Summer in DC

It's starting to really feel like summer! I know summer classes started at my university a week or so ago and Mike has been out of school for a couple of weeks, but the fact that I've been traveling a lot these past two weekends makes summer seem more real. (Summer for me always means more traveling for weddings, cookouts, visits to friends and family, and vacations.) Other things are making it feel like summer too:

Baseball: On Wednesday, Mike and I met up with some friends at Nats Stadium to watch baseball. While neither Mike nor I are very into baseball, tickets are normally pretty cheap and it's a perfect place to meet up with friends during the week. Mike and I happen to be really into all of the food options at the ball park and opted for bbq, sweet potato fries, and custard. Also, it seems that everyone goes to Nats games so you will likely run into people from college, the office, etc. Now if the Nats could just start winning when I'm there!

Nats field.

Caitlin was hilarious when I tried to take this picture telling me that there was no way she could look attractive in it because she was sitting right beside me. But she definitely looks beautiful and the picture would be incomplete without her!

L to R: Matt, Cori, Dustin, Alex, Kelly, Caitlin. 

Nights out. It's harder to have nights out during the law school year, so I was glad to meet up with Mike after work on Friday for dinner and a night at the Keegan Theatre to see The Full Monty. (I'd found inexpensive tickets online a while ago and it had good reviews.) The Keegan's in Dupont Circle and when I found out it was also National Donut Day and that the only Krispy Kreme in the city is at Dupont Circle, I knew we'd have to stop by and get an appetizer of free donuts. We followed that with dinner at "ShopHouse" (spicy rice and noodle bowls) before the show.

Mike and his free donut.

The show was really awesome! I loved it so much: the actors, the music, the script, the comedy, the message (there was a lot about positive body image in there). It was a super long show, but I was laughing/crying until the very end.

Museums. Shannan and David were also in the city this weekend. David's studying for the bar while Shannan job searches. We went to a crepe place for brunch (that we discovered with them last summer when they were both in the city) and went to museums after. That is very much a summer routine for us: brunch and museums....and it felt good to spend a weekend in the city finding routine again.

Happy tired.

I've had two exhausted weekends in a row, but all due to tons of fun.

I've been babysitting a lot for the most adorable babies. It's also not a bad side job to supplement the paycheck. (DC is so expensive.) I went home for a Memorial Day cookout and had some awesome homemade barbecue courtesy of my stepdad. I really wish I could replicate it, but I'm just not good at cooking meat (it requires patience because eating it undercooked could potentially kill) so I'm going to let that be MJ's department.

Other new developments: I started a new position at work. It is basically the same, but with a different student caseload. Imagine getting to know 250 students over the course of 9 months and then forget everything because you just have to learn 250 new students all over again. It's......a lot.

Mike started his summer internship and has a 9-5ish schedule. This is really weird after an exam period where he was working on something every evening and weekend. And it has been so nice. I still haven't gotten used to it. There is also a lot less pressure on Mike now as he has (basically......pending medical clearance) landed a job as a navy lawyer after graduation. (I know that seems so far away, but think about how quickly this school year went by!) The real term for this is JAG. I brag about Mike all the time so I have no problem saying that I'm so incredibly proud and excited for him because there was essentially a 4% chance of him getting this job. It was also the only job he wanted. The navy is so lucky to have him and I know he will look super cute in his uniform. (Side note: My sorority's symbol is an anchor and now I have even more reason to stock up on nautical-themed everything.)

I've also started going to a gym again. I've been to Bodypump again twice since joining the gym and am so excited to start feeling strong again! I also believe I may have a stress fracture in my foot that will keep me sidelined from running for a while so hopefully the gym will provide alternative options.

I saw from friends from high school last night and, whenever I get together with them, it is like no time has passed at all. I love that feeling.

I'm finding out that Mike and I have quite the summer of weddings coming up and I'm excited to take some time off in the coming months to celebrate milestones in the lives of our friends.

That's everything that's been going on and here are some pictures!

Mike sitting in traffic on the way to the country. This is why I'm glad I don't live in NOVA and why I'm glad Mike was driving!

First he built me a closet and now baby shelves to hold makeup. I almost cried.

Ben's Chili Bowl is THE ONLY WAY to end a night at U street.

Gelati from Steak & Ice. Go there now. You have no idea.

Thank You card from one of my students who works at Louis Vuitton. So sweet.

Harper trying to be sneaky behind Mike's new Fez (Doctor Who hat).

My goal is to stay present in this work week and not just wait for it to end:)!

The past 24 hours.

