BBQing!

Happy Sunday!

I can't believe the weekend is already over!  It was a pretty relaxing weekend, and involved some partying!  Friday night, my roommate and I went to a moving-away party at a bar called Whitlow's in Arlingon for one of my good friends.  It was a good time, but I totally got ripped off on my $30 cab ride home.  Oh well.

Saturday, we went to a BBQ in the city.  It was small and casual and we grilled and played cornhole and listened to country music and drank beer.

And by grilled, I mean the boys did.  And by played cornhole, I mean we threw beanbags at each other.  I didn't exaggerated on the beer and country music though.  It's been hot and sunny out here, so it was a great evening.

And how precious is this puppy that was there?! 

His name is Burt Reynolds!

Next week starts my first week completely on my own at work.  I'm a little nervous, but definitely excited to prove myself.  It's also been fun making new work-appropriate outfits out of the few new items I bought and my existing wardrobe.  And, luckily, my roommate and I are the same size so we can share tops.  It's like having a double closet.  I guess it's a girl thing.  

Anyways, nothing too incredible and exciting to tell you guys about.  My roommate and I have been planning our weekly meals and grocery shopping and cooking together, and it's been saving us money.  Maybe I'll post a week of our meals for you all!  

Love,

N

Hair Brushes and Golf Balls.

Hello lovelies!  Happy Wednesday!  It is Wednesday, right?  I'm losing track of the days.  To be honest, I'm losing track of my life now that everything is so new and hectic. 

To be completely honest, I would just love to not be moving for a hot minute.  I know that I moved up here three weeks ago but I'm not moved in anywhere really completely.  I can't even settle into my office or my desk because I'm not only switching desks when my predecessor leaves, but I may be switching offices!  Just give me a little corner of space to put a picture frame on, that's all I ask...

Anyways, besides working, my life is basically uhh, relaxing evenings, and weekends spent out playing at bars and parties.  I'm still getting used to the bar scene here.  As in... I'm confused as to why some females don't brush or style their hair prior to a night on the town.  I get the whole it's-happy-hour-and-I-just-came-from-work thing.  Excusable.  What bewilders me are the Saturday-11-pm-crowd at a bar with live music and a dance floor and $9 drinks in real glasses.  Is every girl's life so busy and time consuming that she just did not possibly at all have time to run a comb through her locks?  Maybe I'm just vain... who knows. 

Oh, and the most dangerous part of my day?  I escaped death.  Yep, seriously.  Some asshat threw a golf ball out of a car window on the HOV lanes this morning.  Except that little white ball of steel (or whatever golf balls are made out of) roamed on over to my lane, where it smacked into my windshield.  Lovely.  Somehow, by a miracle of baby Jesus himself, my windshield remained intact and I survived.  My advice for that DC  commuter: yell "fore" next time!  If you're that horrible at the game, at least learn the proper manners. 

Alright, it's past six and if traffic is still horrendous I'm just going to have deal with it.  Time to head out. 

Love,
N

On A Quest for Shoes That Aren't Boats.

It's Friday, but since I've been "working from home" this week, it feels no different than it being Friday during undergrad Spring semester where I spent my Friday hungover in bed from thirsty Thursday or something.  Except I wasn't hungover, I was sleepy.  In defense of my not being a complete slacker, I have gotten all of my work accomplished this week, as well as two meetings with the guy I'm replacing to go over everything.  So the 3 hour nap was definitely justified... right? 

I borrowed one of my (new) roommate's clothing steamers this week and finally got around to steaming/ironing/hanging most of my work attire, so that next week when I actually have to get dressed and go into the office, I'm not looking like a wrinkly schlep.  I'm excited to wear all the new clothes I bought last weekend.  Have I mentioned before that I love Banana Republic outlets?  Well, I do.  $120 got me a pair of white shorts for summer (so now I can turn my old too-short white shorts into American flag attire for the 4th), a white pencil skirt, a basic black skirt, and a blouse that looks way too matronly on the hanger but magically transforms when put on a human.  

I got too lazy to take photos, so you'll just have to trust my descriptive explanations.  Don't worry, I'll share the American Flag shorts craft project with you all when I do them.  

Here's my fashion dilemma, though.  In hindsight, I probably should have asked Joan Rivers for suggestions, but she was too busy drinking wine in between singing books.  So, I'll turn to Blog-world.  And, be warned, I'm picky... 

I need comfortable, cute ballerina-type flats.  In black and nude/beige.  

I have some from Target... they give me horrendous blisters and the scrunched backs eat up my heels.  I've tried on countless pairs.  They all look like I just strapped some miniature canoes onto my feet, bulging and gaping at the sides.  I'm a size eight, which isn't enormous, but it also isn't miniature... I'd like to not accentuate my feet to the point that they look like water-skiing equipment.  

