35 by 35: #19 accomplished!

One of the first big ticket items I can knock off the 35 by 35 list: learn how to make pierogis! When I first published my list on my birthday, my mom immediately e-mailed and said she'd be happy to help me accomplish anything on the list ... and that she'd especially like to help with #19 as she had never made pierogis either. So today, my mom and I set out to make 3 different kinds of pierogis -- potato & cheese, cabbage and saurkraut. And while it was a bit time intensive and a little tiring, I think we succeeded marvelously.

I'm trying to post some pics, but I clearly haven't been doing a good job of staying on top of #35 -- update my blog regularly -- because I seem to have forgotten how to do it. Oh well, I guess I'll post the pics on Facebook!

Tips if you are planning on making pierogis yourself:
1. Use a dough recipe that includes sour cream. Delicious.
2. Don't be afraid of flour -- it is your friend.
3. Give yourself 4 solid hours to make the pierogis ... rolling out the dough right takes time ... so does stuffing the pierogis.
4. Make sure you have beer in the house when it is time for clean up ... it will make washing the dishes seem less like a chore.

35 by 35

To be honest, it's been a tough year. I've spent more time in the office than I have in my bed; more time stressing about what I have to do than celebrating any achievements; and more time saying good bye to dear friends who have passed on than I thought I would at my age. The transition from Brussels back to D.C. was bumpier than I expected. In short, it has been an easy year to feel sorry for myself.

As my 34th birthday began to approach, I started to think more deeply about my life. Am I doing what I thought I would at 34? Am I happy with the life I've created for myself? What could I be doing everyday to make myself happier? And then it hit me ... I needed a list.

Work has forced me to become a to-do list master. There isn't a to-do list in sight that I can't knock through in a day or two. So I decided what I needed was a to-do list for my life. And that to-do list needed two important elements -- a deadline and a means of accountability.

So today, the day before my 34th birthday, as I sit in my favorite cafe in Brussels ... I present the readers of MoGoAGoGo with my new project -- 35 by 35. Before my 35th birthday, I will accomplish each of the tasks listed below and use this blog as a way to share my experiences and stay focused on the most important project I've got going ... my own life!

Note: This isn't original idea. A friend of a friend did something similar for his 30th. But trust me, the list below is all MoGo.

1. Learn to ride a motorcycle
2. Join a volleyball league
3. Get a four hand massage
4. Eat a lobster roll in Maine during the fall
5. Visit Rhode Island
6. Go camping
7. Learn to play one song on the guitar
8. Go on 3 dates
9. Have a night out at a jazz club
10. See a show at the Strathmore
11. Attend at least 6 concerts/operas/ballets, etc.
12. Visit every Smithsonian
13. See a movie at AFI
14. See a movie at the IMAX
15. Host a dinner party
16. Meditate for 5 minutes every day
17. Feel good about myself in a bathing suit this summer
18. Read at least 6 novels
19. Learn how to make pierogis
20. Spend a day on a sail boat
21. Have dinner twice in Virginia and twice in Maryland
22. Take one session of French lessons
23. Exorcise the demon
24. Have drinks at all of D.C.’s speakeasys
25. Go to yoga twice per month
26. Finish decorating my apartment
27. Pick grapes at a winery during the fall harvest
28. Complete a 10k race
29. Learn how to make a really good dirty martini
30. Spend at least two weekends at the beach this summer
31. Bake an apple pie
32. Learn how to sew
33. Make a batch of moonshine
34. Celebrate one small victory in my life everyday
35. Faithfully update my blog

As you'll see, most of these activities involve more than one person, so I am looking forward to calling on family and friends to have some fun with me and help me accomplish my goals.

Check back often as I'll be posting frequently, including as much photo and video footage of each activity possible. Wish me luck!

George in D.C.

I've been bugging him to come visit for years ... and he finally did! My brother George came to visit this weekend and we had a great time. We packed our weekend with lovely meals with friends, sightseeing, shopping and a cocktail or two to add to the fun. After years of hearing about him, many of my friends were thrilled to finally meet my brother ... especially Martha, who fulfilled her fantasy of befriending the Golga that loves Buffy the Vampire Slayer just as much as she does!

Hoping that George takes me up on the offer to come visit again soon ... maybe a weekend at the beach this summer?

I can't believe my sister talked me into a bike tour of the monuments. I'll just smile and pretend I am having a good time.

Announcing ... the Summer of Europe!

As Elizabeth, Renee, Santiago and I enjoyed Europe Day in Washington on Saturday, Elizabeth came up with a brilliant idea ... "let's make this the Summer of Europe," she said.

