Ok, so I know I’m posting this on a Wednesday not a Tuesday, but I have my reasons. Or excuses… I was jet lagged, I had to work, and then I left my phone at work so I was missing some pictures. Anyway, better late than never right? Today’s post is a different kind of Tourist Tuesday anyway. It’s not really about Baltimore, it’s about being back in my home town and attending my friend Emily’s wedding in Baltimore. Emily got married to Matt, whom she met in business school.

And I gotta tell you, I was so excited for this trip. Sure it was going to be a short trip, but I was dying to see my childhood friends Lisa, Emily (bride), Emily (not the bride), Rachel, and Kelly. I love them! I’ve known them for over twenty years and when we get together it’s always a blast and always feels like a home coming. 

Last Thursday my friend Lisa and her husband Mike picked me up at the airport and took me to get some dinner. We decided on fast food in part because it was late and in part so I could re-immerse myself into American culture. They took me to Arundel Mills, which is a gigantic mall with a casino and many fast food places all in a row. They took me to Wendy’s for a frosty (it’s like a milk shake) and then to Chik-fil-A for waffle fries. My brother Eric recently moved back to Maryland so he stopped by Lisa and Mike’s and we all sat around and talked for awhile.

On Friday, Lisa and I started our bridesmaid duties. We were in charge of getting materials to make flower crowns for the photo booth at the wedding. Our day started at Michael’s, which is a huge store that has everything for crafting and home decor. It’s the kind of store where you go and buy the things you need, then also things you think are cute, things that remind you of something you saw on Pinterest, and things that make you think, “yeah I could start a hobby in knitting/woodworking/whatever.”

I wandered around a lot, but only got off task a little bit. I bought some autumn leaves sprinkles and a small Thanksgiving ramekin. Mainly, Lisa and I had an absolute blast picking out fake flowers and greenery for the crowns – and best of all practically everything was 60% off. The next day the bridesmaids – and even the bride too – made flower crowns as we got ready and I’m really proud of how well they came out (and lasted over the whole night). In the picture above you can see Lisa making photo crowns and then a photo from the photo booth of me and my girls (from left to right, Kelly, Emily, Emily, Me, Lisa, Rachel, and Emily’s husband Jim’s hands) all wearing the crowns. I think we did a fine job. The photo booth photos were done by Poseybooth.

After shopping we met up with our friend Rachel for lunch at Nando’s. Nando’s is big here in London but I had never been before! So yummy! Then the three of us went to get our nails done at Bliss in Odenton. It’s a gorgeous nail salon off the beaten path. At first, I felt like the quality of the manicure wasn’t very good (Rachel and I both got cut and bled) but the nail polish has lasted nearly a week with just one chip (and I ate crabs, but more on that later).

Preparation done, it was time to finally drive to Baltimore for the rehearsal and dinner. I didn’t take many pictures during the early part of my trip, and now I wish I had. But the reason I didn’t take any pictures was because those places are part of the fabric of my upbringing. They are the places I know so well I can picture them better than any photograph. After the wedding we slept in Lisa’s parents basement, a place where I’ve spent many sleepovers before. The after party was by the Baltimore Harbor, a place where I’ve spent countless birthdays, New Year’s Eves, and celebrations. And the wedding itself was at Emily’s house a place where I spent many summer days swimming in the pool.

As Lisa and I drove all over the Baltimore area on 83 and 695 – roads I’ve been on hundred of times before it all felt comfortable and familiar. I know the landmarks, the lush trees surrounding the roads, and the spot on 695 where the radio never works. In high school I’ve probably driven on those roads with my friends talking about tests, college application and boys. This time Lisa and I talked about greying hair, saving for a house, and politics. The conversation has changed, but it felt exactly the same as it always had.

