But then Saturday morning rolled around, and I had a sinus headache and my hair looked fabulous. Hiking with a headache sucks, and ruining an unexpected good hair day is really not acceptable.

So we decided to hit the city streets for a day of exploring, eating and shopping.

First up was a twenty minute stroll to Art and Soul for brunch.

This brunch was not unlimited. Look at me making reasonable food choices! There were, however, complimentary orange ginger biscuits to start. They were fabulous.

Although I was mighty curious to try the fried chicken and waffles, I opted for the Farmer’s Breakfast.

Two eggs over medium, delicious roasted fingerling potatoes, chicken apple sausage and whole wheat toast. We’re going to call this healthy. Tom ordered a burger with fried onions, pimiento cheese and a fried egg so it certainly was by comparison.

Baby steps. Although, with less than 70 days to go, I would need to take Big Foot steps to make any real progress. Sigh. My poor seamstress better be strengthening her sewing fingers.

After brunching, we walked 1.5 miles to Union Market.

It was my first time visiting this haven of all things good in the world, but it will not be my last. As soon as we arrived, we were basically forced to order an adult beverage.

If you’ve never explored a city market while sipping a cold brew out of a can, you’re missing out.

We walked around and ogled the different vendors’ wares.

I got some of this squash, some cucumbers and an assortment of Mediterranean delicacies.

After shopping, we decided to hit up Rappahannock Oyster Bar for a snack.

Sometimes I wonder why I like oysters. They’re basically just slimy air. They offer little to no sustenance besides a mythical libido enhancement. But I enjoy them anyway. Especially with a glass of cava rose.

These oysters were all locally sourced from the Chesapeake Bay, and very delicious. They also had a couple of cooked seafood dishes that looked great as well. I’ll be back for certain.

After dropping our purchases off at home, we walked over to Chinatown to suffer the hell of H&M for a few good bargains. That place is seriously a cluster of f*ck.

Why are they still refusing to offer an online store? We want our cheap, mass produced clothes sent directly to our front doors. It’s the lazy, American way! Come on.

Anyway, by this time my feet were both just one giant blister. City hiking results in a less functional shoe choice. So we went home to stuff our face with our Union Market finds and fall asleep watching Gangster Squad.

From this box we created falafel pita sandwiches with (unpictured) tzaziki, and split the cheese pie and bourekas.

I can’t remember the name of the place where we picked this up at, but if you’re ever in Union Market you should try to find it. Everything was delicious.

All in all it was kind of the perfect little day. I have gotten in the habit of always taking the metro to get around, but if time allows it’s nice to just wander through the city from destination to destination. The district is small, so almost everything is walking distance if you’re up for it. Just don’t wear gladiator sandals you’ve not broken in yet.

I kind of wish I had the same motivation. I do workout a lot, but I just can’t get the hang of the whole not eating all the food thing.

She’s not the only one who has gotten on the healthy train since my engagement. Lots of my friends and family members have been on diets and workout programs that have yielded very impressive results.

They’re not doing it because of my wedding, but it strikes me as funny that I’m watching all of these people lose weight while I continue to eat like I’ve just returned from being stranded in the dessert for three weeks. Thus proving yet again that no matter what reason I have for losing weight, I will probably never do it.

At this rate I’m going to need a wedding muu muu instead of a wedding dress.

I do kind of want to get my shit together for the next three months so that I’ll feel fabulous and all that, but I’m pretty sure that it’s too little too late.

Remember that bottomless brunch I wrote about recently? Well, you’d think that one Sunday of eating unlimited amounts of brunch items would be enough, right?

Wrong. Last Sunday I was at it again – this time at El Centro’s famous bottomless Mexican brunch.

clockwise from top: Potato & Chorizo Pambazo, Chorizo & Eggs Molette, Huevos Rancheros

El Centro’s version of the brunch that never stops is different from Heritage India’s. Instead of ordering the items you want, they bring you everything on the menu until you cry uncle.

