Merrrry Christmas

Well hello again folks!

I know i am a terrible blogger and haven't been blogging, buuuuuuuuut needless to say there have been a few things going on in my life lately... despite all of that.... I am still Living, Loving, and Learning! 

So, God has blessed me with some amazing friends! :) He has completely enveloped me with love and compassion through these people here in DC. Check out some of my friiiiiiiends! Also, missing is a picture of my new BFF Daniel... picture to come later, hopefully!

Fave Five: Tim, Stacy, Alex, Kaitlyn, and Me

Birthday Dinner with Besties: Alex, Kaitlyn, Stacie, Jamie, and Me

LOVE these amazing friends: Kerri, Haley, Dana, Emily, and Kristen

Amazing women of God and best girls: Emma, Lori, & Ashley

Awkward Family! :D

Boomerang Bus tour with some great folks!

Blog editing

Working on changing up the blog.

God is bigger than cancer

So I know that I haven't written in a while... Needless to say it has been a rough month so far. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and that hit me like a ton of bricks. I am not gonna lie, I cried like a baby. But you have to admit, cancer is a terrifying word.  My mom is my best friend, the thought of her and cancer is absolutely unequivocally scary.

BUT... let me tell you how awesome God is. :)

1. Mom was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer, which is apparently the best kind to have.
2. After I found out and had a freak out moment, God completely brought a peace to me. He reminded me that He is in control and has a meaning  for everything. I literally felt revived after he calmed me down.
3. One of my best friends, Alex, was actually in town for the weekend and had arrived that morning, before I found out. Talk about a God thing. I dont know how I would have reacted if he hadn't been there. He comforted me and he also wouldn't let me focus all of my energy on that. He helped me not wade in my tears. Praise God! It was so great to have a friend there.
4. My good friend Brittany has been looking for a job and she really wanted this job at the Sarah cannon cancer center in Nashville. She had been praying to find a job and I had been praying for her too. She got the job!!!! Also, those in her position are given a certain type of cancer that they have to research and basically learn everything about. Guess what kind of cancer she was given to research? Breast cancer. Talk about the Lord! Brittany told me that if we ever have any questions about anything (procedures, terms, the next steps) she would be able to explain it to us and if she didn't know she would find someone who did know. I'm telling ya, my God is great!

Through all of this, I have been able to see my mom go from discouraged to encouraged because of letters, notes, flowers, and Facebook posts from dear friends and family. It is amazing what tho things can do. :)

I am so incredibly grateful that I have a God that comforts, teaches, and loves.

PHX blog---- oldie but a goodie

So I am on my way to Phoenix, az. I am currently on the plane typing up this little blog. Let me begin by telling you that I am going to a conference for Honors kids, basically. It is a convention of super smart and driven college students who are all oooober excited about learning.... I know what your thinking...  It's gonna be awesome right?

So begins the phx saga...

Let's go over my baggage situation shall we? I had to bring a rather large presentation tri-fold board, a suitcase filled with brochures, nic-nacs, papers, and such, my own personal suitcase, a laptop (including it's home, a rather bulky laptop case), and my purse (size of a carry o n). Needless to say, when loaded up I look like a professional pack-mule, complete with stiletto heels.

I super-shuttled to the airport... Umm.... A slightly longer ride than I anticipated, but scenic?

Upon arrival at the airport, getting out of the shuttle and getting all the junk, was a show. People, I could tell, felt sorry for me and were secretly thinking or mumbling under their breath, "pack mule." I got checked in and then headed to security. That was good except for the fact that I forgot to take off my shoes and the security man-dude wasn't too happy about that. Oops

I got to the airport like 3 hours early so,  I had some time to kill, aka, shop in the rando stores for a bit and find silly, yet unnecessary but needed items, like candy, magazines, books and such. Also, my world was rocked when I entered the food court and low and behold there was an ARBYS!!!!!!!!! Yes! They do not have them in D.C. which is tragic. So, I definitely partook in some curly fry action, coupled with a turkey sandwich, FOR THE WIN!

So I sat down to have my merry little early dinner and this lady decides to sit down at the table next to me and eat too. Didn't phase me... But then....
She whipped out a half a loaf of bread and American singles (pre-packaged cheese).  So I naturally watched, and she j ust as if I had known her for 20 years started to talk to me... I think I attract people to talk to me for some reason, you shall see later. She was from the Ukraine and had an extremely thick accent. However, she lives in Alabama and was going to new York. I am not sure why or how she was goin g, but she told me anyway and I couldn't understand her so I just nodded and did the "haha" laugh, perfect for such situations. She also told me about her sons and monks and nuns. Yep, that is not a typo folks. I have no idea how she brought it up or why,  but it happened. She just talked and talked and talked and talked, bless her. She was legitimately telling me whatever popped up in her head. So,I responded every once in a while, when I could understand, and ate my deliciousness,

Then I bid her adieu and walked to my gate. En route, I came across this HUGE crowd around a gate. They were all clapping. It turns out that is was a plane filled with war veterans. Precious!!! I just wanted to cry. They were so cute and I just clapped and clapped.

Went to the gate to familiarize myself with southwest seating procedures... Um, yea.. I totes got bambooooozled. I didn't know you had to check in at the gate for a boarding pass, I am an idiot. The lady was like"you are lucky we even have seats left." well thanks lady. I had been there for 3 hours, could have had the best seat, but literally got the last seat.go figure.

After that fiasco, I sat down and was minding my business and then...
A crazy rando couple sat down beside me and just started chatting with me. They were actually really awesome. They called it a "airport romance" hah but they were both married and have kids. I think they were just kidding around, maybe? But they were both in their late 40s maybe early 50s and had been at the bar for the past 5 hours. They were a hoot. The guy adorned a braided rat tail thing and had on a Hawaiian shirt and flaunted baggy cargos. She was stylish and both of them were slightly toasted. Hahah the man said to me "my two weaknesses in life are tequila and you." eekk, talk about an awkward  "haha" moment. I'm telling you I attract the crazies.

Well I am happy to report that the "last person on the plane award" goes to this girl. ---> ME
In southwestanese that means "ma'am sit in the first available middle seat."

