Fall Camping :)

Bean boot photo #1

I mentioned a few of us went camping last week near Sugarloaf Mountain after the Halloween dance. Behold, photographic evidence!

We arrived super late (like... midnight) after the dance, we set up in the dark (I must say I was impressed with our setting-up-in-the-dark skills!). But here's what the next day looked like:



Nils was too cool to kick it with the rest of us, so he set up his own "man tent." ;)

Now, for the important stuff. Is there any breakfast as delicious as a camping breakfast? I think not! Dara did an amazing job with the food, as you can see below. :)

Mmmmm...

It was Jeffie's birthday* on Saturday, so naturally, celebrations were had!

And what's a camping trip without a fire, I ask you? (Nothing. is what.)

Especially with these dudes to gather firewood. (By taking large logs and throwing them at trees? Whatever works, guys.)

A few of us took an innocent walk through the woods, seeking only to enjoy the beauty around us.

Bean boot photo #2. I really love my Bean boots. Even if they're too big...

Thanks for the giant hoodie, Pepsi!

We never could have imagined what a life-changing experience that walk would be as we witnessed the birth of... tree-riding.

What is tree-riding, you ask? Here's how it goes:

Step 1 -- Climb a tree.

Step 2 -- Lean back on said tree. Throw all your weight into it like you really mean it, or else the tree won't lean! (Please note Jeff's form in the second photo. Perfection.)

Step 3 -- Ride that tree all the way back, and land on the ground. Ta-da! Tree-ridin'! (Photobombing optional.)

(Please note how ridiculously high up Kevin went. And OK, so I don't have a photo of someone actually landing. But you get the idea.) 

After getting our fix of tree-riding (or in my case, my fix of watching the tree-riding), we packed up and went home. And we made it back in time for lunch! It really was just perfect. :)

Here's the whole gang at the end of the trip. Don't we all look like we had a good time? :) Because we did!

Matt, Kev, Ali, Joseph, Dara, me, Nils, Jeffie

And thanks for the healthy road snacks, Dara! We love our apples! (OK, to be completely open and transparent, I don't particularly care for apples, but I think they're really pretty! So when I say I loved my apple, I really do mean it!)



One more shot (featuring all the fall clichés) to close us out:

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* Bonus if you made it this far. I mentioned Jeffie's birthday earlier, right? Later this same night, he had a birthday gathering at Ted's Bulletin on 14th Street, complete with a "How well do you know Jeff" quiz. I am proud to tell you... I won! This was my prize:

Jealous, aren'tcha? ;)

A Classy Saturday in DC

Saturday, I felt so classy. The very first thing I did when I left my house was meet up with friends to visit the National Gallery of Art.

We saw the only da Vinci in North America, a portrait of Ginevra de' Benci. You should totally click here to read more about the painting, then come back here and swoon with me over how romantic Ginevra's life sounds, what with men commissioning her portrait, asking to swap poetry with her, and even combining their emblems with her symbol on the back of your portrait. Sigh... :)

Stephie, Ashley, Jeffie, me (da Vinci),  Shara

and beautiful works from other famous artists. 

Top left: The Marquesa de Pontejos by Francisco de Goya
Top right: Portrait of a Man in a Tall Hat by Rembrandt van Rijn
Bottom right: The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries by Jacques-Louis David
Bottom left: Danaë with Eros by Titian, on loan from the Capodimonte Museum in Italy through November

My friend Ashley out together a fantastic scavenger hunt for us, and my only regret is that I didn't have sufficient time to complete it!

I had to leave to meet up in the Sculpture Garden (ahhh, I love DC!!) with 3/5 of my monthly "Girl Group" (missed you, Meli and Caitlin!) I may not have mentioned this group before, but Caitlin and I started the group earlier this year. Essentially, we meet up once a month, and we each share a goal we're working towards. The other four girls provide feedback, advice, encouragement, and resources both at the meeting and throughout the month. Although I am blessed to have supportive friends and family members in my life, it's been really great -- though sometimes scary! -- to have this safe space in which to be vulnerable. And I always leave in complete awe of these four amazing women.

Close-up!

Post-Girl Group, Camille and I caught up at Shake Shack with some blueberry lemonade. (and a chocolate-chip Salty Oat cookie from Teaism for the road!)


And Camille took this ridiculously hilarious photo of me, trying to show a serious face. Heh heh.

photo cred: C$Money & her sweet iPhone

After some errands and chores and such, I ended my evening with a solo viewing of the new Daniel Radcliffe rom-com (because when you think of Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe, you think of romance, right?) What If at the Bethesda Row Cinema. It was my first time at this particular theater (it was super posh and had really comfy chairs. AND you get a discount with a student ID. Hello, new favorite theater!) and my first time going to a movie alone (loved it!). The film was quirky and cute, and it made me cry, so it was probably a good thing I was by myself. :)

And I got to enjoy a really great classical violin performance on my way into the theater. This boy had a crowd gathered 'round in front of the Barnes and Noble. He was quite good!

