Punkin Chunkin

For the 3rd year in a row Carren and I went to the Punkin Chunkin. It was awesome. Carren gives a great report of the whole thing on her blog. Check it out and don't forget to catch the special on the Discovery Channel some time! http://mycket.blogspot.com/2008/10/i-love-smell-of-pneumatic-air-cannons.html

The DGM

Some times people come into our lives to give us remarkable gifts. To grant our most ardent wishes and make all our dreams come true. In Cinderella the Fairy Godmother grants Cinderella the chance to go to the ball, meet Prince Charming and start a new life. In Alexandria, Virginia the Dairy Godmother almost daily grants me the chance to escape from hectic city life into a world of tantalizing frozen custard and delectable baked goods. She's a culinary genius who has turned ice cream into an art form. Every 2 days she has a new flavor and I have taken it upon myself to sample each one. Some of my favorites have been chocolate orange shortbread, banana pudding and toasted almond. She even caters her flavors for the seasons and holidays. I'm looking forward to eggnog next week. With her shop just a few short blocks away I've become a regular and can't really imagine life without said Dairy Godmother. Cause let's face it, some days you just need a pint!

Wild and Wonderful

This year for Columbus Day weekend my roommate Janet, my buddy Brian and I went on an adventure to John Denver's "almost heaven" West Virginia. We took a little detour on our way out and stopped at the Graves Mountain Apple Festival. Where we sampled and picked our own apples before heading to WV. Our first stop in WV was the Biscuit World, where they serve biscuit sandwiches with names like Ron, Tootie, Thundering Herd and Duke. It was delicious! Once our bellies were full we headed over to Cooter's Cabins & Campin'. "Cooter" was exactly what you'd expect a West Virginian to be, except he had a full set of teeth, but he was not without the overalls, goofy laugh, and country manners. His house is on the property and the "office" is located in the old barn. In the office there are a variety of things for sale, including Cooter's Cabins & Campin t-shirts puffy painted, I'm sure, by the misses. He showed us our campsite and warned us not to leave our shoes lying around 'cause the neighbor's dog would chew 'em up. The neighbor's dogs showed up an hour later to play an endless game of fetch. Nothing could deter this dog from the game in fact she was waiting outside our tent the next morning with the same stick in her mouth ready to go. But we had other things to do. Mysterious things.


My roommate had tried to visit the Mystery Hole several years ago but sadly it was closed that day. After reading their website we were not gonna let that happen again. The website makes it perfectly unclear what the Mystery Hole is. My favorite quote is "Now that you've read and digested this story I believe you understand what you think I've said, but I am not quite sure you realize that what you've read is not what I meant." So even if you think you understand, you don't. Like the website says, "seeing is believing." So we came to see. When we pulled up what should be playing on the loud speakers but the Macarena. It was then that I knew this experience would be extraordinary. We purchased our $6 tickets and waited for our tour group to be called. It's hard to describe what happened on that 15 minute tour. The best I can do is tell you what I saw. Picture if you will psychedelic happy face book fair posters, plastic Halloween skeletons, drift wood creatures, abandoned hornets nests, 1970s mannequins, a black hall way with spatterings of neon paint glowing under a black-light, a wood paneled tilted room where a golf ball running along a track appears to roll up hill, a mustached Hawaiian-shirted tour guide cracking goofy jokes, fun house mirrors, and the comfort of a bench seat that formerly resided in an old ford pick-up. It was almost as if some one had raided Good Will or their 90 year old Grandma's basement for decorations. Really its something you must see for yourself. If you are ever in the New River Gorge area of West Virginia don't miss the Mystery Hole! In fact you probably won’t be able to resist the powers of the Mystery Hole drawing you near…


Along with the Mystery Hole, another legend of the New River Gorge area of West Virginia is “5 Dollar Frank.” We asked Cooter about Frank and he had all sorts of great things to say about the man. Frank passed away a few years back and when he died he was apparently the oldest licensed pilot in the US, couldn’t hear a thing and gave rides in his Cessna plane for $5. He built the Fayetteville airport with his own 2 hands and everyone knew Frank. While we missed the opportunity to meet 5 Dollar Frank we did wander over to the Fayetteville airport and for a lot more than $5 dollars took a ride in a WWII biplane. A biplane! It was incredible! Admittedly I was a little scared, but it was also a once in a lifetime opportunity. The weather was absolutely perfect for flying. The leaves were at peak fall colors, the sun was shining and the sky could not have been bluer. The flight was about 25 minutes with amazing views of the New River Gorge and beautiful WV hills. We cruised along leisurely through the sky with the open air blowing past us. After the scenic part of the flight came the fun part. The acrobatics! We did some barrel rolls and hammerheads and while the cockpit is open, you don’t feel like you’d come close to falling out. And I had a parachute on “just in case.” It was like a very mild roller coaster. Not scary, just fun! Sadly my time was up after the acrobatics and we had to land. All good things must come to an end and we had to return to our real lives. It’s true what they say. West Virginia wild and wonderful!

