The Fireworks Show

At the lake, the day of the Fireworks Show is a big day. It is the day that most lake residents throw their Independence Day parties. The smell of fired-up grills and the sound of Black Jacks fill the air. Kids pop their 'poppers', adults mingle with their friends, and boats race around the lake until dusk.

I love the feeling when I cross the bridge and see the cars parked along the narrow road leading from one end of the island to the other, about a mile long. The flags line the neatly mowed lawns of over 100 lake houses. And as I near the end of the road, I see the only house I care about. Grandma's house. I pull into the long drive and park behind the van and SUV that brought my cousins from Indiana and Texas. I can't wait to see my family. And I'm sure to run into old classmates from high school roaming the street as well.

On our side of the island, across the lake a crew of people hang a large American flag and spend hours setting up the fireworks to the sounds of Jimmy Buffett, Bruce Springsteen and various country artists that blare from their speakers and provide entertainment for homes close enough to enjoy the music. At 7pm, the boat parade goes by. Red, white, and blue decorations cover pontoon boats that choose to participate as they circle the island hoping for cheers and praise that theirs was most creative. As the clock nears 9:30, glow sticks are hung around necks and seats are found on yard or beach. The show is about to begin. And what a show it is. Half an hour of spectacular fireworks of all kinds, patriotic music playing in the background, whistles and cheers for favorite explosions or bursts of color that haven't been seen before. Ooh and aahs and clapping fill the air. I lie on my back with cousins on either side and am happier there than any day I will ever spend in Washington D.C. And it's not even the 4th of July yet!

The first 24 hours

Sister picked me up from the airport, a Runza sack in hand filled with crinkle fries and a cheeseburger. It felt so good to be home. Though I was home just 10 days ago, it was a whirlwind. A beautiful, fun, happy whirlwind, but a whirlwind nonetheless. On this trip home, I can relax.

Sister and I drove across town to visit Cousin Joy and have our hair cut. Every day for the past month I've despised my hair. Every day except yesterday, the day I could actually have it cut. Yesterday it looked amazing. Day old hair, thick and full of shine. Loose curls posing as perfect waves. But I reminded myself that the hair needed a change. The hair was bor-ing. So I asked for bangs and thinner hair. Today I love it. Yesterday I loved it. But I've yet to style it on my own, and that is always the issue. Does it look good when YOU do it?

Sister and I met another cousin for dinner at a Mongolian grill and ice cream at C0ld Stone. Dinner changed my life. I would gladly eat at that very restaurant every day from here on out. So incredibly delicious! All-I-Could-Eat meats and noodles and veggies with sauces. I filled my plate three times.

I met Shae today for lunch and what we do best - shopping. She is my Fashion Friend. When I'm having doubts about an outfit, I call Shae. When I can't decide which shoes to wear, I call Shae. It's been hard on us living so far apart because there can be no modeling. No "Does this make me look fat?" No "Is this worth $50?" And no "Come over and help me decide what to keep and what to return." But tonight we were able to do all three. And spending time like that with her and with other friends - it makes me feel like I never moved, like I don't live 1500 miles away, and like I could come back at any time and everything would be the same.

two things not to do

#1. Do not wear the five inch wedges when you plan to walk over a mile in them.



#2. Do not leave your blisters open and untreated while wearing flip flops and playing in dirt and sand.



None of you are probably as stupid as I am

Lake of the Woods

I'm dog-sitting for one "dirty dog" as we referred to him yesterday when he consistently went after and violated the other male dog at the BBQ. Gross, just gross.

Mel and I picked up Murphy (the black lab I'm looking after for a few days) and drove for two and half hours to get to the party that was just an hour south of our city. Terrible terrible traffic. But once we arrived, there was much fun to be had. We were hanging out with QGP and his friends again. I hadn't seen QGP since last summer, but his friends were nice enough to think of me and invite me to the BBQ at their lovely lake home surrounded by a beautiful wooded area.

We ate yummy pork loin sandwiches, Chili's chips and salsa, and a few other side dishes while we played Cornhole, ping pong, and threw the football around. I met several new people who were equally as fun as QGP's other friends, including another Nebraskan like me and QGP. After relaxing on the deck for a few hours, we moved the group to the sand volleyball court near the beautiful lake and played a game in the dark. The evening ended with triple chocolate brownies and milk followed by several karaoke songs on the big screen. It wasn't your usual round of karaoke, though. Picture at least seven people in the middle of the floor singing along and imitating the music video dance moves while the rest of the gang observed from the couches.

The tentative plan had been to stay the night and do some boating the next day, but Mel had to get back home so we headed out at 1:30am. I'm confident we'll get another invite, though. Boating is definitely in our future this summer.

This Week

This week is already over. Two days until I am back in Nebraska for an entire week. A week of hugs, pictures, food, sun, and being by the water. The 4th of July is like Christmas with my family . . so being in the nation's capital just isn't my top choice. Maybe next year.

Aunt and Uncle were in town recently. Cousin J's mom and dad. They came to see their grandchildren, Walker and Mary Michael. I was invited over Monday evening for a delicious Tuscan dinner on the patio. K is such a good cook. I will see Aunt and Uncle back in Nebraska next week, but seeing someone in your city is special. They didn't see my apartment. They didn't see the awesome view from my roof. But they saw me. Me in my city.

