Funny Things Happen

Ha. It's funny how some things happen.

So I've been intrigued with all the new templates that blogger has to offer. I've been fiddling around with them on my practice blog. I did so again today, trying to find the perfect combinations. So much to choose from!

By accident I hit apply to blog, and then realized that it was for this blog. And there was no way I could change it back to my template that I had before. So, hence the new look.

What do you think?

P.S. For some strange reason my music player isn't compatible with the new blogger template, so I had to put it on a different page. Just click on the Music tab above and it will take you to my playlist.

Happy Fourth of July!!!

 Over the weekend I realized that this is my first Fourth of July in the States since 2007. The past two I've been in Taiwan. And I think I definitely made up for lost time. And how could you not by celebrating the 4th in our Nation's Capital?

Saturday started with a patriotic breakfast at our former bishop's house in North Potomac. Then my friend Maggie, myself, and others headed down to the district to enjoy food at Good Stuff Eatery, and to walk around Eastern Market. An uneventful trip? Oh, no!

On the way to Eastern Market we were pulled over for almost side-swiping a policeman, or should I say policewoman. (No, I was not driving! I don't own a car at the moment).  She was very testy, as I'm sure you can imagine, as she came to the door, but warmed right up when she learned that we were lost trying to find the correct turn off for the market. She was so kind as to give us directions. We followed her part way, and when we were stopped at a stop light in front of us, we were afraid that she changed her mind when she turned her lights back on and hopped out of the car.

         Did she give us a ticket?

                                               Nope.

 She had given us incorrect directions,

 and didn't want us to get lost again. 

We strolled through the market on our way to Good Stuff Eatery. Have you ever heard about this place? It's pretty darn amazing.

                               Really. 

                                         It is. 

Spike Mendelsohn, the  chef, was on Top Chef.

Pretty impressive. 

But what's even more impressive is that instead of opening up some big fancy restaurant he decided to open up the very best burger joint he could. And boy did he succeed! Seriously the best I ever had. And all you lovers of In-N-Out, Fat Burger, and might I dare, even Dick's, get thee hence. You'll taste what I'm talking about. 

Food--excellent. 

Service--lacking. 

World Cup game upstairs--rowdy. 

A bottle was thrown from the upper level and knocked a guy in the head. This grown man was brought to tears, and the perpetrator blamed it on his 6 year-old son. Did not even offer an apology! What has this world come to?

Maggie, Gina, Julie and I headed back to Eastern Market and looked at the various goods. Have I ever mentioned how obsessed I am with markets? Well, if you didn't know before, you know now. It's so hard for me not to want to buy everything in front of me. But I showed considerable self-restraint and didn't buy a single item. Unless you count goat cheese.

Maggie and I went to the most amazing second-hand bookstore afterwards. Not only am I obsessed with markets, but I may be even more obsessed with reading and books. As we speak or whatever it is we're doing, I have 5 boxes of books just waiting to be placed on my non-existent bookshelf. That's right, FIVE. I have such a hard time not buying books when I go into book stores, and I normally come away with one, if not two books that a need. And I really do need them. 

But I digress.

This fabulous bookshop was stuffed to the brim with books. I'm dead serious. Lining the walls, blocking the windows, creating obstacles on the stairways. Foreign Lit was int he bathroom. Poetry in the kitchen. The shop keeper himself was quite the character. But I don't feel like commenting anymore on him. So that's that. 

Our real goal of the day was the Capitol Concert dress rehearsal. On our way to the Capitol we ran through sprinklers at the Library of Congress (Yes, you read that correctly. Jealous?). Then we went through our security check, sat in the hot, hot, hot sun for hours, staking out our spot for us and 8 others. It was wonderful. And we even got to see David Archuleta and Reba McIntyre perform live. Pretty sweet deal?

And this was all on Saturday.

Sunday night Maggie and I headed back downtown to the Jefferson Memorial to watch the fireworks. We took the Metro as far as Metro Center, and decided to walk the rest of the way. As we approached the Washington Monument I got teary seeing the thousands of patriotic people waving flags and decked out in their red, white, and blue. Families, kids on bikes--it was pretty awesome. 

As we went through several check points and had a funny interlude with one of the security guards and walked around the Jefferson several times looking for our group, we finally caught up with them on the edge of the Tidal Basin.

Best spot ever! 

Here's a video just to prove it:

All in all it was a great 4th. Eventful. Fun. Just what I needed.

What did you do for the Fourth?

Sunbursts

Did I ever tell you that I work for an amazing institution? If I haven't already, let me just reiterate how incredibly cool it is to work for the Smithsonian Institution. Some days I might gripe about my job, but the fact of the matter is, I love being apart of something much, much larger than myself. 

Thursday, myself and 3,999 of my fellow employees were able to participate in this historical event. This is the very first time that all of the Smithsonian staff, volunteers, interns, and donors came together to make this epic sunburst--the Smithsonian's symbol. 

{Where's Shannon? I'm behind the woman wearing the raspberry pants and white shirt. In the yellow. Waving. At someone I didn't know. Can you see me?}

It's an experience I'll never forget. 

Here's to the Smithsonian and all its goodness!

Check out the website--it's a wealth of free knowledge!

Baked and Wired

Georgetown.
Three friends.
Missing Kelsey.
Barbecue.
Cupcakes.
A walk along the River.
Letters to Juliet.
A mean game of pingpong at the Barlow.
Bliss.

This was my first weekend in DC where I felt like things are going to be ok...

And how can you not love this fabulous pink bike? 

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!