Hey! I have moved my blog.
Since Dillon and I do not have internet at home, I needed a blogging site that I could use from my phone. This will enable me to post more!
You can find the new and improved blog at www.yoteachdoesdc.tumblr.com
See ya there!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Tomorrow is Friday! My weeks go by so very quickly anymore. I look forward to the weekends and Friday not because the work week is up, but more because Dillon and I have been staying busy with fun things to do on the weekends.
I love my job. Seriously. I have been here for a little over month and I look forward to each work day. It makes life out here that much sweeter.
A few weeks ago, Dillon and I went out to eat with Mark and Erika to a restaurant in the National Harbor in Maryland. We got there a little bit early so that we could explore this area. There are shops and a little beach area with a pier. On the "beach," there is this very interesting sculpture called, "The Awakening." It is a 70 foot giant trying to free himself from the ground. I snapped some pictures on my phone, but here is a better view.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3011/2619047003_718d45302a.jpg
Here are some pictures that I took:
This is what we look like still.
That weekend we had a BBQ to go to in DC, but decided to go to the National Museum of the American Indian beforehand. Overall, the museum was ok, but the short film that they show was very cool! Please take a minute to ready about the Lelawi theater here:
http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=visitor&second=dc&third=theaters
View from the 4th floor balcony.
The special exhibition at the museum was called Vantage Point and featured contemporary art from American Indians. This piece was by an artist named James Lavadour and was titled Blanket.
A close up of an individual canvas.
I love my job. Seriously. I have been here for a little over month and I look forward to each work day. It makes life out here that much sweeter.
A few weeks ago, Dillon and I went out to eat with Mark and Erika to a restaurant in the National Harbor in Maryland. We got there a little bit early so that we could explore this area. There are shops and a little beach area with a pier. On the "beach," there is this very interesting sculpture called, "The Awakening." It is a 70 foot giant trying to free himself from the ground. I snapped some pictures on my phone, but here is a better view.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3011/2619047003_718d45302a.jpg
Here are some pictures that I took:
This is what we look like still.
That weekend we had a BBQ to go to in DC, but decided to go to the National Museum of the American Indian beforehand. Overall, the museum was ok, but the short film that they show was very cool! Please take a minute to ready about the Lelawi theater here:http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=visitor&second=dc&third=theaters
It is a circular theater with three screens in the middle. Throughout the 13 minute video there are projections on the screens, the dome shaped ceiling and a rock beneath the screens. Scattered around the theater are display cases with Native American artifacts. When this tribe is being described in the video, you will hear a crackling noise and the display case lights up. l It was seriously so neat. I would recommend at least swinging by the museum to check out the short video.
I managed to sneak a few shots around the museum.
View from the 4th floor balcony.
The special exhibition at the museum was called Vantage Point and featured contemporary art from American Indians. This piece was by an artist named James Lavadour and was titled Blanket. 
A close up of an individual canvas.
If you want to learn more about this exhibition, you can view this website:
All of the pieces can be seem on the "mobile site."
Last weekend, Dillon and I vegged out. We chose to not get cable or internet (to get us out of the apartment and exploring more) so we watched DVD's of The Office seasons. It was perfect.
Last weekend, Dillon and I vegged out. We chose to not get cable or internet (to get us out of the apartment and exploring more) so we watched DVD's of The Office seasons. It was perfect.
Things are coming along in the apartment. We have gotten some more furniture (all for more storage). I will post pictures once it is a bit more together.
This weekend, however, we are going into DC to see at least one Smithsonian on Saturday. It is Dillon's birthday on Monday so we will have to celebrate for that too!
This weekend, however, we are going into DC to see at least one Smithsonian on Saturday. It is Dillon's birthday on Monday so we will have to celebrate for that too!
Life out here is fabulous. I hope things are great everywhere else!
Hugs from the East coast,
V
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Life has been chaotic this week. Dillon and I went camping on Saturday and woke up, drove home, and moved into our new apartment on Sunday. It is Thursday and I am still trying to catch up with my rest/sleep!
Friday, Dillon had a day off so he was in charge of TCB (taking care of business). He made arrangements for a U-Haul pickup truck for Sunday and went grocery shopping for camping. Late that afternoon he left town to go to a dirt track race. After work, I ran by our new apartment complex to sign the lease and get the keys. Then, I drove into DC and picked up Dillon's cousin, Melissa and I just so happened to see this gorgeous landmark and snap a picture!
Melissa stayed the night with us on Friday night so that we could get on the road early Saturday morning for camping. Before we left the DC area, we had to swing by and pick up some guy who needed a ride to the campsite.
