life lately | march

March was the month that changed my life. For the rest of my life, I'll remember sitting in a crowded movie theater on March 14 and opening the email that said, "Congratulations," and it held my hand and opened my palm and placed into it my whole future, bright and open and so full of possibility. So much of these last few months has left me feeling stunned, feeling almost numb with unbelievability. Nothing that has happened is believable. It's funny, too, because it is believable. There is a part of me - that since the day I sat in the information session for Georgetown's international relations master program last fall and heard a fellow applicant mention she was applying for the Rangel Fellowship, and I played those unfamiliar words over in my head and on my tongue, that knew it was my destiny. Isn't that crazy? I can't believe I'm putting it in words. I daydreamed about that destiny until I laughed out loud alone in bed so many nights I can't count them because I've never been the sort of person to believe in destiny and fate like that. But it felt destined. It felt right through my core. I think now, now that it's becoming reality - now that I'm only 5 short, short, too short days from leaving my beloved job to embark on this crazy adventure that is this Fellowship and grad school in the fall - now that I know the rug isn't going to be pulled out from under me, and it's not all just one of those late night daydreams - I really see now that it wasn't destiny so much as a good fit. A perfect fit. I've dreamed of a life in the foreign service, I've planned it out, I've known for a while that it's in my blood. That kind of unsettled life is what makes me feel the most settled, the most content, the realest version of myself. This was the month of finding out the stuff I'm made of, and it rocked my world, it rippled through me in waves until I had to believe it - I did it. I'm here. My future is mine.

1&2: 2014: The Winter That Never Ended
3, 4, & 5: March was the month of Theo. My brother took him down to stay with my mom at the end of the month, until Zan and I can rent his condo and find a place of our own that allows dogs. And boy, did Theo and I live up every single last day together. We found a new favorite trail. I can't wait until we're reunited. My life is incomplete without him.
6: I moved! Matt and I said goodbye to living together. From a studio apartment where we shared a bed in LA to the slumlord in Bloomingdale all the way to the tree-lined streets of Cleveland Park, we were in it together until we met our matches. I found this note from my mom written on my old bible. I couldn't throw that old thing away because that note. And isn't her handwriting gorgeous?
7&8: Ellie came to visit! I talked a lot about her being there for me when I found out about Rangel. That's another friendship that's for the ages. We meandered around Georgetown after dress shopping for a girlfriend's wedding next fall and found ourselves planted on the giant green adirondack chair.
9: Zan and I celebrated our two year anniversary on Mach 24. Last year I made him a chocolate peanut butter cake; this year we booked a trip to Costa Rica. He's alright, y'all.

the ship of fools

A few weekends ago, Zan and I didn't get up and moving until 1:30pm. What can I say? Pajamas, naps, homemade breakfast, and the call of the TV (ahem, House of Cards) have all been so tantalizing this winter. We haven't resisted the urge to nest. Anyway, we finally swapped out pajama pants for socially acceptable ones and hopped in Zan's truck.

With no real plans and it being a little too late in the afternoon to head out to wineries (our typical go-to on Saturdays with no plans), I suggested we check out a few lesser known tourist spots that neither of us had seen - a pretty incredible feat given that Zan grew up here!

I recently wrote a feature for Viator.com on 30 Unique Things To Do in DC. It turned out to be shockingly easy to write - it took me a mere 10-15 minutes to come up with the list of 30 things. Most of them I'd done, but there were a handful that I'd only heard rumors of... and it was time to change that.

So we headed across town to the Southwest Waterfront to see the Titanic Memorial. This statue, dedicated to the brave men who lost their lives so that women and children could be saved (because of too few life rafts, if you haven't seen the movie.... er, know the history!), depicts a women with her arms outstretched into the wind. It looks exactly like the iconic scene in the movie Titanic with Jack and Rose at the helm of the ship.

And here's where I have a giant, nerdy confession to make: I saw the movie five times in theaters. Five! I saw it so many times that my mom started to think that maybe I was pulling one over on her and was up to all kinds of teenage rebellion. Years later, she admitted that the 5th time I went, she followed me to the theater and poked her head in to see if I was really there. And there I was, sipping on a soda and mouthing the words because at that point I could quote the whole damn thing. I have an inkling she was hopeful I really was up to some old fashioned trouble making and not really seeing a movie for the fifth time... (Can we also talk about how I would not have used the same excuse 5 times in a row if I were really sneaking out and making out with boys?!)

