Well, Gettysburg was fast and furious. We departed yesterday morning from the Council, spent the latter half of the day in meetings once we'd arrived and then spent the morning and early afternoon in meetings today before heading back to DC around two.
I did get a chance to go into town last night and was pleasantly surprised by what the downtown area offered. It is quaint and has an old feel to it. I kicked myself for forgetting my camera. If I ever return for an extensive amount of time, I'd like to take advantage of the ghost tours that they offer. I remember really enjoying the ghost tour in New Orleans and imagine that Gettysburg would also have some enchanting stories.
We each got our own hotel room at the Wyndham Hotel. I'd never stayed in one before and was very impressed. The hotel grounds were well kept and there was a nice restaurant and movie theater within walking distance that (I think) partnered with the hotel on some level. My room was quite luxurious with it's king sized bed and flat screen television. The bed had five pillows, three of which wound up in the nearby easy chair and were never used. The little extras in the bathroom added a nice touch and the shower was also quite impressive. I realize that this post may have a "country girl goes to the fancy hotel" air to it. haha. Speaking of ghosts, there may have been one in my room (!). Twice last night, my shower randomly began running for about five seconds while I was quite far from it and sitting at a desk in the main room. Strange!
I'm looking forward to tomorrow being Thursday. I love that traveling for work makes things go a little quicker. I have a "date" with my friend Jennifer tomorrow night. We're each going to get a pedicure. Yay!
My weekend is fairly open. I do have a bridal shower to attend on Saturday (Jennifer's). She's the last wedding I have on my calendar (so far) this year. She's getting married on September 6th.
The cat purchase is on hold for the time being. Matt wasn't too thrilled with the idea and Marie kept getting "signs" (her words) that the timing wasn't quite right. So, we'll wait. I'm sure the possibility will creep up as we transition again in September. When Matt and Drew move, we'll be looking for new roomies, one of which may be four-legged and furry.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Slowing Down
The past week has been pretty slow by "normal" standards. Compared to last weekend, this weekend's calendar is quite empty. Last weekend was a whirlwind of movies: Mama Mia!, The Dark Knight, and Wall-E (a few days prior with Tim). Wall-E left me in a melancholy mood. It was cute, but compared to other Pixar movies, was definitely lacking in the comedic delivery. Rather, the movie has several sobering messages revolving around the destruction of our environment and the gluttony of America. I'm not saying I disagree with the messages and undertones. Maybe that's why I was left in such a state. I connected with it and was left discouraged and downhearted. Despite the movie, I did enjoy a nice evening with Tim.
Mama Mia! was fabulous, however, and helped pull me from my Hollywood prescribed funk. I saw it last Friday with Mallory and Dave (who were in town the evening before flying from Reagan on Saturday AM to St. Croix). It was fun to see it with Mal. Dave was a good sport and even put up with our dancing and singing afterwards. I think Maryl Streep did a wonderful job (I honestly never knew she could sing) and the main young actress was beautiful and also has a equally stunning voice. The joke of the movie was Pierce Brosnan, who received only laughter and groans from the audience when he opened his mouth to sing. It was pretty funny to be sitting in a packed theater and hearing such a reaction to his singing. I felt an immediate bond with my fellow movie-goers at the expense of Pierce.
And The Dark Knight... wow. So, I have a few friends who said they need therapy after watching it. It's true to the title- it's a dark movie. When one weighs in the sad story of Heath Ledger, who obviously had trouble dealing with his character (Joker) in real life and died from an accidental overdose of sleeping pills, it makes the movie a bit harder to swallow. The stunts and several chase scenes in the movie are incredible. There are also some other scenes, however, that are just disturbing. Overall, I'd say I enjoyed it, but it also messed with me a bit too.
Last Saturday night, I went to Kat's house, where she had made dinner and dessert. She'd also invited her boss and his wife and son along with another older man in her office and his wife. It was a wonderful evening. It took me over an hour to get to her house as I am living car-free now. My metro to bus to walking was quite an ordeal. Although a bit sticky from my long walk (uphill), I arrived in time to chat a bit before we all dived into dinner. It was refreshing to dine with one of my best friends and to chat comfortably with some pretty important folks. Her boss is a former ambassador to South Africa and, from what I gathered of our conversation, the other guy is a former Senator. Their wives are very down to earth (as are the guys) and our evening flew by as we discussed travel, politics, religion and exchanged some life stories. Five bottles of wine and several hours later, we had to say goodbye. It was an extremely fun evening. Plus, my new senator friend and his wife drove me home so I wouldn't have to metro and bus back to my house!
