Sunshine

I haven't posted anything in a few days as I've been crazy busy and out of town to Palmyra, NY. But today is an absolutely GORGEOUS day so I thought I'd share the beautiful things I'm enjoying on my lunch break:

These fir trees along the sidewalk smell fantastic. reminds me of christmas or Seattle...take your pick.

The sun is shining. Bright and clear like it does in SoCal.

There is a gentle breeze that is brushing my hair out of my face as I walk.

I work right down the street from these cool townhouses-typical, picturesque Old Town architecture. Love it.

Birds are chirping. No traffic. Just quiet. Ahhhh

Summer flowers. Need I say more?

Fresh air. Warm sun. I love being outside. It should be illegal to make someone stay inside all day. There is no way it is healthy. So I don't.

it's the little things in life

simple JOYs:

• after a week at work, i finally figured out the soap dispenser in the bathroom. 
• my outfit came together PERFECTly today. perfect mix of summer, office, style, trend, and me.
• the hair cooperating nicely today.
• raw almonds. i love them.

employed and bored=long post

In case anyone cares or was wondering about the theme of my blog, here is the talk by President Thomas S Monson that inspired my daily search for joy in my journey.Finding Joy in the Journey, President Thomas S Monson, October 2008 I love this talk and felt inspired to start finding and recording the joyful things I see in my days when I read it recently.

Tuesday I started my new job...that's right I am finally employed! It's not the dream...at least I don't think. I have had some fun looking at voting data in a project the other day...ok that sounded super nerdy. My political geography class and all the crazy data projects I did in undergrad are actually paying off. Yay! Maybe it's not so far from the dream as I thought.... we shall see.

JOYs:

• pondering/meditating/thinking (whatever you want to call it)... I have had time lately to think about many things: about my priorities, my relationship with the Lord, my goals/dreams, my desires, my struggles, my weaknesses....the list goes on. I appreciate these opportunities to ponder and reflect. It's not easy to think about these things as they usually require some sort of introspection and work, but definitely worth the effort. I highly recommend taking the time to think, not about what you have to do that day, or about your bills, nothing that would induce stress. That would be counterproductive. But instead, think about something you want to improve in the world, then try to make plans to put it into action. Or ponder on something you would like to improve or augment in your own character. Think about why you chose your current job/profession, does it still apply? Think about any weaknesses or struggles you may have, do they affect your daily life? Do you ever wonder why you could possibly have those weaknesses? What could you learn from them? (just a couple thoughts..) Then write it down, it is fascinating what you find out about yourself through reflection and the action of writing down those thoughts.
• Spanish...I love walking down the street and randomly hearing people converse in Spanish. (and yes there are still a bunch of Latinos here in DC) It just fills my heart with warm fuzzies. Funny story though: many people make fun of me for my Spanish-isms, voice inflection, accent, etc., but I guess it never occurred to me how much it affects my English until today when I said "you learn things new every day." Ummm...yeah that's not English. It totally sounded right to me (and still kinda does) until I thought about it. Spanish is just more efficient to my brain now. Don't laugh until you speak another language fluently. 
• Utah...yes one of my Joys lately has been Utah. I appreciate that almost everyone out here has some connection to Utah- either they went to school there, they have family there, they lived there, whatever it may be. Here, in DC of all places, ALL the Mormons have connections to Utah. So I admittedly have missed all the comforts and familiarities out there. And all my great people out there. I am definitely not in Utah anymore.
• People...I LOVE PEOPLE. I love talking to them, being around them, learning from them, learning about them. I appreciate listening to them very much, so if I ever ask you a question, PLEASE elaborately respond, and feel free to keep talking.
• diversity...i very much appreciate diversity in thought, culture, religion, language, nationality, etc. And I appreciate those who recognize it as a positive in this world.
• Parks...thanks to whoever invented urban parks. I very much appreciate having a place outside to sit and enjoy fresh air, sunshine, for a break when I'm stuck inside at a desk all day.

I just realized this is a long post, without even any pics to add length/content. So props to you if you are still reading. I don't have too much going on at work yet, so just chillin...and getting paid. 

why do i live in the city?

