- Drove to Baltimore tonight to experience my first time at Camden Yards! Johnny Damon got a 3-run homerun, but the Orioles weren't exactly happy about that. Total ballparks: 6!
- Ran the PFT with the Marines and actually would have passed had it been for score. Oorah!
- FOUND THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY
- Watched Hitch outside in the middle of Crystal City as part of a summer RomCom tour!
- Met President Loftin with the rest of my PPIPers and fellow Bushies
- Took Angela to Eastern Market where our stomachs were satisfied with quite possibly the best pancakes EVER
- Met SecDef Panetta. NBD.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Halfway done!
I can't believe my time here is halfway over!! It doesn't feel like I've been here six weeks already. MY FAMILY IS COMING!!!! so I'll only do a quick synopsis of the last several days and add pictures later:
Sunday, June 17, 2012
10 Things I've Learned...
1. DC is a very lost city. The amount of unchurched people up here is staggering. People walk around with no self-respect or self-awareness, and thousands upon thousands don't even care. Having grown up in the belt buckle of the Bible Belt, it's really hard to fathom how so many people could live their lives not wanting anything to do with the church and the goodness one gets from a relationship with Christ. It makes me want to live here and shine His light that much more.
2. You can seem like a true native in less than 2 days if you memorize the Metro map. Then, when tourists show up, all you have to do is point them in the right direction, and they'll not only be incredibly grateful, they'll think you've lived here forever. Bringing an iPod and calm composure adds to your case.
3. DC may be a "big city," but it's the smallest big city I've ever seen. There are so many people I have run into time and time again on the metro - some I've known from Texas, some I've met here. There's one captain that I take the shuttle with every. single. day. even though I get on at different times, and the shuttle comes every 15 minutes. It's a little insane.
4. I would hate living in DC proper with as many people as there are who come visit here. The suburbs of Virginia are definitely where I feel most comfortable.
5. Military men have a much different idea of what constitutes "business professional."
6. Work is exhausting, even if you're just sitting at a desk for 6-8 hours, looking at Excel spreadsheets, and typing in data. It makes it more exhausting if this foreign thing called the sun has no way to reach your office.
7. DC and NYC are big, bustling cities; however, DC actually sleeps - and it sleeps early! Coffee shops close no later than 8, unless it's a locally owned shop...in which case you may be lucky to see them open til 9. Bars however stay open past midnight every night...
8. It is obnoxiously expensive to live up here, compared to having lived in Texas my whole life. There is a 10% tax in DC, and plastic bags cost 5 cents extra when you shop. In VA, there's only a 4% tax, but you get taxed on groceries.
9. Traditional churches are very hard to find, at least on the Protestant side. Many of the churches I've either visited or been told to visit meet in movie theaters, school cafeterias, run-down buildings, etc. Few have hymnals, and fewer still have pastors who wear suits and ties. It's not wrong or anything, just different.
10. Certain parts of DC are okay at night; others are not. These places also happen to correspond to certain colors of lines on the Metro. Take a few hours and just transfer lines and you will see the drastic demographic change. Not sure why this phenomenon happened or when it happened; I just know I noticed it within two days of being here.
2. You can seem like a true native in less than 2 days if you memorize the Metro map. Then, when tourists show up, all you have to do is point them in the right direction, and they'll not only be incredibly grateful, they'll think you've lived here forever. Bringing an iPod and calm composure adds to your case.
3. DC may be a "big city," but it's the smallest big city I've ever seen. There are so many people I have run into time and time again on the metro - some I've known from Texas, some I've met here. There's one captain that I take the shuttle with every. single. day. even though I get on at different times, and the shuttle comes every 15 minutes. It's a little insane.
4. I would hate living in DC proper with as many people as there are who come visit here. The suburbs of Virginia are definitely where I feel most comfortable.
