Picture Project Post, September 23-October 25

Here's the first post in awhile. The first picture post in even longer. Maybe one day this week I'll explain myself...but for now...

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September 23, 2009: My boss' boyfriend found a ferret and Luke and I seriously considered inviting it to live in our home. But we didn't...I just really wanted a pet. But after spending some serious time doing research, we decided against it...maybe one day I'll get a pet...

September 24, 2009: Luke started his Econometrics class every Thursday night. On his first day I met him at Au Bon Pain to wish him good luck and I had the most delicious pumpkin soup ever. I love fall and pumpkin soup.




September 25, 2009: It was a slow day, so here is a picture of where I work. I decorated my cubicle this week. With some pretty wonderful Pearls Before Swine comics* and a couple of pictures. I keep adding articles to my cubicle that I read in the Express (the Metro free paper), so now it's a little more decorated than this.

September 26, 2009: We went down to Southeast look at an apartment that we saw in the Express. It was amazing, and we're still waiting to hear back on our application. If everything works out well, we should be moving soon! Maybe I'll tell you all about that later, too. Anyway, right around the apartment is Washington, DC's only IHOP (leading Luke to speculate out loud "If we move here we'll have to have an unlimited IHOP budget..."). I had pumpkin pancakes (did I mention I love pumpkin things?). They were delicious. Between the pumpkin pancakes and seeing a corporation doing good things for the poor (maybe I'll tell you more about that later...), it was a good day.

September 27, 2009: We used our last free tickets from giving blood to go to the last Sunday Nats game of the season. It was kids day, and they were giving out free stuffed Screech dolls to all the kids under 12 (unfortunately, I do not look young enough to get one...). During the 7th inning stretch big Screech (the mascot) was singing and dancing with all the kids and their little Screeches. It was cute.

September 28, 2009: It was a beautiful, but incredibly windy day (you can't really tell about the wind by the picture...). I had lunch here, and sat for a long time looking down the street. This is the street the White House is on!






September 29, 2009: Luke had worked late for the past week, and tonight he got to walk home with me. And it was a beautiful night with a beautiful sunset. It was a happy time.

September 30, 2009: Another picture of a pretty sunset. I went to the last home game of the Nats (alone, because Luke was working late again...). I got a free fleece blanket and saw an AMAZING game (umm, walk-off grand slam!!!). It was a really fun game, but it would have been more fun if my husband could have been there...


October 1, 2009: I took my lunch break during a beautiful day with my journal and a Caramel Apple Cider from Starbucks and it was the best decision I could have made. Caramel Apple Cider is absolutely heavenly...


October 2, 2009: In between phone calls from his work and Luke trying to finish up a model for the USDA we watched Independence Day. I had never seen it and Luke had long anticipated sharing the experience with me. Unfortunately, I had already seen War of the Worlds and was slightly less impressed with the ending than Luke was hoping I would be...











October 3, 2009: We got up ridiculously early to go pray with our church at the Washington Monument (at 6:00 AM...). It was a cloudy day, but this is what the Capitol looks like wicked early in the morning. We did meet some people from a sister church in Southeast who seemed really excited about the possibility of us moving there and maybe helping bridge the gap between our church in Northeast and theirs...but, like I said, we're still waiting for our application to be processed. The tents/buildings on the mall are from the Solar Decathlon that was taking place, where people from all over the world built actual environmentally green houses on the mall...crazy stuff happens in our Nation's Capital.


October 4, 2009: It was Turkey Day (the country...) downtown on Sunday! They had a Turkish festival complete with a Turkish Bazaar, Turkish food and Turkish dances.

















October 5, 2009: I like the different colors of food and how food looks when its cooking is really artsy and pretty. So on slow days, I like to take pictures of food (I think there are several of these coming up...). This was when I was cooking dinner...I was sauteing onions and carrots.

October 6, 2009: Luke planned a date for me. We went down to Crystal City (where we lived for a week when we first moved to DC, before we knew where we would really be living...) and ate at a little Italian place (YUM!). Then he took me to see a play at a theater that give big discounts for patrons under 30 (SWEET!). The play, The Quality of Life, was extremely well-done.









