Tourist or local?

Today I pretended to be a tourist. Of course, I'm not one, but it still feels like I am since everything is still so new to me up here. Fortunately, it was a beautiful day! A little chilly, but great weather!

My friend Allison wanted to hang out today and suggested going to the mall, and I said, do you mind if we go to the Mall instead?! See, at the Capitol Mall, almost everything is free, but at the mall... I'd be tempted to spend money that I, well, don't really have. :)

We started at the American History Museum and then walked across the Mall to the Native American Museum to meet up with a couple of her friends who were in town for a re-scheduled Christmas Party. Tidbit for the future: Native American Indian Museum has a cafe that looks and smells delicious! We opted to head around the corner for Mexican food. Yum!

This is what they call the "Castle." It's the Smithsonian Institute, but to me, it could easily pass for the National Cathedral. I think it's the prettiest building on the Mall.
The Capitol Building on a pretty, but very cold day.

This case of instruments could easily go for $100 million+. Know why? They are 4 of the 630 surviving instruments built by the master Stradavari. Number 5 of the 630 was in the adjacent case. Oh, how I wish they would've let me play the beautiful, Mother of Pearl inlayed instruments!
These two were 15th century instruments we studied in school. The large one is a viola da gamba. Please note the beautiful ornamentation above the bridge and in the scroll. Gorgeous!
Allison and I with one of the most famous pairs of shoes of all time. They look a little more "old-ladyish" than one might expect! I always thought Dorothy wore stilettos! :)

This one is for the Berry clan. Yes... that hat has a price tag. The first person to name the wearer of this famous hat gets a special prize!

Icons of American Comedy

The predecessor for my darling green car. Honda Civic, rather Honda CVCC.


We studied this musical manuscript in Music History and Music Theory class. I even had to write my own piece with this type of notation. It's actually quite complicated. :)

In the doorway of Julia Child's kitchen. I wish my apartment kitchen allowed me to store that much cooking equipment.

Can you imagine washing dishes in that dishwasher?

Who wouldn't want to sit at that table and eat the great chef's food? Just looking at it makes me want to cook. I think I will...

Bon appetit mon amis!

Traffic Woes

I was rushing a little more than usual on Monday to get to work on time when I saw a school bus coming up on my right hand side. Instant thought when I see a school bus: "How quickly can I get around this thing so I don't have to get stopped by the swinging arm and wait for all the little kids to make it to their assigned seat?" Doesn't everyone think that?

APPARENTLY NOT! I'm one car length behind the school bus, and a ridiculous Chrysler convertible in front of me seems to be paralleling the bus on purpose. Do you know what she was doing??? Waving at her child on the bus. MIND you- the windows of school buses are now tinted so she couldn't even see where her child was sitting or if her child was even looking at her. Really, REALLY?!

On the lighter side: I found a place up here that serves sweet iced tea, and it's actually pretty good, although not Sugar 'n Spice, Wade's, or Momma's.
The National Masonic Temple in Alexandria, VA. The fuzziness is from me lightening the picture, but you're seeing about what I did.

At midnight with new and old friends: Paula, Monisha, and Angie. Happy New Year!

Fun with picasa... rose or cupcake? You decide.

Cupcakes of course!!

I'm getting better at my new icing tips.

Sunday when I went to church it was so windy, and I mean REALLY windy, that I had to resort to the LMBC Christmas Drama head-wrap. Kept my ears warm, but I did think of my grandad when he used to say, "You look like you'd dry up and blow away!" I had to fight to make contact with the ground most steps. Craziness!

Ice on cars doesn't look the same up here... this is a view from the inside of my car with my fancy new camera's macro settings.

Stay warm friends! xo

2009 - A Good Vintage

2009 has been quite a year for me. I had grand aspirations for this blog - I was going to match the year's memories with chart-topping songs from the year, but then I realized the "chart-topping" songs were things like Tik-Tok, Bad Romance, and Fifteen. Unfortunately they don't really fit my life, do they even fit anyones' lives? So, my songless list begins(It was supposed to be 10, then 15, so 19 it is):

1. Brand spankin' new job I love! Perfect fit for me!

2 - Number of Apts. I moved out of, much to the dismay of my moving crew. ;)

3 - Number of Apts. I've lived in!

4. I successfully ran a Home and Garden Show that very few people thought I could actually pull off!

5. The gosh awful car wreck that wrecked my May. It wasn't as bad as it could've been, but it sure did make the month of May an interesting and rather frustrating one!

6. A fourth of July weekend that was such a blast it rivaled the blasts of the fireworks on Capitol Mall (a must on everyone's bucket list!). That was the beginning of the end of my time in Spartanburg.

7. Sunday afternoons on the back porch of Mr. Helm's house doing crossword puzzles, grilling out, and drinking delicious frozen tea.

8. Jazzercise!!!! I will recommend it til I die!

9. A Christmas that broke traditions and will be remembered fondly.

10. The fab-five in Spartanburg at the beginning of '09! Chasing around Spartanburg to retrieve the infamous red "drinking" gloves. Painting the rock. Cranium.

11. The first birthday party I threw for myself! A wonderful evening surrounded by so many of my greatest friends!

12. Waterfall hiking - I had to climb a 10-12 ft cliff face after rapeling down it. I was thankful I didn't go alone! ;)

13. 3 bulls eyes at the NRA Range with a Ruger!

14. Lake House adventures

15. Surprising Mom on Mother's Day!

16. Wednesday Breakfasts with my fabulous little that I'm SOO proud of!!

17. Calvary Baptist - a family that makes you want to be a part!

18. A week in the mountains with my family. Gem-mining, tubing, cooking, and back-porch rockin'.

19. A new beautiful baby nephew and two precious foster children.


Good vintage or bad? I say good.

Cheers to another good year!