Cousins

The Ralph Lauren light blue and white striped jumper? Or the coral dress with ruffles?

The coral dress it was. So I wrapped it in white tissue paper, placed it in a little hot pink bag and headed to the hospital to meet Mary Michael P______.

She wasn't a wrinkly, weird-looking baby. She was beautiful. And she had Cousin J's cheeks, just like Walker. Blue eyes. Perfect feet. Adorable, all eight pounds and one ounce of her.



I wonder how Walker will react to her. What will he call her for short? We hung out last night while she was being born. And it was exciting to know that next time I came over there would be one more little person to hang out with. But last night, it was just Walker and me.



Visit my flickr for more pics.

Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend hasn't been exciting, but it's been wonderful just the same.

Grilling out with BSG and her friends was a lot of fun. I didn't realize how Mediterranean the grill-out would be, but we're talking homemade tzatziki sauce and couscous with pesto-marinated shrimp and specially seasoned chicken and veggie kabobs. Top that off with a fruit cobbler that was out of this world and make it a la mode (and not just any a la mode - Gifford's cherry ice cream a la mode) and it made for a fantastic meal!

Saturday I said my final farewell to New Girl and lent my muscles to the task of packing up the U-haul. The fact that she's gone won't sink in until I'm back at work I suppose, but I was still down enough that I needed some cheering up. I also needed some short-sleeved tops for work. The mall was the solution to both. And I did find some amazing deals! I spent the rest of the night trying on, mixing and matching, until all my energy was spent out of excitement and I went to bed.

Sunday morning I worked out before church and had lunch with a new church friend. I took her to my favorite sandwich place, Lost D0G, and we had what I think will be the first of many great conversations. I laid out for a few hours by my pool and went over to visit Cousin J & very pregnant K, as well as the ever-so-cute Baby Walker. K's going to pop any day now, and I'm the on-call babysitter anxiously anticipating their phone call.

I left there to have another birthday dinner for BSG at R0sa Mexicano. Three full hours of deliciousness and stories of BSG and her friends' college memories.

I've gotten a bit of sun today from walking and laying out and have gotten to the point of tears over realizing that my 4th of July plans won't be happening as I've planned. Waiting until now to purchase a ticket was idiotic, but I just didn't have the money. Now the cheapest thing I can find is nearly THREE TIMES what I usually pay. It looks like I'll have to cut my trip short, not because I don't have the time but because it's cheaper to fly on a different day. I'm so upset! SO! And it looks like I'll still be spending at least $400. Gah!

I've ended the night with Shrek 3 and Ruby Tuesday with BSG. Happy Birthday tomorrow, BSG!!

I hope everyone else's weekend was as relaxing as mine.

FTL Pics

Fort Lauderdale with the BFF was awesome! See for yourself:

Blog Friend

I've been away from Blogger for awhile, but there is much to catch up on.

First of all, I met K!

This is my third time meeting a blog friend (including meeting Pink's cousin, because it almost felt as though I met Pink).

K flew from Seattle all the way out to D.C. for a conference, and we met up one night for Ethiopian.

I feel as though I can now say from experience (Pink's cousin, Big Sky Girl, and now K) that bloggers that seem cool online are great in person as well! It really felt natural hanging out with her. It was cool that we already knew a lot about each other and could just begin talking about those things. We even talked about other bloggers we 'knew'. It flew by, and I'm so glad we decided to do it. Hopefully someday we'll meet up again . . maybe in Seattle!

And now I'm off to celebrate another blog friend's (Big Sky Girl) birthday with a rooftop Mediterranean grill-out. This girl really knows how to celebrate.

so this is goodbye

New Girl just handed off her stapler and tape dispenser. At least I get something out of this bad deal. I can’t believe she’s leaving. The reality of it won’t sink in until next week, but my nose is still stinging knowing that goodbye is minutes away. I can’t imagine this place without her. Maybe I’ll be more productive, but screw productivity! I need someone to bounce ideas off of. I need someone to talk to mid-workday about my personal life. I need someone’s loud voice to echo off the walls.

Update:
She just said goodbye and the tears came. “Stop,” she said and tears filled her eyes, too.

This place will never be the same.

Being neighborly

I made friends with my neighbors this weekend. Basically a bunch of working boys still living a frat-tastic lifestyle . . which is why I hadn’t already accepted their invitations to come over.

But Saturday night, I was all dressed up with nowhere to go. They caught me in the hallway and introduced me to a couple of other girls coming to their party, so I thought, “Eh, why not. I’ll be neighborly and check out their place for a few minutes.”

Five HOURS later, I had met over a dozen people, danced up a storm, gotten a couple marriage proposals after showcasing my rap skillz, and played pool across the street with my two favorites.

The following morning, after returning home from church, I got a knock on my door and an invitation to spend the gorgeous afternoon on the Potom@c on their new boat!

Being neighborly = very good idea.

Georgetown Waterfront - You can find me here this summer. Lots of great restaurants and bars. "The place to be."

Wow, this is the first time I've posted a picture of anyone who doesn't read my blog. Shhh, don't tell her. But this picture was just too cool to not post. Despite the nerdy sunglasses that looked way better on my neighbor than on me.

