Finally!!

Finally a day to see the National Mall and to be with Miss Ally! Today was her day off from IV's Urban Plunge Summer Project in DC, so we had ourselves a nice little dinner date in Georgetown and drove to Bethesda for a quick tour of my neck of the woods. On my way to return her to her apt, giddiness set in because I realized we'd pass the Lincoln Memorial again! Ally suggested we should just park and run across the street real quick. I mean, why not? Free, spontaneous, and historical-- three of my favorite adjectives for nouns :) It was confirmed, the freedom footsteps are happening....

Le Pain Quotidien!

We weren't the only other people out at 11pm, Mom!

Loved being here! I am a history nerd. And I can't wait to someday be there for a sunrise! 

View of the Kennedy Center

Fountain on the river in Georgetown 

I'm sure people will enjoy shaking their head at me because of what else I'm about to share. So, after driving Ally home, I'm pretty sure that I was in the car for another hour. Why, you ask, did it take me an extra 40 minutes to get home? Because I missed some turns and figured I'd just keep driving til I got it figured out. We're talking, I drove all the way from Alexandria to Silver Spring, MD, passing the National Mall on my left and everything else in between, including the PR firm I visited. I got confused in a traffic circle and figured some road or sign would lead me to another I was familiar with. Hence, I followed an I-495 arrow sign through all of DC until I finally reached the Beltway. My question--why on earth would you put a sign up for any interstate about 10 miles before any exit to it? People are led astray!! 

I'm just thankful I had some reflective introvert time, about 3/4 tank of gas and a phone that was able to stay on 10% battery life for more than an hour! (Even though my GPS wasn't helpful) I actually enjoyed the scenic route; it was an unplanned joyride that was well worth the gas. And any time of driving would be worth seeing Ally! What an amazing girl seeking the Lord. I am joyous to have seen her transform over the past few years and I am blessed by her servanthood! Pray for her inner city ministry for the rest of the summer in DC!

That's all for now...first time doing P90X in the morning. EEK!

flowers in your hair

So, I'm a little bit into this song right now. The Lumineers are delightful, and you should listen. Randomness continues with updates from the past few days...

Thursday night, we adventured to Ri Ras, an Irish pub in Bethesda and enjoyed some Irish lemonade and good times with an assortment of new friends! 

Did I mention the fact my keys are missing meant we attempted to walk there? #laugh #notsorryforhashtagging

Love the girl, love the flowers!

And last night for Karen's birthday dinner, we hit up the Burger Joint in downtown Bethesda which apparently was on DDD (Drivers, Drive-ins, and Dives on FN). It was sure trendy and eclectic enough! I took full advantage of the opportunity to splurge on one of the best turkey burgers I've ever had! No picture of burger...too hungry and too ashamed to Instagram. 

However, I wasn't ashamed to Instagram this forwarded pic of my brother and sister-in-law's new puppy, Ike! Cue the "awwwww!"

Kristin, I hope you don't mind me sharing :) He's just too cute and I can't wait to meet him when I visit Oklahoma!

Anyways, this among other random things is what I've been up to on my day off:

Linds and I grilled some veggies, potatoes, and last but not least--PEACHES!--for a late lunch today. They were absolutely delectable, especially with the brown sugar caramelization! Just slice em up like this, sprinkle on a bit of brown sugar, and grill each side for a few minutes! 

So, this upcoming week is quite busy! The high school staff and about 50 students/support staff rode off into this rainy morning on their biannual 5-day bike trip to Nags Head! What a youth event. That being said, so many staff will be out of the office and out of my daily life this week! The rest of us face the temptation to be oh so lonely. I'm thankful, however, for my job and the friends that are still here! The church may feel empty but I will be buzzing around meeting with girls and prepping for a book club Monday, high school girls Bible study Tuesday, and college girls Bible study Wednesday. 

That's all the randomness for today. Please continue to pray for my future job opportunities and place to live! I look forward to updating y'all ;)

"My son, if you receive my words

    and treasure up my commandments with you,
² making your ear attentive to wisdom
    and inclining your heart to understanding;
³ yes, if you call out for insight
    and raise your voice for understanding,
⁴ if you seek it like silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasures,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding..." Proverbs 2:1-6"

anticipation.

