Food Truck Friday - Week 1 Review

{Food Truck Friday} at L'Enfant Plaza is like the whip cream on the top of a frappuccino!

No, seriously, it is that cool. Before I start mushing and gushing, let me get serious and give you the (*drum roll, please*)

Food Truck Friday Week 1 Review!

Food Truck Name:"Crepes Parfait"
Food ordered: Chicken Crepe (herb roasted chicken, mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, etc), Blueberry Crepe (fresh blueberries with bourbon-vanilla creme-fraiche), and ice tea (black) with pomegranate.
Cost:$$$
Approximate wait time: 5 minutes in line to order, 7 minutes to get food after ordering.
Review of food: The crepes were really large, so they were worth the money. The chicken crepe was hot, delicious, and savory. The blueberries and creme fraiche were really sweet and amazing. The ice tea with pomegranate was like 75% pomegranate juice and 25% ice tea. If you've had pomegranate juice before, you know it's pretty crisp like cranberry juice, so be ready for the bite. 

All in all, I LOVED this food truck!

Emily in front of the food truck

My meal

We give a thumbs-up for Crepe Parfait food truck!

3 Ways to Cheer up any Boring Day!

1. Jump on a train (or a bus, or in your car, or whatever) and run away! Preferable to some small, artsy town within a half hour commute with lots of cute shops :)

 *Idea for DC -> Alexandria, VA is so cute, and only a hop, skip, and a jump down the Yellow line from the city* 

 *Ideas for Atlanta -> Decatur, GA is right on the Marta line and has the most amazing restaurants and shops! You have to try out the Iberian Pig for the best tapas you will ever taste, and Wild Oats and Billy Goats is a go-to place to find artsy, new finds.

2. Eat Indian food. Add some spice to your life...no, literally! I got home today to the most amazing aromas coming from our kitchen, and the Indian food we had for dinner was definitely what I needed to perk up from a not-so-busy day at work.

3. Play Nertz. This fast-paced, highly-competitive card game will give you a run for your money, and it is totally more addicting than FarmVille, Candy Crush, or whatever is currently using up your cell's memory. You will find yourself running to the store trying to find more cheap packs of cards and sending multiple texts to your friends to round up yet another game. 

Memorial Day in Washington, DC

Today we went to Arlington National Cemetery to see President Obama's speech at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. It was very powerful. It was crazy to be there as the cannons blasted to announce the president's arrival, to see him and Michelle Obama in person, and to hear his words of remembrance and encouragement to the American people.

First Lady, Michelle Obama

President Obama giving his Memorial day speech

First time seeing the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial

This afternoon, I joined with some friends on a scavenger hunt and we were able to go see most of the memorials in DC. This was my first time seeing the memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. This was my favorite quote of his that was engraved at the memorial:

 "It is not enough to say "We must not wage war." It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but on the positive affirmation of peace."

Altogether, it was an amazing day to remember our fallen soldiers.

National Memorial Day Concert at the Capitol

My house-mates and I just got back from the PBS National Memorial Day Concert at the Capitol. If you were watching on PBS, you might have seen us (they showed us at least once). I don't think I've ever felt such gratitude for our armed forces before; this concert was an amazing way to bring us all back together to support our troops. 

 In line to go through security before we were allowed to go to the lawn for the concert.

The music was amazing at the concert. One of my favorite parts was Alfie Boe singing a song from Les Mes that was totally applicable to the occasion (the "let him live" one). It was very moving. 

Such a great experience!

Why Starbucks is My Security Blanket

Tonight, I put on my flip-flops and headed out to one of my favorite places on Capitol Hill: Starbucks. And, I've realized why I like Starbucks so much. Yeah, it has really great drinks. But it's really a security issue. No matter what city I'm in, far or near my family, Starbucks is always there, same as always. They will always have the same drinks. They will always have the same service. They will always have the relatively same set-up. And I can always count on it as a place where I can chill, hang out, and get my bearings. Starbucks was pretty smart with their business plan. They have developed a place people feel at home, no matter how far from home they actually are.
And of course, I had to take my ridiculously funny but educational book with me, "Wonderful Life with the Elements." It finally clicked for me that the periodic table is called PERIODIC because if you line up the elements in order by atomic weight, the different characteristics occur PERIODICALLY down the line. Cool, huh? I'm pretty sure my chem professors are out there shaking their heads, because they probably told me this so many times in Gen Chem, but it finally stuck. I guess it takes some pretty funny cartoons of the elements to finally make sense.