Why I love visiting Bean

One of the best things about visiting my sister is the greeting I get from the kids and dog. They know when I'm coming and are posted at the glass door ready to jump up and down and bang the door as soon as I'm within sight. I love it! I adore those 2 little girls and their momma too!

Nova Scotia Pictures

Nova Scotia

I have 3 of the greatest friends in the world. The 4 of us make up a group we like the call The Little Truckers. We went on our first trip together over 3 years ago and since then we have decreed that we will take an ATTS (annual trip to somewhere) until we die. DIE! This year we went to Nova Scotia, eh. Why you ask. Why not? It was absolutely beautiful! Picturesque if you will. We went over Labor Day weekend and it was a perfect time of year to be there. In preparation of our ATTS we usually try to read a novel that takes place where we will be vacationing. If you haven’t guessed what novel we read already you are either A. a dude or B. missing out on one of literatures greatest treasures: Anne of Green Gables.

On our first day in Nova Scotia we took a Ferry to PEI (Prince Edward Island) and spent the day enjoying the beauty of the island and the Anne sites. We went first to Green Gables, the house and land that inspired L.M. Montgomery to write her story. It was like walking into the novel; Haunted Woods, Lake of Shining Waters, Barry’s Pond and all. Next we visited Avonlea Village, again stepping into the story. The village was set up with a school, houses, church, gardens, farm yard, shops, etc. The characters from the book roamed the streets and at select times during the day acted out scenes from the book. It was so fun! There was even a pig race. I fell in love with Gilbert Blythe. He was adorable. Lucky Anne! After our Anne fun we enjoyed one of the island’s specialties: lobster. It was delicious. In fact I couldn’t get enough. I bought a live one in the airport and took it home to DC for dinner.

Day two of our trip took us on an amazing drive through Cape Breton, but not before stopping and taking pictures at a random house whose lawn was littered with painted wooden cut-outs of EVERY Simpsons character. The drive around Cape Breton was stunning. Alexander Graham Bell once said, "I have seen the Canadian and the American Rockies, the Andes and the Alps and the Highlands of Scotland; but for simple beauty, Cape Breton out rivals them all." We spent most of they day ooohhhhing and aaahhhhing and taking pictures at scenic stops along the road. It was beautiful!

The third day of our trip was spent in Fort Louisbourg in the year 1744, when the French had command of the fort. I loved this place! Everyone was in period costume and played their parts so well. Visitors are allowed to walk all over the village and explore the buildings, restored and original, without supervision. I love Canada! We even had a typical meal that would’ve been served in 1744. As a genealogist and history nerd, I love this kinda thing. Living history is awesome. One day I aspire to take part in some sort of historical reenactment. One day.

Day four was spent exploring Halifax. We visited the Titanic section of a cemetery and the Halifax Maritime Museum which houses the largest collection of Titanic artifacts. After which we were obligated to listen to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On." Then we shopped around for some Canadian goodies to take home. Little did we know that the grocery stores were closed for Labor Day. Yeah were definitely not in the US.

Overall the trip was fantastic. If you get the chance to go to Nova Scotia DO IT!

Excuses

I hate excuses, but I’m about to give you a long list of them. These are the reasons I’ve neglected the blog all summer. I’ve been busy. REALLY busy. And I’ve had a A LOT of fun. So here it is. The reasons why I’ve not blogged / what I did this summer.

VA Beach – the boardwalk, a random firework show, the beach, and Elvis impersonators make for a great weekend

Kayaking – much harder to tip than a canoe and really fun

Camping – twice along the beautiful Skyline drive above the Shenandoah Valley

Tubing – there are few things more enjoyable than floating down a lazy river on a tube with a bunch of friends and cooler full of snacks in the tube next to you.

4th of July – What better place to be than DC? Fireworks, parade, food, fun and the Folk Life Festival.

Gettysburg – Huge Civil War reenactment. It was awesome. I felt like I’d stepped back in time. Cavalry, canons, Yankees, Rebels, bayonets, soldiers.

City if Alexandria Birthday celebration –fireworks!

Baseball games – incredibly on 2 different occasions my people were able to get free front row seats to Washington Nationals games in their bright shiny new stadium. We’re talking no one in front of us but the players. One game was even followed by a fireworks show.

DC – I just love visitors! It so fun to show people around DC. Arlington Cemetery, Tidal Basin paddleboats, Eastern Market, the Mall, the monuments, Mt. Vernon, etc etc.

Ghost Tour – nothing will beat the time that huge storm blew in and soaked Jordan and I as we ran from an old church grave yard, but I still keep going in hopes of something good.

NYC - I heart NY! I finally got to the Statue of Liberty, enjoyed some great NY eats, saw a show, shopped and enjoyed central park. Check me out on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-cEN1CrFvw

Hiking – along a river with waterfalls and swam at the base of some falls, beautiful and so fun!

Berry Picking – I have no qualms about picking and eating blue, black and raspberries ANYWHERE.

Manassas battle field – another Civil War battlefield, but no reenactment.