Ok, I am tall and awkward in general, so having to crawl over people is not really my specialty. Also, being scolded for not sitting fast enough is hardly what I call "friendly customer service." So I naturally turned red and was embarrassed. Oh well, oh the plights of a workin gal.

Well my seat mates are nice so that is a plus. I also brought some raisinettes and jolly ranchers to keep me company. Oh wait here comes the stewardess with complementary snacks, so the more the merrier I say. Ok, time out, when did snacks change from peanuts to wheat thins (see below)... I could get used to this kind of snackage. Just because of the wheat thins I might semi-forget the little seat debacle.... Maybe...

Hurricane weekend!

Ok folks... so this is the run-down of my epic, yet uneventful weekend...

Friday: Went out with some great gals from work and went to a comedy show... Good stuff! It was great to get to hang out with some friends.

Saturday: Up early.... Eastern Market... DUH! I was insistant on trying the fantastic, and highly-acclaimed blueberry pancakes at Market Lunch... they were... AMAZING! I will definitely be bringing guests who come to visit to eat the fantastic flapjacks... Just see for yourself:




Then, my mom called and gave me the "411" on the hurricane situation: as in, I needed some food, candles and fun activities to wait out the storm. I went to CVS first... that was definitely ransacked like an After-Thanksgiving sale. Then for some reason, I decided that Target would be a better option.... Boy was I wrong! First of all, Target is always a mad-house, because... just because. It is always packed. Well, Saturday morning just before a hurricane.... = PANIC and widespread HYSTERIA (by others). I basically was just going about my business, trying to find some candles and such... There were people who were dying to get generators, batteries, non-perishable food, and such. There were also back-to-school shoppers, who frankly were just in everyone's way as they scurried about.

I innocently wanted A candle... because forget about flashlights (gone in 60secs literally). All the candles, except the overly-smelly ones were gone, of course. I then felt like it was necessary to have some sort of food, so I went over to the grocery aisles... this is what i found...

Bread

Peanut Butter

As one can see... slim pickin's.... I ended up with bread-thins ? and to-go Peanut butters... I also grabbed random things for entertainment purposes... couple magazines, cards, markers, pencils, scissors, etc. I thought i could make it a Crafternoon. I also got some rando stuff like some kick-butt socks and a lovely pillowcase.  (Below is my plethora of goodies)



My Bounty



Nothing says I Love You better than EZ cheese on some crackers.  

In my boredness.... I painted my nails, with this awesome crackle finish and watched 100 movies (basically). It was a nice little lazy afternoon. At night it got a little bit creepy with the howli-ness of the wind and all. Also... It was RAINING SIDEWAYS all day.. hah

Sunday: woke up late and went out to Brunch at a place by the market... it wasn't too swell but it was alright. I then wandered throughout the Capital Hill neighborhood, basically prayer-walkin and saw a little bit of damage. I then went to Union Station and then went looking at H&M for a bit.

Late afternoon, I went to an evening service at DC Metro Church out in Alexandria. I went with Kristen. It was great to get to worship corporately and be around other Christians. It was so nice to hear the speaker as well.  :)

I need to be and want to be bold for God in this city. I want to be radical for Him. I need to pray that my heart and mind are in the right place. I am not sure if i am ready yet, but I want to grow. I really want to read the book Radical. I know i am behind the times and need to catch up. lol I am really want to dig deeper in discovering Christ and discovering His plan for me. :)

There's a storm brewin'

So, if you haven't heard.... there is a massive beast of a storm in the name of IRENE! (say it in a really thick accent and it sounds like a dirty neighbor who is about to distroy your yard or something).


 Well right about where it says 85mph winds.... is approximately where DC is located... of course...

First there is an earthquake, now Irene.... oh-de-lal-ee

SO.... yesterday i decided it would be best to semi-prepare for the possiblity of being stranded in my rando apartment by myself for a few days... with no power....

To the right is my hurricane survival kit... thus far...
consisting of:
Green tea (of course, in order to stay healthy for a long time)
wheat thins
and EZ Cheese

Food of champions and hurricane survivors of course!


Well, my thoughts yesterday were just to get something to have in my apartment   (just in case) and that i was probably overdoing it at that... but.... Today, PEPCO (the power people) have gone ahead and estimated several days of power outages.. great. Apparently, they are not too fast in the response and problem-fixing department. (BOO) Also, according to the Express and Examiner (metro papers) Maryland and Virginia are pre-declaring states of emergency? yea... and they are evacuating people who live in "low-lands"...

Am I being flippant by thinking it will not be a big deal? or should i go stock up on peanut butter, bread, and dunkaroos? maybe a flashlight, candles, etc?I might need to prepare for epic bordom as well.... seeing as it will probably rain (a lot) and power could be a problemo.... and because i don't know many folk in the area....

In all seriousness though, please pray for the eastern seaboard as it braces for Irene.

Long time no blog

Hey my followers and friends! I know it has been quite a while since my last post.... Let me just say that the last bit of the summer in DC was SUPER hectic and jam-packed with events and such... 

Well, if you didn't know.. I got a full-time job (a big girl job) in Washington DC!!!!!!! yyeeeeaaaa! I am so blessed. I am the Special Programs assistant at the Fund for American Studies (TFAS), a non-profit here in DC. I am working on a mentor program, curriculum review, a journalism fellowship program and more. I absolutely love TFAS! The office is filled ith absolutely amazing people and friends.!

My first day was yesterday. I flew up on Tuesday and moved into temporary housing on Capital Hill, literally a block from Eastern Market!!! :) 

I'm in a HUGE apartment all by myself... :) and :( ....I'll take some pics and put them up tomorrow. 

It's quite lovely, but also lonely. 

I am excited about what God has in store for me here. I am not quite accustomed to it yet. I have felt super awkward for the passed couple days. I don't know what that is about. :/ I haven't acted like myself and I dont know why or anything. I have been really quiet (which isnt like me, as you all know ). I know it will get better, but right now I feel like i am on the outside. I know good things are just around the corner.