Seriously. As soon as your plate is empty, someone appears with more food. That you didn’t even order. It’s borderline insane.

two egg & guajillo chile tacos and two carnitas tacos

The food was all delicious, of course. Mexican is my favorite way to brunch. I love any version of eggs, cheese and spicy wrapped in some sort of carb. So this was my heaven.

I wasn’t able to eat nearly as much as I did at the Indian brunch, because Mexican food is naturally so much heavier. We only ordered one meat item at Heritage India, but here almost every dish had meat, eggs and a heavy sauce.

from top, clockwise: carne asada quesadilla, crab and shrimp enchilada, grilled chicken quesadilla

Shortly after this round, we gave in. That wasn’t even all the food. There was an unpictured tamale, another enchilada, chips and guac/salsa, and a fruit salad. And probably more that I can’t remember.

And when I say we gave in, I mean we skipped straight to dessert.

tres leches cupcake, chocolate waffles and Mexican french toast

I had about two bites of the tres leches before calling it a day. Fortunately, they let you take home what you don’t eat.

I let Tom have all the leftovers, though, because it really is about time to buckle down. Or something.

Based on my behavior over the past 27 years, I really don’t expect to lose weight for the big day, but howzabout I don’t gain 20 pounds before I walk down the aisle? That seems reasonable, yes?

I’ve been trying to remind myself that the bottomless brunches and store bough strawberry shortcake (y’all why is Safeway’s strawberry shortcake so amazing?) will still be there after I put on that beautiful but not at all figure flattering white dress.

But then again, like, what if it’s not?

Last Thursday I went to the Kennedy Center for the first time. It was a rainy, gross day so we weren’t able to take advantage of the roof terrace, but did sneak a quick peak outside.

We saw The Guardsman, and it was really good. You can definitely tell a difference in the stage production at the Kennedy Center compared to other theaters in the area.

However, I actually think I’m kind of partial to smaller productions and quirkier plays at places like the Arena Stage and the Signature Theatre. But I’m no expert or anything (although I once was a drama kid and fancied myself a future acTOR).

Since we couldn’t eat on the terrace beforehand, we decided to hit up nearby Ris for happy hour and pre-theater grub. (We actually first tried District Commons, but it was packed, I always forget that Foggy Bottom is essentially a college town.)

We easily snagged two chairs at the bar and ordered a mix of food from the happy hour and the regular menu.

I can’t resist a good beet salad. If I see one on a menu, I’ll almost always order it, and they’re almost always good. That said, they all kind of blend together and rarely warrant a lot of accolades. This one, however, was fantastic featuring grapefruit, hazelnuts, dates and manchego cheese, port vinaigrette and green goddess dressing.

I loved the varying textures and the fresh beets. As much as I adore goat cheese – the usual beet salad companion – I appreciated the unique combination of hearty manchengo and chewy dates. Delicious.

The rest of the items were ordered from the happy hour menu, at $6.30 a pop. The above pictured chorizo and almond crusted sea scallop served with white raisin and red pepper romesco sauces, Israeli couscous with orange, green olives and chick peas was quite good.

Even though you only got one scallop, this still felt like a lot of food for a small plate. The scallop was cooked well, though I felt the chorizo was a bit overpowering.

Next up was the jumbo lump crab cake with orange cream, asparagus and red pepper fennel salad. I really liked this, and I’m not always the biggest fan of crab.

The orange cream paired with the sweet crab was wonderful. I initially told Tom I only wanted a bite, since I usually find crab cakes too well, crabby, but wound up eating half and wishing for more.

Lastly, we had the Meyer lemon ricotta agnolotti, which unfortunately sounded much more delicious than it was. The culprit? Damned mushrooms. I just hate them. I can’t help it.

Sometimes I’ll get mushrooms in a dish and if I move them aside, I can still enjoy it. But in some cases the mushroomy taste infects the whole plate. It’s a sad situation. But if you love mushrooms, then this would be your jam.

