Party in the U.S.A.

Day 42: Okay so this past weekend I stopped for some Chinese food. I ordered my orange chicken from the Chinese woman behind the corner and sat down in the empty place to wait. As I sat there "Party in the USA" came on. Thrilled at both the irony of hearing the song in a Chinese place and the fact that I haven't heard it in forever, I happily sang along. As the song was coming to an end, two women walked in with the worst mullets ever (do you say worst in the "worst hair ever sense" or best as in "amazing mullet" sense?). Anyway it doesn't end there. The ridiculous (AMERICAN) Chinese experience continued when I saw "B-B-Q Spare Ribs" on the menu and then Bon Jovi came on...When I finally got my food and walked out I was laughing and I only hope that the man I passed on my way out was able to enjoy it all too. I got a picture of the mullet ladies too, but seeing as they didn't catch me taking the pics that's way creepy, so here's just the menu..haha

Mmm Mmm good!

Day 41: Not going to lie, I am so proud of this stew I made today. I felt like such a good housewife...and then sat down to eat it by myself. Haha, but I would have made my dad proud--it sure was tasty! The final product wasn't as pretty as it was delicious sooo the picture is just of the process...haha

ps. I would like to give a shout-out to my amazing friends (Courtney, Maggie, Carrie, Andrew, Winnie and I believe Scott was filming) who made me the March for George Washington video last night. It made my day and was the perfect ending to George's birthday celebration. Thanks guys! :)

Happy Birthday George Washington!

Day 40:
Did you know that George was actually born on February 11? During his life time we switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, thus with the change his birthday was actually February 22. Some years he would actually celebrate both days! :) He would journal sometimes and date it O.S. which stands for "Old Style" before the switch.

Anyway. I look around DC and everything is named after George, but it saddens me that so few people know about him and his great character! The founding fathers created our government because they know that man is imperfect and needs limitations. George was no exception to realizing this belief and it caused him to lead a humble life. On the other hand, having the appearance of a strong leader during wartime was extremely important to him. While some leaders want to be "one of the men" (also can be admirable), George made sure he looked the part. In the cold harsh winters of the Revolution, it was so very important that someone walk with a confident demeanor!

Up until 1976, the highest possible rank in the United States Army was the General of the Armies and this was only held by two people: John Pershing (WWI) and George Washington. In 1976, however, President Ford and Congress decided that George Washington should always be the most senior United States military officer forever outranking the rest. So the legislation passed:

Whereas Lieutenant General George Washington of Virginia commanded our armies throughout and to the successful termination of our Revolutionary War;
Whereas Lieutenant General George Washington presided over the convention that formulated our Constitution;
Whereas Lieutenant General George Washington twice served as President of the United States of America; and
Whereas it is considered fitting and proper that no officer of the United States Army should outrank Lieutenant General George Washington on the Army list: Now, therefore, be it


Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That

(a) for purposes of subsection (b) of this section only, the grade of General of the Armies of the United States is established, such grade to have rank and precedence over all other grades of the Army, past or present.

(b) The President is authorized and requested to appoint George Washington posthumously to the grade of General of the Armies of the United States, such appointment to take effect on July 4, 1976.

My dad read that the other day and I thought it was pretty neat. Picture of the day is a great post card Ralph sent me for George's birthday. I absolutely love it and it is now prominently displayed in my room :)

A sunny weekend in historical Virginia :)

Day 39: Tomorrow is George's birthday so naturally I had to do something to celebrate! Today I took a perfect Sunday afternoon drive after church about an hour into the country to Pope's Creek Plantation where George Washington was born and spent the first 4 years of his life. The original building burned down in the 1790's so all that is left are several artifacts and then lanterns marking where the original building stood. There were also a couple of other buildings and animals to try to create a plantation similar to what was there for the Washington's. Anyway, to be honest, I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't a huge George fan, but if you have a free afternoon and the sun is shining, the grounds are beautiful! I sat on the Potomac for a good hour in the sun looking out at the sparkling blue waters! Day 38: Today I took the beautiful drive to Appomattox Court House where the Civil War ended with Lee surrendering to Grant. The drive through the country was filled with historical sites along Lee's retreat and different battles in the area. To my embarassment, I realized earlier today that Appomattox Court House is a town...not the building where the war ended. It was a pretty small town though with only a court house, store, jail, and a few houses. To give a little background-- Lee's men had been in retreat for a while leading up to the Palm Sunday surrender. The North was closing in all on sides and Lee had little room to move, Grant sent a letter asking Lee to surrender to stop the bloodshed and Lee refused, but asked Grant what his terms would be. Finally, Lee gave in and sent one of his men to pick a place for the meeting. He chose the McLean house (picture of the day). Grant was actually quite generous in the terms of surrender and allowed Lee's men a safe return home so long as they had a parole slip (thousands made in the printing press at Appomattox within 2 days of the surrender) to show they indeed had surrendered. Lee's army also had to turn in their muskets, flags, and have a surrender parade. The thought that stuck with me after this afternoon back in time stemmed from something said in the visitor center video. After Lee's surrender, his army lined the streets of Appomattox and put their muskets and flags in the center of the streets as the Northern army stood watching from the other side. Though I was thinking of the shame these men must have felt, the video pointed out the most important thing. The surrender, in the big scheme of things, brought all these men closer! By signing that paper, he was saying that the United States would stand as ONE union under God. I thought that was pretty crazy and pretty amazing.