Though my weekend was fast, this week slowed tremendously. At work, we are hoping to launch our new website next month. This website has been a complete pain and was originally set to launch last fall/winter. So, I'll cross my fingers, but you don't see this girl holding her breath.
I officially have a new boss. She starts next week, where she'll be attending some board meetings in PA. Her first day in our office is the following week. I'm happy to finally have a boss again and am hopeful that since we are both new to our particular area we can learn some things together. Next Tuesday, I am riding with three of my coworkers (all male) to Gettysburg, where we will be staying for two days as we help with planning for the Council's International Forum in 2010. I've never been to Gettysburg, so was excited about going. Then I learned that our hotel is in the middle of nowhere and historical Gettysburg is quite a ways from us. I don't anticipate it to be the most exotic Council trip I've taken.
Kat has plans to come over on Monday night. We're going to review our travel options and hopefully decide on some plans. At this point, we're thinking two trips: one to Hawaii and one to South Carolina.
Another thing I am seriously considering: Grad School. I've been encouraged by Rich to look into a program at Nyack College here in DC. Nyack is a school in NY, but also has a campus here in DC. There's a one year cohort program that's an MS in Organizational Leadership. The program meets twice a week here on the Hill. Also, there are a few Saturdays required in the mix. It starts in January and ends one year later. I think it'd be a good fit. My main concern is the money. The idea of taking out more student loans is not appealing. So, as I apply, I'll be thinking heavily about it. If I get accepted (which I probably will), I'll have quite a decision to make. Not only would I be looking at loans, but I would also have to willingly embrace more time in DC. At this chapter in life, I'm not seeing that as a bad thing.
On a really random note- we may be getting a cat soon. We've been talking about it a while and Marie has spearheaded the conversation. It was discussed quite a bit about a month ago, but then discussions tapered. Four nights ago, we discovered that we have a mouse (again!) in the house. So, that brought back the cat idea. Marie has gone to NC for the weekend and may be bringing a Fluffy back with her. Fine by me. An animal in the house (and not a tiny one that eats our food) could be a good thing.
Mama Mia! was fabulous, however, and helped pull me from my Hollywood prescribed funk. I saw it last Friday with Mallory and Dave (who were in town the evening before flying from Reagan on Saturday AM to St. Croix). It was fun to see it with Mal. Dave was a good sport and even put up with our dancing and singing afterwards. I think Maryl Streep did a wonderful job (I honestly never knew she could sing) and the main young actress was beautiful and also has a equally stunning voice. The joke of the movie was Pierce Brosnan, who received only laughter and groans from the audience when he opened his mouth to sing. It was pretty funny to be sitting in a packed theater and hearing such a reaction to his singing. I felt an immediate bond with my fellow movie-goers at the expense of Pierce.
And The Dark Knight... wow. So, I have a few friends who said they need therapy after watching it. It's true to the title- it's a dark movie. When one weighs in the sad story of Heath Ledger, who obviously had trouble dealing with his character (Joker) in real life and died from an accidental overdose of sleeping pills, it makes the movie a bit harder to swallow. The stunts and several chase scenes in the movie are incredible. There are also some other scenes, however, that are just disturbing. Overall, I'd say I enjoyed it, but it also messed with me a bit too.
Last Saturday night, I went to Kat's house, where she had made dinner and dessert. She'd also invited her boss and his wife and son along with another older man in her office and his wife. It was a wonderful evening. It took me over an hour to get to her house as I am living car-free now. My metro to bus to walking was quite an ordeal. Although a bit sticky from my long walk (uphill), I arrived in time to chat a bit before we all dived into dinner. It was refreshing to dine with one of my best friends and to chat comfortably with some pretty important folks. Her boss is a former ambassador to South Africa and, from what I gathered of our conversation, the other guy is a former Senator. Their wives are very down to earth (as are the guys) and our evening flew by as we discussed travel, politics, religion and exchanged some life stories. Five bottles of wine and several hours later, we had to say goodbye. It was an extremely fun evening. Plus, my new senator friend and his wife drove me home so I wouldn't have to metro and bus back to my house!
Though my weekend was fast, this week slowed tremendously. At work, we are hoping to launch our new website next month. This website has been a complete pain and was originally set to launch last fall/winter. So, I'll cross my fingers, but you don't see this girl holding her breath.
I officially have a new boss. She starts next week, where she'll be attending some board meetings in PA. Her first day in our office is the following week. I'm happy to finally have a boss again and am hopeful that since we are both new to our particular area we can learn some things together. Next Tuesday, I am riding with three of my coworkers (all male) to Gettysburg, where we will be staying for two days as we help with planning for the Council's International Forum in 2010. I've never been to Gettysburg, so was excited about going. Then I learned that our hotel is in the middle of nowhere and historical Gettysburg is quite a ways from us. I don't anticipate it to be the most exotic Council trip I've taken.