I was really glad we got a chance to try out the food at Ris. It’s probably not a restaurant I would seek out for a full sit down dinner since it’s rather pricey and not in a neighborhood I frequent, but if I’m ever back in the area around happy hour I’d certainly go back.

Another Great Falls hike, on the Virginia side this time.

I expected these feelings to dwindle over time, but after living here for over two years they seem to only get stronger each day.

This is compounded by the fact that things are so unstable back home right now.

After my grandpa’s passing, my grandma fell ill. She has terrible shingles and they found a new lump in her lungs that needs to be biopsied to see if it’s malignant, but she has been too weak to undergo that procedure.

Around that same time, my mom fell and although she was okay she was scared and banged up. Shortly after that, my grandma fell also – on Mother’s Day of all days. And, after that, my SIL had to have knee surgery.

It definitely pours once the rain starts falling.

Everyone is trudging onward, and nothing is life threatening (at this point), but knowing that the people I love are in pain and not being able to see them and offer them comfort is awful.

Although the hiking is better on the Maryland side, you can't argue with these views.

Every time I think I’m finally adjusted to all the news, something else happens. Last week, my dad had a spell and passed out and wound up in the hospital. He’s having a pacemaker put in today.

It feels like the bad news is never ending. I walk around completely on edge, fearing the worst. The guilt and anxiety is nearly debilitating, and I haven’t exactly been pleasant to be around lately as a result.

With each scary phone call I receive, my will to stay out here gets weaker.

I love DC, and the time I’ve spent here has changed and altered me in ways I desperately needed. If I ever leave this place, I will feel a deep longing and homesickness for my life here.

View from the River Trail, which we followed for a mile and a half before diverging onto the less scenic Ridge Trail.

I also know that, historically, Oklahoma is a painful place for me. I can’t remember ever spending a happy year there. There were dark shadows lurking behind me every where I went and I still notice them when I go back to visit.

But all of that is negated by the fact that I just really miss my family. I miss being there when things are bad, and celebrating with them when I times are good. Even when I’m able to go home, I’m on such a tight schedule that it seems like I never get enough time in with anyone I want to see.

If I were single, I think my resolve would have crumbled completely by now. As impulsively as I decided to move here, I could just as easily have packed up and returned home.

But I’m no longer an island, and my decisions don’t impact only me any more. I have Tom to consider now, who is also my family and the person who keeps these things from dragging me under.

This picture seemed appropriate. We all fall down.

I’m a gut reaction type of person. I never really think big decisions through that much, but instead just let the circumstances speak to me and act accordingly. Every time I’ve had a big choice to make, the answer has always seemed immediately clear.

But not this time. I’ve searched my gut, my heart and my brain and cannot seem to come up with a solution.

There are so many questions, many of them boring and logistical in nature, but some of them so complex they make my head spin.

Is it worth living where you love if a piece of you will always be somewhere else?

And what kind of person am I to have left everyone behind right before everything started to fall apart?

People who care about me always try to tell me that I made the right choice by leaving, that I had to live my life, etc. In a way, I do believe them. But I can’t help but wonder if they’re being completely honest.

People who don’t know me tend to be very taken aback that I chose to move away from my entire family, going so far as telling me that they would never do that, especially now that our parents are getting older. It stings, but I know they’ve got a point.

Sometimes I wonder what gave me the audacity to think my happiness was worth it. I also know that if I am going to stay here, I should put on my big girl pants and learn to deal with the hard times. It’s a process, and I’m working on it, but sometimes it overwhelms.

I’m trying to quiet my mind and allow the answer to present itself. It’s clear that this is a problem I can’t solve alone, and I do believe that things have a way of working themselves out. I just wish they would hurry up and do it already.

Tom and I decided to wander around Eastern Market, one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city, and enjoy the steamy weather.

We stopped by Pacifico Cantina for some drinks on their rooftop patio.

I did not appreciate this. Despite living within 2 hours of the beach, I never go. Why?