Last week I tidied my desk, making sure it was neat as could be, stacking papers, putting things in their place and hanging a new crimson bulletin board and my United States map on the walls. I knew Uncle might stop by while I was away (in Nebraska), and I couldn't let him (as tidy as he is) see my mess! My hunch was right, and I found a note on my marker board when I returned. He signed it "Love Uncle S____" and left his business card. Cute. And I thanked myself for cleaning up before he came.

I'm going for dessert tonight. It won't be the first time this week. If I worked out tonight it would be for the first time in two weeks. Usually I try to keep some kind of healthy proportion between the two. If I did then I could be surprised if I gained weight. I wouldn't be shocked at this point.

The girl at Gifford's (you know, my favorite ice cream place) is one of my favorite people now. She gave BSG and me 2-for-1 coupons the other day. On Wednesday I forgot mine but she remembered me and gave me the discount anyway. That is how to become one of my favorite people. Remember me or give me free ice cream. Do both and I will love you forever.

My weekend is looking fun before it's even started. I won't say what I'm up to, because if something fell through I'd have to take it back and that is no fun at all. I will give you hints though: food, sun, fun people, a dog, and a body of water. I'm hoping the body of water doesn't end up being the apartment pool. We'll find out soon enough.

The Big Day

I meant what I said in my toast. That she has always encouraged me to go after God more and more. That she has always trusted Him. That she has patiently waited for her tall, dark, and handsome (and most importantly godly) man. And that her wedding day was one of the most exciting days of my life.

The only thing better than having a dream come true for yourself is watching it come true for someone you love. And actually, watching it might be better. Because watching it inspires and gives you hope, while at the same time allowing you to feel a piece of what someone else it feeling. It’s such a beautiful thing.

In fact, it was such a beautiful thing that I’m not sure I can ever get married now. There is no way I could have that fabulous of a wedding! It was perfect in every way.

When I left you all, I had just recovered from a bout of really bad anxiety. Fortunately it never came back.

On Thursday, Grandma and I had lunch at Runza (a Nebraska fave), picked up croissants at the bakery and went home to fill them with chicken salad and bake cupcakes. I put pink SweetTarts on top of the white cupcakes. S is for her new last name. I also made some delicious chocolate cupcakes (for the bachelorette party) with my new ‘unique’ cupcake tin. I wondered what Grandma would say, but fortunately she thought they were adorable. She also thought they were supposed to look like ice cream cones. I just went along with it.

At the personal shower, Best Friend got some beautiful, beautiful pieces of lingerie and I successfully embarrassed her with a game . . but too successfully I’m afraid – whoops. We ate the croissants, mozzarella and tomato skewers with olive oil and basil, fruit skewers with fruit dip, and bread with spinach and artichoke dip. Delish!





BF was ready to put on her sombrero and boa at the fiesta-themed bachelorette party and have some fun. She loved posing with the wall decorations, hitting the appropriately-shaped piñata, and watching us all create cute, colorful panties for her new hobby – ha.

Her brother flew in from a semester in New Zealand that night, so we were even able to re-use the fiesta decorations as a ‘welcome back’ in his hotel room.



Friday was pedicures, and boy do I need to get those done more often. It felt so good! That girl really knew how to massage a foot! We spent the next several hours at her aunt and uncle’s lakehouse eating, tubing, and catching some sun. The weather didn’t look good for the outdoor rehearsal, but after many prayers the rain came and passed just in time for practice.



The rehearsal dinner was at one of our favorite restaurants, Biaggi’s. We had chicken farfalle alfredo with peas, chicken parmesan, and some delicious salmon dish. I don’t know what we had for appetizers, but those were amazing, too. The desserts were a cheesecake, chocolate chip banana bread, and chocolate something. But wow!

BF and the groom didn’t see each other on Saturday until she walked down the aisle. Well, she saw him. She did his hair actually, but he kept his eyes closed. Her ten bridesmaids and two personal attendants gathered around her to pray before it was time to line up. She looked so beautiful.



Standing on that stage right next to the lake, it was so hot! I thought I had spiders crawling down my legs, but realized they were beads of sweat! The bride and groom wrote their own vows which were so beautiful. (Beautiful is basically the key word for this entire thing.) The fireworks went off a little too soon, but other than that, everything went smoothly.



The jazz band at the reception played great music, and everyone had fun dancing. And the food stations. Don’t even let me get started! The biggest disappointment, or rather the only disappointment of the entire night was me not eating more. I was so exhausted and my head hurt to the point of causing my stomach to not want much food. You better believe I was all, “What the heck, Stomach? I have been waiting months for this food and you don’t want anymore??” I did make it to the Lebanese station and filled my plate to overflowing. I thought it might look a tad gluttonous to proceed to the Italian, French, and Irish-American tables on the same trip, so I added only a French pastry and slice of prime beef to my plate right next to the grape leaves, falafel, hummus, pita bread, and tablouleh salad. I had every intention of returning to the food, but like I said the stomach was being ridiculous! I saw so much on others’ plates that I wish I could’ve tried. Fortunately, by the time the cake was cut, I was ready to dive into not only a slice of the white almond, but the chocolate groom’s cake as well. Best Friend drew a picture of the cake she wanted for the cake baker (or whatever they’re called) and again “beautiful” would be a good word for it.



The toast, thank goodness, went well I would say . . or at least that’s what everyone else seemed to say. I said everything I planned to say, and I was not nervous. Uh, sort of not nervous. Actually I was quite nervous every second leading up to the toast, but once I took the microphone I felt confident that things would be smooth sailing from that point out. My leg apparently didn’t feel the same way, because it shook the entire time. And I was thinking “LEG, you can stop shaking, because I’m doing FINE up here!” Let’s hope no one noticed.

