Lett's See DC (and NY): One Last Hurrah

I brought my Mom back to DC with me after Christmas. We spent a few days gallivanting around the Nation's Capital before a quick trip to the Big Apple. I coaxed Mom into writing up her experience, and what you will get is a six part mini-series of the Mother Fish Out of Water. And let me tell you what, she was out of water! At some point along the series, I'll add my own brief recap of the events – you know two sides to every story. Part six of my Mom's six part mini-series of her trip to Washington, DC and NYC ends with our last day in New York and her last day in DC. What a journey!

Chelsea made plans to meet her opera buddies Sarah, Kari and Sally for brunch Saturday morning at a restaurant not far from our hotel. After showering and re-packing, Sam and Daryl decided to start back home to Connecticut. We parted ways in front of the hotel. Chelsea and I started walking to meet up with her friends. It was very cold and windy. Confetti left from New Year's Eve swirled high amongst the skyscrapers.

We joined Sarah, Kari and Sally. We enjoyed a great meal with great friends. I was made to feel so welcome. Sorry-I can't remember the name of the restaurant (I think it was Pigalle) nor what I ate. We didn't have much time to linger, so after warm good-byes, we headed back out into the cold. We wanted to ride the Staten Island Ferry and had to be back at Penn Station by 4:30 to catch the bus back to DC. On the way to the subway we came upon a street vendor selling scarves. Perfect gifts to take home! It was hard to choose from the variety of colors and patterns. We packed away our purchases and descended to the subway. We rode to the end of Manhattan then walked to the terminal to catch the ferry. It was foggy/misty so the view of the Statue of Liberty was not clear, but still awesome to see. We docked and boarded a different ferry for the ride back to Manhattan. I was given a different perspective approaching the city from the water. We exited the ferry and I bought a couple of magnets and shot glasses to take home (small and lightweight are key deciding factors). We got back on the subway to return to Penn Station. We decided we would only have time to see Macy's on the way back. We exited the subway and walked the few blocks to Macy's. We oohed and ahhed over the decorated windows and went inside to use the facilities. The store was jam-packed. After waiting in line for the restroom we left the store for the bus stop.

What little sun there had been was no longer shining down into the canyons of the city and it was very cold. We arrived at our bus stop only to be informed our bus had been cancelled. We would be first on the bus scheduled an hour later. Cold and knowing it would be hours before we arrived home, we went inside Penn Station to grab a bowl of soup. Our waitress was kind to serve us so quickly. Fortified, we went back out to the bus stop to wait. It arrived; we boarded and were soon on our way back to DC. It was dark so I wasn't able to watch the landscape. As tired as I was, I still wasn't able to sleep. I played my Game Boy off and on, which helped pass the time. We arrived in DC near 10 pm and thankfully Chelsea decided we would take a cab home. We exited the cab at the end of her block and trudged home. It was pretty hard to climb the stairs of the Harry Potter house.

Sunday: My last few hours here. My flight was at 2:40 pm so I needed to be at the airport by 1 pm. Chelsea had planned for us to have crepes in Eastern Market but it was too cold and windy for the vendor to set up. She knew of a restaurant in that neighborhood that served breakfast, so we went there. We gathered my suitcase and backpack and started out on the last leg of my trip.

On our walk to the restaurant, Chelsea asked me to name the "top five" moments of my trip. My answers: 1) The opera and meeting Renee Fleming, 2) spending the week with Chelsea, 3),meeting her East coast "families,” 4) Arlington National Cemetery, and 5) the Botanic Garden. Not an easy task.

We arrived at the Restaurant and ordered. I had a spinach and feta cheese omelet. So good. And then, time to go. On the way to the metro, Chelsea took me by a house that has been turned into a book store. I went in and did a quick walk-through. Oh my gosh-there are books everywhere. It seems chaotic but the owner can tell you where everything is.

Back outside, we headed to the metro to deposit me at Reagan Airport. Chelsea got me checked in and walked with me as far as allowed. We hugged and both started to cry. (That is a lie! I had something in my eye… yeah, that’s the ticket…) I'm now crying as I write this. I miss her so much! Maybe that's why I put off writing this part. I had plenty of time before take-off so purchased shot glasses for Kevin then settled in to wait for my flight. At last it was time to board. I found my seat and got comfortable. I watched the landscape through watery eyes. I cried pretty much all the way to Atlanta.

~ Susan

Lett's see DC (and NY): My Little Town Blues are Melting Away

I brought my Mom back to DC with me after Christmas. We spent a few days gallivanting around the Nation's Capital before a quick trip to the Big Apple. I coaxed Mom into writing up her experience, and what you will get is a six part mini-series of the Mother Fish Out of Water. And let me tell you what, she was out of water! At some point along the series, I'll add my own brief recap of the events – you know two sides to every story. Part five of my Mom's six part mini-series of her trip to Washington, DC and NYC continues with our trip to New York City for speed sightseeing and an opera at the Met. This small town Mom has come a long way!

Ouch! My feet hurt! It didn't seem the blister pads wee doing their job. Rejuvenated by a shower and coffee, I prepared for the primary goal of my visit. The night before, I condensed into my backpack everything presumably necessary for a frenetic sight-seeing trip to New York City with a side of opera at the Met. We ate breakfast, added last night's left-overs and apples to our backpacks, and departed the warm house. Chelsea carried a compact umbrella and entrusted me with the community umbrella. It was very cold but not so bad once we got moving. We rode the Metro to where we would catch a bus for our ride to New York. We settled in, my anticipation growing. I probably should have tried to nap, but who knows if or when I will ever do something like this again? I watched the landscape looking for landmarks and place names I would recognize. It was so cool to see this for myself, to have my own perspective.