October 7, 2009: I went to a UN-HABITAT Conference on Urbanization, Slums, and the Future of US Foreign Assistance". It was really interesting. And I really like this woman, Dr. Anna Tibaijuka. She's the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT. She's the highest ranking African woman in the United Nations. And she was incredible to listen to.

October 8, 2009: This woman was at the top of the Metro at MetroCenter playing hymns on her violin. She made my day.










October 9, 2009: Luke brought me these beautiful fall flowers. They went perfectly with the new pumpkin-filled flowerpot that i put together for a decoration.

October 10, 2009: We met one of Luke's friends from high school at The Old Post Office Building, which was absolutely gorgeous, and looked like something out of The Polar Express or something. We went up to the bell tower, which has a pretty awesome view of DC. It was a good time.


October 11, 2009: We ate little chicken pies for dinner because they are fall-like and homey and it was a pretty fall day and I was feeling homesick. I love little frozen chicken pot pies. One day I will try to make my own homemade chicken pot pie...

October 12, 2009: I had the day off, so Katie and I met in Petersburg (halfway between DC and Mebane) and talked about Kenya and life as we ate Panara Bread and walked around the Petersburg Battlefield. Simply splendid.

October 13, 2009: We hadn't done dishes in a long time (sometimes it's just easier to let them pile up...) and Luke was having some trouble putting the measuring cups on the ring, so he lined them up in size order. It worked out pretty well for everyone involved.



October 14, 2009: Again, a slow day, so here is a picture of food. This is one of my favorite fall meals...we had acorn squash with brown sugar and cinnamon, fried okra and green beans. Delicious for sure.



October 15, 2009: Home, finally, for the first time since May. Luke and I left after his class on Thursday and drove home through the night. There was no traffic! But we got home at 2:00 AM...

October 16, 2009: We went to Late Night with Roy with the Tar Heel siblings! Going all-out, in Tar Heel basketball fashion, Ramses floated down from the rafters amidst a sea of white pom-poms with blue flashing lights. It was pretty ridiculous. (If you can't see Ramses well, click on the picture and it will get bigger.)

October 17, 2009: The reason for going home (no, we didn't go home for Late Night with Roy...), Ashley and David's wedding! Ashley was such a beautiful bride!

October 18, 2009: We left for home on Sunday. This was Luke saying goodbye to little Ted. I would have posted a picture here of Otto missing his back left tire, but this picture is just more happy...(I love Ted's little tie!)

October 19, 2009: As I said above, on the way home from Mebane, our back left axle broke, sending our tire flying across I-95 and our car crashing to the ground (there were sparks and all!). We were both okay, but we were stranded in Ruthers Glen, VA for two days while we: first tried to decide if we were going to fix him and second, while we were waiting to fix him. There were lots of tears involved because we didn't think he was going to make it for awhile...I get way to attached to things...and I should really start calling Otto "it" not "him"...anyways, about the picture: while we were stuck in out hotel Ruthers Glen, Luke was amused at how many pillows we had on our bed and insisted that I try to cover his whole body in pillows. That's Luke for you. I succeeded, as you can tell.

October 20, 2009: Since we had to check out of our hotel at 12:00 and our car wasn't done until 2:30 (even though they said it would be done at 11:00...) we ended up hanging out in a common room on the first floor of our hotel so Luke could work. And I read The Painted Veil (ps, Thus far, I have been pleasantly surprised at how closely the movie followed the movie way to go Edward Norton and Naomi Watts...)

October 21, 2009: There was a false fire alarm at work. I took this picture for Luke because he really likes the long fire trucks, the kind that need an extra steering wheel in the back for the back tires.
















October 22, 2009: Walking from my doctor's appointment to the Metro i saw this squirrel enjoying a mushroom. I thought she was cute.

October 23, 2009: I went to lobby on Capitol Hill and ask House members if they would approve money for the National Housing Trust Fund. If you want to help, let me know and I'll give you the information! The Capitol Building looks pretty gorgeous in the fall with all of the fall colors.