At the end of the night, we saw the couple off with sparklers and returned to the dance floor for a few more songs.

And now my Best Friend is married.

Beautiful.

(Obviously you can see my Flickr for more pictures.)

a glimpse . .

The Big Day approaches

Tuesday night was the WORST night for Uncle Ken to be in town. My last night to pack and run errands happened to be the only night we could get together. I met him at Au B0n Pain after my life-changing experience with Debbie (see below), and we headed to Julia's Emp@nadas to pick up dinner. Three hours later, I was on the roof of my apartment building trying to drop hints that I NEEDED TO PACK, BIG DAY TOMORROW, so take one last look at the view and PLEASE be on your way!

Wednesday was calmer than expected. I had an event to attend (that I'd helped organize), ends to tie up at work, and there were things at home that I still needed to throw in my suitcase.

A soon as I left the office, I caught a cab to Seph0ra in Ge0rgetown. (Can I just tell you how ironic it is that my last-minute errand was to Seph0ra when I had walked by that store at the mall about FIVE times in the past week!) A quick in-and-out, and I was catching another cab home. I had 20 minutes before cab #3 would pick me up en route to the airport.

The closer it got to flight departure, the sicker I felt.

I popped an Excedrin Migraine (what I do when I'm desperate for caffeine), stuffed a pb&j in my mouth, and threw a little bit of everything into my suitcase.

By the time the cab driver got there, I felt awful. I was a bundle of nerves, and that is SO NOT ME! I phoned BFF and left a message about how excited I was, how sick I felt, and how WAIT A SECOND, why am I telling the BRIDE this?

The cab driver offered some words of wisdom. "Don't tell your friend! You will make it hard for her! You will be fine. It's not like your going to Russia or China."

He was right, but I couldn't shake the nauseousness. I couldn't breathe right. Thank goodness a friend would be sitting right next to me on the flight. And thank goodness we were flying M!dwest!

Within a half hour period of time, I'd tried and failed to use the restroom three times! One of those times was on the plane just minutes before take-off. I located the barf bag in my seat just in case and tried to reassure myself that I'd be fine.

I bowed my head, began to pray and not ten minutes later the sick feeling began to subside. I didn't recover 100%, but I did take the stewardess up on those warm chocolate chip cookies which was a big sign of normalcy.

I was up late working on a couple of things and, although tired this morning, I'm ready to go!

Grandma and I will be putting together some food and dessert before I head to the lingerie shower today. And tonight we'll continue celebrating with a bachelorette party. I just hope that BFF can relax and enjoy every moment. If I'm anxious as the MOH, I can't imagine being the BRIDE!

Work in Progress

"She's funny," Em said of the aesthetician she recommended.

I needed a wax badly, but you can't go to just anyone for these things. We're talking about hair removal, and I needed a pro, someone who came with a reference.

Debbie walked in, exclaimed "Hello" as if she'd known me forever, took one look at my face and said, "I'm going to tell you why your brows are all wrong."

I grabbed the mirror and held it out in front of my face anticipating the critique she was about to give. "Go right ahead!" I said. "I've always thought they needed re-shaping."

"You've got old Jennifer Aniston brows."

"Ew." Jennifer Aniston I can deal with, but I didn't like the word 'old'.

"I'm going to tell you about your face. But before I start, you've got to promise to not get offended. If you had a big nose, I would tell you. You don't, but if you did, I would say so."

"By all means!"

Debbie proceeded to explain why my brows made my face appear the way it did (wide and like my eyes were close together) and how we could go about changing that. It would be a work in progress, but with her help she promised we'd get there.

"I have a wedding this weekend,so how much of a 'work in progress' are we talking about?"

"Oh! You have a wedding! Than we've GOT to do this. Gosh, I love when people come to me with bad brows!"

And I love someone who is enthusiastic about their job! Especially when it makes me look better.

Jersey Shore

What a weekend!

Four hours to the Jersey Shore and a fantastic weekend with the girls.

Highlights of the weekend:
- the private BEACH of course!
- whole wheat bagels at the cheese shop
- old school rock band at the Shore bar which meant lots of crazy dancing
- two visits by the (hot) cops *story to come*
- ice cream TWICE, made fresh at the ice cream shop . . malt ball, cake batter, cookie dough, and chocolate peanut butter
- grilling out cheeseburgers
- American trivia game
- sunbreaks and movies
- pancakes at the firehouse
- so much laughing!

The story of the cop visits wouldn't be funny unless I told you in person, but long story short, someone thought they saw a man in their room and called the cops. They came, we had a lot of laughs and realized after they left that it was really just our friend sleep-walking. But you better believe we locked the doors. The hot cops came back the following night to "check on us" because they'd had a "similar situation" a few miles away (in the 'safest town in America'). We're convinced they just wanted a few laughs from some crazyobnoxious girls. They certainly got some more laughs . . and some fresh-baked cookies delievered to the station the next morning.

late night call

There I sat on the toilet lid . . in the dark . . at midnight . . with my Blackberry pressed to my ear. Didn't want to wake the bedroommate up, so I took the call in the bathroom. The vibrate setting always wakes me up. It was BFF and we talked for 45 minutes. And I wondered if we'd still do this sometimes after she got married. If she'd still wake me up, and I'd answer because I wanted to talk and I didn't care if I lost sleep. I hope so.

ice cream run, etc.