Chelsea and I ran through a list of sites to see, trying to prioritize for our time constraints. I knew we wouldn’t be able to see very many places. Top of the list was the Harley Davidson store to obtain the requisite souvenir t-shirt for John. Chelsea located one and upon arriving at Penn Station, we disembarked the bus and located a subway station where we could catch a train to whisk us to said HD shop. Chelsea's proficiency with the subway system and self-confidence put me somewhat at ease, though flashes in my mind of The Out of Towners occasionally gave me pause. We made it to the Harley shop and purchased shirts for John and me (not matching, though).

Needing to refuel and warm up, we found a Starbucks. We got hot drinks to have with the left-over quesadilla and apples. The quesadilla is still yummy. After eating, we shouldered our backpacks and headed back out into the masses of people. It was New Year's Day, for Pete's sake! Why weren't they all at home watching the Rose Parade? A few blocks later, I realized I left the umbrella at Starbucks. Since it was a community umbrella to begin with, it was serving its purpose. The next person to find it would hopefully pass on their good fortune of having been blessed with an umbrella.

We rode the subway back to the Time's Square area. We were to meet Sam (a college roommate of Chelsea's) and her mom, Daryl, there to make our way to our hotel. Chelsea and I wandered around. I liked the Target ads based on the Twelve Days of Christmas. The streets seemed pretty free of trash and confetti from the night before. I can't even imagine being among the crowd that amasses in Time Square for New Year's Eve. I was pretty overwhelmed by the hugeness of it all – the tall buildings, the number of people, and the busy-ness of everything. Sam and Daryl met us after doing some shopping. We walked to the hotel and checked in. We had a few minutes to rest, and then changed for dinner and the opera. My clothes didn't appear too wrinkled after being stuffed in the backpack all day. I wanted to make a good impression on Renee, after all! Biggest challenge? Putting on real shoes with my blisters! Thank goodness they were flats and we didn't have much walking tonight.

We found a little restaurant close to the hotel. I had an open-faced roast beef sandwich with spinach and Boursin cheese. Delicious. Bundled against the cold we walked a block or so to catch a cab to take us to the Metropolitan Opera. We climbed into the cab (not the Cash Cab) and were on our way. Though outwardly calm, I was getting very excited. Never, in all my day-dreaming, have I imagined doing anything like this. I think I need to expand the boundaries of my day-dreams.

Side story-Exactly 50 years ago my mom and her sister took a trip to New York City. They both left young families (5 kids for my mom, 3 kids for my aunt) in the charge of our Dads and various grandparents. Mom and Aunt Patty rode the train from Winslow, AZ to Battle Creek, MI, to meet their cousin Carolyn. They then rode the train to New York for a few days of sight-seeing. My mom's memories of what they saw are pretty vague, but she knows they had a good time. Heck, any amount of time away from that many kids is a good time!

Sam and Chelsea

Daryl and Susan

We arrived at the Met with me in total awe. The building is so beautiful and grand. We went inside and were met with even more splendor. The chandeliers in the expansive lobby were spectacular. It was hard to take it all in. We located our level and were directed to our seats. Chelsea showed me how the streaming translation worked on the back of the seat in front of me. I was nervous about liking the performance. I didn't want to disappoint her. After a few minutes the lights dimmed and a hush settled throughout the theatre. The music started, the curtain rose and we were underway. Though a little distracting to keep looking down at the seat for the translation, I was able to follow the performance with very little trouble.

Quickly, it seemed, Act I ended. I made it through not wanting to run from the theatre with my ears covered. A short intermission and we returned to our seats, ready for Act II. (HAHAHA that’s funny – the Met has never been known for short intermissions, but I suppose the excitement of it all made it seem to Mom that it was a quick intermission.) This portion dragged a little for me, but I didn't fall asleep. Again, I was surprised at how quickly the time passed. Another intermission and we wandered to the gift shop. Chelsea, Sam and I were admiring some ornaments made from chandeliers retired from the opera house. They were made of Swarovski crystals and so, so sparkly. One would make a fabulous addition to any Christmas tree. Sadly, they were definitely out of my price range. Back to our seats and Act III. This portion was quick-paced, funny and bitter-sweet. Before I knew it, the performance was over. Pretty amazing.

Chelsea's friend, Sarah, arranged a back-stage pass for us to meet Renee Fleming after the opera. Thank you, Sarah! We made our way downstairs, through hallways and corridors to finally arrive at the dressing rooms. We joined others waiting in line. Our turn came at last. Chelsea introduced us all. We expressed our appreciation for a stellar performance and she agreed to a picture with us. I was so honored to meet her. She seems most gracious and appreciative of her fans. She has a very powerful voice for such a petite person. I totally enjoyed the performance even though I'm not as passionate about it as Chelsea. It's a very impressive art form and I do appreciate that. We meandered back through the hallways and found our way outside. A short walk and we were able to hail a cab to take us back to the hotel. Rats – still not the Cash Cab. We arrived at our hotel and our previous plans for a nightcap quickly dissolved as exhaustion kicked in. Well, for me anyway. I think the others may have deferred to me. Hey, it was a long day. (I think we were all happy to hit those comfy beds at the Marriott.)

~ Susan

Renee Fleming, Chelsea, Daryl, Susan, Sam
I love how my mom and Renee color coordinated – they’re just cool like that.

Mom's first opera at the Met was Richard Strauss' der Rosenkavalier, an almost five-hour marathon of music, starring Renee Fleming as the Marschalin and Susan Graham as Octavian.

A 26 looks at 40

Forty – doesn’t look so bad surrounded by a group of friends sharing laughter and memories.

Kari G threw herself a birthday bash to commemorate 40 years on this planet. It was a gathering of new friends, childhood buddies and coworkers. I was one of the fortunate few who feasted with Kari at Crispo. Much feasting and beveraging was followed by more beveraging and loads of laughter that lasted until the wee early morning hours at the Regency.