Concerts - Melissa Etheridge, Brandi Carlile, the Indigo girls and Neil Diamond. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Neil Diamond! Seeing him live has been a life long dream of mine and it was exhilarating to have it come true, for real. Love him.

Farmers Market – Del Ray has the most adorable farmers market with the tastiest yogurt and European breads.

Missouri – Lubbs and I visited Dad in Collins/the-middle-of-no-where, MO. We went to St Louis and I went to the top of the Arch. We visited historic Fort Scott, Kansas, Cahokia Indian mounds, put on our own fireworks show (all varieties of fireworks are for sale all year long in MO), cooked, enjoyed some Kansas City barbeque and just hung out with our old man.

Gardening – if the #$%& squirrels would keep out I’d have a lot more to show for all the work I’ve put in. It has been a ton of fun to play in the dirt again after living in a high-rise apartment.

Babysitting – I just adore my nieces and they both had fun fun birthday parties this summer thanks to their super mom!

Sailing – It is so relaxing to just sit in a sail boat on the water and feel the breeze in your hair.

Grilling – mmmmmmm

Crabbing – at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware we caught ‘em and had a fiasco trying to get them in the pot for cooking but it turned out pretty tasty in the end.

Soccer game – DC United, they have a serious Latino fan base that was so fun to cheer with.

Star Gazing w/ Smithsonian Air and Space Museum – Only an hour out of the city and you can see so many stars! This was awesome. An astronomer/huge nerd took us on a “star tour” with his super power pointer light and showed us a bunch of constellations after which we got to look through a few telescopes at the stars and planets.

County Fair – The best part about this is the people; Carnies, Latino families and high school kids. Grab yourself a funnel cake and enjoy the show!

And not to be forgotten are eating, sleeping and on occasion working. It’s not over yet though. I just got back on Tuesday from a long weekend in beautiful Nova Scotia and here it is Saturday and I’m in the Denver airport heading to Utah for a week. I promise I really do work…sometimes.

Tag! I'm it.

So I just got "tagged" for the first time. Which means I am morally obligated to complete the following blog entry. This is good for me. Thanks Carren! I really have neglected my blog this summer and this is a great way to start back into it. So here goes.

Here's how it works: For each question, look up the answer on Google image search. Then choose your favorite image from the FIRST PAGE OF RESULTS ONLY. Just remember this is google image answering these questions.

Name?

Favorite Food?

First job?

Nickname?

Birth place? Appropriate, seeing as how I was born at home.

Bad habit?

College degree? Yes that's right. I have a degree in Genealogy and yes it's from BYU.

Where I want to go. Prince Edward Island in a few short weeks!

Favorite place? I'm pretty sure my "dream land" is not quite so pink and has a few more dudes in it, but this is a dream land nonetheless.

Favorite color?

Favorite animal?

Past love?

What I am doing right now.

Where I live.

Favorite object?

Grandma's name?

Age?

Girls just wanna have fun!

Working at the DAR has given me the opportunity to go to a lot of concerts. Constitution Hall is a great venue and you can’t beat $2 employee tickets, 7 rows from the stage. Saturday night I took my friend Laura to the True Colors Cyndi Lauper show. My first indication that this show wasn’t what I’d expected came when on my way into the hall, looking hot in a new dress and heals, the group of guys I walked passed did not check me out. Clearly something was wrong. Then I considered what type of guys might be going to a Cyndi Lauper concert. Sure enough the tour was organized to promote gay and lesbian rights and the entire gay and lesbian population of DC was there. The show was hosted by Carson Kressley, from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, who pranced around the stage talking about his wardrobe changes. There were 4 acts to the show, which is why I’d gotten the tickets. The first act was Teagan and Sarah, 2 Canadian Lesbian sisters who rocked out on the guitar. They were followed by the very talented Regina Spektor. She was fantastic! She’s a one woman show and sounds amazing a capella. At one point she was stomping her left foot, playing the piano with her left hand, beating the drums with her right hand and singing! I can’t even rub my belly and pat my head at the same time. It was quite the performance. Next came the party known as the B-52’s. If you’ve seen the Love Shack video, you’ve seen the B-52’s; crazy guy yelling, chics with big hair, outrageous clothes and everybody dancing. All in all a lot of fun. And finally out came Cyndi Lauper; 55 but with all the energy and of her 1980’s glory days. She’s quite the performer and had the crowd on their feet right away. As she started in on her second song, Laura and I sat down, but no one else did. When you sit down that close to the stage you can’t see a thing thats happening on stage. We didn’t know the song so we weren’t paying much attention. I leaned over to say something to Laura and the next thing I know Cyndi Lauper has me by the right arm and is pulling me out of my seat! I did not at all see that coming. She then proceeded to stand on my chair and sing to the crowd but not before turning to me and pointing with the Cyndi Lauper scowl only she can give. I was dumbfounded. I stood there staring at her singing to the crowd and standing in my chair. When she got down a minute later she stepped on Laura’s purse, then bent down and picked the purse up off the floor and put it in Laura’s chair, all the while singing her song. It was one of those experiences where you ask yourself, “did that just happen?” Yeah, it did. Cyndi Lauper pulled me by the arm out of my seat, folks. The rest of the show was fun, especially when they released dozens of giant balloons into the audience and everyone who’d performed came on stage to sing True Colors. Laura described it as the gayest night of her life. I’ll second that!