Here's the idea: D.C. is filled with dozens of European embassies, cultural centers and restaurants. Thoroughout the summer, we pledge to plan at least two (if not more) excursions per month to take advantage of all the great European cultural activities that exist right here in our Nation's Capital. The plan helps us reach two goals -- 1. finally do all of the stuff we always say we're going to do and never get around to, and 2. save money on plane tickets to Europe! (I'm still planning a trip this fall but this will tide me over until then!)

So the Summer of Europe is on! MoGo A Go-Go is proud to be the official home of the Summer of Europe. Check back for announcements of new activites and recaps of the all the hilarity I am sure will ensue.

Things I Miss About Brussels

I've been back in the U.S. for a little over a month now. The fact that I am still living out of suitcases means that I am a bit unsettled (to put it mildly) and therefore, am really longing to return to my comfortable life in Brussels. So in no particular order, the things I miss about living in Brussels ...

• My beloved duck ponds near Flagey. No place more beautiful to go for a run ... and even better on the weekend when you can visit the farmer's market after your run.
• Reasonably priced Belgian beer. Everyone here has it, but I saw a bottle of pecheresse on a menu on Friday for $24/bottle. $24!!! What the funk is that about?
• Schweppes Light Agrum soda. It's the best ... and they don't sell it here. It sucks.
• Thalys to Paris in an hour and 20 minutes.
• Sushi Shop delivery.
• Bike rides around the city, especially through Bois de la Cambre.
• Taking lunch breaks EVERYDAY with my girls.
• Having drinks with friend at Boniface.
• Free public transport.
• Daily maid service. God, do I miss my daily maid service.
• Cute, tall European men around every corner.
• Never being in a hurry to get anywhere or do anything.
• Girls nights of drinking champagne and watching movies.

Yeah, I miss it. Being home is OK, but there's nothing like Europe.

Berlin: The Hippest City in Europe

Since I arrived in Brussels, everyone has been telling me to go to Berlin. Word is it is the coolest city in Europe ... crazy art, hip bars and clubs, and dirt cheap to boot. I finally had the chance to go this weekend and was super excited to be going with my fabulous friend Kathrin, a born and bred German and woman obsessed with Berlin.

We had a fantastic time. Really fantastic ... we laughed and laughed and laughed all weekend long. Too much fun and too many things happened to relay in this space, so I'll just post some photos with captions to give you a sense.

And we're on the train from the airport to the city center. Check out the stylish seat covers.

I'm just a girl from the Midwest. Pass me a Jagerbomb, please.

Apparently, German girls like their Jagerbombs too!

Mmmm ... schnitzel sandwich.

Brandenburg Gate!

Reichstag! I was hoping to see Angie, but no.

See the line in the road? That's where the Wall was.

The Holocaust Memorial

Two things Germans love ... wurst and emoticons.

Berlin is very cool. My camera died half way through the trip, so I don't have anywhere near as many photos as I'd like to have. We played in Christmas markets, went to some very hip bars, walked all over the place. It definitely deserves the hype ... I can't wait to go back.

Roadtrip in French Wine Country

So Kathy came to visit for a week and we went on a lovely roadtrip to French wine country. We began with a day and night in Champagne (yes, this is my third trip to Champagne ... wouldn't you go as often as you could if you lived in Brussels?) and then we headed south to Burgundy. While it was extremely cold and harvest had passed, it was still a stunning place to visit. After a quick Croque Madame in Dijon, we hopped on the Route Des Grands Crus and toured through some lovely little wine growing villages.

There's Kath in the vineyards!

We visited a cool chateau called Chateau de Clos de Vougeot where we learned about how delicious Burgundy wine ... mostly pinot noirs ... are made. The Chateau is the home of a decades old wine club that meets 17 times a year ... they just happened to be meeting the night we were there and most of the guests in our tiny little hotel were attending the celebration that evening.

Making delicious wine is backbreaking work.

The town we stayed in, Gevrey-Chambertin, could not have been more dead. We had a before dinner glass of wine at the only bar in town (I think it was actually called "Le Wine Bar") and then we had dinner at a gorgeous little bistro where we were the only people there for about 45 minutes, when another pair arrived. And that was it ... no one else. I had a fantastic coq au vin and the woman running the restaurant could not have been sweeter, chatting with us and giving me some good French practice! After dinner, we went home, put on our pajamas and sat by the fire at the inn and drank some wine. It was really a lovely evening.

The best part of the trip though was waking up early on Sunday and going for a run in the vineyards. I got to watch the sunrise over Burgundy ... quite amazing. I can't wait to return when it is warm, the sun is more brilliant and the vines are still full of grapes.

Always happy to be on a wine road ... one of the best things in life!