Washington Wednesday: Gravelly Point

Ok, so this "Washington Wednesday" is a day late and promises to be short . . . A few weeks ago, Chris and I decided to celebrate our 3-year anniversary with a "date day" on one Saturday. See, I will not have a free weekend until September because of my summer teaching schedule so we decided to use one of my last weekends free to celebrate our anniversary, enjoy the nice weather, and do something new in DC. To us, that meant a picnic out at Gravelly Point.

Gravelly Point is a park in Arlington, Virginia along the Potomac River, just north of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. It's a pretty big park, with enough space for sports games, family get-togethers, etc. And, not only is the park picturesquely located along the river across from DC, but it's also an awesome place to view airplanes taking-off and landing at the airport. Plus, the Mount Vernon Trail goes right through it! Sounds pretty nice, right?

Unfortunately, in the almost 4 years that we've lived here, we've never stopped to actually enjoy Gravelly Point. We literally lived less than 3 miles from it for 2 years, we would run through it on the trail, and Chris would even drive by it every day on his way to and from work, but we never actually stopped to hang out there. That is, until our anniversary picnic a few weeks ago where we bought some cheese, crackers, fruit, and a bottle of wine (not sure if that's legal??...), parked ourselves under a tree, and relaxed while watching the planes . . . 

(for better plane pictures, check out our friend, Shea, at It's a Guy Thing who is a MUCH better photographer and has a cute little boy to boot!)

It also helps that we finished the day off with some good food and Boulevard beer at Rustico, a great restaurant in Alexandria. (For those of you that are unaware - and it's a-ok if you were - Boulevard beer is a local KC beer that just started being served at select restaurants here in DC. To say that Chris was excited for this beer is an understatement . . .)

Even though it wasn't some lavish anniversary dinner or night out on the town, it perfectly suited us and was a great and relaxing day. Chris, can we go back and do it again?

Tourist Tuesday: The OTHER Air and Space Museum

I need to start by saying this to anyone and everyone that ever plans to visit DC - there are more than one Smithsonian museums you can visit. Shocker, I know. You can't imagine how many tourists I hear saying that they are "going to the Smithsonian," as if there was only one to visit. If you don't want to stand out as a tourist around these parts, make sure you know which Smithsonian you are going to visit. The more you know about DC, the better you will fare against all of us locals, that's all. :)

So, last week I mentioned that when my parents were in town we took them to the other Air and Space Museum. Not only are there more than one Smithsonian museum, but there are actually two Smithsonian Air and Space museums. If you're not from the DC area you probably had no idea that there are two Air and Space Museums (you may not have even known that there was one . . .) but it is definitely worth knowing that there are two.

The first one is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall. It's the one made "famous" by a certain Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian movie starring Ben Stiller, or just famous because it's probably one of the more notable Smithsonian museums on the National Mall. This museum is located directly on the National Mall and is literally filled to the brim with air and space artifacts - from space suits to the Spirit of St. Louis plane. It's really a cool museum if you've never been there, but if you are like Chris and I and my parents, you've been there plenty of times and wanted needed to check out something new.

So, we decided to visit the other Air and Space Museum - the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport in Chantilly, Virginia. This museum is actually 45 minutes to an hour away from DC and the National Mall, and is unfortunately not metro-accessible, but if you have a car when you are visiting DC and have someone in your party who is even remotely interested in air and space flight I highly suggest you visit it. It's very cool.

The museum is actually three huge hangers - one for aircraft, one for spacecraft, and one for restoration - filled with planes, space modules, etc. When you walk in your eyes are literally flooded with aircraft, it's almost like you are blinded by planes and it's hard to even decipher what is what. See what I mean?

Of all of the planes, there were a few that definitely caught my eye. Like the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bombs in Japan.

Or the famous Concorde, the Air France plane you see behind that Boeing 707.

Then, we walked by the Restoration Hanger. I mean, how cool would it be to get to clean up and re-build these old planes? That is, if you had any mechanical experience and knew what you were doing . . . It looks cool though, right?!

Finally, we made our way to the Space Hanger. The hanger that I could not wait to get in to because of this beast. . .

Yes, it's the Discovery Space Shuttle!! How cool is that?! Seriously, this thing has been IN space.

Ok, so I might have gotten a little over-excited about the Discovery shuttle. Remember though, I'm a huge dork.

Other than that, there is a LOT of other things to see . . .

Charles Lindbergh paraphernalia.