October 24, 2009: My family came up for the weekend! We went to the Newseum, and we hung out and talked and watched movies. It was wonderful...so I guess there are two pictures of the Capitol Building with fall colors. This was from the 6th floor terrace of the Newseum.












October 25, 2009: I love my sisters. I don't think there is anything else that needs to be said here.

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So there's that. Can I just take a moment to brag about my wonderful husband? I have been pretty sick recently, and when I'm sick, I get homesick (which just makes being sick worse...) and Luke has done such a wonderful job of taking care of me. AND he even lets me listen to Delilah (which for some reason makes me feel a little but better...). He's wonderful and I am the luckiest girl in the world. I'm convinced.

*Here are the Pearls Before Swine comics that are currently hanging in my cubicle...

Watch out.

The end is near.

At 3:32 PM, to be exact.

Picture Project Post, August 27-September 22

Happy Fall! I won't bore you with any commentary about how happy I am it's fall and how excited I am to see pumpkins in the grocery store and leaves changing colors. About how my Spiced Pumpkin candle is lit and filling the whole apartment with its happy fragrance. I'll just get right into the super-long picture post...

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August 27, 2009: We came home really late from a dinner with some members of our church who live in the suburbs far away from our little apartment. We had a really wonderful time talking about missions and the way God works in our lives. It's always good to be reminded about how God has come through for you in the past, especially because sometimes it's hard to see how He's coming through for you in the present. But retelling the story of how we moved here because of an unpaid internship and how God gave Luke a job when we had like $80 left in our bank account does nothing but remind me about how God knows exactly what's going on and how He works things out in His timing. And I need to remember that a lot. This is also the night my phone got stolen. And I say stolen instead of lost because we recently got our cell phone bill and the guy who stole it downloaded ringtones and games that night...I took this picture because it was pretty and poetic with the lights shining off all the open windows. It didn't translate well with my camera, though, unfortunately.

August 28, 2009: We went to play Dungeons and Dragons for the first time and we had a lot of fun. I should probably take this time to make it clear that we know that Dungeons and Dragons is often associated with evil and magic. The group that we are becoming involved in is a Christian group, and is, in part, run by some of our friends here (Jordan and Valerie). While there are elements of Dungeons and Dragons that involve evil and witchcraft, those parts are eliminated when we play the game. The game is purely for entertainment and fun. The way they describe it is this: There are some people who live a lifestyle of Dungeons and Dragons. That is not us.

August 29, 2009: We went to a nearby suburb mall to go to a Yankee Candle. Man I love Yankee Candles. This is me smelling my new Spiced Pumpkin candle and eagerly awaiting September 1st.




August 30, 2009: We got our oil changed at a place that was right across the street from this Barnes & Noble. Bookstores both delight and perplex me. I love seeing all the different books and all the different possibilities. But it makes me sad that I will probably never get to read all of the books that I want to...

August 31, 2009: It was a little bit chilly and I had lots of random foods, so I made a big dinner with meatloaf, mashed potatoes and fried okra. It was pretty delicious. And in the corner you can see all of my fall candles lined up and waiting to be joined with other fall decorations...

September 1, 2009: A day for decorating for fall! I got out all my leaves, Luke helped me out by waking me up to the smell of my lit my Spiced Pumpkin candle. (I think he was secretly just as excited as me...).




September 2, 2009: Uzma and I went to IKEA and got these delicious cinnamon buns. I don't think anything else needs to be said.


September 3, 2009: My dad came to visit on his way home from Pennsylvania and it was really wonderful to see him and get a chance to spend some time with him. He brought me a beautiful mum and a basket full of delicious produce!
September 4, 2009: The next morning my dad and I went to the Franciscan Monastery. The skies were blue and we explored the grounds in gorgeous weather.


