The Ugly Cry Face

I don't like crying. 

It often makes me uncomfortable to be around, and even worse, it even makes me uncomfortable when I'm the one crying. That being said, the new year seems to have brought me uncontrollable water works which have presented themselves in public. Awesome.

[The only other recent time I cried in public was when I was on an airplane a few years ago finishing The Time Travelers Wife. I was crying so hard the guy next to me kept patting my shoulder and saying he was sorry for my loss. I didn't have the heart to tell him no one died, but rather a book was making me have a break down.]

Apparently books make me weepy, because I've found myself crying in public more than once lately, which is so incredibly awkward for everyone within a 10 foot radius of me. I'm almost finished this book, and even though it makes me weepy, I can not say enough good things about it. He puts into words so much of what I felt when I was in India, plus he has an awesome experience when he asks for directions to the bathroom and is just told no. Is that really a yes or no question? The memory of being lost in the middle of India with no idea where I was, no one that spoke English, and no bathroom kept haunting me.
Anyway, if you have some time, go read it, and hopefully you're better than I am at controlling the waterworks! 

Embassy Row

A few weeks ago Mike and I decided to wander around Embassy Row and try out the camera I got for Christmas. It was cold and grey out and I'm still trying to figure out how to work the camera (If anyone has any camera tutorials, send them my way, this DSLR stuff is a lot to get used to!), but it was so fun to explore a new neighborhood. Even though it's only January, I'm already looking forward to the Embassy open house day in May! 

Holiday Wrap Up

Happy New Year! 

It was such a fast holiday season, I almost can't believe it's really over.

 I flew out to California again to be with my family since we were celebrating a new addition, 

Eva Noelle Stum. The five days I was there went by much too fast, but I loved spending extra time with my dad, cuddling with the baby, and spending lots of time outside enjoying the warmer weather. 

Coming back to DC is always a hard transition for me. There is just something depressing about getting off a plane, being SO cold, and just knowing that you won't warm up for another four months. Maybe it was because I was only in California for a few days, or that I came home to an quiet house with all my roommates traveling, but it really was good to be back. Mike was off from work the whole week so we were able to really get some much needed down time before his busy season and my semester starts. 

Looking back, 2012 was busy, happy, and full of growth. 

Here's to a bigger and better 2013!

Oh Hello

Two new additions to my life include

printed pants...

and a new camera! 

It's been a big week over here.

If anyone has suggestions on camera blogs/books/tutorials, I'd love some recommendations! 

A Thanksgiving Surprise

Thanksgiving was EXTRA special this year.

Mike surprised me on the plane to California and spent the entire week with my family! 

It was perfect, so here's how it all went down....

My flight left realllly early on Saturday morning, and around 5 am, Mike texted me and said his car was acting funny, and he asked our good friend Allie to drive us to the airport. I was running around trying to finish packing, and felt awful that he would bother Allie so early instead of just taking my car. They pulled up before I could really argue with him, and he grabbed my luggage and directed me to sit in the front seat.

After dropping me off, I ran into a few lines, and Mike kept texting me, asking me to let him know when I made it through security because he said he was worried I wouldn't make my flight. I made it with about 10 minutes to spare, boarded and started reading my book. 

The plane was just about full when I looked up, and there was Mike walking up the aisle. He sat down next to me and I seriously couldn't believe it. I kept asking him what he was doing here and he just smiled.  I must have asked 1,000 questions in like a minute. Was he coming the whole week? Did my family know? How long has he had his ticket?

A little background: 

The holidays have been a spot of contention with me for a few months now. I asked Mike to come to California with me back in August when I bought my ticket, and he never really committed. When he said he was going to go home to Missouri to see his family, I asked him to come for Christmas, and I got a very tentative answer. Unknown to me, Mike had bought a ticket for Thanksgiving the day after I did, and even got a seat next to me. I can't believe he let me argue and get upset about it for MONTHS.

He had to run to catch the train to our gate to make it in time and was one of the last people to board. Apparently I walked right past him when I was in the security line and hadn't even noticed!

  He had emailed my family earlier in the week to let them know, and yes, he stayed the entire week. It was so much fun to introduce him to my family and a lot of the Huish extended family. We had perfect weather, ate way too much, and did some crazy Black Friday shopping. 

The perfect Thanksgiving in every way!! 

I'm back

Blogging has taken a backseat in my life lately.
School has taken over most of my free time, work has been unusually busy, and spending some quality time with Mike is at the top of my list. BUT, with the semester coming to a close, and my office finally moved into a new building, I'm really hoping to finally have some extra time. Plus, I found a great camera on Black Friday to document all the incredibly interesting things I do all day long!

Anyway, a great post about Mike surprising me on the airplane to California is coming, but until then, I'll leave you with my current favorite song to celebrate my return!

Birthday weekend

Mike's birthday was last week, so we spent the weekend celebrating. 

We started on Friday night and went to his favorite Korean restaurant for some kimchee and other Korean food I can't spell or pronounce. (Mike and Molly trivia: this is also where we had our first date!)

 Saturday morning we took full advantage of the perfect weather and kayaked on the Potomac. Mike found all sorts of wildlife to look at and I kind of drifted to the middle of the river until I found the current to help me get places! It really was so fun and so great to be outside!

We finished the weekend having dinner with his aunt and uncle and watching an incredible amount of Lost episodes. I really don't think it can get any better! 

Happy (late) Birthday Mike!

Girls Trip

This past weekend  I took a quick trip up to Boston for a much needed girls trip.

It was seriously a perfect weekend full of lots of food, sightseeing, girl talk, and more food.

The best part? Watching Jessica make a pumpkin pie completely from scratch. 

I didn't even know that was possible. 

I'm so incredibly grateful for these girls and that they've been such amazing friends over the past six years. It was a perfect trip and I'm already looking forward to our next reunion!

NYC

"One belongs to New York City instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years."

-Tom Wolfe

Family in Town

Last week my aunt Cecilee and cousin Beata came into town, which meant I was able to spend some quality time playing tourist. Mike happened to be out of town that weekend, so it was the perfect time to have an action packed few days. My aunt is one of my favorite people to travel with because she always has a full schedule, which meant that even though I've lived here for two years, we did a ton of things I've never done!

In 24 hours we...

-went on a night bike tour of the monuments

-toured Mount Vernon 

-spent time at the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial

-walked through the National Cathedral 

-stopped at Thomas Sweet, the best ice cream around

-listened to a concert at the Kennedy Center

and finally...

-took a tour about the Lincoln assassination 

Apparently I'm getting old because I spent the entire next day recovering and lounging around my house! Thanks again Cec and Bea, can't wait to see you guys soon!