So Far, So Good

So, being 26 is pretty decent so far. I got so many cards, emails, text messages and phone calls yesterday from loved ones wishing me well, which was so, so nice. Thanks to everyone for thinking of me! You all helped make my day great.

After my wonderful breakfast from my husband, I went to work and had a busy day, but I was able to get everything done that needed to be done by 3:00, so I snuck out early. When I got home I enjoyed more birthday cake and then decided to do a quick Wii Fitting before heading out to my birthday dinner. Even the Wii Fit was celebrating my birthday!

Why, yes, Mr. Wii... today IS an important day for me! And I like your festive party hat!

This screen popped up right after the Wii threw streamers all over the place and said, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

And the Wii Fit totally had my back...when Eric signed in to do his own daily body test, the Wii reminded him that he should be doing nice things for me. Not that Eric needs a reminder of course (seriously, he's the best husband ever), but it's nice to know that the Wii is looking out for me.

In fact, you are not mistaken, Mr. Wii.

Awww, no need to guilt trip him, Wii. He already feels bad about having to study all day.

After my Wii Fit session, I headed out to Chinatown to meet up with my friend Leah for dinner and drinks. We met at an Irish bar near her house for a quick pre-dinner drink, then went to Matchbox for dinner. Matchbox is a great restaurant in Chinatown that has mini-burgers that are to die for. They also have awesome pizza. The only downside to Matchbox is that unless you want to eat at 4:30pm, you're going to have to wait for a table, regardless of what day of the week it is. The counter point to that is that their bar is a great place to hang out and wait for a table! We actually only had a 30 minute wait, so we had just enough time to enjoy a glass of wine before we were seated.

Dinner was awesome - more wine, delicious pizza, and the mini-burgers. Oh, the mini-burgers. Topped with the best onion straws you've ever had. So, so good. Leah and I had a great time chatting and catching up. Sometimes I forget how nice it is to just have "girl time," because I spend most of my time with Eric. Of course I love hanging out with my husband, but sometimes it's nice to just drink wine and discuss hopes, dreams, and good-looking celebrities with another girl!

After dinner we picked up another bottle of wine (what can I say? Husband/boyfriend bar studying has driven us to drink), then we went back to Leah's apartment and drank our wine on her rooftop until it started to drizzle. By that time it was getting a little late, so her boyfriend drove me home, and that was the end of my birthday celebration!

Leah and me at her apartment, enjoying our wine. Apparently, I am a giant.

So, another birthday over with, and now onto the next things on our "What's Next" list! Now we're getting into the really good stuff...I'm leaving for Cleveland on Friday for our annual family reunion, and by the time I get back on Monday, Eric will be IN ALBANY FOR THE BAR EXAM! He's really almost done, halleluia. Then, the moving madness begins! So, stay tuned for the craziness that will be our August!

Twenty-Six

Some of you may have noticed that in all the birthday pictures I have posted of my Dad (here and here), I am helping him to blow out his birthday candles. Why is that, you wonder? That's because my dad and I have always shared our birthday celebrations, because his birthday is the day before mine (or, mine is the day after his, depending on how you want to look at it). Which means...today is my birthday!

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, Mrs. W. is twenty-six years old today. I'm okay with that, really. I've had a pretty great twenty-six years, with this last year being particularly wonderful. My life is in a good place, and it's on the brink of some exciting new things.

Turning 25 made me feel old for some reason, but 26 isn't having the same effect. Well, not the turning 26 part. What is actually making me feel a little bit old is that today is also my cousin Adam's birthday (Happy Birthday, Adam!). Interestingly enough, Adam's dad's birthday is also the day before his (Happy belated Birthday, Uncle Mark!)- what are the odds that my mother and her sister would both marry men with the same birthday, and give birth to their firstborns on the same day?

Anyway, my cousin is turning 18 today. Wow! That makes me feel old, only because it reminds me that it has already been 8 years since I turned 18 years old. At that time, I was getting ready to go off to college, which was such an exciting time. I don't really think of myself as being that far removed from my college life, so I have to remind myself from time to time that it has already been four years since my college graduation, and 8 years since I left home for the wonderful world of Gainesville. My, how time flies. But, I digress. Happy 18th, Adam!

My birthday this year is going to be pretty low-key. Eric is in hard-core study mode, considering that the bar exam is a week from today. We had a little mini celebration last night, with cake and presents. Eric made me a delicious chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, decorated with sprinkles.

