Times flies....

When you are having fun, as the saying goes! And fun we are having. Last week, Josh got a new (to him) motorcycle. This was the second straight week of AMAZING weather. Highs in the 70s - 80s, with motorcycles everywhere. He scoured Craigslist for weeks. He wanted a bike sooooo bad. I've owed the poor boy a bike since he had to sell his when I dragged him to Virginia to live. And, almost 3 years later  (I can't believe we have been here that long!! wow), he finally got one. I think he looks cute on it. Now, as long as no one hits him, we will be good.

Apologies for my absence

Apologies for my last of posting lately. While I have been busy (although I'm not sure with what, exactly) I've been getting my blogging fix over at this blog you should really check out, where I blog much more regularly with my dear friend Trixie. Hugs!

Trip to the zoo!!

A few weeks ago my awesome sister came to visit. We always have a blast when she is in town.
This time, we took a trip to the zoo. The zoo is one of our favorite places in DC - it was the location of our first date!

Here are some pictures of our adventures.

First, us on the metro! Love my cute husband!

Here is my sister, Sarah, and her husband, Luis. We really love when they come to visit! Its always so much fun!

Just some cool metro pictures :)

There are 2 lions outside the entrance to the zoo. The zoo is in this really cool DC neighborhood. I love it!

 Bamboo! My little niece thinks she is a panda. If she was, this is what she would eat.

It was a really sunny day, so I took a picture of my shadow. Kinda weird, but I was just playing around.

This is the cheetah I think.

And Cheetah food, maybe? Just kidding, they are dama gazelle. So cool.

And this guy is our favorite - the EMU!! We love him. I like to think that we have become friends after many trips to the zoo. We spend the most time hanging out with him. He (or maybe a she? I don't know, but the emu seems like a he to me for some reason) is pretty entertaining, and is fun to watch because he will come right up to the fence and look at the people watching. Its pretty funny when he turns his head upside down.

Just two legs and neck!

Panda bears! I had to take these pictures even thought you can't see this guy very well for my panda bear niece.

The elephant exhibit was under construction, so for now, these elephants will have to do.

4th of July weekend adventures

Happy 4th of July everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. Josh and I were going to go to PA for the weekend, but decided at the last minute to stay home. Since we were stuck at home, we decided to go exploring and see what we have within a half hour of our apartment (in the direction opposite of DC, hence the open space :)

Friday night, after driving around for awhile, we happened about this wooded area.

I'm not sure why I was making the pretend angry face - maybe I was ready to go home?

Saturday afternoon (yep, we slept all morning, and it was wonderful!) we headed out again, and we found this really cool farm with a trail though the woods:

This little gem is right down the street from our apartment. Its behind a couple office building - how fun would it be to have your lunch break here?

On Monday, we found this park - this might be my new favorite place!

I was hoping to see a frog...

The significance of the yellow bug is that it was there, and I LOVE yellow bugs!

We didn't cross here, too much expensive camera equipment. Maybe next time.

Josh wanted me to be inside the tree for the picture - are you nuts? There are most likely spiders in there!

Ellanor C. Lawrence park, I will be back to visit again!

Worn out

Lately, I've been in a funk. The best way to describe it is WORN OUT. I'm tired. My brain is tired. My body is tired. I've been stressed at work for months, with lots of pressure and lots of projects. I was hoping it would get better soon and in a way it has, but in a way things have just gotten more stressful.

Last Friday, I had a board meeting at work (we are a non-profit, and we have quarterly meetings with our board of directors). I was supposed to get a raise, benefits - things I have been waiting for - and the wait has been long. Instead, it was decided that we might not even exist as an organization by the end of the summer. So not what I was expecting, for sure (well, this option has been on the table for a year now, to be fair, but some things happened that lead me to believe that it might NOT happen. That will teach me to be optimistic.) So now I'm faced with the reality that the projects that have worn me out in the first place might mean NOTHING by the end of the summer. That the job I've worked at for 4 years will soon be gone.

I'm trying to see this as an opportunity to find a better job - one that doesn't make me wait 4 years for health insurance. A job where I can contribute in a meaningful way to causes I really care about. A job that is challenging but does not have unrealistic expectations or insurmountable budgetary issues. Does such a job exist in this economy? I don't know, but I better start looking!!

Till then, I'll keep making these and reading this. I think I'll be feeling better in no time.

Rlease the photos?

News about Bin Laden's death is every where these days. While I have many conflicting emotions (some are posted here) one thing I know for certain - we should release the photos. Why you might ask? I'll let Jon Stewart speak for me (since he does it so well) when he says: "We've been fighting this war for nearly ten years. Thousands of US deaths, tens of thousands of Iraqi and Afghans have died and we've seen nearly zero photographic evidence of it... Maybe we should always show pictures: Bin Laden, pictures of our wounded service people, pictures of maimed innocent civilians. We can only make decisions about war if we see what war actually is."

The Daily Show - Face/Off
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How do I know when I'm a "grownup"??

In college, my roommates and I would discuss this issue (I'm looking at you Rebec and Sunny!). While I don't quite remember our whole list of what being "grown up" entailed, I seem to remember it involved having a job, married, kids, or owing a house. So in theory one could be considered a grownup if they had a house and a job. Or, if you didn't have a house or a job, you could still be a grownup if you had a husband and/or kids. Even though I've had a husband, a house (does it count if I HATED the house??), and a job for a few years now, I still don't feel quite grownup at times.

In an effort to remedy this, this year I've been trying to do more "grown up" things - have an decorated apartment (still a work in progress - I have ideas, but lack motivation), real furniture (TV! Couch! KITCHEN TABLE!!!), holiday decorations (love my pink Christmas tree), and celebrating holidays with celebrations of food. Yesterday for Easter, I made my first ham, and we had friends over for dinner. It was a really awesome, and a lot of fun to know I was cooking for a purpose.

Maybe I'm starting to grow up after all :)