I had no idea what to expect for this trip. Melissa invited us to go because the roommate of one of her friends works with the guy who arranged this whole extravaganza for his birthday (a lot of degrees of separation). I think around 120 attended.
We got on the road around nine and traveled the three hours to Assateague Island. You can read a little bit about the Island here: http://www.assateagueisland.com/
We arrived to the campsite and were warned by rangers to not bother the wild ponies that lived on the island. Yes, wild ponies. We found the group campsite and began unloading our gear. Our tent was staked into the sand. Yes, the sand. We were one sand dune away from the ocean.
From the moment we set foot on the site everyone was so nice and welcoming. Everyone approached us and introduced themselves and did a great job of remembering our name all day. As we approached the main camp, a guy was spreading boiled crabs and corn on a picnic table and giving an impromptu crab anatomy lesson. There must have been 40 crabs!
We were starving so Dillon started lunch, steak and mushrooms. Yummy! Dillon was pretty pleased with himself as he handed out samples to everyone around. He was pretty popular with those meat and mushroom samples. Here is a picture of the master chef himself...
After a few hours, a lot more people began showing up. This was the "main" camp site.
Friday, Dillon had a day off so he was in charge of TCB (taking care of business). He made arrangements for a U-Haul pickup truck for Sunday and went grocery shopping for camping. Late that afternoon he left town to go to a dirt track race. After work, I ran by our new apartment complex to sign the lease and get the keys. Then, I drove into DC and picked up Dillon's cousin, Melissa and I just so happened to see this gorgeous landmark and snap a picture!
Melissa stayed the night with us on Friday night so that we could get on the road early Saturday morning for camping. Before we left the DC area, we had to swing by and pick up some guy who needed a ride to the campsite.
I had no idea what to expect for this trip. Melissa invited us to go because the roommate of one of her friends works with the guy who arranged this whole extravaganza for his birthday (a lot of degrees of separation). I think around 120 attended.
We got on the road around nine and traveled the three hours to Assateague Island. You can read a little bit about the Island here: http://www.assateagueisland.com/
We arrived to the campsite and were warned by rangers to not bother the wild ponies that lived on the island. Yes, wild ponies. We found the group campsite and began unloading our gear. Our tent was staked into the sand. Yes, the sand. We were one sand dune away from the ocean.
From the moment we set foot on the site everyone was so nice and welcoming. Everyone approached us and introduced themselves and did a great job of remembering our name all day. As we approached the main camp, a guy was spreading boiled crabs and corn on a picnic table and giving an impromptu crab anatomy lesson. There must have been 40 crabs!
We were starving so Dillon started lunch, steak and mushrooms. Yummy! Dillon was pretty pleased with himself as he handed out samples to everyone around. He was pretty popular with those meat and mushroom samples. Here is a picture of the master chef himself...
After a few hours, a lot more people began showing up. This was the "main" camp site.
Dillon and I walked over the sand dune to take a stroll on the beach. The water was freezing, freezing, freezing and there were still guys surfing! Crazies!
While the sun was out, everyone just mingled and had some drinks. There was a sound system set up so we pretty much just grooved to some beats and had a grand ole time. The park has a no noise policy after ten so the stereo was turned off and everyone headed to the beach. Four "arenas" about 10 feet in diameter were dug in the sand with a sand bench/seat around the edge. In the middle was a sand platform stacked with firewood. Everyone walked out to the "arenas" and piled in around the bonfires. At each fire there was at least one person with a guitar. For the rest of the night, we laughed and sang and listened to music.
The next morning everyone woke up early because really, sleeping in a tent on the sand is just as uncomfortable as sleeping in the woods on dirt. As everyone was packing up their gear, six wild ponies traipsed into our camp. I was ten feet from them. They were walking right in the middle of everything and getting into everyone's food. They nearly crushed an unlucky couple's tent! Everyone kept a safe distance, but a few brave souls were lucky in shooing them away by banging pots and pans. Off they ran onto the beach. Here they are being mischevious...
While the sun was out, everyone just mingled and had some drinks. There was a sound system set up so we pretty much just grooved to some beats and had a grand ole time. The park has a no noise policy after ten so the stereo was turned off and everyone headed to the beach. Four "arenas" about 10 feet in diameter were dug in the sand with a sand bench/seat around the edge. In the middle was a sand platform stacked with firewood. Everyone walked out to the "arenas" and piled in around the bonfires. At each fire there was at least one person with a guitar. For the rest of the night, we laughed and sang and listened to music. 
