I've gone on a lot of vacations over the last few years, but nothing is like going home. There is something so special and amazing to be around and with people who share your history and share your memories. People who know your soul and can read you like a book. I am so blessed with amazing parents, big sister and life long friends.
My college girlfriend (and life-mate!) and I celebrated our much too long separation by running our first half marathons my first weekend back in the states. It was a wonderful accomplishment and we are already planning on doing another one together.
Another weekend mom and I drove up to New Jersey to spend the weekend with my Grandma. I got to see a lot of my aunts, uncles and cousins. It was so nice to just hang out, watch old movies and eat lots of yummy food.
My amazing mommy friend just had her 2nd baby and this little newborn girl is just too cute for words. I love her to pieces! It was so incredible to see her other little one so grown up. Last year when I went home to visit he was a newborn and how he's walking and talking and looking like such a big boy. So awesome. And girlfriends are just the best. Loved getting to hang out with my ladies.
The last weekend I was home I crammed a ton in. My sister came home from a year working in the Republic of Georgia and our family got to be all together again! Mom and Dad had a nice get-together for our neighbors and friends.
Last year I didn't make it into the city and was super excited to get a
DC day this time. Mary, Kate and I went to one of my favorite places on
the planet, the Willard. We got fancy drinks at the Round Robin bar
and I promised myself for the millionth time that I would stay in that
hotel sometime soon. We walked over to the White House for a quick
hello to Obama and I just loved walking down those DC streets again.
Next we took a quick cab ride over to a German Beer Garden where we met
Kate's dirndls and lederhosen clad friends for some beers. So fun!
I was pretty bad about taking pictures this trip. I did so many amazing things, spent time with wonderful friends, did a lot of shopping (I bought something astonishing like 14 dresses alone), a lot of eating wonderful American food, and a lot of running through the trees around the lake. I did a lot of rocking on my parents screened in deck. I did a lot of thinking. Did a lot of things that make me overjoyed and happy. There really is no place like home.
To inspire and reward myself for taking on 13.1 miles I treated myself to my first ever shopping trip to Lululemon at Tysons Corner.
I got 2 new running/yoga outfits and I lovelovelove them! I wanted to wear one for the half, but I was told not to wear anything new on race day. So, these are an after race treat for me.
The 2nd outfit I got was the Run Inspire Crop II and Power Y Tank. I couldn't find a picture on their site, but the pants look similar to these ones and the top is purple with black polka dots.
It always motivates me to work out when I have great gear to wear!
I'm home in Northern VA!! It is so amazing to be
back with my family and friends. I'll be here for 3 weeks.
Tomorrow morning at around this time I'll be starting my first half marathon! I feel so nervous I am hoping I don't barf on the starting line. I do not feel prepared for this run at all! But, I've been wanting to run one, this race looks great, and I get to do it with my best friend, Kate, after not seeing her for years. What a way to reunite. One of the people she was running with couldn't do it, so I'm going to get her spot. So, I found out I'm going to run this thing ummmm 2 days ago.
I'll be participating in the North Face Endurance Challenge!
In this race you can do the 5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon, 50k and 50 mile! Oh my god, 50 miles!
This run will be far from boring. The site says: The North
Face Endurance Challenge returns to Algonkian Regional Park, Great Falls
Park and the Potomac Heritage Trail again in 2012. The course keeps
runners on their toes with ever-changing terrain. Overall, the course
consists of 50% singletrack, 30% dirt or gravel doubletrack, 10% gravel
carriage road and 10% paved road.
I will certainly be pushing my limits tomorrow. Last summer when my friends and I climbed Mt Fuji my girlfriend she said she'd rather run a marathon than climb that mountain again, so I'm hoping that's true, because Mt Fuji was one of the hardest physical and mental things I've ever done. And this time I'll only torture myself for like 2 1/2 hours. My only goal is to make it to the finish line, not die, and preferably not loose control of my legs and/or pass out. And hopefully I will be able to move tomorrow at least a little. Massage is already booked!
If you haven't been to Maine, go ahead and add it to your list right now. My grand parents started the tradition my becoming friends with a couple who built a cabin on the lake, my parents followed suit and passed on this wonderful place to my sister and I. My parents have been going up to Maine, to the same lake and the same areas for 40 years, that's just how much they love it. I've been going my whole life and my parents love to tell the stories of my sister wanting to see her brand new baby sister and tumbling me out of my bassinet, my sister dumping melted butter for the lobsters all over herself moments before I split my lip open from bouncing on (or rather off) the bed and the septic tank decided to back up too, and how we've taken the same picture beside the same cove of rocks every time we've come. Maine is not only a vacation destination for my family, it's full of memories, familiar places and nostalgia. I love it. It is something so very special.
