5-6-7-8

I am sure I am just behind in the times, but someone pointed this out to me the other day on youtube and I seriously can not get enough. I listen to it for hours on end right now. I am dancing around my living room right now (ok well not right now since I am writing this) playing around with choreography and trying not to wake the neighbors or roommate by doing any crazy leaps in my itty bitty space of a living room. I miss dancing. I miss playing the violin and piano. I miss those outlets of emotion. Granted the violin was one of the most frustrating things I ever took on in my life. And dancing had its own set of challenges, but I can safely say when asked the question "what would you do with your life if money and obligation was not a factor?" I would say:


Own a dance studio.

This is where I danced back in Idaho. Dance Arts had the most amazing environment and my dance teacher there was one of the most inspiring people I have ever met. I will be totally honest, when I started ballet (and I started late compared to most people) I sucked. Bad. But I can not even begin to tell you about the time Lary invested in me. By the time I headed off to college I had gained so much technique and skill and I ended up becoming a dance minor in college. Unfortunately I did not really buy into the dance program in college so it wasn't the experience I was hoping for, but some of my teachers there were equally as inspiring and I learned some great things from them as well.

I feel a need to really be expressing myself through dance again. I think for awhile I really was just emotionally disconnected from things which dancing is all about emotion (and technique) but if you aren't ready, or emotionally available to be passionate about it, it will be a constant struggle. Because let's face it- there is nothing natural about pointe shoes or the form of ballet.

Now I feel like I am in a place where I am in tune with my passion and emotion for dance and I am hungry to brush off the shoes and really make it apart of my life again. Sadly I have been less than impressed with the DC dancing scene as far as finding a studio that is close by, affordable, and comfortable. Hopefully I can find one and get back into it.

Or my roommate is going to have to deal with me using our dining room chairs to do barre exercises in the evenings!

Pickle Bar

Alright it isn't realllly called pickle bar it is actually called the Quarry House Tavern in Silver Spring MD. To say this place is a gem of a bar is an understatement! This was my second voyage to this perfectly-crowded-so-you-know-it-is-a-good-time-but-not-to-the-point-where-you-want-to-leave bar where burgers, a stellar beer list, tater gems (yes Gems...I am from I-Da-Ho people), grilled cheese are delish and at great prices. But the true starlet of the Quarry is the spectacular (add this to the list of Iamanadultandieatwhatiwant list) fried pickles.

Let that soak in for a minute.


ahhh. yes.


You read right.

Fried.

Pickles.

Yes, fried.

Ah-Maz-ing.

This place is in Erin's hood so Brooke and I ventured up there, had some "classy" girls time sipping on some wine before we hoofed over to the bar. Upon arrival we promptly order our beers (if the strawberry one is on tap--get it! Don't even think twice!) and two--t-w-o, orders of fried pickles. Trust me for three people this is barely enough. Once you put on of those fried, battered, pickle spears in your mouth you will wish you would just have them coming with your beers!

We also devoured some amazing grilled cheese sandwiches where you might say "oh bar food" au contrare!

Brooke enlightened us to this fact: "When asked about the debate about buttering the bread or the grill when making grilled cheese sandwiches the chef of the quarry says "I butter both"'. Now that is what I am talking about. Screw the debate over what technique is better, the more butter the better (thank you Julia Childs)

Another great part of this adventure is my pictures were taken on a disposable camera! I can not tell you how much fun it was to run around with a wind and click camera (which we occasionally forgot to use the flash). Pretty sure I am going to start taking one out with me more often. Anyways, this also means I have yet to scan them into my computer. So you will have to wait in suspense to see the photos from this adventure. Probably better...once you set eyes on those pickles it is just downhill from there!

Photos to come!

This...

always smells good to me.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Everyone!

I have had a glorious day eating brunch, dying Easter eggs and buying Easter candy to take over in an "Easter Bag" for Ben (since I felt like that is something my mom would do- it oddly felt needed). Ben cooked up a delish brunch of french toast, and quiche. I brought fresh fruit and champagne for some classy Easter mimosas. After we polished off brunch sitting on his rooftop deck we dyed some fabulous Easter eggs, which has always been a favorite holiday past time of mine growing up.

Ben and I have celebrated many a Easter's together ( a specific memory of Sun Valley, an Easter egg hunt and getting our picture taken with the Easter bunny when were much too old for such things jumps instantly into my head).

The eggs turned out fabulously. And I was especially excited to see two of the eggs turn out in a very Barbie-appropriate pink shade! The photos hardly do those ones justice because they were the color of Barbie's corvette and pink motorcycle...A-mazing. Tonight I am enjoying an Easter dinner complete with Stawberry Shortcake!

In the spirit of Easter I have to say a few words about my faith and what it has meant to me over the past year:

I had no idea that I could ever have gotten to this point in my life on my own. And by on my own I mean without my family, without my girlfriends/sisters being in the room next door to rub my back and watch Friends marathons with, and being unfamiliar with my surroundings. And I will be the first to admit that my faith and my conscious effort to explore that faith have been put on the back burner in comparison to other aspects of my life. But I do look back and see in all those dark times, where I was unsure if I would come out on the other side alive and functioning, I was there silently praying and relying on my faith to guide me and provide the support when I felt completely unsure of what I am doing. And I must say that my decisions have turned out well...and I have ended up in a fabulous point in my life where I know I am doing ok and learning and growing each day. Today was a prime example that the Lord provides, and even when you are not actively seeking Him, He doesn't forget you. I have been provided with such wonderful friends and I know that there are people watching out for me, which is one of the most comforting things in the world.

Another Introduction

I know I have been making some introductions lately, and not to overwhelm you, but dear readers I have another blog for you to take notice of. Miss Sara Marie in Seattle has started a great witty and heart-tugging blog about growing up and putting on some big girl pants. Misadventures of An Accidental Grown Up is sure to be a great blog (my first hand knowledge is that Miss Sara Marie is quite the witty and humorous individual- after all she is one of my sisters!). So check here out, give her some awesome comments and cut her some slack...she is a busy girl working some long hours!