No Wallet. No Escape.

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This was months and months and MONTHS ago, but it was pretty dang funny so I figured I should preserve it as a "DC memory" to look back at.

Some close friends had come to DC for a wedding and a baby shower for another set of close friends. For the night of the wedding we got the privilege of watching their wonderful daughter for the evening. They had left to run some errands and see DC sites that they missed and I had set out on a last minute effort to get a baby shower gift. I drove out to Pentagon City mall (yuck- DC malls suck) ran into Nordstrom and efficiently picked out an adorable outfit and blanket. Stepping up to the cash register I reached into my bag and started feeling around.

Like most women I carry a bag large enough that I could pretend to be Mary Poppins without the ruffle collar. It quickly dawned on me, that my bag was much lighter than normal. Low and behold- no wallet.

Panic rose through my body, sweaty hands, racing heart and I mumbled something to the cashier about my wallet being in my car.

But I knew it wasn't.

It was at my apartment. Sitting on my desk.

*face palm emoji*

I took my keys out of my car turned it on and then skidded to an abrupt stop where I uttered some curse words at the realization that I was trapped. I couldn't leave the parking garage! Thanks to DC's shitty parking and overcrowding I guess nowhere thinks letting you have a free 30 minutes in a garage is fair. Short two dollars to escape (I didn't even have enough money in change from my car or bottom of my purse), I called for help.

Meanwhile, our friends had returned back to the apartment and had delivered their child into our hands for the evening, so no way could N come help. Some friends who lived in VA close by offered to come rescue me, but then I still couldn't get the baby gift I had picked out, and I was honestly...embarrassed.

Luckily, I magically had my metro cards on me. So what did I do? I rode 35 minutes back into the city, grabbed my wallet, quickly said "hi" to our babysitting charge and then metroed back out to the mall. To ease the pain, my friends who offered to rescue me went to the mall for their own errands and I got to see them, grab a beer and lament my wasted evening.

Only 257 hours later I got to head home, able to pay for my parking and with a baby gift purchased. Success! Fail.

It Used to be so Different

When I first moved to DC I didn't have a job, hardly a friend, a very meager amount of cash flow (read: none), and firm desires to have a perfectly kept and pulled together apartment.

We sat in lawn chairs, utilized a desk as our dining room table, had mismatched bedding, and a very 1980's apartment complete with a sun room to fill. It was like an elevated version of living in the sorority (except at the house, my meals were cooked for me). We made do. We utilized what we had to get by. I also cleaned. I cleaned all the time. Practically every Tuesday and Thursday when I wasn't working. I made those IKEA purchased shine and sparkle. 

Fast forward six years (yes...SIX years...ugh) and I now have conversations about if we should cancel the cleaning service this week since our building is still working on repairing the air conditioning situation in our kitchen. I mean....a cleaning service?! when the heck did that happen, is all I can think to myself. "When did I get so busy and tired that I have to rely on someone else to cleaning my bathroom sink?!?".

Granted, the real reality is I inherited the cleaning service. When you move in with someone and you move into their space, you acquire things that had been set-up before you came along- for me, namely- the cleaning service. Regardless, it is this strange reminder that life has gotten so...busy...and important. Two of my least favorite "DC" words: Busy & Important. But the reality is- without a cleaning services, we would have some serious issues keeping things clean. Between my new(ish) more demanding job, and the BFs work schedule, it just wouldn't happen. We aren't dirty, but we certainly struggle to find a lot of time, and cleaning sinks just isn't either one of our favorite activities. 

I feel like an impostor having people who come clean for us. I mean...I'm not even married. I don't even have kids! Or a dog! I am too young, too "poor", too "resourceful" to pay someone to clean for me. 

But I'm not. Not anymore. 

Those days of part-time work, where I was practically begging to be hired full-time, and lazy weekends, and very limited income and where I really didn't do much of consequence outside of writing this blog and using my limited craft supplies to make really amazing birthday cards- have vanished. 

Life was slower. Those first two years in DC- seemed slow. I could remember each month passing and thinking, "I've been in DC X number of months". Now, August (the month of my DCversary), passes by and I maybe pause for a split second to feel the panic rise in my throat- but then I go back to answering a pile of emails, or figuring out how to get my laundry done before the next trip we have coming up. Life is just going so fast. 

I yearn for those slow weeks. I long for the time and freedom to have time to make plans to move, to end this time in DC. I wish for a few moments of uninterrupted thought to create a game plan. To figure out the "what next" part. But like the conversations around if we should cancel the cleaning service- it all is rushed, and sometimes you just have to make a decision. 

Getting older certainly isn't a picnic is it? But at least there is a cleaning service. 

I guess this is my ode to being here in DC for six very long years.

The First Time I Quit

Before I found myself living in DC, I had a short stint of living (by short, I mean about three months) in Houston. The same boy that asked me to move to DC lived there after we met in college to do Teach For America. To lessen the amount of time that we would be in a long distance relationship, I move to Texas for the summer.

