On Holly's last night in the DC area, her and I drove down to Georgetown to check off the last item on her "To Do in DC" list: cheese fries at Wingo's. Neither one of us had been. Though I normally love being spontaneous, I was hesitant to go because it was so late. We had just finished our tree lighting and I was still recovering from getting no sleep for a week. We still went. And we got there just in time, because apparently Wingo's is not always open 24 hours as I've heard advertised. It was another Christmas miracle.
And when you go (you should go) you can experience the miracle of their strawberry milkshake and seasoned cheese fries. Fries are not my favorite food and I avoid them if possible, but these are worth the calories.
Maybe it was just late, but we thought it was so funny that it said to carry me out. It probably would have been true if they hadn't closed earlier than we'd expected.
It's take out only, so we sat and ate in my truck.
Yes, yes, I know...it has an awesome name. My roommate speaks German, so we wanted to incorporate Tanenbaum. And our tree pretty much is thebomb.com. It brings Christmas joy to our home.
I was secretly hoping to get a tree this year, but up until last week, it didn't look like my roommates were interested and I couldn't afford one on my own. When I saw the Rockefeller tree in NYC I became a little more determined. Please note that I had already seen the National Christmas Tree in Washington, DC, but that was not inspiring and did not sway me in the slightest. Our DC 2nd Ward Christmas program was this last Sunday and that probably swayed me the most. I felt a need for the symbolism of the evergreen in our home and I needed the brilliant illumination in the living room.
It turned out that my roommate Julie felt the same way I did and we decided to buy a tree together. On Monday me, Julie, and Holly (friend who was crashing at our place after she was kicked out of the Barlow) hopped in the Flying Dakota and drove up the Rockville Pike to find a Christmas tree farm. Our intention was to buy a small tree--about three feet. The first place we went outside of White Flint Mall wanted $35-$40 for a tree that size. That was a bit more than we wanted to spend on a spontaneous and rather late-in-the-game tree purchase. We tried to negotiate, but the salesman called his boss Pablo and there was no way they were coming down on the price. We hopped back in the FD and drove a little further up the Pike.
It didn't take long to find another tree farm. This one was much bigger, was fully decked in lights and it had a big sign that read "Pablo's." It just so happened that Pablo who owned and ran this farm owned the satellite farm in front of White Flint Mall--which we had just visited. Pablo's farm had a just a few tiny trees and of course they were going for the same rate. This was just unacceptable. The three of us wandered around the trees for a few minutes trying to decide what to do, where to go. I was entranced. They were so big and beautiful and they smelled so divine. It reminded me of my family's annual tree-picking. Whoever got to go (between holiday concerts and rehearsals) was in for a real treat. We often chased each other in and out of the trees until mom and dad said to stop or...until someone ran into a tree. Sometimes there was free popcorn, cocoa and candy canes. I wondered for a moment at Pablo's if the three of us girls could play tag.
Then Holly and I spotted a tree. It was a little over six feet and definitely cost more money. It was a Douglas Fir, which is not the kind that my family normally gets--we're Fraser fans. Pablo taught us how to choose the tree based on smell--I had never done this before! And I'm surprised that my family always picked the rosemary-like smell of the Fraser when the Douglas has a sweet and wonderful citrus smell. I confessed to Julie that I did want a bigger tree now. She acquiesced to the request and we only ended up paying $50 for our tree. And by a Christmas miracle, we were able to use every bit of change we had to pay in cash and save $3. Pablo trimmed up our tree and loaded it in the FD. (I found out when we got home that this was Julie's first live tree!)
On the way home we stopped at Target to pick up lights since we didn't have enough now for our bigger tree. And then we documented the momentous occasion with pictures.
Our tree waiting to take a stand
interim support from Julie
Can you feel the joy?!
The man with the stand. JP and his roommate had leftover supplies from making a table. So when stands were sold out at the stores, they let us have some lumber. JP came over to help us make the stand.
Standing all by itself
This year's ornament from the Kennedy Center. In case you can't tell, it's a Nutcracker.
Ornaments waiting to be hung and music waiting to be sung
Waiting to be lit. We had an official ceremony.
The lighting
Ornamenting
The angel! (as previously seen in the video)
Fini! It's a little scanty, because we couldn't afford more ornaments and we weren't expecting to have such a large tree. So it's rightfully humble.
I went to New York City about a month ago to visit a dear friend who recently moved there. I failed to blog about that trip. I only mention it because on the bus heading home I was already antsy to go back. So I did.
