Today I woke up with this overwhelming sensation of how undeniably, unequivocally and sometimes unworthily, lucky I am.
I have the most amazing family, fiance, friends, job, life and I am even more lucky to be able to witness their successes as we all grow together.
For someone who likes to talk a lot, I don't say enough and I tend to hold things in. I'm working on allowing myself to be vocal and happy and tell you all how much I appreciate you because
She could not be more perfect. Seriously. I can't explain her perfection. Every baby wrinkle and tiny hair is perfect. She's like sunshine... everything is better when she is there.
Today, was only her 4th day of life, and I don't want to miss a second.
The baby could come any day now and I cannot wait to meet my little Niece or Nephew. Without a doubt, the holidays this year will be the warmest with the new baby to brighten things up.
I wanted to share the beautiful nursery that my sister and brother-in-law put together. My sister said, "There is so much love in the room with handmade art and furniture created special for Baby McFall."
The color scheme is yellows, grey and white, and this isn't just because the sex of the baby is unknown, but also because my sister said that she has never been the girl-pink, boy-blue type. There is also a steady owl theme through out the room.
The Beautiful Nursery
Patrick's old baby mobile, and of course this crib can convert into a little bed set for when the baby outgrows it. Pat is always thinking ahead.
Hand painted and decorated furniture, and homemade curtains by Patrick's mom and a handmade owl picture by the little sister Kelsey.
My favorite part of the room is the yellow stripped ceiling!!!
Homemade baby keep sake box made by my mom, and an amazing owl nightlight.
Owl shelves made by my mom and Patrick's old toys :)
Keep sake shelves with old toys and an owl piece I made
I used colored felt and embroidery floss to stitch together a cute owl on a fabric background. To twist things up a bit, I used a wood embroidery hoop and a coat of white paint to frame it!
Isn't everything gorgeous??! I am slightly jealous of the baby's room because it's so awesome.
This weekend I am moving into my new apartment next to the Fraze pavilion in Kettering and I'm so excited! I can't wait to decorate and get settled. My roommate's name is Jess also and I will be sure to update you on our apartment progress.
Am I looking forward to moving for the 5th time since college graduation? No. But I am so excited to have my name on a lease, a semi-permanent address, and a bedroom and bathroom that's all mine! Woot.
P.s. if anyone in Dayton is bored out of their mind (entirely plausible), and has nothing better to do than to help me move to kill time, I will be forever in debt to you. Not really, but I will give you pizza and beer and let you jump in my pool. Sounds like an amazing red-neck kind of day to me.
While you read this post about my departure from DC and all the things I will miss, please listen to this somberly/awesome song (yes, somberly is a word. I Googled it to make sure). It helps set the mood.. and I promise that I am listening to it right now on repeat as I write this, so it's only fair... Plus! I haven't made my July playlist yet. Oops. Do you guys even listen to those things anyways?!
THINGS I WILL MISS ABOUT WASHINGTON DC!
*In no particular order*
but I guess it's only natural to think of your most favorite things first
1. Meridian Hill Park
Meridian was one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen and I stumbled across it one day while exploring the city. The best part was that it was only one block from our apartment. It went a few weeks unnoticed because of the high walls surrounding it, but just beyond lurks amazing landscape surrounding this enchanting fountain:
I wish I took this photo
Meridian is comprised of a labyrinth of staircases that create a Secret Garden atmosphere and also served as my fitness center because I refused to pay $125 a month for a gym membership. At the top of the fountain, overlooking the ledge, you can see the Capital Building, the Washington Monument, the Air Force Memorial, and the skyscrapers of Arlington, VA. Not to mention the amazing drum circles that would gather every Sunday afternoon.
2. The People
I will miss my roommates Mo, Justin, Mugsly and Bowser. My DC relationship with Mo and Justin began way back when with this blog post. I would have been lost in DC without them. I love you guys.
Mugsly
Bowser
I also met a surprisingly large amount of OU alumni. And I will never forget my old roommates, and my many kickball buds.
3. Diversity
DC is full of culture and I enjoyed being surrounded by so much culture. It was a great learning experience.
Click here to see DC up close and see how your city matches up: 2010 Census
4. The Food
-Ethiopian
-Lebanese
-Indian
-Southern Soul
-Thai
-you name it, DC has it
My favorite DC meals are...
Eatonville - Mac & Cheeese
located at 14th & V (NW)
Tacklebox - Fish Tacos
located on M Street in Georgetown
*unfortunately Tacklebox suffered some damage in a kitchen fire so they are closed indefinitely
Sticky Rice - Sticky Balls
located on H Street NE
5. Sculpture Garden
I will miss dipping my toes in the water at the Sculpture Garden.