The rehearsal was at Emily’s house and then after we went to dinner at Sammy’s Trattoria. Matt’s (the groom) mother made us name tag buttons that said our names and how we were connected to the bride and groom. There was so much food! I started with apple cider sangria, then there were appetizers, then there were two kinds of pasta, salmon, chicken, and two kinds of dessert. Also, in talking to two other girls over dinner I learned that they were both in love with a chocolate chip cookie recipe from Jacques Torres that I’m going to need to try. After dinner we went for drinks at the James Joyce Pub, which is my parent’s favorite place to get a burger.

Saturday was all about the wedding.  We spent the day make flower crowns and getting pretty (that’s Emily in the photo above getting her make up done). We bridesmaids got to choose our own dresses as long as they were blush colored and flowy. I was impressed with how closely our dresses matched. Emily wore her mother’s gown which has been altered  for modern use (not more sleeves or turtle neck). It was such a lovely dress. I got my hair done in a side ponytail with just natural looking make up.

I was especially in love with the flowers! The wedding was filled with them. I also love bouquets with lots of texture and thought the fuzzy branch things were amazing. Emily’s bouquet was even more impressive with peonies, succulents, and rosemary.

As the guests started to arrive we spied on everything through the windows of the house. It was fun to see everyone’s outfits, see friends I hadn’t seen in awhile, and see the beautiful set up. Below are some shots taken by Mike. Below is Kelly and Dan – and I love this picture of him laughing. Kelly is my oldest friend and she befriended me on the first day of second grade when I was crying. There’s also a photo of Greg (Rachel’s boyfriend), Rachel, Mike, and Matt (the matron of honor’s husband). Everyone was looking pretty.

The ceremony was beautiful. It was a fairly religious ceremony but it had advice for everyone. He talked about loving each other, not putting everything on the other person, and to also give love to others. Mostly though, I loved watching the radiant happiness on Emily’s face. Just look at her as she walks in and out of the ceremony!! The pictures are blurry but her facial express is perfection.

My favorite part of any wedding though is the reception. I love good food and I love dancing They had two signature cocktails, incredibly delicious food (it was the first time I ever liked kale), and a great band called Spectrum. Also they had flip flops on the dance floor, which I totally used when my heels got painful.

But again, back to Emily. I love this photo (below), although blurry, of her and Matt getting ready to enter the tent. She hiked up her dress and the two of them literally bounded in. They then did their first dance and they are painfully, adorably cute and in love. Their first song was “All of Me,” which is usually done by John Legend and Emily sang it! And it was a surprise to everyone. She has always been an incredibly singer and she had secretly recorded the song and had it played for their dance. It was so beautiful and I’d love to hear it again.Overall it was a great party. The music was awesome, I got a minor shout out in the father of the bride’s toast for having traveled the farthest, and my friends and I had a blast in the photo booth. Below is a photo of our entire crew (girls+partners) minus Ryan and Matt. Love that photo, except for that Rachel’s face is blocked out of the E+M stamp.

Sunday was my last day in the US and Lisa and Mike made sure I got to do some things I’ve been missing. They took me to Target where I literally skipped through the store. It is such a fun place to browse! I went home with 5 different kinds of m&m’s, Sour Patch Kids, Tootsie Rolls, and two kinds of Oreos. I also saw crazy things like a Joe Flacco doll, a Chewbacca doll, sodas that spell NFL, and a cheeseburger pinata. God Bless America right?! This stuff is awesome!

Then Lisa and Mike did the best thing ever and they got two dozen crabs and some pumpkin beer for lunch. Picking crabs is my favorite thing to do over the summer. I love sitting around chatting with my friends. I love the burn on my lips from Old Bay. I love how messy it is. And I’m so glad I got to squeeze it in. It was too fast, but it was a perfect weekend. Repeatedly I felt so lucky to have such good old friends, that they have found such nice partners, and that no matter the time or the distance between us we can get back together and have a blast. Being with them is like wearing your favorite sweater: it feels comfortable and make you happy. I can’t wait until we’re reunited again.

* Thanks to Mike, and I think Dan, for the photos taken while I was doing my bridesmaid duties. Poseybooth took all the photo booth pictures (the ones with the E+M). They were super cool and emailed us the link to the photos immediately!

