Summer & Fall

All rolled into one! This summer I:

• drove my Grandpa's car to his lake house all by my onesie-stopped once! Maryland to Alton Bay, NH in 9.5 hours, yes I DID, thank you.
• Hit up NYC! with friends-can you say Max Brenner's (chocolate chocolate chocolate), biking central park, MoMA (Starry Starry Night!!), Newsies on Broadway, The Strand bookstore, 9/11 memorial. SO. MUCH. FUN.
• Enjoyed getting to know my coworkers and organization better since starting work with an educational non-profit in late April, especially at the National Conference in mid-July
• Ate bacon sundaes with my visiting teachers!
• Listened to my Grandma speak in Sacrament Meeting about her conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was her first talk since her baptism last year.
• Visited Erin in beautiful Norfolk, VA {who is having her baby right NOW!}
• went to pool parties
• celebrated with friends @ birthday dinners
• went to grad school orientation [eek!]
• flew back to NH to get the car with Rachel and went to a NEW COUNTRY where I got to practice French, eat delicious food, watch part of a French Film Festival, attend church in FRENCH, and see the Montreal Quebec Temple!
• spent lots of time on the National Mall (hello! world famous museums 25 minutes from my HOUSE!) and visited the White House for the 1st time.

This fall I will:

• Work full-time
• Attepmt to pass my 1st semester of grad school
• Continue being really excited and really impatient for Christmas {the Countdown to Christmas page that I "liked" on Facebook isn't helping btw}

So if you don't hear from me until December 18th, I'm either at work, or in my room, drowning under books entitled: American National Security, Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Major Problems in American Foreign Relations. Send a search party at your own risk. In fact, I should be organizing my semester and studying right now. So until Christmas, adieu. Ne vom revedea...someday...

Derecho

That's what the weatherman calls it. I call it Wizard of Oz on steroids. But whatever it was, Bronwen and I didn't know it was happening. We were just partying it up, jamming the night away at an LDS Singles Dance. 

It was the 12th "Are you OK?" text message that tipped me off. Hundreds of downed trees and dark neighborhoods later, we finally got back to our powerless house, whereupon I realized I'm still not prepared for an emergency. But I did find my matches and candles!! I propose the following when you have a friend in town and the power goes out:

Take pictures of storm damage

Poor Aunt Kay's car-don't worry, all better now

One of the reasons it took us 3 tries to get into our neighborhood

Attempt to go to the cancelled Folk Life Festival on the National Mall (darn derecho)

Instead, party it up at museums ALL DAY!

Sackler Gallery

Smithsonian

African Art Museum

Hirshhorn

Find as many interactive exhibits as possible, including the world famous masterpiece "Nap Time." K, so that's what I would name it, beds and all, in the MUSEUM. That's how to make your artwork popular!

Go to the most fabulous 2nd hand book and clothing stores in the land.

Bathroom doubled as the languages section

"What if you want the book at the bottom of the pile?"

It took a while to find. We were happy.

Go to the historic Busboys & Poets. Go see BRAVE afterwards. Have everything work out wonderfully time wise and come home to find the power restored!

Vow to be prepared for an emergency next time...hmm, we'll see.

Inaugurating Summer

WITH:

Smiles, straw hats, and sunglasses

Adorable beach houses and the Maryland State Flag

SURF, SUN, SAND

Jumping in

Disturbing Baywatch flashbacks

Metal detecting couple (man not pictured)

Boardwalks

Thrasher's "Trench" Fries

FUNNEL CAKE!! (oh how I love thee)

Fish Kites

unique buildings

Cotton Candy

You guessed it: CHOCOLATE-COVERED BACON

Eating pork and chicken at a restaurant called "The Crab Bag"

Rachel stayed true to form and got crab cakes!

I have never rubbed on more aloe or popped more ibuprofen in a 48-hour period, but it was worth it! Thank you Ocean City!

In Romania!

Well, sort of...Rachel and I went to Georgetown University where a Romanian author, Gabriela Adameșteanu, was lecturing and reading passages from her novel, Dimineaţa Pierdută. 


It was fascinating to learn more about post-WWII and communism period Romania from the artistic viewpoint of someone who experienced it! We met a professor who has spent a good portion of his life learning about Romania and studying Romanian just because he likes it, a young man who wanted his picture taken with the author and subsequently failed to give me his email address (I will forever have a picture of an unidentified guy), and I even got the chance to talk to the author afterwards about the revolutions in Romania and Hungary (in Romanian! And she didn't transition to English when she inevitably realized it's not my native language!!). Overall, succes!

 It certainly pays to have the Romanian Embassy alert you when there are fabulous events going on in DC! Finished off a great evening with ice cream from a Georgetown establishment.

Oh Yeah, THAT'S Why I Live Here!

This past weekend was awesome! 

Friday Night: ice skating at the National Gallery of Art with, you know, 30 friends in the most beautiful (it's mid-April right?) weather ever!

Saturday: ridiculously good weather continues to the point that I question my sanity wearing a jacket the first week in January. Lunch at fabulous burger place, going back, but not soon enough.

Trip to the Hirshhorn to see Andy Warhol's exhibit. And...the museum guard totally let us in on the secret for the dark room/red light exhibit!

Stopped by the National Gallery of Art (inside this time) to find my favorite works of art (more on them later!). Saw a little da Vinci and lots more.

Finally, had a great time on the National Harbor at Gaylord National's Ice Exhibit, an interactive indoor wonderland created entirely of ice! It takes dozens of Chinese artisans almost a month to create each winter and is housed in a large tent kept at 9 degrees Fahrenheit! We got to wear giant blue parkas and go down an ice slide. 

Basically, fabulous.


Also contemplated how I would feel about my future children playing on half a giant man protruding out of sand. 

Funny, I think I'd rather a slide and swings. Crazy, I know. Bring on some more good times DC, bring 'em on!