Sunday, July 31, 2011
AHH!
I am so sorry I haven't told you all about my weekend with Anthony in Texas, and all about my new place here in Rosslyn. Two weeks have gone by since I wrote last, my memories aren't going to be as fresh when I finally get around to write them, and I am sorry for that. Forgive me! I am just so tired and worn out from working so much overtime at work that I honestly look forward to sitting at home, doing nothing, and watch TV. This is almost like homework to me sometimes - haha. I'll write soon, I'll post pictures soon, and I will tell you all about my new life soon, I promise!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Tiring Week
This was another extremely busy week at work. We've got 3-4 deadlines in our Interiors department, so we're logging long hours and expected to work lots of overtime in the next two-three weeks. It's not going to be too bad, because we all are doing it together and buying dinner to be delivered to the office on those nights.
I met Claire for a happy hour this week, and it was nice to be making a new friend. We went to a place called Continental in Rosslyn, and although it looked like a worn-out, square submarine, the inside was pretty cool. Our waiter was really awkward. I said, "I have a question, actually," and he said, "Yes, I am single," and I guess I have a one track mind when it comes to ordering food because I didn't quite hear him at first. When I didn't laugh, he said, "That was a joke," and I said, "Yeah, I didn't really hear what you said, ha." Awkward. ...and he was really sweaty.
Wednesday, I just came home, watched TV, and talked to Anthony on the phone. Working 40 hours a week just makes me want to sleep all the time!
Thursday, I had taco night after work with Rhianna and Candace. Delicious!! Mom bought me a taco kit when we first moved here, and a week or two ago I froze some meat to go with it. We also paired it with lettuce, sour cream, salsa, cheese, black olives, and corn!
Friday, I spent the evening with Stephen and Meredyth, two friends from Virginia Tech that graduated last spring (2010). We went to dinner in Reston called Vapiano. The system there was really strange, though, and I'm not sure I'd go there that often because of it. You get a card, almost like a hotel key, and you stand in front of one of three counters to order your food: pizza, pasta, or salad. Once you get to the front of the line, you order, touch your card to a scanner, the amount is put onto it, and you get a buzzer to let you know when your food is done. Then you can go to the bar at another part of the restaurant to get your drinks. You seat yourself, and once your buzzer goes off, you get your food. Once you're back at your table, you eat! The stations are very close to some of the tables, and if you had any more than 10-15 people in line at one time, the people at the tables would be surrounded by it. Although the food was absolutely delicious, I'm not sure if their system is helping them out at all. It'd be a ton better if the waiters and waitresses walking around telling you how everything works would just wait on you and get your food and drinks for you. They wouldn't have to redo anything, they would just have a less complicated arrangement.
After dinner, we walked down a block to the movie theater to see Horrible Bosses. I have to admit: I caught myself laughing really hard sometimes, but overall, I would rate it a 6-7 out of 10. It wasn't like Meet the Fockers awkward to me, which is hilarious. It was, "Oh my gosh, are you serious? Why would you even think to do that?! Are you stupid!?" and pretty uncomfortable for me in the middle of the movie. The beginning and the end were really funny, though, and the ending was pretty clever.
Then we went to IceBerry for frozen yogurt! I got a chocolate soft serve topped with raspberries and strawberries, and we ate outside because the weather was so nice. Once we were finished, we headed to Stephen's mom's house and I got to meet his mom and her boyfriend. They hung out with us for a minute with wine, chips, and salsa, and then Stephen and Meredyth drove me back to Alexandria. Reston is about 30-40 minutes away from Alexandria, and not on the Metro line unfortunately, so I haven't seen them much this summer because of it.
Yesterday (Saturday), I originally thought I was going to spend the day with Heather and Mark before they headed to their play, Wicked, but plans were changed so I woke up late and decided to play Zelda all afternoon! Once they came to Old Town to drop off a couple tables, they convinced me to head to Georgetown with them for dinner and drinks. I was hesitant, but I did join them. (My only issue was getting back home after dinner, since Georgetown isn't on the Metro either. It's on the bus line from Rosslyn, but I'm not acquainted with the schedule.) We went to the Washington Harbor area and sat down at an outdoor restaurant on the water, but there was one thing missing: a complete menu! Apparently, the entire Harbor area experienced a flood in April that covered each restaurant 6-9 feet under water, so they are only selling a few items during their renovation. Heather and Mark ate oysters, Heather got a salad, Mark ordered a hamburger, and I got shrimp covered in old bay. For what they had, the food quality was really good. No fries or chips, though, which was disappointing to us, but we ate corn on the cob instead.
After sitting and talking for a couple hours by the water, they got into a cab with me and they rode to see Wicked (just down the street a couple blocks). Once we dropped them off, the cab driver brought me to the Foggy Bottom Metro station, which was just a couple blocks away from their play. Once in the station, I had to wait 10 minutes for the train to come, but fortunately it was the blue line, so I could ride it straight to my Braddock station!
Today, I don't know what I'm going to do. Rhianna brought a bunch of her furniture to Mauricio's, but I'm happy she kept the TV here! I need to head to Walgreen's, and I think Amelia wants to go ahead and buy a couple more things for the apartment, including the slip cover for my couch. I wanted to get the apartment key today, considering I wouldn't be able to get it this week, but I don't think it's going to happen because I don't have my rental's insurance set up yet!! So, I'll need to get my key the Monday after I get back from Texas...
Speaking of Texas, I leave on Thursday to go visit Anthony!! This week better go by fast!!