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Get ready friends, because this is a big Tourist Tuesday. A lot has happened since last week, and if you don’t remember you can catch up with Part 1 of Back in the DMV. When last I left you, I had been to my friend Mala’s bridal shower and I had spent the day hanging out with my childhood friends. After that I spent the rest of the week walking around DC, catching up with friends, and going to Mala’s wedding. Let me tell you about it. 

On Tuesday, I went to get my hair cut at Fiddleheads in Dupont. Yes, I flew across the ocean and decided to get my hair cut. I haven’t found a place in London that I really like, and I love Fiddleheads because they specialize in curly hair cuts. I had about 4 inches cut off and the pile of hair on the floor looked like a small dog. It was gross and amazing and I sort of wanted to take a picture of it.

I then went to visit my colleagues at Live It Learn It. It was wonderful to go back, but also a little tough since I was so sad to leave the job in the first place. In case you don’t know, Live It Learn It provides students from DC public schools with opportunities to visit and experience the museums and monuments throughout the city. Live It Learn It goes into the classroom to prepare students for their trip, and then students gets hands-on experience at sites throughout the city. It’s an amazing organization. Since I left, Live It Learn It is now in a beautiful new office, and the surrounding area is mostly the same but there were a couple of new shops in the area too. When I arrived we sat around, had some snacks, and chatted. I caught them up on what I’m doing in London and I got to hear about new programs, classes, and developments at Live It Learn It. The organization is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary next month and I got to hear all about their plans for commemorating the event. As I left, I felt blue about not being around anymore but glad that every thing was going well, and that I still get to help out a bit now and then.

Although most of my DMV vacation was about going to favorite places and seeing friends, I did want to do a little traditional tourist site seeing. I took the metro to the National Mall, and decided to walk the monuments. First, of course is the Washington Monument. Here’s my first, but not last, Abrhama Lincoln reference of the post. See where the color changes in the stone? That’s because during the Civil War, Lincoln stopped construction on the monument, and when they started building again they used stones from a  different quarry. Anyway, it’s not DC without construction, so you can see work being done on the Capitol Dome in the background of the bottom right photo.

After that, I went over to the Lincoln Memorial. I saw some helicopters fly by, which is another nice DC treat (photo at top of the post). I like the Lincoln Memorial in part because it has such lovely views. I could see over into Virginia (top left picture, above) and all the way back to the Washington Monument. It’s tough to see, but I attempted a good picture of the Washington Monument with the spot marking where Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. But, I really love this monument because Abraham Lincoln is my favorite, so I love this monument. After I left Lincoln, I went to peak over at the World War II Memorial, and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial (above photo, bottom left).

Next, I did a little tour of places where I used to work. First I went to the Newseum. One of my favorite things about the Newseum is the botched headlines they print on tiles in the bathroom. But, the real reason I went was to see the exhibit called “President Lincoln is Dead,” which is about the news coverage of Lincoln’s assassination. It’s about to be the 150th anniversary of the assassination and the Newseum is on the site of the National Hotel, which is where John Wilkes Booth was staying at the time – so that’s why they are having this exhibit. The exhibit itself is pretty small, but quite nice. My favorite part was learning how papers stayed up to date. The New York Herald printed seven special editions, some within one hour of each other. Each new addition had a new fact (and sometimes rumor) about the events of the assassination. The most interesting paper though was the one above officially announcing the president’s death. They printed black bars between the columns to show mourning and it reminded me of the black mouring bunting hung on buildings, like Ford’s Theatre.

If you’ve never been the Newseum, I do recommend it. For DC, it’s a pricey at $23 for an adult ticket. But the ticket is good for two days and the museum is amazing. They have a piece of the Berlin Wall and part of the antenna from one of the World Trade Center buildings. They have newspapers that are over 200 years old and photographs that will astound you. It’s a cool place, you should go.