Kat has plans to come over on Monday night. We're going to review our travel options and hopefully decide on some plans. At this point, we're thinking two trips: one to Hawaii and one to South Carolina.
Another thing I am seriously considering: Grad School. I've been encouraged by Rich to look into a program at Nyack College here in DC. Nyack is a school in NY, but also has a campus here in DC. There's a one year cohort program that's an MS in Organizational Leadership. The program meets twice a week here on the Hill. Also, there are a few Saturdays required in the mix. It starts in January and ends one year later. I think it'd be a good fit. My main concern is the money. The idea of taking out more student loans is not appealing. So, as I apply, I'll be thinking heavily about it. If I get accepted (which I probably will), I'll have quite a decision to make. Not only would I be looking at loans, but I would also have to willingly embrace more time in DC. At this chapter in life, I'm not seeing that as a bad thing.
On a really random note- we may be getting a cat soon. We've been talking about it a while and Marie has spearheaded the conversation. It was discussed quite a bit about a month ago, but then discussions tapered. Four nights ago, we discovered that we have a mouse (again!) in the house. So, that brought back the cat idea. Marie has gone to NC for the weekend and may be bringing a Fluffy back with her. Fine by me. An animal in the house (and not a tiny one that eats our food) could be a good thing.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Storm... and afterwards
I've enjoyed a relaxing evening after what was a busy few days. I can't believe it, but Mallory is finally married. All that wedding talk and the day finally arrived.
It was great to see family that I hadn't seen since the holidays or before. I saw saw some whom I hadn't seen in a year or two. There were friends I'd missed for longer than that.
The rush of the days leading up were a blur. Somewhere in there we managed to decorate the reception hall, have some family bonding (and drama), get our nails done and put last minute touches on decorations. Here are a few pictures pre-wedding.
As maid of honor (MOH) I had the privilege of delivering Dave his gift from Mallory. A signed Wake Forest football from one of the games. Needless to say, he was pretty excited. Other pics are of us bridesmaids getting ready. I also took some pictures with an old school 35mm that I'm having developed, so I'll post them in a few days when I get them back from CVS. For now, enjoy these few and a link that Mal sent of her proofs.
It was great to see family that I hadn't seen since the holidays or before. I saw saw some whom I hadn't seen in a year or two. There were friends I'd missed for longer than that.
The rush of the days leading up were a blur. Somewhere in there we managed to decorate the reception hall, have some family bonding (and drama), get our nails done and put last minute touches on decorations. Here are a few pictures pre-wedding.
As maid of honor (MOH) I had the privilege of delivering Dave his gift from Mallory. A signed Wake Forest football from one of the games. Needless to say, he was pretty excited. Other pics are of us bridesmaids getting ready. I also took some pictures with an old school 35mm that I'm having developed, so I'll post them in a few days when I get them back from CVS. For now, enjoy these few and a link that Mal sent of her proofs.
My favorite moments from the wedding: watching Dave look at Mal while she walked down the aisle, seeing Mal kiss my dad as he hugged her at the alter, being only one of a few people who could hear Mal and Dave's first prayer as husband and wife while they prayed by their unity candle, watching my dad dance to "Brown Eyed Girl" with Mal, sharing my thoughts in a toast (and not breaking down while giving it!), signing their wedding license, and watching their faces lit by candle light as they ran to their car at the end of the evening.
While the weekend was wonderful, it was also a relief to return to "normal mode" on Sunday night. I left my car in NC and rode up with some of my DC friends who went to the wedding. I'm going to attempt this car-free thing in hopes that it will make me more care-free. ;) I'm looking forward to trying to live 100% city life. Delivered groceries, bus rides, train trips, and lots more walking! I'm going to try it for a few months. If I can make it with few hiccups, I'll sell my car and put the cash towards a future car (to be bought when I leave DC or fate decides something else).
Monday night began Screen on the Green. I met a few of my Leadership Group friends for Dr. No on the Mall. This is my third summer in DC and I'm definitely taking advantage of it. I know that DC summers officially begin when the roaches crawl on the sidewalks and Screen on the Green graces the Mall. I love it (minus the roaches). It was fun catching up with some friends and also meeting a couple new folks who were there. Check out some pics:
It's my goal to check out Jazz in the Garden either this week or next. It's free on Friday night and takes place in the Sculpture Garden (where Mal and Dave were engaged). There's nothing like starting the weekend with a picnic dinner, bottle of wine, dear friend(s), and jazz floating in the air while folks buzz around the fountain and art.
