Hodgepodge

I have so many things I want to share about the past few days that I think I will write one big hodgepodge post.

• At work on Thursday another intern and I ended up having a two hour lunch with a few of the second year school psychologists. We didn't intend to sit around chatting for that long, but once we started we couldn't be stopped. It was great! I really felt like part of the staff instead of the new person who only gets asked your name, where you are from, and where you went to school. We really got to know each other. We ended up talking about a lot of work relevant stuff so we didn't feel too bad about our lack of "working". Plus, since kids don't come to school until tomorrow, we didn't have much to do last week. Anyway, our conversation made me feel a lot better about my job, especially things regarding the district I work in and the kids that we serve. I admit I was jaded by the end of my graduate coursework and was not really looking forward to internship. The girls gave me hope and helped re-spark my interest in working with disadvantaged children.

• My BFF Michelle came into town on Thursday night. We will always be the sisters we never had (we both have brothers named Matt) and we just connect in a way that is hard for people to understand. It's like we have our own little world that we live in when we are together. It's great! We first met when we cheered in a church league together way back in middle school. We were in different school districts despite sharing a zipcode (in NY districts are by town, not county) so we kind of lost touch during high school. We then reconnected during college when we coached that same cheer team we were once a part of. Some of the girls on our team and a close friend of mine from high school then convinced us to join our college cheer team together. Oh, and we were roommates in college. So needless to say, we've been through a lot. Here is a picture of us from my wedding day.
  
  On Friday we walked to the White House, the Washington Monument, the WWII Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and along the Tidal Basin so Michelle could get the requisite tourist pictures. Look for a more extensive recap (with pictures) on her blog in the next few days (after she gets all settled in her new place in Charlotte!). We then stumbled upon the Holocaust Museum. Since she was a history major in college and will be teaching social studies to high schoolers someday, we decided to go in. I had heard that the experience is very moving and sometimes makes museum goers uncomfortable, so I was a little apprehensive. I am ashamed to say that I was not well versed in the Holocaust before my visit to the museum (I maybe learned about it for like a week in history class back in high school), so I didn't really know what to expect. Let me tell you, it was informative, shocking, moving, and disturbing and you should definitely check it out if you are in the area. Just the experience of being in the museum will have an effect on you. The permanent exhibit requires tickets, which are free and seemed to be readily available. We arrived at the ticket counter and were given tickets for right then. If you do have a wait there are special exhibits that you can visit in the meantime. I have become a little obsessed with reading more about the Holocaust, so if you want a refresher, you can learn more here. Onto happier topics...
  
  
• On Friday night we all watched Elf. This is most definitely one of my favorite movies, and it still gets me laughing so hard that I cry. Michelle and I probably watched Elf once a month back when we were in college, it was always our go to movie when we needed cheering up or recovery from a rough night out. I caught the last half of it last month when it was on TNT for Christmas in July, but before that I hadn't watched it since last Christmas. Just the other day Alson commented on how we hadn't watched it in a while, so we made sure to incorporate it into our weekend. Funny Elf story...one day a while back I texted Alson an Elf quote, so he texted me back a different Elf quote....and we went back and forth for probably a good hour. Good thing we have unlimited texts and a lot of free time :)
  
  
• Last night Alson and I went on our first date as a married couple. We had dinner at JoJo Restaurant and Bar on U St. and it was excellent. We first went to JoJo's the weekend we moved in and loved it then as well. My mom's name is Jo and she picked up JoJo as a nickname when some of my cousins called her that back when we were little. Like you probably realized from these three posts, I have lots of little cousins so the nickname is still used by all 20 something of them...even the older ones. We thought it was funny that there was a restaurant called JoJo's, especially since it is so close to our apartment, so we had to take my mom there (she helped us move in). From the outside JoJo's looks a little like a dive, but the inside is immaculately decorated and has an amazing atmosphere. It is perfect for a date or an intimate group dinner. The food is delicious (the online menu is not up to date or as big as the actual menu, so don't get discouraged); my favorite dishes are the caprese appetizer and the lobster ravioli. The prices aren't too bad, I'd say most entrees are probably $12-18. Check it out...and tell us if you want some company because we will definitely go back!
  
  
• As a result of all the TV watching we have been doing during the Olympics, I am quite the commercial critic. Have you seen that Harris Teeter commercial that introduces the cruise giveaway? It makes me want to boycott HT until they take it off the air. So stupid and annoying. I also wanted to complain about the Secret Flawless commercial, but luckily, notsojenny discussed it so I don't have to. When What Women Want (another favorite movie of mine) came out a while back, I wanted to be Helen Hunt and have her job as Creative Director at an advertising firm. Obviously I didn't actual go that career route, but I still think I could have done a better job than the people at HT and Secret. Readyyy... better advertising pronto.
  
  
• Yesterday we headed to Northern Virginia for Long John Silvers and the dog park. Yes, I admit that I love LJS. Sometimes I need greasy fish and chips in my life...I blame it on my Irish heritage. Luckily it is in Falls Church, so the distance will keep me from eating it often. The real reason we went to NoVa was to take Kona to a dog park, LJS was just an added bonus. She had a ball running around with the other dogs and playing with her daddy. She was so dirty by the time we left. The girl loooves to roll around in the dirt. But, at least she was happy and is still tired and thus more well-behaved! Needless to say, she needed a bath when we got home.
  
  
• Last night I got a Facebook message from one of my friends I worked with at camp saying that her and her husband (also a friend of mine from camp....they met at camp and got married two summers ago) are coming to DC to run the Marine Corp 10k at the end of October and were hoping to get together while they were here. After hearing about them, Britni, Heidi, Lexi, Melanie, our neighbors, and pretty much every other person in the world running some kind of race or taking up a running regiment, I felt like the laziest person ever. Alson and I were running pretty regularly before the wedding and our move, but then stopped once we got so busy this summer. Well my friends, I registered us for the 10k today and we start training tomorrow. I am so thankful to everyone who helped motivate me through their blogs, and especially my friends for that final push to get me off my butt and on the road (well, I suppose it would be the sidewalk here in DC).
  
  
• I can't believe I haven't posted about the summers I spent working at camp. They were some of the best experiences of my life and it has really shaped who I am today. I will definitely try to get on it in the next few weeks.
  
  
• I am scared to see what kind of searches will bring people to my blog as a result of this post. Oh wait, I still don't fully understand how to work Google Analytics so I will probably never know ;)