"Go write down what you see and see how far it can go"

I'm determined to see it all. And this weekend, I saw a lot. (pictures to come soon...)

I spent the weekend visiting Dan in Delaware and had a great time. I arrived in Philadelphia on Thursday night. Dan and I spent the evening chatting and catching up. We made our plans for Friday before getting to bed to gear up for the busy weekend ahead.

On Friday we went for a chilly and windy run around Newark and the University of Delaware (such a pretty campus) before heading off to Philadelphia for the day. We took the train from Wilmington, DE to Philadelphia. Upon arriving in Philly we went to a huge indoor market that sold everything from fresh meat and fish to Amish baked goods to candles to Chinese food. We found a favorite of Dan's, a stand that sells fresh baked cookies and bought a few to start our day. I enjoyed the most amazing and delectable caramel pecan cookie. Then, we headed out into the streets of Philly towards the Liberty Bell. We saw the infamous crack in the bell and took our picture with it before heading over to Independence Hall where we got a free (score!) tour (because it's winter...apparently winter = free in Philly). After the tour we decided that we wanted to go to the art museum which was at the far end of town. Dan showed me a map of Philly and pointed out how far we needed to walk to which I replied "no big deal, let's do it." But as soon as we set out on our trek, the wind kicked up and I knew my cheeks were going to be very cold for the next 30 minutes or so. Nevertheless, we braved the blustery cold air and continued our journey which was a great way to see the city. I saw some great architecture (I honestly love old buildings, especially churches with great character) and got in a bit of exercise too. We finally got to a point in our walk where I could see the art museum way at the end of the street. I was hopeful then, but as we journeyed down the street I realized that it was much further than it seemed. Still, we persevered. We made a pit stop along the way at some sort of Science museum where I took the chance to warm up a bit and go to the bathroom before we set out on the final leg of our journey. Let me just say, it was totally worth it. The Philadelphia Museum of Art was pretty cool. We only got to see 2 floors because the top floor was closed off that night, but there are some really great pieces of Van Gogh and Monet as well as some interesting pieces of modern art. Plus, Dan showed me some really cool pieces of art that hold pretty significant places in the Philadelphia history. An oil painting by Thomas Eakins which depicts a medical scene hung in the lobby of Jefferson Medical College for many years before the school decided to sell it. In an effort to keep this painting whose roots are tied to Philadelphia in the city, they offered the first bid to the museum who quickly took them up on the offer and now have the painting on permanent display. Additionally, there is a sculpture called "The Angel of Purity" which resided in a Philadelphia church for many years before the church needed to sell it in order to make up for funds loss due to a dwindling congregation. Once again, the museum stepped in and bought the sculpture in an effort to keep the artwork in the city and help keep the city's history intact.

After our excursion at the art museum, we were both extremely hungry and set out to find some dinner. Dan knew of some restaurant that he had been wanting to try and called ahead to see if they were busy or to see if we could get reservations. They were unwilling to take reservations but convinced us that there were tables available so we headed towards the restaurant (another long walk, might I add). When we got there, we were told it would be a 45 minute wait and we were both starving (and also needed to ensure that we would be able to catch our train back to Delaware in time) so we opted to look for another restaurant. We found a fantastic Mexican restaurant (the name of which has eluded me). Their appetizer special that night was some absolutely incredible guacamole made with some sort of spicy sauce and peanuts. I have seriously never had better guacamole. There were still large chunks of avocado in the guacamole which I thought was fantastic. I ended up ordering a chicken dish that had refried beans and cheese smothered over it with a slightly spicy green sauce poured over the top. It was absolutely delicious. Dan ordered a beef dish that came in a hot lava rock bowl that was pretty much just really cool. It was an excellent dinner. Finally, we stopped at a Starbucks to spend a bit of time before we caught the train back to Delaware.

Saturday we decided to get up early (relatively speaking) and head into D.C. for my first(!!!) visit to our Nation's capital...ever!! I was super excited. We drove from Delaware to New Carrollton (two R's and two L's :-) ), Maryland where we caught the Metro into D.C. Once we got to D.C. we decided it was time to get some brunch as I was already pretty hungry (I suppose all that walking the previous day really got my metabolism going). We found this great French and organic (I heart organic) place that we could tell was going to be good (if there's a crowd, you know it's good). I ordered Black Bean Hummus Taratine which was so delicious. Black bean hummus was spread over toasted homemade organic wheat bread and it was topped with tomatoes, peppers, and avocados. Dan ordered an omlette made with asparagus and goat cheese that looked equally delicious. On the table they had some Praline spread that we both tried on the fresh bread and it was even better than peanut butter (I didn't know something better than peanut butter existed!!). After brunch we went to the coffee shop next door where I ordered a hot chocolate that was delicious. The barista even poured the milk in the hot chocolate in the shape of a heart. It was cool!

