Travelogue #2: Philadelphia

Ok, so anyone who is around me much knows that I'm skipping a trip in the middle there (To Eagle, for my brother's farewell. Way too much happened that weekend that the blogging world doesn't need to know about, so sorry. If you really want to know, talk to me.)

This past Saturday, Ashley and I drove up to Philadelphia to visit our old college roommate Liz and her husband, Justin. Super relaxing weekend, and I LOVED IT. Liz is probably the best hostess I have ever met. Not only did she buy us special milk (they're soy drinkers. ick. thanks, Liz!), but she actually made us an entire FORT in the living room so we could have some privacy. I am just now realizing that I didn't take a picture of this all, but the fort had a big blow-up air mattress, two chairs, bath towels, hand towels, etc. etc. Amazing.

Anyway, we got up there around 1 in the afternoon, chatted for a while, and then finally decided to visit Valley Forge & go shopping - something we almost never did when we actually lived together. I got to talk history with a woman dressed in full 18th-century American garb (It turns out that i can fake knowing more than i actually do. Being a teacher does that to you...), and we took some fabulous pictures with the toy muskets in the gift shop.



I guess this isn't so much a travelogue as a major shout-out to Liz. Love you!

Idol

Up until now (and by now, I mean this exact moment in time), I had never watched an episode of American Idol. I've made it I don't know how many seasons without ever turning it on or even pausing for a song while flipping through channels. But, alas, my ignorance-as-bliss is coming crashing to an end. After moving in with a couple of avid Idol fans, I've become intrigued by the show. So here I am. Watching last night's American Idol on DVR. Being so inexperienced in the world of Idol, I won't give my commentary on the singers (I think some of you might be furious with me), but I'd love to hear what you all think!

On a side note, don't expect me to be watching next season from Day 1. I think I can only handle it now because we're down to the best (last?) six.

Tagged!

a - attached or single? - Single. Glad we got that out of the way early.
b - best friend - Probably haven't had ONE best friend since about 2nd grade
c - cake or pie - pie, especially a good berry pie
d - day of choice - Saturday
e - essential item - my phone. i feel very lost without it.
f - favorite color - blue
g - gummi worms or bears - bears if they're chocolate-covered and worms if they're sour
h - hometown - Eagle, ID
i - indulgences - Chocolate, in way too many forms
j - january or july - July
k - kids - i have about 100 right now, but eventually i would like my own! =)
l - life is incomplete without... the church, my family, friends
m - marriage date. - Uh... working on it?
n - number of siblings - Three; one sister, two brothers
o - oranges or apples - Apples, usually
p - phobias or fears - heights and bats
q - quote - "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." (if you have any other good quotes, send them my way! i like to make my kids to respond to them...)
r - reason to smile - only 7 weeks of school left! in general though, having friends that i can talk with for hours, exploring new places, reminiscing with old friends
s - season - fall, definitely
t - tags - jessica ivins and lanelle barber
u - unknown fact about me - i really want to learn to paint. maybe teaching at an arts school has inspired me! =)
v - vegetable - asparagus or broccoli
w - worst habit - i don't know that a blog is the best place to reveal your WORST habits, but in the past couple weeks i've been accused of worrying too much. that probably counts.
x - x-ray or ultrasound - i think i had an x-ray once??
y - your favorite food - Cafe Rio pork salad is up there, along with good gelato and anything chocolate
z - zodiac - Scorpio

All Moved In?

I've been having all sorts of epiphanies about myself over the past few weeks. Like today, I realized that although I've been faking it for several months now, I really have no idea what I'm doing at work. (How on earth do you get a class of defiant and talkative teenagers to participate constructively? If you have ideas, PLEASE let me know.) Or the fact that I'm mildly OCD.

Walking into my bedroom, I have to laugh at another of my funny habits. I hate to unpack. Anything. Period. I do my laundry, fold my clothes in the laundry basket and then get dressed out of the laundry basket for a week. When I get back from a trip, my suitcase usually sits on the floor for several days before I bother with it. Three weeks ago (almost!) I moved into a new house with some friends, and I was really looking forward to having a couple days to get all moved in and settled before everyone else got there.

The old place

When it really got down to it, however, I failed. My clothes are hung, suitcases stored and books shelved, but I haven't yet found somewhere to store extra sheets/blankets/towels. And even more frustrating, my mirror is still sitting on my floor. Not a particularly comfy place to get ready in the morning.

And the new...

Even worse than my bad habit of not unpacking is my inability to decorate. There is not a creative bone in my body. Someday, when I have the time and my roommates have the patience to help, I'll finish decorating and post some pics!

Two Festivals, One Beautiful Afternoon

Spring Break ended in the best way it possibly could. Four wonderful friends, a sunny spring afternoon, a lot of kites and the kick-off of the 2008 Cherry Blossom Festival! I had spent the previous week acting as tour guide (complete with camera and map) to my mom and brother, but decided I could handle just one more day of the Mall. Emily, Jill, Amanda, Kim and I metroed (yes, that's a verb!) into L'Enfant Plaza in an attempt to avoid the masses at the Smithsonian stop. We had tried to time our entrance onto the mall to coordinate with the start of the kite battles, but we were too early.

After darting in and out of diving kites (oh wait, there were no kites diving at us... I misspoke) for a while without seeing any battles, we decided to move on to the Cherry Blossom Festival. About 100 years ago, Japan gave a number of flowering cherry trees to the United States as a gift, and they have since given rise to one of the biggest events in Washington D.C. For any tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the flowers, the festival is held the last week of March through about the second week of April - but you have to get lucky to see them at their peak.

And here is us enjoying the afternoon.