Whirlwind Weekend

The weekend started off with a little fun in the sun and a movie with some sisters in Rosslyn at the I love 90s movie event. Check check (that's the sound of another item off the bucket list). I FINALLY got to see Melissa....I've only been living in the city for 2 months now. Hi Melissa - I know you are reading this :)

Then I met up my former London roomie, Teresa, who was in the city for the night to watch a Nationals game (coincidentally the Prez himself was there with his daughters) along with her former colleague from London. I also met another Mountbatten who lives in the area. We partied all night and I took the metro home. Met a really drunk douchebag who proceeded to call me a whore. Yes, that's right. He was drunk and acting like a fool hitting his friends and I was getting annoyed because he was flailing and I was like "you hit like a girl", his response, "you're a whore". Really? I told you how much I hate boys in brown flip flops. My response, "that's all you've got?" I HATE TOOLS WHO WEAR BROWN FLIP FLOPS OUT IN CLARENDON. HATE HATE HATE THEM.

Anyways, moving on. Saturday my parents came up to drop off my bike and help me get a couch. I met them at IKEA and got a super cute loveseat (a couch probably would have been too big). Newsflash people: don't bring your bratty screaming children to IKEA and let them roam around. I def got my form of birth control that day. Got home and played with my puppy for a bit then got a text from a really fun girl who also just joined my company. She invited me out to paint the town red with some other co-workers. I went to the ghetto around Howard University where this guy lived. The house was beautiful but unfortunately would never sell for its asking price of 1 million dollars. Anyways, we played beer pong (YES!) and went out around U street. Coincidentally, I have been to the place before but I guess I was pretty drunk and didn't remember. It's called Stetsons..hahahahha. Well I made a new co-worker friend who was like in love with me because I love beer. Duh, what guy DOESN'T love a girl who prefers good beer?

Sorry I haven't been updating more, but life has just been a busy whirlwind! Which is a very very good thing!

My First Out of Town Visitor!

Yay so Erika came up to visit me, even though it was only for a day it was still magical! After watching the World Cup during the day I headed home to meet Erika. It was perfect timing because I just got into the house when she called to say she was down the street. We sat on my balcony and drank a few brewskis. We talked and talked and talked and caught up on all the drama. Oh Newport News ;) We then walked down to Crystal City Sports Pub down the street and ate dinner and had a few more to drink. We decided to go play in the city at my new favorite hot spot, Wonderland Ballroom. We go there and I have to ask someone if there was an upstairs or a downstairs. You see the last time I was there I was pretty much blacked out drunk and could remember there was another room but where was it? Apparently its upstairs! Its a really really fun "dirty" place where you get really really sweaty dancing to really fun songs! Its in Columbia Heights, an up and coming part of the city with really fun eclectic people. Unfortunately Erika made me take a tequila shot and I woke up the next morning with the WORST hangover EVER. Oh well, I still had a blast with Erika!!!

England vs. USA: Crushing Dissapointment

What happened England, did you choke? I thought we played good footie! Green you are a disgrace! ARG, I suffered through a painful loss for England amidst a bar full of screaming Americans. Its hard being the minority! I was that obnoxious girl shouting obscenities at the screen when England wasn't performing to par. Oh well, we still have a good shot to get further. Germany is playing an AMAZING game, 4 to o against Australia but Italy also a disappointment with a tie with Paraguay. What is going on this round????

Anyways, I met up with several sorority sisters at a local bar. Marty's fiance plays for a local soccer team and was raising money for DC United at Mister Daes. Hannah and I even color coordinated our outfits to represent team England!

So greasy because it was 59430850943798 degrees in the bar

Girl group representing in the corner surrounded by toolbags in ugly flip flops.

Um, let me just say I will NEVER attend that bar again...fullllllll of toolbag douches. UGH. We got to the bar at 11 in order to get good seats for the game at 2:30. Some asshole had the audacity to come up to our table about mid way through the game when a few of us went to the bathroom and ask if he can have our table. Well, he was asking Melanie but seeing as she's so nice I took it upon myself to be the complete bitch. I was like "um, what the hell do you want? Fuck no you can't have my table." And then he asks why he can't have the table, and I respond "because I've fucking been here since 11 am and my friends are only in the bathroom. Are you fucking kidding me?" So then he leaves and I say aloud some guys are such assholes. DUDE, are you crazy? Fucking sandal wearing/RayBan toting typical Arlington douchbag. Just because we're a table full of girls enjoying the game does NOT mean that we are easily pushed over. And to top it off, YOU'RE UGLY!

Anyways, I had a good time despite being crowded by toolbags and douchebags. Here's to England winning their game on Friday!

How Do YOU Make an Impact?

My company gives everyone the day off on June 11th to volunteer in the local community. This annual day is called IMPACT day. Far and wide, all employees choose how they want to make a difference. Pretty amazing (and costly!) if you think about it. All productivity stops and no work gets done. This is the 11th year that the event has taken place. I wanted to sign up to volunteer to stuff care packages for soldiers overseas, but the list filled up quickly so I signed up for Orphan Foundation of America. This organization raises money for orphan kids to go to college. Each year they receive 3,500 applications but only have enough to give away about 75 a year. Quite a big difference.