Camping and Bluegrass

Some friends and I went camping in the beautiful Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia last weekend. We planned the trip around the Graves Mountain Bluegrass Festival for a weekend of backwoods country fun. The highway we were taking through Virginia also happened to be the main road of the town of Sperryville (population 1300) and the town happened to be having their annual parade and town celebration. We were lucky enough to hit the parade at midpoint when they were letting traffic through and we told to drive alongside the beauty queen and in front of the pink and green spandex clad baton twirlers. We waved at the locals in their lawn chairs lining the street and wished we had brought candy to throw. It was great!
The Shenandoahs were beautiful. We found a great little campsite right along side the Appalachian Trail and met hikers who'd been on the trail for 2 months having started hiking in Georgia. I almost wished I could join them as they continued on the Maine, almost. Being out in the woods, cooking over a fire, hiking, and playing in the water reminded me of so many family vacations long spent, except there was less noogies.
The highlight of the bluegrass festival was the legendary Ralph Stanley. He was pretty fantastic for being as old as dirt. Check him out!

Florida

I recently spent a long weekend in Florida with a few of my good friends. It was a fantastic trip! It was my first time to visit Florida and I loved it. The wild life and plant life are so different from anything else I've experienced. We saw alligators just hanging out on the side of the road, manatees swimming with people, dolphins showing off jumping in the ocean, and pelicans having lunch on the waves. It was beautiful. Here are some highlights from the trip...

Lunch with an astronaut at the Kennedy Space Center,

my great pals Laura and Mellie and the rental Dodge Charger,

getting hosed at Universal Studios,

and the beach, of course!

Just Like Heaven...or 1989

I keep a mental list of people I want to see perform before I, or they, die. In recent years I've been able to marked several names off the list. Like U2, Dolly Parton, and Ricky Martin (OK he wasn't on the list but he sure put on a great show). Topping the list is Neil Diamond. I nearly lost it when a few weeks ago I heard he was coming to DC. I sat in my car open mouthed staring at the radio in disbelief until someone honked and I had to pull myself back into reality. I will be having my moment with Mr. Diamond come August 5th. Another list topper has been The Cure. I was able to scratch that name off my list a few weeks ago. Anyone, no no, any white person who was a kid or teen in the 80's and 90's is familiar with the dark eyeliner, red lipstick and spiked black hair of lead singer Robert Smith. I am happy to report that he is still sporting all 3 key elements of his signature style. However he has not aged well and gained some weight making his costumed appearance even more effective/frightening. The show was awesome. I went with 2 of my good friends and had a great time. One of the best parts was standing in the hall people watching. I love people! They're nuts. The band sounded great and performed all of my favorite songs: Just Like Heaven, Friday I'm In Love, Pictures of You etc. Should you get the chance I highly recommend going. Don't forget the black eyeliner!

My new best friend

Just up the street from my sister's house is a ghetto shopping center that plays host to a giant beauty supply store called "Beauty 4 U." One of my fellow white girls once ventured inside said store and was told she was too white, they didn't have anything for her there. I usually try to avoid this shopping center and, lets face it, most of the other stores in Oxon Hill. My sister once pointed out that there was a small bakery next to Beauty 4 U and suggested we try it sometime. I imagined it having a few stale donuts and M&M cookies under some glass guarded by a 400 lb former lineman named Gerard. Needless to say it wasn't a top priority to try it. But my mind was quickly changed when my friend Sam, a recent graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, gave a high recommendation to "Desserts By Gerard." Turns out Gerard is not a 400 lb lineman but a culinary French genius whose delectable creations make me weak in the knees. The best thing are his mini tarts. Its so hard to chose one so why not go with 1/2 a dozen? These bite-sized treats are small enough that you can eat several and not feel guilty. This way you get to make an educated decision on what tart to purchase on your next visit. Desserts By Gerard is like an oasis in the dessert, not only is the food amazing but the ambiance of this bakery is fantastic too. Walking through those doors makes you feel like you've stepped right out of Oxon Hill and into a little taste of heaven. If you want to see for yourself come on by...I'll be there drooling on the glass http://dessertsbygerard.com/home.htm

The Pacific Northwest Pictures

The Pacific Northwest

I just spent a week in the Pacific North West and let me tell you, it was fanfreakingtastic! The weather was perfect and the land was beautiful. I started out in Seattle, WA visiting my dear Little Trucker friend Hayley and ended in Eugene, OR where I taught a genealogy workshop for the Oregon state Daughters of the American Revolution. I’d forgotten how much I love the west coast. Don’t get me wrong I still love my east coast home, but there’s just something that feels like home about the west coast. I didn’t realize how much I missed it. It would take way too long and be very boring to give you all the details of the trip so I’ve decided to give 10 highlights. (This may also be long and boring anyway) Here goes...