We did in fact have some Coronas, but they did not make me feel like I was on the beach. Still, it was nice to sit outside with a cold one on a hot day.

Hot weather often makes me crave cold sushi, so after finishing up our drinks we walked a few doors down to the newly opened Nooshi.

I’m picky about sushi, but always willing to give a place a shot. We were seated right away since it was well before dinner time. I noticed that some reviews bemoaned the service, but going at off hours always helps with that.

I ordered a mojito to start – one of my favorite warm weather cocktails.

It looked and tasted like something I could have made (better) at home, but it wasn’t terrible. I’m sure sake would have been a better option, but I can’t stomach sake. Shudder.

We had the California roll with masago, spicy scallop roll, spicy crunchy yellowtail roll, spicy tuna toro roll (uh, guess we like spicy sushi) and the dragon roll.

I would consider this slightly better than average sushi, with the exception of the yellowtail roll which was obviously not at peak freshness.

It wasn’t awesome, but for a quick bite to eat on a weekend afternoon it turned out to be a nice meal, especially for the price. A similar amount of food at one of the more upscale sushi joints in DC probably would have easily come out to twice as much.

We didn’t order any of the noodle dishes, but they had a pretty wide variety if you’re into that sort of thing.

I’m still hunting for a DC joint that’s as good as my fave Shiki Sushi in Ballston. The search continues…

When you meet someone new (and this is true everywhere), the first thing you’re asked is what you do.

The important people relish this question. They have jobs you can’t get without years and years of education. They work for important, well-known CEOs, politicians, etc. They spend countless hours working for the good of man or for a big, fat paycheck and they are happy to do it.

I have to hand it to the people in the world who managed to find jobs they like, that earn them a good salary or afford them power to change the world. It truly is impressive.

My job, on the other hand, is not. It’s about as far from impressive as you can get. It makes me neither rich nor important.

It’s kind of awkward to work in DC and have no connection to politics. It’s more awkward to have a job that no one has ever heard of.

I’m a proposal writer. Most people don’t know what that is. People in DC are more likely to know what it is than those in other parts of the country, but that doesn’t mean it’s a profession they respect.

So when I tell people what I do, and they give me the expected look of confusion mixed with disdain, I always struggle with whether I should defend my job and try to make it sound cooler or explain to them that I really don’t give a shit and that work isn’t my life.

It usually depends on who I’m talking to and why, but I mostly tend to go with the latter. I hate small talk, and I really have no desire to spend half an hour discussing the fine art of technical writing to strangers.

And yet, I spent many of my post-college years feeling ashamed of my unimpressiveness.

During college, I mainly focused on trying to stay sane as I dealt with a myriad of family and self-inflicted issues that I’ve written about here many times. When I look back on it, it’s shocking that I managed to keep decent grades and graduate (albeit with two degrees that people consider worthless nowadays).

But I’m not playing the victim card. I know it’s on me that I didn’t make the most of my education. I know it’s on me that I didn’t pick a major that would make me rich or successful. And I know it’s also on me that I accepted a job out of college doing a job that I didn’t even know was a thing.

There was a long time when that sequence of events was a huge red mark on my list of regrets, but as I’ve aged and learned who I am and what makes me content in life I’ve realized that it’s not all that tragic to have an unimpressive career.

Sure, I don’t wake up in the morning shitting my pants with excitement to go to work – but I don’t hate my job either. It doesn’t cause me any great amount of stress and it affords me a great work/life balance.

I’m a person who likes thinking pseudo deep thoughts, spending time alone, reading unpopular novels, going on hikes, spending too much money on food and wine, writing things people will probably never see and generally enjoying the spontaneity of life.

Work is what I do to fund all those activities. I show up, do a good job, and leave it all behind come five o’clock.

Some people may look at the way I live my life and say that I’m lazy, and maybe they’re right. I’m not going to have children and my job isn’t cool, so it probably seems like I’m living a life with little purpose.

