Old Lady Club?!?

My sweet little Tabbi thinks I'm getting so old that I've lost my memory! She issued me this challenge...

With Laura on the National Mall watching the Cherry Blossom Parade
April 2009

In the NYC after brunch at Sarabeth's
February 2009

Mr. Plumber & the Tidal Basin at the Cherry Blossom Festival
April 2008

Niagara Falls, Canada :)
October 2008

NYC elevator
June 2009

In the stocks at Williamsburg
April 2009

Eating gelato in Georgetown (?)
August 2008

On the National Mall, in the pouring rain, watching the 4th of July Fireworks
July 2008

Well Miss Tabbi, I guess I'm not that old now...I've still got the ole' memory :) Thanks for the birthday love...miss you like crazy!

Burgers, Buds, and Birthdays...

What's the best way to spend your birthday?!?

Eating a burger as big as your head...


With a bunch of your best buds...

And finishing the night with a Birthday Bundt :)

24 isn't so bad...especially with friends like these! I've got the most amazing friends and family...thanks for all the birthday love everyone!

Uses Time Wisely...

I've always prided myself on making the most of my time. In elementary school, I never had anything but "E's" for excellent in the "Uses Time Wisely" column. In high school, I totally "lived it up" my entire senior year and have some great memories and zero regrets. In college, I scheduled a summer in France, a summer in DC, an internship at a news station, and anything and everything I made a goal to do.

Lately, however, this seems to have gotten a bit more complicated. Forget a grand scheme/master plan, I can't even manage the basics of life! I feel like I'm drowning at work, I have no time to exercise, I never cook a meal (unless hitting the start button on the microwave counts...), I don't spend quality or quantity time with any of my friends or family, I haven't even cracked my GRE book, and I had to pencil in time to clean my bathroom. Sad. That's not all, I'm turning 24 soon...24!!! When did I hit my (gasp) mid-20's. All these things have me thinking...What have I accomplished in my ever increasing years on earth? Are my pursuits worthwhile? Am I productive? Am I paving the way for my dreams to come true one day? "Like sand through the hourglass...so are the days of my life." The grains of sand are slipping through fast and I don't want to wake up one day with an expired timer and nothing to show and a dirty bathroom! Good, better, best...I just don't know how to decide what's what...let's just hope 24-year olds are better (or best) at "Using Time Wisely."

Where the Road Leads...

Adventure 1


View Larger Map

Destination: Conshocken, PA
Time: 3.5 hours (w/45 minute detour in Delaware)
Distance: 150 miles each way
Reason: A little girl-chat with my elementary school BFF Karly-isn't she cute!?!




















Adventure 2


View Larger Map

Destination: Manchester, CT
Time: 8 hours (mapquest lies...its not 6 hours!)
Distance: 355 miles each way
Reasons:

Shopping and dinner with my mom and her 30 Chinatown purses.



















And watching this cute kid play some ball.

































Lowlight of the trip? Cade's teammate asking him who the "lady" with his mom was...really?!? Lady?!? I'm not old enough to be a lady, am I? (Rhetorical question...please don't respond!)

So Long, Farewell...

My sweet little Tabbi-kins is off on an Asian adventure and I miss her! However, before she skipped town, she finished her DC chapter with lots and lots of adventures-and let me tag along on quite a few of them. Here are some highlights...
NYC Museum Tour

We broke the cardinal rule of Chinatown buses. Do NOT, I repeat do NOT sit next to the potties...eek!

The Fray and Jack's Mannequin Concert at the Merriweather Post Pavilion

Tabbi's Leavin on a Jet Plane Good-bye Party

I love this girl and her zest for life. I love that we know the same people (dating back 15 years...) and the same places. I love her heart of gold. I love all the adventures we've been on together (Duck, NYC 3X, Palmyra/Niagara Falls, Eastern Market, Williamsburg/Richmond, Cherry Blossom Festivals, Scottish Christmas Parades, Drag Queen Races, Rehoboth Beach, Police 5ks, musicals and ballets, Costco Pizza, Sunday dinners, Georgetown Gelato, touring with friends from home/USU, lil fender-benders :), and on and on). And I love that we've helped each other through our growing pains (sometimes its hard being a big girl!) over the last 2 years.


I love my Tabbi and I'm so glad it's not goodbye, just see you later...we're both from Tree town, she can't get rid of me that easily :)

Being better...

I just got off the phone with an "old" friend. We've really only known each other for 3-ish years, but I'm pretty sure our souls have been friends forever! No matter how much time passes between conversations or emails, we're always on the same page...we just "get" each other. And as if having one friend like this isn't blessing enough, I met her along with 3 other girls that I equally adore. We all lived together as interns in DC...discovering a new city, embarking on our "careers" and getting our first taste of the real world. To this day, I count these girls as one of the greatest "tender mercies" that I've been blessed with. These girls are beautiful, smart, talented...way out of my league!

Over the years, I've tried to determine what makes my relationships with Melissa, Allison, Ashlee and Mindy so unique, and I've come to a few conclusions...
They see the best in me. There isn't a competitive, catty bone in any of their bodies. They are some of my best cheerleaders. They're the first to congratulate and cheer when good things happen and the first to comfort and console when life gets rough. No matter how far I might be from the person I should be, they know what I'm capable of and treat me like I'm already there (they epitomize the Goethe quote below). They make me want to be the best Kami I can be...and I hope that I do the same for them.


"Treat a man as he is, he will remain so. Treat a man the way he can be and ought to be, and he will become as he can be and should be." -Goethe

Oh how I love these girls...its been too long since we've all gotten together (and I missed the reunion tour this past weekend) so I just wanted to let them know how much I adore them! I'm one lucky girl to have friends like these...

Hot off the Press...

I'd like to thank the "lady" that leaves her Express newspaper in the bathroom stall at work. I thought only dudes read the paper on the pot...you learn something new everyday!