This wasn’t a typical 40th birthday party. No lame Over the Hill jokes or people dressed as old ladies. Kari’s not that kinda gal, especially since she makes 40 look like the new 29. It was just a classy celebration with a woman and her friends. And what a fabulous group of friends she has surrounding her! I’m fairly new to the bunch and only know her New York opera and theatre buddies Sarah, Roxie and Sally. It was such a treat to be invited along to meet her friends from home and school who have shaped her and made her the Kari I know today (could I sound any cheesier???).

Sometimes it’s undiplomatic to choose favorites, but of the new friends I met this weekend, my favorite has got to be Kari’s friend from high school, Kris. She’s a cop (detective) in the Madison, WI area and she is hilarious! When she was first starting out on the beat, she was called to a scene. Being the resourceful and time saving cop that she was, she decided that the quickest way from point A to point B was going right through a volleyball sand pit instead of around it. She rationalized in her head that her vehicle was rear-wheel drive and for crying out loud they do it on Baywatch all the time with no problems!!! So in true Baywatch style, Kris drove her squad car across the sand and was successful…….until she got stuck! But you know they do it on Baywatch all the time.

Anywho, Happy Birthday to Kari! Here’s to 40+ more awesome years surrounded by good times and great friends! Thanks for inviting me along for the celebration.

The Places I Go, The People I Meet

This trip took place April 25-28

After three months away from a place you've lived your whole life, you start missing some things. So after three months in DC, I headed back west to get a dose of western awesomeness. I was on a soccer team in Flagstaff before I moved, and they encouraged me to meet them in Vegas for a soccer tournament. I didn't need much encouraging. It would be prime opportunity to get out of the district, play some quality soccer, hang with some good friends, and meet up w/ my padres.

So off I went on a trip that turned out to be pretty awesome. I met a new friend on the plane. I had a layover in Atlanta, and this girl I was sitting next to had been coming to DC with her company to work for a couple of weeks. She was scheduled to come back a few weeks later, so I gave her my email and told her to let me know when she got back in town.

It was great to see all the Flagstaff girls again. We didn't do so well in the tournament, but it was still a lot of fun, which after all is the most important thing. The team is loaded with a good group of girls, and I was bummed to have left them after finding them just this past summer.

Mom came up to Vegas that afternoon. My wardrobe was desperately lacking in some areas, so we did some power shopping. We met a pretty nice lady in the JC Penny dressing room. She gave some pretty good input on the clothes I picked out and picked up a few things for me to try on even though she was off of work. We chatted a bit, so I’m going to take this opportunity to wish her and her son well.

Father rode the Harley up and met us for dinner. Rather enjoyable I must say. Although, he kept pestering (get it – pest) me about the mouse. Definitely not a rat.

After dinner, mom and I did a bit more shopping and headed over to Barnes and Noble so I could pick up a book for the plane ride home. Standing in line, this lady sparked up a conversation with me. We covered everything from where I worked, what I was doing out here, the presidential election (this always makes me nervous – never know if you’re talking to friend or foe), outgoing personalities, Arbonne, etc.

Apparently this lady was drawn to my outgoing personality and the ease at which I was able to hold a conversation with her. She thought I was the perfect match for reaching out to others with a product that she endorses. I was dead tired, yet managed to discuss all of these things for well over thirty minutes. I gave her my blog address, so if she’s reading, here’s my shout out to you: HELLO! :)

After our losing streak ended with a win on Sunday, madre and I finished up some shopping and she dropped me off at Misty’s house. Misty is a talker. So we talked. For a very long time. And I was tired. But I listened. Because she had a lot to say. And I hadn’t seen her in forever. Misty is such an awesome, energetic person. It was a great opportunity to sit and visit with her. She took me to the airport early Monday morning and I came back to DC.
What I miss about Arizona and the west: the sunsets, good friends, friendly people, open skies, dry heat, cars, family…

I'm going to Boston!

I just purchased two tickets to see Renee Fleming in Eugene Onegin out in Burkeshire. WooHoo!! I'm so excited! So I'm headed up to Boston on August 1st and staying with Megan for the weekend. She's coming with me to see it! I haven't seen her since she moved out East a year ago so this should be good times for sure. And it's Renee Fleming so YAY!

The Final Scene from the Met's 2007 production.

Quantico Revisited

Sam (HS Sam) called me Wednesday night of last week and asked what I was doing over the weekend. “No plans. Just hoping to relax after a crazy weekend in AC.” She was headed to the in-laws with my godson for the weekend, and I said to count me in!

I hopped on the train Friday evening and was in Quantico by 8:00. We had some grub, watched some tv, bathed little David and called it a night. The next day, we went to a little conference thing with Sam’s mother-in-law. When we got back, we cooked dinner, played with the little dude, then played cards till 1:00 in the morning.

Steve, Sam’s father-in-law, cooked us a big breakfast. I packed my stuff up, and Sam took me to the train station. I got home, unpacked my stuff, then went and saw Macbeth. A pretty super awesome weekend, if you ask me.

I love visiting Sam because it’s always a great time to just relax and have a nice, low key weekend. And David is sooooo flippin cute!! He’s crawling now, and he can pull himself up, and with a little help he can walk. I love that kid! Can’t wait to see him (probably walking) in a month.

As soon as a get a picture from Sam of little David, I’ll post it. Yay for godsons and best friends!!!

Office Field Trip

The people I work with are super cool. Not counting the congressman, there are eight people working in the DC office. Minus one, we are all so much fun to hang out with. Since we are so cool, we thought it would be fun to get out of the district and head up to Atlantic City for a weekend of fun times. So we did.

We left Friday at three. Five of us went Friday plus one friend and our leg. director met us the next day. We got our rooms, unloaded some stuff, and grabbed dinner. Then we hit the penny and nickel slots. Hey, on a government salary, we can’t afford to go too big. We were in the Tropicana and wanted to check out the other casinos. We headed out onto the boardwalk and went to Caesar’s and Bally’s. Maybe one of Trump’s but if we did, it wasn’t terribly memorable. Then we went to Chelsea Pub and Hotel. It was thereon referred to as “My Pub.”