The next morning everyone woke up early because really, sleeping in a tent on the sand is just as uncomfortable as sleeping in the woods on dirt. As everyone was packing up their gear, six wild ponies traipsed into our camp. I was ten feet from them. They were walking right in the middle of everything and getting into everyone's food. They nearly crushed an unlucky couple's tent! Everyone kept a safe distance, but a few brave souls were lucky in shooing them away by banging pots and pans. Off they ran onto the beach. Here they are being mischevious...
When we got back from camping, Dillon and I immediately started moving stuff to our new apartment. Mark and Erika helped us. I don't know what we would have done without them! We did not get everything, but all of the big furniture that we needed the truck for. Around nine, we decided to call it a day. Dillon and I ordered pizza and wings and had our first dinner in the apartment. Because we have no moved our kitchen table to the new place yet, we sat on the floor and devoured that meal.
Last night, we took Mark and Erika out to eat at the National Harbor to thank them for all their help! I will write it about it a bit later, because this post is a novel!
This weekend Dillon and I are going to a BBQ in DC and hope to see some sites beforehand.
Hugs from the East coast,
V
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Update. This just in...
I just got the call. We got the apartment! We sign the lease and get the keys tomorrow. Then, we will rent a U-Haul and move in on Sunday. This is the place we wanted really bad and it has everything we want. I am beyond excited!
It is almost the weekend and I have yet to blog about last weekend. Let me start from where I left off...
Last weekend, while tame was jam packed with activities. Dillon and I went on a double date with one of his coworkers and his girlfriend to the Cheesecake Factory. You can never go wrong with that place. There is something on the menu for everyone and dessert is almost always a must. The four of us shared a strawberry shortcake and I savoured every bite of that delicious treat.
Saturday morning was chilly as we began our hunt for an apartment. We bounced from place to place getting referrals from leasing managers for good places in our price range. I'm all about the best bang for your buck. We ended up looking at places that were more than our initial budget. After looking at several places, we decided to give ourselves the rest of the day off and have some fun! Fun to us was going to Ikea and an outlet mall. I scored some things for my cube at work from Ikea and work clothes at Old Navy (40% everything at the outlet. Cha Ching!) By Saturday night, we were so wiped out we ordered a pizza and called it a night.
After reviewing our budget we determined that our initial rent budget was very conservative so we extended it a bit. In our new budget, we have found a place we really like. It has all the amenities we wanted, it's safe and in a great location! More details to come as it is available...
Sunday was Easter and the weather was beautiful! We headed to Mount Vernon with a purse full of snacks. The weather was perfect, we were in great spirits, and the site was amazing. I always find it fascinating to walk on the grounds of places that once housed amazing leaders. George Washington had himself a nice little crib with breathtaking views of the Potomac. Did you know that Martha and George never had children together? I didn't. George was a stepdad to Martha's children.
Because it was customary to house travellers at this time the house had 10 bedrooms! It had original pieces of furniture and the colors on the wall were very close to what George had at that time (or so the tour guides say). As we were waiting to get into the house, there was a main giving us a rundown of rules and what we would be seeing. On the floor next to him was a box with file folders that had these instructions in nearly 30 languages!
Here are some pictures of what we saw...
All of the foliage on the grounds was spectacular. I kept gasping and pointing and making Dillon stop so I could take pictures. Here are some of the beautiful things we saw...
And just in case you forgot what we look like, here is an Easter picture of me and the big guy...
Hugs from the East coast,
Hugs from the East coast,
V
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Pursuit of Happiness...
I found this website last night while using Stumble Upon (completely and ridiculously addicting).
http://www.highexistence.com/life-secrets-and-tips/comment-page-1/
I'm all about life secrets. Lemme tell you. I had an AHA! moment last week when I figured out one of my own life secrets....GIVING YOURSELF TIME!
I understand that this seems wildly obvious and I may be a bonehead for never practicing it before, but I'm enjoying this glory for now, folks.
There is no greater joy than relaxing after you get up. Not rushing, just relaxing like you have all the time in the world. I have never experienced such a delight. I get up. I make Dillon's lunch and my own and I just veg. This seems like a weird and inappropriate time to just veg, but this is my tale. I give myself all this time to just start my day. The rest of my day is so much more of a delight this way. I don't stress that I picked my outfit hastily or that it may be wrinkly. I don't stress that what I packed for lunch is not going to hit the spot. I don't stress that I am going to forget something. I don't stress that I will get stuck in traffic and be late. I try on a few outfits. Maybe iron an article or two. I contemplate what is going to taste just right on my lunch hour. I check my purse and bag to make sure I have everything I need for the day. Then, I double check. I drive to work and don't mind (kind of enjoy) traffic. I can just sit in my car and veg some more listening to my music. Veg to veg later? I am totally on board with this concept. Time. Give yourself some. It's pretty fabulous.