Forget the burger. I went straight for the ice cream last night. I chose strawberry (very uncharacteristic of me), because it FELT healthier. I mean, there were REAL strawberries in there. How can that not be healthier?

After ice cream, I ran errands with bedroommate EB. I went to pick up a gift at the mall that was supposed to be ready a WEEK ago and was still not done - grr. We wandered into Lindt Chocolates and bought some mint truffles for my chocolate fix (only to find out later that they were a bit cheaper at Target). As it always goes at Target, I went there for napkins and found myself dropping a huge armload of stuff onto the belt at the register. But it was an armload of many things I forgot I needed, all for the wedding weekend. I always, always play this game at the checkout where I try to guess what the total will be before they ring me up. You know, to soften the blow. Maybe if I guess a little higher, it won't be as painful when they tell me how much I owe. It works . . sort of.

What I'd love to be doing in these posts is getting into the specifics of what I am buying and how shower planning stuff is going, but "Hi BFF, I'm trying to keep this stuff a surprise for you". My biggest worry is that it won't turn out as great as I hope it will or that I'm forgetting something BIG and won't realize it until it's too late.

I did figure out what I want to say to BFF when I stand up in front of EVERYONE. Hope it comes out ok.

the cure for what's ailing me

All of a sudden, I feel like I could burst into tears . . and for no reason. I need chocolate, maybe chocolate will help. Friday can not come soon enough! Then I will be en route to the Jersey Shore with seven other fun girls!

Last night, another bridesmaid who lives in D.C. came by my apartment to allow me to dump a bunch of wedding/shower stuff in her car as she will be making the long drive to Nebraska for BFF’s wedding. I can’t believe she’s going alone! It took me nearly 24 hours to drive that distance last year! Putting my things in her car made the nearness of the wedding even more real. As I told BFF last night, she can almost count on her fingers the days until the wedding. And my life isn’t slowing down for this. I am busy every night this week, yet there is so much to do.

I don't know if it's the stress of that. Or the stress of work, which HAS been stressful. But I do know that a F!ve Guys burger and some ice cream from G!fford's sounds like the cure. Even if I do have to trek through a thunderstorm to get there. Big Sky Girl, here I come . .

So little time

To a co-worker on Friday: "I wish today was Thursday. I have so much work to do and calls to make but now Friday is over, and I can't do it."

Co-worker: "This isn't the right thing to say, but I'm going to say it anyway. . . You are now fully integrated into the team."

Fridays are supposed to be laid back, a wind-down from a long week, a preparation for the weekend. But many times mine are just as crazy as the four days leading up to them. Yesterday was one of those days.

Because I rarely let myself get stressed, irritated or anything other than laid back and happy, people can easily notice when I'm having a tough day. They can even sense it over IM.

Co-worker over IM: Are you ok? Is there anything I can do? You're upset.

So I'm glad Friday is over, but only sort of. Because come Monday when I have no progress to report in my 9am meeting, it's not going to look good. Even though there's nothing I could've done to change that, apart from supernaturally adding hours to the day, excuses can't be made. Another instance of "So much to do and so little time."

So as soon as the clock said 5:45, I threw my hands in the air and headed to Happy Hour for a glass of wine and a game of Golden Tee. After fourteen holes, Em and I decided to go get tapas at La T@sca. Spanish tortilla, potatoes with green peppers and onions, paella with seafood and chicken, and meatballs in a spicy sauce. And you know I didn't skip dessert: vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate nougat sauce.

Too exhausted to meet friends for a movie, roomie EB and I watched Jerry Seinfeld stand-up and were in bed by 11pm.

Today I was up by 8am. I'm off to the pool for some sun and a church BBQ this afternoon!

June 23rd keeps getting closer

Veggie burgers.

This is what I'm eating to cut calories in an effort to look my best for BFF's wedding in sixteen days! No more excuses. I must do some type of exercise EVERY SINGLE DAY until then. I want as little armpit fat as possible hanging over that strapless dress. Not to mention the fact that she had to go and schedule a day at the lake as part of the weekend festivities. Of course I'm thrilled! It's my favorite thing to do! But it means me in a bathing suit amongst quite a few people. A bikini wax is sounding like a really smart idea right now.

As the wedding weekend draws nearer, I'm learning more and more that party planning is so.much.fun! If I had loads of money, it would be even more fun! BFF's lingerie shower and bachelorette party are only two weeks away, and I can't wait to celebrate with everyone. I'm getting closer to having every detail sorted out. I can picture everything in my head. Except for the toast. That picture in my head is not a good picture. It's me fidgeting. It's me trying to make a joke and . . silence. Like that scene in "Wedding Crashers". Not good. It's me lifting my glass in the air "To BFF and the Groom" and spilling my drink down the front of my dress as I take a drink. I've always said "I like giving speeches" (although I know this isn't a 'speech'). "Being up in front of people doesn't make me nervous." But I'm beginning to think that I LIE. I'll find out soon enough.

Baltimore, etc.

Baltimore is much cooler than I thought. Which I suppose isn't saying TOO much since I didn't expect it to be cool at all. But I drove up to visit a friend this weekend and actually stayed in the city for longer than ten minutes. They have a very cute waterfront area, some neat restaurants and cobblestone streets. We ate at a Mediterranean tapas place called exactly what it is, Mezze. And it was delicious! I loved every single dish!