I got about five hours of sleep because I needed to be up for the massage I had scheduled at 10:00. It was my first ever, and it was Ah-mazing. I could’ve fallen asleep on the table, but I was too hungry to.

For lunch, we went to a great little pizza joint and hung out on the boardwalk for a while. The guys threw the football around, and one of the guys went in the water. Although the weather was pretty nice, the water was super cold.

Before going down to the casino floor, we headed over to My Pub again for some food. They don’t give discounts to people named Chelsea, but I tried. Back on the casino floor, I played the slots again and a little video poker. But I wasn’t getting enough action, so put on my big girl britches and headed over to the roulette table. I lost a bit before I won big. I reluctantly left the tables with $100 over and cashed in my chips.

The next morning, we peaced out at 11:00. The temp dropped and it was super rainy and overcast. We were glad to be getting out of there. We made it home around 5:30 after a terrible experience at Cracker Barrel, but an amazing weekend in Atlantic City! Office field trips are sooo fun!! Next up is Baltimore for our LD's wedding.

Ch-ch-ch-cherry Blossoms everywhere

Spring in DC means Cherry Blossoms. Cherry Blossoms in DC means tons of festivities. Tons of festivities in DC means unfathomable amounts of tourists.

Two Saturdays ago, Mel and I battled the crowds and headed to the National Mall for the first weekend of Cherry Blossom Festivities: Kite Flying on the National Mall. We were just going to walk around for a few minutes because she had a massage appointment to get to and I had lunch plans with Julie. There were so many kites; it was awesome!!! I did a sudden flash to Mary Poppin's "Let's Go Fly a Kite." I was instantly a 7-year old child again.

We walked around for several minutes gazing at all the super cool kites in the air, on the ground, and in between. We walked past a group of ladies with some pretty hi-tech kites. None of them were in the air. As we walked past, they asked if we could take a picture of them. I of course said yes. As I handed the camera back, one of the ladies asked if I wanted to fly the kite. Ummmm, YEAH!!!! So I grabbed the reigns and put forth my most valiant effort t otry and get that kite in the air. I was succeeded for about 2 minutes. But it wasn't for a lack of trying.

I headed to Dupont to have lunch with Julie. I went to college with her and she's such a fun person to hang out with. It's a shame we go weeks between visits and we probably only live a few miles from each other. She'll be starting a new job with the Capitals (hockey team) in May. That should be good times for her.

Melanie and I headed back to the mall to check out the Cherry Blossoms. They're pretty awesome. I'm probably not as amazed by them as other people, but they are pretty cool to see juxtaposed against all the monuments. We walked all the way to the Jefferson memorial on the other side of the Tidal Basin to get a different view. Oh, and what a view!!!

Rigoletto at the Kennedy Center (3/27)

Torrey knows a friend – I use the word ‘knows’ loosely because he can’t remember who the person is or how he knows them – who works at the Kennedy Center. The friend works specifically for the Washington National Opera as the Manager of External Relations. Once politics is out of my system, it is my dream to utilize my public relations degree and work for an opera company/house doing PR in some shape or form. So this person is already cool in my book. This friend invited him and a guest to an event that was being headlined by a former secretary of Veteran’s Affairs. After that, guests were invited to stick around and watch the dress rehearsal of Verdi’s Rigoletto starring Joseph Calleja. I’m still unsure what the event was for/about and why it was at the Kennedy Center. But I love opera and veterans so I’m not complaining.

We arrive late because Torrey couldn’t get off work, but that gave me some time to switch out of jeans and into more respectable attire so I didn’t complain. We get to the KC and make it up to the event. Torrey’s first question to me is “where is the bar?” He's got his priorities in order. :) We step into the room where the event was taking place and some dude was speaking about the KC and how cool opera is and how these are exciting times. Then, he mentions Placido Domingo. Even if you don’t love opera, you should know who Placido Domingo is. Geeze! He’s one of the three tenors! Come on people! :) So I hear Domingo’s name (he’s the general director of the WNO) and my eyes start darting across the room in search of the famous tenor. Could this be? Him? Here? Is he going to speak? No way! Well, just no. I got my hopes up. But the ex-secretary of the VA got up and spoke.

About fifteen minutes into the speech, Torrey leans in and says, “Gee, I love listening to myself speak as much as anyone else, but this is ridiculous.” We stepped outside so he could smoke a cig and then headed back in to grab a quick cocktail and dinner roll, picked up our tickets, and headed to the opera hall.

This was only my second live opera, the first being Otello at the Met with my fave Renee Fleming, so I was looking forward to the evening. I had heard good things about Rigoletto, but didn’t have time to familiarize myself with the plot or music. But it’s Verdi and I love Verdi who also composed Otello and another favorite La Traviata. The KC opera house was a lot smaller than the Met, but I think it added intimacy and closeness to the performance.

Here’s the gist of the opera as posted on the WNO’s website: “As the libertine Duke of Mantua’s jaded jester, Rigoletto is known for sparing no one his biting and often vicious sarcasm. But when courtiers abduct Rigoletto’s beloved daughter, Gilda, for the Duke’s enjoyment, a curse and misdirected revenge bring tragedy and are Rigoletto’s undoing.” So the courtiers thought that Gilda was Rig’s ‘lady friend’ and not daughter. Rigoletto hired some dude to off the Duke out of revenge. Gilda doesn’t want the Duke to die, so dressed as a man, she takes the place of the Duke and is stabbed and eventually dies in the arms of her dad. Rediculous? Yes. Melodramatic? Of course! Amazingly awesome? You bet!!

The opera was Ah-MAZING! Joseph Calleja is pretty darn hot and sang extremely well as the Duke. Andrea Silverstrelli was the dude hired to kill the Duke. I was totally captivated by this Italian bass. It was a very interesting and unique voice with so much power behind it. I was also pleasantly surprised because I had heard two of the songs and never knew they came from this opera – “Caro Nome” and “La Donna e mobile” (many of you have probably heard La donna e mobile before – google it). The sets were huge, but conveyed well the various locals.