Needing a job, and thinking of something I could transition to Seattle once I returned for my last year of school, I sought out a job as a barista.

I lasted 12 days.

Not even 12 consecutive days.I had to go to Atlanta (I think?) for a sorority thing after my first 5 days.

Being a barista didn't come easy. No one really was training me. I read some note sheets and then was making frozen beverages and using the cash register like my life depended on it during lunch. I was frazzled, tired ( nothing like working the 5am shift!) and not sure I was cut out for coffee making mastery.

It was a humid, soupy hot morning. I drove to the cafe, walked up to the entrances. The glass doors where dripping with condensation from the humidity, it was disgusting. Already 90 degrees at five in the morning. I knocked, since I didn't have keys and the store didn't actually open until 5:30. No one came to open the door. I could hear music, but no one was visible. I knocked again. Just more music.

I got in my car and drove home.

I didn't go back. I didn't collect my paycheck for those 12 days of work until 5 years later.

It is one of the only things I think I truly just up and quit.

Now quitting has a broad spectrum of interpretation. Yes, I've "quit" jobs. But resigned would be the more accurate term in my head. I've "quit" relationships. But I would say ended is more telling. I've "quit" violin, and soccer. But not in the way I walked away from that coffee shop that summer morning.

Many years into young adulthood my mom shared with me that a very close family friend had said that I was a unique little kid. He had never seen someone so determine as I was when it came to things I wanted or loved. I was diligent, dedicated and outright stubborn. (Which I will humbly agree with).
I don't like to walk away from something I started. I hate the idea of quitting anything. Especially in the manner of how I quit that job as a barista.That experience probably made me even more stubborn. Even more dedicated to trying to make something work a million different ways before I say " done". It is not my nature to do anything less.

But when is this a fault? When do you let go? When do you have a 5-AM-I'm-Not-Sure-This-Barista-Thing-Is-Doing-It-For-Me moment? How do you recognize that it is ok to let go of things that don't work for you? Because it is ok to do that...right?

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Your Starbucks Identity

There was a time where meeting a guy in Starbucks was my forte, my jam, my place where I apparently exuded confidence and radiance to lure boys to come talk to me.

One boy was quite successful and he woo'ed me as I studied for a Chemistry mid-term. We dated for about 9 months early on college, and while he certainly didn't end up being my "one", the story of meeting him in a Starbucks in Seattle, will remain a fun one to tell.

Not as cute as the boyfriend I met at Starbucks, was the creepster I had interrupt a girl date to share some wildly inappropriate words and his phone number. That was Howie. I still cry I laugh so hard when I tell that story.

I digress. I still spend a lot of time in coffee shops. I love them. I love finding a good one. I love working and reading in them. I love the people watching and the idea that you can be alone, but you are surrounding people other people, all wanting to be pseudo alone.

A friend had her Starbucks cup with an entirely different name written on it. When I asked her if she had grabbed stolen someone's drink she laughed and told me the reason behind the unmatched name. She said that it is a chance to be anyone. You can have another name. Another identity. As long as you play the part.

She has a Starbucks Identidy.

And she orders her coffee with a different name she has always liked.

I tried it out a few weeks ago. I wasn't too bold, considering I was afraid I would forget the name I gave the barista, so I went for Annie.

I kind of liked it. Maybe, Annie is the girl who attracts all those guys.
What do you think? Do you have a Starbucks Identity?

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A Girl Called Drew

Drew. Short for Andrea.

It is a "nickname" that is still following me around to a certain extent. Not one my parents gave me (we keep those under wraps for family members only!), or one my friends gave me per se, but rather a self elected "nickname" that was supposed to only be tried out for one evening.

It was college. There was a huge group of girls from my sorority in Whistler for Greek Invasion Weekend, and it was a cold wintery February evening. After bar hopping, we all finally settled on a bar and ran into a group of guys from the fraternity across the street. In this group of guys was a guy I went to high school with, and oddly, whose mom was one of my elementary school teachers. He also wasn't too shabby looking ;)...so I gravitated towards him and struck up conversation. He "spatula-ed" me on to a fraternity brother of his which resulted in this:

"Hey, I'm Alex"
"Hey, I'm Drew"

So let's rewind. Prior to this moment I had NEVER introduced myself as Drew! Where this had come from, was sharing the same name with another sorority sister who was on the trip and 1) trying to keep us straight and 2) both of us agreeing that Andrea was just a "safe" name. We both talked about how our other friends had much more "adventurous" names. To prove a point, she retained Andrea for the evening, and I went with "Drew" (because that seemed so much more "edgier" ;))

So I introduced myself to a guy, in a bar, with a name I was using as a social experiment. What I learned:

1) You never know who you will end up dating for 4ish years, and that they will call you "Drew"
2) That first impressions really do stick
3) Years later I still have friends who call me Drew
4) A new-found appreciation for how much I like the name Andrea
5) If I do like a "nickname", it is An or Annie

These days. I go by Andrea. Just. Andrea

Things I've Come To Appreciate as a Big Kid

It is the simple things right? A quiet evening at the ranch always reminds me of the simple pleasures in life. The things that you come to appreciate with adulthood. My cleaning and organization skills have clearly evolved over time, and I have clearly started to lean towards the side of an organized person. This past weekend I took an entire day to get my apartment in tip-top shape for the upcoming week.It has been so pleasant to come home to a clean space and to get to spend my evening debating if I should watch the Bachelor or the Carrie Diaries, rather than thinking about the dust bunnies that were rolling through like tumble weeds.