After the Newseum, I then headed over to Ford’s to visit my friends/former colleagues. As you can see I had a warm welcome from my friend Anna. But that was just a quick visit, my real time with my Ford’s girls, Anna, Ashley, and Charlotte, was later in the week when we had brunch. We went to Ashley’s house and had a crepe buffet brunch. We had mimosas, Bloody Mary’s, and sweet and savory crepes. My favorite crepe was a bananas fosters one made by Charlotte. Although, when we went shopping for ingredients, Charlotte and I went to Trader Joe’s and bought cookie butter. It was like nutella, and cookies, and sugar, and perfection all wrapped into one. I did bring home two 48oz jars of peanut butter, but I should’ve also brought home one jar of cookie butter. Missed opportunity.

But, the real reason that I wanted to go to Ashley’s was to visit her new baby son. He was so tiny and adorable and snuggly. It was also nice to see Ashley with him. She is a chill mom and seems totally confident and is just wonderful with him. It was also wonderful to see her dog Tuck, who Ryan and I used to dog sit. He is a really loving dog, and you can see he’s curious about the baby – but it’s also clear that sometimes he wants to be petted instead of the baby. I tried to spread the love and give them both cuddles, but as you can see from the photos I was super excited about the baby.

The main event of the whole week in the DMV was Mala and Sean’s wedding in Baltimore. I was the Matron of Honor so I had to make a speech and do a dance! I was a little nervous because since I live across an ocean I haven’t been around for much of the wedding preparation – but once I arrived I devoted all my time to the bride. I held her train, I calmed her nerves, and I safety pinned her into her clothes. Whatever she needed, I was there.

It was a really beautiful day. She had both a Catholic and Hindu wedding ceremonies. Let me say, Mala looked progressively more gorgeous throughout the day with more sparkly and decorated outfits. It was so wonderful to watch her get ready and help her be beautiful. For the Hindu ceremony, it starts with the Baraat, which was Sean’s procession. He came in on a white horse and the rest of the guest and wedding party were dancing in the streets. It was awesome and slowed traffic as everybody watches us get our groove on. What I loved most, was how happy Sean looked and how much he was enjoying himself. I loved seeing him that excited to marry my best friend.

For me, the best part of the day was being there for Mala. I gave a toast, which I think went well. I told some funny stories about her, although of course I kept the best ones to myself. She said it was a “roller coaster of emotions,” which is pretty much what I wanted. And, as I said before, I had to do a dance. The bridesmaids and some of Mala’s family did a medley of dance routines at the reception in front of all the wedding guests. The other bridesmaids and I had practiced and we were all totally nervous – but once the music came on we jumped in and had a great time. It wasn’t perfect, but it was fun and Mala beamed at us the whole time which was nice. It was great that she appreciated it so much.

I also got to see some of my college friends, Lynn, Kim and Norma. We danced, told old stories, made up new jokes that don’t make any sense, and took some funny pictures. We can’t stay up as late or get down as low as we used to, but being together felt just like old times. The whole wedding a blast. I danced so much I was sore the next morning. I don’t think I could have had more fun.

I was nervous about this trip to the DC area. A year ago, I didn’t want to leave and move to London because I was sad to leave friends, family, and jobs behind. I was nervous about visiting again because I like London and I didn’t want those feelings to come back. If I’m honest, sometimes it was tough to be back. I felt nostalgic and homesick and I wanted more time with my friends. But, what I know is that even though time passes and we’re getting older, softer, and more gray haired – the people and places I love are still there for me. They are still there and when we’re back together it’s a blast. And now, I can always look forward to another amazing trip back to the DMV.

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It was fun being back in the US but also sometimes weird. Here’s why. It was nice sounding like everyone else. I knew that the words, phrases, and structures of my sentences sounded were the accepted vernacular and if I said “pants” no one thinks I mean “underwear.” That might sound silly, because yes we all speak English here, but it was nice really fitting in. It was great to see things that were familiar, even if it was just a highway or a Target. Also the weather was so lovely! Bright blue skies, warm sun, and temperatures read in Fahrenheit. Just kidding, I’m totally getting good with Celsius, but the weather was truly to die for. I loved the changing leaves the sunny weather!