The performance was a dress rehearsal and it was fully staged and the singers were fully costumed. The only major thing that might be different in a dress rehearsal as opposed to the real deal is that some of the singers might choose to cover. This just means that they don’t sing full voiced to save up for the opening night. In some instances, the orchestration might overpower the singer making them a little more difficult to hear. I think I only picked up on this a few times, mostly from the soprano who sang Gilda, and I think Rigoletto and the Duke. But I’m no expert so who really knows?

Well, my second opera experience was most enjoyable. The small crowd, including myself thoroughly enjoyed it. I think Torrey had a good time too. He left the house whistling the tune for La Donna and was mesmerized by the enormity and awesomeness of the stage settings. Maybe I have a convert who can join me at future productions. Handel’s Tamerlano is up next with Placido Domingo.

Tours: the people's house and my work

Michelle and her family were in town for the White House Easter Egg Roll and asked if I could give them a tour of the Capitol on Tuesday (3/25). Of course!!! Anything to break the day up and roam around the coolest Capitol ever! She also scheduled a White House tour for her and her folks and asked if I wanted to come along. Of course!!! It is, after all, the people’s house.

Our tour was scheduled for 10:00 and because of security I just went from my house to the White House bypassing work altogether. Thank goodness we were on recess. I’ve been to the White House several times. Twice for a West Wing tour given by a friend who works in the press office. He was very knowledgeable and had some great stories and info to tell about the WH. So those tours were awesome. Plus we got to see the Oval Office. Don’t tell the secret service, but I accidentally slipped my foot a little past the threshold into the Oval Office – twice. Another time, I went to work with Mel when she was the holiday assistant (pretty much the coolest job ever because you’re working at the WH at Christmas time!!!) I pretty much saved the day for the Hanukah Party (a story for a different time) and after Mel and I worked, we went to the East Wing to see all the Christmas decorations. It was pretty Ah-MAZING!

So this tour that we had scheduled was for the East Wing – minus the Christmas decorations. It was still pretty awesome, but what I missed was a tour guide telling me some cool stories and inside info about what happened in these rooms and a little history about, oh I don’t know, say the color selections. Why red, blue and green? How come not purple, pink and orange? So minus the no tour guide thing, the East Wing is pretty spectacular. If you stand there and think of all the presidents from our country and others who have passed through these halls, you can’t help but be astounded. I was astounded. Seriously think about it. Abe Lincoln lived there. I probably walked were Abe Lincoln once walked. I was standing where Teddy Roosevelt probably once stood thinking about which piece of lands to designate as National Park Land.

About an hour and a half after breathing in about two hundred years worth of American Presidential history, we all headed over to Union Station for a bite to eat. Then it was off to my work. By now it’s 1:30 and Troy and Karen have to leave by 3:00 to get off to their flight back to Arizona. We went downstairs through the elaborate tunnel system connecting Congress to the House and Senate office buildings and the Library of Congress. Tons of other people were in town, so there was quite a line to get into the Capitol.

We finally made it through and headed to the Crypt to see where Washington was first interred before being moved to Mt. Vernon. Next, we quickly dashed to the House Floor so Karen and Troy could see that before they had to leave. After we said goodbye to the two, we resumed with the rest of the tour. I’ve only given a tour to Sam and Steve before so my knowledge about the various paintings and frescos is quite unpolished. Luckily, Michelle’s family was pretty content with just taking in the enormity and awesomeness of it all.
By the time we finished up with the tour there was only about an hour left until quitting time. I checked emails and shuffled through some papers before calling it a day. And then I met Michelle and her folks for dinner at Bullfeathers around 7:30. Hanging with pals at the White House and Capitol – not a bad day at all!

Sin City?

Nope, Atlantic City baby!!!

Everyone in the office is headed to the shores of AC for a weekend of fun, gambling, but unfortunately no beach time (a bit too cold for that) but I heard a whiffle ball tournament is in the mix. I, myself, have scheduled a Svedish massage! Ahh, the luxury. So I'm out for the weekend and won't be posting to the blog. Still have a week to get caught up on so tune in next Monday when everything should be up to speed. Oh, and send me good luck vibes. Big winner baby!!!

Story of my life

Apparently I was not meant to be best friends with Laura Bush. My chances of meeting her are slowly fading away, and my one sure fire chance vanished right before my sleeping eyes.

Michelle was in town to work on the White House Easter Egg role. She got me waived through. I wanted to be there by 9:00. As luck would have it, my alarm didn't go off and I didn't wake up until….you guessed it….9:00. I check my blackberry and have several emails from Michelle and Mel, "Where are you?" "When are you getting here?" "The President and First Lady are here." Of flipping course! There was no chance of making it over in time to even get a glimpse of the First Couple, so I got in the shower and tried to get over before I missed anything else. I made it by 10:00. Not only did I miss the first couple, but my camera is a piece of crap and drains the batteries the instant you put them in. Luckily, I was able to borrow a camera, otherwise this whole Easter experience would just be a memory with no visuals.

Michelle hooked me up with an early lunch from the staffers tent, which was very welcomed since I skipped breakfast in my haste. I met up with Troy and Karen on their way down to the Ellipse. Michelle's dad is a magician in his spare time and he's so awesome that he got to perform at this year's Egg Roll. We watched his show and he's quite good! We strolled back up to the South Lawn since Norm had another show to do. It was pretty much a repeat of the first show, but he's still good! Torrey got there around this time so I strolled around the White House lawn with him for a few minutes before he headed off to work. I stuck around for a bit longer since I didn’t have anywhere to go so I walked around the White House lawn for a few more minutes because I was there and I could. Plus, when else I’m I going to be able to freely meander across the WH lawn? Probably not for a while.

So who else did I miss? My favorite Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, football star Troy Aikman, tons of cool Sesame Street Muppets, the Jonas Brothers (a travesty for missing them, I know), and a slew of other WH officials plus I think the first dogs were out there. That’s alright. It was cool to go anyways!