The "Scenic" Walk Home + Midweek Update

Can you believe it??? I've been in Washington DC for 5 days, and have completed my 3rd day of work at the DOE! I now even have my own official badge to swipe into the federal building :) When I look back at myself over the past few months, I could never have imagined the plans God had for me. Isn't HE amazing?!

If you would like to find out more about who I am working with at the DOE, here is the main webpage - http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/. Click on Hydrogen Production and Hydrogen Delivery.

I've been walking to and from work for the past few days, although this morning I finally figured out this amazing thing called the METROBUS, and I was able to cut out over half of my on-foot commute by dropping $1.80 in a box and hopping on the air-conditioned bus. Day made! Well, I love my walk, even if it is pretty hot and tiring, because I get to pass so many amazing places each day. Here are some pictures from my walk home yesterday, which took a pretty scenic route.

                                  It is pretty nice to get to walk past all the famous "DC traffic".
        It's not as bad as downtown Atlanta traffic, in my opinion, but it's still really stop-and-go, and
                      there are a lot more police, emergency vehicles, and large buses on the road.

I got off of work just in time to hop into the Air and Space Museum for a few minutes on my walk home before they closed.

Some more highlights from the past few days:
- I got to see the new Secretary of Energy, Secretary Moniz, speak today at the DOE.
- Bridget (my roommate) and I found this great gelato place up by Eastern Market last night, after quite a bit of wandering :) Chocolate hazelnut and Vanilla Chocolate Chip...yum!
- I've learned that there is no shame in wearing sneakers with business clothes while walking to work. The comfort of my feet over fashion any day!

Day 1: Mission successful

I am writing this blog post from the back porch of my 'home away from home.' For the summer, I am living in a magnificent 3-story town home right on Capitol Hill. I can hear the shimmering of my neighbor's backyard fountain, the birds are singing, and every half-hour some distant bell chimes to keep the neighborhood on time.



Yesterday, I said some of the toughest goodbyes of my life to my family at the Atlanta airport. They were so great and made it as easy as possible for me to walk to my plane to begin this adventure. The flight was the smoothest I have ever had, and after 1.5 hours I was landing in DC at Reagan National Airport. I caught my first taxi by myself (*pat on the back*) and he dropped me off at my new home. If you are my friend on Facebook, you can view a photo of my home in my Life in DC album. More to come later!

Well, I was thinking that I would be moving in last after all my roommates, but boy was I wrong. I'm the first one to move in, and my first roommate moves in today. This house holds 11 people! We are going to be like 2 peas in, well, definitely not a pod. More like a bowl! The house is huge and beautiful, and I've had fun exploring all its nooks. If only I could figure out how to work the A/C! But, that's a problem for another day.

Yesterday, I made my first big discoveries!

#1 - NEVER follow your own advice about buying groceries. LISTEN TO YOUR DAD! 
I had figured out that there was a little supermarket 0.2 miles from my house. So, I decided to go there to pick up a few essentials (AKA peanut butter and jelly). My dad told me over the phone that he had found a Giant (name of grocery store, like a Kroger) about half a mile from my house, but I decided to follow my own plan. $50 later and with 2 shopping bags, I learned yet again that you should always listen to your dad. I will never be shopping at the neighborhood supermarket again, unless it is a life or death situation. I don't think my bank account would be able to handle it.

#2 - I found a Subway restaurant!
The only good that came out of my supermarket mishap was that I found a Subway. I think this will be one of the cheapest ways for me to eat - 1 foot-long is a dinner and lunch for me. I made sure to write down how to get there from my house for future reference.

#3 - Starbucks is a welcome sight.
While wandering around Capitol Hill, I found a Starbucks about 2 blocks from my house. I was so excited! By the way, their new Mocha Cookie Crumble Frap is amazing :) I was able to take a break and get a chance to look over my map while in the comfort of a familiar coffee shop.