I met Claire for a happy hour this week, and it was nice to be making a new friend. We went to a place called Continental in Rosslyn, and although it looked like a worn-out, square submarine, the inside was pretty cool. Our waiter was really awkward. I said, "I have a question, actually," and he said, "Yes, I am single," and I guess I have a one track mind when it comes to ordering food because I didn't quite hear him at first. When I didn't laugh, he said, "That was a joke," and I said, "Yeah, I didn't really hear what you said, ha." Awkward. ...and he was really sweaty.
Wednesday, I just came home, watched TV, and talked to Anthony on the phone. Working 40 hours a week just makes me want to sleep all the time!
Thursday, I had taco night after work with Rhianna and Candace. Delicious!! Mom bought me a taco kit when we first moved here, and a week or two ago I froze some meat to go with it. We also paired it with lettuce, sour cream, salsa, cheese, black olives, and corn!
Friday, I spent the evening with Stephen and Meredyth, two friends from Virginia Tech that graduated last spring (2010). We went to dinner in Reston called Vapiano. The system there was really strange, though, and I'm not sure I'd go there that often because of it. You get a card, almost like a hotel key, and you stand in front of one of three counters to order your food: pizza, pasta, or salad. Once you get to the front of the line, you order, touch your card to a scanner, the amount is put onto it, and you get a buzzer to let you know when your food is done. Then you can go to the bar at another part of the restaurant to get your drinks. You seat yourself, and once your buzzer goes off, you get your food. Once you're back at your table, you eat! The stations are very close to some of the tables, and if you had any more than 10-15 people in line at one time, the people at the tables would be surrounded by it. Although the food was absolutely delicious, I'm not sure if their system is helping them out at all. It'd be a ton better if the waiters and waitresses walking around telling you how everything works would just wait on you and get your food and drinks for you. They wouldn't have to redo anything, they would just have a less complicated arrangement.
After dinner, we walked down a block to the movie theater to see Horrible Bosses. I have to admit: I caught myself laughing really hard sometimes, but overall, I would rate it a 6-7 out of 10. It wasn't like Meet the Fockers awkward to me, which is hilarious. It was, "Oh my gosh, are you serious? Why would you even think to do that?! Are you stupid!?" and pretty uncomfortable for me in the middle of the movie. The beginning and the end were really funny, though, and the ending was pretty clever.
Then we went to IceBerry for frozen yogurt! I got a chocolate soft serve topped with raspberries and strawberries, and we ate outside because the weather was so nice. Once we were finished, we headed to Stephen's mom's house and I got to meet his mom and her boyfriend. They hung out with us for a minute with wine, chips, and salsa, and then Stephen and Meredyth drove me back to Alexandria. Reston is about 30-40 minutes away from Alexandria, and not on the Metro line unfortunately, so I haven't seen them much this summer because of it.
Yesterday (Saturday), I originally thought I was going to spend the day with Heather and Mark before they headed to their play, Wicked, but plans were changed so I woke up late and decided to play Zelda all afternoon! Once they came to Old Town to drop off a couple tables, they convinced me to head to Georgetown with them for dinner and drinks. I was hesitant, but I did join them. (My only issue was getting back home after dinner, since Georgetown isn't on the Metro either. It's on the bus line from Rosslyn, but I'm not acquainted with the schedule.) We went to the Washington Harbor area and sat down at an outdoor restaurant on the water, but there was one thing missing: a complete menu! Apparently, the entire Harbor area experienced a flood in April that covered each restaurant 6-9 feet under water, so they are only selling a few items during their renovation. Heather and Mark ate oysters, Heather got a salad, Mark ordered a hamburger, and I got shrimp covered in old bay. For what they had, the food quality was really good. No fries or chips, though, which was disappointing to us, but we ate corn on the cob instead.
After sitting and talking for a couple hours by the water, they got into a cab with me and they rode to see Wicked (just down the street a couple blocks). Once we dropped them off, the cab driver brought me to the Foggy Bottom Metro station, which was just a couple blocks away from their play. Once in the station, I had to wait 10 minutes for the train to come, but fortunately it was the blue line, so I could ride it straight to my Braddock station!
Today, I don't know what I'm going to do. Rhianna brought a bunch of her furniture to Mauricio's, but I'm happy she kept the TV here! I need to head to Walgreen's, and I think Amelia wants to go ahead and buy a couple more things for the apartment, including the slip cover for my couch. I wanted to get the apartment key today, considering I wouldn't be able to get it this week, but I don't think it's going to happen because I don't have my rental's insurance set up yet!! So, I'll need to get my key the Monday after I get back from Texas...
Speaking of Texas, I leave on Thursday to go visit Anthony!! This week better go by fast!!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Back to Alexandria
I'm back on the Megabus, heading toward Alexandria. The bus driver is a good one, thank God!! I was watching True Blood, but I've run out of episodes!! I thought I'd be able to download one or two on the bus, but the wifi connection is a lot weaker than I thought it was...so just one is going to take forever (21 hours estimated so far).
I just finished episode 6, and I'm wanting to know who the murderer is!! Are all the women going to be dead by the time the season ends?!?!
Anyway, the weekend was interesting. I went home Friday not knowing what to expect this weekend, honestly. I arrived Friday afternoon, and we ate pizza and drank beer by the Holiday Inn pool (where my relatives from Michigan were staying). It was kind of a relaxing night, hanging with family and doing nothing special.