I met up with Michelle’s parents, Troy and Karen at 4:00 to go to the top of the Washington Monument. Never done that before so it was way awesome! The view from the top is Ah-MAZING!!! Afterwards, we met up with Michelle, and we all went to Old Ebbitts for dinner. It was very good. They have the best peanut butter pie ever! We hung out in the bar for a few minutes afterwards and then parted ways.

Good times were had by all this Easter Monday. There’s still 9 more months to try and become best friends with Laura Bush. We shall see….

A double dose of Jesus

There aren't many people who I'll get out of bed for before six o'clock. Jesus is one of the few.

We decided that sunrise services on the Lincoln Memorial would be pretty awesome, so despite the ghastly hour, the roommates plus two stumbled out of the apartment at 5:30 to claim our seats at the feet of Lincoln. We were pretty early, but it was amazing how many people came for the event. The choir was amazing, the service was great, and the view was spectacular. Totally worth getting out of bed at 5:00 for. I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

The roomies plus two: Trey, Mel, Laura, Me, Tara, Sarah

Pretty much Ah-MAZING

We came home, made pancakes and chilled the rest of the day. Mel, Trey and I went to the National Cathedral around 5:00 for their Easter Services. The choir was seriously heaven on earth – literally brought tears to my eyes. The service was a bit liturgical for my tastes, but I certainly appreciated the tradition and awesomeness of what was being presented.

Quite a long day, but a double dose of Jesus is well worth it! Mel and I had planned on dying eggs, but we only got as far as boiling them. Maybe next year or some random day when we have egg-stra eggs. (haha I made a pun!)

Visitors Galore

When people come to visit, they come to stay…with us. One roommate had a friend in town for a conference for a whole week leading up to Easter. Mel's buddy Trey, whom I bonded with over a DC United game last summer, came into town on Thursday and was staying through Monday. The house was full! Plus, Michelle and her fam, and Troy and his g-ma were coming in from AZ for a weekend of Easter festivities (they weren't staying with us!) With lots of people comes lots of good times! (Please note that there is a Trey and a Troy in this story so try to keep up.)

After Mel and Trey got back from dinner on Thursday, someone had the bright idea of walking the monuments at night, in the cold and the wind. So we (Mel, Trey, Tara, and I) bundled up and took the metro to the Smithsonian stop and walked the rest of the way. It was actually pretty awesome and I'd never seen the monuments at night. We walked all the way to the Lincoln singing patriotic songs because we're cool and we can. We talked about maybe one day streaking through a national monument area, but most of the time we're all talk and no action.

Torrey had organized a dinner Friday evening for Michelle, Troy, Karen (the g-ma), and me at this steak place which was featured in the Devil Wear's Prada. It took several brainstorms to settle on this place as our dinner local. Torrey wanted to take us all to a Mexican restaurant. Now I'm sure there are Mexicans living in DC making good Mexican food, but you don't come from Arizona to DC for the Mexican food. That's just dumb! It's as if I was going to North Dakota for the lobster. You just don't do that. So we finally all agreed on this place. I had the prime rib, and it was excellent! We wined and dined and eventually strolled back to the Mayflower hotel where Michelle and Troy were staying. For anyone keeping track, that's the hotel where NY Gov. Spitzer had his rendevouzs that got him in a lot of trouble. Torrey broke off and headed to Dupont. The rest of us just hung out in the hotel bar for awhile shooting the breeze. I eventually left and closed the books on another fine Friday in our great nation.

But I opened the books on a new and superb Saturday. Mel and Trey wanted to go to Annapolis and invited all the roomies to come along. All the roommates wanted to go, but indecisiveness and homework widdled them away leaving the three of us bound for a mini road trip to Maryland.

Our first stop was the state capitol building. It was pretty old and pretty awesome. There's a George Washington life size figurine that apparently spoke at one time, but GW was mute on our visit. But that didn't stop me from getting my pic with our first president. From the state capitol, we ventured on over to the Naval Academy, but we stopped into a little art shop en route. They had the coolest set painting ever. One was a picture of Republican presidents (Abe, Teddy, GWB, GWHB, the Gipper, etc) sitting around playing poker. The other was the same of Democrat presidents (Bill, JFK, FDR, Jackson, Carter, maybe LBJ). Melanie and I were both serious about purchasing them, but they were kind of pricy. We told the shop owner that we were in town for the day and might stop back in on our way through town. If I didn't have so many opera's looming in the future, I might've purchased the painting...maybe even the set. I guess that's the true bipartisan in me. :)

So the Naval Academy was cool. We went into the campus cathedral and it was pretty awesome. The view of the harbor was phenomenal, especially with all the sail boats out and about on the overcast day. We strolled up one of the streets and stopped off to get some icecream and then headed up to this famous historical house that is known for it's huge garden. It was big. And there was a stream that flowed through it. It would be cool to have an evening party there. We headed back down towards the harbor and popped into a restaurant for a late lunch. After lunch we headed back to the car and drove home to the district. We watched Music and Lyrics, probably one of the greatest movies ever! and then headed to bed. Not bad for a spur of the moment road trip!

A night on the town

This event took place March 14th.

Torrey knows a guy who works for a cancer foundation. His company was having a dinner gala thing and invited us to come along. Torrey and I went back and forth on if we'd go. We decided not to, but Tor's friend called and said he'd be disappointed if we didn't go. So we went. I asked Tor what I should wear. He said black tie in DC means whatever you wore to work. Okay Torrey…

Torrey decided to rent a tux and at this point, I'm freaking out because I have two days to find an acceptable dress. Mel to the rescue! I emailed her and asked if she had a dress I could borrow. I tore through her closet and pulled out all her fancy dresses. Luck was on my side because the first dress fit perfectly. It was a black halter with beading under the bust line. So what I thought was going to take hours only took 30 minutes. So I met Torrey at the Sewall-Belmont house for a pre-St. Patrick's day event. Free food and Guinness! Heck yeah!

