I am spoiled.

Christmas was a different experience this year, because we weren't surrounded by family. To compensate for the emotional pain of this, Lee and I kind of overindulged each other with gifts. I guess we were helping the economy out, so that's a great thing. On my birthday, Dec. 24, Lee woke me up with a necklace as my first present. Then he braved the traffic and took me to work since he had the day off, and brought me Starbuck's. He spent the morning shopping and got my car washed. There is this white stuff they use up here to de ice the roads. I don't know if it's salt or calcium or something else, but it sticks on the sides of your car and, being the cold weather novices that we are, we are afraid this white stuff will damage our car, so therefore, it is of utmost importance to wash the car often. If anyone can tell us what that stuff is, we'd appreciate the knowledge and it may just put an end to our paranoia. Anyways, Lee picked me up from work around 11 and we walked around this fancy mall across from my office, then he took me to a fancy seafood restaurant for lunch. I got to have crab legs! This was very important, since I get good seafood twice a year: my birthday and our anniversary. Crab legs are so worth the effort of eating them. Yum. I opened a second present there and got a pair of leather boots. They smelled so good. We got lost going to Walgreen's in Fairfax (we always get lost in Fairfax), then we went bowling. Turns out, the bowling alley we went to was donating all their proceeds on Christmas eve to a charity of the patrons' choosing, so we got to help out the Diabetes foundation. That was a great way to spend my birthday. Lee made me a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie cake that was really good and we had BFD (breakfast for dinner). We rented Fred Claus, because White Christmas was already rented out. Other gifts I got ( I really sound like a child...) was XBox SceneIt, which is so fun, a couple more necklaces, a Cowboys hat, sweatpants, and a hat with earflaps to keep my head warm when we are outside and it's cold.

Christmas morning we woke up and opened our stockings. Turns out Santa was really into gift-giving this year as well, as our stockings were definitely stocked to completion. We drank Coke, as is the tradition in my family. It serves as a nonspoken reminder of my Maw and how much she loved Christmas (and Coca-cola). After stockings I put the ham on and we opened our presents from each other. Around 12:30 we tried to get on the Webcam to open presents with my family, but the online call kept getting dropped so we just opened them over the phone. This was the hardest part of the day because we could tell exactly what all we were missing. It was very bittersweet. Then we used the XBox to watch Lee's fam open presents. After all the presents were opened we ate our dinner of ham, mashed potatoes, bread and green beans. My ham was unbelievably good and we are still eating the leftovers, 5 days later. Later that eve we went to Benn and Laura Oltmann's house and had dinner and played games. They just moved here from Oregon and couldn't go home for Christmas either, so it was nice to be able to hang out with people in a similar situation.

Friday eve my friend Ann threw me a birthday party at the Cheesecake Factory. It was lots of fun to be with friends for my birthday. I had been telling everyone I was getting an ipod for Christmas, but when I realized I didn't get one, Lee just told me that he was waiting for a newer version of the Zune to come out, and I just accepted his excuse at face value. One of our friends gave me an ipod case and said, "You got one, right?" So I had to explain that I didn't, actually. Lee told everyone that he was planning on getting me one, but then he saw this bread maker and decided to get that instead. (The bread maker is great, by the way, we used it for the first time last night and it worked really well). Anyways, his story made everyone laugh and at the end of dinner I opened Lee's last present for me and it was, of course, my Ipod Touch. Now I have a constant soundtrack of my life, because I listen to my ipod everywhere. Or, that was the plan at least, but apparently Lee doesn't like that plan because we were grocery shoppin last night and he took my earphones away, saying, "No Alecia. We're shopping together. I want you with me." I was only listening with one earphone, anyways...I could so hear him still. But, I was reminded of the times I've seen families together, but not, and decided lee was probably right in insisting that there is no ipod during family time. However, right now, I'm either with Lee or at work. Good thing I can use it at work!

flurry of activity

I am now legal to drive in VA! It is so exciting to have the "DMV Drama" behind me. The best part is that my license now reads "AL3CIA". My name was already taken, but this is pretty close, right?

The past couple of weeks have been crazy busy! We've had Christmas parties, Birthday parties (not mine yet...Dec. 24th, don't forget...I may be turning 28, but I'm still excited about my Bday.), Babysitting at the Church Building, Shopping, Wrapping and sending off packages, Christmas card writing, plus, work and long traffic lines everyday. It has been fun, (even traffic's not bad when you are listening to a good book), but we are excited about this week, when we have nothing planned and can now just relax and make Christmas goodies and watch Christmas movies.

I won lots of tickets at the Christmas party at Dave and Busters!!

Lee and i are really spoiling each other with gifts. I think we are subconsciously trying to make up for the lack of family that we will see over the holidays. But it's kind of a race...who can put more stuff under the trees?

Speaking of trees, we have the tackiest tree ever this year. It is a soft pine, which means when you walk past it, it doesn't poke you. Which is great and all, but it also means the branches are too soft to really hold ornaments. We shoved them all on anyways, and now all the branches are droopy. Also, we couldn't find a tree stand anywhere because they were all sold out, so we made our own with a bag of rocks from Home Depot and a bright orange washtub we had sitting around. Then, we strung multicolored lights all over it, only half of which blink on and off, and topped it off with a plastic reindeer lawn ornament, in lieu of a star. Finally, Lee found a scraggly piece of silver garland and wrapped it around the bottom of the tree, since it already was way past "tastefully tacky". Oh, and the tree kind of leans because the washtub is too big, so Lee had to strap the tree in using a hanger. We are one moon pie short of being a redneck catastrophe. On the bright side, we have a fake tree in the corner that is decorated in only the color blue...so classy. But unfortunately, it becomes background noise to the "other" tree.

DMV adventures, deux

A couple of weeks ago Lee and I got up on a chilly Saturday morning to stand in line at the DMV and finally get my license and registration done. This was our third time to do this, and we still hadn't accomplished anything. Well, I succeeded in getting my license (which meant that I had my TX license confiscated, much to my chagrin). However, my title that was supposed to have been fedexed could not be found and the girl behind the counter told me that after 30 days they send it back to the lienholder. Drats! I had had it sent, but then got my job and pushed this terrible errand back, and now I had to wait some more! Well, with Thanksgiving and everything, I haven't taken the opportunity to recall my lienholder to re-request my title. Today, I received a call from the DMV saying, " We've had your title since September, and if you do not come in soon, we will be sending it back to your lienholder." Excuse me? I was at the DMV, my title was at the DMV, all my other paper work was at the DMV, and I still am not registered? Ugh! I called and actually was able to talk to a human being who told me she'd gladly file it unti l Saturday, so that I could come in and get it taken care of. So cross your fingers for Saturday morn! The incredulousness of this predicament is baffling....

Thanksgiving

Our first Thanksgiving without family went surprisingly well. We went to some friends' house and feasted on a terrific bird. I made rolls, but they just don't taste like mom's...I'll get it right someday though. :) We played lots of games and kept busy, so that we wouldn't get homesick. Friday morning I got up and went to Target where I was able to buy lots of goodies. The store wasn't too busy, thankfully. That night we got all dressed up and went to the National Harbor to see the Tree lit up and fireworks. It was fun being on the water, and the Harbor is just beautiful. We went to Old Town Alexandria to have dinner and stopped in at this Mexican place. It looked kind of strange because there were low tables and couches instead of chairs. I was cool with it, though. Then we looked at the menu and saw that it was "Morroccan" not "Mexican". Apparently in our starving stupor we can't read. So we gave our apologies to the mait'r de and vamoosed out of there...it was cold and we weren't feeling adventurous. Then we went to "Hard Times Cafe" and found a new favorite place to eat. They serve the best chili, and it's from Texas! Bonus!

