Mr. Thornton

It's decided, call it blaspheme but I have chosen Mr. Thornton over Mr. Darcy. I know.. I know, I very much realize the severity of this declaration, but alas, I must go with my heart's desire. I may be biased as I lay in my lonely hotel room in Rogers, Arkansas watching North and South on my pathetic work computer, but this has really been a long time coming. Not that I don't adore Mr. Darcy and the 6 hours of pure joy Pride and Prejudice provide, but really how can you compete with the final scene of North and South? It grants us completely what Pride & Prejudice merely hints towards. There just is no comparison.

So yes Mr. Thornton, I have chosen you. I'm ready....

Haha. Oh if there were such men! And if you have no idea what I'm referring to, then check your estrogen level and block off 4 hours and rent North & South; you will not be disappointed.

Simple Things

It's raining. I am currently sitting in our "Sun Room" watching the lightning and listening to the rolling thunder. My roommates and I were all gathered on the porch watching the storm come in and commenting on how we love the smell of rain and just the onset of a storm.

I love that we can share these simple things together. I had the urge to run out into the rain and I'm sure we would have, had it not been lightning as well. Even the other day, after a storm, Julie, Kim and I strolled through the neighborhood and played in the puddles (I even have galoshes which it make it all the more fun!).

Sharing these simple pleasures just makes me adore my roommates even more. Laughing and reminiscing about childhood storms and obscure adolescent memories all while watching the sky light up is one of those moments you grab hold of and treasure.

The Lord has continually blessed me with incredible friends and family and once again I feel so fortunate as to share my DC experience with the ladies of 1013 26th St.

They always make me smile; I'd watch storms with them anyday. Bring on the rain.

I Heart U2

It's no secret. I love this man. He puts on a heck of a show. U2 live is something everyone has to experience. I'll be enjoying that pleasure again this September right here in DC. I'll be in the raftors...but hey it's my 4th show, I guess I can afford to share the floor with the millions of other fans... But September just can't come quick enough.

Being that the show is is still a few months away, some friends and I decided it was time to go to the IMAX and see U2 3D... I know, I know... I haven't seen it yet and it's actually been out for quite a while. Well I went.....

AMAZING. Pure Genius. And that's even with missing half the show.... Ya traffic, waiting for other people, public transportation....and whatever else could go wrong, we didn't arrive until halfway through the show. Still worth every penny of my 16 bucks. It really was like Bono was right in front of me and when they sang "One"...I won't lie, my eyes started to water.

Doesn't top a live show, but it will definitely hold me over until I can be in the same arena as my favorite Irish men...

I'm no Ansel Adams

I have a pretty crappy camera. I'll be honest. I really liked the one I had before this one, but apparently I was cursed... as I took it out to take a picture of the Mona Lisa (Mind you-you are not really supposed to take pictures of her AND I already had pictures of her from a previous trip) I dropped it and the lens shattered. Yes that would have been in the middle of my European Adventure. Such is the way of things. I now use my mother's old digital camera, which I'm even too embarrassed to say what type it is...

And with that disclaimer I will now share a few of the most favorite shots I've taken in the last 6 months or so and just humor me as I know I'm not that good, but it is a lot of fun!

The National Cathedral at night. What a gloriously spooky place.

Jacksonville Beach. How I miss the sand between my toes...

I will have a picket fence one day...oh yes I will. As it is, I'll just appreciate the ones in my neighborhood.
The Washington Monument amid the Cherry Blossom Festival.

The Church in my neighborhood, I loved how the Cross just stood out against the blue sky.

Washington D.C. Temple. It really is beautiful and it always amazes me.

The Washington Cathedral at twilight. Quickly becoming one of my favorite DC attractions.

Supreme Court Building.

DC has tulips everywhere and they are gorgeous. I saw these ones right in front of the Capitol Building and stopped mid stride...

How incredible is that? What a little treasure. Individualism at its best :)

Arlington National Cemetary. One of the most solemn places I've ever been too.

Washington Monument on a bright sunshiny day.

A side street somewhere in DC. I am in love with the American Flag and thought this just captured the essense of DC.

Girls Weekend

It's been about 8 years we figured since Shelley, Cortney and I have spent more than 4 hours together at any given time. We always get together for dinner when I'm in town or go shopping, but actual sleepovers...well it's been since high school. If you had seen us this weekend, you would never have guessed it! Haha.. We didn't miss a beat. We packed this weekend full and laughed all the way through it.

Here's Cortney and Shelley at the Carlyle Suites for Brunch (it was delicous!).

Cortney and I did the American History Museum (which I LOVED) and were so excited to see Dorothy's Ruby Slippers...I mean how cool is that?!

There were tons of people who could have taken our picture (and actually we asked this one guy earlier to take our picture and then we just seem to follow him around..haha.. poor guy!) but it's way more fun to snap our own. So yes here we are in front of Mr. Abe.