5. Military men have a much different idea of what constitutes "business professional."
6. Work is exhausting, even if you're just sitting at a desk for 6-8 hours, looking at Excel spreadsheets, and typing in data. It makes it more exhausting if this foreign thing called the sun has no way to reach your office.
7. DC and NYC are big, bustling cities; however, DC actually sleeps - and it sleeps early! Coffee shops close no later than 8, unless it's a locally owned shop...in which case you may be lucky to see them open til 9. Bars however stay open past midnight every night...
8. It is obnoxiously expensive to live up here, compared to having lived in Texas my whole life. There is a 10% tax in DC, and plastic bags cost 5 cents extra when you shop. In VA, there's only a 4% tax, but you get taxed on groceries.
9. Traditional churches are very hard to find, at least on the Protestant side. Many of the churches I've either visited or been told to visit meet in movie theaters, school cafeterias, run-down buildings, etc. Few have hymnals, and fewer still have pastors who wear suits and ties. It's not wrong or anything, just different.
10. Certain parts of DC are okay at night; others are not. These places also happen to correspond to certain colors of lines on the Metro. Take a few hours and just transfer lines and you will see the drastic demographic change. Not sure why this phenomenon happened or when it happened; I just know I noticed it within two days of being here.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
God is AWESOME!
After what started off as kind of a rough and tedious week, I've realized again - as I shouldn't have to so often! - that God is SO. GOOD. I found out that stuff at home wasn't as good as I thought it was, and a few people asked if I wanted to go home, but I knew that I need to be here. I appreciate all the prayers in that department, by the way; things are looking better, as least for now.
I was also having trouble focusing on stuff at work because I feel like a typical intern. Things aren't as glamorous as they were made to seem to be, even though I'm helping out with some pretty important stuff. However, as I told one of my co-workers Friday, I know this is where God has me. Speaking of telling one of my co-workers, I found out Friday that I have a strong Christian friend now in a guy and his wife in my department. They took me home from Quantico in their big Texan truck :) and we just chatted about work and church and whether or not I had found a place yet. He also gave me some good career advice. That's one thing I love about my office; everyone there is incredibly concerned about me and where I'll be next year. They want to do anything they can to help me get where I need to be. That's why I know I'm where God wants me to be; if I were anywhere else, I wouldn't have met the people here that I know I need to.
Friday we had a promotion ceremony down in Quantico, so I only had a half day at the office. Woohoo!! Quantico is so incredibly beautiful. When I think of Virginia, that's what I think of. Tons of tall pine trees and green everywhere. Just beautiful.
Saturday Ashley and I went down to Eastern Market. That place is HUGE. I'm talking two or three blocks of just market. It made me feel like I was back in France :) We got to taste everything from lemon cilantro hummus to fresh peaches to tomatoes drizzled in olive oil and rosemary. It was heaven. I walked away with some fresh salsa and a jar of homemade blackberry jam from a Christian family's farm. I can't wait to use it this week! After I got home, John, Divya, Lori, and I headed over to Dulles to see the Shuttle Discovery. John's dad was ON the shuttle!!!! Talk about freakingcoolridiculouslyawesome stories!! We had such a great time learning little facts and figures about the shuttle.
Today was also just an overall good God day. I went to Mark Batterson's church, National Community Church, today. They only meet in movie theatres, and there's one a little over a mile from me, so I walked this morning. I need to find a different way to go lol...it was waaaaaay too hot! But, the service was great, as we learned the 7 different words for praise in Hebrew that are found in the Bible. Afterward, my campus happens to do lunch together, so one of the guys took me over to a local BBQ joint where I met 2 Baylor Bears, 1 DBU Patriot, and 2 Aggies!! It was sooo good to be in the company of Texans again :) A new friend Sarah took me to downtown Alexandria so we could get a DQ Blizzard and enjoy the comforts of home :) It's like I was a at a mini Prestonwood!