Fabric from the Hindenburg.

A "gondola" (bottom of a blimp)

Itt's a car, it's a plane, it's a car/place!

I think we spent a couple of hours in there and never got bored. It did help that we went up in the Observation Tower that looks out over Dulles Airport and the surrounding northern Virginia area, and of course we stopped for a snack of a McFlurry and fries in the on-site McDonald's. MM mmmm fries!

A view of two of the exhibit hangers and northern VA from the Observation Tower

 And, in case you want to add a few more hours to your visit there, I suggest you check out what is showing at the museum's Airbus IMAX theater (a REAL IMAX theater). Chris and I have seen Inception and Star Trek at it, and it was ah-mazing!!

Lastly, if you plan on making the trip out there, remember to bring $15 for parking because while all of the Smithsonian museums are free to enter you do need to pay for parking at Udvar-Hazy. BUT, parking is free after 4pm and the museum closes at 5:30pm, and that might just leave you enough time to hit the hot spots! Also, the museum does provide tours if you like that kind of thing, or you can just be like us and wander around reading the plaques.

We've been to so many museums out here, and multiple times at that, so it was nice to see something not only new, but also really awesome! Everyone should have this museum on their DC to-see list, I know we'll be visiting it again!

What We've Been Up To

Has it really been over 3 weeks since my last post? So much for my goal of posting at least once a week, sorry! You might have been wondering what we've been up to since the first of May, and if not, well, I'm going to tell you anyway : )

• We finished up our spring semesters. Granted, I only took one class, and it was suuuuper easy, but still, class is class.

• My pleas to the Hand-Me-Down Dresser Gods were answered and I scored not only a really awesome dresser for our guest room, but I also scored an awesome, I mean AWESOME, old sewing cabinet for a sweet $30.

The cabinet will go perfectly with my brand-spanking new sewing machine, courtesy of Chris for my birthday.

• I finally wrapped up my beloved job (note the sarcasm) . . .

• . . . and then started training for my new one (that I mentioned way back when).

• We celebrated Chris' birthday - I made him a fancy black forest cake and "surprised" him with the KitchenAid Stand Mixer Pasta Maker attachment for his present. (Let's just say he was "surprised" a few days before his birthday when he saw the box sitting on our porch from our mailman when he got home from work before me!)

• We drove out to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for a mini-vacation. (Remember when it ended up taking us 24 hours to drive back to Missouri for the holidays this past winter? Well, because of that detour, Chris owed me a trip for a few days!)

• We then celebrated my birthday (Chris is only 3 days older than me.) with a rainy day in Rehoboth, complete with a birthday mimosa at a sketchy diner, catching a showing of The Five-Year Engagement, and treating myself to a very fancy - at least by my terms - new wallet (thank you beach-outlet malls!).

• One of our friends, Katie, did a blog post about our Vertical Garden on her blog, Handy Housemom. You should definitely check out her blog, she posts a lot of fun projects and even great retail deals!

• Lastly, my parents came and visited last weekend for the first time since Thanksgiving 2010. Not only was it great to spend some time with them and soak up the ah-mazing sunshine, but we also visited some places that I've really wanted to see, like the huge National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center (the other Air and Space Museum, off the National Mall), the eerily beautiful Antietam National Battlefield, and the super quaint Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Below are some pictures from their visit, but I promise to write more thorough descriptions in some upcoming Tourist Tuesdays or Washington Wednesdays.

So, that's what we've been doing over the last 3 weeks.  It's amazing how much you can do in just a few short weeks, and it's amazing how refreshing a little beach trip and a family visit can be! Now that things have slowed down, it'll be back to my regularly-ish scheduled blogging. : )

Tourist Tuesday: Cherry Blossoms

It's only fitting that I write a Tourist Tuesday about the Cherry Blossoms since this year marks the 100th Anniversary of Japan's gift of the cherry blossom trees to the U.S. to celebrate the growing friendship between the two nations. In 1912, 3,000 cherry trees were gifted from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC. First Lady Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two trees from Japan on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park (around where the FDR and MLK Memorials are now). (Actually, a first batch of 2,000 trees arrived diseased in 1910, but just two years later new trees arrived and were planted.) These are the trees that now turn the Tidal Basin into a cloud of pink each spring!