Saturday was a full day, though. Woke up to Penny's barking, but thanked her because it got me out of bed. Ate a donut, and started going through the mounds of boxes in the basement. (Because of the move in two weeks, I had to go through all my stuff to figure out what was going to be brought up to Arlington and what isn't.) After a couple hours, I got ready to go to Emily's funeral at the Presbyterian church. I wasn't looking forward to it, but felt obligated to go because of Bob. It was a nice service, and I held my composure really well until Bob went on stage to say a few words. Poor man. Emily was his life! ...he looked good, nonetheless. I left quickly after the hour and a half ceremony without saying anything to him, so I'm almost positive he didn't know I was even there. I will call him later this week to say what a nice service it was.
Once I got back to the house, everyone had already eaten and had been talking to each other for a while. I grabbed some food, and ate a few d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s chocolate cupcakes Aunt Robin made. Speaking of cupcakes: Mom actually bought me an amazing cupcake book!! It has pages and pages of recipes...I can't wait to make them! and while on the subject of books, Dad bought me "101 Things I Learned in Architecture School." It looks really interesting...I only read a couple pages and I already relate to them!
Saturday night, however, was more of a funeral-memorial-burial for Grandpa. All 30 or so of us went out to Newport to spread some of Grandpa's ashes in the creek by the old covered bridge. (I took a couple pictures with my phone, but I'll post them after the 21st because my texting is limited until then......) I held Grandma's hand while Doug poured them into the water, and tears started to pour. It was really special. Dad broke the solemn silence by adding, "Too bad Don didn't like water," and everyone laughed.
Then a bunch of my cousins, Lacey, Mom, Leslie, Dan, and I went to Attitudes for karaoke. Much to our surprise, karaoke doesn't exist anymore in their bar, even though their pamphlets still says it does. We stayed and talked there until midnight. Much to our surprise again, midnight was last call there. So we all got into a Hooptie and went to Bull & Bones so we all could continue to hang out together. It was a long night...didn't have a lot of fun...won't really push details on you like I did to Anthony, but I think it was just because I was so emotionally drained.
Sunday, everyone went home except for Leslie's family. I spent the afternoon sorting through the basement, and it was about 2pm when I found MOLD - yes, mold - and MUSHROOMS - yes, mushrooms - GROWING - yes, growing - INSIDE MY ROOM!!!! What happened was this. Whenever it rained really hard, the water would drain off the driveway and into the basement bathroom. Dad tried to solve this dilemma by redoing the drainage pipes to they were thicker near by bathroom and ultimately direct the water farther down the hill, toward my room. ...BUT, then another storm - or storms - came and the water leaked into my room instead, soaking some boxes, my canvasses, an extra pillow, and my Grammie's trunk! The mold was fine to look at, but the mushrooms, which looked like cooked lasagna pasta, made me gag. Oh my gosh it was so disgusting. Di-sgust-ing!! I finished the basement as fast I could and decided I'd go to Grandma's. You see, while I was in the basement cleaning and sorting, Dad was hiking the cascades with my uncle, cousins, and Ava, while Mom was with Leslie and Lacey at Grandma's. I couldn't find Mom's spare keys, and Mom had my car, so I was stranded at home. Hence why I don't have anymore True Blood episodes to watch: that's what I did while I was waiting for everyone to come back home. That, and I played with Penny for an hour or so. For dinner, we just had a ton of Saturday's leftovers. Yummy! Later, while Mom went to Grandma's to spend time with everyone, I stayed home talking to Dad until bedtime.
That brings me to today. I woke up, said Goodbye to Dad and Mom, and spent the morning packing and getting ready to leave. I went to visit Grandma with Ava for a little while, and then went to spend a half hour with Maria! I miss her. She was one of the first girls I met at Virginia Tech my freshman year and the one I lived with and around all throughout college. (It's going to be odd not going back this Fall.) Afterward, I had lunch with Mom at Lefty's and naturally, we ordered our favorite creme brulee for dessert!! We went to Grandma's once we finished to visit for a few minutes and bring them to the bus stop with us.
Riding to the bus stop, I did feel a bit sad to leave. It wasn't the best or most relaxing weekend by any means, but it is home. Arlington will never be my home. I could work there, live there, and eat there for 20 years and it would never feel as comfortable and welcoming as Blacksburg is. Thinking I won't be at Virginia Tech this fall makes me sad, too. Don't get me wrong: I am not going to miss taking classes. At all. I'm going to miss my small group of friends, my home, and the school itself.
On a lighter note, it's only a week and a half until I get to see Anthony!! I fly in to Houston Thursday, July 21st, and I can't wait!! It'll be about two months since I've seen him on that day. Fortunately, his internship doesn't go much past September 1st. He's been talking about trying to find something closer to me so we can see each other on weekends.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and I'd love it if you would cross yours for me too.
I just finished episode 6, and I'm wanting to know who the murderer is!! Are all the women going to be dead by the time the season ends?!?!
Anyway, the weekend was interesting. I went home Friday not knowing what to expect this weekend, honestly. I arrived Friday afternoon, and we ate pizza and drank beer by the Holiday Inn pool (where my relatives from Michigan were staying). It was kind of a relaxing night, hanging with family and doing nothing special.
Saturday was a full day, though. Woke up to Penny's barking, but thanked her because it got me out of bed. Ate a donut, and started going through the mounds of boxes in the basement. (Because of the move in two weeks, I had to go through all my stuff to figure out what was going to be brought up to Arlington and what isn't.) After a couple hours, I got ready to go to Emily's funeral at the Presbyterian church. I wasn't looking forward to it, but felt obligated to go because of Bob. It was a nice service, and I held my composure really well until Bob went on stage to say a few words. Poor man. Emily was his life! ...he looked good, nonetheless. I left quickly after the hour and a half ceremony without saying anything to him, so I'm almost positive he didn't know I was even there. I will call him later this week to say what a nice service it was.
