Birthday Gifts

My ____th birthday is right around the corner. Do you know what the best part about birthdays is? Another year of life filled with memories that one should be thankful for? No! Celebrating getting a little older, but a lot wiser? No! Enjoying the company of friends and family as they celebrate your birth? No! While those are all lovely things, the BEST part about birthdays is obviously presents. Here is my preliminary list of items I would like to see wrapped up for me in a pretty, preppy bow. Enjoy!



This is the cake that I have requested for my birthday for many of my birthdays. It is Hummingbird Cake and it is, in my humble cake-loving opinion, the most delicious cake of all time. My mother is a fabulous baker and it is a requirement that she make me one on my birthday. The challenge I face every year is how not to consume the entire thing myself...always a struggle. ; )



A friend of mine alerted me to Lilly Pulitzer's line of murfee scarves with the different states being the inspiration for the design. I would love to get a Virginia (where I live) or a South Carolina (where I went to college) or a North Carolina or Georgia (where I hope to someday reside). Love these!



I love these bangles. I just can't decide which style I like most...or what color! Opinions, please!



I just re-decorated my living room (pics to come) and need a new throw blanket to match my new color scheme. This navy blanket would do quite nicely.



I love, love, love these Kate Spade mugs. I drink green tea every morning but I suspect it would taste more delicious in one of these beauties!


Six Random Thoughts for Monday

1. No offense to anyone who has one, but if someone offered me a free PT Cruiser, I still don't think I'd drive it. The same goes for a Cube.

2. I've noticed a phenomenon in the DC metro area lately - due in large part to the warmer weather I'm sure. Women who wear short dresses - for work or play - but neglect to realize that a slit in the back of a dress or skirt needs to be seriously reviewed when purchasing. For instance, I saw a girl on the way into work this morning who had an adorable (relatively short) dress on but the slit in the back made it indecent. I literally saw her unmentionables, which were a very bright color. Good for her on the fun underwear, bad for me that I saw another woman's panties before my morning tea. Don't forget, ladies - most dressing room mirrors have at least three sides! Please look at all angles before purchasing.

3. Do you think news organizations routinely get stories about people who shoot things through their heads (arrows, spears, nail guns, etc.) and survive, but wait a certain amount of time before reporting on them? It just seems to me that this type of story makes an appearance every 6 months or so on my morning news program...

4. Sometimes I really miss John Candy.

5. I bought this dress this weekend and I am in serious love. It is so comfortable, not to mention adorable. In case you can't tell what the pattern is, it's buoys! Very nautical. It is definitely going to be my go-to summer dress. Now, I just need to be invited a casual but chic event in Annapolis. How perfect would it be?!

6. Have you heard the rumors about Ann Curry leaving The Today Show? I, for one, am really happy about it. I'm sorry if there are a lot of Ann fans out there, but I just don't care for her. Her lack of chemistry with Matt and Al, and her lame sense of humor just makes her painful to watch. Plus, I feel like when she interviews people who have gone through a crisis she literally whispers the interview in an effort to seem extra sensitive. I saw her interview the Dalai Lama and I had to turn the volume up because she was almost inaudible. I miss Meredith - she also made me uncomfortable at times but her inappropriate sense of humor made me laugh. Plus, they were always making fun of her for drinking a ton of wine, which I also do. ; )

Anyone have any random thoughts they'd like to share this Monday? I'd love to hear them!

Dream Man

For single ladies who have not yet met 'the one' and for the married ladies who already have, let me ask you - do you or did you have a secret wish list for that super special someone? Obviously, everyone wants someone who is smart and has a good sense of humor, but I'm talking more specific. Needless to say, I have one. Truthfully, it's more of a complete persona than just a list. Let me tell you a little about him:

His (fake) name is Wade Montgomery. I thought it sounded really Southern, which he is. He is likely from Richmond, Raleigh, Charleston, Greenville, Charlotte - basically anywhere South of the Mason Dixon line. Because he was raised in the South, he has excellent manners and is a true Southern gentleman. His family still lives in the South where they run a (thriving) family business. He went to school (you guessed it) in the South and is a huge college football fan. He meets up with his fellow alum every Saturday at the local bar to cheer on his favorite team. Once he moves back to the South to raise his family (with yours truly) he will likely take over his family's business and live near his alma mater, making it easy to get season tickets to all the games. He is outdoorsy but is content to spend his outdoor time (fishing, hunting, camping) with his guy friends since his wife (again, yours truly) doesn't care for those activities. I will, however, participate in boating and/or sailing as often as I possibly can. He is very close to his family and one of his favorite times of the year is the week he spends with them at the beach every summer.

He is tall (I'm talking 6'2+), on the chubby side, has dirty blond, shaggy hair, a great smile and (this is crucial) dimples. He may or may not wear glasses when he reads. He wears visors and croakies and is not afraid to occasionally wear pink.