Well, on to Day 2. I get a whole day to wander and discover my new neighborhood. If you are visiting DC this summer, make sure and let me know so we can chill and hang out some time :) And keep checking my blog for my daily updates. See ya!

     

I'm officially flying to DC on...

Saturday, May 18th! This girl is heading out at 1:20pm...my first flight in 4 years and my first ever flight by myself. Prayers, as always, are appreciated.

Ok, while I'm at it, want to hear how I sublet my apartment in 3 days?! Another God thing, that's for sure. When I found out that I would be moving to DC for the summer, I was really depressed because I LOVE my roommates. I prayed for good roommates, and God gave me great ones. I couldn't imagine life without them, and here I was having to plan to move out in a matter of days. I asked around with some friends, and couldn't find someone who could take my apartment for the whole 3 months left of my lease. So, I posted on Craigslist. Man, Craigslist is the best! I was getting responses back left and right, but none of them were just right. I wanted to give my roommates someone nice, not just some stranger off the street. So, I prayed. I knew that if God had this whole plan for me to move to DC, HE would have taken care of the entire plan. Within 48 hours, I had heard from a girl coming to ATL for an internship, and we spoke on the phone and I knew it was God's answer. It all worked out within the next few days, and I was moved out of my apartment 4 days later. Another bonus from God: I was supposed to have a final exam the morning that I was moving out, but I exempted it by 0.2 points! This gave me a full day to pack up. Crazy, huh? HE really does take care of all the details.

As my friend, April, likes to say: God is a God of strategy. I'm sure glad of it.

My life isn't a fairy tale...It's an adventure story!

I had a plan. A 1-year plan, to be exact. I had an alumni tell me this past year that it was important to have a 5-year plan, but I decided that a 5-year plan would be disobeying God and HIS call for me to follow HIM wherever HE sent me. So I decided that 1 year would be just right. Boy, was I wrong.

My 1-year plan included going to summer school (I already had my apartment in Atlanta through the end of the summer), going to Istanbul in the fall, and coming back to graduate in Spring 2014. With about 1 month left of the spring semester, I was just about to sign up for my classes for the summer when I received an email. It changed everything. "We were wondering if you are still interested in a summer internship...in Washington DC...would like to schedule a phone interview..." I literally sat at my laptop and said "No!" to the screen. This was not my plan! I knew as soon as I saw that email that God had decided to change it up. HE was calling me to go. I had sort-of applied for some internships over the Christmas break, but I hadn't even finished the applications and sending in my materials because I had decided that an internship would mess up my plan. I needed to go to summer school in order to graduate in the spring. Well, I'm evidently really bad at sabotaging God's plans, because even though I didn't finish the applications, they received my resume. And, they wanted a phone interview. I sent off a hurried "What do I do?" email to my academic advisor, and he told me I should go for it. "These things may come up once, maybe twice, in a lifetime, Kaelin," he told me. So I set an appointment for the interview.

The weekend before the interview, I went on a retreat with Chi Alpha at GT. During the many quiet times that we had that weekend, God just kept showing me that HE was calling me to go. For some reason, I was needed in DC. He showed me this amazing story in 1 Kings 19 about when Elijah called Elisha to follow him as God's prophet. Elisha didn't complain. He didn't straggle along after Elijah. He simply got rid of his earthly possessions and followed. God showed me that I needed to do this. I needed to strip myself of what I held as important to my plan, and simply follow HIS plan. 

I had my interview on a Monday, and I found out that Friday that I had been the second-pick for the position. But, in my heart, I knew I was going to DC. Somehow, I was going. So I waited. A few days later, I got an email asking for a phone interview with a different supervisor in the same office for a different internship. My first contact had sent my resume to everyone else in the office. The first thing I was asked on this second phone interview was "Where are you going to stay while you are in DC?". I knew that God was working. The second position fit my qualifications better than the first, and I got the position. I literally jumped up and down in H&M when I got the news (my friend can attest to this). 

God wasn't done. There have been several other things that HE has done to perfectly orchestrate this transition for me as I go to DC for 10 weeks. I'll continue to brag on HIM and HIS glorious plan over the coming weeks. "Follow" my blog if you want to keep up with me over the summer and fall. Can't wait to continue to share what HE is doing with my life!