Once I got back to the house, everyone had already eaten and had been talking to each other for a while. I grabbed some food, and ate a few d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s chocolate cupcakes Aunt Robin made. Speaking of cupcakes: Mom actually bought me an amazing cupcake book!! It has pages and pages of recipes...I can't wait to make them! and while on the subject of books, Dad bought me "101 Things I Learned in Architecture School." It looks really interesting...I only read a couple pages and I already relate to them!
Saturday night, however, was more of a funeral-memorial-burial for Grandpa. All 30 or so of us went out to Newport to spread some of Grandpa's ashes in the creek by the old covered bridge. (I took a couple pictures with my phone, but I'll post them after the 21st because my texting is limited until then......) I held Grandma's hand while Doug poured them into the water, and tears started to pour. It was really special. Dad broke the solemn silence by adding, "Too bad Don didn't like water," and everyone laughed.
Then a bunch of my cousins, Lacey, Mom, Leslie, Dan, and I went to Attitudes for karaoke. Much to our surprise, karaoke doesn't exist anymore in their bar, even though their pamphlets still says it does. We stayed and talked there until midnight. Much to our surprise again, midnight was last call there. So we all got into a Hooptie and went to Bull & Bones so we all could continue to hang out together. It was a long night...didn't have a lot of fun...won't really push details on you like I did to Anthony, but I think it was just because I was so emotionally drained.
Sunday, everyone went home except for Leslie's family. I spent the afternoon sorting through the basement, and it was about 2pm when I found MOLD - yes, mold - and MUSHROOMS - yes, mushrooms - GROWING - yes, growing - INSIDE MY ROOM!!!! What happened was this. Whenever it rained really hard, the water would drain off the driveway and into the basement bathroom. Dad tried to solve this dilemma by redoing the drainage pipes to they were thicker near by bathroom and ultimately direct the water farther down the hill, toward my room. ...BUT, then another storm - or storms - came and the water leaked into my room instead, soaking some boxes, my canvasses, an extra pillow, and my Grammie's trunk! The mold was fine to look at, but the mushrooms, which looked like cooked lasagna pasta, made me gag. Oh my gosh it was so disgusting. Di-sgust-ing!! I finished the basement as fast I could and decided I'd go to Grandma's. You see, while I was in the basement cleaning and sorting, Dad was hiking the cascades with my uncle, cousins, and Ava, while Mom was with Leslie and Lacey at Grandma's. I couldn't find Mom's spare keys, and Mom had my car, so I was stranded at home. Hence why I don't have anymore True Blood episodes to watch: that's what I did while I was waiting for everyone to come back home. That, and I played with Penny for an hour or so. For dinner, we just had a ton of Saturday's leftovers. Yummy! Later, while Mom went to Grandma's to spend time with everyone, I stayed home talking to Dad until bedtime.
That brings me to today. I woke up, said Goodbye to Dad and Mom, and spent the morning packing and getting ready to leave. I went to visit Grandma with Ava for a little while, and then went to spend a half hour with Maria! I miss her. She was one of the first girls I met at Virginia Tech my freshman year and the one I lived with and around all throughout college. (It's going to be odd not going back this Fall.) Afterward, I had lunch with Mom at Lefty's and naturally, we ordered our favorite creme brulee for dessert!! We went to Grandma's once we finished to visit for a few minutes and bring them to the bus stop with us.
Riding to the bus stop, I did feel a bit sad to leave. It wasn't the best or most relaxing weekend by any means, but it is home. Arlington will never be my home. I could work there, live there, and eat there for 20 years and it would never feel as comfortable and welcoming as Blacksburg is. Thinking I won't be at Virginia Tech this fall makes me sad, too. Don't get me wrong: I am not going to miss taking classes. At all. I'm going to miss my small group of friends, my home, and the school itself.
On a lighter note, it's only a week and a half until I get to see Anthony!! I fly in to Houston Thursday, July 21st, and I can't wait!! It'll be about two months since I've seen him on that day. Fortunately, his internship doesn't go much past September 1st. He's been talking about trying to find something closer to me so we can see each other on weekends.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and I'd love it if you would cross yours for me too.
Friday, July 8, 2011
On my way home
I'm on the Megabus right now (yes, it has internet!), and I actually had time to get some Starbucks coffee on my way to the stop (so proud of myself for getting up so early!).
At Starbucks, I ordered a "grande pick of the day with skim milk". The barista said, "Skim milk?"
"Yes, skim milk."
"Skim or whole?"
"Skim."
"No. Skim or whole?"
"Skim!"
"No no no. skimmeddddd or wholeddddd??"
"I'm sorry. I don't understand what you're saying."
"SKIMMED OR WHOLED??"
(I laugh.)
She points to the steamer. "SKIMMED." Then she points to the milk. "WHOLED."
"OH!!!!!!! Steamed or cold! Cold, please."
It's difficult trying to understand a Jamaican accent sometimes.
The commute only took me about 45 minutes this time, and once we got onto the actual bus, the driver explained the rules and said, "If the bus sways or your things get pushed around, it's not because I had a drink this morning. The wind is just heavy today." ...Nobody laughed. Then she added, "and if you have any problems, whatever they may be, or any complaints about your ride, whatever you do, just keep them to yourself." ...Some people laughed at this one, including myself...kind of. Then she stumbled back toward her seat like she was nervous that she was talking to us or something.