Day 37: Stealing this from Day 38...I gotta stop cheating, but I thought this was really pretty at Appomattox :)

just life.

Day 36: I am writing on the train today. I won't have a picture to match because I left both my camera and phone at home. The Metro and train remain a great mystery to me...For 2 minutes to 1 1/2 hours you sit in uncomfortably close proximity to complete strangers and rarely say a word. Or you see 2 people talking to each other their entire ride only to realize when one gets off before the other with hardly a goodbye that they don't even know each other! If I was on a pro and riding and Christmas I'd probably try and sing carols one day. OH! The Potomac looks gorgeous today! A beautiful eye blue with the sun still in the sky. It's still chilly but at 40 degrees I know this crazy snow must be melting and Spring coming with these longer days! This picture is taken of my new work-out recommendation. Yes, the slipper fits perfectly and stays in the pedals on the bike. Don't judge, this is the only picture I took today.

ps. Another metro lesson (see Day 14 for entire list): Stand with your feet about a foot a part otherwise your weak stance will cause you to tumble.

Day 35: Today I had the opportunity to attend the signing of the Mount Vernon Statement. The first time I had heard about it was when a co-worker asked me to proof-read it...I had NO idea that the who's who in conservative DC would ALL be attendance as well as every major network other than ABC....My role? Registration. Coat check. Microphone holder (thank you CCA's) when Mark Levin surprised everyone on skype...but I was there when Mr. Meese assured us that his good friend Ronald Reagan (and I have no doubt they were good friends as he was his AG) would be the first to sign this if he were still alive. This was nearly more sad than exciting...If only! Here is the statement link--read it and share it :)
http://www.themountvernonstatement.com/rnonstatement.com/ernonstatement.com/

ps. There wasn't an appropriate time for me to take a picture at the signing, so this is one from last week..my first time driving downtown; it was a breeze! I think this is a neat picture..can you say, NCIS theme song?

Day 34: First day back since the 4th! This is ridiculous! The VRE was 15 minutes late (cold!) and the metro was packed, but the worst were simply the streets. Traffic was so backed up that the intersections were completely blocked and when they DID empty, people would be in the way of the (constantly) honking cars....Get a grip D.C. Honking will get you no where and you're not the only one running late.

Day 33: President's Day! You do know this day is for Abe & George-not all of them, right? Today's picture was of Nancy in her beautiful wedding dress at her first fitting. Obviously I cannot post it, but I assure you, it is beautiful. (See Day 135 :) It was a first for both of us and I was honored to share it with her. The weekend with her and Travis was a blast and I am so thankful for friends like them. It was so wonderful to have a piece of home :)

Day 32: Okay so lame. I saw all of this great history today...and have a picture of the football field for you...I could hardly pull out the camera during church at the beautiful Naval Academy Chapel (but don't worry...I'll have plenty from NANCY'S WEDDING!!) Nor could you really see or capture much in the museum (great history though). It seemed morbid to get one in the crypt of John Paul Jones. Aaannnd well our wonderful home made dinner by Travis was eaten too fast to get a picture. So. Here is the Navy football field :)

ps. The Carlson's once again had a lot of great history to share with me as we drove around the city and campus. I was so thankful to have them there to have a piece of Minnesota that also happened to be a fountain of interesting facts about the history of the Navy! Annapolis is the capitol of MD, but for a short time it was our nation's capitol. It was here that George Washington gave up his sword after the Revolutionary War as a sign to the people that he had no interest in becoming king or a tyrant even though his success in the war could have made either a possibility. Rather than seeking fame he sought the comfort of his home. When he did become President he made it clear that it was only because the American people had asked it of him. It is in this capitol building where he gave up his sword. I can assure you I will be back to visit that someday.