10. My bologna has a first name its M-A-Y-E-R – Yes folks that is right, I saw the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. It was just parked at the beach like any other car. No one in it and no hot dogs for sale. I made Hayley pull over and I jumped out to get a picture.

9. Mariners 8, Angels 3, Travis 0 – Hayley got us tickets to watch the Seattle Mariners beat the LA Angels at Safeco Field Saturday night. I love a good baseball game. We had pretty good seats and there happened to be 2 young single guys next to us. After a few beers one of them, Travis, got up the courage to start hitting on me. It just so happened that we were wearing the exact same shade of kelly green shirt. After a solid 7 innings of flirtations and despite his beautiful green eyes, I did not consent to go to the bar with Travis after the game and he left with his buddies. Better luck next time Pal!

8. The troll under the bridge - in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle there is a giant troll sculpture that lives under the Aurora Bridge. I thought this was pure artistic genius. It’s the head and arms of a ghoulish figure clutching a real VW Beetle. A troll under a bridge!

7. Cruising PCH - Driving up the Oregon Coast along Highway 101 was amazing! It is so beautiful. The houses, the trees, the wilderness, the beaches, the cliffs, the wind, the salty air. It was simply beautiful I could’ve sat and enjoyed it all for hours. Oh wait I did and I loved it!

6. G-Doggy Dog - There’s something about eating brunch on a sidewalk table outside a French café on a beautiful morning that screams metropolitan. I met my dear friend and roommate of former years, Gina Jung, at Le Pichet to catch up and enjoy a delicious meal. It’s always good to see an old friend especially one like Gina. She’s one of a kind. We followed our chitchat and meal with a little taste of heaven. Hayley had read about the chocolate dessert at La Pichet, which was why we’d come. It did not disappoint. It was a thick, rich chocolate soup with a side of heavy whipped cream. Sigh, I still dream about it.

5. What a view! - Not far from the Fremont Troll in Seattle is the neighborhood of Queen Anne which boasts the very best views of Seattle. Hayley took me here to show me her Seattle. It was a beautiful clear day and we could see everything. "The mountains were out" and Rainier was majestic. Seattle is a beautiful city.

4. Sunset on Alki Beach - The sunsets on the West Coast are amazing. I'd forgotten about how beautiful they can be over the ocean. Hayley was showing me Alki Beach when the sun started setting. I made her pull over and we marveled over the beauty of the day, took pictures, and tried not to burn our retinas by staring too long at the sun.

3. Rows and rows of brilliantly colored tulips - Skagit Valley, north of Seattle, holds an annual tulip festival the entire month of April. This was right up my alley A. Flowers 2. Festival D. Outside! 3 thing I adore! It was beautiful! Only a 1/3 of the tulips were in bloom, but that was plenty. There were tulips of every variety and color. I wanted to pick them all.

2. Pike Place Market - When anyone talks about Seattle they talk about Pike Place Market. There is a reason for that: its totally awesome, hello! I LOVED it. It was a lot bigger than I imagined and everything you can think of was being sold somewhere. I tasted everything I could and it was delicious. I saw a man with an opossum on his shoulder. I got a free hug. I watched the famous fish guys toss fish to each other. I ate the worlds best mac and cheese. I saw the original Starbucks. I added gum to the gum wall. I saw a man telling cats' fortunes. I bought some Seattle art. I loved it.


1. Hayley! - With all the great things I did and saw, the very best part of my trip was hanging out with my great friend Hayley. She is fantastic and we really miss her out in DC. I'm so glad that we are friends. She's brave and strong and so much fun. THANK YOU HAYLEY!

Blossoms Blossoms Blossoms

Cherry Blossoms!

I LOVE this time of year! Love it. I love when the earth starts to wake up from the long cold winter and everything comes to life. I love the smells and the colors. I love the lengthening of the days and the increase in the temperature. I love the families on Spring Break with their matching sweatshirts. But above all I love the flowers. The daffodils, the hyacinths, the tulips and the BLOSSOMS. If you get the chance to go to DC for the Cherry Blossom festival, GO. One of my absolute favorite traditions (4 years running) is our annual cherry blossom picnic on the steps of the Jefferson memorial. My sister Bean has been pregnant for 2 of the 4 picnics we've had and the number of picnic-ers has been annually increasing. We've been lucky in that each year we've had great weather and have had our picnic when the blossoms were at their peak and before the rain got them. I think this year was the best I've seen yet. The blossoms were amazing. They trees were fuller than I've ever seen them. It looked like pop corn popping on the cherry blossom trees!

Lady Cake

When a good guy friend turns 31 and is booted from his singles ward with no woman on the horizon, what does one do?... Make him an edible woman birthday cake! The "woman" is made from a 9 x 13 cake carved in the shape of a woman's torso, wearing a frosted bikini bottom and Sno Ball bikini top. It was an old trick I learned in college and as long as there are vending machines and gas stations selling Hostess Sno Balls, there will be woman cakes made. Its a real crowd pleaser. While my friend B-Licious was quite pleased with his woman, things didn't really work out between them (something about eating her). So a year later its time to make Vitamin B a new woman. This year I chose to go with a more modest woman and made him a Barbie Princess cake. While this cake is usually the highlight of little girls princess birthday parties, she was quite popular at this 32 year old male birthday party. So what am I gonna do next year?