And if I don’t write a novel before I die, published or not, I may indeed feel I led a meaningless life when on my deathbed. (Maybe I’ll write said novel while I’m stuck in a shitty nursing home because I didn’t have any kids to take care of me and wipe my ass, since that’s the only future some people think a non-child-bearing woman can look forward to – that’s another conversation entirely.)

I suppose I could spend a lot of money going back to school to try to get a different job, or just generally dig my heels in and try to find something worth the “what do you do” question, but I don’t have any desire to do so.

For right now, I’m just not too worried about it. I’m having a rather good time being unimpressive.

And, as a good service, I allow all the impressive people the ability to feel quite good about themselves in comparison.

I’ve wanted to go to Great Falls Park since I moved out here, but for some reason never made the time. After reading a bunch of great reviews for the Billy Goat hike in the Maryland side of Great Falls, I finally made the trip with Tom this past Sunday.

We didn’t get to see the main part of the falls, but the scenery was still absolutely gorgeous and calming.

Billy Goat is a pretty challenging hike, at least for a novice hiker like myself. The reviews made me think that the rock scramble would only last for the first mile or so of the hike, but that definitely isn’t the case.

Those are small rocks. That’s not what I’m talking about. I didn’t take any pictures of the big ones. Probably because I was trying not to fall off of them.

There were a couple of points in the trail where I was a teeny bit scared to jump across and climb over the large rocks, but I loved the challenge of it. It felt like an adventure.

The entire trail follows the Potomac River, and the views never really stop.

We only ended up doing the Billy Goat A trail, which is a little around 2.5 miles of scrambling (plus the walk back on the tow road, which was another 2 miles or so).

I blamed the fact that we stopped on the storms that were rolling in, but in all honesty I was pretty spent. It would have been tough for me to finish the entire 7.8 mile hike after all the scrambling, but I intend to do so eventually.

The Signal Knob hike we did in the Shenandoah was much more difficult overall, but the rock scrambling was a completely new challenge to me. I liked it, but think I prefer mountain hikes with a slower and steadier elevation increase.

Billy Goat is probably the best hike that’s within a half hour’s drive of our apartment, so I assume I’ll be back several times to check out the rest of the trail and hopefully to complete it all the way through eventually.

It’s nice to have something to work toward, a new hobby that rewards me both physically and mentally. It’s not often that I latch onto healthy ways of coping with life’s ups and downs, so I’m very grateful to have found something that energizes and grounds me at the same time.

I tend to fall quickly in and out of love with different types of exercise, but I have a feeling this one could endure – mostly because I don’t really consider it exercise.

It’s more of an escape from my demons, the things I trick myself into thinking are important, the little worries that build up and keep me awake at night.

And I get all of those benefits for free! (almost) And without any calories.

Although food does taste especially good after a nice hike.

So does beer. Can’t go changing all my bad habits now, can I?

Excuse me. I mean, sipping delicately a delicious petite verdot perfectly paired with an herb crusted rack of lamb.

Or something like that.

Tom and I recently discovered Tel ‘Veh Cafe & Wine Bar, which is dangerously close to our apartment and very easy to a table at, compared to other wine bars in DC.

We went for happy hour two Fridays ago, but couldn’t stay long because we had a Groupon to spend at another wine bar in Dupont Circle (more on that in a sec), so we returned last Friday to really take advantage of this great, new restaurant.

The wine selection is, as expected, vast. There are also a lot of Mediterranean wines to sample, which I enjoy because I’ve had very little exposure to them before now.

The food is a little hit and miss, but still very enjoyable for the most part. For example, this htipiti is out of this world good.

Made with aged feta, roasted feta and chili flakes, this cheese spread is my dream.

The food is served tapas style, and there is such a good variety of delicious Mediterranean dishes. We ordered:

Goat cheese stuffed dates wrapped in pastourma – good, but not what I was expecting. This was my first experience with pastourma, and I didn’t love it. Kind of gamey.

Kaseri on flames – this was a version of saganaki, but made with cognac instead of ouzo.