Day 31: Met up with the Carlson's for a quick dusk tour of beautiful Annapolis and Sam's hockey game at the academy! We were only able to get inside several buildings, but this one was my absolute favorite! Dahlgren Hall has been used for everything from the old hockey rink, to basketball courts, to hosting the Ring Ball, to the memorial for John Paul Jones ("Father" of the Navy) when he was brought back to America and honored by President Teddy Roosevelt at the Academy. I think it is a charming building with its twinkling lights across the ceiling and then the pictures and state flags that surround its balcony that over looks the main floor. LOVE it! :)

Day 30: I thought I could make it into work finally, but everyone else was working from home so I realized it probably wasn't worth it. Later I heard the metro's were hardly working (actually one derailed..) and the VRE was only running on a minimal schedule. Good call Ebs. Since I'm writing this so many days past, I am going to cheat and use a picture I took the next day at the Smithsonian. This is the Hope Diamond. 45 carats and beautiful. The original one was 112 carats and violet, I cannot imagine why they felt the need to cut it down!

Day 29: The sky is visible through my skylight again!!

More Snow.

Day 28: Scrapbooking.

Day 27: They plowed yesterday afternoon so I can get out today!!! I left my house for the first time in order to a) Get out b) Get a library card c) Get scrapbooking stuff since I'm finally in the mood d) Go to the store to prepare for the next storm e) Get out. Yes, my friends, 10 inches are coming this afternoon. Needless to say there is no work because there are no trains, no metro, no safe roads, and no (working) federal government. The roads were crazy and the grocery store was 10x worse than the day before a holiday. I noticed they were restocking the beer and milk...hmm....Anyway, I made it in and out in one piece and headed back home fully prepared for storm number 2. Might as well embrace this! :)

Day 26: Absolutely nothing new today. The streets aren't plowed. My car can't move. I took a walk. It was nice. This is a picture from last week that I haven't had the opportunity to post..yea. I used to love Valentine's Day. Like really love. I never really actually had a Valentine, but wrote my little cards, picked out special candy hearts for special people, and always bought new pajama heart pants that we would all wear to school on Valentine's Day. Not that I dislike it now. But the only word that came to mind when I saw this was "gag". Not sure how it'll go this year. JUST LOOK AT ALL THAT PINK!

Snow.

Day 25: You'd think by now I could take some pretty snow pictures...but I can't get over this kind. This is out on the "main road" through the neighborhood! No plows yet!

Day 24: Less than 24 hours later...26 inches in our driveway!

Day 23: I had off work today for the (pending) snow...This picture was taken at 10 am. Nothing. They said we should have food and supplies for 3-5 days of being stuck. I laughed. I also heard the following joke: You can tell the difference between those from the North and those from Virginia because during a snow storm the Northerners buy wine and rent movies while the Virginians buy milk and eggs. haha...so true!

Thoughtful Thursday

Day 22: I am writing today's blog before I take the picture. I already know what it is going to be so it's simply a matter of finding the best place to take it. This morning on the train I read a short story entitled, "Monday", by Mark Helprin. I had Mr. Helprin for class once and know him to be an excellent story teller, especially when it comes to the tales of his remarkable adventures and travels. I have been reading the stories the last several days and his flowing words have painted beautiful pictures in my mind that surpass none to quickly and are accompanied by a lingering feeling of some sort of irony. The story this morning did not disappoint. It was written in the eyes of a contractor who stumbled upon a woman in the wake of the September 11th tragedy. The story, no doubt not at fictional as it could be due to the heightened patriotism and heroism in the days following the attack, showed sacrifice in order to honor the fallen. As I read the beautiful words, the sobs rose in my throat and tears came to my eyes; I had to make quite the effort to stop them from freely flowing in the middle of the crowded morning commute. It took quite a few blinks to get them under control. Had I been alone I would have sobbed. I don't know where the time went because moments later we were pulling into my station and I was somewhat in a daze. For reasons that are patriotically obvious, I felt overcome with the urge to catch a glimpse of the Capitol before heading down into the metro system. In the rush of the morning, I briefly saw it, proudly shining in its white glory. As I went down the escalator I immediately noticed that it seemed to be empty today. Perhaps it is the calm before the coming (snow) storm, but it was nearly eerie, the silence that met me. It fit perfectly into my strange mood and all I could do on the train was ponder things bigger than I and the affect that 9/11 had on every one. To my delight I saw a woman reading her Bible-the first time I have seen that, and I was blessed by it again tonight on the way home. Most days my commute is long and somewhat boring, but today it was fulfilling and ended up encouraging. Emboldened by these strangers, I spent some time in the Word on my long ride and came upon this verse: "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). The wonderful story I read, the Christians freely reading God's word in dark place that needs Christ shining in it-- that abundant life can be experienced, or started, right there on a train.