Me with my birthday cake (it says "26!!" in case you can't make it out)

My cake and our improvised birthday candles

Then, I opened my presents from my boys. Eric got me a really nice card and some Wii Fit accessories (hooray for my new yoga mat!). And Achilles gave me a great card with a $2 bill inside and some kibble. He promptly ate my kibble after I opened the card. But, I know he did it with love and sincerest birthday wishes.

Me with Achilles, his card, $2 bill, and my kibble. Can you tell he's about to devour it?

I also have gotten some very nice, thoughtful cards in the mail this week. Thank you to everyone for thinking of me on my birthday!

This morning, my day began with a great birthday voicemail from my mother-in-law, and Eric surprised me with a delicious breakfast: hash browns and eggs scrambled with cheese, onions and peppers. Yum!

What a great way to start the day!

Today I'll be working during the day then going out for dinner and drinks with my friend Leah tonight. Leah's boyfriend went to law school with Eric, and is also taking the New York bar next week, so she understands what it's like to be a "bar exam widow," if you will. I'm sure we'll be swapping stories and drowning our troubles in a glass of wine or two!

There is something interesting to me about this birthday, that I'd like to share with you. So, let me tell you a little story. Ten years ago today, I was turning 16 years old. And not long before my 16th birthday, I saw this really cute boy at the pool at my mom's house. Turns out his name was Eric, and he was mighty dreamy. I tried to get up my nerve to invite him to my 16th birthday party, but just couldn't do it. So, my little sister came to the rescue and invited him...and he came! And that was the first time we really hung out together. At the end of my party, he even gave me a hug, and I totally swooned. Looking back, I never would have thought that 10 years later I would be turning 26 years old, and that cute boy from the pool would be my studying-for-the-bar husband. What a fantastic turn of events...the best birthday present a girl could ever ask for.

A few of my friends at my 16th birthday party...including my future husband!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy Birthday, Dad! 

I hope you have a great day!

Why So Serious(ly AWESOME, Batman)?

Last night Eric took a break from studying for the bar so that we could go see the highly-anticipated new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. We went to the 12:01 a.m. showing! It was my first midnight movie ever. I was absolutely exhausted by the time we got home, but boy oh boy, was it worth it! Frankly, I was pretty exhausted before the movie even began. Where have my days of all-nighters gone, that midnight is no longer considered "a reasonable hour?"

Eric and I before the movie - pretty excited!

Pretty excited, but also pretty tired. A pre-movie nap didn't sound like a terrible idea.

Goodness, was this movie ever hyped up before release. Last night, our movie theater was showing it on seven different screens at 12:01, and five of them had sold out by Thursday. Outrageous. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you're probably wondering, "can it live up to the hype?" Why, yes. Yes, it can. I'm no professional movie critic, but let me give you my overall review.

The movie was absolutely fantastic. It was dark and twisted. It was incredible to watch. It kept you on the edge of your seat, nearly always in suspense. It was so suspenseful, in fact, that I had to do my patented only-half-watch-the-movie-through-your-fingers-while-you-cover-your-eyes-with-your-hands move. (This move is my general reaction to suspense or uncertainty. I assume the same position during horror movies and close Gator games.) The movie was smart and riveting. It highlighted the fine line between good and evil...what would it take to make you cross that line? Can anyone fall from the good side and become the villain?

Good vs. Evil, if you will.

With this movie, Christian Bale is now officially my favorite Batman. Sorry, Michael Keaton, your day is done. Plus I find Christian somewhat pretty to look at, so you know, that's nice. In this movie Bruce Wayne is conflicted and struggles to find the balance between Bruce and Batman. Christian Bale plays it very well. And let me tell you about the toys. If you thought Batman had cool gadgets before, wait until you see the Bat Bike. Or, how he catches a plane. Really cool stuff!

Don't worry, Christian/Bruce, that suit will look great on you.

The Bat Bike!

And the Joker. Heath Ledger as the Joker was superb. Again, he absolutely deserves all they praise he has been getting for this movie. I thought the Scarecrow from Batman Begins was a terrifying villain, but he can't come close to the Joker. The Joker is a true psychopath, a madman, who is unpredictable and knows no limits in his quest for a "better class of criminal." Heath Ledger did an amazing job - the voice, the laugh, the walk, the little mannerisms, all wonderful. Every time the Joker was on the screen, I felt tense, because there was no knowing what could come next. He was incredibly sinister and very, very frightening.

So scary!

"Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint"

So, in case it isn't clear from my gushing thus far, we really loved this movie. There's a very good chance we'll even go see it again after the bar exam. There was so much to take in and so many twists and turns in the plot, that to be honest, my sleepy, 26-years-old-on-Tuesday, 3:00am brain couldn't fully grasp it all. I am anxious to see it again to pick up on things I likely missed the first time around.

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering if movie theater popcorn is any good at midnight, I can tell you that yes, it most certainly is.

Are Wii Fit Yet?

Many weeks ago, I promised to post about our newest workout tool, the Wii Fit. We had been waiting for it to become available for months and then once it was released, Eric spent days checking various Best Buys and Targets and getting up early to call them to see if they had any Wii Fits in stock. His hard work paid off, and now we are the proud owners of our Fit. And it rocks. So, let me tell you a little bit about it.

Every day, you're supposed to do your daily "Body Test." You start by standing on the Wii Fit board, and it asks you how much your clothes weigh. You select a response, then it measures you for a few seconds. Once the measuring is complete, it graphs your center of balance and gives you your weight and BMI. It's really cool to see how balanced you really are! In all of our Wii Fit days, there is only one perfect balance on record - and it was mine! Apparently all that childhood ballet really paid off.

Me standing proudly by my perfect balance screen

"You're placing equal weight on your left and right legs when you stand!"

After you've been given your balance, BMI and weight results, the Wii suggests you do two randomly selected body control tests. These can be anything from trying to stand perfectly still, trying to walk with perfect balance, standing on one leg, shifting your weight on command, etc.

Eric doing the "stand on one leg" test

Once you've done all these various tests, the Wii uses the results to calculate your Wii Fit age. Sometimes, your Wii Fit age is the same as your actual age, or younger. In this case, your Mii is really happy. (What is a Mii, you ask? Why, it's the Wii version of yourself, of course!)

You can't even make out my Mii here, because she's jumping for joy at my young Wii Fit age!

But sometimes, your Wii Fit age is a little older than your actual age. In that case, your Mii hobbles around with a broken back. Not cool, Mii. Not cool at all.

30 isn't even that old, Mii!

One of the cool things is that the Wii Fit keeps track of all these results. You get a calendar on which you mark off each day when you do your Body Test, plus the Fit graphs your balance, weight, BMI and Fit Age progress.

My calendar

Main screen graph - the red line is Eric's, and the pink is mine. We follow the same general trend! 

And the Miis at the bottom are me, then Eric, then Jeff.

After you've done your test, it's on to training! The Wii Fit has four categories of activities: Yoga, Strength Training, Balance Games, and Aerobics.

Main Wii Fit Training Screen. The piggy bank on the left logs your daily and total logged workout time.

My favorite category is the Aerobics, which includes things like running, step aerobics, and hula hooping. I'm especially a fan of the Step games, which basically use the Wii Fit balance board for a sort of a combination between step aerobics and Dance Dance Revolution. You step on and off the board in different patterns to the rhythm of the game. I currently hold the high scores in both Basic and Advanced Step! Sometimes, I even use Achilles as "weights" during the Basic Step for a little something extra.

Doesn't he look so thrilled?

Eric is especially good at the Balance Games, which include things like skiing, ski jumping, soccer, tightrope walking, and a few others. 

Eric skiing

Lately, I've also been getting into the Yoga and Strength Training exercises. For these activities, you pick either a male or female trainer who shows you how to do each of the exercises and critiques your performance. Sometimes the critiques are good, and other times, not so good. But, if they're bad, your trainer always gives you advice for how to improve. And they speak in a very pleasant, soothing voice. How nice.

Oooh, not so good. On this strength exercise, I was labeled a "couch potato." I kind of resent that.

Much better! Now I'm a "bodybuilder!" And that's my trainer lady in the background.

So, that's a basic overview of the Wii Fit. But there's quite a few other fun things about it, too, that I'd like to share with you. First, the Wii is eager to tell you that you are not just limited to weighing yourself with the balance board. You can weigh other things, too. Like your dog.

Achilles apparently weighs 11.7 lbs.

Also, I mentioned that the Wii keeps track of how often you work out (or at least do your Body Test), and the results of your tests. It often commends you for frequent workouts, or wonders where you've been the past couple of days if you spend some time away. We've seen plenty of this in regards to our former roommate Jeff. Jeff was nice enough to come hang out with Achilles for a few hours during our NYC apartment search trip, and while he was here, he played with the Fit. Since he no longer lives with us, however, he isn't able to do his Body Test daily as the Wii expects him to. We know this, and don't judge him for it, of course. The Wii, however, judges him. It doesn't know he doesn't live here. It just thinks he's lazy.