After work, One of my coworkers invited me over to have vino and dinner. It was a great way to celebrate my job and such. Also, It was nice to visit and have some company. :) 

After that I came back to my apt, and relaxed:)

Tuesday

Tuesday was a scorcher! It was soooooooooo hot yesterday. I went to a site briefing at the us trade representative office, then lunch at le pain...

Then worked on CSAD stuff all aft noon. CSAD is s huge dinner where w give an award to a senator, this year it was Mark Pryor from Arkansas.

It was held at the Four Seasons in Georgetown. It was beautiful! We had a cocktail hour before the event then a three course meal.
First course was "jumbo sea scollops, mushroom risotto with apple wood smoked bacon lardoons"
Entree: short ribs, anson mills polenta, carrot and asparagus bundle, pearl onions
Dessert: deconstructed s'mores-milk chocolate mousse caramelized vanilla bran marshmallow. Graham streusel


So the dinner was LEGIT!

Also, it was a much Better day

Monday

Monday was one of the worst days. Everything seemed to be going wrong. Just a whole lot of frustration emotion and ugggggh.

One cool thing... Went to a big lunch with Donald Rumsfeld, no big deal.... Lol

Sunday

Sunday was lovely...

Went to eastern market bright and early and had a crepe. The ladies of 47 came too, Jesse and Sarah.we walked around a browsed then decided to go to pound and get some coffee, which was of course delicious. Then Jesse and I walked around with some of her kids and then headed back to Georgetown to relax before the talent show and date auction.

It was sooo fun. The talents were great and the dates were good too. Sarah, Megan, Jesse, and I were auctioned off as a group to cook a 4 course meal for up to 5 students. We were sold for $200!!!!!!!!!! Sooo awesome! All of the money goes to a g rant that will be given to a youth literacy program in dc. :)

Day off

Yaaaaaaaaay saturday. Today was so lovely. I got up early and decided to head to eastern market... I ended up walking all the way there... And that is quite a long way, just saying. I just wanted to go for a walk, :)

Walked passed the Georgetown waterfront, the potomac, the monuments, a random band, and the dahli llama ? Yep, he was at the capital. Haha

I made my rounds at eastern market, got some lemonade and a crepe (wonderful as always) then walked to union station to hitch the train to dupont circle. I went by the IPVS car wash and book sale.

Kristin, Jesse and I went to lunch at jetties in Georgetown. So delish. Following that, a very relaxing afternoon. :)

Dinner tonight=AWWWWESOME AMAZING FANTASTIC EPIC

We went to serendipity. We got dinner and dessert. I think I am currently in a comatose state due to the amount of food and fun and friends this evening. :)

Top night.

Hotdogs and handshakes

So folks... Today was Friday... FINALLY!

This morning I went to the office for a short bit, while there i discovered my love of peanut butter is great coupled with a rice cake... Please people this was a moment..l

Then headed to capital hill to get a tour of the capital. I had scheduled a tour for the Tisdale fellows through Laura richardsons office ion the house. It was a great tour, but long. Also there were just about 287487836 tourists there too, complete with high socks and sandals and fanny packs... Oh it's july alright. Met a lot of folk there.

After lunch at T coast we came back to the office to only be greeted by a nice downpour. Don
T worry we made it inside but this was not a good omen for the baseball game. :/ we went anyway and were gonna stick it out. Sooooo glad we went!! It was beautiful!!!! We had nosebleed seats, but it didnt matter, it was still fun! Also, we were all super excited about the hotdog situation and ballpark food. Needless to say, we made good choices.

Rando-info... There maybe a Creeper like situation... But it's under control. Also while on the escalator out of the metro... We saw a man using it as his personal potty.... Oh my.


All in all, top night!

Frustration

So I m a bit frustrated...

No need to say much more about that.

Worked alot today and then went to a roundtable event....

Emily and Lindsay and I had a grand ole time cleaning up and carrying stuff back... We literally laughed like crazy.



Ready for Friday, that's all I can say.

Went for a run this morning.... Found out I could be a morning runner, but now tonic, I am not so sure that is for me.

Got a call from mom this morning and she said she had been in the hospital all night and has a kidney stone and bladder infection... Oh my stars!!! Please pray for her speedy recovery and pain to go away.

Went to lunch at the American chemistry council today and met the Honorable Cal Dooley and had a great discussion and lunch with a few students.

Worked.

Went to a Tisdale happy hour, sponsored by TFAS. It was at Blackfinn. It was an interesting time...

Then walked around the white house, said "what up" to the prez then went back to g-town to relax a bit fore starting it all over again tomorrow.

Back to school? I mean work.

Today felt like a Monday. It was nice to be back in the office, but I really miss home today. Y'all it was rally difficult to work super hard today, with all of my friends and family on my mind. God gave me strength to keep pushing on though. I just pray he reveals his plan soon :)

Had our guest lecture tonight. rob Nichols from financial services forum spoke... He was AWESOME! he basically is the CEO of the company and represents CEOs from other huge financial firms...he is a big deal.



I just felt super down on myself today... Needing some prayer

Tennessee time

Ok to summarize the long and lovely weekend in one word... Amazing!!!!! I could go on and on and on about how wonderful my time was. I got to see Alex and Matt :) and got to have lunch and chat time with them. It was so encouraging to see them and get a hug from my best buds. I got to see my girls in Motown and the fellas too. I got to chat with my besties and prepare a wonderful friend for marriage to an incredible man. It was so much fun to get to see everyone, it was like I never left. :)

Seeing everyone just brought so much sunshine to me. I just lit up when I got to see so many people. My friends in Knox and Motown are truly a blessing. I couldn't have become who I am today without everyone.

I got to see and hang out with mom and granny!!!!!!!! It was so wonderful to get to relax and just be at home for a bit. :)


Leaving was extra hard. Normally I would have band camp and welcome week activities to look forward to , so I can see all of my best buds, but that is no longer the case because I graduated. It's really starting to sink in. It's hard to think about. I am excited about being in dc but..... I really really really miss being at home and being in Knoxville and the way things used to be... I am not a huge fan of change... Actually I am scared of it to be honest. However I know that I am here for a purpose and I know God has things in store :) I just need to pray for peace.

Love you alllllll!!!

