It's Awards Day.

I won! Well, kind of. Sarah over at [ad-ven-cher] notified me that she had nominated me for the "One Lovely Blog Award" (thanks for the shout out, Sarah!)

It looks like this:

Now, this is more or less like those "participation" ribbons that you get to say, thanks for playing! here's something to shove in the back of your closet and throw away when you're 25, however, it does mean something in that it is a way for bloggers to say hey! you! I've been reading your blog and I like it, and I think other people who read my blog will like it too.

The "rules" are apparently as follows

1. Follow the person who nominated you.

2. Link back to the person who gave you this award.

3. Pass along to new bloggers & let them know they won.

So it's a nice way to spread awareness of your blog and others you enjoy. I will thus award this pink and gray jpg to:

Teri at Life, Liberty and Wine.

Samantha at 3-Oh-1 Grace St.

Nilda at Laughter, Love and Necklaces.

and finally,

Shay at my confidence and me.

All of whom I've enjoyed recently. Go forth and read.



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Grati-Tuesday.

1. Public transportation. Relatively cheap, better for the environment than driving, and I can catch some extra zzzs on the morning train ride (sometimes. If people aren't noisy).

2. Learning that you have enough stuff. The more I focus on making the best use of the material goods I already own, the freer I am to spend my energy, time and money acquiring experiences, relationships and happiness instead of things.

Via.

That being said, I am also grateful for...

3. This maxi skirt. It's super comfortable, cool enough for the humid summer and work appropriate. Also I had a gift card to the Loft and so I got it for free! (Actually, I made money off of it because it cost less than the gift card balance and they gave me the difference in cash. I didn't know anyone still did that!)

4. Books. Hardback, paperback, electronic, audio, I love them all. If you give me a good book, I will devour it. It would probably behoove me to learn how to take my time and savor it so that they last longer but dagnabit, I have to know how it ends!

5. Maxwell House International Coffee. The coffee in the pot at work seems to be too acidic for my oh-so-delicate stomach, but I found the solution: powdered coffee. I don't know why I didn't think about it before, as my mother drinks it every day and has done so for as long as I can remember. I'm back to looking forward to getting to work in the morning so I can have my cup of coffee (which is good, since I need some reason to get out of bed in the morning).



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In which I lick salt off of my hand.

This weekend I got to see some of my favorite women, three of my best friends from high school. Well, I suppose we actually met in middle school, but that's beside the point. The point is that two of them have moved out of state, and we've come a long way from the time when we saw each other 6 out of 7 days in the week. Now we're lucky to catch up in person once a year. This weekend the stars aligned and we went out for dinner and drinks at a local bar.



I love this detail. B asked if I was wearing my shirt backwards. Hint-I'm not.

My gorgeous friends, seen here:

Convinced me to try a "Chocolate-Covered Pretzel" shot. It came in a giant, non-shot glass with a salted rim, but I was informed that it would be better to wet my hand, put table salt on it, lick it, and then take the shot, like so:

My camera doesn't function well indoors, ok?

It was about as palatable as any shot is (I have no idea what was in it...something about amaretto and whipped vodka?), but I did NOT taste "chocolate-covered pretzel". Sorry. My one friend actually liked the taste so much she sipped it instead of taking it in one gulp as is traditional.

But the best part of the night was being with people who make me laugh until my stomach hurts, give me frank and honest advice and opinions, and seeing B with my high school friends and watching the past, present and future people in my life come seamlessly together. Also I had a kick-ass pulled pork sandwich.



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Today my job feels cool.

I follow "National Museum of American History, Smithsonian" on Pinterest. Today, they pinned this:

Via. "Today in 1861, Union Gen. George B. McClellan, designer of this saddle, is put in command of the Army of the Potomac."

This is cool for two reasons. 1) I've touched this and 2) from where I was sitting when I saw the pin appear on Pinterest, I could look to my left and see the actual object pictured (and I was all, what up, McClellan saddle?).  Nearby is General George Armstrong Custer's laundry hamper, which is one of my favorite pieces, as it speaks to the everyday realities of the life of a man who became so infamous. So, for today at least, in between the occasional tedium, my job feels pretty cool.

Via. Custer's hamper!



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It's Friday, I...can't decide how I feel about the Olympics.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Olympics. (With the exception of a certain phenomenally famous swimmer who shall remain nameless who played an instrumental role in the closing of my ice rink. I have a hate/hate relationship with him and if I ever see him I hope I have the courage to punch him in his smarmy face).