The Attempted Set-up

Those friends I made in line at the Queen’s ceremony? They want to set me up. With a 36-year-old.

And instead of saying, “Yeah, that’s too old for me”, I heard myself say “You know, it’s crazy - I’ve only gone out with guys in their thirties since I moved out here.” It may be true, but did I have to say it?? Did I have to encourage the setting up?

I asked a friend “What are the chances that he loves Jesus? Like one in a million?”

“Jesus in a million.”

She was right. I mean, maybe the odds weren’t that low.

So I got an email from the line-friend yesterday . . with some more info about him . . and a picture. I moved my mouse over the photo icon, stared straight down at my keyboard, and clicked. I couldn’t bring myself to look up.

I finally did, and the first thought that crossed my mind was, “No.”

The second thing was, “I don’t care if he does love the Lord. Still no.”

Maybe I was being too particular.

I pushed my chair away from my desk. Maybe he looked better from a distance.

I leaned over to the right. Maybe he looked better from an angle.

I scooted back to my desk and covered his mouth with my hand. Then moved my hand to cover his eyes. Maybe one of his features was attractive.

I squinted. Still no.

He’s not ugly. He’s just . . no.

And now I have to tell my line-friend that I can’t do it. I’ve changed my mind. I don’t like being set up. He sounds great, but I’m not interested.

I’m also not good at keeping myself out of awkward situations.

The ABC's of Me

A - Attached or Single: Single. For almost four years! I don't know whether I should be embarrassed or proud. But I haven't been shedding tears over boys or investing in someone that I'll never walk down the aisle with. And I'm sure my husband (whoever he is) will appreciate that I'm holding out for him. So I'm gonna go with proud. Besides, I've been having so much fun!

B - Best Friend: My BFF is Micki/Micks/Michelle. She is my Person. She is the perfect balance to my personality. She knows that good food, shopping, music, and football are way up there as some of the coolest things on Earth. She is the one I can do nothing at all with and love every second of it. She presses me closer to the Lord and makes me want to know Him more and more. She has the sweetest spirit ever! Also, my mom is amazing. She is the one I call for no other reason than to tell her that I've just brushed my teeth and my mouth feels so fresh that I just had to tell someone. And she listens to that kind of stuff. She feels what I feel. She cares that I stubbed my toe and it really hurts. She is the reason I know God as my Lord and Savior. Her heart is so beautiful that I can't believe she's real.

C - Cake or Pie: Cake, as long as it's warm and moist and I can have it a la mode.

D - Drink of Choice: Water. I think this is the most boring part about me. I only drink water.

E - Essential Item: my digital camera, because you never know when a moment that needs capturing will occur

F - Favorite Color: Well, I just plain love color. But I love red for so many reasons. It's flashy and hot and bright. It means Jesus died for me. It means "Go Big Red!". What's not to love?

G - Gummi Bears or Worms: Worms are so much more fun to eat. Why stick an entire gummy in my mouth when I can let part of it hang out and slowly slurp it up?

H - Hometown: Fremont, Nebraska. A great community of $25,000 people. Completely, and I mean completely flat.

I – Indulgence(s): Ice cream - I never say no to it. Designer jeans, because they really do look fabulous and fit better. Other than that, my indulgences seem to change from month to month.

J - January or July*: Ok, Courtney edited this, and I'm so glad she did because c'mon, there is no real difference between January and February. They are both winter! And summer beats out winter every time. Even with the East Coast's killer humidity.

K - Kids: I have always liked kids well enough. And some I have loved - like cousins and friends' kids and the kids I nannied for. But lately, I have been wanting to eat up every kid I see. I just love hanging out with them. I think I'm going to love being a mom.

L - Life is incomplete without: Seriously - Jesus. I couldn't do life without Him. Unfortunately, that kinda sounds cliche. But honestly, I am constantly dependent on His grace to depend on Him and live through Him for Him. But other than that major all-encompassing thing, life would be incomplete without chocolate, bodies of water, airplanes, cameras, and music.

M - Marriage Date: At this point, I am indifferent . . sort of. All I know and constantly remind myself is that I'm getting closer, because I'm obviously not getting further away. I still don't feel impatient, but when I think about getting older and older, I think "Please God, don't let it be too far away."

N - Number of Siblings: Two. My brother is 23 and my sister is 19. I'm the big sister.

O - Oranges or Apples: Apples. Lots and lots of apples. It's pretty much the only fruit I eat. And I eat it almost every day. With peanut butter. Delicious.

P - Phobias/Fears: I can't think of anything off the top of my head. I am a little afraid of getting assaulted or held up at gunpoint . . a nice newfound fear since moving to a dangerous city.

Q - Favorite Quote: I always see quotes I love, but I don't really have any memorized.

R - Reason to smile: I'll be in Fort Lauderdale with my BFF in less than a week!!

S - Season: Summer. Although my favorite season in D.C. is probably spring or fall, because who likes feeling sweaty all the time??!

T- Tag Three: I want to hear from Morgan at Mama Loves Papa, Miss J at Dolce Vita, and Pink Sun Drops.