This morning started out with a breakfast with senator mark Pryor from arkansas. We are honoring him at our annual congressional scholarship award dinner. There were several donors there as well as some supervisors for our interns. It was held at the Monocle by the senate building. It is a DC legend. Twas a lovely breakfast.

Had lunch with the president and the vice president.... Of TFAS. :) they took us to the university club... Super swanky!!!! It was gorgeous! We got to pick off of the menu and we had full service, complete with personal waiters, white table clothes, tons of silverware, and a "to-die-for" bread basket. I had a crab cake sandwich and they made us get dessert (who's complainin) :)

Now I am sitting in my favorite coffee shop in dc, that I know of. :) if anything super exciting comes about in the coming hours, I will be sure to re-post the epic-ness....

Ps I go home tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited to see my mom and granny and besties!

Also, a marriage is going to occur this Saturday!!!!!! :)

Oh Monday monday

I'm a working lady, that's fo sho!!!!

Had lunch then worked more, then went to the tombs for dinner with Stacie and Sarah.

Congressional panel, office hours...bed


I'm coming home on Wednesday to see my momma!!!!!

Sundaaay

Sunday began with brunch with Emily and Kristen.... I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I swear we were secretly sisters/best friends in an early life/time period. We had such a lovely little brunch at a place called Town Hall.... SO yummy! We just got to chat and laugh and such.

After that marvelous outing, i went to eastern market again... just cuz... :D

Then ended up in DuPont from which i decided to walk back to G-town... pretty long walk, but i didn't care.

Saturday

Hey there fellow blogger folk.

Saturday was such a great day! I got up early and headed to eastern market... :D
I began the day at Pound, the Hill... a coffee shop. I got my coffee and just relaxed in an easy chair at the shop. Then i browsed through the market. I found a couple goodies, but nothing too shfancy. Then i "got lost" on capital hill, walking street to street just wandering looking at all the beautiful houses and neighborhoods. It was such a lovely morning.

I walked to Union Station then metroed to Metro Center, just to look around and such. Not to long after i cabbed back to Henle to get ready for the Alumni BBQ.

This weekend was TFAS alumni weekend. My awesome friend emily was in charge of the weekend, it was amazing!!!!

THe BBQ was a huge hit, tons of people came. There was a raffle, and they raised over 1000 dollars for charity!  Also, i ended up winning a dozen Georgetown Cupcakes! OMstars!!!
At the BBQ, there was a beer truck. I was selected to work the beer truck for the first hour of the BBQ. It was awesome! There were literally two spouts/taps on the side of the truck and we just filled up cups that way. It was hysterical.

 The alumni festivities continued with a Bar Crawl all across DC. It was completely organized and run by TFAS. We gave away free coozies and such for the party buses full of alumni. I also help to staff the event. I loved getting to hang out with all of the staff and my new great friends. I LOOOOOOOVE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sooo happy that they are in my life!


I had such a great time !

Friday

ok peeps.  i am well aware that it is sunday and i haven't posted the past two days of festivitites, but that is what is about to happen.. right now. :)

Friday was a swell day! Did announcements for the students then came back to the office. I had coffee with my boss, which was great. :D

Worked for a while, then Shane bought the office lunch, Buca di Peppo :) yummy yummy pasta.

Then Stacie decided we should go to the national press club. It was SOOOO cool. There were pictures of famous folk everywhere. We went into the ballroom and took some pictures. Talked to a past president of the club and then we headed over to the TFAS rooftop reception.

They held it at the top of a building, the national association of realiters, (i cant spell). it was goooorgeous! We had a perfect view of Washington and capital was just about a stones throw away! It was beautiful! Took some photos there, then we headed to the Tisdale Fellowship BBQ, at the house of one of the founders. it was nice. After that, came home and Jesse and I watched the Switch, with jennifer anniston. It was ADORABLE!


Also, i discovered gummy worms from CVS... they could change your life... Give em a try. Only $3 for two packs.... do it, you know you want to.

This is gonna be a boring one, just FYI.

Went to z networking seminar this morning, very insightful indeed.
Had staff meeting and lunch with some of the ladies, then worked the rest of the day.
Went to books a million and bought, boy meets girl, I'm so excited to read it.
Ran, ate dinner, and put on a mini-fashion show to figure out what to wear to all the weekend festivities.

Gonna be a jam-packed weekend.

Well today began with a few tasks here and tHere until we hAd to go to our small group lunch at US telecom... So legit!!! There board room was HUGE!!!! the table sat 30 people!!!! Oh my stars folks!!! The president and CEO of the company spoke to us. He is an alumnus of TFAS. Pretty awesome! After that we did more work until about 6:30, when I headed to g-town to meet Sarah. She wanted to go stroll of m street to find a dress for the reception this Friday. As we wlked down to m street, the line for Georgetown cupcake was SHORT which is a big deal in georgetown. Normally you have to wait for an hour to get one. We only waited for 5 min, so I took advantage of that and bought 3, no judgment please :)

Walked about and tlhE headEd to the apt. Went to the gym and ran for. Biotech, until it closed. After we had our cupcakes :)

I got to talk to Alex tonight! Miss him dearly!!!!! It was so great to get to catch up! :)

Talking to hi made me really miss home and my best friends even more. I know Gods got a plan.

In other news, I'm going to start reading a book tomorrow, boys meets girl.

Tues of a kind.

Well, today just wasn't my day, to say the least. A few errors were made and I felt like an idiot all day. So i just didn't have a great day. I felt down all day. P.S. Sorry for the lack of creativity on this post.

The day did start well though. We had a briefing at Capital Hill this morning. Senator Kelly from PA spoke to us, while we sat on the HOUSE FLOOOOR!!!!! That is a BIG deal, not even the staff of Congressman's can go on the house floor. Afterward, we took some photos... ideal background and all. Here is a lovely snapshot of the view... It was just a typical day in DC. :D

After work, I came back and went to the gym to run, it was just toooooo muggy outside to run today. So I ran on the treadmill... I totes ran over 2miles/27minutes..... (this is a big deal to me) :) 

Then did laundry. What an exciting life i live. :D

Monday should be Funday

ok folks, i am bound and determined to not to put my readers asleep this week, with my sad and stale posts, so lets spice it up this week folks!