It was weird though to be “home” but  not have working cell phones and have to use an adapter for my hair dryer. I saw a commercial for the new iPhones and the script in the US is almost exactly the same as the UK script, the difference is the actors. It’s weird because, I immediately knew the actors in the UK commercial, but I couldn’t place the American actors. But the weirdest thing was when Ryan and I crossed the street we looked for the cars on the left. THE LEFT. I’m adapting to my environment people! I’m really glad I am adapting, but it was weird to notice it.

The best part of the weekend was getting to see my family and friends. My parents flew down to Raleigh and spent the weekend with us. We also saw a ton of our friends from when we lived in Arlington. I will tell you more about my friends later, as I got some flack for referring them to “friends” and not by name.

We arrived on Thursday after almost getting bumped off of our flight from JFK to Raleigh. It was super stressful but we made it. My parents picked us up and took us to the Angus Barn, a really nice steak house that looks like a cozy country cottage on the inside. I so greatly regret that I didn’t take any pictures because it was a wonderful welcome-back America meal. We had giant steaks, potatoes, greens, and fried apples. We also shared cheesecake, key-lime, pecan, and chocolate chess pies. The steak was so tender and the chocolate chess pie was rich and gooey. Glutinous I know! I highly recommend going there if you want to have a hugely filling American steak dinner.

The next day Ryan had to go do groomsman things, so my parents and I went shopping at Target. I have so missed Target. I love that at Target I can buy everything I need and things I didn’t even know I wanted. I bought nail polish, and Tylenol, and a shower drain cover, and candy and more. Here are some things I didn’t buy, but are examples of why Target and America are awesome – because you can buy anything. In the Halloween section they had skeleton hands salad forks! I also found a HALF GALLON bottle of salsa. A half gallon. That is about the size of my whole fridge. Along with that there was mix for maple bacon cookies (which ordinarily I would buy just to find out about it). Also, who doesn’t want a Ryan Gosling notebook, good for writing out all your hopes and dreams? Best of all, a triple-double pack of Oreos. Ryan was mad I didn’t buy them. So am I. Someone go out and buy them and tell me about them.

My parents and I also walked around by UNC’s campus. We went to the Ackland Art Museum, which was really nice with such an array of stuff. We saw Andy Warhol photos, Greek vases, and Abstract Modernism paintings. I also did a little shopping around the neighborhood. I bought a kitchen towel, which I’m sure will someday be shown here on the blog. And I got an infinity scarf that’s faux-fur on one side and black cable knit on the other. Here’s a selfie of me and the scarf when I was at the JFK airport.

The best thing I did with my parents, was eat some Carolina barbecue. It’s a meal I know won’t be easily replicated here in London. We found the Backyard BBQ Pit. This place is surrounded by large mainstream shopping malls, but it sits there with its unassuming exterior luring eaters in with the amazing smelling smoke billowing out the back. The smoke smells sweet and smokey, and meaty and woody. It was mouth watering. Inside the restaurant is plainly decorated, but the windows are framed with puffy pink curtains and the walls are covered with peoples’ names written in marker. I got the beef brisket, my dad got pulled pork (not pictured), and my mom got the ribs. We all shared and the ribs were the winner, so much so, we went back to buy another round. The meat was so tender and the sauce was rich with a nice tingly spice. It was delightful, and as you can see I spent my time in America eating meat.

Saturday was the wedding! It was so nice to see our friends, Josh, Amanda, Charles, Brad, Haley, Shane, and Molly at Sarah and David’s wedding. You can see them in the photo below (and I know the picture of me and Ryan is goofy, but I sort of like it). But before we go on, let me digress for a second to right a few wrongs. Josh (with the beard) and Shane (top right) were giving me grief about calling them “friends” in past blog posts. Josh used to live across the street from Ryan and me, and he often came over for dinner, so I bet I have called him “friend” in the past. However, I totally gave him credit that time he drove me to the airport when I moved to London. Shane, is more specific and wanted me to say he was there when I made mozzarella sticks. I’ve fixed that blog post, but I’d like the record to show that Shane is also mentioned when I made taco salad and cauliflower gratin.  I know I’m being a bit cheeky about this, but I really appreciate that they read the blog and want to be mentioned. Thank you guys!