Just what are you getting at, Wii?

And, if you've been away from the Fit for a few days, your Mii gets lazy. When the Wii Fit starts up, all the lazy little Miis will give a big yawn then doze off to sleep! Jeff's Mii is always sleeping around here, but even Eric's and my Miis took a little nap after a several-day hiatus a few weeks ago.

Big yawns!

A Mii Snoozefest!

And my MOST favorite part of the Wii Fit is the incorporation of all of our various Miis. At Christmas, Eric and I brought the Wii with us on our holiday travels, and anyone who played it had to create a Mii. As a result, we have a whole slew of family member and friend Miis. The cool thing about the Wii is that it will use those Miis in your games! So, when I'm skiing, I can see my mom cheering me on from the sidelines. My cousins are waiting to greet me at the end of the tightrope. Gramz is stepping it up with me. It's so fun to see our friends and family in the game with us! It really gives it a little something extra.

Our "Mii Plaza," which contains all of our Miis!

Top row: Susan

Second row: Eric, Me, Uncle Peter, Aunt Rachel, my cousin Sarah

Third row: Ron Jr., Kelley, our friend Leah, Uncle Mark, cousin Molly

Fourth row: Doc, Gary, Gramz, Heather, Jeff

Bottom row: My cousin Adam, my Mom, Buzz, our friend Chris, and Aunt Debbie

Here's my Mii stepping with a few family members: Gramz (doing the curtsy on the left), Sarah (in motion), and Adam

Eric's Mii finishing a tightrope walk with friends and family cheering him on: 

Buzz (cut off on the left), Uncle Peter, Jeff, Me, Molly, and Ronnie (cut off on the right)

So, that's the Wii Fit - our current favorite source of entertainment! I highly recommend it as a fun way to get Fit!

A Marriage in Michigan

As I mentioned, Heather and I spent the Fourth of July in Michigan for our cousin Beth's wedding. We flew into Detroit on Thursday afternoon. Our cousins Tony and Mike (Beth's brothers) picked us up from the airport and drove us to our hotel in Ann Arbor. We got ourselves checked in, and then grabbed lunch and explored the area a bit. All of our family members were on the same floor of the hotel, which was convenient. It seemed every time we left our room we ran into a different relative!

Thursday night was the rehearsal dinner. Heather and I got ourselves all dressed up and then caught a ride to the dinner with our Aunt Diane. It was held at this cute little wine bar in Ann Arbor. We really enjoyed driving through downtown Ann Arbor - it felt very much like a college town (and made me miss Gainesville a little bit!) and we found it rather charming.

The dinner was great - delicious hors d'oeuvres, and even better wine! We had a great time catching up with family. Beth and her fiance Kevin seemed very happy and we enjoyed hearing the toasts made to the happy couple.

Beth and Kevin at the rehearsal dinner

My cousins and I closed the place down - we were the last ones left at the wine bar! We then left to go meet up with Beth and her friends at another local bar, only to find them on their way back to Beth's house. So, we decided to join them. 

Heather and I on the streets of Ann Arbor after the rehearsal dinner

We ended up staying at Beth's house until the bride-to-be kicked us out, and understandably so! It was getting pretty late. The rest of the cousins then returned to the hotel and stayed up talking there until the wee hours of the morning. It was nice to catch up with all my cousins, since I don't get to see them very often.

Friday, Heather and I slept in a bit due to our late night on Thursday. When we got up, I introduced Heather to the wonderful show Dexter (my latest addiction), and then we got some lunch. Heather had to hurry up and get ready then, so she could leave early for the wedding to practice singing with the string trio for the ceremony. So, she left around 2:00 and I finished getting ready in time to catch the shuttle from the hotel to the ceremony at 3:00.

The ceremony was held in a beautiful garden. The weather was just gorgeous - perfectly sunny and not too hot (although it certainly did get warm sitting in the sun!). It really was a perfect day for a wedding. 

Heather and I at the ceremony

Heather's VIP singer status got us great seats in the front row, so we had an unobstructed view of the good stuff. Beth looked just beautiful as a bride. She was escorted in by her brothers to Pachelbel's Canon, which made me a bit teary eyed, remembering what it feels like to walk down the aisle to your groom to that song.

Beth and her brothers

The ceremony itself was really lovely. Heather sang beautifully, as always, and Beth and Kevin looked so in love.

VIDEO: Heather singing "Amazing Grace"

The new Mr. and Mrs.!