I was also having trouble focusing on stuff at work because I feel like a typical intern. Things aren't as glamorous as they were made to seem to be, even though I'm helping out with some pretty important stuff. However, as I told one of my co-workers Friday, I know this is where God has me. Speaking of telling one of my co-workers, I found out Friday that I have a strong Christian friend now in a guy and his wife in my department. They took me home from Quantico in their big Texan truck :) and we just chatted about work and church and whether or not I had found a place yet. He also gave me some good career advice. That's one thing I love about my office; everyone there is incredibly concerned about me and where I'll be next year. They want to do anything they can to help me get where I need to be. That's why I know I'm where God wants me to be; if I were anywhere else, I wouldn't have met the people here that I know I need to.
Friday we had a promotion ceremony down in Quantico, so I only had a half day at the office. Woohoo!! Quantico is so incredibly beautiful. When I think of Virginia, that's what I think of. Tons of tall pine trees and green everywhere. Just beautiful.
Saturday Ashley and I went down to Eastern Market. That place is HUGE. I'm talking two or three blocks of just market. It made me feel like I was back in France :) We got to taste everything from lemon cilantro hummus to fresh peaches to tomatoes drizzled in olive oil and rosemary. It was heaven. I walked away with some fresh salsa and a jar of homemade blackberry jam from a Christian family's farm. I can't wait to use it this week! After I got home, John, Divya, Lori, and I headed over to Dulles to see the Shuttle Discovery. John's dad was ON the shuttle!!!! Talk about freakingcoolridiculouslyawesome stories!! We had such a great time learning little facts and figures about the shuttle.
Today was also just an overall good God day. I went to Mark Batterson's church, National Community Church, today. They only meet in movie theatres, and there's one a little over a mile from me, so I walked this morning. I need to find a different way to go lol...it was waaaaaay too hot! But, the service was great, as we learned the 7 different words for praise in Hebrew that are found in the Bible. Afterward, my campus happens to do lunch together, so one of the guys took me over to a local BBQ joint where I met 2 Baylor Bears, 1 DBU Patriot, and 2 Aggies!! It was sooo good to be in the company of Texans again :) A new friend Sarah took me to downtown Alexandria so we could get a DQ Blizzard and enjoy the comforts of home :) It's like I was a at a mini Prestonwood!
 |
| The gang in front of the Shuttle Discovery! |
 |
| So proud to get to be by the shuttle that his dad was in! |
Thursday, June 7, 2012
First Nats game!
Emily, her friend Katie, and I went to the Nats game yesterday. SOOO exciting! My dream is to go to every baseball park in the nation, so I'm really hoping I can take my 3 months in the East to hit up some ballparks. Theoretically, I'll be going to Philly at some point, and I'm going to a game at Camden Yards at the end of this month. I need to see if I can hit up the Mets stadium when I go to NYC.
The Nats won (yay!) 5-3 against the Mets. One run shy of getting free wings *sigh*. The atmosphere is also a lot different from the Ballpark in Arlington. No one really cheers or yells, and when LaRoche hit a sweet 3-run shot, there were no fireworks! I was excited for him and wanted to jump up and down, but Emily and I were some of the few that cheered.
One really cool thing about the Nats park, though, is that students get $10 off tickets with student ID!! So three of us went for a total of $30! I can't wait to bring my family with me when they come in July :)
The Nats won (yay!) 5-3 against the Mets. One run shy of getting free wings *sigh*. The atmosphere is also a lot different from the Ballpark in Arlington. No one really cheers or yells, and when LaRoche hit a sweet 3-run shot, there were no fireworks! I was excited for him and wanted to jump up and down, but Emily and I were some of the few that cheered.
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| You can see the Capitol in the background!! How cool is that?? |
One really cool thing about the Nats park, though, is that students get $10 off tickets with student ID!! So three of us went for a total of $30! I can't wait to bring my family with me when they come in July :)
Sunday, June 3, 2012
How is it already June??