It's Snowing!!!

Ok, so it just snowed for, like, 10 minutes, and now it is over. But still... Snow before Thanksgiving? Doesn't happen in TX very often, that's for sure!

Winner Wednesday

Last weekend Lee and I went to a drafthouse/cinema to see Tropic Thunder. These places are really cool because there are waiters and stuff who bring you drinks and food throughout the movie. Plus, the chairs are all situated around tables and stuff, not in rows, so you feel more at home. It was a lot of fun, and we enjoyed the movie, although I definitely can't recommend it, since it was too crass for words. However, if you were to go onto YouTube at some point in your life and search for videos of Tom Cruise dancing during the credits of Tropic Thunder, you would not be disappointed. Or, for those of you not internet-savvy, just rent the movie and watch the last couple of minutes. It was so funny...Tom Cruise is making his comeback, just like Britney.

Last night we found a lighted tennis court, so we got to play again. We were in a good habit of playing after work, but then daylight savings happened and now it is way dark before I even leave work at 5:30. Playing with Lee is frustrating because I can hold him to close games, but I just can't go that extra mile and beat him. I have to get my "serious face" on, and even then that only works because it makes him laugh. He even says I grunt when I hit the ball...I would never admit this, however, because ladies do not grunt.

Tonight we are going to look at some houses to buy. Since it'll be dark, we have to look at the houses using a flashlight. It's kinda wierd, and I just home no neighbors call the cops on us for wandering around the neighborhood, looking in windows with flashlights.

this week's happenings

So I now know the true meaning of traffic. People in Fort Stockton who grumble about the cars on Dickinson need to shut their mouths. The past 2 days I've spent 15-20 minutes apiece waiting to exit the parking garage after work. Then the next hour I fight traffic to drive the 7 miles home. Seriously. And, from what I hear, the holiday season will be much worse, since there is 2 huge malls across from my building. I've started listening to audiobooks just to ward off the obvious melting of my patience. The book I'm listening to now is good, I think, but the reader is horrible. It's a romantic comedy, yet she's reading it like it's a dramatic piece of work. It is such a bummer when this happens! Lee and i were really excited one time to listen to a certain book on vacation, but had to stop a track or two in because the reader was so horrible we couldn't fathom listening to him for 10 hours. What are people thinking???

I forgot my cell phone and my latest paperback at home today, mostly because I was running late because I didn't get up until 7:20 and I had to leave by 8 (at the latest). I can't bring myself to get out of bed on time, even though I'm just laying there hitting snooze, wishing I didn't have to get up. Anyways, so now I have nothing to do between work tasks (and they are definitely sporadic on Fridays), and I can't call Lee and tell him about my plans for this evening. This also means that when I am stuck in the garage again tonight I won't be able to call my parents and complain.

So I've complained a lot, and that really isn't my style. I think the city life is making me a bit cynical. So now we'll talk about the leaves. All the trees around here are changing, and they look magnificent. We might go into the mountains tomorrow to watch the leaves change more (and to get away from the city for a bit). The fall leaves make me learn for a Chai Latte from Starbucks. Of course, every season makes me yearn for something from Starbucks. Ooh, the other day I had a pumpkin spice frap from there, and it was like drinking an actual pumpkin pie. Soooo good!

My work inbox is still empty. I have to much energy to not have anything to do!!!

homeland security

So for this small town girl, when a guy walks in and flashes his badge and say, "I'm from Homeland Security, and I need to talk to someone regarding a person employed here...", the heart finds its way into the throat. That's all I'm sayin...

For the 2nd time in a matter of weeks, Lee has mistaken the women's restroom for the men's. The first time, he noticed the door just in time. Yesterday, he did not. In fact, he didn't suspect anything when he saw no urinals, or when he saw the changing table (which, from what I understand, are showing up more and more in men's rooms). He was only struck with the horrible realization when he noticed the trash receptacles for "women-related trash". This was after he washed his hands, AFTER he had used the restroom. At this point, he rushed to the door and his worst fear of the day became a reality. Lucky for him, there was no one around to witness this debacle. However, in the Dept. of Agriculture building, security cameras abound...

I watched the last inning of the World Series game last night, where Philly won the pennant (or whatever the trophy is in baseball). I laughed out loud at the camera work done when the game was won. There was about 20 different scenes, all about 5 seconds long, depicting different players reactions to the final strikeout. The first few made sense, but after several of them, it just starting getting funny, because it was basically the same reaction over, and over, and over again.

10.27.08

Today I woke up thinking that someone was operating on my skull without my consent. It hurt to walk, it hurt to open my eyes, it hurt to think. I stumbled into the kitchen, grabbed the ibuprofen and took two with orange juice. Right now, it is 11:20, and while I am functioning and can do my work, The base of my neck and temples are still tight and pounding. It's been a while since I've had this caliber of headache. I used to get them often when I was teaching, but without that stress of teaching, the headaches have faded. Don't know what brought this one on, but it can go away now!

I've decided that a WiiFit would be a great Christmas present for me. I used one Saturday at Jill and Sammie's house and my stomach is still sore. If you don't know what it is, it is this board thing that goes on the floor and you do exercises on it using the Wii as an instructor of sorts. One of the activities is Hula Hooping. You stand on the board and Hula hoop and the board registers your balance and rhythm and it is calculated on the Wii. It is so fun and exhausting!

new job started!

Today is the first day that I am alone at the front desk. So far, I've answered many, many calls and got all calls sent to the accurate line. My outlook is not set up yet, and the girl I replaced forgot to give me her password stuff for her outlook, so I can't do 3/4 of my work. Frustrating, but that is just the way it goes. I have caught up on all my saved blogs and enjoyed reading about everyone. Monica's baby girl is so sweet-looking I teared up. Meredith's little boy is just the funniest thing...there was a video of him singing a song in the car that made me smile.

Everyone here at work seems really nice. It is a pleasant place to work. I am not used to sitting all day, though, and my hips scream for some activity. I didn't realize how active I am when I'm at home, but now when I go home I can't sit still. I'd rather do dishes or laundry than sit at the computer, since that is what I do all day.

We are going house looking the next couple of evenings. It'll be fun, but I'm ready to be in a regular schedule again. Our friend Rafael was visiting us for the past week, and while it was great fun, we found ourselves craving the normalcy of our regular lives. Plus, we are behind on all of our TV shows, and while that's a stupid thing to stress about, I truly find myself worrying about when we will get to watch last week's Office! We were a couple of weeks behind on Project Runway, so I finally just broke down and read spoilers about it online. It was honestly a relief to not have to set aside 2 more hours to finish up the season. Silly, I know.

New Job!

I have a job! A friend from church had an opening in her office for a receptionist and when I interviewed, they offered it on the spot! The office does IT consulting for some huge companies, which basically means that they staff IT people into these companies. I will be editing resumes for potential staff, answering phones, doing mail stuff, etc. It seems like a very peaceful place to work, and the people were very nice. I think they will really work to see that I am comfortable with all my new tasks. Plus, there is a ton of room for movement in the company and they encourage you to pursue the areas that you really have an interest to work in. I will start early next week. God has definitely smiled at me with this job.

Today I got paid for 4 hours work at the temp. agency, even though I only worked 15 minutes. It was supposed to be a training session for a "counting cars" assignment that I have tomorrow. But, since I've already done it, they said that I didn't have to stay, but I'd still get paid! That's one sweet deal. But tomorrow I have to be at my intersection by 5:30 AM. Sooo early! But I've checked out a Janet Evanovich book to listen to while I work, so I think I'll be able to stay awake okay.