Last night I went to the pregnancy center and had a good night there. I saw two clients, both of whom came for pregnancy tests. I was a little nervous because last time I was there I had a really touching case and was a mess when I left the center. I think between the stress of prepping for Mal's wedding and dealing with personal demons was enough to push me over the edge. It was a tough night a couple weeks ago. So, last night was encouraging and I was thankful that God let me meet the women I did.
Tonight I'm going to check out Wall-E with a friend from the past. He was best friends with Ben in high school and thus friends with me. We got together two months ago for the first time in nine years. Crazy! It was weird to hang out with someone here in DC who knew me when I was in high school. Tim's attending seminary in Alexandria. The plan is to catch up some more over dinner and then see the flick. I've heard good stuff about Wall-E and Tim is always entertaining, so I'm looking forward to the evening.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
The Calm
I was contacted through the mail that I had "won" plane tickets to travel anywhere in the US (Canada or Mexico also). Skeptical? So was I. So, I called and sure enough there was a catch. I had to go listen to a sales pitch that some travel club wanted to give me. As the folks were telling me about the tickets, they also said I'd get a seven day rental car and $300 bucks in gas. Even more skeptical? The pitch was in Columbia, MD, about a 45 minute drive from the city. Still, I know what those spiels are about. You go, listen to some guy sell his head off, and then you say no and take the parting gift.
So... who could I get to go with me?
Kat and I have been talking about traveling somewhere- Hawaii, Montana, Germany (I know, all very different, right?). So, I rope her into going with me. We'd split the gift and use the tickets for our trip.
It wound up being a really fun night. We left DC around 7 PM and arrived at the travel center in time for our pitch. We sat in a room with seven other couples and listened to this guy rattle off the practical reasons why we should join his club. Basically, it boiled down to only stupid people would refuse. Or in Kat's and my case... only the people who came for the gifts.
After sitting through his hour-long praises of Global Services Network, Kat and I were split from the other fine couples and each couple was paired with a salesperson who (again) explained why only an idiot would refuse the product. Lucky us, we got Mr. Salesguy who'd we'd been listening to already for an hour. I think this guy has his own tv show on PAX television. So, he goes on to talk to us for another hour, every once in a while pulling over one of his cronies to explain more about how awesome GSN is. Yeah, we got it. Can we have our airline tickets?
When Kat and I finally made the point that we weren't budging or buying, Homeslice finally folded and gave us our gifts. We actually get to choose two gifts from a list of prizes AND got the $300 gas card. Not bad. Plus, we have a fun story to rehash as we fly to wherever we decide to go.
Last weekend Mal and a few of her friends came to DC for one last "single" weekend. Three of them (including her) arrived on the evening of the fourth. Kat came over to join in the festivities. We made plans to go to the Mall and watch the fireworks from there. So, we grabbed a blanket and headed for the Washington Monument. Most people had been out there for hours, listening to the concert and visiting the vendors set up on the Mall. Not us! We walked up in time to throw the blanket down and watch the show. We had an amazing view and the night was great despite the drizzling rain that insisted on falling. It kind of felt good. I took some pictures and will put the link at the end of the post. After the fireworks, we packed up the blanket and grabbed some grub at a neighborhood burger place before heading back to the house. Once there, Kat left and the remaining four of us and Matt watched Amelie, a French film that I love. It makes me smile.
The next day was Mal's day. She could have had the fourth too, but it kind of already belongs to our nation.
We all slept in and then Mal went with her two friends to go shopping while I prepped for the bachelorette party. The party was set to begin at 1:30, at which time only one person had arrived and Mallory wasn't there! I didn't get frazzled and everyone eventually arrived shortly before 1:45. Just in time to pack the car with picnic supplies and hit the road. Our reservation at La Grange Winery was at 3 and the drive neared an hour, according to Mapquest.
We arrived at 2:55 and made our way up the stairs to a beautiful house set on the top of a hill. The vineyard was to our left as far as you could see. As we walked into the two hundred year old house, there were people everywhere. To the left folks were crammed into a little gift shop area and to the right they were three bodies deep and surrounding a counter where three servers stood behind and served and explained wine as fast as they could.
How the heck are we going to get a private tasting in this room? I can't even see one person to whom I could easily direct my question.
