Contests, Kanye, & Crepes

I need to get back into my rhythm of short daily posts. I've been working late, so by the time I get home, I'm pooped and can't physically stare at a computer screen anymore. Hopefully next week will be better.  But until then, I have to type another consolidated megapost from this weeks festivities. I'll roll them up into a "Top 7" {in no particular order}. 

1) I finally started cooking again! Summer time is my favorite- I love cooking light dishes with fresh fruit. Two of my concoctions:

Got a new cooking vinegar- Vineyard Pantry Chanpagne Vinegar. LOVE it!
The sweetness in the champagne neutralizes the bitterness.
Perfect partner for my peach and mint salsa :) 

Cinnamon & orange zest seasoned tilapia, baked for 25 minutes.
Topped with peach salsa & served alongside steamed asparagus.

Baked pork chops with fresh cherry & apple red wine & sugar reduction and sweet potatoes.
Picture didn't turn out that good :-/
The taste, on the other hand, was spot on :-)

2) I tried a new food truck! I present to you: O'Cepes! It just opened July 11th, so it's DC's newest food truck. I was excited to welcome them to the neighborhood!

 

Eiffel Tower Crepe- Meh.
Flavor of the inside was awesome, but it totally fell apart when I tried to eat!
Not in my Top 5 Favorite Food Trucks, but I would eat there again.

3) I finally met up with Lisa again!!!! We met for dinner at Zengo on Wednesday night in Chinatown. It's ridiculous how long it's been since we're seen each other. Out schedules have been pretty crazy. We promised to meet up at least once a month... it's so great having her in DC :)

AXO Love!

4. I resisted a major impulse purchase. Reader- meet my newest accessory crush! Isn't she a beauty??

The best part is that she lives at Nordstrom Rack...
My train of thought:
Wouldn't this be PERFECT for football season?
My white one is about to go out of season... I'll need something for the Fall.
It's only $129. Regularly $300+. That's such a bargain!
This would dress up all of the black I wear in the winter.
I really need something fun.
Wait... we bought 4 wedding gifts for friends' this week.
And plane tickets to TX for 2 trips.
And Kanye and Jay Z tickets.
Maybe I should hold off.

Now, if you think this is a great bargain, too, I could still see if it's available ;) {aka Talk me in to it}

5. Yeah, you read that right. We bought tickets to the Kanye and Jay-Z Watch the Throne tour!! November 3. Can't. Wait.

I don't know if you know me and HOVA's history, but it runs pretty deep. We hung out at the Zaza in Houston AND played black jack together in the Bahamas. 

Ok, ok.... we stalked him at the Zaza and I saw him from across the room in the Bahamas. I'll dedicate a pre-concert post to the stories. They're pretty awesome.

6. I had another unfortunate experience with DC public transit. Again, it was completely self-inflicted, only this time I was sober. And it was 8:15 a.m.

I was trying to be a good employee and get to work a little early. I woke up earlier than usual and got ready quick, so I decided to walk down to the bus stop instead of waiting for the shuttle. Without getting into too much detail, all bus lines have letters and numbers. The only numbers I know are the 16 busses...  they all go down Columbia Pike {which is the street I live on}. There's 16A-16J. I always just hop on any 16 bus from the Pentgon or Pentagon City and it takes me home. Simple as that.

Well Tuesday morning, a new bus showed up... 16Y. Since every other 16 bus took me to the Pentagon or Pentagon City, I figured this one would be ok, too! 

Sure enough...

See the bold words that say "Pentagon Metro" at the bottom right?
That's where I needed to go.
See the red line that goes waaaaaaaaay out of the way?
That's where I went.

1 hour and 15 minutes later, I finally arrived at the Farragut West Metro stop. Not only did I get lost, but I was 30 minutes late to work, and I my "Official DC Commuter" swagger was officially gone. Lesson learned.

And last but not least- 

7. I found out this afternoon that I won a Margaritaville Blender in a contest at work!!! #WINNING#

We had a "100 call restaurant blitz" Tuesday and were supposed to set as many appointments as we could with restaurants in our territories. I only logged 87 calls, but I set 9 meetings with business owners! It was a great day on the phones. Apparently it was the top day in the company! I tied with another Inside Sales rep for most meetings set, and next week Mr and Mrs Smith will be the proud owners of one of these bad boys:

Just in time for the annual Smith College Football Kickoff Party!

This weekend we are laying low and are prepping for our visitors to arrive next week. Mike and Laura {and baby bump} are coming to stay with us from Wednesday - Saturday :) They are great friends of ours from Houston. We are so excited and can't wait to show them around DC! 

Aren't they adorable?

Have a {fun/chill/wild/happy/lazy/ridic/blessed} weekend! 

And let me know what you think about the watch ;)