A few other little items I have been enjoying that I think come with the big kid territory:

 

A nice big bed with fresh clean sheets (and a few of the standby bears)

 

 

A antique dish to hold my earings that I wear on a frequent basis. This little dish was a graduation gift from my dad's secretary who is one of the nicest people in the world. I love unpacking this little dish each place I go.

 

 

 

Remember a childhood treat that my dad would bring on Saturdays to finish our ski lunch in the lodge. I have been on a nostalgic kick ever since I saw these near the checkout the other day.

 

 

 

What are some things you appreciate now? Does life really become all about excitement over new socks and steam mops? I may be ok with this. 



IBD ADPi Style

I am linking up with other fellow Greek bloggers over at The Unreal Life to talk about some of my personal thoughts and memories spurred by International Badge Day.

For all you greek version of muggles, International Badge Day is a day for Greek women to wear their badge (i.e. pin) with pride to celebrate their sisterhood.

To say what Greek life means to me, or my favorite memory, of even what I learned from my sisters, is something I can hardly start to scrape the surface on. One thing I do know...is my house, my letters, ADPi.... picked me. My four years in 'the house' will probably always stand as four of the most memorable, and life changing years of my life. I made the most amazing friends, who will be "my people" for the rest of my life.

While ADPi was important to me in college, its importance has only grown since graduation. Living on the other side of the country from where I met all of the amazing women I call sisters, and having us spread out all over the country, some getting married, some living in foreign countries, and some not having facebook accounts, the definition of friendship has continued to evolve for me, but has always remained stable in knowing that I can always talk to one of these women, and instantly feel a sense of home.

My sisters, my chapter, the standards the ADPi holds me to, all shaped me, changed me and made me exactly who I am today. I know that going through that experience with the women in my chapter will always bind me to them, and they will always understand where I came from. Talking to my sisters (seeing them is even better!), is always a return to knowing what is true to me.

To borrow from ADPi's creed, some words I take with me wherever I go, and wherever my friends may be (as cliche as some may see them- they have always made me get chills)

I BELIEVE in Alpha Delta Pi. I BELIEVE that my sorority is more than a ritual or a symbol; that it is a way of life.

 

 

Happy International Badge Day Ladies!

First. Finest. Forever.



Keepin' in Clean

My apartment has been driving me nuts lately. I just want to hire one of those cleaning services to come in just once to get it back under control. It isn't dirty, it is just...lived in at this point. 2.5 years (!!!) in one place will do that. As I looked around my room tonight, I picked a few things up, dusted some nooks and crannys and then finally resigned to catching up on some tv to decompress after yet another really trying day at work. I was thinking about how have come pretty far (as I am sure my parents will vouch) in regards to my organizational capacity from childhood to now.

Alright I wasn't exactly the kind growing up who had the spotless room. In fact we can probably go as far as to say I was a slob. An organizational disaster. How I managed to dress myself, keep track of my belongings, and not get eaten alive by something hiding under the piles that accumulated in my room is beyond me. Oddly, among all of this mess my dad used to point out to people that I did have an outstanding memory as we would be playing with Playmobile (anyone? Playmobile? Only the greatest childhood toy along with American Girl Dolls to ever grace my little hands. Wyatt & Ava...get ready.) Back to the story. So we would be playing Playmobile and there are like 143,563,863,097,001 pieces that you end up owning with Playmobile. So my dad and I will be playing with the skiers and he would be like "Andrea- where is the other little green ski". Ok, we are talking about a tiny little plastic ski that was no more than an inch long. Well I would truck off and bring it back to him just like that. I have a memory for where I last saw things in my space. (well I used to- old age is taking its toll).

Well the days of clothing piles, disorganized Playmobile, ski, dance, violin stuff strewn about, and an accumulation of drinking glasses has come to end. (Much to my parents delight).

I won't go as far as to say I am super clean or even organized. But I definitely have learned the value of keeping things a bit tidier as I have grown up. I guess that is what 415 sq. feet of living space will do to you.

Basically this post is a Thank You to my parents. I honestly have no idea how you two didn't completely loose it with me as a child. Unbelievable amounts of patience. Now you have a daughter who color codes just about every file in her office and has corresponding pens to match the file system. Oh how one grows up.

Where you a messy or overly clean child? I can only hope that my desire for organization just continues to grow!

Oh Me, Oh My! Another Year Gone By!

Oh me! It is 2013. Already. Oh My! Where did 2012 go?

