A Healthy Balance

If you haven't been to the Mosaic District in Fairfax, you're missing out. Hip, trendy and bustling with families and professionals, the Mosaic District offers tons of restaurants and shops to peruse. Bring your wallet though, since these places aren't the cheapest in NOVA. Here are some of the places I've been: True Food Kitchen (exactly what you think it is; great atmosphere) B-Side (small faux-dive bar where Patrick and I first got to know each other) Patrick woo'd me with these duck fat fries Ted's Bulletin (okay technically I've been to the Reston location but they have amazing homemade pop tarts) Choolah Indian BBQ (Patrick kept raving about this place so I finally had to check it out; similar to Noodles and Co./Chipotle but with Indian food; tasty!!) I chose white rice with paneer and tikka masala sauce. Basic but delicious! Requin (newbie restaurant by Top Chef alum Jennifer Carroll; happy hour photos below!)

I'm not a heavy drinker, but I've gotten into the habit of having a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. I like to think it helps me wake up, but I'm sure my body's conditioning has reduced the effect over time. I rarely have another cup later in the day, only in extreme circumstances like someone hands me a free drink or I have to work late and couldn't take a nap after teaching all day. And still, I worried that it would upset my stomach or I wouldn't be able to sleep when it was time. I want coffee to be a delightful treat, not a necessity or over-indulgence. So a few weeks ago, on the first official Saturday of my summer break, I decided to forego my morning coffee. I wasn't trying to start a revolution, I just didn't feel like drinking hot liquid when it was already hot. And I was a free woman! I'll do what I want! As the day progressed, however, I was riddled with mysterious head pains (and I rarely get headaches). Rather than acceptin

Lilly, sweet Lilly...how you delight and frustrate me. Everyone keeps telling me that having a dog is the precursor to kids and so I can't help but note the parallels.  1. This is affecting my sleep. Patrick is naturally a night owl and I'm more of a morning person and so I have assumed the morning shift with Lilly. This involves taking her downstairs to pee first thing, falling back asleep for an hour, and then feeding her and taking her out again for a longer walk (with intermittent running when I'm up for it and also want to wear her out). The plus side of this regimen is that I'm getting consistent exercise every morning before it gets too hot. Also, sometimes I feel inspired to complete a solo workout after the walk. Other times I go back to bed. 2. Her interests change over time.  When we first adopted Lilly, we were told that rope toys were her favorite, and this still holds true. However, within a week, Lilly developed a sudden fascination with sticks.

Wildlife and animal enthusiasts, listen up! Artist Sonja Forster is right around the corner, ready to capture the heart and soul of whatever pet or wildlife you'd like on canvas. Originally from South Africa, Sonja has lived in Tanzania, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom. Her husband's job has now brought her to the Gainesville area, where she and her family reside at Vint Hill Farms. Each place she has lived, Sonja has used her environment as a both a learning experience and as inspiration for her art. With steady practice, experimentation, and study, Sonja has developed her artistic skills. Some of her recent pieces feature deer and foxes, native to the area.  "Devastation and Survival" Sonja's background in wildlife conservation inspires her to create evocative paintings that stir emotion within the onlooker. She prefers to paint with oil over acrylic, praising its rich, "luxurious" color and texture. Sonja devotes a lot of time on each paint

Yesterday I was plagued by tension. I kept finding my jaw clenched and willing myself to relax, shake it off. Deep breaths don't always help. All throughout my evening shift at work, I felt off kilter. "On edge" is really the most fitting idiom. I initially thought it was stress over leaving the puppy at home, but I knew she was safe with Patrick-this ran deeper.   Before bed, I went to the counter to take my nightly medicine and realized I hadn't taken my birth control the day before. Since I take my anti-anxiety and birth control pills at the same time, it made sense that I must have accidentally skipped them both. Realizing the true culprit for my heightened anxiety all day was both affirming and chilling. It was validating to pinpoint the cause of my feelings, but it was also a dark reminder of my life without medicine. Twenty-four hours without my anti-anxiety medicine and I was tense, stressed, and distracted.  Spending your energy trying to regulate your em