Also among my life secret revelations is figuring out that what I have experienced out here thus far by myself and with Dillon has been genuine happiness. A job. A life not 12 hours away from Dillon. Independence. New experiences. For me that is an equation for bliss.
Have you ever had that overwhelming feeling of happiness that you feel like you may just burst? I love life's moments like this and here, I have been having them often. On Sunday, I went to a mall at Pentagon City to buy a pair of jeans. I hop on the highway and within minutes the Washington Monument and Capitol are in full view. I'm going to the mall? What? For real? This is my life?
I'm thoroughly enjoying myself.
This weekend the apartment hunt will continue, but Dillon and I plan on sneaking some fun in there also. On the list, Mount Vernon and Monticello.
You can read a little bit about them at these websites : )
www.monticello.org/
www.mountvernon.org/
I have not taken a single picture since I have been here so I will do my best to heavily document these outings.
How about some music that makes me happy to end out this ultra bubbly post?
Hugs from the East coast,
V
http://www.highexistence.com/life-secrets-and-tips/comment-page-1/
I'm all about life secrets. Lemme tell you. I had an AHA! moment last week when I figured out one of my own life secrets....GIVING YOURSELF TIME!
I understand that this seems wildly obvious and I may be a bonehead for never practicing it before, but I'm enjoying this glory for now, folks.
There is no greater joy than relaxing after you get up. Not rushing, just relaxing like you have all the time in the world. I have never experienced such a delight. I get up. I make Dillon's lunch and my own and I just veg. This seems like a weird and inappropriate time to just veg, but this is my tale. I give myself all this time to just start my day. The rest of my day is so much more of a delight this way. I don't stress that I picked my outfit hastily or that it may be wrinkly. I don't stress that what I packed for lunch is not going to hit the spot. I don't stress that I am going to forget something. I don't stress that I will get stuck in traffic and be late. I try on a few outfits. Maybe iron an article or two. I contemplate what is going to taste just right on my lunch hour. I check my purse and bag to make sure I have everything I need for the day. Then, I double check. I drive to work and don't mind (kind of enjoy) traffic. I can just sit in my car and veg some more listening to my music. Veg to veg later? I am totally on board with this concept. Time. Give yourself some. It's pretty fabulous.
Also among my life secret revelations is figuring out that what I have experienced out here thus far by myself and with Dillon has been genuine happiness. A job. A life not 12 hours away from Dillon. Independence. New experiences. For me that is an equation for bliss.
Have you ever had that overwhelming feeling of happiness that you feel like you may just burst? I love life's moments like this and here, I have been having them often. On Sunday, I went to a mall at Pentagon City to buy a pair of jeans. I hop on the highway and within minutes the Washington Monument and Capitol are in full view. I'm going to the mall? What? For real? This is my life?
I'm thoroughly enjoying myself.
This weekend the apartment hunt will continue, but Dillon and I plan on sneaking some fun in there also. On the list, Mount Vernon and Monticello.
You can read a little bit about them at these websites : )
www.monticello.org/
www.mountvernon.org/
I have not taken a single picture since I have been here so I will do my best to heavily document these outings.
How about some music that makes me happy to end out this ultra bubbly post?
Hugs from the East coast,
V
Monday, April 18, 2011
I have recently discovered that I am crazy about COUPONS! Today, during a training meeting I kept offering suggestions to my co-workers about the best deals around town (even if it was unsolicited). Want a piece of gum? Sure. Did you know Orbit is buy one get one free at CVS? You like my nail polish? Thanks. It's too is on sale at CVS for $1.99.
I quickly learned that sales ads are useless unless you a card holder of some sort at the place where you are shopping. I never ever knew this to be true. I guess I never paid close enough attention when I went grocery shopping in college. However, now I am a big girl and I am ALL about saving that dough, scrilla, dolla bills, etc. Dillon and I got a Giant grocery store card and saved a bundle on groceries and I got a CVS card yesterday and saved five bucks immediately.
Tonight, I'm running by Safeway (a grocery store) to get some items just because of a coupon I found in the Sunday paper.
Dillon is beginning to think I'm cheap, but I just say "thrifty."
Hugs from the East coast, V
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