7am! is when i walked into the doors of my work.... which means the good ole alarm clock sounded far too early for me. Luckily my alarm is that Jessie J song "Price Tag", which i happen to love, so i just let it play this morning and eventually i rolled out of bed to start the "getting ready process."

En route to work, i made a small detour to Starbucks... no one judge me for the amounts of coffee i have consumed thus far in my DC working endeavors, or the coffee that is yet to be consumed. this morning, was definitely a "venti" morning. I have decided that when i go to work at the butt crack of dawn, or have to go in ooooober early, i should be allowed to treat myself to a lovely cup of skinny caramel macciato-ness, just to make the day that much more fun.

We had Panera catered in for our breakfast for the fellows this morning, which meant a lovely array of bagels, spreads, fruit, coffee, and OJ. All of which i partook in... :) I couldn't let some of it go to waste. Don't worry, the leftovers were left in the capable hands of my coworkers... so basically all of that was gone by noon. haha

today wasn't super stressful, which was quite lovely and a nice change. Some exciting news, I learned how to set up my work email on my phone. WHOA! talk about shfancy! I am movin up in the world of technology. Also,  i think it is time i take you on a tour of my desk.... and so it begins...

I know its not Friday, but i can dream :)

Funny story about this here cup
<------------------

This was my extra cup from my coffee on Friday. I was so happy it was Friday, so just wanted to write me a little pick me up message. I was writing it on the GUTS bus and the bus driver must have seen me and completely halted the bus, stood up and yelled at me "No drinks, no drinks" then sat back down and kept driving.... oh de lal ee...











This is my proud TENNESSEE section of my lil desk... I need some more memorabilia to adequately adorn my desk area, but for now... it is just a start


Good ole rocky top!

also there is a list of extensions, just fyi

 my stone-age monitor...

i was in the process of uploading some pics from our events this weekend. Also, please view my use of sticky-notes/ post-its... My to-do list and other important things are stuck to my monitor, there for safe-keeping.

 Oh yea oh yea... my coaster i bought at Eastern Market...


It is a very valuable addition to my desk !

 This is the section by my comp...

Lovely pics of mom and granny, my BCMers and my besties. I also have one of my fav verses up there, plus a pic or too and some random post-its...

Also, take note of my KNOXVILLE GIRL sign ;)

My sign that was at my desk when I arrived... I haven't taken it down, and probably wont. There is the calendar for the next 2 months.. Pretty busy to say the least!

Joe, the only guy in the office, wrote me this post-it in a meeting, because I had some awesome shoes on... lol :)

 There is mom and I and granny and I and the stache picture.. I also have some letters from my happy box up :)

Pic of mom and I (LOOOVE her)

and

my YELLOW car!!!!













In other news, our speaker for tonight cancelled last minute, that's DC, so we didn't have a lecture tonight :) Nice, because we haven't had much time to breath let alone have some "me" time. So i got to run and go to the gym :) YEA! It was actually quite nice outside today :)

Then went to Safeway... Social safeway because of all the folks

Had some dinner and had office hours for the eager beaver kids. lol

We have a Capital Hill briefing tomorrow morning. We are getting to go on the floor of the House of Representatives... AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TFAS Cribs.

Well, today I went to visit good ole GW's mansion and estate.... and that is in fact George Washington (not W or Bush)... We had to be up early again to meet the busses to take the children (college kids) on a trip to mount vernon. We wore our lovely TFAS t-shirts and even got sweet chaperone stickers (they were yellow, just fyi) :)   The PA's first stop was the food court... haha we were all super hungry and decided to start the day off right... After we ate Lindsey, Kelsey and I went on the boat cruise... It was SOO relaxing. We were pretty tired, but it was a lovely little cruise. We sat on the top deck of this yacht as it sailed down the potomac. Not gonna lie, i may have dozed off a bit in the warm sun of a lovely sunday afternoon... but oh well. :) It was so nice just to relax for a bit, we have been working non-stop it seems. After our cruise, we stopped by the lovely crib of mr. Washington. I had already seen the "pimp-ness" of the inside, so i decided to stroll aboutst the grounds... Saw the lovely view that Mr. W looked at everyday and then decided to take a step back in time and such in the museum.

P.S. there were again 0928374298q074q92831  children there, with both matching shirts on, and no concept of volume... But, i was one of those once... Let em have their fun. :)

We came back to G-town, after a long day. Jesse and I went for coffee, which didn't really wake us up much, but it was psychologically fufilling and/or boosting? ehhh, whatever.

I shuffled down to M street after, just to browze. Ended up find a killer dress on sale at H & M... There is a big alumni rooftop reception this friday, and I think it will make for a perfect outfit. :)

Had some dinner (got some Thai food-DELISH) then went to movie night. IPVS set up a gigantic inflatable silver screen on the lawn of Healy. We all set up blankets and they sold candy and popcorn. We watched National Treasure, how fitting. :)

Another early start tomorrow, or today... actually in about 5 hours.

Again, sorry for the lame-ness that my blog is this week, I just haven't had much time to think, let alone blog. lol

Saturday's post

Ok folks.... I know i have been really good up to this point posting everyday... but yesterday i was deterred by the amount of tiredness that consumed my entire being, that i didn't even find the energy i could dedicate to my blog.... so don't hate, im blogging about yesterday and today, today. :)

Yesterday, we had to meet at 7:45am to head out for Service Saturday. I was the site leader for Friends of Guest house, located in Alexandria, VA. We went to Arlington instead to clean up a woman's yard... It took us an hour and a half to get to the site. We had to walk over a mile to the subway and after metroing we had to walk another mile... It wasn't bad, it just took a long time. It would have been easier, with a smaller group, but we still made it with smiles on our faces. We got right to work and pulled weeds (jack-and-the-bean-stalk sized ones) and uprooted trees and cleared the side and backyard, basically. Like a boss.

I had a pretty awesome group. They all worked sooo hard! They were such champs. We went back to campus for our lunch... FREE PAPA JOHNS.... (Paul Ritter came to mind) ! After that exhausting morning, Lindsey and I decided to venture to Pentagon City mall to check out the Nordstrom Rack and Marshalls, to see if we could find some deals, of course. :) We, of course, found a few things... I found some BALLLLLLER shoes! I wanted to purchase them, but i knew i wouldn't wear them as much as i would hope to... but if i could design some kick-butt shoes... these would definitely fit the criteria...