We then headed towards the Archives. On our to-do list for the day (we had to pick out ahead of time what we were going to do since there is so much in D.C. to see!) was the Archives (since we had seen Independence Hall the day before we found it only fitting to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights), the Smithsonian Museum of American History, and the monuments. We hit up the Archives first and waited in what seemed like an endless line, but luckily it was pretty comfy weather so I didn't mind waiting outside. Finally, we got inside and I have to be honest--I'm not a huge American History or Political expert, but seeing these historical documents was awe-inspiring. Just to think that such intelligent men over 200 hundred years ago crafted these documents that now give me the many freedoms I enjoy today is absolutely amazing. I'm positive we take that for granted far too often! After the Archives we walked to the Museum of American History. We got to see a few pretty cool things (such as Kermit the Frog, the Ruby Red slippers from Wizard of Oz, a dress from Hello Dolly!, Apollo Anton Ono's skates and Julia Child's kitchen), but otherwise Dan and I were both somewhat unimpressed with the museum. Hey, at least it was free. Next time, though, we're going to the Newseum. Seriously, it looked so cool!

After the museum we headed down towards the White House (sorry, Barack and fam were not outside playing), the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam Memorial. At the Vietnam Memorial Dan asked me if I knew anyone in that war to which I all of a sudden remembered that my Dad's cousin had died in that war. We found his name in the book and located his name on the wall. I called my parents and asked about it and it was cool to learn a bit of history about my family. Finally, we decided to get some dinner and took the Metro to Dupont Circle (is that correct?) and found a little Thai restaurant that was pretty decent. I had some Pad Thai that was good (not great...but then again, I'm comparing to Thailand...not fair, I suppose). After dinner, we took the Metro back to Maryland and drove back to Delaware where we hung out with a few of Dan's friends before getting some shut eye.

Sunday morning our intentions were to attend the Episcopalian church Dan attends in Wilmington, but I was a bit late getting a shower so we ended up going to Mass instead. The service was good (the teaching was about the man with leprosy) and afterwards we headed towards Longwood Gardens with a stop at a local restaurant for brunch. The Gardens was absolutely incredible. Seriously. Dan told me all about the history of the Gardens from the Peirce family purchasing it from William Penn and later selling it to Pierre du Pont to the research and educational programs the Gardens has now instituted. They have a variety of events hosted there throughout the year including many outdoor displays and even fireworks in the summer. They even have interns living on the Garden grounds who can spend time learning about horticulture and education. It seems like a very well run Gardens with a great mission. And the flowers smelled absolutely amazing.

After our leisurely afternoon at the gardens, we headed off to the airport so I could return to Orlando. After a slight mishap with the plane (that might have left me a little panicked and uneasy) I arrived safely back in Florida.

It was a great weekend full of thoughtful and insightful conversation, great sight seeing and adventures, endless amounts of learning and education and a bunch of firsts (train rides, capital visits, state visits, museums, etc.). I'm thankful for opportunities to get away from reality and experience new cities and culture and spend time with people that are important to me.

Now, I'm looking forward to seeing my two little princesses (my nieces!!) and just a few short weeks. Rumor has it, that little Britony is smitten with a young man from her preschool who she has told me she is going to marry because he's cute and funny. I love four year old talk! :)

Bring Yourself Down to Georgia

I spent the holiday weekend in Savannah, Georgia with 4 of the most amazing girls I know. It was a fantastic weekend full of laughter, food, shopping, relaxing, and just spending time with wonderful friends.

We (Rachel, Jessica, Lauren, Becca, and I) left Orlando on Friday night but not before a quick stop at Chick-fil-a to fuel for the road. This, however, was not just any Chick-fil-a. This Chick-fil-a had the world's largest pepper grinder. At first, Jessica and I assumed it wasn't a real pepper grinder, but upon further investigation, we found it to be good and working. So, if you ever need some freshly ground pepper, do stop by the Chick-Fil-a on Kirkman Road in Orlando, Florida.

Anyway, we were only about 30 minutes outside of Orlando when Rachel decided we needed to take a pit stop at Jo-Ann Fabrics so she could pick up the rest of the supplies she needed for a cake decorating class (so cool!) she's taking soon. (I can't blame her for stopping. They were having a sale). Needless to say, if you put 5 girls in Jo-Ann Fabrics, it's never a quick trip.