Things I saw today

Here's my favorite Craigslist.com listing of the week:

I want to steal your picnic baskets (Dupont Circle)
Reply to: gigs-861801112@craigslist.org [?]Date: 2008-09-30, 10:25PM EDT
Needed – 10 people willing to dress like park rangers carrying picnic baskets for the next 2 weeks in an around the Dupont Circle area. Reason – I want to dress up like Yogi Bear and see if I can steal your pic-nic baskets. Why – To improve my stealth skills. Compensation - $50 if you can keep your picnic basket for the entire 2 weeks. Must be able to provide own ranger outfit and picnic basket.

I am so tempted...

Today I was sitting in my car, waiting for a realtor to show me a house. A bird flew by and startled this squirrel, right? So the sqirrel scrambles up a utility pole, then realizes that he can't fly, so he starts barking. I have never heard a squirrel bark, and it was quite disturbing. I was afraid, actually, that he was going to fly through my window and attack my smirking face. The sound that came out of that little furry body was somewhere between a quack and the sound you made when you were a kid and you were playing with your jacket zipper, quickly opening and closing your jacket. (I still tend to play with my zipper when I'm nervous.) Anyways, It was a really odd noise, and occasionally he'd add a sound that was clearly mimicking the bird, because it was nearly a perfect "caw". This was one talented, freaky squirrel.

I saw several houses today that I want to show Lee. One had an actual wood burning stove, like my Maw used to have. It reminded me of the long ago time when watching a Kleenex burn was valid entertainment. Just joking. I'd do that now, if I had a fire. At another place, as we opened the door, the realtor looked around and said, " Wow. I feel like I've fallen into a package of skittles." The walls were all painted different, bright colors: green, blue, peach, pink, purple, yellow, etc. It was really a neat house, but Lee would definitely require some wall improvements, since he isn't a Rainbow Brite fan.

Today

I went to the DMV again today. Once again, I came home with nothing accomplished. At least this time, however, I didn't sit in the parking lot for 10 minutes, sobbing. :) I'm becoming so mature. Anyways, turns out that, although a lease is accepted for proof of address, it has to be typed. Since ours isn't, it won't work. Not our fault that our landlords are unprofessional, but that just doesn't matter to the DMV. But a bank statement will work, so I already have that replaced in my "DMV portfolio". Initially, I couldn't find our registration card, so I had TX fax us a new one. The first time I went, The lady said, "This is faxed." I said, "Yes it is." She said, "It can't be faxed." I said, "Website didn't say anything about that stipulation." She won the argument. So, I called TX (after the aforementioned crying jag) and requested that they mail me a new one (I even got them to waive the $2 fee!). So I took that with me today, and after getting by the first lady who gave me a number, and waiting in another line, I found out that my registration card couldn't be accepted because it was expired, so they needed my title. Could no one have told me this before??? We were barely moved in when it expired... but our bad. We should have done it quickly, instead of putting it off. I don't have my title, because we are still paying off my car. Therefore, I had to call the mortgage company and ask them to FEdEx my title to the DMV. Who knows how long that will take.

Here's a fun list of things that are required in order for me to get my VA license, title, and registration:

Old driver's license (which they will shred--I'm so sorry to betray you, TX!)
Social Security Card
Marriage License
Birth Certificate
Insurance
Inspection
Emissions Inspection
BAnk STatement
Original Title
Receipt saying that I paid sales tax when I bought my car
3 different forms, one for each objective.

As far as I know, once I get all these items, I will be able to drive legally in VA. Until then, I'm on the run.

I got a job opportunity today. Oct. 11 I will be working at the "Friends of the Potomac River Refuge" 5th Annual Fall Wildlife Festival. My job? Face painting. I am so excited! I've had experience face painting in the past and just really enjoy doing it. So the next couple of weeks I will be practicing my skills on painting animals, flowers, insects, etc. It's gonna be so cool.

Decisions

Today I made a decision that was very difficult. I went to my second day as a temp at the title company, and after 15 minutes of being there, I quit. All day yesterday I was frustrated because I was receiving inadequate instructions, and then reprimands when I didn't accomplish what I was asked to do correctly. I am a huge proponent of the"the only dumb question is the one that goes unasked" ideal, therefore I made sure I asked for clarification if I wasn't sure how to do something. However, these were always answered with snaps of irritation and looks of, "How can you be so dumb?". Plus, the language I heard yesterday was very inappropriate. Words that should never enter a professional setting were being thrown around like crazy.When I went in today, it started immediately. After asking a question and getting a rude answer, I calmly said, "I cannot continue to do this, if you do not change your tone with me." She said, " I so don't have time to deal with you. If you can't handle it, just leave". So I did, but not before she added this parting shot: "No wonder you are just a temp." Seriously. She doesn't know me. She's just a 24 year old assistant who is in way over her head because her boss went on vacay for 2 weeks, and she can't handle the stress. I tried to be understanding of this yesterday, because one of the other girls told me the situation. But by the afternoon, I felt so small that I wanted to melt into my chair. I wanted to be strong, to stick the next 2 work days out, but this morning I realized that my life is too short. When I was a teacher, I had a principal who thought nothing of me. She had no expectations, and treated me as if I was an useless ignorant girl. By the end of my third year teaching, I was going out of my way to avoid her in the halls, ducking out the back door at the end of the day, because if she saw me and deemed me worthy to speak to, it was only because I had done something wrong. That is what her disrespect did to me. After being out of that situation, I realized that it is extremely unhealthy to be in that environment, and I won't put myself through that again. Others may be able to handle the emotional abuse, day in and out, but I can't. I have grown so much in confidence since I stopped teaching, and I fully believe that it is because I only surround myself with people who believe in me. I know that every job will have its problems, but disrespect is one that I will never again put up with. God loves me, and this is all that matters!!!

Alecia at the Ritz

There is a children's book out called "Eloise at the Plaza". It is about a little girl who lives at the Plaza and pretty much treats the posh hotel as her oyster. I was reminded of this book several times last week as I was working a function at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown DC. A friend of a friend hired me to help with registration/etc. at the National Generical Pharmaceutical Association Convention. I had never been in a situation where formality was the order of the day and really had to focus on being professional at all times. It was really delightful, yet scary! I pulled it off pretty well, but if you know me at all, you know that I would never win a "most formal" award. Ever. Anyways, this place was amazing! The staircase that you used to get to the ballroom level (where the conference was occuring) was straight out of Cinderella. 20 feet wide, sweeping around, with a grand piano at its foot. The breakfast spread had everything you could want, including fresh squeezed orange juice (I made myself sick on that stuff). The marble-tiled bathrooms had linens, not paper towels, that you threw into a discreet bin whenever you were done with it. The stalls were more like rooms, with solid walls and doors that went from floor to ceiling. There were chandeliers everywhere and hotel staff everywhere, to assist wherever needed. For lunch we were stuck at the Registration Table, so the staff brought lunch to us, serving us with crystal, china, and silver. They brought each entree separately and whisked our plates away as soon as we were finished. Most of all, though, it was exciting being behind-the-scenes. Making sure everything was going just right, that there were enough pamphlets out, that lunch wasn't served before we were ready for it, that no one upset the higher-ups or the speakers. One of my duties was to hold the microphone during question/answer times after each speech. This means I had to sit in on each speech, even though I had little concept of what was being discussed. However, I did get to hear several interesting speakers. I was able to hear Nathan Deal, a Representative from Georgia, plus Dora Hughes and Douglas Holtz-Eakin speak. Hughes and Holtz-Eakins are the senior Health Care Advisors for Obama and McCain, respectively. It was exciting to hear these speakers, not because their topics were so interesting, but because in college I had to dissect many speeches and distinguish between what made a good/bad speaker. Hughes, for example, was very knowledgeable. I actually got some background information on her, because I had a long conversation with one of her advisors. He (the advisor) actually got his Marriage and Family Therapy degree from ACU and teaches at Minnesota University. It was so random that I struck up a conversation with an ACU alum. Small world, no doubt. Anyways, Hughes is, like I said, knowledgeable. However, her speaking style really needs work. She spoke very fast in a very calm voice and did not ennunciate very well. I found myself leaning forward frequently, trying to make out what she was saying. Very distracting. The other speeches were good, some more engaging than others, but hers really stood out as the one that needed work.