I have a thing about odd numbered years. Odd number birthday years too. They make me antsy. Even numbers always just seem less jagged, less abrasive....more stable. However, last year was anything but stable. It seemed like 12 months of just ups and downs, uncertainty and hard decisions. I have a ton to be thankful for, and last year blessed me with many great moments, but I have to say I am determined to look at 2013 and say:

"Hey you big-odd-numbered-rugged-around-the-edges year! I am going to rock this year. I am going to own you, and I am going to have some big stuff happen to me that I want! Yea. That's right. I'm talking to you 2013."

I haven't sat down and thought about goals, resolutions, focus points, or whatever you want to call them...yet. I will. I have a few default deadlines that will drive some of goals for the year, but I want look at those, and fill in some more things I want to accomplish this year.

Buuuuuttttttttt....without further ado, another year in recap for you:

January:

We spend New Years eve with friends, playing games, holding babies and eating the only cupcakes I made this year! (That clearly can't be the case this year).

February:

After some difficult hoops at work to jump through, I finally enrolled in the prep class to take my PHR exam. Going back to "school" was challenging, but it made me really start thinking about the next educational steps I want to take.



It was also the first of two ski trips to Colorado. This one was to Winterpark and we had the awesome in to staying at this cozy condo that belonged to a past co-worker of the bf. We were able to have some awesome company join us and we fit in some awesome days of skiing/snowboarding. (There was also a relationship testing moment on the slopes--which has evolved into a pretty funny story at this point!) There was also a dead owl, some amazing tacos, and an awesome fake bear rug that I wish I owned. Sharing one of my passions with the LomL was HUGE!

March:

Another ski vacation (yes, I am SO lucky for all my jet setting to go skiing) with friends and the bf to Colorado. This time we went with a big group of people (new bambinos included) and rented a house in Breckenridge. The bf and I got to ski quite a bit, sadly one of our good friends got food poisoning/altitude sickness, but we fit in about three days. Not only was the skiing great, it was relaxing and my first experience flying first class!

April:

Big month. My niece, Ava, showed up a few weeks late and made my beautiful sister a mommy of two and my amazing nephew the world's cutest big brother. I can't even begin to say how much fun Ava has been and how much I love her. If being an Aunt to one was great...being and Aunt to two is beyond words!

New Yorrrrrk!!! This was such a great trip! In all my time in DC, I can't believe I put off going until New York until now. The bf spoiled me yet again on this one and in addition to seeing the sights and sounds of the big city, we also ate some amazing food and the bf took me to Colicchio & Son's for dinner (another Top Chef restaurant for my list!!).

May:


I clearly took a blog hiatus this month. LomL and I went to Seattle with me for Brooke's wedding. We got to hang out with my friends in my city, which was really a change of pace! I also headed home after Seattle to meet Ava for the first time.

My time at home was wonderful, getting to see Wyatt race all around the pump park on his bike and getting to hang out with the next generation of women in the family!

June:

I did it. I passed. I earned my PHR and quickly tasted the glory of such a big accomplishment. It felt great (considering that test was an animal), it made me realized my value, and it also made me more confident in my professional life.

July:

The bf and I took a little summer jaunt to get out of DC during some of the hottest time! We took a road trip up to Cleveland and Pittsburgh to catch some baseball games! Cleveland was really fun, as I loved exploring the city where my grandparents had lived and where my grandpa had gone to medical school. We ate at an awesome restaurant called Hodges, and got a taste of one of our favorite ice creams: "hodgepodge" (i.e. coffee ice cream with puppy chow mixed in). In Pittsburgh we browsed the Andy Warhol museum ate perogis, and figured out just how long the bf's car could run on the last few drops of gas before coasting into a gas station.

We spent the 4th of July at a friend's house in old town Alexandria having a fabulous meal and then driving up to the Masonic temple to watch the various firework displays.

I also stepped up my Top Chef nerdyness and got to opportunity to briefly meet Mike Isabella.

August:

I visited Albuquerque for the first time. Hometown of the bf. I loved seeing where he grew up, what defined his childhood, early adult years, and what overall just makes him...him. We rode a super long tram to the top of the Sandia Mountains. We went on a Breaking Bad tour. We went to Santa Fe and saw an amazing stair case. We ate amazing food and I fell in love with a cinnamon roll.

Later that month there was also a night of Bob Ross painting with two of my favorite gals! It was bittersweet as Erin was getting ready to leave DC for her next adventure in California. Luckily, we have paintings to remember our friendship roots in DC together!

September:

We went apple picking out in Virginia! A lot of the trees were already picked over, but we brought home two HUGE bags of apples that we turned into: apple butter, dried apples, cobbler, and some mini handpies.

October:

The bf joined me again for another University of Idaho football game down at UNC. I drove a stick shift on the highway after only one lesson. There was an episode of poison ivy. It rained. A lot. I had some blueberry beer that I still crave. U of I lost, real real bad. We did complete the weekend with a wonderful brunch with my little sis, Mallory.