I met Torrey and his friend's boyfriend at the National Building Museum – a gorgeous and ginormous building. We went in and thank goodness I didn't listen to Torrey about his black tie theory because the ladies brought out their finest. We mingled for several minutes, sipped champagne, munched on exotic hors d'oeuvres, and gossiped about people.

It was time to be seated for dinner. Turkey was the host country for the event, so the décor was Ah-MAZING! Deep reds and gold with lavish table settings and tents. It was beautiful! We had a pretty decent table with the head of wine and spirits. The only problem, our table didn't exist. So they set us at the "kiddy table" in the very back corner. I think we had more fun that way and there was a girl there that I had met through the national College Republicans 3 years ago. Small world. Dinner was interesting. I ate crab and lamb – two things I normally don't eat.

After dinner, Paul, the friend's bf asked if I wanted to dance. I prefaced the acceptance with a disclaimer about my dancing skills. They're non-existent. I eventually got Torrey on the dance floor and we twirled around for a few songs. It was soooo much fun. I think the glasses of champagne with dinner helped to loosen me up a bit.

Afterwards, the boys wanted to go to Dupont, so I hung around for a drink. I got the ultimate compliment when I gay guy said I looked "fabulous," even though the guy carding us at the door said we looked like we just came from the prom. Whatevs. I popped myself in a cab and headed home.

I'm glad we decided to go because it turned out to be a great evening. Good food (kinda weird though) good friends, and good times.

Torrey, me, and Paul in our "Prom" attire.

Hoo-Rah!!!

I’ve wanted to hang out with Sam (high school Sam) since I got to DC. She lives in Virginia Beach, which is 4 hours and $100 away, which isn’t bad, but timing is definitely everything. I was hoping to get out there my first week here before I started work, but it just didn’t work out. So when Sam called and said that her, Steve and my godson were headed to Quantico to visit the in-laws, I said count me in.

Quantico is pretty much the USMC stomping grounds out here and only 45 minutes from DC. A lot more doable than the 4 hours to VA Beach. So, two weekends ago I went. We didn’t have much planned, but I rarely get a chance to just chill out with Sam, so a low-key weekend was welcomed.

First of all, little David is soooooo freaking cute. Obviously I’m a little biased because he’s my godson, but he is really cute. He’ll be a year at the end of June and the little kid is already pulling himself up in a standing position and Sam said he actually started to try and crawl the other day. The little bugger is definitely going to be a handful, but he’s such a character. I love him!

Saturday, Sam, Steve, and I left little baby David with grandpa and went to the USMC museum. It was pretty sweet. I’m not a museum person because I need hands on/interaction type stuff to hold my interest. I can’t just walk around and stare at stuff. Weird, I know. But this museum kept me enthralled and was very well done. I approve.

This part is crazy. I went grocery shopping with Sam and Steve and it was ridiculous how much food they got, but to be fair, they stocked up for four people, a baby, and a dog. It was Cuh-RAZY! I think one of the carts (1 of 2) was dedicated to baby supplies alone. So note to all you thinking about having kids, make sure you can afford all those diapers and have room to put them all.

Sunday we went to my homestead and walked the mall. I hadn’t ever really been to the Washington Monument before, a travesty I know, and it’s been over a year since I’ve seen the other memorials up close so it was cool to do that. Sam and Steve came to my office on Monday and I took them on a tour of the Capitol. I felt so bad because they were my guinea pig tourists. I didn’t have my facts memorized so I had to shuffle through papers, and I couldn’t remember all the cool stuff that I had been told. But I did get to take them into the House gallery, and we watched as the lady called the House into session just to call recess until 2:00. Sigh….gotta love congress…

I hope Sam and Steve enjoyed themselves. I really was glad to be able to spend time with them. And I’m so appreciative to Steve’s folks for making me feel at home. I really wish I was better about sending out thank you notes. What’s that saying that starts “The best of intention are wrought with…” and then I forget the rest. So maybe the best of intentions are just wrought. Well, whatever. Sam and Steve are welcome to come back whenever and I’ll try and redeem my tour guide skills. I’ll be tested again on Tuesday when I give a tour to Michelle and her folks. Soooo not prepared…..but shhhh.

Side note on the whole USMC thing, I kept my eye open, but most of the guys seemed to be paired off or sporting a ring, but I was looking.

Busy, Busy, Busy

So it's been super busy at work. And after 8+ hours sitting in front of a computer, I haven't wanted to come home and sit in front of a computer to blog about everything. Appropriations are due by the end of this week, so I don't know how much time I'll actually have to catch up on stuff I want to post on the blog. But we have a two week recess coming up so there will be plenty of time to get caught up if I can't this week.

Here's an overview of what you have to look forward to: Awesome meetings with tons of constituents, a visit with the President and Vice President (for reals!), the long awaited picture with super Ah-MAZING soprano Renee Fleming (did I mention Ah-MAZING?!), hanging with the office peeps and a planned trip to Atlantic City, a weekend in Quantico with Sam (high school Sam, not Connecticut Sam) and the god-son, my first stint as a Capitol Tour Guide, and various observations or musings that come to mind as I see fit.

So sit tight, more to come for sure!

A Questionable Weekend

After the emotional high of the opera, I planned to spend the rest of my weekend hanging out and relaxing with Sam. The summer of ’06 was the last time we wreaked havoc on a town together, so we had a lot of catching up to do.

Sam has been bitten by the bird-watching bug, and while we were waiting for our train, she was telling me about the cool birds that she’s seen in her area. She asked if I had ever seen an eagle, and when I said no, she decided to take me to see one. So her dad, Frank, and sister, Emma, came along with us. We saw two on an island across the marina. There were also a bunch of seagulls and some geese swimming in the icy waters. One goose was missing his right wing. I don’t think it flies very much these days.