These are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also forgot to mention that when we left G-town... we saw a Bentley limo.... WHOA!

Half day!

Today we got a half day off from work! yahoo! My boss was awesome enough to give us the day off after 12pm today just to rest up for the busy weekend ahead of us. We worked hard until 12:45 then skidaddled.... Stacie, Dana, and I went out by Pentagon City to check out the sales and browse. They have a Nordstrom Rack, which is like an EPIC marshalls x AWESOME!  I had to leave early though to head down to the National Mall to meet up for a TFAS social event at Jazz in the Garden. It is held at the Sculpture garden every Friday in the summer. People bring blankets and food and they also have a cafe and serve sangria and everything you could imagine. We staked out a spot and just relaxed, until it decided to rain on us.... Some of my IBGA folks came by, a few guys... When they said hi to me, they all gave me a hug.... :) So sweet! It totally made my whole night and week!

to avoid the rain, we decided to go get some dinner at a place called Austins... Tex Mex.

We topped off the night with a cupcake from a cupcakery called Red Velvet... It was TOO legit!!!


Tomorrow is an early morning as well. It is service saturday... Stay tuned for more !


also... i totally saw a double rainbow today....!!!!

Working 9 to 5? Nope... 7:30 to 7

Working 9 to 5? Nope... 7:30 to 7

There was a lot to get done today, so I went in early to get it all done. :) worked on registration packets and ibga calendars and events.

Got chipotle for lunch... Definitely a great decision, it's funny how a burrito takes just as good, if not better in a bowl.:) also, chips, guac, and salsa were also a lovely choice.

Intermittent chocolates and goodies throughout the day, kept us cheery.

After work, we went to target to get blankets for the jazz in the park and picnic. It took almost an hour to get back to Georgetown. But we capped the night with chips, salsa,f queso, Oreos, raisenettes, and gummy bears. :)

In the quiet, in the stillness I know you are my God.

ok folks... today was no bueno, however God showed me so much through it

Today was super stressful, because we got a huge project we had to handle, last minute... So we had to step up our game... pronto.... which caused for extreme stress and frustration in the office. This led me to semi-freak-out and stress too, which is never a great combo. However, I worked hard and got a lot done.  We still have lots to do, however, i think i am going to go in tomorrow super early to get it all done.

I was super worried and frustrated that I couldn't even go running. :/ Sarah and I, instead, went and got dinner, Italian ( Delish ) then sweetgreen yogurt. :) we were just walking around chatting and we found the chapel on campus and went in... we were kinda followed by the priest, which made for super awkward silence, but he soon left.

both sarah and I sat in silence in this beautiful chapel. All i wanted to do was burst into praise to Him... I however, just sat in the silence and just chatted with God and thought about my attitude about things and my reasons for being here. God definitely posed a reality check.

Sarah and I prayed together... talk about AWESOME!!!!! God totally used her tonight to speak to me and keep me in check. She prayed for me and i prayed for her. I confessed my selfishness to God, in regards to my work and trying to handle my life and new decisions purely based on what I want. He is so much bigger than that. I am so grateful for God's grace that has taught me how to live and how to love.

They are all placed!!!

Today, all of our interns got placed!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a big feat and calls for a celebratory "SHOOT YEAH!".

In other news... Worked and answered some phones today...Also I Got PAID :)

"I'm gettin' paper"

Look at me now....


Went to the guest lecture, had to creep and take a ton of photos, and turn on the mic.
A good night, indeed.

Also it is gorgeous here!!!!!! The moon was so huge and bright tonight! :) God is so good!

Running on empty

Today began at 5:30 am.... Yes am.... Not pm, folks... That means that when most of the world was going to bed or something of the like, I was awaking fromnonly 5 hrs of sleep, less actually. But, we went to Clydes in china town for a mentor breakfast, which was lovely!! I was a greeter at the door... And y'all it made my day so bright. People were so friendly! There were several folks that smiled and said good morning even if they weren't walking into the restaurant... I even got hit on a couple times by a few older gentleme... Hhah

Then attended a lunch with a main lobbyist at te connectivity. Soo awesome!

Then worked loads, but got to go on a run tonight with Jess... Btw, it is gorgeous here, the weather is fantastic :)

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY

Well today began with lunch with my dad.

He was in west Virginia and decided to swing down to dc to visit. Dad, Anita, and I went to lunch and eastern market. We went to le pain quotidien, sooo delish. Then headed over to e. Market for the flea market. E found some good deals and I ran into an old friend... BRITTANY KOTELES!!! she was my roommate when I was in the tfas program! She is in dc for the summer! I'm so excited to get to catch up soon. Dad, Anita, and I continued browsing and looking, to a few photos and headed back. Twas a swell time.

The rest of the night was spent relaxing until I had to go on a Monument tour, for TFAS. I was on the first tour bus with Susan, the tour guide extraordinare! Got to meet some new folks and make some new buddies.

What a Sunday!

Legit blog...

So... Most of my previous posts have been super lame... i apologize for my lame-ness, but basically that is all i had time for and basically all i wrote is what i did... so... lol, BUT.... today was a day off! :)

Got up early and went to.... drum roll please.... Eastern Market... Go figure :) Twas a lovely morn. Sarah went with me this morning. We strolled down to M St. and bussed over to Rosslyn then onwards to E. Market. We went and got a crepe, first thing (priorities people, priorities... believe me we got em), then hit up the lemonade stand... :) It decided to sprinkle on us this morning, but that didn't stop our hunger for deals, deals, deals. We basically looked at everything today, as always, sampled some of the delectable delights of the farmers market then decided to call it a day at the market... I ended up purchasing a coaster... (don't laugh, it was most in-fact a very needed purchase at work :)  )

Next, we went to TARGET.... I was in desperate need of some necessities and basics, not to mention that i was overdue to browse aboutst the lovely aisles of cuteness.