U - Unknown Fact About Me: Courtney had a great unknown fact! We can share it because I, too, have absolutely no desire to go into outer space. None. Freaks me out just thinking about it.

V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals: Eating meat is one of the greatest pleasures in life. Steak, burgers, chicken, bacon . . my mouth is watering.

W - Worst Habit: Biting my nails. Ugh. I wish I could stop!

X - X-rays or Ultrasounds: So basically the questions is: Broken bones or babies? I'm gonna have to go with babies.

Y - Your Favorite Foods: Tomato and mozzarella. Apples and peanut butter. Salmon and garlic mashed potatoes. Steak and grilled vegetables. Warm cake or brownies with ice cream. Lasagna.

Z- Zodiac: Leo. Another reason to love the summer.

New Girl's decision

This week, New Girl gave her two weeks notice. If you've been reading 'me' for awhile, you'll remember when I met her, when she was in fact "the new girl". She's not only far from 'new' anymore, she's leaving! My initial remarks to hearing this (although I've known it was coming) were blatantly honest and not even remotely kind, although my intention wasn't to be hurtful.

NG: I am so excited to move back to Boston and have friends again!
Me: You could've had friends here, but you didn't try.

My reaction couldn't be more true. Going home to watch tv every night hardly increases your chances of making friends with the horde of co-workers who already love you and want to hang out.

NG: I'm so nervous. This is a big risk.
Me: Yep. I'd be nervous too if I was you.

Also a true statement. She's taking a big risk leaving such an amazing company after just under a year to go live near a boyfriend who won't commit to her and with whom she constantly experiences conflict.

But I know I shouldn't have been so honest. And I get it. I get her decision. I did the same thing when I was a freshman in college. I didn't give it a chance. I didn't make friends. I only missed the friends I left at home (which, mind you, was only an hour away). I counted down the hours until I could drive home for the weekend and see my boyfriend with whom my relationship was very short-lived. Looking back though, I don't regret leaving. I was much happier transferring to a college in the city that I loved and living with the greatest group of girls anyone could ever hope to live with. To be honest, I probably never should've chosen my first school in the first place. But I always would've wondered. And I still wonder. What if I had gotten involved and made friends there? It's a great school and it could've been a great school for me. My best friend went there. We could've made some great memories together, but I left her.

But sometimes we make emotional decisions. And really it all turns out ok. Maybe different than we expected. Maybe it just takes longer to get where we're going. Maybe we even have consequences to pay. But it can all turn out ok. (especially if Jesus has the reins)

And that's what I should've told her.

The Queen

Joining that women's political group last summer was totally worth the $25! Not only did I get a fabulous chicken salad sandwich at a luncheon the day I joined, but last week an email came in offering tickets to Queen Elizabeth's arrival ceremony for the first few respondents, and you better believe I was one of them. The only problem was that I didn't have anyone to go with. This meant I would have to make friends.

So Monday morning at 7:20am, as I stepped off at the Federal Triangle metro stop, I quickly identified a group of five that were headed to the Southeast Gate of the White House as well. Twenty minutes later, I was being included in some of their photographs as we stood in line waiting for the gates to open. Going early was an excellent idea, because we were among the first 40 people in line with thousands filing in behind us only an hour later. I had worried I might be hidden in a crowd at the ceremony, unable to see a thing, but I got a spot right at the fence and wasn't ten feet away from the Queen and the President as they walked by the Air Force band during the ceremony. It was an awesome experience, but had I been stuck in the back, I doubt it would've been worth the four hours I spent standing.

Unfortunately, I have an ordinary digital camera that took some really crappy pictures including every single picture of the Queen with the sun glaring off of her white skirt suit. The man next to me who promised to email his close-ups hasn't done it so far, but I'm still crossing my fingers. My new friends, however, also have a fancy digital and sent me the link to their shots. Here are a few of my favorites:

Confirming name and ticket number.

South Lawn view.

Press, of course.

Tuba reflections.

My view was closer :)

After the ceremony, I spotted my Senator from Nebraska, introduced myself and chatted for a little while.

The day was gorgeous and the ceremony was . . . fit for a queen.

on taking what was made for someone else

I love the handicapped stall. Maybe it's because it's so spacious that it almost feels like home. Maybe it's because the seat cover dispenser is right next to the stall - so convenient. Or maybe it's because it's the very last stall in a row of stalls making it much easier to stay discreet. Much harder for someone to see my feet.

Whatever the reason, I almost always choose that stall. And today was no exception.

As I sat there taking care of business, I heard the bathroom door open. Not unusual. Fortunately I wasn't doing anything embarrassing or feet liftable. Suddenly there was a tug at my stall door. As if there weren't at least five other stalls available!

Once the woman realized the stall was occupied, she let out a loud sigh, "SHOOT!"

I couldn't believe it! I understand if someone else likes the handicapped stall, but is it that big of a deal?

Soon I was flushing and ready to face this impatient and very particular stallmate.

But once I opened the door, a wave of guilt came over me. There she sat, waiting in a wheelchair! What if it had been an emergency and I, perfectly capable of using any other stall, had selfishly taken the only stall she could use?! I guess I'll think twice before using that stall again!