But I digress. The Olympics alternatively makes me feel motivated to get out and work and then like crap because I know I don't have the discipline or work ethic to even get close to competent in any of those sports. So I will likely tune in, and then flip to Bridezillas or Beverly Hills Nannies or something that makes me feel good about myself in comparison. You know, like any person with self esteem would do.

And when I am feeling bad about myself because I am not an Olympian (and obviously I recognize that not many of us are and I'm not expected to be. Am I making myself sound crazy in this post? Probably), I will remember this:

Via

Let us not compare ourselves to Olympians, but be happy for them and remember our own personal talents. Not that mine are going to win me any gold medals, but they're perfectly sufficient.

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Question for the movie industry.

Why are movie commercials now announcing that they will be playing in "3D and 2D" theaters? Aren't all non-3D theaters 2D? Those would just be called...theaters. 3D you can single out as special, yes. 2D, no.

Also I got a lovely striped sweater! So cozy. Here at work we call such things a "wubbie". Meaning we're more or less using it for comfort as you would a blankie or stuffed animal. And I do do that. And I'm not ashamed of it. (This from a girl who didn't put her blankies away until middle school...I still have them but they're mildewing. B has also been known to find me in bed with a Care Bear if I'm sad).



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24 in 24

Sooo some of the bloggers that I've been following in this new blog adventure are doing a link up hosted by Erin of Living in Yellow in which you take your age (for me that would be 24.  In a few months I turn the big 2-5. Which seems like some sort of milestone except that I'm not sure what I have to show for it so...) and list something you want to do within the year for every year of your age.

Her entry? Twenty Six in Twenty Six

1. Go back to Disney World with my parents.

Aren't they adorable?

2. Get engaged to my B! (and married? We'll see. Don't worry, B knows this already).

3. Move up in my career (a girl can dream, right?)

4. Move to a new apartment. Preferably in a nicer neighborhood. By nicer I mean without trains and neighbors whom evidence suggests may be utilizing some sort of illegal substance.

5. Participate in a "fun" race such as Warrior Dash or Color Run. Disney also has races! (Hint hint family. I actually think it would be really fun to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon. Or the 5K, as that seems a bit ambitious.)

Via. How cool would it be to run with B in princess and prince costumes? I don't really think he'd go for it though.

Via. I'm really more of a Snow White girl anyway.

6. Turn my master's thesis into an article for publication. This seems like a lot of work and I thought I left that behind in grad school so we'll see.

7. Bake and eat a delicious pastry type dessert from scratch, with real ingredients (no non-fat this or that), and not feel guilty about it.

8. Stop eating candy from the ever plentiful candy jar at work. (Co-workers! You're ruining my figure. But I do love the Peanut Butter Snickers. So thanks, at the same time).

9. Take a tropical vacation with B. (We're looking at Mexico...ok we're dreaming about it. But still.)

Via. I'm actually more excited about the prospect of going to Chitzen Itza than I am by laying on the beach. Because I don't tan and I'm a history nerd.

10. Get an iPhone. I still have a non-smart phone, and it works and it's ok...but wow they're cool.

11. Stop spending so much on clothes and mix and match what I have. And like it. Especially stop buying more striped shirts.

12. Get a new camera. A nice one. Where I can play with the settings and actually maybe like the pictures I take.

Like the Nikon D3100. Oooh, shiny.

13. Be completely content with my body. Whether that comes from acceptance of what it is at any given point or from ramping up my workouts and cutting out splurge-y foods. Or a combination of both.

14. Trade in my automatic Jeep Compass for something with a stick shift. I used to own a pick-up trick with a manual transmission and I really miss the feeling of driving it.

15. Get more involved at church.

16. Take a day trip with just me and my little brother (who is not so little, at 18 and almost 6 feet tall.)

Us at (where else) Disney World, getting ready to shoot some stuff on Toy Story Mania. This was about five years ago, so he's even more grown-up looking now. Ack! Where did the time go?

17. Take my grandmother to lunch. She is awesome and I don't spend quality time with her nearly enough.

18. Master some new recipes so that we don't have to have chicken and steamed veggies for every weeknight dinner.

19. Get a new mattress. Seriously, the one we are sleeping on belonged to my great-grandmother. No joke.

19.5 Wow this is a lot of things to come up with. I'm glad I'm not older. This seems quite ambitious for my usual energy level.

20. Skate at least once every few weeks.

Ah, the good old days.

21. Learn how to balance my time between work, family, friends, B and-what?-time for myself.

22. Start really saving for a house.

23. Actually make one of the DIY projects I keep pinning here.

Such as this. Looks deceptively simple, so I'm sure to screw it up.