This last weekend I went with some friends to see some of the Christmas festivities. We ended up only really spending a Saturday in the city for a short and yet completely satisfying trip. It was an organic kind of trip where everything we did was unplanned because we didn't have a hard and fast agenda. Lucky for you I actually took some pictures!
Overlooking the west Hudson River from the Cloisters
UniQlo -- a Japanese company that offers simple and affordable wardrobe pieces. It was packed. I bought their heattech thermal leggings and a long sleeve turtleneck. I am wearing both pieces right now and I don't think I will ever take them off. The material is thin and still warm and oh so soft. If you want to partake of the goodness, they only sell their stuff in stores but they come highly recommended by me.
This picture is totally random. I really liked these red lights in the window of the Banana Republic men's store in SoHo.
The jeans display in the same store. I love the metro sign. I miss Paris.
La belle
I brought out the strawberry beanie for this photo. It was a special occasion.
My favorite window display at Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue. You can see a few more of the displays here.
This view is a little more slanted from the bottom, so you can see some details that you can't see when looking straight into the window, e.g., the king pouring the coffee toward the left of the picture.
Rockefeller Plaza. This picture has inspired a future post. Stay tuned for a post on Christmas trees in DC.
Silly boys
They look so happy. Everyone seemed happy in NYC. Even the three-legged dog.
I want to move there someday. It's the dream that keeps getting pushed to the back burner. I'm convinced that when the time is right, in Frankie's words, I'll make it there. Until then, DC is close enough to visit. This was my third trip in six months.
I bought my lunch today at the burrito stand at 15th and K Street. Pedro and Vinny have been proudly serving at that corner since 1994. They have quite the reputation. And because of their history and reputation, there is always a line of at least 10 people at lunch time--usually 15 or more. It's usually longer than I like to wait to get food at lunch time. But one of our interns had been wanting to go. So I stopped putting it off and we went. The wait wasn't very long and the burrito was good. So I'll probably go back again...and again. Today was probably the first of many trips to the burrito guy.
After work I hopped on a circulator bus to head up to Columbia Heights. While on the bus I found a seat and like any normal person, I kept to myself. At the next stop, a man got on and stumbled around until he found himself in a sitting position on the step next to my seat. His smell indicated that he was clearly intoxicated and in need of a shower. He started out stable. Then he lost control a bit as the bus was moving and used my leg and the leg of the man sitting across from me as a back rest. Weird! You don't purposely touch people while using public transportation! There was definitely a moment of awkward face.
But my face quickly turned into a concealed grin, because this was just so random. Then the intoxicated man decided to try standing. He couldn't do this very well; he staggered around and rubbed drool on a few people before someone steadied him against the window. The bus was pretty crowded, so it turned into a group effort to keep him steady and in his own space. What started out as awkward turned into a sort of game.
When we got to the bus stop near Columbia Heights most of the bus emptied. I don't think the man meant to get off there, but he was in the way of the door by that time, so someone helped him step outside the bus. Most of us laughed as we walked away to our destinations. I looked back and saw he lay himself down on the sidewalk and the bus was leaving without him. Hopefully this was a one time experience.
I spent this Thanksgiving in Williamsburg, Virginia. My brother's sister-in-law and family live in Williamsburg (briefly mentioned in this post). So my brother, his wife and their parents drove out from Kentucky. I like it when they do this. I spent last year's Thanksgiving in Williamsburg too, but my brother didn't come out that time. Maybe it's selfish for me to prefer they come to me, but it's a lot easier for me to drive three hours from DC to Williamsburg than eight hours to Lexington. I'm glad they're willing to go the distance.
While in Williamsburg this time I really wanted to take pictures. But alas, I have none. However, I did manage to get this video. It shows the entertaining things that happen when you don't have a whole lot to do but are blessed with silly babies and lovable dogs.
While in Williamsburg, I went Black Friday shopping for the second time in my life. In fact, I have only gone Black Friday shopping in Williamsburg. I don't know who invented this crazy shopping tradition and I have no idea why I chose to participate for a second time. The outlet mall was so packed that they had an off-site parking lot where they had school buses transporting bus loads of shoppers. I was already so exhausted from being sick last week and then I made it worse by staying up until 3 am. It wasn't all for naught: I bought a top to wear as a bridesmaid in January and I got a couple things for my missionary brother's Christmas present. And I can't not mention the fun I had with the Spurlock girls--a spitfire trio.
While in Williamsburg, I saw the movie The Blind Side. Probably the best movie I've seen...in years. Leigh Anne Tuohy made me want to be brave and good. There are few stories that have moved me in the way this one did. One of those stories is told in the films Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources. Another is probably Les Miserables. I know I'm comparing this movie about a recent college graduate to epic stories--yes, I really thought it was that good.