I ended up get some things like ziploc bags, detergent, and other things of the like... I wanted to purchase about 87154567392874 of the things I saw there, but i figured that ...
A. that would be expensive
B. I don't have a place to put it
C. I would look silly toting about 6125 bags back to Georgetown.

We finally decided to get some grub around 2pm-ish. We found this random place called Lou's. TOTES delish! We got burgers and sweet potato fries! (O. M. Goodness) Then, if that wasn't enough to satisfy my needed calories for the day, we decided to top it all off with a WICKED Sundae... the name did it justice.... it twas so wicked (in a good way of course)

We returned our new purchases to the apt, then headed to Pentagon City mall... Just to shop around. First of all, i think shopping is a pleasurable experience, however... today, something was different... i think it had to do with the 6798000000000000000000000 teenagers there, in matching t-shirts or uniform combination (one group even had on hats and safety belts in addition to their orange shirts)... I think that kids nowadays, do not understand that they too, like their ipod, have a volume function. but... hopefully they will discover it one day. Despite all of the teeny-boppers,  we still had a swell time.

We then were drained, but we kinda wanting something to eat, so we decided to go to this place on M St. called Thunder Burger Bar... oh my... SO GOOD! We got calamari and nachos... too legit to quit!


All in all, another great day in the district. I am so looking forward to learning what God has in store for me this summer and soon. :)

Trivial pursuit

Today began with in class announcements for the students then we headed back to the office for some workin:) worked til 1:30, went and grabbed lunch (sweet green salad-sooo yummy) then work then out for coffee with a student, who needed to ask some questions about the program and everythIng. We then had trivia night, which was awesome!!! We had like 100 kids show up, win TFAS swag and $100, plus loads of snacks were involved! The rookies and I went for pizza and then just hung out...stoked for saturday- eastern market and shopping at target!

Grodiness

So it's hot to say the very least... Record breaking heat today...102 degrees folks... Oh my stars!worked and worked today starting at 8 am til 9:30 pm... So I am so vey tired. I didn't get to run today so I feel grody because of that too. But it's almost the weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Missing home and friends lots.

Needing some prayer :)

Museum day

We have a handful of folks who haven't heard from their internships, so today I took them to the national archives and then to lunch. The national archives was pretty neat-o :) I saw our documents on which this country was founded, baller! We had lunch at potbelly, a super legit sandwich shop. Then headed back to work and then to class... We picked up gummy bears en route. :) went for a run... Which was soooooooooooooooo incredibly hot! Then out for coffee.,, all in all a fantastic day :)

Gaston! Gaston!

6:00am-wake up routine begins
7:40am- Coffee from Uncommon Grounds
7:50am- Rendezvous at our apartment to get the materials for the big presentation/ TFAS welcome event in Gaston hall
8:00am- Arrival and set up

9:00am- Wonderful lecture by esteemed faculty, guests, and staff. The students also did a political view test to see where they are located in Politopia.

11am- Breakout session, "orienting" the students about internships, classes, etc.

12am-Delicious Potbelly sammie and shake... :)

1-6:30 Work and Work!!! :)

Needless to say, it twas a busy day. So great though!

Tonight we came back and laundered our clothes... we were getting uber desperate. Also, Jesse and I made dinner. Presh. Following office hours, we totes made a field trip across to the Leavey Center to retrieve some ice cream.... I couldn't decide between 2 kinds, so i got both... Don't hate...
Berry Sorbet and Late Night Snack,... Ben and Jerry are so good to apartment 47.

:) God is really working here folks... Prayer is appreciated for sure! :)

today feels like thursday

Today was a great day. It began at 7am bright and early to start going to meetings. Started off with some coffee and a muffin :) ... Then had to deal with the technology department at G-town... They were being lame sauce!! But... Crisis averted. Then grabbed lunch and went to the office, soon to head back to campus to meet a professor then went back to the office and then back to campus again... What a day, huh? But for real, it was wonderful. I absolutely love my job! Then I went for a run.... :) below are some pics... Please note the president's car... Yep, he was totes in Georgetown. As I was running, I ran into the secret services who promptly told me to go to the other side of the street.

Today is the day

The kids ( college students) came today, all 400 of them! Oh wow, it was a loooooooooooong day. It started at 7, and it has been non stop since then. We put up signs this morning around Georgetown and then set up for check-in. We had a group meeting or hug, if you will, then got to work. Tons of kids came through towards the beginning to check in to get the single room in the apartment. Then we had ample down time until our breakout orientation sessions, at 4pm. Those went well... I did lots of talking and answering questions. We then had some time to recoup, so we got some coffee then had to deal with a roommate crisis and then set up for the ice cream social that we, the PAs, are in charge of. We had soooooo much ice cream sandwiches and goodies. Also, there are totes lots of leftovers.... ;)

I am so mentally exhausted, in need a vacation... But I am loving every minute !!!!!! God is so good!

Such a lovely day

Today was so nice....

Got up and went to eastern market early... but we first went to our favorite coffee shop, Pound, on the hill and got coffee and sat outside on their patio. It was in the 60s this morning and upper 70s the whole day... so needless to say i spent most of my day outside.... (which lead me to have one of the worst sunburns i have ever had.... i am purple... :(   ) buuuuuut besides that, it was BEAUTIFUL!!!!

At eastern market, Jesse and I got a crepe and then did our browsing.. I got a t-shirt featuring a mustache... A company called Fuzzy Ink, Itll grow on you makes shirts and buttons all about mustaches... SOOOOO awesome!!!! I got a shirt with a mustache on a bicycle. They also had mustache pillows! Thought of Olivia when i saw the booth. I also got some fun things for mom!

We met up with Jesse's beau, Michael, and then they went off and did their own thing and got to visit for a bit, which was a-ok with me! I just walked around E. Market some more, walked to the capital, went to Union Station (got some cute shoes), had lunch at Le Pan Quitedein, then walked to G-town. :) I had a ME-day... I really enjoyed it... I just got to relax in my own thoughts and basically talk to God all day... :) So great!!!

