, I'm a hoarder ok), the server accepted it, but then came back and said that the restaurant policy was that the physical ID had to be presented.  Rules are rules, but still Strike 1.

Strikes 2+ were our server saying something like, "Ya'll enjoy," every time she'd leave our table and we didn't even have food yet.  We all just looked at each other when she said, "Take your time," after our food arrived.  Of fucking course we're going to take our time.  You want us to choke and die?  Ugh.  I know I was bitter because Teh German was disappointed, but even if Teh German had gotten his beer, she would have still annoyed me.

After dinner, we headed back home.  It was snuggles with dogs and social media time, then bedtime.

SUNDAY

Our guests left shortly before 08 on Sunday morning.  This was heartbreaking because Pax and Meri went with them.  Since we will be going on our Snowcation, this eliminates us driving up to MD and flying out of DCA/BWI, then flying back into DCA/BWI and driving back down to CHS.  Teh Running Bestie will return Pax and Meri in January when she returns to CHS for the Charleston Half Marathon.

That's in 5 weeks.
That means 5 weeks without my 2nd and 3rd favorite assholes (#1 being Teh German, of course).
Thankfully, Teh Running Bestie doesn't skimp on photos, but Lawd, seeing my Monkey-Doodle in her drugged state (she is medicated for long car rides) and then when she was just so tired when they arrived broke my heart.  I needed to be there to snuggle my girl.  Teh Running Bestie is a good momma though and she'll make sure Meri gets all the snuggles she needs.

After eating breakfast, I sat down at the computer to work on my German study guide.  It took me no less than 7 hours to get through the entire thing.  4-5 of those hours were filled with distractions, laundry, massaging my legs every time I went upstairs, Teh German coming into the office to ask me questions or to ask me to print something.  Additionally, not that my 98 average in the class reflects it, I struggled a little bit in class this semester.  For almost 2 months the professor didn't collect homework, so I never saw corrected versions of work that I had completed.  So I don't feel like I have a solid grasp on the materials, which only served to make me want to procrastinate more than I already was.

I did get my desk cleaned out and I decided I need a desk drawer organizer for all the crap in my desk.  I also realized that I now have MORE storage space with the printer stand behind me, so I was able to relocate some of the mess there.

Eventually, I got through the German study guide and I started working on the final project I have due on Thursday.  Teh German had also spent the day at the computer, but at the kitchen table.  He was working on organizing all the paperwork we have to bring with us to the immigration interview and ensuring that we have all the required documents.  It's good that he did it this weekend instead of next, considering some of the documents that we still need to acquire.

At 5:30 though, I called it quits on all computer work for both of us.  We figured out things for dinner and then we sat in front of the TV for the rest of the evening watching The Ranch (YYYYAAYYY!!!!!).  After 9, I called no mas and we eventually headed up to bed.

______________________________________________

It is VERY weird not to have my 2 shadows with me.  All day yesterday I kept wanting to ask Teh German why he'd put the dogs out and not let them back inside.  When I was going to bed I was thinking through my to-do tasks and I thought, "Prep dog breakfast," then realized that didn't apply.  It's also very lonely going business in private with no one nosing the door open to check on you (only 4-leggers are allowed to fulfill this role).  It was weird this morning not hearing the stampede down the stairs when Teh German left and having to refrain from telling Alexa to turn on the radio for the dogs.  When Teh German said that I had sent our dogs away, I almost cried.  #MomGuilt is real, ya'll.

This morning was my German final exam.
Tuesday is my circuits final exam.
Wednesday is my computer science (assembly language) final exam.
Thursday morning my cybersecurity final project is due.
Then the semester is over.  Only yay.  No boo.

Teh German goes out of town this week and with no dogs, I will be completely alone in the house.  I'm excited and not excited at the same time.  I'm pretty sure the last time I was home alone with no other sentient beings was when I lived in Pax River and Phil was an only-child and I would drop him off with Teh Running Bestie (before she was even Teh MD Adult Roomie) before I went out of town.

I've got plenty of things to fill my time (studying for finals/final project (which I should really be doing right now), Cricut projects, puzzle and audiobook, etc), so I'm not worried about that aspect.  And really, Teh German is only gone for one night, so it almost doesn't even count.

I'm relieved that I survived the 2019 school year.  Last year, I was excited that I finished my first semester.  This semester, I'm just relieved, not excited.  I'm actually dreading the drudgery that lies ahead in the next year and a half until graduation.  Using my GI Bill was a good idea at the time, but now, not so much.  I'm tired, but I know if I stop, I will never pick it back up.  

I expect that my blogging schedule over the rest of the month is going to be wonky.  Next week is only a half week for us, but we have our immigration interview, I have my pew pew lazers appt, I have a hairs did appt, and we are flying out mid-week for our Snowcation.  While I would like to keep ya'll entertained, I'm not going to guilt myself over NOT blogging, and instead, enjoy my well-deserved vacation and my fuzzy socks and my book and/or my husband's will-power while he teaches me to snowboard and the 13 greyhounds and friends and SNNNOOOOOOWWWW!!!!