After watching several youtube videos, somehow I am dying to put charcoal on my face. Anyways, it happened. My recent order from Sephora included a free sample of a charcoal face mask and this lazy Monday morning was the time to try it out! First impression: It smells a little unpleasant, but tolerable, and was lumpy but easy to spread on my face. The best part, more surprising part was that I immediately experienced a cooling sensation all over my face, which felt soothing and invigorating. During:   It's really easy to get wrapped up in something else for 5-10 minutes. I think it's actually harder to tear yourself away from said thing and rinse your face with warm water. I could have easily left the mask on another 30 minutes, but then my face probably would have dried into a desert.  It was fun playing around with facial expressions when my skin was so taut. Kind of like experimenting with a post-dental procedure mouth but way more fun. The mask was easy

This weekend, a little girl I once knew walked down the aisle as an adult in a white, flowing dress. But I'll be honest, it's hard to view her as an adult. Snapshots of Amber as a baby, toddler, and young girl kept flashing through my mind, as if I was trying to make sense of what was happening in front of me. How was this girl, splashing around in floaties, getting MARRIED right now? Just like my dad says about me, maybe in some ways, I'll always think of Amber as one of my little girls.  Our families took an annual trip to Nags Head, NC every summer for about ten years. I loved playing with Amber and her cousins and was amazed to see them grow from summer to summer When Amber decided to attend Bridgewater College, I was excited because I periodically visited my brother in that area. One afternoon, my nephew Hu and I visited Amber at her school. We played with her in the dorm and then explored the nearby Wildwood Park. Another time, Hu and I cheered Amber on during a Bri

Oh, Manassas Mall, how you've changed. I have fond memories of visiting your movie theater as a child, spending hours in Claire's while my mom sat outside bored on the bench, snacking on Auntie Anne's pretzels and getting buy-one-get-one-free smoothies in the food court. Yes, half of these memories involve food and no, I'm not sorry. But every longtime local knows that the landscape of the Manassas Mall has changed quite a bit over the years. It's clean and sparkly now, but there are so many stores that don't interest me. Never fear--Fair Oaks is just a few car collisions away!   Anyways, a peculiar thing has taken up residence in the mall: a sprawling, fancy bowling alley/arcade/bar/restaurant/laser tag center!  It's called Uptown Alley and guys, it ain't bad.  Pros: Cheap appetizers and drinks for Happy Hour, comfy seating at the bowling area, ample storage space for shoes and purses, big screen TVs above the lanes (girls' softball?), ba

Hello again! Today's schedule was, for once, completely wide open. The joy! I was thinking of checking out a local brewery, but stumbled on this local festival instead: Celebrate Fairfax. Patrick and I were able to park at a nearby lot in Fair Lakes and take a free shuttle to the festivities. Super convenient. First stop: Food! Smoky bbq chicken (Patrick) and food truck quesadillas (me). Plus sno-cones and ice cream later--yum! The sun was searing and Patrick mercifully let me wear his hat so we found him one later. ;)   Attractions: There were tons of vendors, from local animal shelters to clothing pop-ups. We petted some sweet, well-trained dogs and watched a dog long jump competition. One at a time, each dog leaped into a pool of water and a judge announced their jumping lengths to the crowd. The longest jump we witnessed was 18 feet! I'd never seen anything like this before so it was my favorite part of the day.  We saw more animals over at the petting

Hey guys! This summer one of my main goals is to finish the young adult novel which I've been working on off and on...and off...for a while now. BUT I also want a platform to write about miscellaneous stuff, so here we are! This blog will include: *Trying new products (foot peel anyone??) *Everyday musings (peek inside my head) *Art from the bar (cool art spotted at Muse Paintbar...with permission, of course) *Day Trips (hoping to check out some new breweries, etc. this summer) As I get going, of course this may morph and evolve into something completely different, but I'm excited for the journey!  XOXO, Maria