I can't believe I'm about to start my third week at my job!! It's crazy! The time is flying by waaaaaay too fast. Before I know it I'll be getting on a plane to Qatar!
This weekend was definitely more chill as we didn't do a whole lot of traveling outside of Crystal City. Angela and I went to one of our co-workers apt to relax and just have a good time; this included Ice Age at 2 in the morning, obnoxious dancing and singing to 80s music, and ridiculous amounts of yummy breakfast food in the morning. Exactly what "the Wolf Pack" needed after a long week at work. I have a feeling this week is going to be long, too...
Us A&M peeps went to the zoo Saturday afternoon. Ran into Jeremy from school (of course) and got to see all the cool animals...except the zebras...I missed the flipping "Meet a Zebra" day by two. hours. Who stops a day at 130?! I mean...it's a ZEBRA. So depressing. At least I got a photo... We only covered half of it, so we'll have to go back!
Saturday night the roomies all went out to Artomatic in downtown Crystal City. It was...interesting, to say the least. We all got dressed up to go out, when we really should've dressed like CG baristas walking around ATX. It was the most hipster thing I've ever been to. However, us chicas did get our wine bought for us by some random patron, so that was cool :) Check out this black-light zebra photo! There was also a picture of the Last Supper done completely out of straw, but I couldn't get a pic of that.
And how could I forget church Sunday morning!! A few of us went to Portico in Arlington, an Acts 29 church. We were going to go to Mark Batterson's church, but Jeff said he got this one recommended to him, so we traipsed out to deep Arlington. In typical Courtney fashion, I ran into someone I knew from Baylor!! He happened to be on the exact same Metro car as me and was only there because his mom missed the first one! It was awesome to see Drew!! It makes me miss all my Sing Alliance folks! Anywho, the service was fantastic. The pastor is incredibly charismatic and personable, and the worship just brought me back to New Life. They even have community groups!!! I might be staying here, but I still need to try out NCC, just to make sure. Definitely something I - and you can too! - am praying about. :)
GOD.IS.SO.GOOD.Y'ALL.
This weekend was definitely more chill as we didn't do a whole lot of traveling outside of Crystal City. Angela and I went to one of our co-workers apt to relax and just have a good time; this included Ice Age at 2 in the morning, obnoxious dancing and singing to 80s music, and ridiculous amounts of yummy breakfast food in the morning. Exactly what "the Wolf Pack" needed after a long week at work. I have a feeling this week is going to be long, too...
Us A&M peeps went to the zoo Saturday afternoon. Ran into Jeremy from school (of course) and got to see all the cool animals...except the zebras...I missed the flipping "Meet a Zebra" day by two. hours. Who stops a day at 130?! I mean...it's a ZEBRA. So depressing. At least I got a photo... We only covered half of it, so we'll have to go back!
Saturday night the roomies all went out to Artomatic in downtown Crystal City. It was...interesting, to say the least. We all got dressed up to go out, when we really should've dressed like CG baristas walking around ATX. It was the most hipster thing I've ever been to. However, us chicas did get our wine bought for us by some random patron, so that was cool :) Check out this black-light zebra photo! There was also a picture of the Last Supper done completely out of straw, but I couldn't get a pic of that.
And how could I forget church Sunday morning!! A few of us went to Portico in Arlington, an Acts 29 church. We were going to go to Mark Batterson's church, but Jeff said he got this one recommended to him, so we traipsed out to deep Arlington. In typical Courtney fashion, I ran into someone I knew from Baylor!! He happened to be on the exact same Metro car as me and was only there because his mom missed the first one! It was awesome to see Drew!! It makes me miss all my Sing Alliance folks! Anywho, the service was fantastic. The pastor is incredibly charismatic and personable, and the worship just brought me back to New Life. They even have community groups!!! I might be staying here, but I still need to try out NCC, just to make sure. Definitely something I - and you can too! - am praying about. :)
GOD.IS.SO.GOOD.Y'ALL.
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