The bus itself is comfortable, but the structure itself feels pretty unstable. Every time we run into a bump in the road, the entire bus shakes, including the windows... I think I am beginning to see how these rides cost a dollar.
Just five more hours to Christiansburg, and I'm going to start watching True Blood!
At Starbucks, I ordered a "grande pick of the day with skim milk". The barista said, "Skim milk?"
"Yes, skim milk."
"Skim or whole?"
"Skim."
"No. Skim or whole?"
"Skim!"
"No no no. skimmeddddd or wholeddddd??"
"I'm sorry. I don't understand what you're saying."
"SKIMMED OR WHOLED??"
(I laugh.)
She points to the steamer. "SKIMMED." Then she points to the milk. "WHOLED."
"OH!!!!!!! Steamed or cold! Cold, please."
It's difficult trying to understand a Jamaican accent sometimes.
The commute only took me about 45 minutes this time, and once we got onto the actual bus, the driver explained the rules and said, "If the bus sways or your things get pushed around, it's not because I had a drink this morning. The wind is just heavy today." ...Nobody laughed. Then she added, "and if you have any problems, whatever they may be, or any complaints about your ride, whatever you do, just keep them to yourself." ...Some people laughed at this one, including myself...kind of. Then she stumbled back toward her seat like she was nervous that she was talking to us or something.
The bus itself is comfortable, but the structure itself feels pretty unstable. Every time we run into a bump in the road, the entire bus shakes, including the windows... I think I am beginning to see how these rides cost a dollar.
Just five more hours to Christiansburg, and I'm going to start watching True Blood!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Another busy week, that's for sure
This week went by so fast because I was so busy!...
I left Saturday afternoon for Baltimore. It took me a bit more than an hour to get to the bus stop in DC because I had to transfer rail lines and walk almost a mile and a half between stops! I got on the bus, and it was actually pretty nice. ...cushioned seats that adjust to lay back...outlets below the windows...a few TVs above your heads (not on for this ride, though)...a bathroom in the back...it was cozy! I sat next to this guy that was pretty chatty. (He wouldn't stop talking about his friends' weddings and bachelor parties.) Fortunately, the ride was only an hour or so.
Then, Mark and Drew picked me up from the bus stop! They dropped me off about 2 miles from their house. How convenient is that?! Once I got to their house, we got ready, had snacks, and went to the pool. Their pool is AMAZING! There are a couple small baby pools, a nice-sized regular pool, an adult (21+) pool with a hot tub, a snack bar, a grilling station, and below the hill there was a large "river pool" that had a steady flow going through it so you could float in circles. We spent a few hours there, enjoyed snow cones (yes, snow cones. Not snowballs, Mark!), and then headed home. That night, we had delicious ziti with garlic bread and salad.
Honestly, the weekend flew by so fast I can't remember which day we went to their friends' fourth of July party. I think it was Sunday. Haha. The whole weekend seemed funky because I had Monday off. I was all mixed up!
Well, we went to the party and it was a ton of fun! Heather gave me a fair warning before going, and even more than that, I felt like I was in an initiation!! There was karaoke, a water slide for the kids, and a bunch and a bunch of food (yummm). We all hung out, ate, and drank for a couple hours, until the egg toss started! I was on Stack's team. Actually, he was the one Heather was warning us about more because of how free spirited he was, but he was really funny. Now, I don't know if you've ever done an egg toss, but you NEED to try it!!
All you have to do is grab a partner, stand a fair distance away and toss the egg. Simple, right? Each team takes their turn down the line, and once the last team goes, you take a few steps away and try again. What you need to do is catch the egg and not break it. If your team breaks your egg, you're out and the team with the last unbroken egg wins! Very simple, right? There's a technique, though, that I haven't mastered yet (sorry, Stack). You need to catch THROUGH the egg, not stop it! Haha! ...Drew did a great job, though! He caught the egg maybe 10 yards away from Mark right in the chest!! It didn't break the first time, but once we took another couple steps back, he squared himself up, the egg hit his chest, and BAM! the egg crashed all over his chest, face, and arms!!! He stood for a second and walked toward Mark, starting to cry, but really just trying not to touch any more egg than he had to. He was very impressive. I only made it one more round, haha.
I played horseshoes that night as well. MISSSSTAKE! I was AWFUL! This is no exaggeration, either. I was awful. Horrible. Abominable. Horrendous. Bad. Really really bad. As bad as bad gets. I couldn't hit that stake if my life depended on it, even when they let me take 3-4 steps forward! I threw the horseshoe up in the air, to the left, to the right...the only thing I didn't manage to do (thank goodness) was throw the damn thing behind me.
Anyway, that night was really fun. They even had chocolate fondue for dessert (my favorite), and I kept eating and eating and eating it!! I really should invest a small chunk into getting one like her's (the host) because all she did was plug it in and it was good to go the rest of the night. Like magic!
The next day, Monday, Fourth of July, I had to go home. I left a bit after lunch unfortunately, after we took a nice stroll around the neighborhood and played at the park for a couple hours. I think we went to the park that morning. HAHA! I can't get my days straight.
Enough about the trip: let me tell you about the kids! They're so precious!! Lilly is such a DOLL!! Her eyes are so huge and blue...it's unbelievable how sparkly they are. She's always smiling, too. Drew, although he is a wild maniac, was so absolutely handsome and cuddly!! He loves to hug, kiss, and tell you he loves you. It's really special how loving he is.