After the ceremony, we moved directly into the reception hall. The room was full of character and really very nice. The food was delicious, and the couple served wine they had made themselves! I thought that added a great personal touch. A good time was had by all. And their cake was really good - chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling and some sort of cherry glaze, topped with chocolate shavings. YUM!

The wedding cake!

Aren't they sweet?

Overall, the wedding was great, and I'm so happy for Beth and Kevin! Congratulations to the newlyweds!

Me with the newlyweds at the end of the evening

And, on the way back to the hotel after the wedding, we even got to see a few fireworks from the car! So that was a good way to end our Fourth of July. And, fireworks aside, the sunset was enough of a colorful show to suit my lit-up-sky-on-the-Fourth needs:

Sunset picture taken from the car on the way home - you can even see the tiny sliver of a moon in the sky!

After we got back to the hotel, Heather and I relaxed in the hotel hot tub for a bit then watched another episode of Dexter (seriously, great show!). Saturday morning we got up and packed up to leave, then had lunch together before catching a shuttle to the airport. And that was the end of our Michigan trip!

As an aside, I'd like to mention that our trip to Michigan was pretty educational for Heather and me. We learned some things about Michigan that we would not have known, including:

• The Detroit airport is unnecessarily ginormous and somewhat confusing (I had to ask for directions for how to get out!).
• Michigan gas stations do not sell beer. Sad, but true.
• Sometimes in Michigan, the temperature only gets up to 75 degrees or so, even in July.
• It stays light outside really late in Michigan. 

This picture was taken at 9:45pm with no flash - it was really this light out at 9:45!

This is Heather being amazed at the amount of lightness for the time of night.

(It's also a good shot of Heather handling the "cold" Michigan temperatures...she's wearing my cousin Mike's suit jacket.)

So, that was our Michigan experience. Congrats again to Beth and Kevin! And, on a similar note, I'd also like to congratulate my cousin Jacob and his new fiance, Zita! I'm so happy for all my cousins!

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! I hope you all are enjoying your day, eating cookout food, watching fireworks, and doing other various patriotic things. I'm in Michigan with Heather for our cousin Beth's wedding, which I'll be sure to post about when I get back! Until then, Happy Independence Day from the W. Family!

Mixed Emotions

Lately I've really been going back and forth between being super excited to move to New York, and super sad to leave DC. Don't get me wrong, I really am incredibly excited about this upcoming move. I have wanted to live in New York for years now, and I'm so glad I'll finally get that chance. I'm so proud of Eric for his job, I can't wait to live in our new apartment, and I know that New York has so much to offer us. I really think it will be a blast and can't wait to be there!

On the other hand, I'm really kind of bummed to be leaving DC. The last time I made a big out-of-state move (from Gainesville to DC), I really felt ready to go. I had gotten everything out of Gainesville that I possibly could and was ready to leave it behind and start the next chapter of my life. I think my problem now is that I'm not sure I've gotten everything out of DC yet. I feel like there's still so much to see and do here. Somehow, the last three years have flown by and all the things I kept putting off aren't going to get done now, because there isn't time.

I think a big catalyst for these mixed emotions has been the realization that I'm leaving my job. I had hoped that I might be able to continue to work for my boss from New York (much of what I do can be done long-distance), but it's looking less and less like that will happen to the extent that I was hoping, and that makes me sad. We took on an intern this summer, and it seems she will be taking over for me when I go, and I'm already starting to sort of phase myself out. I kind of expected that it would turn out this way, but it still is really sad to train someone to take over a job that you don't want to leave. I love my boss, I love the work that I do, I love my office, I love our clients. I really hate to leave it all behind. I'm trying to tell myself that this is for the best...perhaps by forcing myself to find something new, I will find an even better opportunity than what I have now. I hope that's the truth!

Plus, I just really like it here, and that's the bottom line. I love our apartment. I love our neighborhood. I love living among these monuments and beautiful sites and all these DC people. I can't imagine not being able to go walk the monuments if the mood strikes, or spend an afternoon shopping in Old Town Alexandria. I just really, really like it here. And I don't feel ready to go, at least not like I did when I left Gainesville.

I almost didn't write this post because I definitely don't want to give off the impression that I am not happy about moving to New York, but I felt that I should share all aspects of this life change, not just the happy parts. I really can't express how excited I really am to be a New Yorker...like I said, I've wanted to live there for years and am so glad that I'll finally have the chance to do so. I know it's going to be so much fun, and I can't wait for it to be August so we can get up there! It will be really, really great. But for now, it's just a little bittersweet for me.