He heard my thoughts. "Are you part of the group here for the tasting?" Did I shout yes? I think it was close. He herded the ten of us out the back door of the house, through a beautifully vine and bush covered walkway, and out to a barrel room that sat behind the house. It was there we opened the doors and a woman stood in a huge, quiet room with a table displayed in front of her. On the table was about two dozen different wines and crackers. Yay! Our private tasting!! We sampled wines (though not all two dozen) and walked the grounds while Rob educated us on how he makes wine. It's a fascinating process and I learned quite a bit. After our hour-long tour and tasting, we parted from Rob, bought some bottles, and spread our picnic on the ground. We then proceeded to eat, drink and gab for about two hours. It was wonderful and the weather was beautiful!
After our winery experience, we loaded the cars and drove back to DC where we topped the party off with cake and ice cream before Mal opened her gifts.
The day was memorable and everyone seemed to enjoy herself. When the weekend wrapped, Mal's grin was worth all the effort. I think her last single weekend will go down as a good one.
Pictures: The 4th of July and Mal's Party
So... who could I get to go with me?
Kat and I have been talking about traveling somewhere- Hawaii, Montana, Germany (I know, all very different, right?). So, I rope her into going with me. We'd split the gift and use the tickets for our trip.
It wound up being a really fun night. We left DC around 7 PM and arrived at the travel center in time for our pitch. We sat in a room with seven other couples and listened to this guy rattle off the practical reasons why we should join his club. Basically, it boiled down to only stupid people would refuse. Or in Kat's and my case... only the people who came for the gifts.
After sitting through his hour-long praises of Global Services Network, Kat and I were split from the other fine couples and each couple was paired with a salesperson who (again) explained why only an idiot would refuse the product. Lucky us, we got Mr. Salesguy who'd we'd been listening to already for an hour. I think this guy has his own tv show on PAX television. So, he goes on to talk to us for another hour, every once in a while pulling over one of his cronies to explain more about how awesome GSN is. Yeah, we got it. Can we have our airline tickets?
When Kat and I finally made the point that we weren't budging or buying, Homeslice finally folded and gave us our gifts. We actually get to choose two gifts from a list of prizes AND got the $300 gas card. Not bad. Plus, we have a fun story to rehash as we fly to wherever we decide to go.
Last weekend Mal and a few of her friends came to DC for one last "single" weekend. Three of them (including her) arrived on the evening of the fourth. Kat came over to join in the festivities. We made plans to go to the Mall and watch the fireworks from there. So, we grabbed a blanket and headed for the Washington Monument. Most people had been out there for hours, listening to the concert and visiting the vendors set up on the Mall. Not us! We walked up in time to throw the blanket down and watch the show. We had an amazing view and the night was great despite the drizzling rain that insisted on falling. It kind of felt good. I took some pictures and will put the link at the end of the post. After the fireworks, we packed up the blanket and grabbed some grub at a neighborhood burger place before heading back to the house. Once there, Kat left and the remaining four of us and Matt watched Amelie, a French film that I love. It makes me smile.
The next day was Mal's day. She could have had the fourth too, but it kind of already belongs to our nation.
We all slept in and then Mal went with her two friends to go shopping while I prepped for the bachelorette party. The party was set to begin at 1:30, at which time only one person had arrived and Mallory wasn't there! I didn't get frazzled and everyone eventually arrived shortly before 1:45. Just in time to pack the car with picnic supplies and hit the road. Our reservation at La Grange Winery was at 3 and the drive neared an hour, according to Mapquest.
We arrived at 2:55 and made our way up the stairs to a beautiful house set on the top of a hill. The vineyard was to our left as far as you could see. As we walked into the two hundred year old house, there were people everywhere. To the left folks were crammed into a little gift shop area and to the right they were three bodies deep and surrounding a counter where three servers stood behind and served and explained wine as fast as they could.
How the heck are we going to get a private tasting in this room? I can't even see one person to whom I could easily direct my question.
He heard my thoughts. "Are you part of the group here for the tasting?" Did I shout yes? I think it was close. He herded the ten of us out the back door of the house, through a beautifully vine and bush covered walkway, and out to a barrel room that sat behind the house. It was there we opened the doors and a woman stood in a huge, quiet room with a table displayed in front of her. On the table was about two dozen different wines and crackers. Yay! Our private tasting!! We sampled wines (though not all two dozen) and walked the grounds while Rob educated us on how he makes wine. It's a fascinating process and I learned quite a bit. After our hour-long tour and tasting, we parted from Rob, bought some bottles, and spread our picnic on the ground. We then proceeded to eat, drink and gab for about two hours. It was wonderful and the weather was beautiful!
After our winery experience, we loaded the cars and drove back to DC where we topped the party off with cake and ice cream before Mal opened her gifts.
The day was memorable and everyone seemed to enjoy herself. When the weekend wrapped, Mal's grin was worth all the effort. I think her last single weekend will go down as a good one.
Pictures: The 4th of July and Mal's Party
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