I’ve Missed You Too
I’ve had a pretty prolonged and unexpected absence from the blog. Sometimes, that just happens with me. But other times, such as this, there is an explanation. And this time, I think it’s kind of fun and exciting!
After much consideration over the past year, many late night deliberations with Mike, and weepy phone calls with my mother and best friend, I have decided to take my career in a new direction. I went into the field of health and health care partly because it interested me but most because I really wanted to help people. I have learned a ton in the last three years working in the policy arena, but I was ready to explore a career that brought me in closer contact with actual people. After researching, soul-searching, and finally taking a big leap of faith, I put in applications to get my Masters in Social Work… and wouldn’t you know it, I got in.
So this was my big, long-winded lead into a big announcement… I am going back to school! Starting full-time in August, and for the next two years, I will be pursuing my MSW at Catholic University here in DC. I’m so excited about this I can’t even tell you. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner! The program at Catholic is the perfect fit for my interests while still allowing me to continue my life here in DC with Mike and the kitties.
I would be remiss not to mention how unbelievably supportive Mike has been through this whole process. I am one lucky gal to have a partner / future husband who supports my dreams and ambitions.
So basically, the last couple weeks have been CRAZY with making decisions, gathering paperwork, finishing out other commitments. And then… I took a break. We went to my parents’ house in North Carolina for Memorial Day Weekend (where I understand we were possibly the only people on the Eastern Sea Board with decent MDW weather) and now I blogging to you from Sunny California! (If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram – which you totally should – you already know this is where I am because I can’t stop taking pictures).
I had some days off and Mike had to take a business trip to the LA area. I bought a plane ticket and tagged along. I have never been to California before so I thought I couldn’t pass up this chance! It’s been amazeballs so far.
Anyways, I’m gonna log off now and get ready to head down to Newport Beach for dinner with Mike and a college friend of mine who lives in the area. Just wanted to pop in, say hello, tell you my news, and let you know that I missed you!! I promise to resume regular blogging again starting… RIGHT NOW 🙂
Questions for you guys:
- What did you do for MDW? Anything else fun you did that I missed??
- Any social workers or MSW students out there?? Show yourselves!
- Favorite place in California?Â
Cookout Remix!
Quick note before getting into today’s post… remember that time I totally chickened out of going to Mike’s running club’s track workout? Well last night… I went! I completed the workout and even made a friend! More on that soon.
So hopefully you all enjoyed your wonderful Memorial Day Weekends! After having just spent a weekend at the beach in North Carolina, I opted to stay in the city for the holiday and decided to seek out an urban oasis. Monday morning started with a run (I did 5 miles, Mike did 6, we both died afterwards from the sweltering heat at 9:30 am… hello DC summer). Then we headed over to my brother’s apartment building to hang out for the day. The afternoon was spent laying out by the rooftop pool and reading (and by laying out I mean I laid out and Mike spent the entire afternoon moving the umbrella around to prevent all sun exposure and asking if I needed to reapply my sunscreen hehe).
Note: these pictures were taken at about 1pm when the crowd was still pretty small / tame. By 4 pm it was like Spring Break in Daytona Beach up there!
After spending the afternoon by the pool we headed back downstairs  to have a little cookout! My brother’s apartment building has community grills in one of the courtyards and I was anxious to use them. I decided to take a gamble and cook up some veggie / turkey burgers for myself and the boys. I saw this recipe on SkinnyTaste a while ago and was really intrigued by the idea of including veggies in with the meat of a burger. I had to improvise a little because I wasn’t at my home kitchen… but luckily my brother is a great cook and his kitchen is amazing. Here is what I came up with:
I started with that basic turkey burger recipe of 99% lean ground turkey, two eggs, some Italian breadcrumbs, ketchup, barbecue sauce, salt, pepper, and parsley
Then instead of adding a grated zucchini, I chopped up some broccoli slaw and carrot chips into small pieces.
I was already feeling pretty good about these before we went down to the grills
Then Doug (that’s my brother… hey bro!) threw them on the grill (because he is the Grill Master General) and they were so juicy! Veggie success!!
We returned to the apartment (now with Doug’s friend Dan in the mix) to enjoy a delicious dinner of healthy veggie/turkey burgers (with cheese… obviously) and a big salad with Doug’s homemade mustard balsamic vinegarette dressing. Annndddd of course a cold glass of white wine.
It was the perfect end to an amazing weekend. Summer is officially here!!
christinazimm
Pennies on the Run 