Over the last 100 years, the cherry blossom trees have become staple attraction in DC, probably just as notable as some of the monuments and museums. The National Cherry Blossom Festival, which has been taking place since 1927, celebrates the gift of these trees, the Japanese and American friendship, and springtime in Washington! Usually the Festival lasts 2 weeks, but because this year is the 100th anniversary the festival is 5 weeks long (March 20 - April 27)!! Chris and I have never attended the Festival events, because while the cherry blossoms are gorgeous, I cannot stand the crowds, but, there is always a lot of fun stuff going on, such as a 10k race, a parade, and daily activities.

The Festival usually coincides with the trees' bloom (thanks to the National Park Service's predictions), however, because we had such an unseasonably warm winter, the cherry blossoms bloomed really early this year, like, two weeks ago-early. I'm definitely writing this post kinda late because some of the blooms are already being replaced by regular old green leaves. Oops! BUT, be sure to mark your calendars for next year's Festival!!

Like I said, Chris and I really don't like the Cherry Blossom crowds so we've only really walked around the Tidal Basin to take them in a couple of times. But, below are some photos I took of them two years ago (I think). The trees were right around peak bloom when I took these photos, but just google or flickr them and you'll see TONS of awesome photos of the trees, WAY better than these!

Now, like I hinted at, the Festival attracts over a million people every year. This is what some of that million usually looks like . . .

Looks like a lot of fun, right? Wrong (at least for us). If you are like us and would like to check out the Cherry Blossom trees but avoid the madhouse, here are my suggestions:

1. Go early in the morning. Not only are there less crowds early in the morning, but sunrise at the Tidal Basin would be really pretty. I wouldn't know though, I've never gone ; )
2. Go on a weekday or weeknight. Yes, there will still be the crowds of spring-breakers, but it won't be as bad as a weekend, I promise.
3. I also promise that there won't be as many crowds on a cloudy or even rainy day, that's another good time to go if you don't mind getting a little wet.
4. Avoid the Smithsonian and even the L'Enfant metro stations, but especially the Smithsonian station. They are like a cattle herd of lost tourists - crazy. Make it a day to get some exercise. Put on your walking shoes and walk from a further station. Archives/Navy Memorial is my go-to metro stop, probably because there is a Potbelly and Au Bon Pain right up the street from it, and it's on the yellow/green line where I live!
5. Lastly, just skip the Tidal Basin all together and go to the National Arboretum. I think that's what we might do this weekend, or sometime this spring. The National Arboretum has a huge variety of cherry blossom trees, including late-flowering ones! It also has what is called "Azelea Hill,"which is apparently gorgeous and may not be around much longer.So, go there!

So, that's the scoop on the Cherry Blossoms from a "Washington-insider." Even though we really don't get into the Cherry Blossom hype, they are really truly pretty, and definitely something special to the DC area, whether you see them at the Tidal Basin, around the National Mall or the National Arboretum, or just see them scattered throughout the neighborhoods!

Running for a Cause Complete!

Well, we did it! We each ran the inaugural DC Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon this past Saturday, and we also raised the $1500 for our running cause, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation! Thank you to all of you who supported our cause and donated; You've helped us make this more than just a race!

The race went great - the weather was perfect (70s and sunny), the bands along the course were good, the crowds were great, and the sites were even better! Like last year, the half marathon course went around some of the best sites in DC - the Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Union Station, the National Mall, the White House, and the Octagon House - and some of the best neighborhoods - Capitol Hill, Dupont Circle, Columbia Heights, and H St. NE. Below is a map of the course to give you an idea of what we got to see along those 13.1 miles.

View Larger Map

While the race went great, it was even better to run for something other than ourselves. Not only did we raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, but we also made sure to support our troops on the day of the race by wearing shirts in memory of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Chris wore a TSAF memorial t-shirt honoring the fallen 1/75 Army Rangers, including our friend, Jeremy Katzenberger, who I wrote about this summer. Will and I wore Wear Blue: Run to Remember t-shirts. Wear Blue's mission is to use its running community to create a living memorial to the service and sacrifice of the American Military. They run for "the Fallen, for the Fighting, and for the Families." I just happened to stumble across their website a few months ago and thought that it'd be a great community of runners to join and support. What was really touching was that at one point during the race another Wear Blue runner, a veteran, spotted me on the course on Saturday and our short conversation before he ran ahead, that little bit of camaraderie between the two of us, reminded me why I was running - I wasn't running for myself, but for others.

Just so you can see, below is the back of both shirts, which are pretty cool. My apologies for my sweaty-ness, I had JUST finished running. . .