It was very good, but the guy couldn’t get the flames to stop and ended up dousing it in the juice of an entire lemon, so if you’re not a citrus fan (Tom isn’t) then this wouldn’t be very palatable to you. I was also kind of sad no one yelled “Opa!” before distinguishing the fire.

Herb crusted rack of lamb with baby arugula, roasted red peppers and shaved onion – I don’t really like lamb that much, but I keep trying. I had a lollipop similar to this at a wine event about a month ago and loved it so I had high hopes for Tel ‘Veh’s version.

Sadly, it wasn’t really my jam. A little too… lamb-y. I had a few bites and gave the rest to Tom. The arugula salad was good though.

They have lamb harissa skewers on the menu also, and I may have to try those out since I’ve just recently discovered a deep, abiding love for harissa and have been eating it on everything at home.

The atmosphere at Tel ‘Veh is very laid back, none of that stuffy snobbery you can get at some wine bars. The outdoor patio is also very enjoyable. I have a feeling I will spend a lot of time there this summer working my way through the menu.

Another DC wine bar I’m a big fan of is Veritas in Dupont Circle. It’s completely different from Tel ‘Veh in that the food is rather lacking. It’s all about the wine. Which makes sense, for a wine bar.

We first discovered Veritas when we did a wine class there back in January. Our teacher was a lovely young gentleman named Cesar, who taught us all kinds of fun things about wines in the Pacific Northwest.

We hadn’t been back since, but as soon as we walked in on a busy Friday afternoon he recognized us. We enjoyed a flight of red wines each (it was an unseasonably cold night) and shared a board of cheese (no idea what we ordered, but we liked them all).

Then Cesar came over and recommended that he create a custom flight for us based on what he knew were our wine preferences.

How nice, right?

We made plans to go back for another wine class soon. Because we totally want to be those annoying people who act like they know everything about wine, when really we just want an excuse to drink it.

There are several other DC area wine joints I want to check out, including Vinoteca (I’ve been once, but not for very long), Cork and Screwtop Wine Bar. I also really enjoy Northside Social in Arlington, but don’t go there nearly often enough.

Do you like wine/have a favorite wine bar? Do you care about pairing wine with food at all? Have you ever tried pastourma/pastirmi?

Also I just wanted to prove to myself that food and its beverage accompaniments weren’t as important to me as I make them seem on social media.

But then I had this brunch. And well, I just had to tell people about it. Plus, I don’t think liking food as much as I do is unhealthy. I think it’s awesome. Food is fucking delicious.

So, Tom and I had yet another group deal for brunch at Heritage India (the Foggy Bottom location, which shares its space with Crossroads – and international tapas joint) in DC.

I’ve mentioned that we’re obsessed with group deals, but that the brunch ones seem to be the best options. In this case, that is so very true. Not only were the drinks (mimosas, bloody marys and all rail liquors) unlimited, but so was the food.

The entire menu. Was unlimited. You could order as much as you wanted. No limitations.

I couldn’t really believe it. What was even better was that our kick ass server was all about it. She made us order even more food than we had planned, suggesting her favorite dishes and the ones that we couldn’t leave without trying.

(Descriptions below are from website, because I have limited knowledge of Indian cuisine and don’t want to screw it up.)

We started with some Indian breakfast items.

(right) Masala Anda Bhurjji – Indian, spiced scrambled eggs, served with poori (puffed Indian bread, mostly eaten at breakfast).

(left) Masala Anda Parantha – A spicy Indian Omelet served with a layered Indian bread.

Both of these dishes were amazing, and spicy. I was glad that the servings were done small plate style, because we still had a long way to go.

Beyond the breakfast items, there were also several appetizers, grilled items and full entrees. We had some of each, obviously.

(bottom) Golgappas – nown by different names …”puchka”…”pani puri” to name a few…This is undoubtedly the most eaten snack in the whole of India. Puffed whole wheat and semolina crisps stuffed with potato and chickpea, is accompanied with a spicy tamarind water to dunk into.