With all that embarrassment on the table, I probably don't need to say that I loved it. It was cheesy, fun, and honestly? A beautiful monument. The sun was shining just right. The water was iced over - and that was kind of perfect when you're visiting a Titanic memorial... if not a bit morbid and sad.

I definitely quoted a monologue, downloaded "My Heart Will Go On" and had Zander film the whole scene. I know. I really thought about posting it here, but some things... Let's just say Zan and my mom have enough teasing fodder to last a lifetime.

Then we drove all the way up to Georgetown to play on the giant green Adirondack chair on the lawn of Duke Ellington School of the Arts. If I ever have kids in the city, that's where I'm taking them for play time. Who needs a jungle gym when there's an oversize chair?!

I get so caught up in being a local, and redefining that for myself with every new trend, restaurant, and up-and-coming neighborhood, that I sometimes forget how great it is to be a tourist. Especially when the attractions are little hidden gems in the nooks and crannies of this beloved city of mine.

life lately | january

January felt like the start of a race without the "ready" and "set" - just the blast of the gunshot and "GO!" We enjoyed every second of our last day of adventure and easy breathing in Quito on New Year's Eve with friends - one old and a handful new. We bolted to the airport to catch our 12:30am flight, and it feels like from those long minutes of trying (and repeatedly failing) to hail a cab in Quito to make our flight on time all the way to February 1, we didn't stop running.

The pace picked up the second we landed in Atlanta on the 1st. At 6:00am, Zan and I parted ways for our 12-hour layover; I spent the day with my family, and Zan spent it with his best friends and goddaughter. It bummed us out to split up and not see the people that mean the most to each other, but we wanted to make the most of the time we had.

When we finally landed in DC on the evening of the 1st, we were both bone-tired. I cried when Zan hugged me goodbye in my apartment. The emotion of such a long, incredible trip being over got to me. But there wasn't much time for dwelling on all that. My graduate school applications were all due in the first half of the month. I had 80% of them completed before I left, but I needed to finalize essays (so many essays!), make sure my last recommendations came in, get transcripts and other materials uploaded... and then get started on finishing my fellowship applications. On top of all of that, I had my biggest month yet of freelance work. And on top of all that, Zan and I were trying to get his place ready to rent so we can move in together. (How's that for burying the lede?!)

The second my applications were completed and my freelance work was done and Zan's place was painted, I felt like we'd won January's race. We've enjoyed being in town, sleeping in later on Saturday mornings than we ever have in two years of dating, trying new restaurants, seeing Oscar-nominated movies, and relishing the most stress-free quality time I can remember. January was a beast, but it was a beast of hope and excitement: the work is done, and in a short time, there will (we hope) be such sweet rewards.

1: We've been spending a lot of time in Georgetown. It was once my least favorite neighborhood in all of DC for its inaccessibility and commercialization. Recently, I can see past the brand names to the backstreets teeming with local shops. And I've fallen in love with the iced-over C&O Canal and Waterfront.
2: This sweet Christmas gift from Zander lights up my desk and my face every morning at work.
3&6: Theo's and my favorite place in the city is Rock Creek Park. No matter how often we go, I can't stop taking pictures. It's such a beautiful respite from fast-paced city life.
4&5: Each time a school sent me a confirmation that my application is complete and under review, I smiled so hard you'd think they had accepted me! To celebrate a new year and new possibilities, I chopped off all my hair. I'm crazy about my new short hairdo.
7: We've been on an Italian kick lately. Dino is closing in Cleveland Park, and even though it will reopen in Shaw, we've been filling up on pork belly and brussels sprouts, incredible wines, and the best bread pudding anywhere.
8: Etto on 14th Street in Logan has the best burrata I've ever had, and this fingerling potatoes and chorizo specialty pizza was downright crave-able.
9: While taking pictures of Zan's apartment to post on rental sites, I couldn't resist snapping a shot of these duckies. He has these three, a gigantic one, and just ordered a Redskins one. "Rubber ducky, he's the one...!" (And if you're looking for a beautiful condo in a great neighborhood in DC, I've got you covered! http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/apa/4308357488.html)

How's life treating you lately?