I also set off the fire alarm.

November:

I got the socks surprised off me with a really amazing gift from the bf.

He puts skis on it.....yea....it's love baby.



December:

I was only in DC for about 2 weeks before heading home for another wonderful Christmas holiday with the family. My parents waited for me to get home so I could help pick out and decorate the tree this year. It was Ava's first Christmas. It was a Sun Valley Christmas complete with a sleigh ride to trail creek cabin and Sun Valley ice show. It was perfect. The best Christmas yet, if you ask me, but they just keep getting better if you ask me. The bf also flew into Idaho for a Sun Valley new years, and I got to show him what makes me....me.

I know we are already a month into the new year. Per usual I am so behind on recapping, looking forward and thinking about the new year. I know one thing though...writing this all out, looking back at a year that was complicated, intimidating and full of challenges, was a year FULL of crazy, amazing, wonderful moments. Moments that I spent with my favorite people, people I love, and who love me and I have no doubt that 2013 will be even more of something good.

Surprises

I love a good surprise. I don't need them all the time, and they hold a level of specialness if they are kind of rare.
 
There are some marked moments in my life where someone really knocked my socks off and here they are with my latest surprise that is beyond exciting.

The first surprise that makes some of my top lists was an Easter morning when I was maybe 6/7 (maybe younger?). A week or two before Easter I had been at the Albertson's (Boise's main grocery store when I was a wee little one) and up near the cash registers there were stuffed animals hanging from poles where they had the magazines, gum and all that good stuff. There was a GIANT yellow bunny, that was holding a bright orange carrot. For whatever reason I was enamoured with this fluffy monstrosity of a rabbit. Sadly, despite my pleading, bargaining and possible tantrum (mom I hope I wasn't that bad!) we left with only groceries and no bunny. Pretty sure I would never see him again, I moved on.

Easter morning came around and in my family we get some pretty elaborate Easter baskets. Candy and a few gifts from the "Easter Bunny". My sister had gotten a pretty awesome gift (maybe shoes? maybe a sweatshirt?) and I had finished opening my basket so I headed off to the TV room. I came around the corner to sit in the chair I always curled up in annnddddd..... THERE WAS THE GIANT YELLOW BUNNY!!

I grabbed that giant bunny, trucked on out to the dining room with a huge smile and felt like my little child heart would just burst with love and delight!

Now I still have the giant bunny, so clearly this surprise really stuck with me!

Much later down the road I was gearing up for that epic birthday where you cross the threshold into complete freedom and become a legal, card carrying, alcohol purchasing 21 year old. Originally my sister and I had talked about her flying to Seattle to possibly celebrate with me and for whatever reason, plans kind of fell through and I planned a big shindig with 20ish of my sorority sisters, friends, and business school peeps. I was kind of sad Nicole wasn't going to be there, but I also knew I had tons of great friends to celebrate with.

A huge group of people came (which was horribly flattering!) and we started to take seats around the various tables that had been reserved just for us. There was a chair in the middle of the table that I decided to take, and when a friend asked if they could sit next to me, my sorority sister, Carly, practically jumped out of her chair with a "NO! We are...umm...putting gifts there". I was like " Say whhhhaaatttt?". Regardless, I just started to get settled in for a yummy dinner and while finding a place for my purse I caught a glimpse of someone familiar walking into the room. Then it hit me! It was NICOLE!

Carly had contacted my sister after I had told her I was bummed that I wouldn't get to have Nicole celebrate with me and they crafted a very sneaky surprise to have Nicole surprise me. It has gone down as by far one of my favorite birthdays.

Now these have both been some of the best surprises, for various reasons, but lately someone else added to my list of great surprises people have done for me.

It was a few Saturdays ago, and I was in the mood to just be kind of alone and opted to camp out at my favorite coffee shop for the morning. N had mentioned heading to REI that day, and I was dragging my feet as I was just enjoying some of that quiet time and feeling a little homesick by myself. After a sufficient amount of time sipping coffee, reading blogs, devouring a cupcake and people watching, I finally let him know I was headed home and would be up to go to REI if he wanted. He said he was and that I should come over and meet him at his apartment.

When I arrived, he let me get down the hallway from his entrance and then says "I have a surprise for you, but you have to close your eyes". So I squeeze my eyes tight, and he steers me into his room, for me to open my eyes to feast on these beauties:

 
 EEEEK! I still can't get over it! I love them so much! When we went to Colorado last year to ski together (btw...huge step in a relationship :) ) I got to demo these for a day and I loved them. For months I had tried to find a pair I could afford, and sadly just couldn't squeeze them into my budget. Lucky for me, I have a very very very thoughtful, and loving guy in my life who even wrapped them in a big red ribbon and bow. Oh! Did I mention he had my family ship my new ski boots out and he put my favorite candy (nerds ropes!) in each boot! Ah-mazing! Talk about a Merry Christmas for me!

What have been some of your favorite surprises? Do you like surprises? I can say that some people reallllly don't like them.