The wedding itself was really lovely! It was short and really romantic and personal. The officiant read secret letters the bride and groom had written about why they loved each other. It was very sweet and tender. It was clear they also thought about every detail to make it a beautiful day. From the favors, to the paper products, to the decor – it was all beautiful. My favorite elements were the sequined table cloths and the amazing flower displays. This might not make any sense, but the flowers were like sculptures and flowed like waterfalls. It was beautiful!

I had such a blast catching up with our friends, eating lots of cake, and dancing. When the wedding came to an end we didn’t want the party to stop. We headed over to Goodfellows and promptly realized we’re no longer college kids. It was loud, we sat in a corner booth, and the strobe light was shining in my eyes – but it was still fun. It was comfortable and I felt warm and fuzzy about them all. I was so happy to hang out with people we loved. Hopefully next time we can get them all to London.

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My family and I went to Crete because my mom’s colleague Elias was getting married. We stayed at Bella Vista, a hotel in Stalida (Stalis) Crete owned by Elias’ parents. They were the most generous and hospitable hosts I’ve ever met. The hotel is up on a hill, about a ten minute walk from the beach. There is a pool, a family of semi-stray cats, and a gorgeous view. About thirty wedding guests stayed at the hotel and every night up to the wedding Elias’ parents cooked a giant feast. There was salad, bread, lamb, meatballs and much more. Sorry I didn’t take any pictures of the food.

We spent a lot of time lounging at the pool. We also took the walk over to the beach. Although technically not far, it was hilly and  very hot – which resulted in some amount of whining on the walk. One day at the beach Papa and I rode a banana boat. We had done it years and year ago when I was in middle school and I remember it being so much fun. If you’re not familiar you can see a picture of it here. Basically it’s a floppy raft pulled behind a motor boat and as the boat hits the waves, the banana boat bounces. It was fun – but also super scary. We were riding with two other tourists and I ended up in the very front of the boat. I was bouncing around like crazy and holding on in a crazy white-knuckle grip. When I got off and back to solid ground, my hands hurt and could barely uncurl. My mom said she could see my flying off the seat during the ride. As I said it was fun and scary. I’m glad we did it – but it was like a haunted house tour because it’s almost more fun to remember it after than to actually do it.

One of the days Elias’ parents organized an outing for the guests. We went to Knossos and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. Knossos is an archaeological site of a palace that is tied to the myths of King Minos and the minotaur. I was so very excited to go there but we had the worst tour guide ever. She was wearing an orange beach sarong as a dress and matching orange jewelry. She spent 40 minutes of our hour tour talking by the entrance, and wouldn’t budge when Elias and his friend asked her to show us the sites. She also spent most of her tour complaining about how European excavators did everything wrong. They may have done it all wrong, but I wanted to learn about the people who lived here and she spoke little about that. It was really annoying and we didn’t see everything I would have liked. She almost convinced us not to go to the throne room too, but what we did see was pretty cool. I enjoyed picturing what the palace would have looked like whole and how gorgeous it would have been covered in frescoes.

After Knossos we went to a nearby restaurant and had an epic feast. There was of course salad, lamb, bread, and olive oil. But there were also snails, tomatoes on crusty bread, squash blossoms stuffed with meat, and beer. The group of about twenty of us sat at a big long table and they kept bringing out course after course. We’d finish a drink and a new one would appear. Since we were celebrating a wedding they brought us a traditional rice dish that is supposed to bring fertility. It mostly tasted like hot rice with chicken broth. It was an amazing meal and afterward we were stuffed. I apologize for my messy pictures but I was half way through gorging myself before I thought to take pictures.

