Thoughts.

Housing has been on my mind a lot lately.  That's because...I don't know where I'm living after July!
Up until last week, I was almost certain that I would be moving into a house of christian girls - I heard about it from Abby my (awesome!) cubemate.  It just seemed perfect, so I didn't even look at anything else (I know, I'm still learning.  Don't put all your eggs in one basket!).

Well, after a long interview with the girls, I started feeling the Lord tell me that this probably wasn't the best living environment for me.  I was confused, because I had been so excited and certain about it at first.  But I put it before him, asking him to lead me into the perfect housing situation he has for me.

Get this - 1 week later (July 21st, with my sublease up on the 31st), I have:
  - An offer to housesit for 1 1/2 weeks at the beginning of August
  - 2 couches offered for me to sleep on
  - An offer from my current roommate to just stay until August 22, because she'll be gone for work!

Basically, I have an added 2 weeks to look for housing!  And not only that...

I've been looking into living with Erin and her two roommates on capital hill, and we found 2 row houses that look amazing!!!! So, I am no longer stressed, just excited about what God will provide.  Doesn't it always turn out that his plans are so much better than ours?

Another pic from the weekend...but right now I'm almost this happy!

You know you're friends when...

--You can take pictures for hours and never run out of faces (it never gets old!)
--You  can say one word, and the other instantly knows what you're talking about (any place, any time)
--You can snort while laughing and be in good company (thanks viv, I never used to have this problem!)
--You can have the best weekend just by chilling (and eating!)
--You can laugh at things that anyone else would find stupid (Free!)


Here are a few more pics from the weekend, complete with my favorite quotes:

Vivienne, putting sugar in her water..."Sugar gives me energy! I need some SUGAR!! Hummingbirds drink it, why can't I??"


















   At Tryst, a guy says, "Mind if I look at your menu?"Trying to say "feel free" I blurt out, "FREE!"...followed by, "I feel stupid.  I feel like Johnny English stupid!"

I don't think you will ever see Vivienne happier...this is an escalator to DSW.  And she still  has her sugar water (I'm just glad it wasn't caffeine!)

Viv being artistic like usual :)












So, if I could summarize my weekend in 2 words, I would say...not possible!  But...So Good :)

The Best!

Vivienne AND my dad came to visit this weekend!! To say that this has been my favorite weekend of my DC life would be the most gigantic understatement.  This weekend was the best :)

It all started Friday morning...
I got up extra early, and made it to work by 8 (I know, I was impressed)...I didn't walk the 1.5 miles though, I caved and took the metro.  ISEP is awesome about flexible hours - I got to leave at 4 so I could meet up with Viv!

Unfortunately, the moment I got off work and went to meet her...she was caught in traffic, stuck to the leather seats of Jumbo.  Friday was sweltering.  Jumbo has no air conditioning.  NOT a fun ride...but once I got some mint iced tea into her and stuck her in front of the AC, we were ready to start our weekend! 

Surprisingly, we didn't do anything touristy.  We did, however, frequent my favorite cafe no less than 4 times (yes, in 2 1/2 days).  Cafe Tryst is just so cool! Besides, it has the best iced soy lattes I've ever tasted...and we discovered that their food is just as tasty! Best hummus EVER.

This was our Saturday morning breakfast stop as well...  :)

Then I got to show Viv where I work!  She got to see my cubicle and everything.  I know it's not much, but it feels official...and I love having my own workspace, even if I don't have a door.

I have to say, this weekend we ate, and we ate well.  As if having Tryst food a few times wasn't enough, Dad took us all (me, Viv, Jeremy and Erin) out to a delectable Indian restaurant.  I mean, we couldn't even talk when our food came because it was that good.  It was heavenly.  I probably could have eaten my weight in chicken curry...twice.  Good thing we walked a mile to the restaurant!

After dinner, Dad and I walked to Tryst to get some tea and catch up.   Ok, so tea was the plan...he ended up with a latte and blackberry lemon tart, and I got a huge platter of strawberries and nutella! Mmmm.  It was great to chat and share what had been going on in our lives.  I'm so thankful for you Dad!

City Life!

Have I mentioned I love living in the city?  Well, I do.  And here are a few reasons:

It's the nation's capital! I mean, how great is it that I am at the center of all of the most important goings on of our country?

I snapped this on the way to the marine corps concert.  Love it all lit up!

Cool little houses like this all over the place! 

 I also love the street I'm living on - each building has a different facade and architecture.  So beautiful.

I also really love random street performers that do things you've never even thought of.  I came across this cute old man last night when I was in old town alexandria.  He's a christian, and he played the craziest most complicated songs on his glass contraption...like star wars, mozart, the national anthem...crazy! 

This is my new favorite cafe (you know how I love them...).  Cafe Tryst has a really cool atmosphere, lots of deep, comfy, chairs, delicious lattes, and is only a 1/2 mile from my pad.  Which reminds me, I also LOVE walking everywhere!  It's so cool to have a few miles of walking be a part of my daily routine, and it's an addition I don't even think twice about (except for the times I decide to walk even farther than I have to, by skipping the metro or bus).