Dang. I had wanted my next post to be a recap about everything wonderful that accompanies the end of the semester and graduation, but then the past 24 hours happened and was too.....weird....not to share immediately.

It all started last night.

Kennedy Center Detour

Mike and I had tickets to see a tribute to Stephen Schwartz at The Kennedy Center while looking for parking we may have a wrong right turn onto a ramp that put us immediately on I-66 West and taken another wrong right turn that took us down the George Washington Parkway where we couldn't turn around for 5 miles and then it was just a U-turn to eventually journey back past The Kennedy Center where we ended up paying to park instead.

Beautiful cloudy view from The Kennedy Center patio.

The show was absolutely wonderful! It was conducted by Steve Reineke (who is the most entertaining conductor I've ever seen) and vocalists included Jeremy Jordan, Norm Lewis, Julia Murney (who has played Elphaba in Wicked), and Jennifer Laura Thompson (who has played Glinda in Wicked). There was a full orchestra and also The Washington Chorus to round out the live music experience.

Jeremy Jordan is just....a phenomenal singer and I will definitely look forward to seeing him in The Last Five Years (coming out this year, I think) starring opposite Anna Kendrick. My favorite arrangements were the animated movie medley which featured "Colors of the Wind"from Pocahontas  and "When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt and "Wicked: A Fable for Orchestra". I also really enjoyed the music from Schwartz's musical Children of Men so i'll probably be looking into that.

Bug, Bed Frame

After the show at Mike's place I spotted a bug that needed to be killed immediately. It went underneath Mike's bed and I asked Mike if he had a flashlight because I was to scared to randomly aim into the darkness. Mike did not have a flashlight, but someone had placed some really weird small lights on his desk and he decided that would do the trick. Helpful, because I kill the bug. After killing the bug, I notice that me moving the bed frame has slightly broken the bed frame and we plot ways how to fix this new problem.

Halogen

While we're plotting, I ask Mike if he smells something burning. He says no. Approximately one minute later, Mike says he smells something burning now and he runs to the light that was left on the floor. When he lifts it off the floor, we discover it has burned a hole straight through the carpet by melting the upper layer. Our first reaction is: What is this thing that we used as a flashlight because we've never seen a light do that....Our second is: resignation and hopeful for a better tomorrow....

Good things: The bug died, we figured out how to fix the bed, and we learned the light was a halogen light and that you should pretty much never use one ever because it's scary and melts things!

...but there were still lessons to be learned...

The result of having a halogen lamp near your carpet. Don't do it, kids.

Car

Sunday, Mike and I had plans to meet up with Alex and Kelly for brunch at Le Grenier, a new french restaurant on H street that has been getting great reviews. Brunch with Kellex is always the best. Kelly and I talked about how Jeremy Jordan was the first Jack Kelly from The Newsies. We learned that Kelly had an Elmo stuffed animal when she was little that perished from halogen lamp contact. We all talked about the new Star Trek movie and started planning the next location for NYE reunion. Mike and Alex tried to talk Kelly and I into going to see some really nerdy alien war movie or something? The food was amazing! However, I had to leave after about an hour and a half because I was going to see The Great Gatsby with Sara and Davia.

Brunch Bunch does Le Grenier.

When Mike and I got back to my car after saying our goodbyes, this random lady approached me asking if it was my car. I told her yes and she said it had been broken into. I guess I had to walk over to the other side of the vehicle to see that my front passenger window had been shattered. Wow. I had left my laptop and my giant coach purse in the car because I was going to babysit after the movie. We were parked two blocks from the restaurant. We had been gone for a little under 2 hours. We had parked in a really nice sunny flower-y neighborhood in DC in the middle of the day on a Sunday. And I couldn't believe I had come back to this.

This was clearly a tight knit community because I had people coming out of their houses offering me their phones and water and saying that they had called the cops and telling me these kind of crimes had actually been happening in the area. My purse was missing from the car and I had wanted to check my laptop bag that was still in the car, but one bystander told me to wait until the cops got there. When I mentioned my purse being gone, she said "Oh well, yeah, your laptop's gone." When I had to explain to the cop what was missing, it started to hit me. Mike later said to me that he knew I wasn't upset about the things being stolen, but that I had momentarily "lost my faith in humanity." He knows me well. I just felt violated on such a beautiful sunny day. I know I'd left stuff in my car, but I just didn't expect....this. When I started crying Mike told me: "Remember what Mr. Rogers said? Look for the helpers. There are helpers all around you." And there were. Like random people coming up and touching my hand and getting riled up for me. It made me feel better. That's why, when a young couple who said that they had video surveillance on their door and might have a picture of the suspect in the footage invited us inside (I immediately made Mike call Kelly and Alex to come be there when I found out what had happened), I said yes. Because I just needed to refind my faith in humanity.