If you want to read about a blog friend's post on surprises today you can check out Newlymeds and her experience with a surprise party for her sister!

ps. When I am home I will try to take a picture of the bunny. He is REALLY epic.

DCversary-4 Years

August 4th came and went.

It look me awhile to realize that it was the passing of my 4 year DCversary. Wow.

That is really all I can get out of my head right now. Is wow. How did 4 years go by?

My reflection back at three years seems like yesterday! There is another year to add, full of new tales. So to continue on with a summary of my life in DC...

I learned; and am learning what trust means, and also how your heart and head can be in two completely different places. I had emotionally trying year. I traveled to the other side of the world. Skied in Colorado, and was reminded of what makes me truly happy. I went to New York. The newest addition of my family arrived, and I yet again learned how big your heart can be stretched with love. My worlds finally collided when I went to Brooke's wedding and the boyfriend got to see me in my city. Friends are moving away from DC and I am scared for how I will fare with some of my closest friends on the other side of the country yet again. 

No one knows where they will end up. Where they will meet the person they are supposed to spend the rest of their life with. Who their friends will be that will see them through thick and thin. You just kind of have to do this. See where it takes you, and make changes when you don't like what you see anymore.

My Mom Makes My Heart Sing & The Easter Bunny

For anyone who knows me, it will come as no surprise that I am crier. I don't like to cry, and it usually happens in the worst situations when I want to be strong. The pattern I see is that I cry about things that are so very very very important to me. I don't cry over everything, but when I do cry. I CRY.

Well to my adorable story that gives me warm fuzzies and makes me smile in and out. After my post yesterday about the Salt Water Sandals, I got an email from my Mom today. Now, another thing I am sure most of you have picked up on, is that one of my biggest dislikes of being on the LEast coast is not being able to around my family. To put it lightly- I love my family, and they kind of rock.

So back to the email.

My mom wrote me this cute email where she told me she loved my purple salt waters from when I was little and that she wants to buy me a pair as a congrats for passing my PHR. Needless to say, it was such a cute and nice email, so I started crying. Not like ugly cry. But happy cry, because again- my family is amazing. My mom is the cutest and she has always been one of the most thoughtful people. She seems to always know what my heart truly desires and has figured out a way to make it happen.

To go off on a memory tangent here...when I was little we were shopping at Albertson's (big grocery store back on the Best Coast) right before Easter. There were always these stuffed animals that would hang from a chain hanging from the ceiling by the check-outs. Well there was this large (we are talking at least 2/3 feet tall) fuzzy yellow bunny that was holding a stuffed orange carrot. He also had these long bunny ears that were lined with a satin pink fabric that could entice any little girl. I locked eyes with that bunny and it was L-O-V-E. I wanted that rabbit more than my pre-ten-year-old-self could comprehend.

Well Easter rolls around, and I remember dragging myself upstairs (I have NEVER been a morning person- ask ANYONE I have ever known and they will tell you so) to find our Easter baskets brimming full of candy and treats from the "Easter Bunny". Now our family "Eastern Bunny" always went far beyond just bringing chocolate, Peeps, and jelly beans. Our bunny brought gifts. I can't remember what my sister got that year, but I moped off to the "green room" (it had teal carpet at the time) to mourn the fact that my stuffed bunny was not in my basket.

I was just about to sit in my favorite chair and THERE was my BUNNY! I grabbed him, wrapped my arms around him and came trotting out to the kitchen with the biggest smile on my face.

We still talk about how happy that bunny made me, and how big my smile was.

Now I am all weepy. But case-in-point. My family "Easter Bunny" is pretty amazing.

Thanks mom for the email! You made my day week, possibly month! Love you!




ps....my mom votes red for the sandals. I am leaning that way too!

Talking Walls

I've spent my evening trying to get my fancy new iPad up and ready to do some blogging. I purchased the Blogsy app and spent some time getting acquainted with that. Hopefully I will shed the bulky laptop and be on my way to iPad blogging!

Speaking of shedding things. Go with me here and I promise I will finish New York posts. I keep tending to go back, literally, physically, going back to places that make me feel disoriented and lost. It is amazing how a place. A physical place--can hold memories. A vessel of intangible thoughts and feelings that you seem to run into in just that place. Have you noticed that? The words "if walls could talk"...well I am starting to wish I could hear the story some of the walls I have been in would say.

It is hard to let go of memories, because with memories are the idea that there may be another course your life could have taken. You can analyze memories and see where they could have led you, or better see how they were leading you somewhere.

There can be a muscle memory to being somewhere. Despite time passing, and you retraining yourself to adapt to a new place, you can still find yourself falling back into old habits without effort.

I know this is one of those illusive posts that no one likes, but this is my blog, no? (Just kidding). But if I have learned anything from my young professional life, it is to keep my professional life away from my blog and personal life. So this is the dividing line. A cryptic post about feeling totally disjointed tonight and unsettled.