Our tasks for the day included creating hand-made cards to send in care packages they send three times a year to current recipients and reviewing applications to figure out those who get the funding. Making the cards was super fun, it was interesting to see professional adults crowding around scissors, stickers, glue, and scrap paper. I made 22 cards in about an hour and a half...PHEW! Now reading the applications on the other hand was gut wrenching and I wanted to give them all money. Most of their stories said that their parents were drug dealers, prostitutes, pimps, or any other version of losers. There were a few that really stuck out to me, in particular one where her father shot her and her family but somehow she was the only survivor and is paralyzed on the left side of her body. I have no words to fathom just exactly everything she's gone through. Another one was where the girl came to America to live with her mother only to have her stepfather repeatedly rape her over and over again with her mother's consent. Most of these stories have the kid enduring incredible adversity over and over again without any help from authorities even after the kid complains over and over again to child services. How can this go on? I just don't understand. Puts a lot of things in perspective. Especially when you think of all the kids who waste away college partying and failing classes and there are kids out there that go through so much and all they want in life is to go to college.

Alright, no more sad stories. I did however get to see the CEO of my company that morning as he kicked off the ceremony! He's a lot shorter than I imagined hahaha. It was pretty cool to see him because he normally works in NYC but I guess he decided to be in DC this time. Dunno. And then afterwards my company held an after party at the zoo! Lots of free food and BEER! I love love love free beer. Buckets and buckets of free beer! I ended up meeting up with another girl who is new and I met three or four of her friends who also work in my company. We stayed till the end of the party. When they started carting off the coolers we frantically found the cooler and dug out the remaining 6 or 7 beers left and threw them in the center of our group...ahhh just like college! Couldn't loose out on free beer! I think I roughly had 5 or 6 free beers. SCORE! The rest of the group went on to another bar but I diligently went home since I had to be up really early in the morning for the World Cup. More details on the World Cup in the next post!

Who Doesn't Love a BBQ?

I Love Love Love BBQs...espeically those with sisters! This past weekend the DC alum chapter held their annual Summer BBQ. Beer and BBQ, you can't get a better combination than that. And I'd have to say "Beer, BBQ, and Boys" because I brought along two boys. Well, in my defense, the Tidewater chapter always had boys at their events. Whether friends, boyfriends, fiances, or husbands...there were always boys around. So Hannah and I took it upon ourselves to invite some boys..why not? We invited Nathan and Ari..what boys wouldn't want to be around a bunch of beautiful girls? It wasn't my fault that they ended up being the only boys there. And I'm sure Ari was having a blast by the amount of desserts he ingested :) Oh, I work with Nathan and Ari is his roommate. They are a BLAST to be around. And they conviently were able to take the 7589043875972340985734 group pictures we ended up taking at the end...Duh, we are Phi Mu's. Ha and Ari got to draw the winning 50/50 ticket raffle for CMN. Let's hope they don't hate me for bringing them for them to be the only XY chromosomes in the pack.

Ari on the left and Nathan on the right

Um, and this event was baller because we had a bartender (I mean, last time I checked I can open my own beer) and then a waitress who came around and cleaned up after us. Um, whoa. And I love the lady who let us use her house...just by the Jimmy Choos that were by the front door. Talk about a beautiful house in the Capital Hill area.

Anyways, there were LOTS of new girls for me to meet! I also got Katie Smith, Melanie Poole, and Hannah to join the chapter! And I'm working on Caroline Morris, Megan Murray, and Melissa Bell. If you see them, prod them to join too! I should get an award for the amount of girls I bring to the chapter. And anyone else who is up here and wants to join, let me know!

I forgot to bring my camera, so I'm just going to have to steal someone else's pictures and post here:

Beautiful Ladies :)
Winner of the 50/50 raffle!

The lady in orange is Madeleine, she owns the beautiful house.

I'm not sure who these ladies are yet, but I know I'm going to like them!

Came out side to get a beer and got pulled into a picture!

Whitney and Katie.

Hannah and Melanie


God, I wish I wasn't nursing such a gnarly hangover otherwise I really would have loved all this food! Epic failure!

Its P-I-N-K!

We are such fatties...just look at all that food!

Whitney, Katie, Melanie, and Allison

Beam Me Up Scotty!

Where I live, Crystal City, is having weekly Monday night outdoor movies and this year's theme is Star Trek. Every Monday for 11 weeks they are showing another Star Trek film in the order they came out. Since Megan lives right down the street, we attempted to go to the one this past Monday. Boy, lots more people came out than expected so we were in the way way back past some bushes that were heavily obstructing our views. Next week we are going to try to get there a bit earlier and perhaps grab dinner and eat out picnic style. I'm going to be nerdy and bring my backpack beach chair, I'm just getting too old for movies indian style.