Isn't this just dreamy with the twinkle lights? :)

The perfect end to my classy Saturday. :)

Roommate Adventure

Friday night, my roommate and I took a little cruise on the Potomac. (Spoiler alert: it was kind of ghetto and not worth $15.)

Let's just say... The Potomac is kind of gross, and if you want to see the monuments, seeing from the water is not the best view. But we had a good time and a delicious evening! We made a pitstop at Baked and Wired (the best cupcake in DC! Seriously -- try the Chocolate Doom some time.) and then grabbed dinner at the famed 2 Amy's pizza. (But first, we walked around the National Cathedral!) I've been wanting to try this place for YEARS, and I'm so glad I finally got to! I would totally pay $15 again for that tiny -- but delicious -- pizza.

It was so, so hard to get a decent photo of us! This is the best we could do.

No good view of the monuments, but hey! It's the Kennedy Center!

Another of the umm, "scenic" sights from the tour.

Baked & Wired, how do I love thee!

National Cathedral

Margherita Extra, come to mama!

I'll be back again soon!

Perspective

A few months ago, I got to go to the White House for the President's Cinco de Mayo festivities. The food (by Chef Jose Andres!) was delicious, and the guacamole was TO DIE FOR.

The President spoke to the attendees, and I got this sweet shot to post on social media:





Awesome, right?? What a great view!

Wanna know a secret? Here's the view I really had during the President's speech:




I'm 5 feet tall, remember? The room was packed, and all sorts of tall people decided to stand in front of me. And then they all raised their cell phones up, further blocking my view, and this was honestly the view I had for a good portion of the speech. (If I stood on tiptoe, shifted right or left just a hair, or when people's arms got tired of holding up their cell phones, I had glimpses of a better view.)

So that awesome shot I instagrammed? Yeah, I got that by standing on my tiptoes, holding my phone waaay above my head, and snapping the camera.

And it made me think about how easy it is to scroll through someone else's Facebook/IG/Twitter feed and to feel jealous of their picture-perfect life. What we forget is that we don't really see a complete picture. We don't see the hard moments or the less-than-perfect days. We don't see the short girl standing on her tiptoes just tryin'a get a semi-decent shot and accidentally getting a pretty good one.

So I guess the moral of this blog post is to remember that the content we see online is filtered and represents just one perspective. Let's be happy and excited for each other, but most importantly, let's be happy for ourselves and for the awesome things we're all doing. With the right perspective, we can enjoy our lives both on AND offline. :)

Cinco de Mayo at La Casa Blanca

*Pardon these catch-up posts you're going to see here in the next little while. These are things I want to document but just haven't gotten around to! I also apologize for the quality of these photos... My phone was having a moment that night. :-/ *

I got to attend the Cinco de Mayo festivities at the White House earlier this year. I'm not Mexican, but I'm always down for a good party! (Especially when Chef José Andrés's guacamole will be there. That stuff is AMAZING! Note: That's not Chef José Andrés below. Additional note: his assistant was awesome and gave my co-workers and me $50 gift cards to any of his DC restaurants! Yum!)

L-R: me, Jorge Neri (WH), Avery (VL), me, Annette R. (Enroll America)

There were mariachis (Los Gallos Negros -- my co-worker Steve's roommates!), Latin celebrities (Frankie Negrón, Lili Estefan, etc.), and even a delicious pig (Mmmm.... Tacos!).



And I got to see the President whilst having a really sweet (not) view, remember?



Oh! And I found the White House copy of the Book of Mormon!>br />

Funny story -- The BoM was located in the WH Library on a reeeeally high shelf. I tried to reach but couldn't. I jumped. Tried to climb the bookcase. Fail. Then Congressman Joaquin Castro's wife came along in suuuuper high heels and offered to get it down for me. So sweet of her! Thanks so much, Mrs. Castro! Then she joined her husband and went on her way. :)

Living in DC is just so much fun. :)

My Last Bike Ride

I'm so, so bummed! I left my bike downtown this weekend, and....

IT GOT STOLEN. :( :( :(

Here are some photos I took last Thursday the last time I rode it. :'( On the bright side, at least my last ride was a really good one.

I rode down from my office to the White House.

My little grenade pouch-turned cell phone holder. *sniff* Now the Army surplus store is closed, I can't even replace it! :(

Then, I rode down to the Mall. :) Past the Washington Memorial.

The sky was GORGEOUS Thursday night! I live in such a pretty place!

And, of course, across the street to my FAVORITE -- the World War II Memorial.



I LOVE living in DC, and I can't wait to live biking distance from these beautiful sights again. And hopefully by then, I'll have another bike... :-(