Chopping it off

I have a haircut appointment scheduled for tomorrow at 6:00pm EDT. In May, I'd cut my hair to just below my shoulders, and that was the shortest it had been in... who knows. A decade, maybe. Well, this time around, I've decided to be bold. The hair is going to be cut above the shoulders. I put my devastatingly good Microsoft Paint skillz to work to see what I'll probably look like.

Without further ado, I present to you:

Yes? No? You have 24 hours to chime in and potentially save me from myself. Otherwise, this is totally happening.

Jack-o-lanterns

 

These are the official jack-o-lanterns of my 2013. They probably won't look like this on Halloween itself because the pumpkins are currently living in my backyard, which plays host to the rowdy neighborhood squirrel that last year demonstrated its affinity for pumpkin-gnawing. However, we had a good time carving these little guys and giggling at their contrasting expressions. Mine is the dude on the left side of the picture.

xo

You know, you're not so bad afterall

My gypsy feet are dancing more often again these days. Whenever the wanderlust hits and I crave changes, it becomes more of a challenge for me to appreciate where I am. This Labor Day weekend, I took a spur of the moment trip to New York City for one day only. Walking among the tall, beautiful buildings, seeing such diversity, listening to the traffic... it was all I could do to just find a job right then and relocate into a new adventure. The funny thing is though, that when I got back into DC, I looked around as we drove past the embassies, the statues, the row houses and I felt like I was home again. Vansa, who has lived in both cities, said that the city looked magical. She's right. It did. DC might not have the same energy, bustle, and pure excitement of New York, but Washington is like magic. There is a certain charm to it. It is delightfully contradicting in nature, and it's really not such a bad place to be at all. It is time to mix things up again, I know, but that can be done without having to leave this place again. Plus, I've got some pretty good things and new, exciting adventures going on right here, right now. I am still moving forward. I am still challenging myself and learning all the time. Right now, I am right where I'm supposed to be -- DC. 

H St NE at sunrise

Russell Senate Office Building

United States Capitol - East Front

Washington Monument at sunset

World War II Memorial and the Lincoln in the distance

The Smithsonian castle

OEOB

National Museum of Natural History evening soiree

Little neighborhood café

Sister is in DC!

My sister is here in DC with me for the week! We've been having a ball so far, and we've got our fingers crossed that this gloomy, drizzly weather decides to clear up. Here are a couple pictures from the last few days:

Allison checks out the Senate buildings

Early birthday breakfast-- doughnuts!

Hanging out at Gravelly Point, having a picnic dinner.

Girl in the city!

Me. Capitol. Happiness.

Me. Capitol. Goofiness. Blindingly pink shorts.

Jefferson Memorial by night

Love always,
E

My America Day!

Today is my "America Day!"

One year ago to the day, I landed in New York. It was the first time my feet had touched American soil in 350 days. Well, actually, I had put my foot on the grass of the American Consulate in Munich in December, and I'd been in the American Consulate in Frankfurt in January and the American Embassy in Berlin in June, all of which are technically American soil, but you know what I mean.  I'd said my goodbyes, taken a last walk through Rewe for little grocery goodies (read: chocolate), shared my final glass of delicious 3-euro Rhine wine, shipped boxes to DC, and was thrilled to get on that Lufthansa dream liner flight and get.back.to.America!

When my flight landed around noon in New York, I found out that the east coast was in a heat wave, and a humid, 90-some degree day was there to greet me. Of course, I was in heaven. By the time I got to DC 18 hours later, I hadn't showered in about 3 days, I was jet-lagged and generally sleep deprived, and had been sweating and sticky from humidity for 18 hours non-stop. My body had forgotten how to handle excessive heat or sunshine. The English language was being spoken by everyone around me and it was freaking.me.out.  I was delighting in the fact that I had a cell phone with which I could unlimited call, text, or send pictures to my family and friends.\

I spent that first night in New York at a Yankees game, even though game time was at 2am Germany time, and I was pooped. What's more American than a Yankees game at Yankee Stadium with a hot dog, over-priced beer, and a bleachers section full of Jewish teens? Nothing! It was all glorious. I was back, baby!

My itinerary for the first ten days back in America took me across all 4 time zones and landed me in a new job in my old office. It took me quite a bit longer to readjust to life in America than I thought it would. The reintegration and re-assimilation challenged me for the next six months as I tried to find my bearings and settle back into life, applying my arsenal of new experiences and cultural understandings into the setting of my old life. That, folks, is not an easy feat.