That's all I want

So there I was sitting at my desk on a rare break from the "genealogy consultant" class I've been teaching and observing for the past 4 days, when I heard something that reminded my of what my life is missing. Chickens. It was as if someone had run into the coop and scattered the brood of feathery old biddies and they were squawking their protests on the north portico of Memorial Continental Hall. Perhaps it was a group of DC tourists, or protesters on their way to the White House, or the 20 class participants/DAR members returning from their lunch break, but to me it was chickens. A bunch of puffed up proud hens strutting across the yard and pecking at grasshoppers. It was then that I remembered some of the things I've always wanted in life but have forgotten while living in this metropolis of Washington DC. Chickens. I've always wanted chickens and a front porch and a white picket fence. After my visit to Savannah last year and recently having read Gone With The Wind, I think I would now most prefer a southern plantation along with the chickens, porch and white fence. That's not too much to ask for is it?

The BEST thing to ever come out of New Jersey

While the hair has gotten shorter and the abs tighter the leather vest remains and Jon Bon Jovi continues to be a hot ROCK STAR! Myself and a gazillion permed, 30-something, screaming women were seduced by his all American boy smile and awesomely bad lyrics last Thursday night at the Verizon Center in DC. The show was fabulous. Thanks to blow-dryers and wardrobe changes, Mr. Bon Jovi looked his best all night. He played a lot of new songs but neglected not his classic chart topping hits: "You Give Love a Bad Name," "Livin' on a Prayer," "Bad Medicine," and "I'll Be There For You," to name a few. Those of us who take pleasure in the art of Butt Rock are still singing those 5 words he swore to us. To relive the magic yourself I'd recommend youtubing a couple of his old videos. Ahhhh, the magic of spandex, leather, and big hair!

Thats How I Roll

Holy Cow!

When I was 12 the youth in my ward put on a road show. The play was about the man who invented the safety pin. While my brother played the lead role, I played a cow. For some reason the writers of this play decided it was necessary to include a herd of cows. Who better to play the herd than the Beehives? Upon delving into the dress up clothes for the previously mentioned tea party, my little sis found my cow costume. Naturally I made her put it on.

Tea Party and Dress Up!

One of my favorite things to do is play dress up. I love it. Love it! Always have. I love to explore the dress up box whenever I go home and jump at any opportunity to clothe myself and anyone else in a "beautiful" dress. On my recent trip home to Utah to help my mom with her broken ankle, I wasted no time getting into the dress up clothes. The occasion was a "tea party" (really a hot chocolate party) with my niece and nephew. While my mom and sister made the hot chocolate and arranged animal crackers on decorative plates, I dug through old boxes of ballet costumes and dress up clothes to find beautiful dresses for everyone. Once dressed, albeit over our clothes, we transformed into our tea party characters by speaking in our best English accents and calling each other "dear" or "darling." We then drank hot chocolate until the teapot emptied, munched on pink and white sprinkled animal cookies and talked about the latest gossip. It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to have another one!

Happy Valentine's Day!

My niece, Gaga, and I in pink polk-a-dots want to wish a Happy Valentine's/Singles Awareness Day to everyone.

Ground Hog Day

February 2nd came and went this year without my notice and/or a celebration of Ground Hog day. When I realized this I had to revisit my Ground Hog day experience of last year. Two of my good friends and I decided that instead of watching Bill Murray relive Groundhog Day over and over and over again, we would live it for ourselves. We arrived in the quaint little town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania around 11 pm February 1st and set up camp in the local community center; the $5 Crash Pad. Our luxury accommodations featured brightly striped bathrooms supplied with powdered borax soap and a distinct odor of elementary school, leaving me craving a Capri Sun and Ninja Turtle fruit snacks. Also featured were several halls of decrepit lockers which my then four-eyes and lunch money merited an immediate stuffing into by my comrades. The halls and floors were lined with people and sleeping bags of every size shape color and variety. We found a spot and tried to sleep for a few very short hours before waking up at 4 am to catch the bus to Gobblers Knob. We then spent the next several hours sitting in our lawn chairs, cheering for Phil, clutching our hand warmers and growing impatient while the temperature fluctuated between 11 and 15 degrees. At 6:30 am there was a fireworks show. At 7 the members of Phil's "Inner Circle" marched onto the stage to start the show. They tapped on Phil's door, pulled the little guy out of his cozy home and the president of the Inner Circle exchanged a few friendly words in "Groundhogese" with him. Then came time for his prediction. I was disappointed to learn that the whole "if he sees his shadow" is a crock. The sun isn't even up at that time! What they do is prepare 2 scrolls. One says "early spring" and the other "6 more weeks of winter." They put the little guy down and which ever scroll he walks towards becomes his prediction. As usual I decided my experience would be best expressed by poem.

I froze my butt off in Punxsutawney!

