Happy

Happy Memorial Day! It's important that we take time on this day to remember those who have served our country and who have fought to protect our freedom and rights throughout our history. I know that I tend to get wrapped up in the joys of a long weekend, BBQs, and summer, but honoring those who protect our country is important.  I am always struck at how differently the US celebrates this holiday as compared to Memorial Day in Israel, for example, where the whole country is in a solemn mood and there are moments of silence and ceremonies to honor the fallen.

Yesterday I woke up after another glorious night's sleep and made some breakfast. Despite the heat, I was in the mood for hot cereal, which I made with blueberries. It was delicious per usual but I know when it's time to move onto a new breakfast when I want to eat again as soon as I've finished the meal.

I distracted myself with Google Reader and then got dressed and headed down to the National Mall for an afternoon picnic. A friend of mine from the sorority was in town so I met up with her and her friends. The Rolling Thunder are in town this weekend and I watched some of the parade as I walked to meet up with the group.

There are over 250,000 bikers (most of whom are veterans) in town for this gathering! The parade of motorcyclists lasted over 3.5 hours from what we saw.

We spread out our blankets near the Declaration of Independence monument which always reminds me of the lagoon in the Little Mermaid! 

In addition to a few strawberries I grazed on throughout the afternoon, I had about a serving of baked chips and a turkey wrap on a GF brown rice tortilla with BBQ sauce, mustard, lettuce, and ~1 oz of turkey. Plus LOTS of water! 

Believe it or not, I have never picnicked on the Mall in my time in DC. Why? No clue - it was so much fun! We enjoyed a beautifully sunny afternoon with old and new friends, bocce ball and frisbee, sunning, and lazing around. Needless to say, I was extremely happy. AND, I had another 5 Before 25 experience!

I departed in the evening to clean up and head out to meet Bethany for dinner and a movie in honor of one of her last nights in DC.  I inhaled a pear to tide me over until dinner.

We met at a favorite, Vapiano, where we toasted her [hopefully] quick return to DC with some wine (I drank half) and salads chock full of veggies. It was exactly what I was craving.

We made our way to the theater to see SATC2, which I had only heard less-than-stellar reviews about but was still excited for.  As much as I love the series, there were a lot of things in the movie that irked me and left me with a semi-negative taste in my mouth (TWSS). I wasn't expecting much and I do love the series and the first movie. However, there really wasn't a plot and those small irks still bother me somewhat. Maybe it's time to dust off the series DVDs to cope...

Bethany and I said "see you soon" and it was time for bed.

This morning I kicked off my holiday a bit earlier than the rest of the weekend (9am as opposed to 10:30... I <3 sleep) and decided on a cool breakfast.  I mixed 2 chopped strawberries and 1 small pear, chopped with cinnamon, 1/4c Greek yogurt, 1/4T chia seeds, and a light PB drizzle. Plus a slice of toast with Earth Balance.

Cool, refreshing, and filling!  I also made a cup of NesCafe instant coffee from a stash of samples I was sent to try. As a coffee novice, I've really enjoyed the various flavors. They are simple to make (empty packet into mug, add boiling water, and stir) and do the trick. This morning's cup became ice coffee which I brought up to my roof for some quality time catching up on reading in the sunshine :-D

The rest of the day will include lots of hydrating, weights of some sort, and a big BBQ with friends. I can't wait!