Friday I was done by 12:00, so I took the metro around to a couple different places in DC, waiting for Lee to be off work. I went to Union Station, which kind of looks like an art gallery, with all its marblenicity and statues. Then I went to Urban Outfitters in China Town, and bought 2 scarves. Then I went to the Starbucks outside of Lee's work and met him at 5ish. I talked to my mom while I was waiting. She told me a story about how my 2 year old nephew was scared to death of all the Halloween stuff at Home Depot, and when asked if he wants to go see it all, his little lip just starts trembling and he says, "Outside, mommy!". I really miss that smart little boy. I know I didn't get to see him a ton even when we lived in TX, but now I am REALLY missing some very cool growing stages. Oh well. I'll just have to have my own, I guess (Not now, though. Seriously. No rumors of any sort. Lee would faint). Anyways, we went to a pretty good Mexican place for dinner, then went home. We talked about doing something else, but I was kind of tired of being around people, after my excursions around DC.

Saturday we went house-hunting. We are being very stubborn, because we want a single-family home, and it is not easy to find one in our price range. But we have time to wait, and God will provide. Or, convince us to pursue other types of living arrangements. We just really got used to having our own space in Fort Stockton, and now it is hard to imagine sharing walls with anyone ever again. We'll see what God has in store! I imagine we will look again this weekend. Oh, for lunch that day we treated ourselves to Calzones from this amazing place in Sterling. the bread is all homemade, and it must be the same recipe my mom uses, because it so reminds me of her wonderful cooking. That's why I love it so much, I think.

Sunday was really hot. But we played tennis in the afternoon, after church and lunch with friends. We've playing tennis a lot lately. It is safer than riding bikes, and it's hard to get lost when you stay on the tennis court. However, there is something dead in the woods and it really makes good "tennis focus" difficult. We went to Small group that night and had a great discussion on our views of what a "Christian community" should look like and what it is for. This will continue for some weeks to come. We also got to watch the Cowboys game. I think being up here has made me a stronger fan. Like, if I don't represent them up here, no one will? Which is a fallacy, because there are tons of fans up here...but still, I am really into the games this year.

Monday, I got to hang out with some friends. We went shopping, had lunch, and saw "The Women". The movie was really pretty good. I liked the way the characters were portrayed...very noble, yet with flaws. Monday night I went to the Alanis concert!!! It was so great! She opened with "Uninvited" and I so got chill bumps. Whether or not you like her music, you would have been impressed that live she sounds exactly like her recordings. Just pitch perfect and everything. It was a long day, but such a blessing to be able to be with friends!

Tuesday I just hung out at the house. I did SOME cleaning, but not as much as I should have. Oh, but I did go to Safeway and got complimented on my smile. Twice! It's great to know how powerful a smile can be, even up here. We played tennis in the eve and I lost. But, the stench from the unknown animal was even more powerful, therefore my playing was not up to par. Lee, of course, cannot breathe through his nose, therefore the smell did not affect him. Lucky! I asked him if it was wierd that I had this overwhelming urge to go find the animal, just to see what it was. He said it was. Therefore, I didn't go find it. But I am curious, you know? I mean, it could be something really cool, like a bear. Doubtful, but still.

Wednesday I worked for an architecture firm, answering phones. I had to page people a lot, too, which was scary, since everyone could hear my little voice over the intercom. One guy told me that I didn't look like someone who needed to temp. I thought that was a great compliment. And its true. The other temps that I have met are fresh out of college and have a bit of a clueless vibe. I, on the other hand, can act like I know exactly what to do, even if I don't. Being a drama teacher had its advantages, I am learning.

Today, tomorrow, and Monday, I am doing random things for a Title company. The girl here is really stressed so I am just being her right-hand. Except I screwed up the coffee making. I poured in the water without the filter being in, so water just started spewing everywhere. Then, I shoved the filter in, but forgot to put coffee in it, so it was still just water. THEN, I opened the single coffee package and grounds flew everywhere. It was such an "I Love Lucy" moment, and I was moved to another task. :) Boo, coffee.

Good weekend, everyone!

Content

Good Morning, everyone! I've been too lazy/busy to blog lately, and I apologize to all my dear fans. First and foremost, I want to remind everyone that God is so here! He is around us, everywhere we go, everywhere we see. The leaves are starting to fall here in Virginia. It is still hot and it doesn't feel like fall, but the brilliant showers of tiny leaves show evidence otherwise. We were on a retreat this weekend up in the Shanandoah Mountains, and the scenes were completely idyllic. When the wind gently rustled the trees, little yellow leaves all went skydiving, floating and twirling in their own little freefall before coming to rest on the still-green grass. I sat in the woods on a little footbridge over a babbling brook (I was reminded about that song about David and Goliath we would sing in Sunday school) and tried to read my Bible. However, there was too much of God's creation around and I had a hard time reading the words when I could look up and see His works all around me. In the evening there was rain, alternating between torrential downpours and mist that just barely kissed your face with its wetness. In this, there was God. We stood on the porch during a particularly hard rain and marveled at the blessings that God gives His creation. Above all of these marvels, the most important thing we witnessed this week was the fellowship of His body. There was about 25 young adults at this retreat and it was a pleasure to get to know every person there. It really was a fascinating study of different personalities all working together to become closer to God. We had planners, entertainers, leaders, followers, watchers, do-ers, type-A's, type-B's, all in one room and the camaraderie was palpable. Only in God's name can this many people come together for any amount of time and not experience an awkward tension that humans often bring into groups. In fact, it is hard to keep tension away from groups that ARE striving to be like God. I am not a fan of tension of any kind, just a laid back kind of girl, so I thrived in this nonthreatening environment. Thanks to all who made this weekend possible, and more importantly, made it memorable. May God continue to be praised in all your lives.

In other news, I've actually been working lately. The temp agency I signed up with called with two jobs that occupied my time last week. The first was an engineering firm that needed cars counted at various intersections duing rush hour in Old Town Alexandria. So from 6:15-9:00 in the morning and 3:00-6:00 in the afternoons I was watching cars and recording the directions they were headed. It was kind of like playing a video game, because I only counted cars going or turning certain directions, and I recorded them by pushing a button on a box that had a grid that looked like an intersection. It got mundane after a while, and it was frustrating, not being able to "use the facilities" whenever necessary, but it was definitely an easy job and a unique way to make money. The second job was as a receptionist at a government contracting firm. I did this Thursday and Friday, and today is my last day. It is a very "chill" job, as one of the guys here describes it. There isn't much to do, aside from answering the phone, so I am allowed to play online all day. I HAVE been able to practice my "professional" voice, and it is dandy, if I do say so myself. Most of you would probably not recognize my voice if you called my work. I'm that good. :)

This Thursday and Friday I will be one of those microphone handlers you see at press conferences, walking around with a mike during question/answer periods at a conference in DC. I'm totally psyched for this job. I even had to buy some new clothes, so that I'd look super spiffy. Plus, it pays $20 an hour. Ni-ice.