On February 2nd way before the dawn
People go to Gobbler's Knob and gather on the lawn.
They stand and wait in the frigid chill
And chant a name, Phil, Phil, Phil!
This year I decided to join the eager throng,
I even found myself singing the Groundhog Day song.
Excitement was thick in the cold air,
As Phil slept cozy in his groundhog lair.
We anxiously awaited his prognostication,
His weather prediction for the nation.
Will winter last for 6 more weeks?
I can't feel my toes, my nose or my cheeks.
Come on Phil! Come out of that hole!
Forget about your shadow just walk towards a scroll.
EARLY SPRING! Yea, Phil you're my hero!
Although a week later the temperature is zero.
I'm sure that cute fuzzy little critter wouldn't lie,
Although, I wouldn't put it past him. He is still a guy.

Ode to Nelson

I love the "shuffle" button on my ipod. I hit it the other day and out of the 3448 songs I have, my ipod chose to play Nelson's Love and Affection. It brought back a lot of memories that I thought would best be expressed in a poem.

Rock on Nelson

With your leather pants and your long blonde hair,
My 12 year old heart thought you the perfect pair.
From your rocking guitars and snakeskin boots,
My love for Butt Rock took its roots.
In turquoise jewelry and studded belts,
Your awesomely bad lyrics made my heart melt.
I bought your cassette and hung up all your posters,
Then watched your career on its down hill roller coaster.
I never lost faith that you’d write just one more hit.
And I know that After the Rain you’re gonna make it!
‘Til then I must go on without your Love and Affection
It’s not you. It’s me. We’re not headed the same direction.
As you now make the rounds of select county fairs.
I may have moved on but my 12 year old heart still cares!

Quote of the Day

The DMV - where they specialize in making you look like a mentally deranged cocker spaniel.

Court

I've had a startling revelation. The boring definition of my name, Courtney, is "of the court." For years I've thought this far from descriptive of me. I am no where near a representative of a king's court, the legal courts, tennis or basketball courts. However; I realized recently that I am of a court and I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. It all became clear to me when a friend suggested we eat at the food court in the Ronald Reagan building. Then it all made sense. I am Courtney - of the FOOD court.

Cookie Dough Decision

Sometimes the articles in the Church magazines really speak to me. I read this and knew exactly what this girl was talking about. It is found under the "Trying to Be Like Jesus" section of the February 2008 Friend.
"One night, I was planning on waking up early in the morning so I could eat the rest of the cookie dough left in the fridge. The next day, I woke up before 6:00 in the morning, but then I stopped and thought about what Jesus would do. I decided not to eat the rest of the cookie dough. At breakfast I told my mom what I had wanted to do. She wasn't angry and understood. I repented about the cookie dough, and I was happy to know the Heavenly Father understood too." From Sarah P., age 8.

I don't know

"I don't know." Its a phrase I've said and heard a lot lately. Mostly in reference to my future. I hate hearing it. I hate saying it. And I hate feeling it. But when it all comes down to it, I don't know. There are a few things in my life I do know. The rest is uncertain. I hate to make decisions. I'm terrible at it. I always want some one to just tell me what to do. But God is much wiser than that and allows me to make decisions, or leaps of faith rather, and once I've taken a step into the darkness, He lets me know if it was the right step. There have been many times I've chosen not to act because I didn't know "for sure." Those times have been some of my biggest regrets. I've missed out on too many things because I was waiting for a sign to point the direction to go. Or I was too afraid of failing to even try. Usually if I don't know, then I don't act. I sit complacent with my lack of direction and ambition. I heard and or said "I don't know" to one too many people this week and I've decided its time to know. Time to act. I'm never gonna know if I don't try right? So here goes nothing. Time to grab the bull by the horns! First act is to figure out what I'm doing with my future. This is my biggest "I don't know," but also the one I'm in the most control of. So... does anyone have any suggestions?

The finer things in life

Food. Food is one of the finer things in life. Good food, that is. Last week Washington DC celebrated "Restaurant Week." Restaurant Week involves many of DC's fancy schmancy and expensive restaurants offering 3 course meals on a pre-fixed price of $20.08 for lunch and $30.08 for dinner. These places are usually well beyond my budget, so this is a great deal. I was able to go to the Fourth Estate Restaurant at the National Press Club as well as Georgetown's own 1789. These are the kinds of restaurants where the valet helps you out of the car, the waiter scoots in your chair, and you have to know the difference between a salad fork and a dinner fork. Both meals were delicious and the atmospheres were elegant. I felt like a real socialite eating at such fine establishments.

Tonight I am again heading out with my friends to eat at a fine establishment. Bob Evans. I love Bob Evans. Love it. (For those of you in the West, Bob Evans is a family diner. Much like Denny's or Village Inn only its like 1 millions times better.) I've been excited for this outing all week. Probably more excited than for my meals last week. My good friends, the Little Truckers, and I started a tradition of dining at Bob Evans on our first trip to somewhere. (The Little Truckers have decreed that we will take an annual trip somewhere until we die. DIE.) It quickly became one of our favorite places to stop. While 2 of my Little Truckers have since moved out of DC, one will be in town this week and 3 of the Little Truckers will be heading to Bob Evans tonight and can't wait.