This year has absolutely flown by. It's had happy reunions with dear friends, financial hardships, professional growth, heartbreak, wonderful family time, sunshine and warm weather, new friends, and even somehow has included fun trips around the country.

I am so very blessed, and I know it. Today is my America day, and while I might live abroad again or spend and abnormal amount of time searching for tickets for dream adventures, this place will always be my home.

In the White House, looking to the Washington Monument

Flyover states and stinky plants

Yesterday I went hiking in the Shenandoah along the Raven Rocks trail, which ends up in West Virginia. On the way back to DC, we stopped at a country store that sold homemade pie and ice cream, was run by kind people who operated at a country pace, and that made me miss the middle states. While I love DC in its own way, there is something just so refreshing about being away from the eastern seaboard, even by just a couple of hours drive.

In other news, the U.S. Botanic Gardens have a "corpse flower" that is about to bloom! You're dead wrong if you think I'm going to miss seeing a 250 lb. plant bloom in all of its stinking-flesh glory. I will briskly walk in this 97 degree heat to go see it, too. Until then, I'm keeping close watch on the live webcam of it. That's right-- a webcam is set up so that you can watch people watch a plant. Check it out!
http://usbg.gov/return-titan

Happy Monday!

love always,
E

but strong in will

Cherry blossoms everywhere!

 

This is the park by my house. Since DC is a whopping 20 degrees hotter than average this week, the cherry blossoms finally decided to bloom! O! the whole city looks like it's covered in pink popcorn!

What to do on a dreary Easter

 

It was a rather dreary day on Capitol Hill for Easter. I had been holding out hope that the weather on Easter Sunday would be similar to the gorgeous, sunny day we had on Saturday. Oh my gosh, Saturday afternoon was to die for. Alas, Sunday did not deliver proper weather for enjoying the Great Outdoors. Instead, food seemed to be the underlying theme of the day. The best part was Skyping in the evening with my family in Wyoming.  I got to watch my brother hunt for eggs-- a competition I historically dominate, see my sister's new Easter "basket"-- a pretty handbag for summer!, and chat with my mom-- always too much to catch up on.  I also watched "Trouble with the Curve". Have you seen it? I loved it. Hope you had a very happy Easter, too. 

Love always, E.

Easter Eggs?

Look longingly outside at least once every hour to see if it's sunny and warm yet.

I successfully made Dutch Babies!

journal entry, mostly

When I was in Germany, I often felt as though I'd lost my footing.  It was like walking on a gravel path in thin shoes-- I could feel every small shift and bump along the way.  There were days that I didn't want to open the shades on my window, put on the thin shoes, and continue on down that path.  There were also the exquisite days where I seemed to be floating. I'd look around and think, "How did I get here?! Here I am, learning, living, and progressing in another country."  Visiting vineyards with friends and putting my face toward the sun, or watching the sunlight beat on my glass of wine, sitting around a table in an impossibly adorable town square.  Commuting over the Rhine River each day as the sun came up.  Stumbling upon adventures and new friends over the course of the year.

Since returning to America, I've often felt like I'm in recovery mode. It took me longer to find my rhythm than I anticipated.  I don't enjoy feeling disheveled or having to search for my confidence that once ran through me so deeply.  I can see all of the areas of my life I'd like to continue to improve, or to bring back up to standard, and while I'm at least now settled back into DC, I somehow haven't kept in touch with some of the people and things that mean the most to me.

I took myself out to coffee on Saturday afternoon along with a notebook and a pen. I sat down to write about my goals, my values, and the steps I can take to ensure that I am always moving in a positive direction and hopefully using what God has blessed me with to do good in this world.  And then on Saturday night, Jenny and I went to a birthday party, and I found myself listening to country music, having good conversation, and smiling from genuine happiness. I never thought I'd say it, but country music sets me right.  Something just clicked in my head, and today suddenly I am awake.  Part of what I'd lost in myself has been restored, and I remembered that it's not all about me. It's about caring about people, appreciating everyone for the weirdos we all are. 

So to my family, to my dear friends, to the people I will cross paths with: I will do better to treat you as part of myself, to focus on you, to do the best I can for you. 

Love always.

Eric Church: Hell On The Heart from Adam Hall on Vimeo.

My Mutti-lein

Today is my mom's birthday!

Kaffee und Kuchen :)  We can pretend we're back on the Rhine!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!