September 5, 2009: I was sad to see my dad go, but didn't have time to be too sad. On Saturday the Teaters (and Heather) came up to visit! We went to the zoo, The Diner and the Nationals game, where we had the closest seats ever (4th row!). I also decided that Pete Orr (just say his name...) is my favorite Nationals player. Just look at him, he's having a good time and he's smiling. And he's pretty good, especially by Nationals' standards. We lost, of course, but a good time was still had by all.
September 6, 2009: Kayaking on the Potomac is always a good idea when it is sunny and just above 80 degrees. We also docked our kayaks and took a hike on Theodore Roosevelt Island, which was an excellent decision made my Mom and Dad T.
September 7, 2009: Labor Day was restful. It ended with a small group game night at the Evans'. We played monopoly. Henry and Jane helped. I've always been bad at Monopoly because I feel bad when I take money from people. I guess I'm not much of a capitalist. I'm okay with that.
September 8, 2009: I started with at the National Low Income Housing Coalition. This is the building. The first building you see on the right of the street is the Treasury. The one right next to the White House. I work 1/2 a block from the White House. Crazy, huh?
September 9, 2009: We went to see The Taming of the Shrew at the Shakespeare Company's annual Free for All. Free Shakespeare? Yes, please.

September 10, 2009: I have such an amazing husband, who had almost all of the dishes (and there were a lot) done when I got back from my Sunday School planning meeting on Thursday night. But he's wonderful for more reasons than that, for sure.
September 11, 2009: I also got sick on Thursday night and was sick until the next Tuesday. But it was a perfect, grey and rainy day to cuddle up on the couch and watch Law and Order: SVU and take long naps.



September 12, 2009: I was feeling good enough to have a meeting with the college kids on Saturday. We also went downtown to drop off some books at the library and we browsed through the book sale that was going on. The rest of the day I spent lounging on the couch.

September 13, 2009: Still sick, I missed the first day of Sunday School and of College Bible Study. Big bummer. Plus it was a gorgeous fall day and I couldn't go outside. But I did celebrate the fall day with my tiny pumpkin pie candle and by watching a gorgeous orange and purple sunset. And it was almost as good (okay, not really...).
September 14, 2009: Still sick, this is what my day consisted of: pillows, tissues, hand sanitizer, gatorade, water, ginger ale and Cry the Beloved Country (inspired, of course, by Rachel).

September 15, 2009: Feeling better but still really weak and puny (probably because I went about 5 days without eating much...), I stayed at home one more day to make sure I didn't get anyone else sick. But I, shamefully, watched a TON of Gilmore Girls (my most recent guilty pleasure)...
September 16, 2009: Hooray! I was better for the special date I had planned for Luke on Wednesday. Fuddruckers and Walking with the Dinosaurs, a BBC production that had HUGE robotic dinosaurs walking around on stage and fighting. It was pretty well done. Quick story: After our date we were going to bed and Luke would not stop making dinosaur noises. Just as I was about to fall asleep Luke says "Hey, what's your favorite dinosaur..." and continues to excitedly make more dinosaur noises. I said "Wow, now I know what you must have been like when you were three." Luke's response? "No, I was annoying when I was three..." I love my husband.
September 17, 2009: They started s farmers market on Vermont Street right in front of the White House. I went to the opening day and it was pretty cool. Though you can definitely see the juxtaposition of poor and rich, with the poor sitting on the outskirts and the rich buying expensive goodies and treats within the boundaries. Well done, DC.

September 18, 2009: We had a coupon for an $11 stuffed crust pan pizza from Pizza Hut, but they were out of the crust. They did try to sell Luke a regular pizza...for $17 instead. So that was nice of them...




September 19, 2009: We went to Charlottesville to see dear Kevin. We explored Old Town, UVA and a used bookstore with over 100,000 books (it claimed it, and we believed it!). We even saw a fashion show. It was amazing and really wonderful to hang out with Kevin. I love seeing old friends!
September 20, 2009: My first Sunday at church with all my new responsibilities. Get there at 9:15 for little kid Sunday School and stay through college Bible Study. We'll be at church for about 5 hours every Sunday this year...

September 21, 2009: This is the street the Evans live on. We go there every Monday night for our wonderful Bible Study. There is a beautiful tree on their street and it is turning colors and shedding its leaves. I like this tree.





September 22, 2009: We awoke to a foggy, cool, fall morning. Happy Fall everyone!

