Supremely DC

Well, just when the grind gets to seem monotonous, a little bit of DC creeps in unexpectedly. I had the opportunity today to go on a "backstage" tour of the Supreme Court. My boss is friends with one of the Clerks there and he gave us a real look at The Court.

We first went into the library where only the justices are allowed. The Supreme Court building was erected in the 1930s and the library is the only room that has the original ceilings of 24 karat gold. Otherwise, other places in the building have undergone one or two renovations. After the library, we made our way up a staircase to the private gym and basketball court, which sit above The Court chambers. The Clerk who showed us the basketball court says that the inside joke is that the basketball court is actually THE higher court since it sits above the Supreme Court chambers.

Once we left the gym, we made our way to the chambers themselves, where we went beyond where general public tours are conducted... past the bar... and right up to the Judges' platform (where they incidentally have spittoons near their seats)! We stood at the mic where the lawyers plead their cases and it was quite amazing. The Clerk shared a few stories of traditions that they share. For example, before the judges walk into the court, they all put on their robes in an adjacent hall that is hidden behind the curtains (that otherwise appear behind them from the general publics' courtroom view). Once a judge puts on his/her robe, he then walks to each of the other judges and shakes their hands. Once this "ceremony" is complete, they walk into the courtroom. Another example was a tradition of the lawyers who go before the judges and defend a case. Within the great hall (right outside the court), there is a marble and brass statue of a seated John Marshall. It is tradition of the lawyer who is about to defend his case to rub the left shoe of John Marshall. The shoe itself is worn down and the gold colored brass now shows through the otherwise black coating. Pretty interesting!

It is days like today that I pinch myself. I mean... I stood in the Chambers of the highest court in the world! Overall, it's been a great Friday so far!

In other news, we just found a fifth roommate. Our new roomy, Tom, moves in this weekend. We found him through Will. So, we'll have five people in the house for another month before Drew returns from France and lives in our sixth bedroom until the end of August. It will be quite an adjustment to live with five people, let alone six. We'll see how living with four guys is!

I'm on the fourth day of a ten day fast. I'm following in Mallory's and Milton's (other roomy's) footsteps and doing the Master Cleanse fast. The first day was the worst so far and really the only issue on that day was that I seemed hungrier than I have the past three. I made sure to detox from caffeine before starting, so I haven't (yet) experienced any headaches that may be caused from detoxing from caffeine. I remember doing a similar ten day "juice fast" with Mallory over two years ago and having really bad headaches on days two and three due to caffeine withdrawl. So, this time I made sure to go through that earlier! We'll see if I make it to ten...

Celebrations!

Here are some pictures from the past weekend, where we celebrated Dave's commissioning into the Air Force and his graduation from dental school. It's great to have a dentist and Captain in the family. It's even better when it's the same person!

New House Pictures

The move went well! We had a beautiful day and many friends who helped. The boxes are still everywhere and there are many things on the "to do" list, but at least I'm sleeping in my new house (and with a new comforter thanks to Mal!). Here are some pictures taken from last weekend and this weekend. I'll also update the picture album as we add to it!

This week's big project at the house: finding a fifth roomy. Updates to come when I have some.

The most ironic thing of the weekend: I now have a car in D.C. It just won't start. The car is parked in my driveway and won't turn over. Ah, the irony...

Catch Ups

April 2nd was my last blog post and a lot has happened since then. We found a place to live that's not too far from our current house. It's quite an upgrade in terms of size. The location has ups and downs to it. It's definitely closer to a metro (four blocks!), but the neighborhood doesn't seem as secure as our current one. Plus, I won't have my one block commute to work anymore! Boo. No more walking home and napping at lunch. My commute will now include a bus ride to and from the office. On nice evenings I may walk home. It's about 15 blocks from my front doorstep to the office. Still not a shabby commute. The bus ride will take about 5-8 minutes and the bus runs every ten minutes in the mornings and evenings.