While in Williamsburg, I experienced the magical world of Christmas Town at Busch Gardens. It was so festive and I loved being there. There were lights everywhere, beautiful Christmas decorations and live holiday music. I went on a few fun rides, but the real gem was the special Christmas spirit. The only thing missing that would have made it an absolutely perfect night was snow. *Okay, it did snow, but it wasn't the kind that fills all the spaces and looks like a winter wonderland. *
When I packed my camera for my work trip to Philadelphia I thought, "I can take pictures and blog about my trip." And then it was raining. And then there were moments after I visited the city's judicial center that I was afraid to show any valuables in public. But mostly, I have just become very bad at taking pictures. Don't judge me.
The first night I was in Philly my coworker and I ate dinner at an Indian restaurant on Walnut Street. His dish reminded me of kebabs we would make in Fresno with meat from the Meat Market. I was surprised to find such a nostalgia-inducing menu item. My food was probably the best Indian dish I have ever had. It was chicken korma (I think) and the chicken was cooked perfectly. It was delicious. After dinner we walked around for a bit and we found the Avenue of the Arts, aka Broad Street. I was uncertain about Philadelphia's worthiness as a large and worthwhile East coast city, but the Avenue of the Arts proves that they've earned their stripes. For a few minutes I even thought it might be cool to live there. Don't worry, that didn't last very long. There were ads up for the Pennsylvania Ballet's production of Balanchine's Nutcracker. They are actually coming to DC next week and I'm very excited to see the performance.
I attended a hockey game with six of the delegates. It was the Philadelphia Flyers versus the Ottawa Senators. The Flyers won 5-1. This was my first hockey game. The game was not as intense as I had always imagined it would be. There was only one fight. Hopefully soon I'll be able to go to a Washington Capitals game. (Oh and Hasan's head was in the picture. I guess the delegates were quick with the cameras, but not the best at photography.)
Unlike me, the delegation was very good at taking pictures. This picture was meant to show all the delegates with their cameras out at the same time, but my draw was a little slow. There are only three cameras showing in this picture. Can I get a point for trying?
This is me and my friends with whom I attended the Philadelphia Flyers hockey game. I miss them. They said I could visit their countries and they would protect me and take care of me. I guess that's a benefit of working on a program for law enforcement officers--protection wherever I go.
I learned from my "Promoting Tolerance through the Arts" project that Philadelphia is the "City of Murals." On one of the lunch breaks between meetings, I walked around for only about ten minutes and found three murals. Two were too big to fit into one shot. It was quite awe-inspiring to stand in front of something so huge. You really couldn't stand up close and see the whole thing; you had to step back to fit it all in your range of vision. It was so impressive.
This was the best I could get of the whole mural.
This next mural was on two walls.
This mural just didn't seem as impressive as the other two I found, but it was still neat.
This is one of the alleys where I was afraid to take out my camera and I pretty much ran out of the alley after I snapped the shot. I had just learned about the 24-hour arraignment room in the city's judicial center and came to the stark realization that Philadelphia has a very high crime rate. There was no one else around and I felt vulnerable. Anyway, I was hoping for a better shot of the graffiti. After seeing the enormous and magnificent mural arts, I was a little stunned to see the graffiti and I wanted to capture that contrast. Can I get another point for trying?
The bridge in the view from my hotel window.
This is also from my hotel room. You can see the Reading Terminal Market where I had a pepper cheese steak and sushi on my lunch breaks. You can also barely see the black canopies from the Maggiano's where we had a farewell dinner the night the program ended and the night before all the delegates left. This is the indirect documentation I have of a very enjoyable dinner that was hosted by the delegates to thank us. It was a very nice evening.
These were the three vases on the entertainment center in my hotel room. Why did I take a picture? Because they were primary colors! So cool! We're going back to the basics here.
This was me documenting the arrival in the comped hotel room and talking to my sister at the same time.
I finished the trip with a visit to the Macy's department store before the farewell dinner. I had never seen a huge Christmas tree like this inside a Macy's store. I'm getting so excited for Christmas this year. The anticipation feels different than any other year and I'm not sure I can explain why. I'm just looking forward to the season.
My trip to the "City of Brotherly Love" was surprisingly wonderful. I can say that based on the things I did, the food I ate, and the people I met, that I really enjoyed Philadelphia. But please don't ask me to live there and I do not wish to walk alone there even during the day time.
I'm a Fresno native, a BYU grad and I'm living an adventurous life in the nation's capital. I frequently throw my hands in the air like Flyleaf and cry "I'm alive!"