Finally, we were on the road and laughter ensued. Rachel came up with this fantastic (truly!) idea to pass her iPod around and everyone got to add one song at a time to the playlist. We enjoyed some great music ranging from OneRepublic, Jason Mraz, and Josh Bales to some nice classics including Hanson ("MmmBop", of course!) and my favorite of the evening...Jessica's pick...St. Olaf's choir! I mean, who doesn't enjoy listening to a boys' choir sing while on a road trip? :) However, I do have to say that I truly enjoyed hearing the entire car sing to Matt Redman's "Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble?" Honestly and truly, it was a complete God moment. I love those moments.

We arrived in Savannah close to midnight and headed straight for the cutest little Inn in all of Savannah, Amethyst Inn at Sarah's Garden. Becca's Aunt and Uncle own the Amethyst Inn and they are the absolute sweetest people!! We stayed in the Ivy Suite but we had a chance to take a peak at the entire Inn and it's all soooo cute! Each of the rooms is wonderfully decorated and unique and it's just a great, cozy Inn. I would hands down recommend this Inn to any friends and family headed to Savannah. Hopefully you'll have the chance to meet Rocky and Jane (the owners) because they are fantastic people.

Saturday Rachel and I got up bright and early to go for a run and get in line to get reservations for Lady and Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah. We ran all over downtown Savannah and went to get in line for reservations and there was nobody in line yet so we decided it was much too cold to stand in line so we ran back to the Inn, got in her car and drove back to the restaurant where we proceeded to take turns sitting in the car to stay warm. Finally, they started taking reservations and we made reservations for 7 of us (Rachel's friends Jess and Crystal were joining us for lunch as they drove through Savannah on their way to Charleston). We headed back to the Inn and all got ready to head out for the day. We began our day in Savannah just wandering around and checking out stores. Finally, it was lunchtime and we all met up at Lady and Sons for a true Southern lunch. The best part was the garlic cheese biscuits, ho-cakes, and macaroni and cheese. It was so scrumptious!


After lunch we continued to shop around for a short bit before we decided we were all ready for a nap. On our way back to the Inn we came across the Shop SCAD store. We stopped in and as I browsed around I came across a CD that looked intriguing, so I bought it. I now recommend that you download some of Brandon Clark's music because he is very talented. We checked to see if he was playing in Savannah while we were there, but no luck. Back at the Inn we enjoyed a nice time of rest and of course more laughter. That evening we hit the town to enjoy some Jazz and Tapas at Jazz'd. We got there and were told it was going to be an hour and a half wait. Lauren, Rachel, and Jessica decided to go check out another restaurant to see if the wait was any shorter while Becca and I stayed behind. We ventured over to an area where there were a bunch of couches and plopped right down only to be approached by a very loud and very southern tipsy lady who proceeded to ask who we were and finally elluded to the fact that we had apparently interrupted some sort of private party. She started to joke around with us though and told us that the party was breaking up anyway so we were welcomed to stay. So of course we did. But of course, that only meant that we were now bait, apparently, for a creepy middle-aged married man to hit on us. And he did. Numerous times. Finally we were seated at our table and enjoyed some delicious food and great company.

Sunday morning we all (except Rachel who went for a morning run) slept in pretty late and then got up and headed to Huey's down on the river for brunch/lunch. Huey's has the absolute most amazing beinets. Seriously, they were soooo good. We got a dozen of them (between 5 girls) and only left one behind! We also enjoyed some great french toast, garlic cheese grits, sweet potato fries and more. It was very delicious!


After Huey's, we wandered back outside where we met Francis Anderson who was sitting on the sidewalk playing his guitar. Of course we started talking to him and asked him to play us some songs. He obliged and played us a song he had written. Then, we told him that Becca also played the guitar so he insisted she play a song. Becca took the guitar and played a fabulous rendition of Derek Webb's "Wedding Dress" while we all sang along. Annnnnd she made $0.25!!! We were very proud of her! Francis even let her keep the quarter! How very nice of him. We left Francis with a few dollars and our last beinet and wished him luck with his music before we continued on our way.