Our dear friend Mr. Bob Evans passed away in June and I wrote this poem to commemorate his life and our loss.


Ode to Bob…

Dear Mr Evans we’re your number one fans!
To celebrate your life we lend you our hands.
I’ll always treasure the fond memories we shared
And the many fine meals for me you prepared.
Turkey dinner and mashed potatoes,
Fresh house salad with tomatoes,
40 cents more for bacon and cheese.
Your Oreo pie makes me weak in the knees.
Flakey biscuits with butter and jam,
Eggs and hash browns with a slice of ham.
Fresh from the oven come your buttery rolls.
“Bob’s Sausage Chili” fills up our bowls.
You’ve now gone on to the life hereafter
And we morn the loss of a culinary master!
So raise your glass and grab the Pepto
To Bob, whose food we love and know.

Mom's gonna kill me!

We finally got some snow in Washington DC yesterday. Huge fluffy flakes were falling all morning. When a sufficient amount of snow had blanketed the back yard, I dressed my niece up in the essential snow gear and we headed outside. I showed her how to make and throw snowballs so we would be ready when her mom came out to join us. It wasn't too long before that Bean was outside ready for a fight. (Anyone who knows Bean knows that she can't resist any opportunity to soak her friends and loved ones.) We couldn't play too rough because Gaga was with us but we each got a few good hits in. In a final attempt to maintain my "big sister" status, I lobbed a well aimed snowball at Bean's head. She looked up just in time to get hit in the face. As I watched her glasses fly off my first thought was, "Uh oh Mom's gonna kill me!" Fortunately the glasses weren't broken and Mom lives 2,000 miles away. 20 years ago I would've gotten the wooden spoon for sure. Good thing I'm all grown up now.

Is that Pat Benatar?

I knew Monday at work it was time for a hair cut when every time I looked in the bathroom mirror, I wished I hadn't. I would see my reflection and sneer at the shapeless mass of brown hair hanging out of my head. After repeated sneerings and failed attempts with bobbie pins and rubber-bands to improve said mass, I called Bubbles for a 4:30 appointment. "It doesn't matter with who, I just need a haircut." 4:30 with Dawn. When I arrived at the salon a very tall and thin male hairdresser with lightening bolts bleached in either side of his head asked Honey if he could help her. "Oh me?!" Yeah apparently I'm Honey. He said he would let Dawn know I was there. When I sat down with Dawn I explained that I wanted the same haircut I had 4 months ago, it just needed to be trimmed and cleaned up. I also explained to her that I have aleopecia areata and that I lose random patches of hair. I could tell she didn't know what I was talking about when she asked in broken english if my hair had broken off upon my showing her my random bald spot. We settled on her cutting about an inch off. After the shampoo, Dawn proceeded with the cut and as I watched 3 inches of my hair falling to the floor I began to wonder how they measure inches in the Oriental country Dawn was from. I watched my hair fall to the floor and hoped it would all turn out ok when it was dry and styled. No such luck. After all was said and done, I ended up with what looks like a grown out mullet. Generally after the soccer mom like styling indigenous to hair salons I leave wanting to put on some cotton culottes and cruise in my minivan. However, this day I wanted to put on my Van Halen t-shirt and gas up the Thunderbird. Lets hope it grows out soon.

Oh what a beautiful day!

Today was amazing! What felt like Spring crept into Washington DC with record breaking highs of 73 degrees. I wore a skirt and short sleeves outside IN JANUARY! I can't stay inside on days like this and was out the door as soon as my lunch hour hit. I love working in the district and so close to the mall. I love the people in this city. Like the guy with 2 braids for a goatee and dog paws tattooed on his left calf holding the leash of the biggest rottweiler I've ever seen, wearing a spike collar no less (the dog that is, although I wouldn't put it past the man). Or the Redskins fan on the bike who told me he liked my hair as he rode by. Or the lost family with the map and cameras asking me where the Vietnam memorial was. Or that bum panhandling with a Frisbee instead of a cup. Or that guy selling hot dogs from his cart. I REALLY like that guy. They are all faces of Washington DC and I love it. On days like this one of my favorite things in the whole wide world is to walk from my office to the Lincoln Memorial and read the Gettysburg address. It really is inspiring. The Lincoln Memorial is one of my favorite spots in DC. I love climbing the steps and feeling like Rocky. I love the view of the entire Mall from the top of those steps. They have taken the fence down around the building and I was able for the first time to walk completely around it. From the south side you can look across Memorial Bridge and see the house of Robert E Lee overlooking Arlington Cemetery. It was a new view for me and I wish I could've taken more time to appreciate it, but alas one must go back to work and leave the beautiful day outside. Jobs are totally over rated.

A little piece of Hell

I HATE the DMV, or as they call in in Maryland the MVA. I spent 2 and a half hours there yesterday and wanted to stab my eyes out. If I ever go crazy I want it to be said that I went DMV not postal. I don't mind the post office.