To make a very long story short, even though I enjoy wearing heels to work and investing in a cute yet comfy pair, I need something to keep in my tote for when I decide to meet my roommate for happy hour after work and have to walk to the metro.  Or when my feet hurt from wearing stilettos the evening before.  Or, if you really must know, because I once (three times) lost my big toe nail on my right foot due to a tragic accident (slamming my foot in a car door, etc) and I'm pretty sure constantly wearing heels is not beneficial for healthy birthing of a new one.  (Sorry for that gross escapade... in my defense, you choose to read this nonsense.)  Plus, what if my foot gets caught in the metro door because I couldn't understand the fast-talking Asian woman alert me that the "doors are closing, please step back?" Whatever.  I just want some damn comfortable non-horrendous flats.  Help me out. 

Happy Friday!  Here's to a weekend of playing in the city and pretending that the YMCA-type pool available to me is a Floridian get-a-way with a fountain, palm trees, music, beer, and water basketball.  

Love,

N

Meeting the Fashion Police

Happy Wednesday!  I've been working from home this week, since our office is being used for something else, which has allowed me to get errands done in the morning after traffic dies down.  The downside to working at home?  No one actually believes I'm working.  It's also really easy to get distracted by snacks and TV and my new book and errands and... yeah.  Regardless, I've gotten all my work done so far.

The best part of my week was actually Monday!  If you follow me on social media, you know I met Joan Rivers!  If you don't, then, well... I met Joan Rivers!  To make a long and very it's-all-about-who-you-know story short, I was lucky enough to get invited along to a private reception with my roommate and her coworker where Joan herself was having a book signing.  Her book, "I Hate Everyone, Starting With Me," is hilarious.  I suggest you grab it for a fun read at the beach or pool, for when you need a break from the practically pornographic chapters in the Fifty Shades of Grey obsession.

Look at those sleeves!

In addition to the excitement of meeting a celebrity, did I mention that the reception had appetizers and wine? It was probably pretty obvious that we were rookies at events like that... what with befriending the girl in charge of pouring white wine and the man with the portabello flat bread.  You think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not... Wine Woman must have been really desperate to leave her shift, because at one point she just emptied half a bottle of wine into our glasses, filling them way past the "casual drink at a 6pm party" point.  Maybe we weren't actually supposed to eat the food?  I've been craving those little fried chicken bites ever since though. 

Even if your Monday wasn't as fabulous as mine, I hope your week has been great!

Love,

N

Work Week Numero Uno!

Happy Friday!  I know you've all been devastated at my lack of posting, but I've been running around getting caught up in my new job and being in a new place.  Have no fear, I'm here to tell you all about it!

I officially started work on Tuesday, and the whole week was full of meeting faculty and staff and being bombarded with information.  I work with some great people, I love the mission of my office, and I am just surrounded by a wealth of information.  It's a huge plus for a nerd like me.  Oh, and did I mention there's free coffee? I'm practically in heaven.

My transition to DC has been pretty calm.  My clothing and things are crammed into two suitcases, and every day stuff ends up spilling out of them a little bit more.  Packing a suitcase is easy... keeping it packed while you live out of it is not.  Joan Rivers is going to give me a fashion police ticket pretty soon for the atrocious wrinkles creeping into my wardrobe.  I may have a grown-up job, but I've been using my hair straightener to iron my blouses... not quite an adult yet, I suppose.

Traffic is horrendous.  Abominable.  Like, no one here can drive.  Which is a shame, because that's what they all try to do.  Every highway involves obscene amounts of merging and yielding, but I don't think even the most seasoned commuter has tapped into that common-sense brain synapse to get that down.  It's a good de-stress to scream "screw you, Maryland PETA jackhole!" at the cars that cut me off or almost sideswipe me on my way home.  Road rage?  What's that?

Anyways, the workweek is over, time to enjoy the weekend!

Love,
N

The Adventures of I-95

Oh hello there!  I am officially a resident of the Washington D.C. metro area!  Well, I'm technically a resident of Florida, but I live in Virginia now.  Actually, I am a permanent house guest in Virginia... Whatever, however you want to explain it, I now reside in a suburb of my dream city, beginning an amazing job.

On Sunday, I made the 15 hour drive up here.  By myself.  With a Ford Explorer packed to the brim.  At least I had a lot of country music and some great weather.

iPhone might as well have said "drive forever". 

My little driving companion.