She brought a friend along and because of this we discussed differing opinions on the war and global warming the entire time! No light conversation for us. And I'm not complaining - I really enjoyed it, and I like hearing others' opinions but I LIVE IN WASHINGTON D.C. I breathe politics fifty hours a week, so can we please discuss ANYTHING BESIDES THAT?? He did tell stories about his experience teaching high school in Baltimore's inner-city (which is one of the worst) which was extremely interesting. And I got to tell everyone what I'm passionate about which was nothing that wasn't superficial . . and come to think of it, how shallow must I have seemed? I really am passionate about things other than the things I mentioned . . like JESUS and seeing people's hearts healed and watching people have deeper relationship with Him. Somehow I forgot to mention that.

Maybe I forgot to mention it because I haven't gotten very plugged in at my church yet. And I haven't been seeing people's hearts healed lately. It's not been for lack of trying, but I attend a rather small church (compared to the mega church I attended back home) and there aren't a plethora of activities to be involved in. I'm hoping though that that is about to change.

Saturday morning I went to a women's brunch and met several wonderful women from my church. We ate some delicious food. (I was expecting scones and got muffins, quiche, fruit, fresh tomato and cheese English muffins and other yummy treats.) Then we sat around and told a bit about ourselves and had a devotional learning about women in the Bible who asked God for something, how they asked and how He answered. I'll also be joining a Bible study on the book of Daniel next week.

I made a big decision a few weeks ago to leave a Bible study (with my girlfriends, not through a church) that wasn't challenging me AT ALL, but instead frustrating me. I'm excited about taking this step to join a group that I am confident will press me closer to God and move me out of my comfort zone where I need to be.

After this weekend, I can give another movie review.
"Knocked Up":
Funny - yeeees.
Crude - TOTALLY!
Language - every other word the 'F' word and that is no exaggeration!
Nudity - TWICE and disgusting context at that!
Katherine Heigl -please let me look that cute when I'm pregnant and man, I want to dye my hair a lighter blonde and go shopping now!
Conclusion: R-rated comedies are too much for me! Ew.

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!

the living room can now be described as cozy

For the past ten months, I have loved my apartment but hated the lack of color, ugly furniture (none of which is mine), and dorm-room feel. I couldn't do anything about the couches. I didn't want to invest in decorating a temporary place. And I didn't think we could paint the walls.

This week, I found out different. We are allowed to paint as long as the color is light and doesn't require more than two coats of paint.

So yesterday, my bedroommate EB and I decided to paint the living room. And within six hours of that decision, the living room was painted with two coats of a beautiful taupe/beige color. Covering those ugly white walls that were smudged and scuffed and boring was an exhilarating experience. EB and I kept pausing in the middle of our work just to bask in the beauty of it. We left the base boards and door and window frames white, which is the perfect accent. Ever since finishing, we've been spending every moment in that room, breathing in the fresh paint smell and deciding what to hang on the walls.














The living room can now be described as cozy. And all because of a little paint.















(I know, I know - your toaster is bigger than my television.)















(Forgive the messy entryway! See the box? We finally got a vacuum cleaner!)

I'll take "entire-room" pictures when we actually hang things up.

The Restaurant

So the restaurant I picked was amazing. The three of us ate so much food that we all wanted to puke when it was over. I literally left my pants unbuttoned under my long shirt after visiting the restroom. I wanted to think back and remember the deliciousness I'd just consumed during the last hour, but each time I even thought about food, I felt ill. Still, it was great!

We each ordered a cocktail. Mine was a Flaming Hurricane and came out with an actual flame on top. They brought us complimentary bread with two spreads. One was a jalapeno white bean spread. The other was more solid and also had some jalapeno in it. So unique and so good! The girls ordered gumbo, which I tasted (a few times) and wow!, very good. For the main course, I ordered Chilean sea bass that was specially crisped and baked on top of garlic mashed potatoes and sitting in a plate of jalapeno-infused black beans and greens and topped with salsa and guac. Upon finishing the entire plate, I decided dessert was going to make me sick, but how could I pass it up? So I ordered the bananas foster and it was the best bananas foster I've ever had! It didn't taste like rum at all, but was fantastic! I, again, cleaned my plate.

So, if you're ever in Philly, check out Crescent City. You won't regret it.

when separated, there's always email

New Girl and I split up at the big dinner last night to meet more people. We exchanged the following emails:

NG: I think the boy next to me loves me.

Me: Can you see me? Where are you sitting?

NG: I'm looking but I can't find you.
NG: So there's a dessert spoon but no dessert fork. What do you think that means?

Me: Good observation. Hmm. Did you eat your first plate? Interesting.

NG: A fig and a beet I think. The creme fresh was delish. I'm thinking the dessert will be chocolate mouse.

Me: Good guess. You're probably right. I'm cool with that. I wondered what I just ate. It was unique for sure.

NG: Wasn't the creme fresh perfect! Just like a light yogurt! Maybe it'll be creme brulee?

Me: Now that would be yummy!

NG: OMG! You love _____ ! (the speaker)

Me: Well he's right.

Me: I found you. Does the priest love you???

NG: I laughed out loud on that one. No, it's the bald guy.

Me: New Girl! He's married! Stop flirting with the bald guy!

NG: What? It's over? No dessert??!

Philadelphia

I've left the hotel only once to have dinner at a nearby pub, but in a few hours, the three of us will escape the world of policy wonks to have dinner on South Street. I've been given a very important task this afternoon; much more amusing than listening to speakers or emailing folks back at the office. The task is to pick a restaurant. My pleasure! So I've chosen South Street, of course - famous for its eclectic shops and diversity. And we'll be eating gourmet Southern cuisine. The menu looks delicious!

