Life in the District

It's weekends like this that make me firmly believe that I could be in D.C. forever. It couldn't have been a more perfect, October weekend. With high's in the low 70's, the weather was absolutely glorious and to top it off, my step-brother and his girlfriend came up for a surprise visit!

I've become quite talented at giving walking tours of D.C., I must say. Despite the fact that my family usually hates me when it's over and we all collapse in utter exhaustion, it's always worth it. And with blissful weather this weekend, I couldn't of been happier to spend time with family in a city I adore.

Monuments at sunset, my favorite time to visit the mall.

Step-sib lovin': Chris & me

Chris & Mal

To top it off, all of my teams won this weekend! UCF pulled out a win, Auburn and even the Jaguars. Surprising, I know. Now with less than 2 weeks to go until the UCF vs. Miami game, which I wish I was attending, I'm a little stressed for my boys. But let's hope they rest up next weekend.

I Do

I quite frequently wonder if I'm missing the bridal gene. I'm not going to lie, I've never honestly been one of those girls who has their entire wedding planned out. I'd be perfectly happy with something extremely small, but exceptionally romantic (pending that I actually get married before my social security kicks in).


So, when my roommate suggested making a drinking game out of TLC's Say Yes to the Dress, I knew I was in good company.

Here's how it goes:

1 drink: when the gay guy lisps
1 drink: when the gay guy mentions his need for an applemartini
1 drink: when anyone stays something completely stereotypical
1 drink: when the mom loves the dress
2 drinks: when the bride cries after she puts a dress on



Ok, so that's all we've decided so far. But we're putting our pumpkin ale to good use.

And don't worry, it's only a 30-minute show.

This is the way we live...

Slowly but surely, things are coming together here in Crystal City. It's been an exhausting process for sure, but every day one or two more things come together to make my new apartment a little homier. As I am a poor intern, I've decided to go along the more "minimalistic" track of decorating, but thus far it seems to be working quite well.

The roommate and I found a great table at Eastern Market that we've decided to fancy up by adding out own flair. And by flair I basically just mean paint. But nonetheless, its been a fun project, sanding and painting everything down.

Chairs are still in progress...

Everything seems to be speeding by so quickly lately that I can't believe it. Tonight, I got a call from my little, describing how the new members in our sorority are picking their bigs tonight. I can't even believe that it's been an entire year since I last went through that. I remember wanting to be done with college so badly, ready to take on the world and now I am and it's a completely different experience than I had thought. I'm not going to lie, being a "grown up" is exponentially more stressful than I had anticipated. But fortunately, I'm living in a city I love surrounded by some of the most inspirational people I'll ever meet.

Also, it is officially fall, my absolute favorite season, and I cannot wait to share with you the scenery that is sure to come.

New beginnings

What a whirlwind my life has been lately, leaving me absent from blogging for far longer than I prefer.

My new internship has been absolutely amazing, everything that I want in a job and more. I'm finally where I want to be, doing what I want to do and I could not be any happier.

In other news, this past weekend I moved in to my every own D.C. apartment. Crystal City (aka Arlington) is my new stomping grounds. I would just like to point out that living 14 hours away from your brother is not conducive to moving and building furniture, but at least I'm turning in to one handy girl. I've (almost) successfully built a dresser and a bed and bargained, bought, sanded and painted a dining room table. I believe I could start an entire new blog that chronicles this adventure, but for now I'll leave you with some photos.

Meet our dining room - classy, I know.

This buggie would have saved my life, had I found it before making 15 trips to my car. But, better late than never.

And on that note, off to work I go.

Turning a new leaf

Last week, I had a little mini-reunion with my UCF sorority sisters here in DC and one of our sisters who was visiting with her bf. First of all, I don't know where I would be without having a few sisters here in DC with me, its honestly made the move so much easier knowing I have a safety net to fall back on. Being Greek has been a huge blessing, not only for the amazing women I met in and out of my chapter, but having the Greek connection has helped tremendously in networking for my career and even building close friendships in a new city.

So, when Ash came into town with her bf, us DC gals knew exactly where to take her. Matchbox. Seriously, one of my favorite DC restaurants, located in Chinatown, this eatery has the most delicious gourmet pizzas, salads and more. Tessa and I split a gouda pizza and an apple/pear salad. Amazing!

Here's a few pictures from our exciting rendezvous:

Shan, Tess, me, Jenna and Ash

Gotta love the kites!

I think we've convinced Ash & the bf to move here!


In other new - I had my heater on this morning! Ok, so I know I may be a little dramatic when it comes to "cold" weather, but I am a Florida girl at heart and the highs were in the 70's today. But I am so happy fall is finally here! It's my absolute favorite time of year.



Happy almost hump-day!
xoxo

The big man's house

This week I finally got the chance to tour the White House. I had nearly given up on it, since you have to jump through so many hoops and red tape to get on the list (understandably of course). As excited as I was to go to on the tour, please don't think me unpatriotic when I say it was a bit disappointing. I don't mean disappointing so much as it just didn't live up to everything I had expected. For starters, you can't bring anything in that place - I had to leave my entire purse at the office and just bring my ID. Cell phones have to be turned off and there is absolutely no taking pictures, which if you know me is hard to resist.

But it was a cool experience to at least say I've done it. Mom asked if I got to see the Oval Office or any former living quarters, not quite, but it was cool to see the stately dining rooms with furniture and paintings dating back to 1800.

My favorite part was in the tourist entrance, they had photo collages lining the halls, each with a different theme. There were collages of presidents with their dogs, White House weddings and other especially memorable moments - Easter Egg hunt etc. These gave it so much more of a personal vibe, which makes it easier to relate to, if that's possible!

But of course, I was able to snag some photos on my phone outside:

It is a grandiose place!

Cheers my dears,
xoxo

City living

Despite the fact that I do frequently complain about it, I have to admit, I love the D.C. metro. Now don't let me get ahead of myself, I certainly don't love the delays and broken down trains, but there is something magical about living in such a bustling city. I just love the feeling of waking up and not knowing who you'll walk past, meet or sit next to.

Photo credit: Sun-sentinel.com




Photos courtesy of Flickr

I think since starting my new internship, I've become even more enticed by the metro system. Possibly because our building is practically on top of the entrance so I don't have to walk far in this sweltering heat, but more so, I think it has to do with the little old man that gives out the free papers every morning when you exit/enter. I just adore him for his excitement for life. Rain or shine, he's always out there, with his Express in hand greeting you with a "Good Morning!" Many probably ignore him in their early morning, pre-coffee state, but it makes my day to greet him right back.