The house: HUGE! It has six bedrooms and 2.5 baths. We've decided to turn one of the bedrooms into a large walk-in closet, which is fun. The house has a sun room and large utility closet on the back of it. We have a front porch and yard, which make me very excited. There's a dining room (!) and even private parking in the back. So, I'll have a car once again since there's a free place to park it. I have mixed feelings about having a car in DC. I've adjusted easily to not having one, but I do miss it when the pantry gets low and groceries are calling. So, I know I'll appreciate it for hauling food and hauling home to NC.

Marie and I have spent most of our spare evenings at the new house as we prep it for moving. Mallory has come up a couple weekends to assist in this preparation and moving as well. There are a couple of rooms that are almost done- like the dining and Marie and my bathroom. Mallory and Dave are coming up this evening to help move some more things. Tomorrow is our all-call to the friends. We've rented a truck and are moving the furniture and heavier/bigger items then. I've taken a few pictures and will post them soon. Here is a link to some earlier pictures that Mallory took. Many of the rooms have progressed since these pics, but they will give you an idea of the house.

In other news, this week is going to be busy with school. I have a pretty big paper and final both due on Wednesday. Before that, I have a group presentation on Monday night. If I can survive through Wednesday night, I have a week off for spring break.

In two weeks I am flying to Atlanta for work. We're prepping for a big conference there in 2010. I'll be meeting with vendors and planning off-site events for folks. I'm happy to be going, but could think of better ways to spend my spring break evenings.

I've been meaning to mention a book that's caught my attention and that I've enjoyed reading: The Shack. The book is about a man (Mac) whose young daughter is murdered by a serial killer. Lost in grief and bound by guilt, he spirals into a depression and questions God. As the book continues, Mac gets an anonymous letter in the mail that asks him to go to the cabin where his daughter was killed. He does. In the cabin Mac meets God in His three parts: an African woman (who is the "father"), an Arab man ("Jesus"), and an Asian woman (the "holy spirit"). The book is AMAZING!! It has very raw dialogue that mirrors my own questions and thoughts about grief, loss, and "bad things" in this world. Plus, I love the portrayal of God as the three characters.

One of my favorite moments is when Mac, who has father issues of his own, asks God (the African woman) why she isn't an old man, with flowing white hair that is the stereotype of what men portray God to be. She smiles and tells him that she knows him (Mac). If she'd come to him as that image, Mac wouldn't have been receptive because of his own "daddy" issues. Basically implying that God always meets us where we are. There are other great questions that are answered: Where is God when bad things happen to innocent people? Why does He allow bad things if He's an all knowing and good God? Besides beautiful dialogue, the book also portrays God as relative, funny, empathetic, and real which can sometimes be lost. Anyways, pick it up- it's a quick, deep, and mind-changing read. You won't regret it.

Whoa!

Well, it seems today brought some pretty big news.

I opened my email this morning and saw an email from my landlord titled "30 Day Notice." Our lease is up on May 1 and we'd intended on renewing. It would mark the beginning of my fourth year in our home.

Our landlord, it seems, has other plans.

The email did not include details for renewing our lease. Instead, it said that our house is being sold and we need to vacate it by midnight on the 30th of April. Hrm. Definitely didn't see that coming.

I'm still in shock and working my way between denial and acceptance. I've poured over Craigslist ads and scheduled appointments for the weekend. Marie, Milton, and I will go together to look at the houses. It seems that it will be the three of us when we move. We're telling Will the news later tonight and (depending on what he says) we may look for a bigger place (think four bedroom instead of the three bedrooms I've been scheduling for appointments). I anticipate that he'll want to move elsewhere.

I can't believe that I'll be leaving my home for the past three years. I'm trying to stay positive. I know that God may have some pretty awesome plans in store that I've yet to comprehend. Still, it's been a good three years at our place. I will miss the close proximity to my office (one block) and the cheap-o rent. Those days, I fear, are long gone.

Please keep us in your prayers as we search for a new place! Our hope is to find one within a week or two at the latest. This could be really exciting and I'm looking forward to seeing where this new chapter takes me.