On a side note, I really hate when outdoor movies say they are going to start at "sun down" now when exactly is that? You see, I'm OCD and a planner, I need to know if thats 7:30, 7:45, or even 7:58...don't just tell me "sundown". If you start the movie at 9 and you know you are going to start the movie at 9, then why don't you just say so?????

Let me first off mention that the first movie came out 3 years before I was born...to put that in perspective, a year before MTV even came out! Horrrrrible graphics to say the least. And since we were in the complete back we could barely hear because the speakers were up front. And of course I forgot my glasses at home and I forgot that there are subtitles, you know, in case you don't speak Vultron. What, you mean you don't? Resistance is futile!

Yeah, we only lasted 45 minutes and then we went home. Anyways, we'll see if we make it out to another movie. It was fun to go even without watching the movie..who doesn't love an outdoor movie???

Memorial Day at Arlington

Hello Red, White, and Blue

So I got up early on Memorial Day to attend the Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington but apparently I did not get up as early as others. Times like these I wish I was 6 feet tall and could see over people's heads. Being short SUCKS some times.

Anyways, so I headed off to Arlington Cemetery and just kind of followed the masses since for the most part this seems to work. Well, this time not so much. At first I was standing in line for like three or four minutes only to find out that its the line to find out where people are buried...oops wrong turn number one. This is where I met my new friend, who also like me, were just following the masses. So we stand in another line to ask where we're supposed to go (line two). Turns out its just outside. We only had to go through the visitor's center to turn the corner to go out another door back outside...wtf? So then the third line was to wait for a bus to take us to the ceremony site (line 3). Well, being impatient that I am, my new friend and I were just going to walk. So we ask this guy in uniform (duh) if we could walk up there and he was like ok, fine. So we walk for like 5 minutes only to come up to another group of guys in uniform (duh) and they tell us we are not allowed to walk. And I pipe up and say well the guy back there told us we could. His response, "what did he look like?" I just stare at him and sarcastically tell him, "he looked just like you." He smiled (knowing what a dumb question that really was) and was like a guy in uniform told you that? And I wanted to be like you really should have all communicated that it wasn't allowed to walk. So whatever, we had to turn around again and stand in the same line again (line 4). Needless to say its like in the 90s that morning and I thankfully wore a dress because I had some serious boob and everything else sweat. I finally get up there and the try to find somewhere to stand. This is where being 6 feet tall would have helped. Or maybe perhaps if I wasn't wasting time standing in incorrect lines and walking I'd have been closer. Or if I had gotten there at 8 like I planned. Oh well.

So I watched the Changing of the Guards (always beautiful). It really grates on my nerves when people don't respect the ceremony and talk through it or heaven forbid their damn cell phone goes off. Can you please be more respectful. Anyways, then I find out where I'm standing isn't good because they have to clear out the area for the band to come in. Great. Oh well. At this point I've been outside for like 2 hours in the blaring heat. I say screw it and go sit in the shaded area where I can kind of hear what's going out at the Tomb of the Unknown and also in the Memorial. Taps came on and I teared up, something that I rarely do. It was very moving being there on Memorial Day and what it really meant. I was able to hear some of the speech by Vice President Biden but it was kind of hard to hear where I sat. But anyways, at least I accomplished my goal for the day and can mark one more off the bucket list.

I might even try running through the grounds since I haven't found a good spot to run where I can't quit or potentially get run over by millions of cars. Kind of creepy to run through a cemetery? I think not. I loved walking through my cometery in London, it was very peaceful. And I wouldn't get honked or hollar'ed at there either...double score!

You could really get lost in there.

The neatness of the burials really appeals to my OCD.

It really is beautiful.

Where the VP stood to give his speech.

Just look at all of those people. And this is after some people already left.

Soooo many people.

Love, love, love a man in uniform...especially those with guns!

I got a much better view when everyone was listening to the VP.

Guarding the tomb with the wreath Biden donated to celebrate.

God it must have been miserably hot for these guys.

Beautiful background.

Mass of people.

All the different flowers from different organizations.

Different wreaths.

Preparing the gun to be handed over.

I get chills every time I watch this.

Not sure what he's doing in the little hut. But he def made a call...polling the audience maybe? Phoning a friend? "Yo dude, get yo' ass out here, I'm burnin up!"

Voluntold

Luckily for me I like to volunteer and I was actually looking forward to it when I moved to a bigger city. I like to think of it as building good karma...and these days I need all the good karma I can get ;) My company actually gives "good points" when you volunteer...basically not just job performance goes into your evaluation score at the end of the year which is used to see if you should be promoted. They have three tiers: job performance, internal project work (generating money for the company) and volunteering/training. So basically they do what the military likes to do, which they call "voluntold". Basically volunteering you to do something. Granted you do get to pick what you want to do and when so that's a little nicer. They like to think of it as "networking". Everything is "networking" here. Whatever. Anyways, I'm pretty excited about what I chose to do. So far I have made efforts to volunteer to record books for the blind and dyslexic and I've also signed up to volunteer at the Walter Reed Memorial Hospital but I have no idea what I will be doing there...so stay tuned!