Sarah Palin

Lee and I have just happened upon the speech made tonight by Sarah Palin (the Vice President candidate for McCain, if you have been living in a hole). She has a great speaking style, humorous and poignant. But the first thing that Lee and I agreed on was this: If Tina Fey were still on SNL, she would do a phenomenal job of impersonating Palin. I mean!! The way they pause for effect is quite similar, their faces, aside from shape, are startlingly the same, and she's funny! She just said that she put the luxury jet the previous gov. of Alaska had bought on EBAY.

Another reason I like Palin is because they just showed a couple of her kids. Now, I know there's some drama concerning her children, but if you saw what I did, you forgot for a minute all that other stuff. The little girl, about 6 years old, is holding the infant (the one with Down's Syndrome) in her lap. She is petting the baby's head, slicking down the hair. But, apparently, just her hand wasn't doing the trick, so she proceeds to lick the full length of her hand, then use it again to smooth down that fine baby hair. Our jaws dropped and the words, "AWWW," were definitely uttered.

I, for one, am not going to worry about our nation if Obama gets elected. I think our world will be okay and that God will take care of us. I furthermore do not believe all the emails going around about his unpatriotism. Photoshop is widely used, nowadays. However, I believe the McCain camp did a remarkable thing by choosing Palin and this election will be like no other in History. And that, is fact.

Labors of Love

Lee unselfishly spent his day off purse shopping with me. I mean, we did other things, but the entire reason we left the house was so that I could find that "next, great accessory!". We first went to Old Town Alexandria, which has all these cute shops lining the streets. We ate at a place called "Austin Grill" and the Texmex wasn't bad, although the waiter got points off for forgetting to bring us the queso he had talked us into ordering. We didn't need it anyways. :) Old Town is so cool because you can walk right down to the marina and watch the sailboats on the Potomac. There's people wandering around, playing instruments for donations and inviting you to sing along. Anyways, since we were on a hunt for my purse, we stopped in lots of little fancy boutiques, but nothing caught my fancy. So then we went to the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. It's a four story mall that I am enamored with. It's not the most popular mall in the area, but that's kind of why I like it. We went into every store that had purses, but couldn't find one to buy. The very last store we went into was Guess, and I really doubted I would find a purse in my price range, but then I saw it. On the Clearance rack, marked down from $108 to $50. I had told Lee I was not paying $40 dollars for a purse that I would only use for a couple of months. So I had an internal debate, (and external, with Lee), on whether or not to get it. But, it was a great brand and I absolutely loved it. I mean, I saw it from across the store and just KNEW, you know? So I convinced both Lee and myself that it would be a wise choice to buy it. We got to the register, me gleaming with my awesome purse, and the guy said, "$31.57". What??? Words can't explain the giddiness I felt at the steal of a deal that was my purse. Plus, it came in a reusable Guess bag that I can do grocery shopping with. So, kudos to Lee for laboring today in honor of my purse fetish. Here's a picture of my latest acquisition:

When we came home Lee knocked on the door of our landlords to pay rent. Apparently he woke the guy up and this was obviously irritating to the dude. He told Lee that next time he could just slide it under the door. Seriously? You want us to pay in cash, get no receipt back, AND just slide it under the door? I don't know what kind of morons they generally rent to, but there is no way I'm sliding $1500 dollars under the door, just hoping that they find it before their 2 year old does.

I looked up "Hostel" in the dictionary and decided that where we are living really doesn't fit into the definition. A hostel is more like a hotel, but yet it does offer less privacy than a hotel, and in that regards, our living arrangements are similar. Anyways, now I no longer have a name for our basement, aside from "basement". If you have suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them.

Quick story

I meant to add this embarrassing little tale to the last blog, and forgot.

Last week while I was frantically packing, I laid out all my nonessential makeup on the shelf above the commode, on top of the magazines. I haven't cleaned up this mess yet. Today I reached for my latest Glamour and knocked an eyeshadow into the, um, used toilet. I tried to catch it, but since I was "sitting down", this was just impossible. I was not about to stick my hand in there, and yet, I don't think flushing this compact would have been healthy for the septic system. So as I am staring at the water that is slowly turning a pinkish color, I get the idea to use kitchen tongs. Fortunately, I have a couple so I could afford to sacrifice one to the Porcelain Throne. I finally got the makeup fished out and laughed at the weird antics I get myself into. By the way, it's not the first time that I have dropped something in the toilet. I've lost chapstick, jewelry, hair ties, and now makeup all to the toilet. I've got to try harder to keep that lid closed!

People Watch 8.27.08

Today I have encountered several characters. These people have enriched my life just a bit further today, and here are those stories.

The guy that interviewed me today is from Jamaica. The interview went well and I think I have a shot. Plus, the company uses people of Afghan/Iraqi descent to go into domestic military areas and train the army, etc. on how to interact with these cultures without insulting them. International Communications was a class that really interested me in college, and it was exciting to have the possibility of working in this area further. However, one of the things that I liked most about my potential boss is that he said that occasionally he takes all his fulltime staff on trips, just to hang out and relax. And I'm not talking a field trip to DC, either. The places he mentioned going previously are Jamaica and Las Vegas. I know its shallow, but it is definitely a selling point for this job.

At the grocery store the lady checking me out was struggling with putting my paper towels into bags and I accidentally laughed out loud. She looked at me and smiled, then said, " Laughter is so good for the soul!" And proceeded to tell me how good it is to laugh. I was just relieved she didn't take offense at my laughter and break my eggs.

When I was putting my stuff in the car I struggled a little with a heavier bag (once again I remembered to bring my own bags... Eco-Alecia to the rescue, once again!). This man walking by stopped and loaded up the rest of the car for me, just because he thought I needed some help. I was floored at how nice some people can be. He then took my cart and put it away for me. He put a big smile on my face, and I passed it on to the Starbucks dude when I went through the drivethru.

And finally, it was a wonderful 75 degrees here today, so I was driving around with my windows down. At a light, this car full of guys pulled up and started talking to me. Don't worry, all you mothering creatures out there, I had the doors locked and my finger on the window "up" button, just in case the conversation got out of hand. It was kind of flattering, yet unnerving, but when they asked what I was doing later today, I told them I was making dinner for my 3 kids and husband. They stopped talking to me after that.

Peace!

Been a while

It's been a while since I have been on here, but what a roller coaster these past 2 weeks have been. On Saturday, Aug. 16th we went White Water Rafting with our young adult class from church. It was great fun, although I was afraid I would get thrown out and my head would go under, as per my greatest fear. But that didn't happen once. We did have to navigate some Class 4 rapids and that was such an adventure. The raft got stuck on some rocks occasionally, but it was nothing we couldn't handle. Lee and I want to try a 2-person raft next time.

Last Tuesday, Lee's aunt passed away. She was a treasure and without her, family gatherings will change completely. We flew back to TX last Friday to be with the family and attend the funeral. It was great to see all of Lee's family; we are such a close group of people, and the more time I spend with them the more I appreciate and love them.

This morning (Tuesday), I flew out of DFW back to DC, and Lee flew to KC for work. It is good to be back home. The plane ride was my favorite ever. We received whole coke cans instead of just the little, watered down cups they generally give out. There were small sandwiches, chips, and a Twix, plus, they showed a movie! I know I am probably a complete country bumpkin, but I had never seen a movie on a plane before. I'd read about them, but never seen one. So it was quite the exciting trip for me. Aside from the fact that the man sitting at the end of my row slept (and snored) the whole time, and I was too kind to wake him up so that I could make a move to the restroom. By the time the plane taxied to a stop, I was pushing people out of the way (after saying "excuse me", of course, since I'm just too dang nice for my own good) to get to the bathroom. That was the sweetest relief I had felt in some time.