He uses phrases like 'Give me some sugar", calls me honey or sweetie or baby, and loves to hold my hand. He understands the importance of sending flowers and doesn't chastise me about spending oodles of money on clothes, decorating the house or mani/pedis. He adores my cooking. He can't wait to have children and will be a great father. He is patient and affectionate, kind and thoughtful. Oh, and he is smart with a great sense of humor. ; )

Know anyone that matches this description? If so, please let me know. My future happiness is in your hands....

Now - don't get me wrong - I am certainly not ruling out men who do not meet the requirements of my perfect man, nor am I consciously seeking out men who meet each and every one of my requests. I am simply putting out to the universe the type of man I hope to someday meet, preferably in the very near future. Is it possible my super special someone is a Yankee and not a Southerner? Short and not tall? Averse to ever wearing pink? I suppose it's possible... My question to you is - do you have a secret wish list? Is it as crazy as mine?

Come to think of it - this is him! My Wade Montgomery!!! Can you imagine having Paula Deen as your mother in law?! Heaven! ; )

3 Questions

1. Has anyone ever tried this workout? I have been doing it at least four times a week for the last 3 weeks or so. Unfortunately, I've actually gained weight! I'm hoping that I'm just gaining lean muscle and that, in time, the pounds will melt away. I have to admit - it is way harder to stick with something when you don't see results! Anyway, I'd love an opinion on this workout. I haven't done a lot of home workouts before but this one feels pretty intense to me. Thoughts? Comments?



2. Do any of you have that office colleague who makes things, i.e. jewelry, candles, etc.? Maybe they have a little shop on etsy, maybe they throw parties to sell their wares. Well, there is a woman at my office who makes baby blankets. In trying to make friends at my new job I foolishly mentioned how much I would just love to see her stuff and possibly buy one for one of my many friends who have had babies lately. Well, today she brought them in and, while they are nice, they're just not my style. I felt really pressured to buy one. They're not expensive but I would never give one to a friend - they're just sooo not me. None of them could even come close to being monogrammed. I didn't know what to do so I picked the least offensive pattern and she told me I could pay her tomorrow. Here's my question - how can I possibly get out this? I don't want to waste money on it, but I also don't want to hurt her feelings. Again, they're nice - just totally not my style. Advice, please!

3. Did anyone catch The Real Housewives of New Jersey last night? I watched small bits of it this evening and I swear Teresa referred to Jacqueline as having dual personalities like Hekyll and Jyde. Admittedly, I wasn't paying close attention because I'm always slightly concerned about how much my I.Q. is dropping while watching. Someone please confirm.

I have something to confess....

....something I've been keeping from you, my faithful blog friends.

 I, DC Prep, am best friends with Reese Witherspoon.

Ok, not exactly. But, when I was still not keeping up with my blog I had the opportunity to attend a pre-party for the White House Correspondents Dinner. For those of you who don't know, here in DC this is a pretty big deal. Lots of celebs grace the city with their presence and we (literally) roll out the red carpet for them. Now, to be fair, I am a huge nerd when it comes to celebrities, even faux DC celebrities (i.e. politicians). So, imagine me - in a relatively small room - only feet away from my favorite actress ever, the adorable and amazingly preppy Reese Witherspoon. I was in the middle of talking to my friend Rachel (pictured below) when her mouth literally dropped open, for at that moment the one and only Reese walked right by us with her new hubby and parked herself at a table only feet away. I was definitely a creeper who could not stop staring. After trying to pretend like I wasn't creepily staring I finally worked up the courage to ask her for a photo. I usually have mixed feelings about asking celebrities for pictures - I don't want to bother them, they deserve their personal space, they must get so tired of people asking them for pictures and autographs, etc - but at that moment I didn't care. I saw the chance and I grabbed it! I also kind of cut in front of some other creeper who I could tell was not nearly as big of a fan. I had prepared lots of things to say to her ("You are my favorite actress", "You are so gorgeous", "Congratulations on your recent wedding and your baby", "I love how Southern you are", "I love to monogram things too"). Okay - not all of them were stellar comments but they were 100% genuine. Honestly, I don't think I managed to say one of them. All I managed to get out was - "I'm so sorry to bother you but do you mind if I get a picture?" Ugh! Although I didn't verbally express the depth of my love and devotion to her, I'm pretty sure she and I bonded. She could sense my preppy attitude. And she could not have been sweeter or more kind. Looking back, I am so thrilled that I did approach her because, when you really think about it, you always regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did do. That's my new philosophy and I'm sticking to it! In closing, I will leave you with my favorite Reese quote....