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Phew! That was a whole lot of pictures...

unworthy servant...

the plan, originally, was to do a picture post tonight. i'm far behind and i need to catch up. but we all know how i get along with plans, and tonight i have some thoughts that i need to work out, and i tend to do that best on my blog. hopefully you will forgive me if my thoughts are jumbled and incoherent.

lately there has been a feeling in my heart that i can't describe. it feels as if i am suffocating...as if this city is slowly suffocating me. or i blame it on the city...but it's possible that it isn't the city at all. and rather it's that there is something missing...

i've been off track recently--spinning out of control. it's like i've lost my focus and my purpose. but the funny thing is, i wasn't ever truly aware that i had one to begin with.

sitting down to do the budget yesterday i looked back at our past couple months expenses and realized that we gave more money when we were struggling to get by. when luke and i were making barely more money than our rent, we were more open to giving it away.

last fall when i was doing my unpaid internship i hardly dreamed of going to starbucks. last week i went twice. TWICE! and while that may not be a big deal in the long run (and really, i'm sure it is not), the big deal is that on my way to and from i avoided eye contact with a number of men and women in my community who are in need of housing (including at least one who i knew, quite well). i don't know why i did this...maybe because i was ashamed that i was carrying a $3.85 cup of coffee...

see, i blame this feeling inside of me on the city. i say that the city is suffocating me, or squishing me. that i don't belong here, that i just need to escape for awhile. but maybe, really, i need to just get back on track. maybe i need to regain my footing. repent and slowly move back together to walk with God...to speak His words and pour out His love...

today we were in the college small group, and we read this passage (luke 17:10). it struck me because it says that even if i am doing all that Jesus asks of me, i am still an unworthy servant, in need of grace. and right now, i'm not even doing that...i'm less than an unworthy servant. but still in need of grace.

i don't say all of this because i'm beating up on myself. in fact, i think that it might be one way that i can see God growing me. i don't think that in this i have become worthless because i have fallen and need to (once again) be picked up. rather i just long to start over again, to be made new again, to repent again and accept grace again. and to start to be and do what i was made to be an do (whether or not i realize it). and that's the beauty of it all. that we get second (and third and fourth...etc...) chances.

the passage also reminds me that nothing that i have is my own. when i am selfish, whether it be with my money, my time...my life...it is with things that i do not even own. and when i do something that is commendable, it is not me who deserves the glory, it is Him. for His power is made perfect in weakness, and since His power is always perfect, i must be perpetually weak.

life is so beautifully complicated. i want to learn to embrace that.

ps. the guys next door, who are usually loud and fighting and arguing and playing video games, are watching (what sounds like) babar. and it makes me laugh.

the things i forget.

I'm tired tonight. But for some reason I'm still awake. It probably has something to do with that fact that Luke is still doing things for work...

We went to see Free For All Shakespeare tonight. The performance was The Taming of the Shrew. I never really know what to think of it.

It's been an interesting week so far. I started my internship at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and jumped right in with a seminar on poverty. It was interesting and depressing, of course. Questions about race and wealth disparities rule my mind right now...

Tomorrow the new census bureau report on income, poverty & health insurance comes out and will most likely rule my day...

Saturday night on the metro I watched a girl who looked no more than 13 years old who was dressed provocatively step off the metro and listened to several people snicker and make comments about "jail bait" and "whores". She had what is commonly known as a "tramp stamp" on her back. Do you know why they are called "tramp stamps"? It's because pimp's tattoo them on "their" women in order to further show them that they are owned. More than likely this girl was on her way to her pimp who later that night would take her to the track and sell her repeatedly to men...

I feel emotionally assaulted right now and completely powerless in every way...who said that their yoke was easy and their burden light?

Oh yeah, Jesus.

Pastor Wong spoke on Matthew 11:28-30 and I was reminded again that Jesus says "learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart..." And that's the key I always seem to forget...

...who wants to be gentle and humble in heart anyway?

How lucky we are the Jesus not only told us to be gentle and humble in heart, He not only told us to love others as ourselves, and He not only told us to seek first the Kingdom of God...but He showed us how.

And how lucky we are the God is slow to anger and abounding in love. Because I don't know about you, but I mess up all the time and I need all the love and grace I can get.

September.

Everything is better in September with the Spiced Pumpkin Candle lit.

More later.