I have a job interview tomorrow, plus a possible other one that will be lined up tomorrow, so the job search is looking up. I went to a temp agency last week and they interviewed me for 3 hours. But they are really working hard to get me a job, so I appreciate all their efforts. The interview was so long because I was put through many tests. I had a math test, a spelling test, and a filing test. Out of 50 questions, I missed 4. But if I had been paying attention, I wouldn't have missed any. The computer test was so hard! I know my microsoft office, but they were testing me on the newest versions out there, which I had never even seen before. The tool bars were all in different places. I felt really dumb, but I just tried my best. Then there was a personality test. And personal interviews. One guy told me I didn't have a Texas accent. I blessed him profusively. Not that I am embarrassed by the texan in me, because I can definitely pull out the country girl if I need to...but it's nice that I can alter it when necessary. It really floors people when I switch from texan to british. Oh yes, me of many talents. Anyways, apparently they think there is a job for me somewhere, because they have called every day now with job opportunities. Of course, I've been in TX and couldn't take any of them, but starting tomorrow, there is hope. :) Peace.

People Watch, 8.12.08

I walked to the grocery store today, which is about a mile away. On the way I stopped at an "unique grocery store" called Trader Joe's. They specialize in organic, fresh foods and I wanted to price their veggies. They ended up being more economical than Safeway, so I decided to stop on my way back and stock up. In the produce section at Trader Joe's, there was a man having a conversation either with or about Teddy Roosevelt...I couldn't decide which, but I don't think he ever noticed that I was standing next to him. He wasn't there on my return trip.
As I continued on my trek I passed a bakery where 2 young men were sitting outside having a very heated argument. Strike that, it was just one man arguing with his reflection. They/He was still there when I passed back by. I guess they had a lot of unresolved issues.
Safeway was uneventful, but as I was checking out at Trader Joe's, I overheard the lady in front of me chastizing the checker because the organic mushrooms are sold in styrofoam containers. I have to admit she had a point; it was quite the ironic statement TJ's was making. The poor checker was really at a loss of words as the lady kept going on and on about it. I wanted to point out the window and say, " Ooh! Look at that car putting all that exhaust! Someone should go yell at that driver..." She probably wouldh've donned her "SuperTreeHugger" cape and rushed off to rid the world of all cars, leaving Trader Joe's to run their own business.
Speaking of saving the world, I did quite a bit in that regard today. I walked instead of drove, bought organic foods, and brought my own bags. Although, I walked to lose weight, bought organic because it was cheaper, and brought my own bags because plastic bags rip so easily and it takes twice as many to carry all my stuff. But still, go me. I deserve a fudgsicle (no sugar added, of course).

Hostel

We re-nicknamed our basement. You may or may not be aware that there are other renters in the big house that we live in. If you look at the picture of our house in a previous post, you will have a point of reference. The owners live in the back half of the house, using both stories. We, of course, are in the basement. There are four bedrooms in the front 2 stories of the house, all being rented out for $5oo a month apiece. They share 2 bathrooms and a microwave. Seriously. The microwave is sitting in the entryway. All last week there was construction going on, waking me up at an outrageously early hour of 9:00. Today, we found out that they were building a new room to rent out, in the entryway. That means that now we are living in a house with 12 different people. In Texas, this so would be illegal. It probably is up here...but it would be annoying to move out, which we would have to do if we tattled on them. And just for all of you math-challenged people, they will be making $4000 a month. Tax-free, since we all pay in cash and get no receipts. When asked for a receipt so that we could prove that we paid rent, one of the renters was told, "You are living here, which proves you paid your rent". Oooookay. Scary. And we will start re-looking for housing, very soon. Oh, so our new nickname for our housing situation is the "Hostel".

We walked to Best Buy tonight because the weather is so awesome here! It'll be in the 80's all week. I'm so psyched. At B.B. we saw 2 sights that made me wish I had my camera. #1, there was this 20-something girl wearing a peach colored spandex dress that seriously barely covered her booty. It was skin-tight and she kept having to pull it down, as it inched up with every step she took. It looked like something you'd see in a nightclub (or street corner) in Miami, not in broad daylight at a shopping center in Virginia. Who knew strippers shopped at Best Buy? #2, there was a lady in B.B. with her dog. Not a seeing-eye dog or anything, just a random, spoiled-brat dog for a random, spoiled brat lady. I know that's harsh, but it seemed completely pretentious to have this lady carrying her precious pooch while shopping for laptops.

I'm done ranting. :)

Atlantic City

July 30th was our anniversary. 3 years already, married and still happy. After our honeymoon was such a huge adventure, we decided that we'd go on a road trip every year to celebrate our marital bliss. The first year we relaxed at a bed and breakfast in San Antonio, walking the riverwalk and enjoying the culture. The 2nd year we went to Tulsa and saw an awesome concert with 3rd Eye Blind, Counting Crows, and Collective Soul, all bands from our high school years. Then we went to Dallas and played around at Six Flags. This year, we headed to the glitzy east shore getaway, Atlantic City. We stayed at a hotel so new it was having its grand opening the following weekend. We had a new bed with lots of white, fluffy pillows, glass walk-in shower, and valet parking. Lee was very uncomfortable having people catering to our needs. He asked a maid where the ice machine was, and she told us to call the front desk and they'd bring ice to our room. I thought, "Wow.". Lee went ahead and found the floor it was on and got the ice himself. He went to get my cell phone from the car and the valet walked him to the car, then gave him the keys and stepped away, to "give him privacy". Lee thought this was wierd. There was a complimentary "rolling chair"


that was pushed by a young girl from Slovakia. Lee was uncomfortable with this, especially, because he thought it made him look like a jerk, having this tiny woman pushing him around. But we tipped her well, to make up for it. The thing with the rolling chairs is that they are everywhere, but it's so expensive to use them! $5 for 5 blocks. So having a complimentary one was a great amenity to have. The above picture, is not us. But maybe someday, it will be.


We spent all day on the beach, and it was so perfect that I miss it terribly. The water was very cool, but you got used to it, and I loved the shock of jumping in the waves, never knowing exactly how they would break around my body. The hotel provided towels, umbrellas, and lounge chairs. It's the closest thing to a resort that we've done and I recommend a day at the beach to anyone. Here's pics of us at the beach. Not the best pictures, but they are the only ones that we took of the beach.

I got Lee to try seafood. He had crab chowder at this fancy little seafood restaurant. The waitress glared at him when that was all that he ordered, but the only other non-sea item was a $60 steak, and Lee couldn't justify that. He says that he'd eat it again, if he had to. Oh wait, he says that he would totally choose crab over green leafy vegetables and/or death. So there. I think he's definitely a fan of the sea. Below is a picture of the boardwalk at night.

We totally wanted to "Rock the Casbah", but it was closed.

We also went to Pennsylvania to see our friends, Chris and Merry Clark. They took us to Valley Forge, where Washington waited out a winter during the war. It was really neat, but I was ready to come home. Plus, it wasn't a beach. I might have an aversion to being underwater, but man, I do love being near it.