We explored the rest of the stores on the river including hitting up the candy shop for some homemade pralines and taffy when it started to rain :( We decided to check out a few more shops and then headed back to the Inn to clean up so we could head over to Becca's Aunt and Uncle's house for dinner. Aunt Jane made us an amazing meal of Pork, homemade bread, cooked carrots, rice, broccoli and cheese, salad, and for dessert, delectable chocolate cake with a fudge-like frosting and chocolate mousse. We also got to meet some friends of Jane and Rocky's (they've stayed at the Inn numerous times and are now renting a room at the Inn while they make the move to Savannah). Sondra and Ezra and their son Julian were truly delightful people to meet! They're moving to Savannah from waaay up north. Sondra is on break from teaching at Harvard. It was so fascinating to hear all about her teaching experiences and her interest in Roman culture. I love meeting new people and hearing their life stories.

Finally, it was time to head back to the Inn to get some rest. We spent some time watching a movie and chatting before turning in for the night. Monday morning Rachel and I started the day with a run. Then we were all packed and out the door by about 10:30 a.m. We headed to a great little local coffee shop, The Sentinent Bean, where we enjoyed some breakfast, reading, and quiet time before we hit the road to head back to Orlando.

And of course, because it was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I snatched a picture or two :)



It was a fantastic weekend and I can't wait for another mini-trip again...

....Good thing I'm headed to Ohio for the weekend :)

Longest Vacation Recap Ever

For all of you (how many readers do I have now? 2?) who have anxiously been awaiting the day-by-day recap of my most fabulous vacation to Ohio. Indulge yourselves.

Wednesday, July 2

Katie picked me up from the Dayton airport and we began our trek back to the city I love--Columbus. It was a late night so we pretty much hit the hay when we got back to the 'Burg and the Koebel residence--but only after I met Sloopy, one of the coolest dogs ever. We became pals.

Thursday, July 3

We had every intention to hit up the water park on Thursday, but the cold rainy weather put a damper on that. Instead, we headed to the gym and then ventured on to Clintonville to the photography store. Then we met up with Katie's sister Amy and headed to my favorite restaurant in all of Columbus, Northstar Cafe. The Northstar is an organic restaurant in the Short North (and now Clintonville, too) area of downtown Columbus that gets all of its ingredients from local farms. They have a great variety of salads, flatbreads, sandwiches, and baked goods. I love the food and the atmosphere. After lunch, Katie and I headed over to Easton Town Center to do some shopping. I did some hardcore shopping and found some fabulous deals. I got a pair of shoes, a pair of navy blue pants, a pair of plaid shorts, a short navy blue jacket, a pink and purple sundress, and an umbrella all for only $100. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. Katie talked me into the navy blue jacket at Ann Taylor Loft and it was a definite good buy. I also met up with my dad at the mall and got my SLR camera from him. So excited to be taking pictures again.

After we wore ourselves out with shopping we headed back to Katie's house. I cleaned up and got ready to go out with Adam. Adam and I headed to Cap City Diner in Gahanna. It's a Cameron Mitchell restaurant and soooo delicious. We enjoyed dinner and caught up for a while before heading back to Easton to pick out my new Mac at the Apple store!!!! I haven't bought the Mac yet, but know exactly what I'm getting. Adam had superb advice and we also had a bit of time left to play with the iPhones. When we realized we were the last people left in the Apple store we headed out and realized we still had time to make it to the fireworks. We met up with Adam's parents at a golf course on the west side of Columbus and attempted to enjoy the fireworks although the smoke was hanging in the air and we couldn't really see them. But it was fun talking to Adam's parents and hanging out. Adam made fun of me most of the night because I had jeans and a jacket on and I was still cold.

After the fireworks we headed to ODU's campus so he could show me all the changes that are going on around campus. It's crazy what happens when you're gone for a year. I definitely miss the place!! Adam and I ran into Nicole and Chrissy and then we explored campus a bit more. It was almost like we were on rounds like our old RA days. Eventually, Adam took me back to Katie's house after a super fun night.

Friday, July 4--Happy Independence Day

It was still kind of chilly and rainy so we didn't go to the water park on Friday either. Katie and I headed to the gym again and afterwards I met up with my friend Phil for lunch. We headed to Phil's favorite Greek restaurant (not mine...I still argue that the Happy Greek is slightly better!), The Mad Greek. We enjoyed a delicious lunch and were finally able to catch up after not seeing eachother for 11 months!!! Ridiculous. I made it very clear that we shouldn't go that long in between seeing each other again. After lunch Phil took me to his new house and we played some indoor soccer in which I completely and totally dominated!! Our visit ended all too soon as I had to meet up with Katie to go to Juan's house. At Juan's we assisted in making a Jello Stapler (reference The Office). Mostly Katie and Juan did the making and I did a bit of picture taking and some sleeping on the couch. After Jello Stapler creation was completed Katie and I headed back to her house to relax. Later in the evening we got a game of Bourre going with Katie, Amy, Scott, Emily, Eric, and myself. Bourre is kind of a mix between poker and euchre. I won $20...some call it beginners luck. I call it skill. Ha.