Yesterday went out to Shenandoah to hike in the "mountains." They are beautiful, but I will persist in referring to them as hills as the highest point was only 2890 feet. But it is WONDERFUL to get out of the hustle and bustle of DC and enjoy fresh air. We found a trail that lead down to a set of waterfalls, ending in a pool of water deep enough to swim in. We were enjoying the down-ward, rocky, yet manageable descent, when we realized we weren't even all the way to the bottom yet and we had to turn around and climb all the way back up at some point....so that's what we did. And it ended up being a very exhausting uphill return trip. But luckily it wasn't too hot under the canopy of the trees, and a cloud cover had shielded the sun almost the entire time we were on the trail. My calves are a bit tighter the day after, but other than that, no noticeable side effects. As we were driving back through the Park on our way out, the sun was shining through the trees over the road, sprinkling the air below, and dappling the road in spots of brightness. It was gorgeous.

By the way...I now know why they call them the Blue Ridge mountains...they actually do look blue in the haze of the hot, humid, summer air. Who'd a thunk? Very cool. I want to go out there every day. Sigh



Recent JOYs in my days to be grateful for:

• clouds...you never fully appreciate clouds until they shield you from glaring sun rays that make 100 degrees feel like 120 in humid conditions.
• laughter...I have recently been around awesome people that make me laugh. and I very much love to laugh.
• old friends...Sarah, my old roommate from BYU, was here from NYC for the holiday and it was simply fantastic to hang out with her for a few days. It was so refreshing to be around someone who already knew me, has a history with me, who I didn't need to explain anything to, and who I could just be myself around. Plus it helps that I love her and have a blast with her always.

• water...I have a fetish with water - rivers, waterfalls, oceans - you name it. Gotten to see beautiful forms of water lately. Happens a lot out here on the East Coast.
• health...I very much appreciate that my body is strong, (almost) fully functional, and healthy. Its not perfect (whose is?) but it works, and as long as I understand its needs and take care of it, it takes care of me.
• dresses...yep, went to the factory outlets and got a gorgeous new dress. on sale. I appreciate dresses that make me feel feminine without making me feel trashy or having to pull and tug or fix things in order to be comfortable. Most of the time I do enjoy being a woman.

happy birthday America

Enjoyed celebrating independence day in our nation's capital, right beneath the dome of the Capitol. Beautiful spot we found on the west lawn of the Capitol building.
So today's JOYs:
- listening to an amazing free concert on the lawn, especially the wonderful national symphony orchestra playing the Olympic theme directed by none other than John Williams himself. It was awesome. I got chills. I LOVE good music.
- great friends to spend my day with. How did I get so lucky to have such great people to call my friends?
- sunshine....very hot and humid sunshine, but a gorgeous day nonetheless.
- living in the great state known as the United States of America. I do not always agree with the politicking and drama of it all, but how amazing is it that this country was founded on principles of freedom, rights, and that I happened to be born here. Where the freedom of religion allowed the gospel to be restored, the freedoms of economy have enabled prosperity and growth, the freedom of speech has allowed people to progress intellectually. And all this was established in one place and has then spread across the globe. It's obviously not perfect, but how blessed we are to have what we have.
- the metro...simple, direct, clean, organized. With AC. Love it
- seeing divine sparks of human compassion, cooperation, tolerance, as people come together for events such as the Olympics, or honoring the sacrifices of others, or lifting those who have disabilities. It gives me hope for us as humans.

I am so grateful for those who stood up for the freedoms they knew were right to create this country. And for those who have and continue to serve to secure them and possibly provide them to other nations around the world. It saddens me that we do need to fight for that which is just and ofttimes violently defend that which is right, but it must be done and I am grateful for those who do it, whether at home, in our streets, or abroad, in the war zones across oceans.
"the only thing for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke
So let us fight against evil, stand for what is just and right, and help those who do not have these precious blessings.
"We have implanted in our souls a desire to be free. The Lord understood this when He granted us our mortal probation. With that freedom, however, comes accountability. We are instructed not to idle away our time nor bury our talents and not use them. We are expected to make our lives better through our own initiatives and efforts." L Tom Perry, apostle of Jesus Christ

As we strive for peace, we would do well to remember that Christ is the author of and the only true source of peace: " my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you, let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid." As we turn to him we find solutions to every problem in the world and pathways of peace.

day clubbin

I am a day clubber. That is a label specially reserved for those "fortunate" souls who are not employed. Thus far I have enjoyed my day clubber status apart from the long hours of resume/cover letter writing and submitting. It has allowed me to catch up on past episodes of NCIS (thank you DVR) while browsing job boards, work on my tan at the pool while waiting for news from interviews, and visit my favorite hot spots here in the nation's capital and surrounding areas.....Until yesterday. As I once again languished for hours working on the job search, I resented my day clubbing activities and very much desired employment. I have never been one to enjoy laziness or extended periods of spare time. So I am hoping to very soon turn in my day club pass, let my tan fade, and be too busy to finish a 500 page book in favor of full time employment status. 

