Friday, December 18, 2009

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Monday, November 23, 2009

What are you thankful for?



I'm thankful to Peter who taught me how to put a You Tube video on my blog! ;)

Monday, November 9, 2009

The only thing that has kept me going the last two weeks

I'm not a huge coke drinker but there comes a time when work and life are too much to handle on their own and I am forced to take extreme measures. Like this morning, for example, it's not even 9 a.m. and I have already cracked one open. It is my morning pick-me-up and my most recent life saver. I may go into renal failure, but at least I'm perky.

Monday, October 26, 2009

My Bucket List


This is what I've got so far...

Dogsled across Antarctica
Go to the top of the Empire State Building
Perform in a play/musical
Master the piano
Buy a scooter (moped)
Own a small farm where i can milk cows, gather eggs, ride my own horses
Have an large garden
Have an orchard
Travel all over Europe
Walk on the Great Wall in China
Make a quilt
Cultural trek in Nepal (everest base camp)
Write a novel
Coach a volleyball team
Run a marathon
Meet George W. Bush
Go to Savannah, Georgia
Discover more family history stories
Host a segment on the Today Show
Run for a political office

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

An Early Halloween Celebration!

BOO!

I love Halloween. Just love it. I will be in Chicago for work next Saturday and will unfortunately will be missing all of the festivities. Lame. In an attempt to celebrate early I made these yummy Halloween sugar cookies. Delightful.

Monday, October 19, 2009

la Bencina (la-ben-cheena)

Many people don't know that I am an art lover. I was two classes away from humanities being my third major in college. I just kept taking the classes for fun. I've never been to Europe. Always wanted to but haven't had the chance. I do, however, feel like I have been because of all of my studying. This painting by guy you might know, Leonardo daVinci, is entitled "Ginevra de' Benci" but is known by contemporaries as "la Bencina". I'm not sure why, but it is one of my favorite paintings. You can imagine my excitement when I found out that it is located in D.C. at my favorite museum, The National Gallery of Art. It is also the only daVinci located in the United States. When I give tours of the museum most people ask for a brief one. This is a must-see painting on that tour.


Here's a little bit about Ginny, as I like to call her.

She was the daughter of a wealthy Florentine banker and is estimated to be about 16 years old. During the Renaissance wedding portraits were typically made in pairs with the woman on the right side of her husband. Because Ginny is facing the right, this is more than likely a painting commissioned in celebration of her engagement. Ginny was celebrated by many during her time because of her purity, virtue, intelligence and of course, beauty. DaVinci recognized all of these characteristics by painting her without jewels and extravagant clothing, near a juniper bush and outside of her home.

DaVinci painted Ginny with a juniper bush in the background. The junipers are not only a symbol of chastity, which was the greatest of characteristic a Renaissance woman could possess, but also refers to her name. In Italian the word juniper is ginepro. Something interesting about junipers is that they are very green when they are a young plant and turn more brown with age. DaVinci was a smart man. The original painting also showed her hands holding a pink flower that represented virtue and devotion.

I think that Ginny was a forward thinking woman. Typically women of her status were painted wearing large jewels and opulent clothing to symbolize wealth and beauty and ultimately the dowry that the man marrying her would receive. Surprisingly, she is painted without those things, in a plain dress and a simple necklace. I like to think that she wanted the focus to be on her intelligence, rather than outward appearance. Other features of Ginevra's portrait reveal young Leonardo as an innovator. He placed her in an open setting at a time when women were still shown carefully sheltered within the walls of their family homes, with landscapes glimpsed only through an open window.

Only one line of Ginny's poetry survived and I think that it just sums this girl up. "I ask your forgiveness, I am a mountain tiger." I like to think that she recognized her part of being a woman in her Renaissance society by the politeness of the tone, but she also recognizes her free spirit. I think that daVinci did a fantastic job of capturing it. What do you think?

Friday, October 16, 2009

A new obsessioin -- Laughing Cow Cheese


Yes, I think cows are funny. Really, I do. They chew funny, talk funny and produce funny things (rather, milk that is turned into funny things).

The cows in Vermont are just funny looking.