At the moment, I'm hanging out in New Girl's room. It's not fair that she got a chaise lounge and I didn't, so she's letting me hang out in here while she takes a nap . . pantless of course. The second we get back to our rooms, her pants are off in a flash. She likes to sit around in her underwear. And she calls me weird. I suppose you can do whatever you want in your own room. Don't let me stop you. And it's true that when I'm alone, it's usually not just my pants that come off. I always like to take advantage of my room's amenities (which is why I was so upset about no chaise lounge). I use the robe, the hair dryer, and the TV even when I'm not watching it, simply because I can choose the channel. I eat every single Hershey's kiss they leave on my pillow, and I use the provided toiletries too, although I never take them home with me. If my room is especially nice, I even take a picture . . but that should come as no surprise. I've taken a picture here . . . and then kicked myself when I realized my battery was dying, and I just wasted my last photo on a couple of beds!

If it wasn't pouring outside, I'd be sightseeing right now. It's much more fun than working. And besides, it's Friday. We're leaving early and heading home tonight. I'm enjoying the food and change of surroundings so much that I'm a little disappointed. Home may be home, but I don't have a television in my room, and I can't order room service, leave my towels on the floor or walk around without any clothes on.

Maybe Don Johnson would've been cooler

I guess you could say I met two famous people last night. The first is not so well-known, but his office is right next door to someone very well-known, so I'm gonna go ahead and call him famous. He was extremely nice, and I am so excited to be working with him on a project that takes something I love (that is usually mostly bad) and incorporates a whole lot of good into it. He is anything but nuts. He is light amongst a heck of a lot of darkness.

The second person I met was bad skin, lips loudly parting Edward J@mes Olmos. I, of course, told him I'd watched Miami Vice as a child with Dad. He made some comment about how long ago that was, and then he was stolen away by someone else. He was on the dinner agenda, and I was looking forward to hearing him speak . . until he started speaking. I found myself wondering if someone hadn't challenged him to see how many offensive and irrelevant things he could say in a half hour. Or dared him to embarass the very people that asked him to speak in front of hundreds of stakeholders. I've never felt so uncomfortable. I think the general consensus on his "speech" was . . . WTF???!!!!

Although it was painful hearing him speak, at least I got to sit there in my black dress that I got loads of compliments on. Unfortunately there was no picture taking to be done. Because "Work L___" can't be touristy and star-struck because she is working. Sad.

Now "Work L___" is in Philadelphia for three days in a hotel that is (as my co-worker Bourbon calls it) "pretty money". I can see the river from my 17th story room and right outside the front door is City Hall. I wish I had time to sightsee while I'm here. I really like this city with all its unique neighborhoods, and although I've seen quite a bit of it before, I know there's so much more to discover.

Setting myself up for disappointment

I’m going with the black tie part of “black tie optional”. But I’m afraid I’ll be out of place. To be more specific, I’m afraid I’ll be the only one with jersey knit sticking to every curve of my body! I have packed on a little more insulation since the last time I wore the dress. It would be one thing if I simply had to wear the dress to the dinner. But I have to put it on at work during business hours and catch a cab on the street corner. Like my colleague says, “You just have to put on your game face and be ‘Work L____’.

I have a few hopes and dreams for tonight. I’ll be seated at a table with P. D!ddy’s right hand man and I have oh so much I want to talk to him about (not even P. D!ddy and the fact that their offices are adjacent). On top of that, an actor from an 80s show Dad and I used to watch together – he’ll be there. Seeing him would be nice. Even nicer would be shaking his hand, telling him how much I loved M@rty Castillo and thanking him for his work with inner-city kids (I hear he likes to be known more for being an activist than an actor).

So basically I’ve set tonight up to be just an ordinary dinner where nothing extraordinary happens simply because I hope it will.

Midnight craving

It's 12:30 in the morning, and I WANT SOME ICE CREAM. The problem is that once my roomie TM comes home, junk food is out of the question. TM is a med student who keeps to herself, a sweetheart but frequently won't respond when you try talking to her (read: awkward), and a total health nut. All of this equals: I just can't bring myself to eat sweets around her. Not only does the uncomfortable silence and the fact that she's munching on veggies make me feel guilty, she closes the door to the kitchen (off her room) as soon as she comes home making you feel as though its off limits!

Update: I snuck a few bites while she went to the bathroom. Craving satisfied!

How to be the boss of me

I volunteered to baby-sit for one of my firm's VPs tonight. New Girl, a past baby-sitter of theirs, was a bit jealous that I was about to spend the evening with the two little girls. And I planned to do just what she feared . . make them like me better, of course (heheh). The 4- and 1-year old girls were just as adorable as she'd said they were, and I was confident that the night would go well. VP and wife mentioned that New Girl hadn't been able to get 4-year-old to bed before 10 p.m. when she baby-sat, so I also decided that not only would I be more fun, I would get that little girl in bed by her bedtime!! Just watch!

Two hours later, after watching only one episode of "Diego", putting the 1-year-old to bed and making a beaded necklace and bracelet, I began to prepare 4-year-old for our next activity - going to bed. I let her know that we'd have time to read just two books and encouraged her to begin thinking about which books she wanted to read. Ten minutes prior to bedtime, I led her up the stairs anticipating the challenge that lie before me.

She made no objection to the two book limit, and I was feeling pretty good about how things were going. After finishing the second Dr. Suess story I turned to explain that bedtime had indeed come. And that's when it happened.

