My new favorite...

Sculpture. 

Unfortunately I don't know the name, nor the artist...

I didn't do my homework.

But isn't it the greatest?

Old friends and squid fried rice...

Have you ever had those shared experiences that instantly bond you to others?
My stint in Taiwan was one of those experiences.
And Jacob is one of those friends.

Imagine how stoked I was to find that he was in DC when I moved out here. Of course we had to get together to reminisce of the good ol' days in Taiwan:

Like this time when we zipped to Costco and bought Lindsay a birthday cake.

 Jake was decked out in his proper Taiwanese attire.

Or like Earthquake Preparedness Day.

Or our first jaunt to a fruit market (and Jacob with his military hairstyle).

Jacob and his mad Chinese skills were always appreciated when we went on group trips,

 like this one to Kenting. We met some incredibly cool co-eds from Taichung. 

Mala Sun! At Sun Moon Lake.

Great memories with great friends. And now we get to add this one to the list--the making of authentic squid/seafood fried rice!

Here's to great friends and great memories!

a weekend memorialized.

It all began with text late last Thursday night.

A road trip? To Palmyra and Kirtland? Why not?

I packed up my trusty Deuter, and my friend Nicole and I piled our stuff into her SUV, and off we went--after a pit stop here:

And after a little detour to the freeway.

The road trip was filled with good conversation, good company, and great music--all the makings of an epic road trip. So many amazingly awesome things happened that a list would be the most sufficient way to sum up the trip. So here goes...

Favorites of the weekend

In no particular order mind you.

• 
  
  The Sacred Grove
  
  

• 
  
  Seeing Nicole eat the Garbage Plate at the Chill N' Grill:

• 
  
  Avoiding toll roads and seeing Amish country

• 
  
  Rock-skipping, sight-seeing, and hanging out with Ashlee and Smitty in Erie, PA. Not to mention the eating and staying with these two incredible individuals. We sat down and thought about it long and hard--it had been two years since Ashlee and I last saw each other.

At my graduation party in Provo, UT, to be exact.

That's two years far too long for friends that have known each other since preschool!

{Me and Ash at Lake Erie}

• 
  
  Niagra Falls (but my not favorite part about that is that we couldn't go to the Canadian side because we didn't think to bring out passports).

• 
  
  Going to Kirtland for the first time and getting caught in one of the worst thunder storms I've ever seen (think torrential rains of the typhoon sort).

• 
  
  Being hissed at by Ashlee's cat, Ambush (she really is a princess).

• 
  
  Nicole's friend Caren, from just outside Syracuse, NY. She was soooo hospitable, and freakin' hilarious! She is one of my new favorite people.

It was a glorious respite from the tumultuous work schedules we had the previous week.

Here's to long weekends, in all of their forms!

Look-out point

When I was little I loved to climb trees. And my neighborhood was full of them. I had three favorites: one in my backyard, one on the Tolt River Pipeline, and one by the large watertower by my house. Hidden from view, perched on the perfect branch, I could watch the world go by to my heart's content. 

This is my new tree:

Or rather my new perch that is made out of tree.

It is conveniently located on the Mall.

And I can still conveniently watch the world go by.

Mostly unnoticed.

 When I'm wearing sunglasses.

Lately...

Two weeks ago today, my little jet-plane from the Emerald City brought me across the country to our nation's capital. It's hard to believe that I've already been here that long. In a lot of ways it feels like I just left yesterday. I'm amazed at all that I've done here so far.

The List

1. Saw old roommate Nikki, her husband Dave, and cute, cute baby Halli. Nikki was sweet enough to pick me up from the airport, and invited me over for dinner. There's nothing like seeing familiar faces your first day in a newish town.

2. Attended launch party of friend Brittany's design website Baker St. I admire and look up to Brittany for all that she has accomplished. We first met either my first or second year of school at BYU in a French class. Years (and missions to far off lands) later, we ended up in a couple of the same art history classes. Brittany graduated and was accepted to the prestigious Corcoran College of Art + Design. She has since been all over the world rubbing elbows with people of very high importance, learning all about textile, fashion and interior design.  Did I mention that I slightly envy her life? Did I?

Anyhow, good friend, fellow classmate and modern/contemporary art lover, Maggie, was so kind to take me. We were in HEAVEN. Words cannot express the joy I felt at seeing real live modern slashy contemporary art of someone's personal collection. The sad thing is, I don't even remember all that I saw, but I do remember thinking how tasteful the collection was, and loved how it was displayed. Maggie and I both had an opportunity to speak with the owner who so graciously opened his house for all to see, and he had some great tips of how to start one's own art collection.

3. Enjoyed the non-floweriness, of the Flower Market at the National Cathedral. Maggie and I headed to the National Cathedral on a very sunny, yet incredibly windy Saturday afternoon. We were imagining stalls and booths full of flowers (because that's one thinks of when one goes to a flower market). Yet, we were greeted by the sounds and sights of Ukraine! There was a definite lack of flowers, but the entertainment, food, and company certainly made up the difference.

{Outside the National Cathedral}

{Inside the National Cathedral. I love the colors on the ceiling created by the light shining through the stained glass}

 {Dancers dressed in traditional Ukranian costume. It reminded me of the Czech Republic.}

4. Started my new job at The Smithsonian Associates.

 I love being right on the mall. Yes, it's true that my office is three floors underground, but I do have my own "personal work station" or for lack of a better term: office. It's pretty exciting though I haven't had much time to do anything to it. There's a reason why they needed me--they could use three more people for the amount of work that they have. I just hope I'll get the hang of things soon!

5. Tutored inner city youth. My singles ward pairs up with an inner city ward and tutors the youth. I was paired up with a fine young man who needed someone to edit his English paper. It was fun to use my English teaching skills, and get to know him. He was hilarious! And such a good writer!

6. Went on an excursion to the fabulous outlets  in Leesburg, VA. Biggest surprise: I didn't buy much (way to go self-control). Second biggest surprise: mighty fine Thai food in the middle of nowhere.  

7. Chatted with Gloria and Fenny via Skype video chat! I think this made my week! There's nothing like hearing from old friends, especially one's who live in foreign countries. I miss them so much, but am incredibly excited for Fenny to come to America this summer!

8. Went to the DC Temple.

It's been a full two weeks. Despite that, I'm having Seattle withdrawals. How could I not having left friends like these behind?

What helps you adjust the most when you move into a new place/town?

To the best Mom in the whole world...

I know you'd rather be doing this right now!

I love you!

Guess what...

I just found out that Imogen Heap is coming to DC over Memorial Day weekend.
Anyone want to go?