After our bird watching expedition, we went to a pub for some lunch. Our plans for the evening were to hang out with Sam’s brother, Eric, and his friend Tom, and some other friends at a local margarita joint. Eric and Tom are two funny dudes, and when you put them together, your stomach muscles get the optimal work out from laughing so much. Such was the case that Saturday evening. There’s no way I’d even be able to recreate the hilarity of the evening. The comments were so random and off the cuff. Poop jokes are not uncommon from Eric and Tom. We reminisced about the summer of ’06 when they were all in Arizona. Tom mentioned a questionable wipe (I’ll let you make the connection.) Then I said, “You had me at questionable.” Obviously, it’s one of those ‘you had to be there’ moments, but we were all laughing. The weekend was thence referred to as the Questionable Weekend. After one too many margaritas and a whole lotta laughs, we headed home and crashed.

The next morning I woke up and went to church with Daryl and Emma. Sam had just woken up when we were about to leave, so she stayed behind. Church was a very moving experience, and Daryl and I bonded over the amazing recovery Sam has made. We all had a little lunch, played a little Cranium, and just had an all-around good ol time.

My train was scheduled to leave New Haven at 7, but it was on a 2 ½ hour delay, so I didn’t make it home until about 3:15 am. It was a perfect opportunity to reflect on how awesome the weekend actually was. It’s a week later that I’m writing this, and I still can’t believe that I saw Renee Fleming perform and met her backstage. I find that I’m trying to remember everything and how it unfolded in order to convince myself that it did actually happen. Maybe when I get the picture from Sam, it will sink in a little more.
Hanging out with Sam made me realize how great a friend she is and how much fun we always have. Since I’m on this side of the country, I’m hoping we’ll get to kick it together a lot more frequently. Definitely a weekend for the books!

Getting There Part 1 of 2

Thursday
(I wrote this on the train so the tense in this post reflects the action as it happened.)

This was a big weekend for me. I had purchased the opera tickets before I even secured my plane tickets to move out to DC. When I found out I was moving, I made up my mind that I was going to see Renee Fleming come hell or high water, regardless of the cost, and even if I had to go it alone. I called up my friend Sam (she was a roommate my sophomore year and a maker of good times) to tell her I was moving and planning a trip to New York. I told her my plans and said I was going to the opera regardless and if she wanted to join me that would be awesome. She said yes so I purchased two tickets in the Orchestra section, row X, seats 26 and 28. Pretty decent, I think. When I got to my new home in DC, the tickets were already waiting for me. Those people at the Met clearly don’t mess around.

This was all back in January, so it’s pretty much been the waiting game since. But the time has come. I spent last Monday schlepping through the mall to find something to wear. I nixed the idea of a dress. For starters, I wanted to be comfortable, and secondly, Lord only knows what the weather is going to be like. I don’t want to freeze my cheeks off and be miserable. So I found some fancy duds, found some pretty shoes, and I should be able to clean up pretty nicely.

I purchased my train ticket last week. I went back and forth on this. Didn’t know if I should go to Sam’s in CN first the night before or meet her in NY on Friday. I finally decided to go Thursday night and come back home on Sunday night. When I first started thinking out the travel itinerary, it was beginning to look like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, but I settled for just the train.

As February 22nd approached, the anticipation was just eating away at me and this last week was so hard to get through. First of all, Renee Fleming is AWESOME! But I hadn’t seen Sam since the summer of ’06 so I’m pretty jazzed to spend the whole weekend with her.

Now I’m on the train – a five hour trek from DC to New Haven. I clearly was not paying attention when I chose my windowless seat. I’ve been on trains five times: four were on the Grand Canyon train from Williams and one was a twenty minute commuter train to the airport in Baltimore. So far, this has been a pleasant experience. No major turbulence. It does seem pretty safe and a lot less terrifying than a plane if you have issues with flying (I don’t). Really, when was the last time you’ve seen a train fall from the sky? My point exactly. The train is definitely not what I expected. I had pictured the individual rooms with beds that pull down, tiny bathrooms, and a crowded diner cart ala North by Northwest or Murder on the Orient Express.

I’m really looking forward to the opera tomorrow. It’s Verdi’s Otello, and from my understanding, it was either the last or second to last opera he wrote. It’s a pretty hefty opera in terms of what is demanded from the singers, and I won’t even pretend that I know what I’m talking about, but consider this: Placido Domingo has owned the roll of Otello for 20 years. Other tenors have tried but come up short to the standards set by Domingo. There’s mixed reviews for Johan Botha, and since I’m not musically trained, it probably won’t take much to impress me.

Now Renee Fleming, on the other hand, is a whole nother story. The last time she sang Desdemona at the Met was thirteen years ago and she sang the role just a few weeks after giving birth – a pretty remarkable fete in and of itself, but she totally rocked that performance, which makes it even that much more amazing. The critics are commenting on all the technical aspects relating to where her voice is and have just said that this role is well suited for the voice she’s bringing to the table these days. She’s in her prime, not only singing, but also acting phenomenally.

There is just something enchanting about Renee Fleming’s voice, almost heaven-like. There’s such a depth and feeling to her sound. I’ve listened to other accomplished singers, but hers is the one voice that completely appeals to me.

I think I’ve chosen a good opera with exceptional talent for my first operatic experience. Plus, it’s at the Met – the opera house of all opera houses. I cannot even convey in any knowable way how excited I am for this. I’ve checked my purse a million times to verify that I did in fact put the tickets in there. My worst fear was leaving the tickets behind while I take off on a train for Connecticut. But I do have them. I just checked to make sure.

So a five-hour train drive – I’ve got plenty of time to just babble on. There’s this lady that got on the train in DC and the first question she asked was, “When do we get to a point when I can smoke?” Amazing! She must have been jonesing for a cig pretty bad because she was the first person off the train when we got to New York.

I should be to New Haven soon and I can’t wait to see Sam. This should be good times for sure!