It was hard saying goodbye to my family, friends, and boyfriend, and I'm sure the next couple of months will be difficult to adjust to, but I tried to entertain myself with the road trip to keep my mind off the heavy stuff.  If you've never driven around the North-South-Carolinas border, well, you should.  For about 200 miles (not even exaggerating here) I kept seeing billboards advertising "Pedro's Ice Cream!" and "Reptile Lagoon" and "Hot Tamale Restaurant!" and "Pedro's Carnival Rides!"  I'm not even kidding, all of these billboards advertised practically everything under the sun, and all had a "South of the Border" logo on it.  I was intrigued, and looking to see the ridiculous advertisements made that 200 miles pass a lot faster.  

By the time I saw "Last Chance! South of the Border!" I had to stop.  I changed lanes like a maniac and made the exit, and as I pulled off the highway I realized I was in the most hilarious town.  It was so politically incorrect.  Leave it to some southerners to make money off of a Hispanic stereotype.  The roofs of buildings were sombreros, and everything was "Perdo's."  Pedro's Ice Cream and Pedro's Reptile Lagoon.  And there were statues of "Pedro" all over the little town.  And by town, I mean a couple of blocks down a single street.  

Get it?  South of the North Carolina border? haha

Good ole Pedro's Ice Cream and the Hot Tamale restaurant. 

I went into Pedro's Tee-Shirt Shop and bought my boyfriend a key chain of a little Mexican man in a sombrero.  The obnoxious place was definitely the highlight of my trip.  

I also stopped at my first real truck stop.  Unintentionally.  I was looking for a Shell gas station, and it wasn't until I pulled up that I saw the sign.  

I believe those were the Big Boys themselves sitting outside. 

I'd never been to a truck stop before.  It was like any other interstate gas station, except it had a diner attached and a lot of people just hanging out, and a field, and the restrooms had showers in them.  They were a little ambitious in calling it a travel "plaza," unless two establishments qualifies for a plaza.  I would have called it a gas station, but I guess I'm not the only one that exaggerates a bit.  

The remainder of my trip was your typical 15-hour drive through five states.  I drove on Interstate 95 the entire time, which I'm pretty sure must have been built in 1895 and then repaved back in 1995.  Another ambitious label, calling it an "interstate."  I was thinking more like "Path of Potholes."  Poor Dora the Explorer is going to need another re-alignment.  

Anyways, I'm finally here, and after a stack of paperwork that felt a mile high today, I finally start my first real day of work tomorrow.  I know you'll be dying to hear about it... have no fear, I'll be updating... I just can't blog at work anymore.  Oh the woes of big-girl life.  

Love,

N

My Life, Turned Upside Down

Sorry for such a huge gap in posting.  Trust me, once I explain what's going on in my life, it will make sense and you'll forgive me.  I hope.

I mentioned last post that my weekend in Washington, D.C. included two job interviews.  Well, the interviews went relatively well, from my perspective, and I was offered a job!  Not just any run-of-the-mill job, either... it's basically right on track to my dream career!  The stipulation was that I move up to DC to start on Monday. Yep, as in, June 4th, in less than a week... Now do you understand my hiatus from blogging?  My room/house/life has been upended.  I've had less than two weeks to make a decision and a change that most people do in months.

All this growing up into the big-girl world means it was time to throw away mementos of my youth.  It's no longer appropriate to hang a neon dinosaur sign in my bedroom.

Sweet memories of my 21st birthday extravaganza.

 (For those of you who have no idea why I would have an enormous poster board reptile scribbled all over, it's a 21st birthday tradition, at least at my university, to make the birthday girl a poster-board sign with 21 things to accomplish during the celebrations.  It's only fitting that mine was shaped like a dinosaur.)

I'll be staying with my good friend A for the next two months.  I'm not going to lie, I'm a little on edge about not having any personal get-a-way space for 8 weeks, but more than that, I'm grateful to have such a great friend there for me who has been through a very similar situation.  I'm naturally an emotional person, and although I've known that I've wanted to be in DC for years, actually leaving my family, some of my best friends, my boyfriend, and my comfort zone is nerve racking.  I'm a lucky girl to have someone to help me through this.

That's right, the girls in the Coffee and Dinos photo are reuniting.

The first question out of most people's mouths isn't what my job is.  It's what are you and your boyfriend going to do?  We are going to try and make things work.  Long distance isn't impossible.  It's hard, and it sucks, and it's not something either of us want to do... but I'm not about to give up on someone who means so much to me just because it's not easy. 

I am so excited, nervous, thrilled, appreciative, grateful, and a million other emotions for this new chapter in my life.  Of course, I'll be keeping you all updated on my life as it takes a line out of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and gets turned all upside down.

Love,
N