She offered to brush my hair.

Now there are plenty of offers I could've easily turned down. Playing house. Making another bracelet. Reading another story. But I never turn down the opportunity to have my hair brushed.

And actually, she didn't just offer; she told me she was going to do it. And far be it for me to stop her. I immediately pulled the elastic out of my hair, held the mirror as instructed and let her brush away. About five seconds into the brushing and I was in a completely different state.

Oh, now you need to [pretend to] cut my hair? Go right ahead.

Oh and of course you can [pretend to] wash it. And dry it.

You need to brush again? By all means.

The girl owned me. I tried to tell her that we only had time for "one more thing", but she sweetly explained that "Honey, we're not done yet." And I simply answered, "Ok".

It's a miracle that she was laying down, head on pillow only ten minutes after 9pm. (Bedtime was 8:30-9.) I still beat New Girl's time by 50 minutes!

Feel the Love

Family rocks.

The two on the left are my cousins. My sister is to my right. This is a picture of us full from ham, cheesy potato casserole, Grandma's famous baked beans, a Jello dish, deviled eggs, bread . . . and also angel food cake and Grandma's special German chocolate cake with ice cream and hot fudge. Oh yeah.

This is also a picture of us oh so happy to be together. Cousins reunited. You can almost feel the love just looking at us.

This is a picture of why I love home.

Wednesday Night

Very strange that an entire paragraph of my last post has gone missing! Yet the whole thing still reads normal. Weird. So we actually did more during Shae's visit, but the shopping and eating - those are the most important parts anyway.

All the excitement about going home was building and building until I realized that the temperatures would be even colder than those forecasted here. Forty degrees!? It's because I put away my sweaters, that's why. I was hesitant to do it and now that I have, my dream of open-toed shoes and skirts has been snatched away from me. I'm tempted to defy reality and pack my flip flops anyway.

My week is creeping by at a snail's pace, but it's certainly not been boring. Monday evening, BSG and I took advantage of all 80 degrees outside by grabbing a bite at Clyde's on the Walk and eating it on her rooftop in the middle of the city. We then watched the local news, which by the way I am never doing again. This place is dangerous. If I don't get taken out by a terrorist taxi cab driver, I'll either get mugged or worse by a Salvadoran gang member or hit by a bus while crossing the street. On my walk home from the metro that night I was positive the man behind me was following me, and I jogged the two blocks in heels. There's no place like home, there's no place like home . . (Nebraska, that is).

Last night, my old roommate KC had fourth row tickets to the Capitals hockey game. More fun than watching the game was flirting with hot guy in the row behind me. It's not often I see someone attractive in this city, and I like to take advantage of each and every opportunity to get to know someone new. Thanks to KC for shouting "He's not for you" loud enough for him to hear . . because for a moment there I thought random boy at the hockey game might have been my next boyfriend.

Tonight I am writing on this blog because I want to avoid working for as.long.as.possible since I escaped my desk today for all of five minutes, and I NEED A BREAK. If I don't write again before the weekend, know that there will be many pictures to come!

Another Visitor!

Counting down hours to an event (namely “going home”) that is several days away can really wear on a person . . . which is why a visit from my good friend, Shae, last weekend was just what I needed to break up the anticipation. In Baltimore for business, she extended her stay through the weekend so she could come down and spend time with me. My bedroommate was in Boston, so the other bed in my room was available just for her, and after picking her up on Thursday night, we were able to lay there until way past my bedtime just gabbing about life. It was “one more thing” after “one more thing” until finally dozing off. I still worked on Friday, but she came in to the office to meet my co-workers, and we all headed to Papa R@zzi (probably one of my most frequently visited restaurants) and ordered Pollo e Spinaci pizza and gnocchi with mozzarella.

The unfortunate part of having a non-basketball liking friend visit on the weekend of the Final Four is that you’ll clearly feel bad if you force that friend to watch the games. So we had a compromise of sorts: shopping during the Georgetown game in Georgetown (painful), but later meeting up with my UCLA girls for that game. We ended the night with two pieces of cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory. I highly recommend Banana Cream! . . the only thing it needed was mayybe a drizzle of chocolate, because I’m convinced that anything would taste a little bit better with a smidge (or a cup) of chocolate.

So Shae’s trip flew by, just like all of my favorite moments in life that involve people I love, shopping, and eating good food. And there are more of those great moments to come as I travel home to Omaha on Friday. I can’t wait!

Sister's Visit

"I like that girl. The one who called me 'homeslice'."

Sister met my favorite co-workers when she came into work with me last Friday. She had flown in the night before, just as the temperatures began to significantly drop and rain started to fall. I had taken her to the underground restaurant, The Tombs in Georgetown, because who wouldn't be famished after flying halfway across the country? She set up shop with her computer and a book in my office (ok, my cube) and was able to see what a Friday morning is like for me.

"Ohmygosh, Brangelina's adopting another kid?!"
"Aren't you supposed to be working?"

She was able to meet New Girl who immediately embraced her and called her Little P____, Em (from San Diego) who referred to her as 'homeslice', and a few other work friends. As soon as lunchtime rolled around, I cut out early to spend the rest of the afternoon with her. I took her to my favorite lunch spot, Best Sandwich Place (EVER), because we'd only eaten a doughnut and a slice of pizza that morning in addition to our breakfast bowl of cereal.