We came back and just relaxed and watched a movie and went over our bios for tomorrow because all of the students come TOMORROW! oh my stars!!!!! :) Tomorrow is going to be a suuuper long day, but its gonna be swell! :)

Friday Friday Friday

Yayayayayayay Friday!!!! Today was stressful but not as much as yesterday, hooray!!!!! I went to the dentist today to get my tooth fixed. I was nervous about it because it was a new dentist and I was worried it would cost a fortune... Well I went to Capital Hill Dental Group, up on capital hill by the cannon representative building. I went in and signed in and went back. They took a look and took some pics... They said it was something with the bite,so she ground my tooth down and polished it and it felt so much better,not 100%, but better. When I went to leave and to pay, they said not to worry about it. I said, are you serious? She said, "that is what we do. Don't worry. I would hope if one of my patients had a problem in TN that they would take of them too." y'all I just cried and thanked them so much. I was just so encouraged by her kindness. WhAt a blessing!!!!!

I came back to work and worked haaaaaaard until about 7 then headed to apartment.we made some dinner then decided to go out for dessert and coffee. We went to Baked andWired... Got cupcakes and coffee then headed down by the waterfront to enjoy our treats... Btw it is beautiful here and it's in the 70s :).

I'm so excited for tomorrow... Eastern market!!!!!!!!! Get ready for some pics of the weekend festivities, including student check in on Sunday...

Oh man...

Well today was another doozie of a day.... I got so stressed out today. I have soo much to do at work, y'all. I have been working like crazy and it seems like nothing is moving along but in reality I'm doing a whole lot.

Well today we had a staff meeting and got a schedule of things to do and such for the weekend... Oh de-lal-eeee!!!!

But Joe and I won the trivia game at the beginning so we got some candy:)

The rest of the day was super stressful. I stayed late at work until 7:30 to get stuff done and man oh man....

But got to go on a run when we got back. That definitely cleared my head. Then, on the way back, this camera guy and news guy came up to us and asked us if we had heard about the armed robberies that had happened overnight across the street from where we were. He asked us o give our reaction on camera... Oh my stars... First of all, Jesse and I were lookin rough because we had just come from running, so I'm sure we waill look HOT on camera. Second of all, dude looked like a valet man... Until we saw the mic.... As we walked away after our interview we both asked each other if that was fo real... Lol

Wednesday.......

Today was a rough day...

Had sooo much work to do, and little time to do it, and more work piled on and up and over and between and under. In addition, i have a terrible tooth-ache.... I never get those... :/

on the bright side... my day went by very fast because of all the work. :)

came home to then go grocery shopping... on the way there, its starts raining, then hailing.... so we sprint to Safeway... grocery shop, come back, eat, and chill..

I think i need some R & R because of today....

but... its almost friday! :)

Chafe-chafe-mcgafe

Well today was a Tuesday, not your normal Tuesday just because it felt like a monday... Gross,! Well I worked on loads of ibga stuff... Called several alumni folks and then mid day had to make a Starbucks run... Or slow walk, if you will... Due to the 90 degree heat wave and lots of humiidity going on in the dc area...

the Henley 47 gals (my roommates)And I had planned to go to the grocery store this afternoon after work,,, however, around 4:30ish we get an email which told us that there was a "brown" out at our apartments, meaning no air, no power....nada until 9 pm... There went our grocery plans. So we instead decided to go out for dinner at a Thai place called taiphoon (twas delish)! I had pad Thai.... So good!!!!!

After, we were bound and determined to find CAKE of sorts, we walked out of dupont in search of a cupcake shop, didn't see one so we kept going... We were soon in georgetown.. We had walked all the way from dupont circle to the white house then turned around and headed to Georgetown... geeeeeez Louise!!!! but we made it a cupcake joint called sprinkles (it was just ok, sadly) but we accomplished our mission... Finding CAKE!

Memorial Day

I wore these today!!!!

I woke up super excited about attending the Memorial Day parade. We got the invite through work and got to sit under the VIP tent and reviewing stand right on Constitution Ave. across from the National Archives. We even got free lunch too! I didn't know it was going to be so starstudded too... Pat Sajak, Miss America, Gary Sinise (Leut. Dan), and Joe Mantegna were all there, plus a whole lot of 3 and 4 star generals and many more. It was so coool!

I sat next to a lady named Claudia. I just chatted with her and she said she had worked for the US Marshall service and the Justice Department for 37 years.... Talk about LEGIT! Also her husband worked for the Purple Heart org... they give out the Purple Heart awards. Anyhoo... we were just talking and she mentioned she retired but now works for her pastor. I told her I was looking to find a church nearby and she and I just talked and talked about her church called Colombia Baptist in VA. She invited me to come and gave me her name and numbers so that I could contact her so that I would have someone to talk to if I came for a visit! How great is our God! I am excited to check it out! She said it was pretty big and there were alot of ways to get plugged in; she even said there was a flute choir... how cool!!! Im excited to see God use this!

More review stand material!

Miss America lipsyncing

Review Stand

Program!

After the parade we came back to the apt (stopping for a frozen treat along the way hehe) then just hung out in the apt. Jesse and I went to CVS to get some snacks and then we all watched Hairspray... quality stuff people!

Today, for some reason, I felt super homesick... I miss all of my family and my friends. I am just kinda unsure still about things up this way, but at the same time not worried. Hard to explain i know... but I don't need to know, I guess. God has a waaaaay bigger plan and better idea about my life and path than I could ever imagine. So i just need to pray for patience and a peaceful heart about the upcoming summer and busy times ahead. I know God has something planned :)

Lazy Daisy

Today was a lazy day! I was so worn out from moving and walking so much yesterday i guess i just needed to sleep. I set my alarm for 9... woke up... then decided to sleep for 5 more minutes... I woke up at 11:30.. oh my stars... I felt like i wasted the whole day. but, as Jesse said "Your body must have known better than your alarm." words of wisdom right there... Well, after waking up and such, Jesse and I walked to get some coffee and snack at Saxby's on O street... Twas a lovely little joint, but its nothing like Pound, at Capital Hill. Sarah then met up with us and we went strolling down M Street of G-town, did some browsing and shopping, got a few cute things :) Then we came back and went on a nice run across the Key Bridge and such. Twas a lovely time.... had dinner then went for ice cream :)