I had a lot of fun. Booked my next ticket for Labor Day weekend!!!
Monday, after I got home, I laid around and just unpacked. I thought, since it was July fourth, I should go see fireworks. Of course, I didn't want to go through the hassle of surviving the DC madness this year, so I decided I would just go down to the harbor here in Old Town to watch them. I ran down there, and felt so proud I got myself out of the house to go see them!! I was one of maybe a thousand people. Fireworks started at 9:30pm. It was 9pm. Then 9:10. Then 9:30. Then 9:45. Nothing. I saw the fireworks from DC over the water, but that was as close as I got. I called Anthony: "Uh, where are my fireworks???" He looked it up online for me, only to find that they are JULY 9TH!!!!!!!! WHAAAAAAAAAT??? Who does that?!?! Fireworks = failure. Fireworks are fireworks, though, right? Once you've seen one show, you've seen them all?
Tuesday I headed back to work. I corrected red lines all day, which I didn't mind at all! We also had a staff meeting, which I really like. They officially announced I am a full-time employee! Made me feel special. Free pizza, too! Not the best pizza...too sweet...but it's pizza, and it's free. That's always a nice combo.
Tuesday after work, Amelia and I ate at Chop't for dinner. It was so cool! You order the salad, they toss everything into a plastic bowl, and then the next person dumps it onto the cutting boards and chops the hell out of it. Then, they put dressing on it, toss it in a huge bowl, and puts it back into the original plastic bowl. I got something with lettuce, avocados, pepperjack cheese...and tex mex ranch. I asked Amelia, "What's tex mex ranch?" She said, "It's ranch...but more tex mex-like." HA! Ok. It was absolutely delicious! Who thought a salad would be so good?!
Afterward, we headed to Target and to Bed Bath and Beyond and to Home Depot to look at stuff for our apartment! We picked out a few paint colors...
Light gray for a wall in the bathroom...
Light yellow for a wall in the living room...
Light green for a wall in the dining room and/or kitchen...
and a shiny metallic orange for a wall in my room!
(I would put pictures up but it doesn't do the colors justice. Esp. the orange. I'll put up pictures once we actually paint!)
We bought these placemats in tan:
and we also bought a mat for our kitchen:
and tan oven mitts (not too exciting, so I didn't find a picture)
and the BEST purchase of the week...
MY CUPCAKE DISPLAY!!
SUCCESS! Next on our list are:
slipcovers...
tablecloth...
curtains (maybe)...
a few more things I can't remember right now...
Wednesday, I went to work again and worked on a ton of random things to help people out. Mostly correcting red lines again, but I don't mind it one bit! After work, the Interiors department (6 girls, including me) all went out for Happy Hour at Spider Kelly's. Talk about a great time!! I feel like part of the "crew" now, honestly...we talked about what we each could do to improve our work culture and what we look to improve at the office. Overall, we thought it'd be nice to have more conversations going on throughout the day and after hours, and going out for happy hours with people we work with is something we would like to do more often too! What's a better way to get to know someone than to be in a non-stress environment like a happy hour?!
Today was a bit more slow at work, though. I'm just too fast for everyone giving me work to do! ...Ha ha... I left right at 5:30, excited to come home and pack! Have I done any packing yet? Nope! What time is it? 10pm! Have I had dinner yet? Nope! Did I eat a chocolate brownie and a vanilla coke instead? Yep! I'll probably eat in a minute or two, though, after I do a bit of packing. I did do a load of laundry, though!! So I was productive after work.
In a way.
Tomorrow, I'm headed to Blacksburg for the weekend. Bittersweet, of course, because of the reason why I'm going. Grandpa's Memorial/Funeral is Saturday, as well as the Memorial/Funeral for Emily Stuart...
I left Saturday afternoon for Baltimore. It took me a bit more than an hour to get to the bus stop in DC because I had to transfer rail lines and walk almost a mile and a half between stops! I got on the bus, and it was actually pretty nice. ...cushioned seats that adjust to lay back...outlets below the windows...a few TVs above your heads (not on for this ride, though)...a bathroom in the back...it was cozy! I sat next to this guy that was pretty chatty. (He wouldn't stop talking about his friends' weddings and bachelor parties.) Fortunately, the ride was only an hour or so.
Then, Mark and Drew picked me up from the bus stop! They dropped me off about 2 miles from their house. How convenient is that?! Once I got to their house, we got ready, had snacks, and went to the pool. Their pool is AMAZING! There are a couple small baby pools, a nice-sized regular pool, an adult (21+) pool with a hot tub, a snack bar, a grilling station, and below the hill there was a large "river pool" that had a steady flow going through it so you could float in circles. We spent a few hours there, enjoyed snow cones (yes, snow cones. Not snowballs, Mark!), and then headed home. That night, we had delicious ziti with garlic bread and salad.
Honestly, the weekend flew by so fast I can't remember which day we went to their friends' fourth of July party. I think it was Sunday. Haha. The whole weekend seemed funky because I had Monday off. I was all mixed up!
Well, we went to the party and it was a ton of fun! Heather gave me a fair warning before going, and even more than that, I felt like I was in an initiation!! There was karaoke, a water slide for the kids, and a bunch and a bunch of food (yummm). We all hung out, ate, and drank for a couple hours, until the egg toss started! I was on Stack's team. Actually, he was the one Heather was warning us about more because of how free spirited he was, but he was really funny. Now, I don't know if you've ever done an egg toss, but you NEED to try it!!