In other random news,

• Lee just put a twist tie between his upper lip and his nose, and said "Kiss me with my twist-tie mustache." Ew.
• Sharon, my dear mother-in-law, sent me a recipe for a chicken rub that has cayenne pepper and cocoa powder. It was so hot and chalky we had to rinse the cooked chicken before we could eat it. She claims that I should have known better than to cook something with "holy-moly" in the title. I say, it had chocolate. How could I NOT try it?
• My sister, Rozanna, has a job interview with a guy that we knew growing up. You never know when your past is going to participate in your future.
• Yesterday we saw the Dark Knight and it was soooo good. I plan on being the "nurse Joker" for Halloween. If you haven't seen it yet, you must make plans to do so.
• Brett Favre is going to be a Jet. Crazy, or brilliant? I don't know. But he definitely is on the "Most Handsome Quarterback" list. Behind Troy, of course.
• We went to an "ice cream social", and I was the only one who brought homemade ice cream. Honestly, the host of the party provided the rest of it, all store bought. Which is fine, but down in Texas, you don't have an "ice cream social" without homemade ice cream. Plus, the people in the group from New York and Pennsylvania grew up not knowing that making your own ice cream was even possible. God has definitely blessed Texas, above and beyond the rest of his creation. My ice cream was marshmallow fudge, by the way, and it was pretty awesome.
  

Well, it's 2:20 and I should accomplish something today that doesn't involve me sitting in front of the computer. Later!

Pictures of our Basement

Well, I finally took pictures of our basement apartment so that you can understand better where we are living. The first one is of the whole house. Our door is on the side, by Lee's covered grill and our bikes. You can see my car, parked in the back of the house. That's my designated spot.

This next one is what you see as soon as you come in the door. The kitchen is straight ahead, and looks messy, but it's just cluttered because I ran out of room to store my kitchen goodies. The living room/dining room is to the left.
The TV and couch are just to the left of the camera frame. And apparently we have a ghost...I have no idea what that white speck is in the middle of the pic.
And below is the rest of the house. The laundry room is to the left, then our bathroom (which is green), then our bedroom is at the back of the hall (it's sky blue), and to the right is the guest room (it has the same colored walls as the hall).

So now you can see where we live and where I spend my days NOT looking for a job (as Lee would say:)).

Lee's Birthday

Well, Lee's bday was a huge success! He got everything he asked for, because he is such a good boy. Here's some pictures, so you can see what fun we had.

That's a spiderman banner on the wall. See Memaw's couch?? It matches that wall so perfectly!
All of Lee's presents (expect for the propane for the grill. It's outside. I didn't have the strength to haul it down the stairs.)

He requested a chocolate-peanut butter-sugar cookie, with bits of miniature PB cups and reese's pieces. It was amazing, if I do say so myself.

Lee needs some grilling-tool experience. Above, he's scratching his head with the grill brush, below, he's wearing the grill cover like a cape.

He also got a nintendo DS, but we forgot to take pictures of the unraveling of that precious piece of electronic heaven.

I have some job leads, so please keep us in your prayers. We are going to Atlantic City this week to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. It's so cool that within hours we can be in sooo many different places.

Wierd jobs Alecia is NOT taking...

Yesterday, I actually saw a listing for a man needing someone to act like his girlfriend at a family function, because he told his family that he had a serious girlfriend to make them leave him alone. He said his family bugs him about relationships all the time, but he just doesn't want a girlfriend right now; he's focusing on his career. I've seen this movie before. And read this book, too. I didn't realize this sort of thing actually happened!

Lee thinks I'd make great money as a professional dancer. I think I'd make money too, but only because people would pay me to stop.

In other news, the internet is not working in our basement, therefore I am resigned to heading to the library everyday to apply for jobs. It's so urban, really. I'm so cool.

The house centipede count is rising...I'm losing sleep over this.

Alien

Last night there was an alien in our basement. There's no other words to explain the creature that was crawling along the wall. We just stared at it for a few seconds before moving closer. It was over an inch long, with tons of long legs and antennae even longer. It attempted to crawl on the ceiling and fell to the ground, where Lee attacked it with a shoe.

I just wiki-ed it, and I believe it was actually a house centipede, which look more like flat roach/spider than a worm with legs. Below is a picture I found on wikipedia. But last night, it was an alien. Eek. I'm all creepy-crawly, just thinking about it.

Rebuttals and Birthday

There are malicious lies going on in this blog, some so darnable that they have caused me to break my personal blogging rule. That rule is that I don't blog. Each time I thought about blogging, I would try to compose the great American blog so that people would enjoy reading it. And then I would start to worry that I didn't have any material good enough for people to spend their time reading. Then I would worry that my blogs would be too good and then people would expect more, and demand continued improvements in quality, relevance, and entertainment. These soul-crushing worries have kept me in a passive internet role and never a contributor to this world wide web. Plus blogging sounds like a euphemism for something dirty. Anyway, through her lies, Alecia has caused me to find myself bathed in the soft light of my laptop, fingers gently tapping out the truths that will follow.

Alecia made mention that I shed "man-tears" upon the departure from Abilene. Not true. Unless by tears she means that I asked her to open my Mountain Dew and hand me some jerky as I set our sights towards the East. For as a man, I do not cry, unless of course I find out that we are out of Dew and Jerky, and then the blubbering begins in earnest.

Alecia also told fables of me possibly whining about not wanting to walk all the way to the grocery store and even using the excuses that I walk something like a mile each day. Her belief is that because her father walks three to four times that distance, it really shouldn't be that big of deal for me. First, the only confirmation we have that her father walks that far is from him saying so. I think that he possibly has a Segway stashed somewhere near the house that he uses to scoot around town for awhile and then to the church where he again hides it and then makes his amazing walking claims. Or maybe he is just a walking nut. However, his "walks" take place in lovely Portales, NM whereas mine take place in Washington, DC where I have to battle the strangling humidity, lung crushing smog, fear of death by means of a car or the crazed homeless, and, on the occasions that I forget my umbrella, rain. Add in all the little bonuses I deal with on my route and it easily jumps up to the equivalent of 4 to 5 miles daily. At any rate, this has no impact on whether or not I should be forced to walk to the grocery store (to get Alecia dessert no less) when there is a perfectly good car that looks lonely for my butt.

Finally, Alecia has claimed that she does not have a job. This is untrue as I assigned her several jobs when we moved including getting us a place to live, getting us settled, and finding herself employment. As of this writing, we now live in a stranger's basement, my underwear still in boxes, with Alecia spending her job hunting time trying to figure out if becoming part of street dance crew would come with dental insurance. Perhaps I wasn't very clear when setting up her performance goals...

Just a quick note about my upcoming birthday. I am in a new office and no one there knows that my birthday is next week. This actually makes me very happy as I am so not a fan of all the awkward birthday attention that goes on with the cakes and singing. But mostly, I was telling Alecia my birthday desires (want to go see Batman at movies, want to eat pizza, want a giant cookie for dessert, want comic books and video games for presents) when I had the startling realization that I was only Ninja Turtle plates and cups away from recreating my 8th birthday.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and hopefully now that I have made the necessary corrections to Alecia's accusations and falsehoods, I can retire from writing down my life's details back to only narrating them in my head, complete with soundtrack and special effects.

Daddy's bulletin

Below is the bulletin article my daddy wrote concerning our move. I do so love my family!

“A Father’s Love!”


I am sitting in the Fort Stockton, Texas library. I let you know this is in Texas because two of the three movers who were supposed to be here this morning to load my daughter and son-in-law up and take them off to Washington D.C. are in Fort Stockton, California. I suppose it is an easy enough mistake.

I am sitting here trying not to cry. Being a parent is tough. You talk all the time about wanting what is best for your kids, then when they say it is best to move 1609 miles away you wonder if you really mean it. After all, what am I supposed to do with all this “stuff” that is best for them.

I know we raise kids and we long for them to be independent and then we cry when they fly the coup. This is the way of life. I really am glad my children are growing. I am a father who loves them immensely. I, however, am just their dad. I lift them into the hands of the Father who loaned them to me. I offer them into His existence. I trust them to His care. I know He loves them more than I do. I know He wants what is really best for them. I know He has plans for them that I cannot grasp or control. I also know that He knows just how their life will be best lived. God is a better parent than I will ever be. He is the Father who loves intently. He is the Father who cares immensely.