Pemaquid Lake, Damariscotta, Maine. The lake we always stay on is Pemiquid Lake. Damariscotta is about the cutest little town ever. It's small, quaint and picturesque. It is so beautiful it's a small wonder why there are so many artist galleries. Small, non chain stores and restaurants thrive in Maine and the locals love to keep it local. There was a huge stink a few years back when the town got a McDonald's. We stayed in the very same island cabin that my grandparents used to come to and I'm pretty sure that the cabin and the things in it are exactly if not perfectly the same from when they used to come. This cabin is rustic. I'm pretty sure it qualifies as camping. No heat or AC, no phone, maybe 5 tv channels if you're lucky, and lake water is pumped into the cabin for washing and bathing so you have to use bottled water for everything that's going in your mouth like brushing teeth, cooking and drinking. We did wash the dishes in the lake water and I tried not to think about that. Don't get me wrong, the lake is huge and beautiful and wonderful to swim in (you can see your feet it's so clear or rather brownish from the tannins in the leaves). Ok so there is the inconvenience factor of having to row ourselves and every single thing over to land in a row boat every single time you want to go anywhere. And there is the bug factor, hordes of mosquitoes and moths and god knows what would get into the cabin and as I read with my kindle book light at night the buggies would dive bomb my light. But, big but here, it was fabulous. The nightly fires in the big old fireplace, the smell of the old log cabin, the views of the lake and the haunting calls of the loons at night made every second a treasure. Plus, I had my parents blissfully all to myself. Since the cabin owner is an old friend of the family we got to stay for free in exchange for my dad doing some minor handy-man repair work around the cabin. My dad is a fabulous woodworker and repaired a bed and a bunch of other wooden things. We swam, floated, rowed and kayaked around the lake and had a grand 'ol time.
Red's Eats, Wiscassett, ME. This place has won all kinds of fab reviews and rewards. I have dreams about these lobster rolls. Yes, they are that good. These rolls are huge, piled high with fresh Maine lobster meat. We accompanied ours with sweet potato fries and onion rings. It was the perfect start to our Maine trip.
Rachel Carson's Salt Pond, New Harbor, ME. This is a very cool spot to see even if you aren't nerdy and into biology like me. This tide pool captures all kinds of see life, the same ones that inspired Rachel Carson. We love this spot because of the incredible panoramic views of the spectacular Maine coast and my dad happens to be a big fan of "the big rocks" a short walk and around the bend from the tide pool.
Shaw's Wharf, New Harbor, ME. This is our favorite fish and lobster restaurant. Right on the water, the views can't be beat. And you can watch the lobster men coming in with their catch. You know the lobsters and fish are the freshest they can be.
Back Cove. Back Cove is off the beaten path a little bit and it's a bit tricky to get to, but if you ask locals they will point you in the right direction. This quiet, beautiful spot also has a big field of wild lupines, my mom's favorite Maine flower.
Boothbay Harbor, ME. We all love this adorable town. It's got a ton of interesting shopping and places to eat. All of which are local and of the kind you've never seen before. We always go Duck Pin Bowling when we're here too. It's like regular bowling, but you use a little ball and the pins are super skinny. This town has a little shop next to the bowling place and they make amazing fudge. We also had an incredibly good dinner at The Boathouse Bistro.
Monhegan Island, ME. I had my birthday in Maine and I got to pick what we did, so we went to Monhegan Island for the day. We took the Hardy Boat Monhegan Island Ferry over to this magical little island. There are no cars and no paved roads and I think someone told me there are only something like 70 people living there year round. The island has a village, an artist colony, a beautiful 17 miles of hiking trails, an old shipwreck, lighthouse museum, art studios and boast the tallest seaside cliffs. 3/4 of the island remain "forever wild." This island has a lot going on for only being 1.5 miles long and 3/4 mile wide. I never thought I'd go hiking with my parents and my yorkie, but we did and had a wonderful time. On the boat ride back we even saw a bunch of harbor seals.
