The More the Merrier

One of the absolute BEST things about living in DC is that people come to visit! They pretend like it's to see me, but they aren't fooling anyone... I know I can't compete with the likes of Washington or Jefferson and so I just enjoy the perks of my proximity to them.

The tourist season is slowly starting and the roads are filling with tour buses, but it's all worth it if in those mobs of people are the likes of Manny and Krista - the first of many (I hope!) great friends to visit.

Manny came to visit during my (actually ours, as his birthday is the 14th) birthday and we hit the city for the weekend. Here we are in front of the White House.

We really had a good time, it was definitely too short; especially considering we haven't actually seen each other in 5 years. Didn't miss a beat though. And no he has yet to repay me for the car he wrecked - but that's a story for another time...

The top picture is of me and one of my BFFs Krista. Oh how I love that lady!! She was out here for a family wedding and I just couldn't let her be that close without hogging her time. We strolled through the city and laughed our heads off, after of course eating everything in sight- a bad habit we picked up somewhere in Europe.

So the moral of the story is if you are reading this and you don't live in DC, come and visit! I have braved driving through the ciy and am quite a pro now, plus the weather is getting warmer and you just can't beat Spring in DC.

The door is always open so get on it!

Walking on Sunshine

Alright, I have a confession. I don't run. Ya there it is. I use to. I mean, heck, I ran a marathon! True that was a good 5 years ago and I haven't run more than 4 miles since, and so my running habits have faded. However, I have developed a new habit...walking!

Yes, I'm now a 65 year old woman and I walk for exercise. Haha. It really began about a year ago with my beloved Amanda in Florida. Everyday after school we'd walk about 3 miles into our very own Floridian wilderness and it was just absolute therapy that I lived for. Loved, loved it!

And then I trekked across Europe and I mean what's not to love about that?

But then came Spring in DC. Oh my beautifulness! How did I not know about this?! It is completely gorgeous here, well we've had a few slips back into the dreary Winter, but Spring is beating down the door and I am head over heels in love with it.

I have walked through our neighborhood nearly everyday this last week that I've been home (I was on the road for 2 weeks for work) and it is so invigorating... I can't even describe it (yet I will keep trying..this is a Blog! Haha).

My roommates have indulged me and we've walked down the Potomac and watched planes take off from DCA, observed the Monuments from across the river and just chatted up our neighbors. I love this place!

And so here are a few shots of Spring peeping up in our neighborhood...beautiful, simply put, this is what it means to stop and smell the roses.

So stop reading and go take a walk; Spring is waiting.

Gotta Have Faith

64 churches in less than 2 hours.

Ya, we counted them. It started as a joke and a bet amid my colleagues and myself, as we were driving between Cosmetology schools in North Carolina. And yes, let's look past the fact that we were gambling in regards to the number of churches we'd see... as I'm sure that's not quite "Christian"..haha.

We were taking the back roads from Fayetteville to Monroe when we started to notice that there seemed to be a lot of churches and so we started counting them and by the time we reached our hotel, we had counted 64. 64?! And those were just the ones we could see off the road.

I had bet that we'd see 25, which I thought was a rather liberal amount... and yet the South has surprised me again. And what a pleasant surprise. It really did just make me smile as we slipped passed 30, 40, 50 and even 60.

I mean I don't know if their pews are packed each Sabbath day, but their doors were all wide open and it made my heart happy. In a time when so many seem to scream about getting rid of God and faith seems to be dwindling, it was a ray of sunshine.

Who knows what'll happen with the economy or the Dow Jones or whatever else seems to be stressing us all out, but I saw signs of real hope in the heartland today and it was beautiful.

Keep the Faith America.

Life on the Road

I went on my first official "business trip" this last week! We flew out on Monday the 16th of February for Rochester, Minnesota. Exotic, I know..haha. We spent a couple of days there to check out a school (I evaluate Cosmetology schools all over the country and help them become accredited institutions).

Minnesota was cold, but not quite as freezing as I had anticipated - my long johns weren't quite necessary ;). The people were really friendly and the food was quite tasty. I did go with the recommended sandwhich at a local pub we stopped in for lunch - a BLT with peanut butter; yup I ate it! Haha. It actually wasn't as disgusting as you are probably imagining it to be, not the greatest thing I've ever eaten, but I did still devour the whole thing, so good enough for me!

We flew to the great city of Cleveland for another school visit and pratically froze there! I had no idea it would be colder than Minnesota, and yet it was! Didn't get to see too much of the town as we arrived later and flew out the next day once we were done working. It was still a cute city and one I'd love to hit up again, especially so I can go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We almost went, yet I wasn't in charge and my manager wanted to work out instead... LAME. Next time.

I did fly home for a moment after Cleveland, and a moment was about 10 hours before we jumped back on a plane and headed to Las Vegas! My agency had a big workshop there and so I had to work and participate. It turned out pretty well; I learned a lot and met some great people in my field. I also got the chance to bond with colleagues and am really starting to feel like I've got a grip on this Accreditation thing.

The best part of the whole trip though was that I was able to finagle a trip to Utah out of my Vegas workshop. My Travel Coordinate Suzie (who is amazing!!) got my a flight out of SLC on Wednesday night - the red eye- and so as soon as we were done Tuesday afternoon, I jumped in my rental car and drove to Parowan, Utah! Everyone else was flying home Wednesday morning and so I figured I'd maximize my travel day and I did!




Here would be the main reason why I drove to Utah for this single day. Mr. Graham Gideon Oakeson. The first child of one of my very bestest friends, Michelle (Mooso). He was only 6 days old when I met him! It was so worth it to drive up and see him and be exhausted these next couple of days following the red eye. It was just great to see Michelle and Tiffany and their babies. I've met Tiffany's baby, JJ, before ; but just being all together was such a blessing.
It was also great to spend time with my cousins and Grandma and brother. I do love my family
and was grateful I got to see them, if only for a moment.



















This is J.J. Tiffany's youngest ( the blue eyed 8 month old). He is just so flipping cute! I love these boys :).



We had a little bit of fun putting the two boys in the crib together! I love this shot because JJ is petting Graham... so adorable! They are only 8 months apart but just so different!


Here's a shot of Tiffany, Michelle and I. I simply would be lost without these girls. My bestest friends in the whole wide world :).


All in all, it has been a busy week and a half. Luckily, I'm in the office this next week and still trying to learn all I can before I head out on the road for two weeks straight (well I get to come home for the weekend) to North and South Carolina and then Maryland and Deleware. I'm excited. I am really enjoying my job and the people I work with; we definitely have a good time. I am so blessed!