24. Find at least reason to be happy, grateful and content in each day.

So there you have it. Likelihood that I will accomplish all those things? Slim to none. However, it's good to have goals and aspirations, amirite? Thanks to Erin @ Living in Yellow for the link-up and idea!

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What the hell, Monticello?

First things first:

Stripes!

Hot chocolate with peppermint marshmallows. I am aware that it is July, but it is cold in my office.

Now for the real story of the day: Monticello and Abraham Lincoln's birthplace. These are my personal, biased opinions.

Sinking Spring Farm is part of the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP. The park itself encompasses the site where he was born and lived for the first two years of his life (Sinking Spring), as well as the site where he lived from ages 2 to 4 (Knob Creek). I visited on my recent road trip and was disappointed. Not sure what I expected, but this wasn't it.

It looks like a mausoleum. Kind of contradicts the "humble beginnings" that are such a big part of what Lincoln's legacy is associated with. I mean sure, they have a "reconstructed" log cabin inside:

But my personal philosophy in public history is to use objects/reconstructions in such a way that makes history real to people. I wanted to be able to walk around what I had thought was presented as a farm and imagine what it really would have been like growing up there, but I didn't really feel able to do that here. Because it felt like I was at a shrine to a log cabin, a shrine to the American idea that you can come from humble roots, pull yourself up by your bootstraps and become whatever you wish, not a place designed to help me understand and connect in a real way with an historical figure. 

Knob Creek Farm wasn't any better:

This is not the cabin Lincoln lived in. It was rebuilt from logs of a cabin his neighbors lived in, which is still neat. However, there was no information at the site. Just a cabin and a closed tavern. They tried, I guess.

We also stopped at Monticello. Now, I've been there before, and I love it. I also love Thomas Jefferson himself, but that's beside the point. (I may have told B last night that if Thomas Jefferson were alive today I might be dating him instead of B). This go round, I noticed something I hadn't before.

WHO THE HECK PUT MODERN BATHROOMS INTO MONTICELLO? Unacceptable. Jefferson was the architect of the building, and he clearly didn't add modern bathrooms for the convenience of 20th century guests. I'm not saying he wouldn't have had he been around for the advent of indoor plumbing (he liked technology quite a bit actually), but the point is that he wasn't. For us to get a true understanding of the building he built and life there, whoever committed this travesty should have left well enough alone. After all, they already built a gift shop with modern bathrooms right down the entrance way, so it's not as if people can't use the facilities. I'm just saying they shouldn't be able to do it in THOMAS JEFFERSON'S HOUSE.

This PSA was brought to you by someone who clearly has a lot of public history rage (thanks grad school!).

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I need a little Disney.

Who wants to go with me?

Guess the pictures will have to do for now.

 

Update: excerpt from an online chat with B.

 

B: "Thinking about Disney again?"

Me: "How did you know?"

B: "Because I know you."

Me: "I had literally just posted something about Disney on the blog when you said that."

B: "Can't say I'm surprised ;)"

Me: "Le sigh." [I've been pining to return for a while. This sigh expresses that feeling.]

B: "You will see Disney again."

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Grati-Tuesday.

1. Dannon Pure Vanilla yogurt.

2. Baby snuggles and babbles.

3. Mascara.

4. My Nook.

5. Plentiful clean, running water.

WDW Represent! That is a child's tee shirt but I loved it so I just got the biggest size and stuck a tank top underneath.



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Two women and a baby.

Four days, five states, two women, one baby.

Thoughts: portable DVD players are awesome. As is the Big Bang Theory. Even on repeat. Tell you what, we watched the same looped episodes three times in one day and each episode was still good every time. (The baby enjoyed them, ok? My friend is raising a little nerd and I love it)

Either Dunkin' Donuts or Arby's gave me food poisoning. You are on notice. Both of you.

The no-make up experiment? Big fat failure. By the end of the four days I felt hideous and couldn't do anything about it. And then B texted and was like hey, how about K just drops you off at my parents' place, we'll go to a party my friends are having, and then I'll drive us home, and I was all, dear goodness I am not seeing anyone until I fix my hair, put on some make-up and get a better outfit on. And that's when I accepted that sometimes I feel insecure without my make-up and I'm going to make sure I have it next time. Maybe it's a socially constructed idea of beauty, but it's a real feeling, a real insecurity, and I honestly don't have the energy to try and overcome it right now.

Via

I've been blessed with really great friends, K among them. To have someone that you've known since preschool who's still in your life 24.5 years later, who knows you extremely well, gets you, and accepts you flaws and all is a rare gift. I have that, I have B, and I have an amazing family. What more could a girl want?

So now I'm back to this:

Me at work.

