10 Things I Have Learned About Living In DC

1. Catching a No Passenger train at Grosvenor during the morning rush is like an early Christmas present.
2. The shopping here is only second to NY, in my opinion.
3. It can easily be 63 in the morning and 81 by a little after noon.
4. Don't let it's appearance fool you, Cleveland Park has the best sports bars.
5.Seeing sexy men in business suits are as common as seeing street lamps, concrete sidewalks, and street vendors.
6. This city never sleeps.
7. You seriously get blackballed in this town if you don't have a Blackberry or iPhone.
8. A $39 week pass is more economical than using a Smart trip to go everywhere.
9. Things are generally more expensive here, but if you look then you can run across great bargains.
10. Manners don't have as much a place here as they do in the South.

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Rushing to Catch Ourself

My birthday was this past Friday (September 25), and I missed celebrating with my family and friends back home. My mommy did send me flowers though:) Momma and daddy also put some extra cash ( $250) in my account for me to get myself something nice. I bought the most rad Betsey Johnson charm bracelet (But I mean really, is there anything that Betsey makes that isn't rad though??)and treated myself to some Cheesecake Factory. I also discovered that there is a World Market, Sephora, and a Bloomingdale's literally 3 stops away on the metro. How damn cool is that?!

This 23rd birthday was a milestone for me. Not only did I celebrate it here in DC, but I also realized that life moves so fast and it's real. I always knew those to be true before, but the weight of life and what's next just hit me like a rock. I had always been sheltered by my parents and school. Now, I am out here as an adult college graduate and completely by myself. It's a very humbling and scary feeling.

I remember when I was 17, and I would ways say that I can't wait to be done with school and out living my own exciting life. Well, that time is here. I am enjoying life very much, but I do often long for the simplicity and guaranteed stability that being young, in school, and living with mom and dad brings. What fools we are to try to wish life away. Enjoy each chapter of life and live it to the fullest. Plan for the future but, don't long for the future.

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Homesick

So last night I talked to my mom and dad like I do everyday, and my mom told me that my pets still seem sad that I left. I know it must sound silly, but I cried when I got off the phone with her because I feel like I abandoned them to come to DC. The thought of my cats and my little chihuahua Pookie Bella crying and acratching at my closed room door, looking for me on the bed and at my office computer work station, and wagging their tail and purring when they hear my voice on the speaker phone when I phone home just tears at me. I hope they understand that I am not abandoning them and I will be back very soon. I feel a bit comforted knowing the fact that animals have no concept of time like humans do.

They won't know I have been absent for months. But I do imagine that if me walking out the front door to talk to my neighbor for 10 minutes seems like a lifetime to them (and it must because everytime I would step out momentarily and return, they would act like they hadn't seen me for 30 years lol), then 4 months must seem like an eternity. I am going home to visit in October though:) I also go home for Thanksgiving for 5 days. After Thanksgiving I only have like 3 weeks left of my internship. I miss my family and friends a lot too, but I raised my animals and I am their primary care taker, so I really have a special attachment to them. My family is doing their best to fill in for me in my absence, and they assure me that the animals still play and are adjusting to me being gone better and better each day. I just really miss them, their sweet faces, and the unconditional love and comfort they give. I can't wait to get back to see my babies.

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Confessions of a Shopaholic

I know my blogs are probably starting to seem a little redundant with me just going on and on about how much I am loving it here in DC, but I can't help myself. Sunday I met up with my homegirl Bennie Baby and we totally did some damage in Georgetown. We went in Urban Outfitters, H&M, Betsey Johnson, Coach, Juicy Couture, and like a million others. Shopping is the absolute best down there. I swear, it has to be a sin to have all those awesome stores in one place! We both spent way more money then we planned but it was totally worth it. I bought the cutest purse from the Betsey Johnson boutique. I have also already got my birthday present picked out (my bday is September 25th for anyone planning to get me anything;) ). I am going to go back to Juicy and buy a gold charm bracelet and two charms to start it off. Oh, I can't wait! Me and Benica then had Sunday brunch at a nice little restaurant with a saloon feel, J. Paul's.

The restaurant was very nice and upscale, with pretty decent prices considering the ritzy area we were in. I also love how part of it is just open and the breeze is able to blow through. And of course, no shopping trip would be complete without a stop at Starbucks. I broke down and temporarily dissed my diet for a double fudge cupcake. It was so worth the guilt later though. I did drink water with the cupcake, so no calories there lol. Anyways, We had a fabulous time, and are planning on making that a twice a month thing. Hey, we work hard so we deserve to shop hard every once in awhile. Every gal does;)

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With Love

This past week has been crazy busy, but crazy awesome. I love my job. I am learning so much about people, politics, business, and life in general, all while having fun here in DC. I miss my family and my pets a lot though. But I talk to my family everyday. They assure me that all is fine at home, and they tell me how proud they are of me; so that helps a ton:) Tomorrow I am meeting up with my girl Bennie Baby tomorrow afternoon for lunch! She is going to show me around the Foggy Bottom area. I can't wait!

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Zoom Zoom Zoom

These last couple of days have been full of many new experiences and lots of fun and excitement. There is so much to see and do here! In the last week or so I have attended a lecture at the Carnegie Institute by Juan Williams (very insightful and intelligent man. Look him up), been shopping in the cute little shops on 11th and Pennsylvania Ave., went to the National Zoo (the big cat exhibits were amazing! The sloth bear was a cutie too), painted pottery in Cleveland, saw the White House (We were able to snap a pic of President Obama out on the balcony of the WH thanks to my dad's high powered zoom lens camera), saw the Washington Monument, visited the Smithsonian museums and the U.S. Botanic Gardens. I have become an expert metro rider, found a wonderful hair salon and spa, met some awesome new peeps already; and even met a cute guy yesterday and snagged his number;) I can't wait to finish exploring the rest of the nation's capital. I am super excited
about starting work on Tuesday! People in the city walk EVERYWHERE! No need for a treadmill here lol. I am seriously going to have the best legs for a Christmas present lol.
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Suga's Been Flyin'!

Suga's Been Flyin'
I have finally made it safely to DC. I am at a great hotel called The Legacy. Getting here was a friggin' hoot, let me tell ya. From a long ass line to check my bags at OIA to a more than 2 hour delay because of a severe lightning storm. My first plane tide went well. I flew JetBlue and they were great. I ofcourse had to speak with the pilots because I was freaking out when we were boarding. Them and the flight crew were so nice to me and reassuring. I was almost totally relaxed during the ride. I watched Family Guy on the TV in the headrest in front of me like the whole time. I also listened to Michael Jackson on the ride. There was some mild to moderate turbulance, but it never lasted too long. Thank God. Our flight was supposed to be 2 hours, but our pilots got us here in an hour and a half. I even earned my wings:) I made a new friend named Anne in the chauffeured car that drove me to my hotel. She told me about all the hot spots here in DC. I can't
wait to go to the outdoor jazz picnic concerts. The shops and boutiques are cute in this area. I shall go and explore them tomorrow;) Anyways, I am sooo thankful to finally be in DC after months of preparation and the busiest week of my life leading up to today. I can't to start this new journey in a new land, and I feel so blessed to have made it here:)

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