Hopefully nothing that a good nights sleep can't fix!

Being an Adult: Whatever that Means

I remember when I was younger (lots younger) and thinking that twenty-five was old. Like really old. I also had images that twenty-five meant you had your shit together. You were supposed to know stuff- like real stuff when you are twenty-five. Well here I am at the ripe age of twenty-five and while I will admit I have a long and undoubtedly very interesting and blessed life ahead of myself I can't help but think about the things I thought I was supposed to know how to do or understand at this point and realize that I may actually be farther away from figuring these things out than when I was eight. Here are some things I thought any twenty-five year old would have under control:

1. What you are doing with your life.
2. A job you love and are really good at.
3. The idea of what "comes next".
4. What you want out of everything. Everything.
5. A group of friends that provide endless entertainment.
6. A flawless relationship.
7. Love.
8. Classy bedding. Adults sleep in nice bedding. And their beds are always made. Perhaps even when they are in them.
9. A stocked fridge and pantry. And the culinary skills to just whip something up when they get home.
10. Lots of heels that you wear all the time.
11. A place for everything
12. A house with enough bedrooms for all those little tiny humans you plan on birthing any minute.
13. People who report to you. Kids, employees, husband, etc.
14. Eating breakfast. That you made. With your significant other. Reading the paper.
15. Adult clothes.
16. You magically exceed being five feet tall.
17. No crying. Except when you are really sad. Your a strong woman that people respect.
18. Coming home to your very own dog.
19. Credit cards.
20. A nice shiny new car.
21. Vacations with family, friends and significant others.
22. Christmas trees. You start having your very own real one.
23. Season tickets to the ballet or philharmonic.
24. Brunch. Every weekend.
25. Lots of skiing. Every weekend (after brunch naturally)

I will leave it at twenty-five. But the point I am getting here is that life is anything but what it seems. I have a hard time not beating myself up for not even coming close to being the "twenty-five year old" I am supposed to have turned into. While some of my ideas of what being an adult ended up being plain wrong- some of them are still things I hope I grow up into.

Right now I am a perfectly underdeveloped twenty-five year old who buys too many sponges:

Can't make her bed in the frenzy of the morning routine (and sleeps with bears):

And who survives on cereal, coffee and wine (when things get really rough):

I Felt the Earth Shake Under My Feet

So there was an earthquake if you haven't already heard. It was rather exciting if I do say so. Since DC is not normally a city that experiences earthquakes people were particularly shaken (no pun intended) by this. Even today (as talks shift to our next natural disaster--a hurricane named Irene) people are still talking about where they were right before, when, and right after the 'quake. Rather amusing if you ask me. Just as DC does everything else with a bit of sass...so are people's reactions.

Luckily what I witnessed was very low key. My office building was evacuated and we ended up having to stand on the sidewalks for quite awhile as building inspectors deemed the building "safe". We did have to use the stairs which was a workout for sure when you work on the 8th floor! By the time I headed home most people had fled the city (I kid you not) so the bus was empty and I wasn't caugh in any crazy traffic on the way home. Nothing was wrong with my apartment except for a few items on the floor that weren't there in the morning.

Next up is some crazy wind and rain. Tonight I had to get milk to have cereal for dinner (back to iamanadultandicaneatanddowhatiwant) and I stocked up one "hurricane essentials" (ok ok, rather what I would want to eat if I get stuck in my apartment all weekend with my book and TiVo. Here is what came home:

1 gallon of milk
2 boxes of cereal
1 bag of frozen ready to cook hashbrowns
1 cartoon of eggs
1 pack bacon (a girl needs her sunday morning breakfast!)
Butter (running low- I promise I am not going to start licking butter to stay alive)
1 bottle of white wine
1 package of pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough
1 package of instant pudding

ok so what we have learned. I obviously have no crisis management skills once I am outside of the office. But by damn I can create a disaster management plan for a whole floor of people. Go college degree!

Luckily I don't think I will starve to death between the breakfast food and fatty mcfatterson choices I lugged home.

Anyone having a hurricane party? Nothing better to do when it is pouring rain!

3 Year DCversary

Today is my 3 year DCversary. T.H.R.E.E. Y.E.A.R.S.

Oh.

My.


Is all I can say. I never ever ever ever ever imagined I would still be here. I am not really sure what to focus on writing this post. How three years feels like the blink of an eye? How three years feels like eternity with no end? How these three years have been the most challenging and life changing in my life? The highlights of what has happened to me here? Favorite memories? Why I am still here?

I guess the following ramblings will have to do as I sit here wondering how time possibly got to this point.

Three years ago Alex and I moved into our one bedroom apartment. We lived with a desk as a kitchen table. Mismatched chairs. A bedspread that was too small for our bed. Camp chairs. No TV (but a TV stand). A GIANT desk. Hardly enough money (well I hardly had any money). And an ambition to  buy blue plates. Almost a year later we divided the assets, realized we never found blue plates, which was maybe a sign, and went our separate ways. I ventured out to find myself in a city that I never thought I would find anything in.