In all seriousness though, this is my new favorite snack. Each wedge is a mere 30 calories and 2 grams or fat. Add with pita chips or apple slices and you've got a perfect mid-day low fat, health snack. Yum.

Baby Eva

I got to watch Natalie's niece Eva...she was just too cute! Even with her crazy mohawk!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

VERMONT--I'd tap that

I have been absent. Absent from my social life. Absent from my ever-growing pile of laundry. Absent from blogging. Absent from my writing. Absent from a normal meal. Absent from sleep. Absent from anything resembling a normal life. All because of a little thing I like to call health care reform. Thank you Sen. Baucus, Pres. Obama, and more importantly Sen. Snowe (Republican or not, you are now on my hate list, Snowe!).

To counter balance this I went on an adventure to Vermont with some great friends to check out the fall foliage. Sometimes I complain about how busy this city is but it's things like autumn on the East coast that keeps me living here. The leaves were absolutely incredible.

Scott's bridge--Vermont's longest wooden bridge.

Taken at Mt. Ascutney. Home of a hitchhiker that murdered three people.

There's another thing that I love about the East, proximity to amazing opportunities. Growing up in Texas it took us a minimum of at least four hours to even get out of the state. Our drive started out in Virginia. Then within a matter of minutes and hours we had made our mark in D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire? and Vermont.

A few highlights from each state (or district?):

Virginia: Where the fun began after I skipped out of my office early...well tried to anyway.

D:C: I am pretty sure all we did here was pick up Peter...but what would we have done with out those amazing dance skills?

Maryland: Mostly driving through this fine state. But we did see a pick-up truck engulfed in flames. That was pretty cool.

New Jersey: Why is it called the "Garden State'? Because "Oil and Petrochemical Refinery State" wouldn't fit on a license plate? Also, no one would want to visit if you referred to NJ as the "Smelly State". Also home to a very nice hole-in-the-wall chicken places that had bullet-proof glass over the serving counter.

New York: We decided that it was time for a midnight snack so we stopped in Manhattan for a NY style pizza. I know what you're thinking...You drove in NYC? Yes, yes I did, NYC cabbie style of course. Most importantly, we saw Jude Law. Yes, THE Jude Law (from the movie The Holiday").

I did in fact take this picture...while driving. Oops. NYC Theatre District.

Connecticut: Home of Yale. Also, home of Brazis, world famous for housing mobsters and "interesting" ravioli. If you are wondering how to get there, it's in the Food Plaza.

Peter having fun with "good but interesting" cheese.

Massachusetts: A quick visit (we didn't get in until like 2 a.m.) with Kyle's parents. I'm not sure anything super funny happened here. Nevertheless, it was a good visit.

New Hampshire?: I was beat in a foot race against Kyle (who is MUCH taller than I am) from Vermont into New Hampshire. Then Michele and I decided to work off some of the junk that we had eaten by running from Vermont, across a bridge and into New Hampshire.

Vermont: Where do I begin? Vermont is an interesting place. Lots of tree-hugging liberals. Perhaps that's why they tap the maple trees? They spent waaaayyyyy too much time just hugging the trees so they decided to do something useful and produce very yummy syrup. We had a great time just exploring the area, eating, snuggling under quilts by the fire while playing endless games, roasting mallows and watching the all of season two of The Office. The leaves were pretty incredible, we had great weather and even better company.

The view from Scott's bridge. Hey Kyle, I can see the leaves in the reflection on the water.

One of our many stops along the way.

Me, Peter, Kyle and Michele-- I'd tap that

Virginia: Where the fun ended with yet another round of Chris Brown's "Forever". It is always nice to climb back into your own bed at the end of a trip but I did wake up missing the smell of a fire and Michele, Kyle and Peter. Do we really have to wait until next year's leaves to go back?

Monday, September 14, 2009

An almost trip to Canada

So my two roomies and decided last minute to drive up to the Hill Cumorah pageant on a Saturday morning. We got there about an hour before the show started, leaving us just enough time to take a quick peak at the Sacred Grove.