     And that's just to name a few :)  The city life is so fun - always something to do, somewhere to go, people to meet.  That being said, I have been feeling a little lonely on the weekends.  I am so happy to have a 9-5 job, and in the evenings I am perfectly content to go home and relax/cook/watch a movie etc.  But on the weekends when I am faced with 2 whole days of figuring out what to do with myself, I have found that I am a bit at loose ends.
     I know that I just moved here, and it will take time to meet people, but I guess I am a little impatient.  I know God has great plans for me here...every step of the way he has made it so clear that this is where I am meant to be.  He has given me a great apartment, amazing coworkers, and connections with random people (I have now run into no fewer than 6 people that I know, but I had no idea they lived here...cool!).  I am confident he will answer my prayers of finding a good church, complete with that fellowship and community that I have been longing for.  I guess, as always, I just need to move forward in faith and trust in Him.

Yay :)

Guess who I had lunch with today?? No, no one famous like the president or Ralph Nader (Ha I heard he's been sighted in DC recently).  Who is important enough for me to get into work early and stay late just so I can take an extra-long lunch?
Family!
My mom, Diana and Benjamin were on their way up to good old jersey, so of course they stopped to buy me a nice meal (ok, ok so they actually came to see me but I will never turn down free food, especially now that I am learning to budget!).  It was really fun to see them...but also just reminded me of the fact that I really do live in DC! I have a real job and I am living on my own.  This thought crosses my mind at least once a day, and just reminds me how grateful I am to God for providing just what I wanted and needed!  It doesn't get much better than that.

Anyways, here are some pictures from our lunch rendez-vous -

Me and my stinky :)

Ben and momma.  Hopefully she survived the ride with those two the rest of the way!

Ha typical. B always tries to cover his face for some reason.

Melting!

ok, so when I walked out of my office today, I felt like I was walking into the fiery furnace.  GAHH!! I was going to walk the 1 1/2 miles back to my apartment, but quickly decided to splurge and ride the metro.  What good would saving money be if all my skin melted off and I was left in a puddle? Right, not much.
So, 20 minutes later, I am now at 2628 woodley place practically sitting on top of the window unit.   Much better!  The only thing that could improve this situation is...

YUM.

If I could, I would drink the biggest iced soy mocha in the world right now.  Or maybe just get it in IV form.  And yes, yes that is a chocolate croissant in the background.  What's your favorite drink to beat the heat?

Comes with the territory...

Whoever designed the DC grid system should be shot. Seriously, what were they thinking??

I woke up this morning with the intention of visiting Capitol Hill Baptist, hoping to find a church that was similar to the one I loved so much in Raleigh. After downloading directions, I booked it to catch the 10:16 metro to Union Station. I arrived there at 10:30 (with the service starting at 10:45) which should have given me just enough time to walk to church.

What came next is as follows:

- Implicitly followed directions, and realized something was wrong when I ended up at another metro stop.

- Cursed the DC layout as I stood sweating in the 90 degree weather, trying to figure out where I went wrong

- Looked at the metro map to get my bearings, but could not locate First St. NE nor A street anywhere.

- Refused to let this get the better of me and let my good sense of direction be insulted; set off in the direction I thought I needed to go.

- Passed a Starbucks and grabbed an iced green tea to prevent death by dehydration, continued on my quest.

Hot, tired and confused, but not beat

- It was now 11:30, 45 minutes after the service started. Since I had long ago given up hope of making it in time for any part of the service, I stopped to take a picture of this darling 4th of July picnic layout -

- Moving on, I arrived at A and 5th, where the church was supposed to be, but was nowhere to be seen. Oh, my bad, it must be the OTHER A street, 3 blocks over. Seriously, so stupid.

- Finally, an hour after setting out from the station, I FOUND IT. (see??)

At this point, I was just laughing at the absurdity of it all. Me, wandering around aimlessly trying to find my way in this new city was not something I was expecting. My pride in my sense of direction definitely got knocked down a bit...however, I satisfied my need to prove that I could find it, and will hopefully make a less adventurous trip next week.

* * * * *

As if that weren't enough, as I waited for the metro, I had a balding, middle-aged man with tall white socks come up to me and start asking me random questions. Trying to be polite and yet always on my guard in the city, I talked with him about the 4th until he said, "you're cool, do you have a boyfriend?". Taken off-guard and not knowing what to say, I replied, "I don't think I need to answer that". It turns out he was autistic, and after telling me this, he apologized and went on his way. I felt bad, but I guess it's better to be safe and a little rude.

After this, I made my way to Books-a-Million, got the newest Real Simple, and munched on this delicious salad from Sweet Greens.

My morning turned out quite differently than I expected, but I guess it's all part of moving to a new place and learning to get around. I am quite enjoying myself :)