We don't have any "action" shots of us running, besides what's on the Marathon's website (which aren't very pretty, at least for me!), but here are some photos of us reveling in our post-race glow, err, sweat!

This last picture is Chris and I pointing out how I dominated my IT band. I was really nervous that my IT band flare-up would prevent me from finishing the race, but I did! (How I did might be another post...) I certainly didn't beat my personal best, which was my goal when I first started training, but I finished. And, I wasn't too much off my best time anyway, despite the bum leg! Whenever I felt a twinge of pain or had doubts about finishing, I remembered who I was honoring by running this race - the pain and hardships others have gone through - and then the pain I was feeling didn't bother me as much.

I'm already planning my next half marathon, and this time, I'll make sure my body's healthy and I'll finally beat my personal best! In the meantime, on behalf of me, Chris, and Will, THANK YOU for helping us support our cause, and THANK YOU to our military men and women and their families for their ongoing sacrifices!

Tourist Tuesday: Sports in the District

I know I need to start getting back into my Tourist Tuesday's and Washington Wednesday's post series, so since Spring Training and March Madness are right around the corner I figured I should tell you about sports in the District.

Here's my list of sports in DC worth checking out:

1. Baseball

We've been out to Nationals Park numerous times to watch the Nationals (or Cardinals) play.  It's a typical stadium where you can watch your home team (or the Nationals), drink beer and get a hot dog (or something more gourmet), but Nationals Park has it's own unique "thing." Every baseball stadium seems to have its "thing," and here it's The Racing Presidents. Every game, during the fourth inning, a select group of men and women don the heads of four Presidents - Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt - and race around the ballpark.

If people don't get up and cheer for the Nationals, they will cheer for the Presidents. Abe Lincoln has won the most at 154 times from 2006-2010, while Teddy Roosevelt, to this day, has not won a single race. There's even a local push to have Teddy win a race, with a blog and t-shirts dedicated to the topic. I think Chris and I secretly want to be at the game when Teddy wins ; )

2. Hockey

Another team you can check out is the Washington Capitals hockey team. And, they are actually pretty good! I took Chris to a game in January as a Christmas present (and it fulfilled my goal to visit a DC place once a month). The game was a lot of fun, plus the Caps won! If tickets weren't so expensive, I would definitely go more often (almost $100/ticket to sit in pretty much nose-bleed seats). It was the first NHL game I had been to in eons and I really look forward to going to some more, I just have to save my pennies . . . (Oh, and the Verizon Center where they play is located in the heart of Chinatown, so it's super easy to get to and there are tons of restaurants to catch drinks and dinner before a game.)

(Courtesy of afagen via Flickr)

3. Football 

You can also go see the Redskins play at FedEx Field. No, the Redskins aren't the greatest team in the NFL, but if you like football, why not! Plus, even though it's way out in Maryland, at least it's metro-accessible. Chris and I have been lucky enough to go to FedEx Field to watch the Rams and Chiefs play, from a box. Now, while it isn't the same experience as tailgating in the parking lot and sitting in the cold smashed against other fans, I'll take free box seats any  time! (Thanks, Dad!)

4. Basketball

Washington's basketball team, the Wizards, also play in the Verizon Center. The "pros" of watching the Wizards are that they're a NBA-team (even if some college teams could beat them) and the tickets are cheap (because they aren't good). The "cons" of watching the Wizards is that they aren't good. They are so bad that their losing streaks are constantly discussed in local news. They're even so bad that I've been to one of their games (tickets were $10, awesome!) but still accidentally say that I've never been to a NBA game. Oops. Maybe the NBA isn't for me, but for $10 tickets I might still go to a game.

(Courtesy of Keith Allison via Flickr)

5. Soccer

Yes, DC has a soccer team, the DC United. And, people out here really like their soccer team. I really really really want to go to a game (hint, hint, hubby), but their games are less frequent, and the tickets are kinda pricey. They play at RFK Stadium, which was named in honor of JFK's brother, Robert Kennedy, and used to be the home of the Redskins, Senators, and the Nationals. There is talk of DC United moving into a new stadium in Maryland, but I think RFK is pretty cool. I mean, it has held international soccer games for the FIFA World Cup and the 1996 summer Olympics in it - cool, no? Going to a DC United game is definitely on my list of things to do in DC.

(Courtesy of lunasola via Flickr)

6. Tennis

Did you know DC has a pro tennis team? They do. Meet the Washington Kastles, which include Venus and Serena Williams. Awesome, right?! They are undefeated. Nuff said. Every summer they host a WTT (World Tennis Team) tournament in DC, and one summer, we will go. Right, Chris?