All you have to do is grab a partner, stand a fair distance away and toss the egg. Simple, right? Each team takes their turn down the line, and once the last team goes, you take a few steps away and try again. What you need to do is catch the egg and not break it. If your team breaks your egg, you're out and the team with the last unbroken egg wins! Very simple, right? There's a technique, though, that I haven't mastered yet (sorry, Stack). You need to catch THROUGH the egg, not stop it! Haha! ...Drew did a great job, though! He caught the egg maybe 10 yards away from Mark right in the chest!! It didn't break the first time, but once we took another couple steps back, he squared himself up, the egg hit his chest, and BAM! the egg crashed all over his chest, face, and arms!!! He stood for a second and walked toward Mark, starting to cry, but really just trying not to touch any more egg than he had to. He was very impressive. I only made it one more round, haha.
I played horseshoes that night as well. MISSSSTAKE! I was AWFUL! This is no exaggeration, either. I was awful. Horrible. Abominable. Horrendous. Bad. Really really bad. As bad as bad gets. I couldn't hit that stake if my life depended on it, even when they let me take 3-4 steps forward! I threw the horseshoe up in the air, to the left, to the right...the only thing I didn't manage to do (thank goodness) was throw the damn thing behind me.
Anyway, that night was really fun. They even had chocolate fondue for dessert (my favorite), and I kept eating and eating and eating it!! I really should invest a small chunk into getting one like her's (the host) because all she did was plug it in and it was good to go the rest of the night. Like magic!
The next day, Monday, Fourth of July, I had to go home. I left a bit after lunch unfortunately, after we took a nice stroll around the neighborhood and played at the park for a couple hours. I think we went to the park that morning. HAHA! I can't get my days straight.
Enough about the trip: let me tell you about the kids! They're so precious!! Lilly is such a DOLL!! Her eyes are so huge and blue...it's unbelievable how sparkly they are. She's always smiling, too. Drew, although he is a wild maniac, was so absolutely handsome and cuddly!! He loves to hug, kiss, and tell you he loves you. It's really special how loving he is.
I had a lot of fun. Booked my next ticket for Labor Day weekend!!!
Monday, after I got home, I laid around and just unpacked. I thought, since it was July fourth, I should go see fireworks. Of course, I didn't want to go through the hassle of surviving the DC madness this year, so I decided I would just go down to the harbor here in Old Town to watch them. I ran down there, and felt so proud I got myself out of the house to go see them!! I was one of maybe a thousand people. Fireworks started at 9:30pm. It was 9pm. Then 9:10. Then 9:30. Then 9:45. Nothing. I saw the fireworks from DC over the water, but that was as close as I got. I called Anthony: "Uh, where are my fireworks???" He looked it up online for me, only to find that they are JULY 9TH!!!!!!!! WHAAAAAAAAAT??? Who does that?!?! Fireworks = failure. Fireworks are fireworks, though, right? Once you've seen one show, you've seen them all?
Tuesday I headed back to work. I corrected red lines all day, which I didn't mind at all! We also had a staff meeting, which I really like. They officially announced I am a full-time employee! Made me feel special. Free pizza, too! Not the best pizza...too sweet...but it's pizza, and it's free. That's always a nice combo.
Tuesday after work, Amelia and I ate at Chop't for dinner. It was so cool! You order the salad, they toss everything into a plastic bowl, and then the next person dumps it onto the cutting boards and chops the hell out of it. Then, they put dressing on it, toss it in a huge bowl, and puts it back into the original plastic bowl. I got something with lettuce, avocados, pepperjack cheese...and tex mex ranch. I asked Amelia, "What's tex mex ranch?" She said, "It's ranch...but more tex mex-like." HA! Ok. It was absolutely delicious! Who thought a salad would be so good?!
Afterward, we headed to Target and to Bed Bath and Beyond and to Home Depot to look at stuff for our apartment! We picked out a few paint colors...
Light gray for a wall in the bathroom...
Light yellow for a wall in the living room...
Light green for a wall in the dining room and/or kitchen...
and a shiny metallic orange for a wall in my room!
(I would put pictures up but it doesn't do the colors justice. Esp. the orange. I'll put up pictures once we actually paint!)
We bought these placemats in tan:
and we also bought a mat for our kitchen:
and tan oven mitts (not too exciting, so I didn't find a picture)
and the BEST purchase of the week...
MY CUPCAKE DISPLAY!!
SUCCESS! Next on our list are:
slipcovers...
tablecloth...
curtains (maybe)...
a few more things I can't remember right now...
Wednesday, I went to work again and worked on a ton of random things to help people out. Mostly correcting red lines again, but I don't mind it one bit! After work, the Interiors department (6 girls, including me) all went out for Happy Hour at Spider Kelly's. Talk about a great time!! I feel like part of the "crew" now, honestly...we talked about what we each could do to improve our work culture and what we look to improve at the office. Overall, we thought it'd be nice to have more conversations going on throughout the day and after hours, and going out for happy hours with people we work with is something we would like to do more often too! What's a better way to get to know someone than to be in a non-stress environment like a happy hour?!
Today was a bit more slow at work, though. I'm just too fast for everyone giving me work to do! ...Ha ha... I left right at 5:30, excited to come home and pack! Have I done any packing yet? Nope! What time is it? 10pm! Have I had dinner yet? Nope! Did I eat a chocolate brownie and a vanilla coke instead? Yep! I'll probably eat in a minute or two, though, after I do a bit of packing. I did do a load of laundry, though!! So I was productive after work.