"It looks like Colorado!" (says the LIVE reporter in the parking lot with 4 inches of snow)

Day 21: More snow is coming this weekend. They say 12-24 inches. That's a lot, even for me. I'm pretty worried about the Commonwealth's plan of attack, I have this sneaking suspicion that it will simply be to wait until it melts...In a week. Until that time, no one will really leave there homes. So, of course, they had better stock up on food for the big snow-in. No joke folks, Wal-Mart tonight, was out of milk. I went to get a half gallon and figured they just must not carry it. That's when I noticed these 3 large empty refrigerators. The things you see in the widows are merely reflections. In fact, it was so dark and empty in there you can nearly make out the reflections. I stood in line while a frantic man came up asking where the shovels were; they were out. I could not contain my chuckle and the poor Virginian did not appreciate my amusement. We'll see what this weekend brings.....

**Special shout-out to my first follower--love you!!

Day 20: God blessed me with a beautiful ride in this morning. I think I was the only one who even looked out the window. I sincerely pray that I never grow so accustomed to such a wonderful gift like a magnificent sunrise that I fail to even notice it. It's why I would never live on a beach. I love it too much and I would hate for that to be ruined.


Day 19: Schools and businesses were closed today. I wondered if it was because it was cold (7) or because it had snowed....two days earlier. I finally got around to taking a picture of the ground today. Every day I walk across these square stones covering the streets of downtown. And every day my heart skips several beats when I step on the ones that violently shift as you step on them. Every day I think of the metro, racing quickly across the tracks beneath me and wonder just why the stones move and, more importantly, what is underneath them. Furthering my metro scare, the pay phone rang as I walked through one of the underground stops today. Straight out of a movie. The phone starts ringing and all around people are glancing at it...yea, as curious as I was to see who picked it up, I did not wait around to see. Dead serious. I picked up the pace and got out of there before Emilio Estevez showed up with some of his explosive gum on accident...On the ride home I planned my emergency plan for if the train fell into the Potomac. Don't worry, if you were with me, you'd be more than covered.


Day 18: The snow stopped at 9:00 Saturday night. Sunday morning I checked to make sure church wasn't cancelled and drove the 25 miles on UNCLEARED ROADS to see that it had indeed been cancelled..without telling the radio stations. I was 10 minutes late anyway because of the ice I had to scrape off my car. I had seen a few standard Baptist churches on the drive over and figured another one would be meeting. 2 churches later, frustration growing, I gave up. I decided it was a beautiful day and I might as well stop to see George Washington's boyhood home. It was nearby and I had yet to see it. I knew it was closed for the month, but I saw that as an opportunity to ponder while I simply looked at the house. The GPS failed me, but I did see the house he bought his sister and it is in a simply beautiful neighborhood..I found Ferry Farm and much to my frustration, the dirt road had not been plowed of the foot of snow and there was a gate. At this point, I had all but given up on doing anything in the state of Virginia on this snowy Sunday, but I was seriously craving a donut. To my delight I found a shop and pulled over. I got out of my car, walked through the uncleared parking lot, and found that at 11:00 am Sunday morning, Dunkin' Donuts was closed due to weather. Thanks a lot Virginia. I drove home and swore I wouldn't leave the house again that day. The picture is of the quaint little McDonalds across the street from the shut down boyhood home of my favorite patriot. I wonder if George liked French fries...

Day 17: Oh my gosh it's snowing. And let me tell you, Virginia CANNOT handle it. The day started off okay. The roads weren't clear, but that's typical at the beginning of a snow storm. I decided to head down to the Marine museum (again) to be carried away by the history of the proud and few for a couple of quiet hours in an empty museum. I got through WWII (..it starts at WWI). After 3 hours (but it had been snowing for 6), I exited the building. There I sadly noted probably the same 6 guys who had been shoveling the vast walkway when I had walked in. The roads had not been cleared. There were two crashed semi's and plenty of other accidents on my very short drive from Quantico to home. Happily willing to succumb to the weather, I went to Blockbuster, got some movies, and settled in for the day. The picture...is something I had never seen before. It reminded me of something out of Pixar's Cars...Apparently everyone finds that putting up your windshield wipers is an absolute must. Not a bad idea, it just looks ridiculous.



Day 16: Ahh the joy of not having to read for class anymore...Though, I'll be honest, some of these books are ones that I just didn't have time to finish reading...for class. Over 2 hours on the train every day gives me plenty of opportunity...2 books down and so many to go!