After that I somehow found a roommate off of craigslist and lived in an apartment that was worthy of a TV show. Battled some roaches (a lot of roaches). Learned how to brine a turkey. Really started to understand the power of friendships, especially the ones that conducted from opposite sides of the country. Learned to fall in love with a lot of things. Started to figure out what wearing big girl pants was all about. And then decided that it was either me or the roaches. The roaches won.

My first attempt at living on my own. Talk about being an adult. I now 100% understand why people say that if you can, living on your own before you get married is one of the most valuable experiences. I have learned a lot about how to live: I now get excited about recycled sponges, laundry detergent that is on sale, dishwashers seem like unicorns, and I have learned to appreciate making a space that you love and can call your very own. But also have started learning about being your own best friend and realizing it is okay to have whatever life you have and to not be self conscious of who you are and what you enjoy.
I also learned how to paint stripes. I am a pro stripe painter. I am constantly shocked when I open my front door and see that I own an apartment full of furniture,  books, kitchen things, lines and clothes.

It is moving into year three that I can officially say I am a "DCer". Whatever that means. It feels a bit like a battle scar. A reminder that this was never the life I saw. But above all


it is an accomplishment.

It is a tale I will always tell.




And that is the end of me sentimental sappy post.

Holiday Party 2010 and Frankenfoot

So think way way way back when I was lusting after this. 

The day started off with the typical ritual of:
IamasororitygirlandItakethewholedaytoprepbuffpluckmoisuturizeandpolish
every square inch of my body before big social events that involve a fancy pants dress.

Oddly I really dislike having my toenails painted but I figured since I was wear peeptoe gold pumps I better have some well done toes. So we buff, scrape, lotion, paint, etc etc etc my feet to shiny red perfection.

Next was hair that ended up in a big curly side pony adorned with some art deco clips. Strands of pearls and gold beads, matching earrings, topped with the fantastic dress. I was ready to get my drink and party on for 2010 with the company.

All was fun and games for the first couple hours. I got to see many of my coworkers from other locations that I adore but never get to see. I felt like a sore thumb in the room full of black cocktail dresses, but that's how I roll right?

So the night ventures on. I'm rocking on the dance floor with my stellar dance moves that you all know and adore from my many many years of ballet. Sarcasm is not translating well here.

We are dancing. We feel some pain my foot. By now the 4 inch gold pumps had been tossed under a chair for the evening.

Coworker: "Uhhhh, you're bleeding"

Understatement.

I am gushing. Spurting. Dripping blood. Ev-er-y-Wh-ere.

Hobble to bathroom.

Reach down. Feel glass shard stuck into the top (yes I said top) of my foot. ?!?!!?!!?!

Pull shard out. Grab paper towels and try to control the waterfall out of my foot.

Hotel staff comes in and tells me if I go outside the women's bathroom they can help me with a first aid kit. Luckily I very sweet coworker found me and sat with me while we painfully brushed alcohol pads over the wound and attempted to seal it up with band aids.

After many tears she helps me back into the ballroom and I sit until I can start feeling the blood again. Oh lord.

The tears start.

Good friend Sam comes over and after much resistance convinces me to go to the ER. Stitches.

Rockin on the dance floor with a WestCoastIsBestCoaster

Typical me.

Right before it happens.

After a short cab ride the three jovial individuals above end up at the George Washington Hospital ER.

Thank you Sam for documenting the evening's events. You all really should see the stream of photos on my camera. Dance dance dance dance goofy photo dance dance dance dance goofy photo dance dance ER.

My doctor was very nice. Determined we should do some stitches as the cut was deep but not very large. Due to some much needed distractions she was able to numb up my foot and stitch me up with my throwing up or passing out once. It was quite the success for me.

While we were getting stitched up we also witnessed the most disheartening display of police officers I can ever imagine. While waiting for a mangled guy they brought in they were arguing over who got to check in on their iPhone to be the "Mayor" of the hospital. I. Kid. You. Not. DCPD. Wow.

Getting discharge papers took forever. And all I was given for pain was a few advil (smart but not pleasant). My foot was all bandaged and all I had with me for footwear were the 4 inch pumps.

Oh.

No.

They gave my hospital socks.

It is p-o-u-r-i-n-g rain at this point (2amish)

I get myself to bed, gimpy foot at all and awake to think that I must have dreamed this disaster of an event.

Oh no. It was real.

And thus....

FRANKENFOOT!!!

Thank you Erin for the term

So after a few days more of work, ADPi events and early gift exchanging I flew home to Idahome. A few days later and my mom went with me to our family practitioner to have him remove the stitches. It wasn't bad. Not pleasant, but not bad.And afterwards he gave me a lollipop like old times.



So cue ending credits right?

Wrong.

One trip to the emergency doctor. 10 days of antibiotics.

Nope not done yet.

Apple corer....slices off who top of my finger tip.

Now we are done with ER and doctor visits and let's hope it stays that way for a long long time!