Saturday, June 5

I got up bright and early and met up with Laura and Blacklick Woods Metropark. We used to run there a lot in college for cross country and so it was fun to go on a run again there together. We did a lot of catching up before I had to go back to Katies. Katies parents made us a fantastic 5th of July breakfast and then Katie and I hung out for a while before heading to Old Navy in search of flip flops with a detour at 1/2 Priced Books (I bought a photography book, Katie bought an Amish book). Saturday night we went to Katie's uncle's house for the annual Independence Day Party (a day late) complete with Ladder Golf , homemade Sangria (sooooo good), cookout, quality music (played on a record player...cannot beat that), and of course, Reynoldsburg fireworks--Q-U-A-L-I-T-Y.

Sunday, June 6

It was FINALLY warm enough and not raining!! We got up early and headed to Mass at St. Pious and then to Zoombezi Bay! We went into the Columbus Zoo first to check out the Aquariuam and Manatees before heading over to the water slides. The slides were pretty cool (minus the lazy river that you had to pay to rent tubes for. Lame). We even enjoyed our nice tropical drinks on the adults-only lazy river. Good times. After we were competely sun-soaked and waterlogged, we headed back to the 'Burg. I cleaned up quickly and my sister and her boyfriend picked me up so we could go to dinner at On The Border (yes, I ate out a lot...). After dinner we headed back downtown to Goodale Park so I could take pictures and show them around the Short North. After walking all over Victorian Village and the Short North, we headed back to the 'Burg and Kal and Jordan headed back to Lancaster. Katie, Scott, and I enjoyed watching some episodes of the Office and hanging out.

Monday, July 7

Katie and I hit up the gym for the last time during my visit. Then we went to German Village where Scott met up with us at The Old Mohawk. They are apparently known for their Turtle Soup, so yes, I ordered it. And ate turtle. Does that make me a bad person? After lunch Katie and I did a toooonnn of walking around German Village. I took pictures at Schiller Park and around German Village. We went to the Book Loft, the absolute cooooolest book store EVER. And then we drove around downtown a bit more before heading back to ODU to say hi to a few people. We saw Juan again and I stopped by the Alumni office to say hi to my friend Jen.

Back at the Koebel house we hung out for a bit and played a rousing game of Scrabble. (Don't mock us. It was intense!!). Then Adam picked me up again so we could hang out one more time before I had to return home. We never get to hang out enough so I was excited I got to see him twice while I was home. Adam and I went for ice cream at Graeters and sat talking for well over an hour. Then when the place was closing down Adam took me to see where he'll be working before heading back to Reynoldsburg. It was really hard saying bye to him. Adam and I spent a lot of time together in college both as friends and fellow RAs. We have some ridiculous stories from doing rounds together and some really crazy adventures too. I'm so lucky to have such a great friend and I was excited he promised he'd visit at least once before the end of the year.

Today

I got up at 4:00 A.M. after only about 3 1/2 hours of sleep to return back to Florida. It was a really great visit. I have amazing friends. It was hard saying goodbye to Katie this morning too. It made it much easier knowing that she'll be here to visit me in just a few weeks. But it was also hard not knowing when I'll get to see Phil next either. Like Adam, Phil's been a great friend for over 5 years now. We joke around that we don't even know how we're friends because we have absolutely nothing in common. But I wouldn't trade my friendships with Katie, Adam, Phil, Juan, Laura, and all of my other amazing friends for anything in the world. I wish I could have seen everyone while I was home, but the visit was much too short. Luckily, Liz will be here in a few weeks as well so I'll see her soon and I'm crossing my fingers that Molli will make it down here soon too. I feel very incredibly and amazingly blessed.

And now...it's back to work. The craziness never ends. True story. It really doesn't. So there's the recap. Major props if you made it all the way through!!

An Ohio Vacation!

It's official. Approval for time off work--check. Place to stay (aka Koebel's house)--check. Plane ticket--check. I'M GOING TO OHIO!!! I'm super, mega, totally, ultra, ridiculously STOKED. I'll be there for 5 days!! That's like, a long time!! And yes, I did buy a round trip ticket, so I will be coming back. Anyhow, I'll be in Columbus from July 2-July 8 (early morning), so let's start making plans!!

P.S.--I know, I know, I know. While most people go on exotic vacations to the Bahamas or the Beach or Hawaii, I choose to spend my vacation time in Ohio. My parents always told me I was special :)