(Courtesy of absentmindedprof via Flickr)

7. College Basketball

Lastly, it's only fitting living on the east coast that I mention college basketball. People out here love their college basketball. Some even follow the Division II and III teams - weird, I know. But, there are some pretty big Division I teams out here like the University of Maryland Terps, Georgetown Hoyas, and the George Mason University Patriots (my alma mater!). Some years they're good, some years they aren't, but they definitely have fan followings out here and you can't avoid hearing about them during basketball season. Sadly, as a Mason student I never went to a game, but someday I plan on it!

(Courtesy of Phil Romans via Flickr)

So, that's my list of sports things to do in DC. If you're bored with walking around monuments and museums, I would suggest checking out one of the local sporting events. Although, as I mentioned, I'm not claiming that they're very good, or that it's cheap . . .

We're always up for an outing to a game so if anyone is interested, let us know!

My Map Fetish

I have a thing for maps. There, I said it. All maps really - framed maps, antique maps, globes, and any other map-paraphernalia, including map pillows and coasters. Just look at My Map Maniac Pinterest board. It's a little crazy.

Every time I think of decorating our house, I brainstorm what kind of "map" I can incorporate. And, subsequently, every time I see a map, I brainstorm about where it could go in our house. If our house has a theme, it would probably be maps. Yes, I said it, our house has a theme. (Chris is going to hate that.)

I blame it on the fact that Chris and I love to travel. Not only did Chris and I meet studying abroad in Greece, but we also got engaged while backpacking across Europe. On top of that, we have taken more road trips around our great nation than I can recount, including a camping trip for a week in Utah. We're constantly planning our next big escape, whether it's the Olympic Games or a tour of the northern U.S., and we even "jokingly" comment about how we want to go live in Germany or Canada. (and I'm still not sure if we're joking, or serious about that one . . .) Either way, maps seem to be a constant reminder of all of our adventures and a fitting theme for our house!

So, for almost a year now I've been planning on creating a gallery wall of framed maps above our couch in our living room. Not only was the wall blank and boring, but coincidentally antique maps often have the same turquoise and red colors that I had started decorating our first floor in.

Ever since that decision I've been slowly collecting cheap frames from Ikea and thrift stores and perusing the web and Etsy for maps. I toyed with matching colored frames, or mixed frames (as my Pinterest followers probably noticed), and finally, last month, decided that it was time to actually hang up my map wall.

I started by laying out all of my frames on the floor and placing my maps on top of them to see how I wanted it to be arranged.

Then, I did what every lifestyle blogger out there does, I hung up mock frames made of paper on the wall to get a better idea of the arrangement.

I apologize for the raciness of my mock frames, we didn't have any newspaper like normal people probably use so I just tore up a Victoria's Secret catalog instead. And in case you guessed it already, these racy mock frames stayed up on the walls for a couple of weeks. Good thing we don't have friends with kids come over. But, I don't think Teddy minded, do you?

From there, most lifestyle bloggers tell their readers to start installing the nails for their real frames, right through their mock frames. I didn't want to use nails though, because I am too indecisive to have a bunch of nail holes littered across our wall. (and, Chris would probably kill me if I put a bunch of holes in the wall and then wanted to change it all six months later!)  So, instead I decided to use the trusty Command Picturing Hanging strips. Because I wanted to use those strips, I decided to use trusty painter's tape to outline the frames so I would know exactly where to hang each frame.

Now, I decided to go a little corny in my gallery wall (and give you all a lesson on DC). See, the center map on my wall is of Washington, DC and anyone who knows DC's street-scape should know that DC is divided into quadrants with the center being the Capitol building.  From the Capitol building as the center, streets, and the National Mall, go out directly east, west, north, and south and divide the city into its infamous quadrants (Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest). Check out the satellite view of DC below because my explanation probably doesn't make any sense ; )

(Wiki Commons)

So, I followed the east/west and north/south lines of my antique map of DC and decided to hang my frames on the same grid. Cheesy, I know, but I love it! And, I love my finished look!

sorry for the awful glare . . .