Due to a torrential downpour about halfway through the show, we decide to make the two-hour drive to Niagara Falls (mind you, it was already 10:30 p.m.). We call a friend and ask him to book us a hotel on Priceline on the American side of Niagara. What does he do? He gets us a hotel in Canada. Due to a new immigration law, you now have to have a passport or birth certificate to cross the border. Awesome. So we decide to try Buffalo, NY instead. We go to like 15 hotels and none of them had any vacancies. I felt like I was Mary and Joseph because there was NO ROOM AT THE INN...at this point we were tired, soaked and grumpy. That's when we decided to sneak across the border* (kind of like you did once Natalie! ha!).



We make such cute illegal immigrants.

But then we got to see the falls from above and below. That was awesome. We waved at Canada from the water. I believe that I was sprayed by some of the Canadian falls. They did not ask me for a passport for that experience.

I was the captain of our ship. Clearly I have no sense of direction (see below).


This is right before we were swallowed up by the falls.

*I am kidding, of course. Unlike Natalie, we did not actually sneak across the border. We stayed in a disgusting junky motel that had a giant teddy bear on the bed, the bed that all three of us shared for the night.

Softball


This was taken a few days AFTER the lovely foul ball my face decided to catch.

Just call me Auntie Shandi!

I couldn't help it. I have already purchased a few items for my future niece/nephew. I am already bursting with pride. I am seriously going to be the best auntie this world has ever known (no offense Nat).

Thursday, August 20, 2009

A Capitol Fouth

Independence day in the nation's capitol is fun. And exhausting. And hot. And fun. And hot. And hot. Did I mention hot and fun?

It was my second year for celebrating here in Washington, D.C. and very memorable. My new friend and co-worker Morgan (she's from Texas! Woo!) spent the weekend with me and that in itself was loads of fun. The weekend started out with a white-water inner tubing trip down the Potomac on Friday and a concert on the Capitol lawn.

It was so bright outside!

Saturday was busy, but fun. We spent the majority or the day preparing for the bbq that we were hosting. The Southerner in me really comes out when I am hosting an event that involves food.
The picture is a little blurry, but this was an AMAZING cake.

Then to the day's main focus...fireworks. We had a great group and a great spot for the fireworks on the National Mall. We were right under the Washington Monument and about 200 yards from where they were shooting off the fireworks. The night would not have been complete without the amazing American tradition of apple pie.

Melissa, Rachel and I waiting for the crowd to disappear before making sardined metro ride home.



Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Ok, I know that it has been, well, possibly forever since I last blogged. Why you might ask? Well, my life is just that interesting.
*note the sarcasm

I have been busy though. I have made it a goal to blog more, so hopefully this won't be the last time you hear from me in the next six months. This summer has been quite amazing, I must say. I have been busy with my garden, traveling, working and just having a good time with new and old friends. My garden started out almost like an experiment because I have never had a garden of my very own.

About two weeks after everything was planted

I used a few different techniques (including lasagna gardening...so cool!) to be able to pull off having a garden in such a limited space and it has turned out quite nice. It is small, but fertile. Rather, it is the perfect size for me right now.

My first strawberry crop. They were so sweet!

The three amigos

My garden included strawberries (in pots), a yellow squash (later killed by squirrel), a zucchini, a big beef tomato, a cherry tomato, a heirloom tomato, two jalapenos, three bell peppers, a cantaloupe, and a bunch of herbs. Everything has been extremely plentiful. I will not admit to use of steroids, although I have been accused by some.

My first, and rather large, tomato

Overall, this has been a great experience. I never thought I would get as excited as I do when I have a plentiful harvest. I am also getting VERY creative in my cooking in order to use all of the veggies that I have. Who knew that cherry tomatoes could be so versatile?

I am thinking of planting a pumpkin plant for the fall, just to try it. What do you think?

Wednesday, March 4, 2009


80s Party--Livin' on a Prayer--

My friend Sarah hosted another great 80s party. We rocked out to Springsteen, Madonna, etc...what a fun night!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

No longer unemployed

Well folks, I've landed a job! I'm working for the American Society for Radiation Oncology in the government relations department...essentially I am a lobbyist. So far I love it!

More updates to come soon!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

A few thoughts...