Lunch completed, we went to the Archaeological Museum. Since our first tour guide was awful, Elias’ best man (who is a doctor not a tour guide) led us through the museum. He was awesome! So knowledgeable and enthusiastic. He knew so much about Crete and the history of the island. I took pictures of the giant intact storage pots and the frescoes from Knossos. The originals are at the museum and copies at actual Knossos. Also I took a picture of the snake goddess, which I had learned about in undergrad art history. Apparently early cultures on Crete were a matriarchal society and the bare chested woman holding snakes was a powerful symbol. Cool, right?

The wedding itself was the last Saturday we were there. The ceremony was outside a tiny chapel next to the water. The guests waited outside the chapel and the bride and groom were driven up separately in a beautiful convertible with the horn blaring their arrival. It was fun an exciting. They processed with their families toward the altar in front of the chapel and the guests all gathered around them. It was more casual than any wedding I’d been to before. People in the back of the crowd talked to each other quietly and walked around a little. At one point in the ceremony, the bride and groom are wearing crowns connected together. They walked around the altar and the guests threw rice from small bags at them. The bride had told me earlier that in total they had bought 30 pounds of rice to throw! There was rice everywhere and all night we could see rice in peoples’ hair.

The reception afterward was gorgeous. It was at a resort that was so amazing because the rooms looked like little villas and were on winding streets. The reception was held in a huge hall right along the water. The buffet was enormous. There was one room of mains and one room of desserts. There was so many kinds of meat too – lamb, chicken, beef, rabbit, and fish. There was also more traditional fertility rice, like we had at lunch. In the dessert room there was baklava, six flavors of ice cream, cookies, cakes, and fruit. They had a dj, a band, and traditional Greek dancers. And there were shots. So many shots of raki and ouzo that just kept coming. There was lots of Greek dancing too. I was too shy, but my parents were brave enough to jump in and try it.

It was a great night and we spent the next day relaxing by the pool drinking lemon Fanta. The whole experience – wedding, pool, banana boat, and food – was absolutely incredible.  It was really tough leaving Crete – it’s just so flipping beautiful.

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My 29th  birthday was a little over a week ago! I went to New York to have a last hurrah. I actually hadn’t been to New York since my graduation, and I was excited to go back and see the city one more time. On Friday (the 20th) I went to Staten Island and stayed with my friend Inga (who also has the same birthday as me). It was so great to catch up with her. She and I were roommates years ago when we studied abroad in Rome. Visiting her, I got to see her new house, meet her  beautiful daughter, and celebrate our birthdays. We had sushi and cake and it was wonderful.

I then went into Manhattan and met up with my  friend Chris, from graduate school. We sat in Battery Park, talked, and looked at the Statue of Liberty. It reminded me of the times when we used to pretend to go for a run along the water, but really we’d just walk and gossip. Then, I met up with my parents and my brother and we had a blast! Seriously, we indulged in New York. We ate at a few of my favorite restaurants. Lunch at Ippudo, dinner at John’s of Bleecker, and dessert at Max Brenner’s. We also found a tiny place that only sold macaroons! We bought six and shared them all. There were amazing flavors like passion fruit and lavender-honey. We also went shopping on 5th Avenue and browsed books at the Strand. It was a great New York weekend with some touristy activity and some old favorites.

After New York I hopped on the train back to DC. I got dolled up in a fancy dress and went as my friend Anna’s date to the Ford’s Theatre Gala. I saw some great theater, had a tasty dinner in the beautiful courtyard at the Portrait Gallery, took pretty pictures with my friend, and said goodbye to some of old colleagues. Great night. I stayed out way too late, but loved it anyway.