Our new friends offered us water, an adorable yappy dog names Ziggy, and a chance to feel some control in the situation as we sifted through video clips from their camera playing detective. Then we found the guy on the tape! He had my beige coach purse! I saw him walk away with it! How could he just do that? We called the cop in to give him the guy's description and then decided to take my car someplace safe until we could get the window fixed. Upon getting back in the car, we noticed that my laptop bag did not look empty and in fact did still have my laptop in it. (Okay I know we should have checked that first, but there was a lot going on and it was assumed the thief would take the most valuable thing in the car!) We tell the cops and our new friends and I feel very lucky. I call my mom to tell her what had happened and, after telling her I had only books and notebooks and pens and a water bottle in my purse, she says that sometimes these guys will just throw it in a trash can after they see there is no money in it.

Well....

After getting back to Mike's place less than 2 hours after this craziness began, I get a call from a man in DC who found my purse in his recycling can (I had my phone number in a journal inside of it). We retrieve my purse with everything in it.

Thus, as it happens, the only losses from the past 24 hours include:

• a small section of destroyed carpet (which we can cover until it is eventually replaced)
• an unstable bed frame (which we were able to fix)
• a detour to VA on our trip to the Kennedy Center (which took us down the beautiful GW Parkway)
• missing Gatsby
• a $250 window replacement

Thus, as it happens, gains from the past 24 hours include:

• goosebumps from listening to Stephen Schwartz's music played live
• a run to the new time exhibit at the Air and Space museum the morning of the brunch
• tasting the best (according to me) smoked salmon eggs benedict I've had in the city
• making friends with almost an entire street of people
• a lesson in locking valuables in the trunk, using icloud and the findmymac app to locate your computer if it's stolen, always having your computer serial number, always checking the laptop bag and accounting for everything
• learning that no matter how bad your day has been, there are always going to be helpers to look for

Sometimes words are hard.

Maybe it's because most of my Mays have been full of exams or job-searching or maybe it's because I have this sympathetic anxiety for Mike's enduring exam period, but April and May have felt very stressful for me. I don't have the words for why, but I can say that I haven't done a very good job of this living in the moment thing I've been working on. That's okay. The struggle is part of the story and I think I'd be missing a crucial part of the lesson and story if mindfulness came easy.

I'm going through a spring cleaning where I'm giving away and donating things to charity that I don't need because I've realized that too many things can make living a simpler and more mindful lifestyle harder. Spring always feels like a fresh start and I think filling our life with more meaningful things and less "stuff that takes up space" can hold true for the time in our days too. Here's an article I like about this concept: http://www.raptitude.com/2011/01/i-dont-want-stuff-any-more-only-things/ Perhaps this is why I'm also drawn to tiny houses. Sometimes less is more.

Anyway here are pictures from the past few weeks with the story behind each. 

My first Nats game. Forecast was for thunderstorms, but the sun eventually
won in a battle against the clouds and rain.

Rupert as I'm trying to work.

PR-ed in a 5K one weekend with 24:44 and one of my students was the guest speaker! She received transitional housing for her and her daughter form Turning Point Center as she was completing her degree.

I just love this picture and petal confetti.

Handmade dress at Eastern Market that I loved. 

My favorite chocolate ever. It's super spicy. I'm going to have to go to Whole Foods for this.

"Mr. Rupert": a drink at Ted's Bulletin where Sara, Jeff, Mike, and I went for dinner one night. They have "adult milkshakes."

Successful playdate between Rupert and Harper. No cats were harmed. Only minimal harm to humans. 

Mike found out I had a recorder (it was my grandfather's) and this "study session" immediately turned into me forcing Mike to play various songs by ear.

Pretty Cherry Blossom picture on The Catholic University of America's campus.

The National Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. It's very near to my house and I went in the other weekend on a whim. There are no words to describe how beautiful it is. I've always taken pictures of the outside when I walk by, but wow. I have to take Mike with me one day.

Again.

ALSO: This is a short and pretty spot-on post regarding what I wrote about in my last post. I'm also just going to copy and paste it here because they are such good words to start the week with:)

http://simplemom.net/where-you-water-it/

As you start this week, remember to be all here, in the presence of this week, these days, this hour right now. May you remember to not see your children, your daily work, or whatever you’re called to cultivate, as interruptions to your day. May you remember that they are your day.