We are standing on the spot where MLK Jr. spoke at the National Mall. Pretty amazing stuff.

That would be the WWII Memorial and Lincoln behind us. We had such a great time walking around the Mall...it was a gorgeous day and weekend for that matter (the moment they left, it poured all day Monday!).

It was just so wonderful to spend time with old friends and to create new memories together. It was their first time to DC and I was so glad I could maneuver through the streets (even if I did make them car sick! Haha) and create an impeccable schedule (seriously, my schedule was perfect..I'm a pretty dang good hostess ;) ) so we could just enjoy our time together. Plus we ate some delicous food all weekend.

I just love having friends in town, it honestly never gets old and I'm so glad Shelley and Cortney came up - it was just what we all needed :).

Sitting on the Dock of the Bay

Alright, so I have a pretty sweet gig, I gotta be honest. I LOVE my job. I do realize it's quite a blessing to say that, especially in this economy. I was able to go to San Francisco this last week for work and it was AMAZING. I'd never been to the Bay area and it didn't disappoint. Here is a shot of the Golden Gate Bridge (thanks to my Manager Alison for snapping these as I drove the Mini-van through the crazy steep streets of San Fran!).

Of course we hit up Ghiradelli square. Who cares if you can buy this chocolate in the grocery store; it did taste better in their overpriced specialty store!

Just a shot as we were walking down to Pier 39 from our hotel. Check out the trees, they look like bony hands coming out of the ground!

My colleague Lisa and I wanted to take a ride on a Cable Car, but then we realized how slow they are and decided that all we really wanted was a picture on one!

Check out the guy behind us checking us out! He had just put his hand on my back and I was a bit surprised..and so was his wife!

This was as close as I got to Alcatraz, the only downside to the trip. It was an all day adventure and we just didn't have enough time to do it..so next time I'm out that way, that's the first thing I'm going to do. The Rock will have to wait.

This would be the Golden Gate Bridge from a distance with some Naval ship...there was even a Pirate looking ship nearby. Pretty busy port apparently.

What would a trip to San Francisco be without some sourdough? It was quite yummy and definitely hit the spot.

This sign made me laugh, not sure why, maybe a little too true for these times.

Our hotel was right by the Wharf..ya I know, could we have chosen a better spot? Probably not. Like I said, I lead a rough life ;)

Right off of Pier 39 there are tons of Sea Lions. Why you ask? Well read on and you will find out!

Ya they are pretty precious, don't you think? I especially love the individual in the middle determined not to blend in; holding his head high. Too cute.

I really couldn't have picked a better place to have my Evaluation trip. Yup. My manager came with me and observed me evaluating the schools and I passed!!! It was a tough week but I learned a lot and feel much more confident for my first solo trip in 2 weeks! The best part of San Francisco though was definitely getting to hang out with my big brother Nathan. He moved to the Bay area in September (he misses NYC something fierce) and so we got together every night after I was done with work and grabbed some delicous food (pretty sure I'm good to go on Asian food for about a year) and just got to catch up. He is such a good guy and it was just so much fun to chat and explore the city together. Definitely another successful trip.

Laughter through Tears

No we didn't spend the weekend crying, but it did rain all day Saturday and I did laugh pretty much from the moment Merri showed up until she drove away and broke my heart. Haha.


Merrilyn lives in North Carolina now and so we have been trying to get together and Easter seemed like the best of reasons. She showed up Friday night and within 48 hours she was gone, but we sure made the most of each of those precious hours!

We went and saw the monuments (in the rain) and memorials, ate lunch in Old Town, grabbed a cupcake in Georgetown, strolled around the National Cathedral, gazed in awe at the Temple all aglow and wrapped it up at the Iwo Jima memorial watching the sky light up with fireworks closing out the Cherry Blossom Festival. It was such a great day.

Here is a gorgeous shot of the temple Merri got. This place is just so beautiful, puts the National Cathdral to shame if you ask me...

Merri and I hanging out with Lincoln. He is such a stud.

Merri eager to eat the Georgetown cupcake we waited forever for. Totally worth it.

The National Cathedral. Quite a different site during the day, though I highly recommend checking it out at night as well!

WWII Memorial. I thought this was a powerful shot, sometimes I pretend I'm a photographer (maybe I'll blog about that later..). We are such a blessed nation and it always hits home when you stand in the middle of these War memorials.

Waiting in line for 45 minutes for a double dose of chocolate heaven. I don't care who you are. These babies are divine.

Taking in the Vietnam memorial. So many names, such a sober place. God Bless America and all those who serve her.

All in all it was another fabulous weekend with a fabulous friend. If I had known that all it took was living in DC to have so many of my favorite people come visit me, I would have moved here so much sooner! :) It really was just wonderful to laugh all weekend and to share the city with Merrilyn. I love you Dr. Nelson and can't wait for you to come again!