Then Monday and Tuesday were my last two days at work. I don’t talk about my job very much on the blog but I have loved working with Live It Learn It. While at Live It Learn It, I’ve had a wonderful time. In this job I’ve been busy running all over DC, I’ve taught lessons, met great students, befriended some awesome coworkers, and led field trips throughout the city. I’ve eaten more Wendy’s than ever before, I’ve sent group texts of just emojis, and I’ve helped create hilarious and weird Mad Libs. And I’ve laughed so so much. Live it Learn It has been everything I was looking for in a job and even though I’m moving they can’t get rid of me yet. I’m hanging on even while abroad.

And today’s recipe is truly for them. In the last year, almost every dessert I’ve made has been shared with my Live It Learn It family – including this one. I decided to dabble in gluten-free baking because one of my coworkers keeps a gluten-free diet. Baking is fun for me because I like sharing the finished product with others – so it’s more fun if everyone is included. I have loved bringing in cookies and treats for them and it doesn’t hurt that they always say nice things and eat everything I bring. I will miss baking for them.

I then spent the rest of the week packing up my apartment. It was stressful and I had a hard time deciding what to ship, store, and pack. It might sound trivial but I had a hard time editing down and Ryan got more than one crazy phone call from me. My parents came down and helped me pack, trash things, and move out. Thank goodness for them because they helped me be decisive and keep from completely losing my marbles.  I could not have done everything so effectively without them! During this move weekend, we also went to my friend Lisa’s wedding. I have known Lisa for over 20 years and it was wonderful to see her get married. She looked amazing – and unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of her! Her wedding was at the Center Club and it has the most beautiful view of Baltimore I have ever seen. The wedding was a blast. I danced with my friend’s 1 year-old son, I chatted with old friends, I danced some more, and then I sobbed when I said goodbye to my girls. We group hugged, and I felt loved and lucky. All in all, a great night and a wonderful farewell from Baltimore.

Now I’m sitting in my friend Charlotte’s guest room while her cat snuggles up on me. For those of you who know me, you know I’m anti-cat, but I’m actually liking this. What’s happening to me? My flight leaves later tonight – but until then my plan is to go to the pool and then out for dinner.

It’s been a busy ten days or so, but it’s been great. I said goodbye to many of my old homes – New York, Baltimore, and DC. I am deeply going to miss my wonderful network of people here, but being farther away doesn’t mean we’re really separated. To get a bit emotional, I want to say thank you for all the celebrations, activities, and fun I’ve had as I prepared for the move.  I’m so lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life.

But now I’m ready. I’m ready to go to London. I’m ready for new adventures, new jobs, new restaurants, new friends. Mostly, I’m ready to be back with Ryan. Get ready London, here I come.

This recipe is adapted from the America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook, How Can It Be Gluten Free? This book is awesome with lots of really clear and helpful advice and suggestions. I’ve changed it by adding a bit more xantham gum than ATK recommended. I thought it helped hold the shape of the cookie a bit better. These cookies are great and the only difference between these and regular cookies are the thin and delicate structure and shape. The other change was that I used chips and Reese’s pieces instead of normal chips. Gotta spice things up now and then, and get a little creative with the cookie add-ins, right?

Ingredients:

3/4 cup + 2/3 cup King Arthur All-purpose Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp xantham gum

1/2 tsp salt

8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup packed, light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/8 cup mini chocolate chips

1/8 cup mini Reese’s pieces

Directions:

1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, xantham gum, and salt in a bowl.

2. Whisk melted butter and sugars in a large bowl.

3. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until smooth.

4. Add in the flour mixture.

5. Add in the chips and Reese’s pieces.

6. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.

7. Preheat oven to 350°.

8. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Use two spoons to arrange 1.5 tbsp size rounds of dough onto the baking sheet. The two-spoons advice is important. The consistency of the batter is stickier and softer than a regular cookie. The spoons help make sure you can make normal looking cookies.

9. Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, for 11 minutes. Rotate baking sheet halfway through. As they cook, cookies will spread and they can get dark quickly, so be sure to check on them!

10. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before serving. The cookies are more fragile than gluten-full cookies so let them rest!

Messy level: This recipe is easy – there are only two bowls for this recipe and you don’t even need an electric mixer.

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