In a way.
Tomorrow, I'm headed to Blacksburg for the weekend. Bittersweet, of course, because of the reason why I'm going. Grandpa's Memorial/Funeral is Saturday, as well as the Memorial/Funeral for Emily Stuart...
Friday, July 1, 2011
TGIF!!
This was a great week!
Today, I worked on correcting redlines for a smaller project that Kaitlin and I are working on. Of course, she did the redlines, and I am making the corrections. I don't mind it, and I actually do enjoy doing that kind of work, but I did end up having to redo a couple things...damn cad xrefs!!
After work, I decided to go to the Pentagon City Mall. Honestly, I just wanted to go to Papyrus, haha! My Papyrus in Old Town closes at 7pm (can you believe it??), so I went to the one in Pentagon City. I bought Grandma a Birthday card, Ava a monkey card, and a couple other nice ones! They are expensive, but they're the cutest card I have ever seen! ...and since I got paid this week, I didn't feel bad at all for spending the money! If you buy 3, you get one free, which is a great deal for their cards! I also went to what I call the "Washington DC store," which just has a lot of touristy stuff in it. I bought Drew and Lilly Washington DC shirts. What kind of an Aunt would I be if I didn't butter up my nephews and nieces?!?! Besides, it's my reward to myself for getting my new apartment and getting another paycheck!
I made a vege burger with soy chorizo, avocado, and provolone cheese for dinner. YUMM! I also had a Magic Hat with it!
Now I'm watching this show called, "What would you do?" It's making me cringe!! These actors do public outrageous things and tries to get people to speak up. Honestly, there are so many people not saying anything...I don't think I could do that!! They actually keep acting til they get a response, though. There were three different scenarios:
1. A large woman and her child had a cart full of sweets and sugary goods at the grocery store. Then, a woman came up and kept telling her she's poisoning her and her family. The woman was crying and the other kept yelling at her about how unhealthy she was.
2. A verbally abusive guy was yelling at his girlfriend in a public park for being a whore. This is the one I think I would've gotten involved with, especially since the guy was under 18 and scrawny.
3. At the same grocery store, a man sprayed water onto the ground and slipped intentionally to be able to sue the store for it, saying it was already there. People definitely spoke up right away, actually.
Every single day, two men hand out newspapers, and every single day, I read about Prince George's County and how dangerous it is! Rhianna works there...I always think of her when I read the news. I hate the news, actually, but I grab it because I'd get bored on the train before work. People get murdered every day, the gangs are everywhere, the Metro system is falling apart (physically) and under regular maintenance, and Wiener will not stop making some kind of a headline. Wiener showed his wiener. Done. Let's stop hearing about it - he already embarrassed himself.
PS: Happy July 4th Weekend! I probably won't write, since I'm going to be in Baltimore to visit Mark, Heather, Drew, and Lilly! I leave tomorrow and I'll be back Monday!! Have a great weekend!
Today, I worked on correcting redlines for a smaller project that Kaitlin and I are working on. Of course, she did the redlines, and I am making the corrections. I don't mind it, and I actually do enjoy doing that kind of work, but I did end up having to redo a couple things...damn cad xrefs!!
After work, I decided to go to the Pentagon City Mall. Honestly, I just wanted to go to Papyrus, haha! My Papyrus in Old Town closes at 7pm (can you believe it??), so I went to the one in Pentagon City. I bought Grandma a Birthday card, Ava a monkey card, and a couple other nice ones! They are expensive, but they're the cutest card I have ever seen! ...and since I got paid this week, I didn't feel bad at all for spending the money! If you buy 3, you get one free, which is a great deal for their cards! I also went to what I call the "Washington DC store," which just has a lot of touristy stuff in it. I bought Drew and Lilly Washington DC shirts. What kind of an Aunt would I be if I didn't butter up my nephews and nieces?!?! Besides, it's my reward to myself for getting my new apartment and getting another paycheck!
I made a vege burger with soy chorizo, avocado, and provolone cheese for dinner. YUMM! I also had a Magic Hat with it!
Now I'm watching this show called, "What would you do?" It's making me cringe!! These actors do public outrageous things and tries to get people to speak up. Honestly, there are so many people not saying anything...I don't think I could do that!! They actually keep acting til they get a response, though. There were three different scenarios:
1. A large woman and her child had a cart full of sweets and sugary goods at the grocery store. Then, a woman came up and kept telling her she's poisoning her and her family. The woman was crying and the other kept yelling at her about how unhealthy she was.
2. A verbally abusive guy was yelling at his girlfriend in a public park for being a whore. This is the one I think I would've gotten involved with, especially since the guy was under 18 and scrawny.
3. At the same grocery store, a man sprayed water onto the ground and slipped intentionally to be able to sue the store for it, saying it was already there. People definitely spoke up right away, actually.
Every single day, two men hand out newspapers, and every single day, I read about Prince George's County and how dangerous it is! Rhianna works there...I always think of her when I read the news. I hate the news, actually, but I grab it because I'd get bored on the train before work. People get murdered every day, the gangs are everywhere, the Metro system is falling apart (physically) and under regular maintenance, and Wiener will not stop making some kind of a headline. Wiener showed his wiener. Done. Let's stop hearing about it - he already embarrassed himself.
PS: Happy July 4th Weekend! I probably won't write, since I'm going to be in Baltimore to visit Mark, Heather, Drew, and Lilly! I leave tomorrow and I'll be back Monday!! Have a great weekend!
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