The wall includes antique maps from all of our favorite places - DC, St. Louis, Kansas City, Munich, North America, Boone County MO (Columbia), Germany, Athens, Mexico, Greece, Adair County MO (Kirksville), Italy, and Gasconade County MO (Hermann). Some of them I bought online, but I also downloaded a bunch for free and just printed them off. So since almost half of them were free, I suspect that I'll change some over time to reflect new favorite places, but for now, it's perfect!  Also, I'm still toying with the idea of painting a couple of frames different colors since so many of them are black, maybe add some silver or white/cream - what do you think?

So, where are your favorite places? And, more importantly, does your home have a theme?

Washington Wednesday: DC Debates Pronunciation

Last night, Chris brought to my attention an interesting debate that he had heard reported on WTOP and has been apparently going around DC. "How do you pronounce McPherson?" he asked, in reference to one of the busiest Metro stops and the small city park that is currently home to one of the Occupy DC movements.

I said, "It's pronounced Mc-FEAR-son, right? Everyone calls it McFEARson."

Wrong.

Apparently, it's technically pronounced Mc-FUR-son.

Statue of Gen. McPherson in PcPherson Square, Courtesy of NcinDC via Flickr

Mc-FEAR-son, Mc-FUR-son, what's the difference?

Well, according to WAMU's research,  that's the correct pronunciation of the namesake of the square, U.S. Civil War Gen. James Birdseye McPherson. They even consulted a leading Civil War Expert at the U.S. Army War College to verify the pronunciation. Oh, and by the way, the expert also told them that the General's middle name is pronounced "bird-see," not "bird's eye." Crazy stuff, right? It gets crazier though . . .

The DC blog, DCist.com, then debated the topic and they even consulted leading Civil War historian, James McPherson, who obviously shares the last name (no relation though). Ever since I read my first McPherson book, Battle Cry of Freedom (because I am a crazy history nerd and he's one of the best), I had pronounced his name with FEAR in it. Mc-FEAR-son. Right? Wrong. HE told DCist.com that his family actually pronounces it Mc-FUR-son. AHH! Mind blown, world rocked. Seriously, I had been mispronouncing one of my favorite historian's last names. Wow.

Lastly, one of our friends, Lacey, is actually from McPherson, Kansas. Another one of General McPherson's namesakes. Small world, no? But get this, Lacey pronounces it Mc-FUR-son. To be honest, I thought it was strange when I first heard it pronounced that way, but Lacey for the win!

So what do I do now - pronounce it McFEARson or McFURson?

Oh, the little things that rock our tiny DC world . . .

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, PLEASE!

Who would have imagined that living out here on the East Coast would bring us the most extreme weather conditions? In the 3 and half years that we've lived out here, we've experienced blizzards (3!), a hurricane, tropical storms (2), a micro-burst (small tornado), thunder-snow, and even earthquakes (one that was too small for us to feel and, of course, the one this past summer).

Microburst Damage in Alexandria, VA

Snowmagedon, or the Snowpocalypse. Either way, that's a lot of snow!

Growing up, I thought that extreme weather only happened in the Midwest, more specifically, Missouri, but that's definitely not the case. Sure, our summers aren't as hot as Missouri's, but they're still too humid for my taste, and my hair. And, yes the winters here are definitely not as cold as Missouri's, but sometimes, when the wind is a-blowing, I do feel like I'm back on the frozen tundra that is northeast Missouri (yea, Kirksville!). Either way, we're currently experiencing another weather-extreme here in the DC area - an unseasonably warm winter.

I don't remember what the winter was like when we first moved out here, but the second winter brought us 3 blizzards and almost 2 weeks worth of snow days from work and our third winter (last year) we got a decent amount of snow ice which caused a few early-closings and late-starts at work. Now I may be spoiled, but I want my snow! Correction - I want my snow DAY! (Picture me stomping my foot and pouting. That's how much I want a snow day.) If you don't know already, I work for a local university here in DC, one that actually deems some days as "snow days." (We NEVER had a snow day during undergrad, and trust me, I remember at least 1 day that should've been snow day in my 4 years there!) So, I want my snow day!

Yes, it's lovely to have had a hardly-cold winter so far. Sure, I love 60-degree weather, especially in January. But is enough snow or ice to allow me to sleep in, go home early, or be at home all day too much to ask? Hm, Mother Nature? Hm? We've only had one good snow fall, but it didn't stick and there wasn't much accumulation anyway! Boo!

Now, I know that I'm probably acting like a 5-year old, but I don't care. I want my snow day! Cross your fingers, shake your rain stick, pray, whatever you do, but help me get a snow day! Thank you.

(And, thank you for letting me rant!)