We meet again, blogosphere!

The past week has been filled with much fun and much practicality. I'm excited to share :)

First, my old iPhone 3Gs is finally dunzo. It lasted a while and was good to me. Yet three days ago I made my first big girl purchase!


Moving on to more exciting things, we had the Fourth off, so I went to Jen's lake lot in Shanksville, PA with some staff! Her family was so hospitable and gracious, and the town was just as small as she described. Unless you're from Shanksville, you've probably only heard of it because it is the place where United 93 crashed on Sept 11th. Even though we didn't visit the memorial, it was a sobering just to be minutes from that field. Best decision ever though, during our three-car caravan road trip we used walkie talkies! Trip highlights: hanging out with a great mix of staff, enjoying my new suit from JCrew, cooking over the fire, jet skiing, laying out on the fun station aka water trampoline, and meeting Jen's sweet family!

In Shanksville, they shuck lots of corn... 

...We later popped some kernels over the fire, cauldron style!

The whole group :) 

Devan, Jen & I!

Cooking over the fire! 

Dun dun dun...update ahead! There's an increasing chance that I'll be in the D.C. area after my internship at 4th is over! I want to ask for your prayers, but right now I'm only going to say that I'm praying, writing cover letters and updating my resume. I also have a potential place to live! Please pray for doors to keep opening if this is where I am supposed to be! I'm also still trying to discern my inclinations towards college ministry, so prayers for wisdom would be oh so helpful :)

Speaking of my college ministry, this summer is going so well. I can't believe it's been more than a month! I love being able to look back and reflect on what only time can reveal. During a "typical week" (if there is such a thing!) there are meetings, plans, and administrative tasks, but the most important thing I do is spend time with my girls. Of course I have loved the planned one-on-one dates, but I also have been blessed by several unexpected, spontaneous times with them. It's those times where God especially me of the amazing privilege it is to be used by Him...

I would be lying if I said I wasn't experiencing any of life's challenges, but I'm amazed at how God's Word graces me at just the right time. Sometimes it actually does feel really graceful and other times it feels harsh, but I know God is loving when I feel both ways. My friends, roommates, and church have provided accountability and encouragement for me whether I know I need it or not. Bottom line, I'm so thankful that I'm here and can't wait for what's to come :)

powerless.

So, two thirds of Montgomery Co is without power aka 210,000 people. This isn't including DC and the Northern VA area. We've technically been without power for about 36 hours and it'll be awhile before we have it again.  Jen and I woke up early yesterday because our house is a sauna sans AC and decided to venture to Starbucks.  The line was 40 people out the door.  The line of cars into McDonalds was probably 20 cars on River Road.  So, we drove a little further into DC and waited at a Starbucks there, but all of the street lights were out. I've seen four cars smashed. (I couldn't take any pics because my phone was dead.) One of them belonged to our associate pastor, who said there was no power in the church either.  Even the generators were n

Despite being powerless, yesterday was probably the most fun so far...because we have found a sanctuary! Ann Katherine is housesitting on one of the few streets that actually has electricity and AC, so we've been here for the last day and evening! A lot of summer staff has come over because they don't have power either. Yesterday I made cookies and we watched Finding Nemo, had Chinese together for dinner, played some board games, and then we went to the 8am service at church this morning. The church finally got power last night, so all of the services were on.  All in all, such good times with good people.

Here are some pics from the past week:

Girls' picnic on Tuesday at the National Cathedral in DC!

...with WHOLE FOODS! delish or delish? 

With Alexa, Linds, & Kristen at Wolftrap for Brandi Carlile & The Lumineers! 

Nice view on the lawn :) 

Great venue, great live music! 

Hostess preparing for college staff dinner! 

Look at that fine spread!

Banana shakes, compliments of Wesley Johnson the pianist.

And then the power went out...

I promise I am working up here. There will be a more work-related post coming soon, don't worry :)