I have fully enjoyed each of my daughters at every stage and age they have attained. I am blessed to be loved by them. And I am blessed to be their father on Father’s Day and every other day. I am abundantly blessed that though this Father’s Day I will not have all three daughters around me, God will have them around Him. They understand the real relationship is not the seen but the unseen one with God!

I am still sitting here trying not to cry!

This is a copy of the email I sent out when we first arrived to DC. Most everyone has read it, but I just wanted to have all my correspondence in one place, so I copied and pasted it. :)


Friends and family, I wanted to let you all know that we have made it safely to Washington DC. I know many of you are like, what??? Yes, in the midst of planning our big move, I failed to let everyone know that Lee was offered a job in the national USDA/FSA office, and we accepted. So, I am sorry that most of you were left in the dark until now about our plans. It was an oversight of mine that I am not proud of. Okay, now about our adventure. We left Fort Stockton on Tuesday afternoon, the 10th. We arrived at Sharon's (Lee's mom) house that eve and had a great visit with her, like always. She made me rice krispie treats, and I shared with Lee, since that's the kind of wife I am. On Wednesday, we went through Abilene to see Scott (Lee's best bro) and Lee cried man-tears about missing his family. I, on the otherhand, remained completely stoic, cause that's just who I am.Then went to Ft. Worth and ate at a Freebird's for the last time in a long while (Any care package that includes a monster burrito will be accepted with open arms). Then we ended up in Texarkana that night. If you are ever in Texarkana, I recommend eating at the Ironwood Grill. Absolutely fabulous food and atmosphere. Thursday, we drove through Arkansas, crossed the Mississippi, had some good ol' Memphis bar-b-q, and landed in Nashville. We saw the Grand ol' opry, accidentally (we were actually going to the mall to do some quick shoppin, looked to our right and said, "wow! that's the grand ol' opry!") So that was really cool to see. We had dinner at Laura's house (my bff from ACU) and walked around her nice neighborhood. That night our sheets were covered in hair, so we had to call down and have someone bring us new ones. An unfortunate event in our otherwise excellent day. New sheets, no hair. Yay! Friday morn we got up way early and headed to Dollywood. It was just a few miles off our route, and we decided it would be cool to say that we have been there. So we rode the coasters, got wet on the rapids, and drove through pigeon forge, which is like Ruidoso on steroids. So much to do!!! There was at least 10 themed mini golf courses. There was a farm animal one, a haunted house one, and some others that i don't remember, but were still cool. We saw the veggie tales live show and I got to sing along, and wish that I had a kid, so I had an excuse and didn't look creepy, enjoying the veggietales as a grown woman. Anyways, we ended up in Roanoke, VA that night really late, exhausted by the amusement park adventure. Saturday we arrived in FAlls Church, VA at about 2. Our furnished apartment is on the top floor(14th) of a highrise. It was exciting, to look out our window and just be able to see the tops of trees. Since then, the grandeur of living on the top floor has greatly diminished. That night we went and saw Ironman, and it was really good. I spent most of the movie arguing with lee about who the actor was that plays osborne. I thought it was kurt russell, and I convinced him of it, but then we found out that it was jeff bridges. Who, in my defense, could be his twin, if you ask me, and When I was picturing kurt russell, it was actually jeff bridges in my head. So, I won. If you could follow my logic, you'd agree. Oh, and it rained. Sunday, we went to the church of Christ in falls church. It was encouraging and we met a group of young professionals and had lunch with them. We actually had Thai food, and I loved it!!! Living basically in Mexico, I've definitely developed an affinity for the hot and spicy. That afternoon, we decided that take the metro into DC, so that Lee could get comfy with the route. Neither of us had been on a subway before, so it took a while to catch on, but once we did, it was so fun! It takes Lee about 25 min. on the metro to get to work, and his personal bubble has been invaded several times already. A lady has fallen asleep on him, another one used his leg to brace herself when the metro would come to a stop. He thinks it is just the way things are done. I think he's just a little too handsome for his own good and these women are taking advantage. :) Monday, Lee went to work, and I got up because it was already really light outside, even though it was before 7 o'clock. I found out we can't have internet in our apartment, because we'll only be here a month, so I've been sitting in the lobby a ton, searching for jobs and permanent housing on their public wireless network. I went grocery shopping, and made Lee blueberry muffins. I had a strong lead for a job yesterday, but after lee looked into it,he discovered it was just a sneaky way of saying" door-to-door saleswoman", so I am not going to that interview. I'm glad my husband is smart enough to help me weed out the shady jobs! There was a huge thunderstorm Monday and all the power on this part of time went out. This is when I decided living on the 14th floor was a bad idea, because the elevators were out, so I had to walk up 14 flights of stairs (actually, only 13, because there is no 13th floor) with lee's laptop, my big ol' purse full of library books, and a 12 pack of Mountain Dew, for Lee. I definitely had to take a nap after that exhausting excursion. Plus, at some point, I lost my building access card, and it will be 50 bucks to replace it. So our life here has been up and down. I get lonely, knowing no one in town and having no job or no place to live permanently. But, then I talk to my mommy or sisters (or Lee), and they remind me that my life is good, and I'm not expected have all the answers right now. In fact, my job this month is to find all this stuff. But it gets overwhelming and I just want to go shopping and forget my troubles. But, with a $50 access card hanging over my head, I can't justify the shopping. Yet. WE'll see about next week. I'd love to hear from anyone, so please write me back and let me know how you are doing! Love,Alecia( and lee)

The teacher of our Sunday class just got a new job as the director for volunteers and escorts for the inauguration. He had to clarify that the "escorts" were the kind that helps diplomats find their seats, etc. Not the other kind of "escorts". He also referred to the "POTUS" and I had to have Lee fill me in on what that acronym stood for. In my defense, when I heard "POTUS" I saw the letters "PODIS" so of course I was confused. Apparently this nickname for the "President Of The United States" came from the TV show West Wing, and now it is used in the political arena all the time.

Last night I had Lee go for a walk with me to the grocery store. He complained because he walks, "maybe a mile a day, already" because of the distance from work to the metro. This argument doesn't hold water anymore, because my father is walking 3-4 miles a day and his diabetes is really doing excellent right now. You go dad!

I don't have a job yet so I sit around the house all day, staring at the boxes, wondering which one I should tackle first. My kitchen is completely set up and functional, as of yesterday. This gives me an unforeseen sense of peace. It's like my domain has been regained unto me. Wierd.

Our basement

Last night was our first night in our permanent housing in DC. We actually live in Falls Church, VA, but we're only 5 miles from DC, and it just sounds cooler to say that we live in DC.

After having a late dinner at PF Chang's, we realized that we had no shower curtain liner. Target, alas, was already closed, and we'd been moving all day and we had to clean up! We decided to be very careful and shower just using the cloth part that usually hangs outside the tub. Lee went first and tried to be careful but ended up soaking the floor anyways. He's like a duck when he's in the shower...splashing around like the water is the funnest thing ever. I didn't get the floor wet at all, but I don't reenact Schlitterbahn, either.

There is a family of 5 living above us. Sleeping in someone's basement has its problems. At some point I woke up to people running around and bumping into things. And, we have no control over the AC. Since I turn into a furnace when I sleep, I need the room to be very cool. We have a ceiling fan, but last nite both Lee and I tossed and turned and just couldn't get comfy. I guess we'll have to bring in more fans, or else Alecia's gonna get cranky.