On the bright side, as I always enjoy that side of life more than the opposite, here are the JOYs I experienced in the past couple days:

• Sunday was a very peaceful, productive day. Organized my computer/hard drive files, took in my dress, took a nap, enjoyed some chat time with the roomies, read, listened to music...ahhh. good day.
• KEY LIME PIE....I don't think this one really needs further explanation, however I will elaborate with the details that my wonderful mother sent me here with a key lime pie mix in preparation for celebrating my birthday with my dessert of choice. I must say it was the best boxed key lime pie I have ever tasted. And still enjoying it..yes.
• Books...I love reading! I love that an author simply uses words to describe a scene/emotion/event, and being able to transport yourself to that place/time/event. I very much enjoy the feeling that my mind is working, absorbing new words and ideas, expanding my imagination, vocabulary, and over all view of the world.
• Fireflies...they don't exist in the West. And last night they were lighting up all around me as I chatted with people in a well-treed backyard at dusk. It was cool.
• Evening runs...last night was very pleasant after the sun set, so I decided to go out on my second run of the day and found it much more pleasurable to run in the cool of the evening than the rising temps of the morning. might be a new tradition.
• Simplicity...realizing I want more of it in my life. So new goal: simplify. Life is too crazy to complicate it with too much stress, stuff, activities, etc. A simple life is a happy life because the person with a simple life appreciates everything. How will I do this? Stay tuned...

Speaking of staying tuned...I promised to document my birthday activities and failed to do so the day following my birthday as I was quite tuckered out. So here we go:

Yes we got to wear those bright orange vests on the paddle boat...go ahead and be jealous.

1. Anticipating a VERY warm day, we got to downtown as early as possible to rent a paddle boat on the Tidal Basin (by the Jefferson Memorial). By early as possible I mean 10:30 as they do not open until 10. Didn't help much as it was blisteringly warm by 11...up to 102 by 12:30. PS: paddle boats- yep, awesome. you get a view of the Jefferson, Washington, FDR, and new Martin Luther King memorials all in one little jaunt around the basin.
2. Hopped over to L'Enfant Plaza, ate lunch in a VERY crowded food court, but were rewarded with CRUMBS CUPCAKES! If you are not acquainted with the deliciousness that is Crumbs...I invite you to imagine the best cake, filled with something sweet in the middle, topped with the most delicious frosting ever. Sorry you probably can't experience it for yourself as they are very limited in locations at present. Safe to say....every cupcake I have tasted from Crumbs has been exceptional. 
3. Went home to cool off after sweating all morning/afternoon.



Cupcake selections at Crumbs



pizza at 2 Amys

4. Drove up to NW DC to have an authentic Neapolitan pizza experience at 2 Amy's pizza. Amazing. Yep it was authentic...authentically sooooo good. Def going back.
5. Came home, and danced the night away in front of the Kinect. My fav. So I was a happy girl. :)

All in all GOOD birthday!

IKEA

Today's adventure: shopping at Ikea. Traffic was so bad it took us literally twice as long to get down there....which means like an hour instead of 20-30 min. Naturally we got sucked into the wonders of Ikea, but still forgot things. Now we'll just have to go back....darn.
Then we giggled like little girls as we constructed our new additions. Table, chairs, footstools, hanging lamp. We took a break briefly to stop by a BBQ and socialize a bit, but it took a lot to tear ourselves away from the treasures we had purchased. I always say, it's the little things in life that bring joy and amusement.
Speaking of, today's JOYs.....
- my roommate Caitlyn, she is awesome. We laughed our way through getting lost, never ending traffic, missing our movie time, ghetto Walmart, and headaches from hunger. So grateful to have her in my life. Surround yourself with good, uplifting people and you can never go wrong or be bored.
- cheap, good home goods
- electricity, which means functioning air conditioning...when half the city is without power after insane storms last night brought down trees and branches which brought down power lines which leaves neighborhoods without power...which means they are living without AC.....in 100 degree weather. Poor souls
- beds. Nuff said