Many of you probably know that I am currently back in Washington, D.C. looking for a job. Well let me tell you...being unemployed is interesting. Here's why--

COMPLAINTS

First, it gives me too much time. I have worked two jobs for almost as long as I can remember. I am use to being busy. I thrive on being busy. I work my best when I am busy. Here's an example of what I have had the time to do. Today I went through my email contact list and put all of my contacts into separate folders so that they were marked "coworkers", "friends", and "family". Who has the time to do that??

I no longer have a schedule for my LIFE and when I do it is a tentative one. I have been working at Victoria's Secret (4 years and going!) as much as I can but with the economy the way it is there aren't a whole lot of hours to give out. Therefore my schedule for LIFE not ever official. It always depends on the day. One day I think I will be heading back to St. Louis in defeat of not finding a job and then the next I am back in the game with an interview. Now I do have the tendencies of OCD (this is NOT my fault by the way! It is in my genes!) so not having a schedule bugs me. A lot... Despite the story of my life being so transient, especially since I graduated college, you would think that I am use to it but let me assure you, I am not. It drives me crazy.

I am living out of a suitcase and my car. I have lived literally lived out of a suitcase, or in some cases laundry baskets and hanging clothes off workout equipment more than once, and on many occasions for months. Again, you would think that I would be use to this too. but I am not. Currently my car is crammed full of business suits, high heels, coats (it's FREEZING here!), and a few groceries (if you can call poptarts, Juicy Juice apple juice boxes, and peanut butter food!). It is an interesting life that I have right now. Don't get me wrong, I am happy to be here. Really happy actually and grateful to friends who are allowing me to crash at their house, but I am ready to be settled in a room with a closet, dresser and a bed--which brings me to my next point.

Sleeping arrangements. During my time in Utah I never bought a bed. I slept on a queen-sized air mattress for FOUR months. Who does that?? Because we lived in such an old house it was usually really, really cold in our house. For those of you who not have slept on an air mattress for an extended period of time let me explain something. The cold air gets underneath you and practically freezes you out of bed. For somebody who typically complains about her roommates keeping it too warm in the house I went to sleep every night in sweat pants, a hoodie with the hood ON, t-shirt, and thick socks. I am still thawing out from having slept on an air mattress in Utah for so long. Even though it was really cold on that air mattress it was quite the adjustment to go from a queen size to a couch. I am staying with some girls from church and am truly grateful for their hospitality. They have been amazing roommates and understanding of my situation. Sleeping on a couch is great for a little while but when you go to turn sides it's not the best feeling when the back of the couch is an inch from your face. :)

BENEFITS

I spent the afternoon walking through the newly remodled American History Smithsonian Museum. When you actually live in DC you don't really think about all of the amazing things that surround you too often. It has been great having the time to visit the things that I use to not have much time for when employed. Having time might have been one of my complaints, but it is also a benefit. For example, I had the time to sit in freezing cold for seven hours to see the Inaugual Concert on Sunday. Despite the angry feelings I was having towards the tourists I was really happy that I spent my day there. It really was incredible to see U2 (BONO!!!), Garth Brooks, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, etc. perform on steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I have also had time to update this blog that hasn't been updated in who knows how long. I have had time to hang out with old friends and some new friends. I have had more time to talk to my mom more on the phone. Also, I have had time to sort my email contacts. Good times...

Another benefit of being unemployed has been really trying to figure it out what I really want out of life. I have figured out a number of things actually. First, I like to help people. I want to be able to have a job that allows me to help people. Also, I want to learn to be a really great cook/baker like my mom and Nanny (my mom's mom). I also want to become a better seamstress like them. I want a puppy. Also, I want to be a farmer...errr...actually a farmer's wife. I want to be able to not stress out about things and analyze them so much. I also want Jim and Pam to finally tie the knot on The Office. I want to go to Europe really bad. I want to find a balance in life. I want a garden....but not just any garden...I want vegetables, an English garden, a wildflower garden, an orchard, and more. I know, I dream big but I just thought you should know what they were.

Wish me luck and pray for me because tomorrow I have a third interview with a company and I REALLY think this would be a great job! And sorry there were no pictures this time, I can't find my camera in my car...probably shoved in my car between my Jimmy Choo shoes and Chanel suit. :)