She is an angel here on Earth. She can make any place home, just simply by being there. She can probably beat you in cribbage, and if she's lucky she can beat me in cribbage. She can make the most delightful buttered noodles you'll ever eat. She is the world's best at snail mail, and her cards always seem to find you exactly when you need them. She has a beautiful spirit and unmatched patience. She had a life before having us kids (what?!), and her stories are worth listening to. She has a sense of adventure and a genuine interest in people. She has talked in her sleep at least one time, and it was so funny I thought my gut would burst. 
She is generous. She is creative. She is loving. She is loved.

Ryan Lochte takes on the Hill

"Jeah!" Monday!

Ryan Lochte was on the Hill this evening, advocating to eradicate Muscular Dystrophy, specifically Duchenne, through Parent Project MD.  I was working late, trucking through some stuff, and realized that if I didn't get down there, I'd miss the reception.

I'll admit, after all the media buzz about him during and after the Olympics (some nice, some less-than-flattering), I was curious as to how he'd appear in person.  Was he going to have wings on his shoes?  A grill in his mouth?  Would he say "Rocksss" and make my entire week?

The answer to all of those above questions is "no." Someone told him to wear a suit, run a comb through his hair, and be professional.  And my oh my, does that man follow directions well.  Or maybe he knew to do all of those things himself.  He is an adult, after all.  For all of the well-earned hype over shirtless Ryan Lochte, I'm going to give it to him... a fully clothed Ryan Lochte is an extraordinarily handsome man.

He also has an assistant who intimidates the crap out of me, which is not an easy feat.

When I walked into the reception late with my friend Macy, I didn't even see him at first. He turned out to be across the room doing an excellent job doing what he does.  His assistant was making it clear that it was time for him to head out the door, and there I was thinking, "You know, if there is one person I should ask for a picture with, it's probably him." (And not even because he's delightful to look at but because I swim, and it just was exciting to see him.)

So, I walked up to get a picture and waited because two other girls were also exercising the flashes on their cameras. As I waited, the assistant gave me this look like-- don't even or I will seriously eat your soul. At that point, pissing off the lady was not worth a cell phone picture to me. But then he stopped outside the door on his way out to sign some piece of paper or something, and I thought, all right already! Now or never!

"Hey, Ryan...?"

That's what I say when I'm literally following Ryan Lochte out of a reception. How embarrassing. Never in my years have I requested a picture with a celebrity when they weren't doing pictures, and neverrrr have I practically chased one down. I'm uncomfortable meeting celebrities.  I get all weird knowing that they know that I know who they are even though we've never met.  I'd rather be on a level playing field when meeting someone.

He was kind enough to spare some time to take a picture with me before he went around the corner, down the hall, and away to wherever it is that Ryan Lochte goes on a Monday night in DC. Probably the airport.

I wasn't cool and didn't make an impression in any way, shape, or form, which is another weird thing about meeting celebrities.  I mean, here I am waxing poetic in a blog post (yikes) about ten seconds of my day, and for him I'm the upteenth picture of the day.

However, he was not at the reception to be everyone's photo prop for the evening, and he certainly wasn't there to worry about getting pictures with staffers. He was there to bring attention to Muscular Dystrophy.  And so, because he turned around and took a picture with me, I will stress again that he was here for a very serious and good cause-- eradicating Duchenne.

I went back up to my office and finished up some work. I had time for a short swim tonight, so I left and headed to the pool.  In the second lane was a man with muscular dystrophy, using swimming as a way to stay as strong and fit as he can.  It seemed fitting for today.

The picture. Ryan Lochte. Me. Assistant to the right.



Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. It is one of nine types of muscular dystrophy.

As of 2011, most therapies for DMD are supportive in nature, but research to develop truly disease-modifying therapies is under way.

Learn more.

Exorcist stairs

 

On Friday night, I went to Zero Dark Thirty at the theaters in Georgetown (by the way, have you seen this?! go see this!).  I go to G-town pretty much never because it's relatively difficult to get to, and I lack some of the unspoken prerequisites that one needs in order to fit in there.   Afterwards, we walked the length of M Street, heading East until we hit 36th St.  And there, there at 36th and M, are the stairs that were made famous in The Exorcist.  You know, the ones that the priest throws himself down when he's all possessed.  You don't know?  I couldn't remember that scene either because I've only seen the movie once, and it was over a decade ago.  That's why Google exists! The stairs are insanely steep and would not be fun to fall down.  That is all I have to say about that.

