Hello my friends! The District is buzzing with excitement today because the Pope is here! I’m steering clear of downtown the rest of the day, but this morning, my running buddy Sokphal and I decided to have an adventure: go on a run down to the National Mall and check out the action!
We set off a later than usual (8 a.m.) because Sokphal was going to run directly to work (near the Capitol) to avoid the mobbed metro. It was an AMAAAAAZING weather morning for running. Fall, I love you!
The city was low key until we reached the WW II Memorial, which we had to loop around because there were fences set up. Then, across the street/near the Washington Monument, there were more big fences and security checks.
Since there wasn’t a line (everyone seemed to be waiting in the checkpoint line over by the Smithsonian metro instead), we decided to go through security and check out the action.
Made it! (Clearly we were having way too much fun with my camera this morning. Nice weather makes us super happy!)
Check out the madness over by the White House!
There were people all over handing out stickers, too. 
Welcome to DC, Pope Francis! It’s an honor to have you here!
This morning’s run felt more like a social adventure than a run, which I love! Sokphal ran back with me to the Lincoln Memorial, where we said our goodbyes; she headed back towards the Mall and I headed back to Virginia. By the time I made it back, I had covered 5.65 miles. They flew by – such a fun morning!
When I got home, I refueled with an old fave – two fried eggs (runny yolk is a must) + toast + guac + greens (wilted in the microwave). A little hot sauce for good measure, too. Yummm!
As for last night’s dinner, we had friends over! My friend Sarah and her boyfriend Jochem weren’t able to make it to our party on Saturday, and we had a bunch of gourmet sausages left over, so we invited them over for a grill night to help us eat them up. We started with some crackers and cheese and a couple beers while enjoying the nice weather, then moved on to the main event! Sausages + grilled peppers and onions, courtesy of grill master Matt.
I made us a big salad to enjoy, too.
This dinner was delicious and so simple! Made me feel like I was in Europe again. Please excuse the awkward flash – it was dark and I wasn’t about to get out my tripod and spend ages getting a good shot while we had guests. 
And now, time to get back to work! I don’t have any AnneTheRD clients today, but I have a fair amount of computer work I need to get done. I think an afternoon walk break will need to happen, too – the weather is too perfect to stay indoors!
Have a good one, my friends!
Running with the Pope + a Simple BBQ Dinner originally appeared on fANNEtastic food | Washington D.C. area Registered Dietitian | Recipes + Healthy Living + Fitness on September 23, 2015.
The post Running with the Pope + a Simple BBQ Dinner appeared first on fANNEtastic food | Washington D.C. area Registered Dietitian | Recipes + Healthy Living + Fitness.