Folklife Festival 2013

Had so much fun at the Folklife Festival today that I had to make a video out of all my footage. You can see it here. Enjoy!

Cupcakes - check!

Got to check some more items off my bucket list today: Went to Georgetown + eat cupcakes :)

Couldn't believe that we had to wait in line outside of Georgetown Cupcakes, and they let us into the store in shifts. Decided to try something different...found that the cinnamon cupcakes are actually pretty good.

You know you live in DC if...

 - you commit crime daily....by J-walking.

*Courtesy of Emily



- your status as a resident of the city makes you an instant tourist attraction.

- your neighbors are celebrities...on C-SPAN.

- you don't even hear the sirens anymore.













- the term 'skintern' gives you shivers.

- you enjoy spending time with your friends at the neighborhood pool.




 - you feel like a tourist if you don't have your shirt tucked in (and you have a distinct dislike of feeling like a tourist).

- you have painfully learned why Capitol Hill is called a hill.

- you haven't ridden in a car for weeks...and that is totally normal.

- you treat all escalators with the rule 'stand right, walk left.'

- you expect to go through a security checkpoint every time you enter a building.

- this is what going to the mall looks like...

- you blame everything on sequestration ("My fries don't have enough salt on them! Darn sequestration...")



...more to come as I think of them. If you think of any "you know you live in DC if's", let me know.

"I told you they'd cry!"

That's Bridget for you. As soon as I told my first roommate that I was taking a weekend trip home to surprise my family, she turned prophet. And she's a pretty good prophet too. Dad was the one to answer the door at 9:30pm on Friday when I rang the bell. When my mom came to the crazy realization that it was indeed her daughter's voice she heard in the foyer, we practically created our own indoor fountain. But, I'm getting waaaay ahead of myself. Here's how it goes:

A few weeks ago, I was feeling particularly homesick, and I started kicking around the idea of going home for a weekend to surprise my family. So, I added the flight to my Skyscanner alerts and hoped for the best. After a few weeks of being really indecisive, I did it and bought a plane ticket home and a MegaBus ticket for the way back. I'm very blessed to have amazing neighbors that are like a second family to me, so I was able to call them up and schedule to get picked up from the airport after my flight into Atlanta. This past Friday, I practically skipped to the Metro. As I was walking into the airport, my phone went off. Dad. I felt so incredibly rude and un-daughterly, but I ignored the call and texted him that I was busy. The "Delta flight 9 is loading..." echoing through the corridor would have definitely given away my sneaky plan. I made it onto the plan, and 1.5 hours later I could see the Atlanta skyline. Home, sweet home! My neighbors picked me up, we had a good hour of gabbing and catching up on all the news, and then I was home. Ok, now you're caught up :)

Needless to say, I am very glad I went home for the weekend. My sister had turned 15 the previous week, so I was able to be there for her party and sing "happy birthday" to her. And, I was able to celebrate Father's Day with the best dad ever.

Mission accomplished! 6 more weeks of living in DC, so stay tuned for some more funny posts :)

Bridget and I on one of our evening strolls to the Capitol.

Coming soon..."You know you live in DC if..." and "The Starbucks Saga".

The Eve of a New Day...

As I just turned on my computer, the clock showed that it was 12:00AM, 6/8/2013. The eve of a new day. I'm sitting on a window seat in our kitchen and I just finished making a cup of tea. It's Yogi Bedtime tea, and my tag has one of my favorite sayings: "Travel Light. Live Light. Spread the Light. Be the Light." I'm really tired, but it's one of those times when I really don't want to get ready for bed. I just want to keep talking, keep walking, keep living moments...Four of my house-mates and I just got back from a walk around Capitol Hill. Yes, and it's midnight. We left the house at 11PM, after watching Pitch Perfect and getting stir-crazy. And we kept breaking out in song on our DC walk. My life feels so surreal. I know I keep rambling on (pun totally intended), but a stream of consciousness blog post will keep it interesting, right? Well, no matter, that's what you're getting. I guess I should say something really stunning right about now, just to reward you for reading this far. Got nothing, though...remember, I'm really tired! I could go on and tell you the details of my day, but that wouldn't be that interesting to you. I'd much rather just share my thoughts. You  know why I named this blog The Faithful Nomad? Because I realized a few months ago that I am just that: a nomad. I will be living in 4 different homes this year. I lived at WestMar until May, then I moved home for 2 weeks. Then, I moved to DC. In August, I will move back home. Then, in September I'll be moving to Istanbul for 4 months. It's so hard to know that you want to put down roots, but that you will just have to pull those roots up again in a few months. I try not to think about it, but moving out of my apartment at WestMar really showed me how hard it is going to be. I laid in bed my last night there and realized that I was going to go through that same process, that same pain of leaving my roommates, and the heart-wrenching drive away from the place I had called home, another 3 times in the next year. It wasn't a pleasant thought. Then, I had to remind myself that God wanted me to do this. Nomad life will just be a season. At least, that's what I'm thinking, but God may add more adventure into the mix like last time, I really don't know. I really shouldn't plan too far out...God's definitely shown me that it's a waste of time. I just have to go and live each day with no regrets. Live life like He wants me to. It's the best way, that's for sure.
Well, I'll stop now. I'm pretty sure you're at the end of wanting to read my thoughts. Because that's what this is, really. You getting a peek into my life. Crazy how we do that voluntarily. Open up, and wait for others to look inside. Because we all just want to be understood in the end. That's all.

Weekend of amazing FOOD and MUSIC

Live music is great, right?! PLUS, great food is amazing too. I got a healthy dose of both of these this past weekend.

Stop #1: Eastern Market (see last post)

Stop #2: Good Stuff Eatery - http://www.goodstuffeatery.com/
What I ordered: "President Obama Burger" and the Black and White milkshake
I give it 5 stars. I usually am not a fan of burgers, but this one was delicious (obviously a great place to go, since Michelle and Barack are frequent visitors).

Stop #3: Kramer Books and The Afterwords Cafe in Dupont Circle
Bonuses: Free live music and an amazing bookstore
What I ordered: B52 Bomber (coffee, Kalua, Irish Cream...it was a hot mug of deliciousness!)
What a great experience :D We got to shop around in the bookstore, hear a girl play the guitar and sing from a loft in the store, and the drink I had was amazing.

Stop #4: Free concerts at the National Gallery of Art
This past Sunday, it was a chamber orchestra and OPERA music!!!! It was so much fun. Plus, we got to meet some cute older ladies, and it was one of their birthdays and they were so cute as they were talking about going back to one of their houses to have champagne :)

I'm not paying for any live performances in DC, because there are way too many free things around here :)

Saturday Morning Adventure: Eastern Market :)

Checked another box on my bucket list today! Visited Eastern Market, bought some fresh produce, enjoyed blueberry/buckwheat pancakes, and enjoyed shopping.