My trains were all late this morning, I tripped up an escalator, and the milk I put in my oatmeal and tea was bad. Welcome back. Later this week I will share my thoughts on some of the places we visited. Hint-the part of me that was trained as a public historian is not pleased.

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It's Friday, I'm...on a roadtrip-again!

Today, I'm not doing this:

Work, work, work.

I'm still out on the road with my friend K and her son. This is turning out to be quite a summer of roadtrips, my friends! Having a great time with a good friend, but looking forward to getting back to B as well. Enjoy your weekends!

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Easy Individual Apple Pie Pockets

I had to take a dish to the picnic I went to last Saturday. Being frugal, I looked around my cupboards to see if I could make something with what I already had, rather than running to the store. I found: 1/2 a box of fillo dough that I had bought for goodness knows what and wanted to use rather than let get covered in frost before being thrown away.

Pastry dough...reminded me of a recipe I once saw for mini-apple pies using frozen pie crust. So I got creative, and it worked, and this is the recipe:

Ingredients: 4 apples, 1/2 box of fillo dough, 2 TBL melted butter, cinnamon and sugar.

1. Slice apples and toss with preferred amount of sugar and cinnamon. I let them sit in the fridge overnight to make a little syrup, but this isn't absolutely necessary.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Unroll several sheets of fillo, brush with butter, and place apples in the center.

4. Fold fillo sheets around the apples and seal the last edge with melted butter.

5. Brush tops of pockets with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Poke with a fork.

6. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Ta da! My family liked them, and they weren't too messy. Perfect for a picnic or party.



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On the road again...

This is what my feet look like on a road trip:

And that is what my feet (and the rest of me) are doing right now. My friend K's husband is in the military. While he's away training, she and her young son have been traveling, visiting family and friends. Since riding in a car by yourself with a baby who doesn't like the car isn't very much fun or easy, I'm flying out to meet them in Ohio and road-tripping it back to Maryland over the next few days. We'll be stopping at points of interest (Lincoln's birthplace, anyone? History nerds holla!), relaxing, and enjoying our time together. And really, who doesn't love a good road trip?



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On make-up and wearing pins with prints.

I'm leaving on a 3 or so day road trip tomorrow, and I've decided to leave my make-up behind.

That isn't very exciting news, except that when I decided I wasn't going to pack it (I'll be with a long-time friend and her infant, neither of whom is going to judge my bare face or less than stellar complexion), my first thought was, wait, maybe I should, just in case. And then I thought, just in case of what? What could happen that I would absolutely need my make-up? Am I really that attached to it that I can't go 3 days without the security of having it around, even if I'm not putting it on?

I thought I was pretty confident and had a good attitude as far as make-up goes: I enjoy it for the most part, use a bare minimum on most days, but if the mood strikes I go without. It should be something used for fun, not an obligation. Now I'm thinking maybe I use it as a bit of a security blanket. On days when I'm feeling particularly insecure, it helps me at least feel as if I'm hiding some of my flaws, real or imagined. But if I want to be a person wholly myself, confident in my own personality and intelligence, does that not mean acceptance of my own flaws? Further, does that not mean I should be able to shed any type of security blanket, and stand confident on my own, flaws and all?

I'm not saying that I want to ditch make-up for good, just that I think maybe I need a little reminder that I am the same person with as without it, and that there are a lot more important things to think about than whether I have cover-up stashed in my bag.

So I'm deliberately leaving it behind with the intention of enjoying the pieces of the world I discover on my short trip without also feeling as if I'm hiding parts of myself from them.

ALSO,

I tried to re-vamp my interest in wearing an old printed tee shirt today by wearing a pin that I placed in such a way that it interacts with the shirt pattern, and I like the result.

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Grati-Tuesday

Today I am grateful for:

1. Free coffee. Sunday before church B and I went to Caribou Coffee. They made my drink iced, though I had asked for it hot, and I was just going to take it and not fuss about it, but the barista noticed, re-made the drink and let us take the iced one as well. Score!

2. The dress code in my office. It's very...lax. So today, when I felt like wearing jeans and no make-up, well, that was perfectly acceptable, even though yesterday I was in a blazer.

Yesterday, lookin' all professional.

3. My mother supplying picnic foods for B and I as well as herself at the concert this weekend. I didn't have to cook, think, or pay for groceries for it. Perfect.

4. Speaking of food, B brought two packages of Perdue chicken home from his parents. We don't normally get to purchase the high-end chicken like that, so it was ah-mazing. And free!

5. I feel like my new workout plan is paying off. And no, I haven't weighed myself or done a before and after picture comparison, I just feel like it is, and that's all I care about.

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