To count the Electoral Vote

On January 4, 2013, the 113th Congress convened in a joint session to count the Electoral Vote.  Yours truly sat in the gallery of the House of Representatives for the duration (about 24 minutes) of the session.  While it was not overtly eventful, it was one of those special kinds of experiences that DC affords to me time and again. To be in attendance for the official certification of the outcome of an election for President and Vice President of the United States was a moment that might not be repeated in my life and that most Americans will likely never experience but really ought to! Guess that's what we have C-Span for :)

On leaving.

The funny thing about leaving is that you always take yourself with you.  You can escape to the ends of the Earth to lose problems and find yourself, except that you actually can't do that.  My mom was right.  You always take yourself with you.

All of the somethings that really are nothings will still be dancing around in your head.  It might help that the point of origin of all of those nothings is thousands upon thousands of miles away, but they'll still be there with you.  Waiting for you.  When a bear wakes up from hibernation, it's ravenous.  Same thing.

There is an opportunity cost to having gypsy feet.  When you go away, the world keeps turning.  Off in distant lands you'll learn new things, struggle, grow, appreciate, teach, discover, adapt... but when you come back, if you come back, you'll have to do that all over again here.  This place you knew so well.  This place that made you think that all of those nothings were somethings.  It's been changing and adapting, too. Waiting for you.

When you return, you'll push too far trying to find yourself again, the person you thought you left at home.  You'll realize now that in springing forward, you also left behind.  Now you've tucked other somethings into one more pocket of the Earth.  You take yourself with you, but you always leave a piece of yourself behind.  Sometimes that's the cost.  You don't get to pick what pieces stay behind.  Maybe you leave a nothing piece, but maybe it is a something piece.  You probably won't recognize that piece as yours, next time you see it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's like Harry Potter?  Horcruxes.  Maybe I just felt like referencing HP.

I heed my mother's wisdom.  Don't run, because everything runs with you.  But for goodness sake, when will I learn that I can't have it all? You'd think I'd have taken the lesson to heart by now. When I choose to leave, everything does not wait for me.  Sometimes you lose the good somethings while you're gone, returning to find that they've vaporized into nothings.

Salted Caramel Mocha cupcakes

When I first returned from Germany, I was SO excited to be able to bake again. You'd think that in Germany I'd have been a baking fool, seeing as how the country is full of delicious baked goods and daily life usually involves cake and coffee. Imagine a long-term stay hotel room with a kitchenette, and that's basically what my little home was like. I spent the year oven-less and only got to bake on a few occasions at Anja's house (see: this post).  Once settled back into my house in DC, I got down to business. After all, I had a cupcake-loving man to bake for and one year of ideas to test out.

The first batch I made were inspired by Starbucks' Salted Caramel Mocha latte.  It's delightful, and I felt it was not out of my league to whip up a couple.  Of course, this meant I had to do research.  I sat at my local Sbux, drank the hot beverage, sweat because it was warm outside, and wrote down the essences I wanted to capture.  After a trip to the grocery, the baking began.

My old apron from my Starbucks days. Seemed appropriate.

In the days when the oven clock worked and I could bake in Fahrenheit! When the power came back on after Hurricane Sandy, the clock was out and it only functioned in Celsius. What?!

I used my chocolate cake recipe and dabbled with instant espresso for a nice mocha flavor

Caramelized sugar to make toppers.

The future toppers, cooling.

Carved out the centers and put a bit of fleur de sal in each

Made a batch of caramel for filling and drizzling over the frosting

Added some of the caramel to mascarpone and filled the cupcakes

Made a chocolate ganache-like frosting, drizzled with caramel, added a few flakes of fleur de sal, and topped with the caramelized sugar pieces

It was delightful.

Overall, I give my creation a 4 out of 5. They were really tasty, but the standard mocha cupcakes I've made in the past top these salted caramel ones.

Advent season on Capitol Hill

Here are a couple snapshots from my phone from the Christmas season on Capitol Hill.  It was chilly here this December, but welcomed weather for the season.  It seemed as though every window had a lighted tree in it this year.  While work kept me particularly busy, I did manage to squeeze in time to make a few batches of cookies, walk down to the Capitol Christmas tree, admire the lights around the neighborhood, hang lights in my kitchen, and enjoy memories from last year's Christmas in Germany-- such as the incense snowman pictured below.  I even made it to the White House to admire the decorations within.