When life is a bit mundane, or even a bit—shall we say, character-building, resist the temptation to think things would be better if it were just next week, next year, when the kids are older, when you’re in a different city, when you graduate, when you’ve painted that room, once you’ve gotten into shape, when you’ve crossed that thing off your bucket list.

As things flow your way this week, find the courage to listen to that still small voice and learn from what life gives you. Right here, right now. Let the simple liturgies of your day teach you things. And may you be all there as you learn them.

Remember, the grass isn’t greener on the other side. It’s greener where you water it.

This weekend is graduation and I'll be extremely busy. I have a four day weekend over Memorial Day weekend, though, so I am excited for that! Have a great week, everyone!

Living for Mondays...

It has been a rough couple of weeks for me. The kind of weeks where you never feel caught up on sleep and motivating yourself to go to work every morning is a struggle. I still want to do a recap post on all of the good/exciting things that happened: a show, a birthday, the cherry blossom festival, my first froyo of the warm season, I got on a cupcake kick, and then an avocado kick which I'm still on. 

Some not so good things happened too. In fact, a lot of not so good things in one week. Boston, Texas, toxic letters being mailed to our nation's leaders? I also got asked out by a guy at a professional event I was working and, when I had to tell him no and that it was something I didn't feel comfortable with, he called me several names, one of them being "immature". I immediately stopped listening to him after that because (please) I was named "Most Mature" in Kids Camp superlatives when I was like in 4th grade. Out of all of my weaknesses, immaturity is not one, but I was disappointed that a man had chosen the route of trying to make me feel horrible so that he could feel better about the situation. That was all on top of what had already happened. And I don't take tragedies well. I was checking my twitter obsessively until they caught the bombers. My heart hurts for the people that were hurt and for a while it seemed like the whole world was going crazy. I mean, this kind of violence happens every day in other other countries, right?

I think at that part I just started telling myself that everything will get better when ____________________. You really can just fill in the blank with anything because I fill it in with everything, myself.

When the weather is warm again.....

When I start going to the gym again......

When I get promoted.....

When it's summer.....

When the school year is over.....

When it's Friday......

When they find the bomber....

When I get used to living in the city....

When I feel completely competent at my job....

Then I saw this quote on Pinterest:

I started to think how true that is in my life sometimes. I wait for the perfect time to start living my life, to start doing the things that I want to do the most. Sometimes it is out of fear, sometimes it is because of the perfectionist inside of me who insists on having everything together to move forward. But how long will I be waiting? I know as soon as summer hits, I'll be waiting for Fall. And then I end up never enjoying anything while it's happening to me! And life is glorious and should be enjoyed. I appreciate it more after these past couple of rough weeks than ever. 

Excerpt from Shauna who always has the perfect words for everything.

“I have always, essentially, been waiting. Waiting to become something else, waiting to be that person I always thought I was on the verge of becoming, waiting for that life I thought I would have. In my head, I was always one step away. In high school, I was biding my time until I could become the college version of myself, the one my mind could see so clearly. In college, the post-college “adult” person was always looming in front of me, smarter, stronger, more organized. Then the married person, then the person I’d become when we have kids. For twenty years, literally, I have waited to become the thin version of myself, because that’s when life will really begin. And through all that waiting, here I am. My life is passing, day by day, and I am waiting for it to start. I am waiting for that time, that person, that event when my life will finally begin.”

—	Shauna Niequist

The pinner who pinned the waiting quote above added his/her own caption that said "I want to live for Monday." That's what I want to start living for too:

For Mondays...
For winter....
For the bittersweet times...
For everyday moments that might not seem that significant, but that end up being our whole lives....
I still want to appreciate the various seasons of life for what they are, but I want to BE PRESENT in every  moment of every season.

I might even eat froyo in the winter.

Warm-Weather Things I Can't Wait To Do

Because as soon as it starts getting warm, I must do EVERYTHING that cannot be done when it is cold. This is a bucket list of sorts.

Dreaming about summer, warm weather, and freedom (a much less stressful schedule starting May 18th) is what's going to get me through the next month. When we sprung forward with daylight savings, so many new opportunities opened up for me with more daylight: like post-work runs/productivity. Apparently, I get really unproductive after dark. 