For my birthday dinner we went out to the Schooner Landing in Damariscotta. We went back to the cabin for angel food cake with local Maine strawberries and whipped cream (my favorite cake ever) and sipped on almond champagne. Happy 27th to me!
Mt Battie, Camden Hills State Park. Another one of my favorite things is to have a picnic up on Mt Battie. "Camden Hills State Park signature location is the scenic vista high atop Mt. Battie where sweeping views of Camden, Penobscot Bay, and surrounding islands await." We stopped briefly in Camden on the way home.
Kennebec River Cruise, Boothbay Harbor. We took this 44 mile scenic river cruise and saw the beautiful Maine coast and 7 lighthouses.
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Bristol, Maine. "Pemaquid Point, with its dramatic streaks of granite reaching to the sea, shaped by massive movements thousands of years ago, would be a fascinating place to visit even without its pretty white lighthouse. The spot is one of the most frequently visited attractions of the Maine coast."
For 4th of July we went into Damariscotta for their adorable small town 4th of July celebration. There was a nice big town turn out and a pretty good local cover band kept us entertained as did a spectacular sunset as we waited for the fireworks to begin. I was thinking small town, dinky fireworks, right? Ummm no. This fireworks show knocked our socks off. It was so loud and close over our heads pieces of the fireworks were falling on us and the sound was overwhelming. We were in the right place, everyone was packed into the same place by the waterfront around us. Poor Sparky (my yorkie) was freaking out. I was freaking out! It was scary, a whole sensory overload for your eyes, ears, nose and whole body absorbing the explosions. The show was long and wonderful. I may go deaf a few years sooner in my old age because of this artillery/fireworks show. I was too busy trying to cover up my pups ears to cover up my own. My mom totally loved it and she said it's the fireworks show she's been waiting for. Who knew my mom was such an adrenaline junky!
This is a slideshow I put together for my parents.
I hope you all enjoyed learning some of my little Maine gems, you seriously just have to get up there. I know I'll be going back before too long and one day I'll bring my kids to continue the tradition.
I cannot believe how fast these 4 weeks back in the states have gone by. I fly back to Okinawa tomorrow and I have so much to catch you up on once I get back. I went to Jersey to visit family, Maine for a relaxing week and a half, back to Jersey and even snuck in a quick trip to NYC to visit my dear friend. I'm back in VA now and have been just savoring every minute. I don't feel ready to go back and there was a lot I didn't get to do that I wanted to, but I have 7... yes 7 boxes of USA goodness that I am shipping back to Oki. I'm usually not a huge shopper, but I went into a shopping frenzy these last 4 weeks apparently. This trip has done so much for me mind, body and soul. It was exactly what I needed. Saying good bye once again to mom, dad and Sparky, my friends and to this place that I love so much will be terribly hard. I have been literally feeling sick about it all day. But, all good things must come to an end and it's time to get back to real life. Bye USA!
Oh, my apologies for slacking on the blogging. I had so much to blog about, but it all got put on hold for a bit because I've traveled to the States! Yes, surprise, I took a trip home to visit the fam and friends. I got home a few days ago and will be here for 4 weeks. It seemed like the perfect time to take a little trip home to relax and reconnect. I love the good 'ol U.S. of A.! I will never ever take what we have for granted ever again.
So far I've enjoyed a lot of American food and time with mom and dad. I've been going on walks with mom around the neighborhood, running around my favorite lake, working with dad in his workshop, hanging out with mom and dad on the deck around the outdoor fireplace, watching the fireflies come out at night and listening to the tree frogs. Getting used to driving back on the right side of the road was just like riding a bike, although I do tend to turn on my windshield wipers instead of my blinker. I was worried that my pup Sparky wouldn't remember me, but he did! He is getting so old, but he is still my lil baby.
Today was a really special day! My good friend had a baby 3 weeks ago and today I got to meet him! I'm totally in love. I just love friends that no matter how long its been since seeing them when you get together it's like no time has passed. Except this time she has a new baby! He is such a doll; he pretty much sent my crazy baby fever into overdrive. Congrats to my beautiful friend!
Tomorrow I'm going to the farmers market with mom and then heading over to a wine festival with my girlfriends. I love America!
Saying good bye once again to mom, dad and Sparky, my friends and to this place that I love so much will be terribly hard. I have been literally feeling sick about it all day. But, all good things must come to an end and it's time to get back to real life. Bye USA!