(top) Aloo Tikki Chaat – potato patties served with spicy chickpeas, topped with sweet yogurt, tamarind chutney and spicy cilantro sauce.

We actually had these two dishes at the end because our server said we had to. I’ve had aloo tikki chaat before and love it, but the golgappas were new and had such an interesting flavor/texture combination. I wish I had been hungry enough to fully enjoy them.

(bottom) Hera Bhara Reshmi Kebab – ground chicken, spinach and fresh mint kebabs.

(top) Bhel Puri – low fat and nutritious…made of puffed rice, green mango, chopped onions and potato topped with a green hot sauce and tamarind.

Both of these dishes knocked it out of the park, and they were both completely new to me. I was surprised by how much I liked the chicken kebabs, and the bhel puri was so refreshing while at the same time spicy enough to elicit tears.

Our server brought us raita (spiced yogurt sauce) to tame the spice, and if she hadn’t I might have died. I love spice, the spicier the better, but I’m not good at it. There was much sweating involved in this meal.

Last, and probably best. Paneer two ways.

(bottom left) Paneer Makhani – no dish in India has reached the popularity and fame as much as this has. A rich tomato, butter and cashew paste sauce is what makes this lip smackingly delicious.

(top left) Spinach Masala – Varying in levels of spiciness (not the best description, I think they got tired by the end of the menu. It wasn’t too spicy if I remember correctly.)

They served these dishes entree style with rice, because obviously we wouldn’t have had enough food otherwise. It was worth the immense food baby I had afterward, because paneer is one of my favorite things ever. I just love the texture.

Truly, not one of these dishes was bad. Every single bite I had was good.

Like I said, our server was incredibly attentive and didn’t make us feel cheap for using a deal or ordering a shit ton of food. I wanted to hug her.

She also kept the drinks coming, which the people behind us were fully enjoying. We played golf right after, so we kept it to a slight minimum on the booze, but if you’re looking to get smammered before noon this is your joint.

(In case you were wondering, golf on 4,000 calories worth of Indian food is a bit uncomfortable at first. But worth it.)

In short, this brunch deal was a great value and by far the best, most unique brunch I’ve had in maybe forever. Heritage India has several locations so I highly recommend you check it out if you’re in DC. If you’re not, I’m kind of sad for you.

Also, I’m not Indian, so I can’t say how authentic this food is. But I think it was awesome.

On Sunday, Tom and I played a round of golf.

If you could marry your hobbies, golf would be Tom’s wife and I would be his mistress. I don’t have a hobby I’m quite that in love with (I could never marry writing, it’s complicated) so I’m always happy to support his other lover.

We had a deal for a cheap 18 holes at Sterling Golf and Swim Club. I used to play golf in high school, but have never been any better than mediocre, so the fact that it was a Par 3 course was quite helpful.

It isn’t the fanciest course around, but there were still some lovely views and we had a lot of fun. Even when several of my pretty pink balls (when you suck, you have to look good doing it) landed in bodies of water that seemed almost impossible to hit. I have an uncanny ability to find any lake, stream or tiny creek, but a green? Never.

On Monday, it was back outdoors for a hike in the Prince William Forrest Park. We met up with two other couples for 7.4 miles of exploring.

We originally intended to follow this loop, but got turned around a few times and ended up making our own way.

The description of the trail online said there were abandoned pyrite mine ruins to explore and lots of great waterfalls.

That was perhaps a bit of an embellishment. The ruins were there, and we did explore them, but nothing too exciting.

And the falls were, well… sad.

Look at those mighty rapids!

We did find some that were slightly bigger than that, but not by much. But it was still a very scenic and peaceful hike.

The trails were well maintained and the trees provided good shade that made even the steeper parts of the trail seem easy to manage. If you could ignore the thousands of cicadas mating above you and the hundreds of cicada carcasses littering the forest floor, it was basically paradise.