I remember last summer when I was busy working in the Burg and would make weekend trips up to visit D.C. and every weekend was amazing. There were runs to Amsterdam Falafel (#willrunforfalafel), tours around the capitol with my pen pal, patio parties, weddings, brunches galore, and tons of summer movies (ohmygosh I hope Tommy Wiseau comes back this summer). I did most of my night running in Williamsburg and my day running in DC (because I felt safer in Williamsburg), but I really want to learn how to vary my running routine up here. As I remember, it's insanely hot in the summer here and I will probably have to start night running as a necessity.

These are the things I'm excited to do over the summer in no particular order...something to refer back to in the coming weeks.

• COOK
• Quinoa Stirfry
• Angel Food cake with berries
• Kebabs
• Pie (my mom makes the best apple pie so I shall steal her recipe)
• Salmon and Asparagus
• Ice Cream (um, I really want to make ice cream)

• DO
• Grill Out
• Brunch 
• Outdoor Movies
• Museums (especially sitting by the fountain outside the National Gallery)
• Weekend roadtrips
• The Gibson (because Alex has NEVER been)
• Work outdoors (Until it gets too hot...)

• ATTEND
• Shows (I think Kelly has some lined up for us)
• Fitness Classes (NEED BodyPump back in my life)
• Weddings (Skebes and Mike Johnson might let me be his plus one to some events)
• Patio/Rooftop Parties
• Concerts

• WEAR
• Sundresses
• Sandals
• Floral Prints!
• Sunglasses (I need to find a pair that doesn't make me look weird)

• EAT
• Fro-Yo (this becomes a major food group during the summer)
• Cupcakes (I haven't been to Georgetown Cupcake yet!)
• Tomatoes (For tomato sandwiches duh)
• Salads! (bonus points if they come with feta)
• Strawberries
• Coconut
• Crepes (I <3 avocado, swiss, and tomato crepes from Crepes on the Walk)

• DRINK
• Mojitoes...duh (bonus points if they have basil in them...)
• White wine
• Hot tea (I switch to drinking black and green tea in the morning during the warmer months (instead of coffee), but it's still hot!)
• Sweetened/Unsweetened Iced Tea
• Smoothies! (I need a new blender...)

• RUN
• Runventures (to falafels or anywhere!)
• Night Runs (in search of safe routes, will be easier when it stays light out later)
• April 5k 
• June 5k
• Longer race later (looking for a half marathon, 10k, or 8-miler for maybe the fall!)

Pictures From My Phone

According to some, it's been a whole month since I last posted. Well, that's just exaggerating. Nevertheless, it's been a while, and I decided to do a picture/caption post to catch up with everything that has happened. Consequently, some things may have been forgotten if I have no picture of it.

Durer, Selfies, and Van Gogh

Mike and I in the National Gallery's light tunnel. Well, that's what I call it. This was after we had seen a special Albert Durer exhibit.

Is it bad that I was way more excited to see Van Gogh paintings after seeing the Van Gogh Doctor Who episode?!

 Medieval Times

Medieval Times for Sara's birthday! It was my first time and I cheered so loudly that my voice was iffy for the whole week following.

With our Black & White knight from Medieval Times. I could have sworn he looked like Christian Bale. So I asked him if anyone had ever told him that before. He said no. It was not until I looked at this picture that I realized he looks nothing like Batman.

Harper in a Box

Me taking a picture of Mike taking a picture of Harper chilling in an Amazon box. Before I paraded her around the house in this box.

Easter

Old Town Warrenton. Main Street and the Courthouse on Good Friday.

Kristin and Courtney at Eastern sunrise service.

Courtney and Keira both sporting their hoods at Easter sunrise service.

When Mike Johnson Conquers Food-Trucking, Everyone Wins.

This past Friday, Mike worked for his friend Kirk of  the Captain Cookie and the Milkman food truck and brought back cookies afterwards! I was starving and had some cookies as appetizer/dessert to our sushi dinner. #sorryimnotsorry The ginger molasses are my faves!

That time Paper Route didn't show up. I'm not ready to talk about it.

Stage view of The Fillmore in Silver Spring. I LOVE this venue. 

This was the opening band. Notice how far back we were.

Cool pic (I thought) that I got of lead guitarist from Anberlin.

Stephen Christian! He is the most charismatic lead singer ever.

Randomly the lead singer of the opening band punks Anberlin during "Fin" by doing yoga on the stage.

So....this is backbend serious now.

I asked our waiter for more salsa at our late night post-show dinner. And he brought me a cereal bowl full! If you know how much salsa I eat in chip:salsa ratio, you will know how much I appreciated this. Plus it was awesome.

 I can't not take pictures of this building.

Basilica on a beautiful day and with yellow flags for the new Pope.

The Basilica on the one snow-y day we've had this winter.