She's not a big museum person, but the rain was coming down pretty hard along with some serious wind (which is anytime the wind blows here), so I suggested we check out the Spy Museum in Chinatown. I'd never been. At the museum, I was reminded that I too could not be classified as a museum person. I'm good for about an hour, hour and a half, and then my brain threatens to begin oozing out my ear because it's FULL and can only take in a certain amount of information in one day. It's unfortunate that my stomach doesn't seem to have the same problem.

After scurrying through about the entire second half of the museum (which is a very cool museum), we hurried home for a change of clothes. Friday evenings at the Kennedy Center, there is always a free performance. And thank goodness the performance is free, because the parking is $15! That night, a school of traditional Irish dance was performing, so we watched ages 5-45 perform many dances in their many costumes. So exhausted from the long day, we picked up some Peruvian rotisserie chicken and began the BBC 6-hour version of "Pride and Prejudice".

After I took her to my favorite bagel place Saturday morning, we shopped for hours in Georgetown, stopping for ice cream at Thomas Sweet, and drove around Old Town Alexandria, too lazy to find a parking spot and walk and shop some more. We needed a good meal in our stomachs, and somehow despite our parents' boring palettes, we both enjoy seafood. Legal Sea Foods served us amazing crab cakes, clam chowder, rainbow trout, scallops, and shrimp and we were almost too stuffed to have the Girl Scout Samoa ice cream I had sitting in my fridge . . almost.

After church on Sunday, we hit up the flea market on Capitol Hill, went tanning, and split the largest ice cream sundae I have ever had with BSG at Gifford's. Gifford's = most amazing ice cream place ever. And BSG's idea to share the massive five-scoop sundae with a puff pastry, milk chocolate sauce, almonds and whipped cream was her most genius idea ever.

It was Sister's last night in D.C., and as stuffed as we were from all that ice cream, we had to head over to Cousin J & K's house for dinner. As you can imagine, we were a bit (or rather extremely) concerned about how we would eat dinner for the rest of the week, let alone in two short hours. But we managed to get down a beef kabob (in my case, two) and mexican rice. To our dismay, they announced "We have ice cream for dessert!" And rather than first saying "Oh no, we just had ice cream, thank you", I instead asked "Is it Haagen-Dazs, your favorite?" He replied that unfortunately no, it wasn't. And Sister offered up the fact that she had never tried it. And so I place all blame on her for the following. J jumped out of his chair, grabbed his keys, and said, "You've never had it? Then I'm going to get some right now." We sat there dumbfounded. MORE ICE CREAM? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? No sooner had we processed that thought, J was back from the store with two very large Haagen-Dazs ice cream bars. And the P____ girls finished every last bite.

The End.

Dear Internet Friends

It is only because I am a good employee and a good sister that I have not blogged in over a week. I won't blog at work, and I won't blog when company is in town. And all the other time has been spent counting down the clock til company arrived. I've been dying to blog about my sister's canceled flight and the fine dining at Bebo that helped me cope with her absence. Even moreso, her rescheduled trip for this past weekend, which went splendidly. I have so many pictures to post and so much food to talk about . . because that's what happens when you visit me. I take you to eat delicious food. Not even necessarily expensive (especially if you're in college), but delicious just the same. And now, instead of heading to bed I keep making this post many more sentences than the three I intended. And I'm starting to get hungry again . . because in order to punish myself for my overindulgence this weekend, I've limited myself to cereal for breakfast AND lunch, which is complete torcher by the way. My caloric intake has been so low today that I barely have enough energy in my fingers to type this. Tomorrow I'll have cereal AND toast so I can write a nice long post. Good night.

**Update: See up above - where I misspelled TORTURE? What is wrong with me? My dad was wondering that very thing and sent me an email about it. After all, spelling is the one thing in life that I do perfectly. I knew I was tired last night, but WHOA. Dad also pointed out that I misspelled my own.mother's.name on the last piece of mail I sent. I did realize it right after it happened. I guess that's what happens when other things are on your mind. Of course I couldn't just change it up above all nonchalantly. I had to say something. All the pride in me had to point out that "I KNOW HOW TO SPELL. Really I do!" At least "torcher" is a word. It means "one who gives light with torch". That explains why Dad said "Yikes! Call the fire department!"

Visitor!

My sister is coming for a visit tomorrow. I've been calling her every day this week to remind her, because you know, I wouldn't want her to miss her flight or anything. I have big plans for our weekend . . eating and shopping and eating and shopping. I'm so glad she doesn't like history, because I'm just not in the mood to be that kind of tour guide . . the one wearing tennies and walking miles throughout the District trying to recommend which museums or monuments to see. I think it's all great, I do, but not now . . not when it's 40 degrees outside and not when I haven't really been shopping for two months! I've been saving up for such a time as this.

(Besides, she has been here before and done the tourist thing.)

Crazy Daydreaming

Lately I've been living in Hypothetical Land. A case of homesickness came on strong recently, and I've been obsessing over the future and all the 'what ifs'. Even though I know I have choices, I still feel out of control (which makes sense because I gave God control of my life). I chose to come here, but it was totally God's idea, believe me, and it was a great one and proof that He made me and He knows exactly what is best for me. I take things day by day, and He just keeps paving the way and providing whatever I need. So why am I so focused lately on where I'll be in a year or five years (especially when I'm totally happy right now)? I don't know. But honestly I'm glad I'm not in control, because I have no clue what the right decisions would be. Sure I have things I want and ideas about what I'd like life to be like someday, but He knows way better than I. Phew.