"My sheets are monogrammed, so is my silverware and pretty much everything else I own. My rule is, if it's not moving, monogram it." I couldn't agree more. ;)

Enjoy the pics - the first is before I met Reese, the second is me with Reese, the third is Rachel getting in on the action and the fourth is just for fun. :)

Side note: We did see other celebrities (see below), but I felt Reese was the only one who deserved a full blog post. Viola Davis, Zoe Deschanel, Tory Burch, the gay brother from Modern Family (don't know his name), Harvey Weinstein and his wife (of Marchesa fame) and some DC celebs (again, politicians).

 

Somebody's obsessed with chevron....

My laptop is not cooperating with me so I'm sorry I haven't been posting more frequently. I hope y'all had a fabulous holiday weekend. I spent some time at this lovely event. Fun, but definitely more for kiddies. I couldn't talk my 30-something date into face painting or the hay ride. Go figure. The highlight was eating a funnel cake - my first in probably 15 years. Ah, pure bliss. I also spent a lot of time here. I highly recommend this place to all wine-loving, DC area readers. The wine was fantastic, the prices were reasonable, the setting was gorgeous and the staff was friendly. Plus, they have hammocks AND cornhole. Does it get any better? Now, I have a confession. My name is DC Prep and I am addicted to chevron. In just the past few months I feel like chevron has been popping up everywhere, and I am loving it! Here are some items I am currently lusting after...

Also, I know I've asked before but this time it's serious. The design of my blog is beyond lame and in need of some love and attention. I do not want to spend a lot of money, but I would like an upgrade asap. Does anyone know where I can find a new template? Or have y'all worked with any great (and not too expensive) designers? Please let me know asap!

My return to blogging + a bit of inspiration

Well, I haven't blogged in awhile....it's been well over a year. I guess you could say I've been a busy girl. :) Anyway, I'm going to try my hardest to start blogging again. Since I now have a desk job I think I may actually be able to find the time. Part of what inspired me to start again was reading the letter below. It was written by Bethenny Frankel of Bravo fame. I happen to love her, but I know there are lots of people who wouldn't exactly classify themselves as fans. These are the same people who resent reality TV stars for being famous. You'll hear a lot of - "But what is he/she famous FOR?" coming from them frequently. Since reality TV is pretty much all I watch, I don't have this problem.

Anyway, I find Bethenny inspiring for a lot of reasons, but one in particular. Every time I see her or watch her show, I feel inexplicably hopeful. She did not have a follow a traditional path in her life, and she has admitted to experiencing some pretty low lows, particularly in her 20s and early to mid 30s. She had a hard time finding her career path, finding the right guy and stressed about when she would be able to start a family. I can tell you that I have definitely experienced all of those feelings and sometimes the stress of it can be overwhelming. However, when I see the life that Bethenny has made for herself and, more importantly, how quickly and drastically her life has changed, it gives me hope.

My birthday is coming up and every time it creeps up on me I can't help but reflect on the year I've had. This year has definitely had it's ups and downs - I fell madly in love, experienced a wonderful but all too short relationship, had my heart broken, watched friends get engaged, married and have babies, traveled, strengthened some relationships, weakened others, switched jobs, cried a lot, laughed a lot more, drank a huge amount of wine and improved upon an already pretty impressively preppy wardrobe. I guess what I'm getting at is that the letter below reminded me that, in spite of all the ups and downs I go through, it's important to look at the big picture, remain hopeful about your future, relax and enjoy every minute of the life you have. As Bethenny says, you only get one. Hope it inspires you too.

Love,
DC Prep


Dear Younger Self,
Don't worry so much. Time will pass you by and what you'll remember are things like the smells of summer by the beach, a home-cooked meal, and the first time your child walks or says "mama." You'll forget that boy who isn't paying attention to you and you'll soon learn that being the prettiest girl in the room isn't important, but being the most fun, outgoing, bubbly, and interesting is.
When times get tough, make laughing your priority. For years to come, it's the funny moments that you, your friends, and your family will talk about.
Also, younger self:
• Never pay retail. The item will be on sale somewhere and getting a deal will make you feel better.
• Learn to drive stick when you first get your license or you may never learn.
• Tip everyone. It means much more to them than it does to you.
• Wear plenty of sunscreen, please. And do not be a sun worshipper.
• Have a family dog. Get one that is on the smaller side. They live longer.
• Always stop at lemonade stands.
• Wait for the good guy. Don't settle, but also know that there's no such thing as the perfect man. Marry someone who loves you no matter what you look like or say or do and who knows the real you.
• Read books. Read the newspaper. It instills confidence to be able to have a conversation at the dinner table.
• If you have a good idea, go for it. Don't assume it has already been done. Never assume anyone is smarter than you because they're not.
• Most importantly: Enjoy your life. Remember, you only get one.