6. Public Transportation
Of course it would have been nice to have a car for those days when you want to go on a big grocery run, or when you want to "accidentally" spend too much at Target, or even for those lonely days when I just wanted to hop in my car and drive back to Ohio to see my boyfriend, friends, and family. Don't get me wrong, a car would have been nice, but I'm proud to say that I haven't had a car in 5 years now. I walked/bused/metro/biked every where and I loved it.
I am car shopping this week though so call me a hypocrite. Hey, it was fun while it lasted.
7. The View
I'm just going to let these aerial pictures speak for me (even though I have yet to see a single picture that does it any justice):
I have been neglecting my blog for the past few weeks. I haven't had a knack for writing lately. I never really have had one, but I'm trying. There are so many days when I wish I could use this blog as my personal venting/counseling sessions but I'm trying not to make every detail of my life public information.. which we all know is hard these days with Twitter, Facebook, etc;
As many of you know, this week is my last week in Washington DC. I have accepted a job in Dayton, OHIO and I am very excited for this new opportunity and the start of a new chapter in my life. I was waiting until now to write a post about my new job and move back to the Buckeye State because there were some complications with my job offer. A very distant relative works at my new company (which I was unaware of) and the company was investigating a possible conflict of interest. At one point, my job offer was actually rescinded... this catapulted me into a 24 hour period of panic:
Thankfully, my new company worked hard to fix the situation and finally offered me the job. I am thankful that they were willing to work with me to come to a solution.
Tomorrow is my 24th birthday and my last night in Washington DC. And exactly one year ago, my 23rd birthday was my first day in Washington DC. It's crazy how everything came full circle. What an amazing ride 23 was.
I thought that my college years were the time for learning about yourself and what you want out of life, but boy was I wrong. 23 was the year for me. I had my highest highs and my lowest lows, but I don't regret a single second. My head has never been so clear. I know exactly what I want, and I am surrounded by the most amazing people to help get me there.
Blink 182 said it best, "Nobody likes you when you're 23."
Mother's Day Was a little extra special this year.
First of all, I want to say how proud I am of my mom for going to school to become a nurse. She earned her nursing certificate but didn't stop there. By the end of this year, she will be a RN and I could not be more proud of her.
You'd think she was graduating from Modeling School! Hubba hubba.
Also, I'm going to be an AUNT!!!!! AHHHH. So excited. My sister B and brother-in-law are expecting a little one. They are 14.5 weeks (15 weeks this Thursday) and I want to congradulate my sister on her first Mother's Day.
Baby nugget
I wish I could be there to celebrate with you guys! I love you and miss you every day.
Waking up to "My hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely lady lumps... check it out!" rumbling through shitty speakers and vibrating windows might not be my favorite way to wake up on a Sunday morning, but it surprisingly put a smile on my face. With both the police station and the fire department right around the corner, the sound of sirens are eminent, but comforting. I enjoying slowly waking up and listening to the noises of the city through my window. Fast-paced - hectic - exciting - comforting. Things are falling into place.
This month, I wanted to make a playlist featuring some of my favorite FEMALE artists. I was reminded how many wonderful women I have in my life. My little sister just moved out on her own, my older sister continues to do a fabulous job for Ronald McDonald House Charities, and my mom just passed her state board exam to become a nurse! My best friends are in grad school, teaching special education, and improving lives through children social work cases. And we can't forget the one who has once again put a roof over my head in DC, which I am forever grateful for.
February was not my favorite month and I know many of you feel the same. However, a lot of necessary changes happened and although they may seem stressful at the time, I am truly happy and ready to take on March with my head held high :)
My boyfriend, Adam and I decided to try long distance again. This time, it is better than ever and I have all the faith in the world that we'll make it work. Also, I moved into the city!! You can see the White House from the front of my apartment building! No big deal right?! I wish I could Google Map my address and show you all where I live now complete with charts and diagrams of all the fun things close by.. but since this is public information and I have views from all over the world... we'll just say that it's in the U Street area and I'm in love with it! I'm sure I'll have plenty to talk about in the weeks to come.
So, I'm moving out of Arlington and into DC with my friends Mo and Justin. There are kind enough to let me move into their guest room.
Rather than living a mile from the Ballston metro (not so happenin), I'll be in the heart of U Street :) It's also a short walk to Adams Morgan and Dupont. Pretty ideal. Not to mention the short bus ride to work.
I put an add up on Craigslist for my room and have already gotten about 20 responses. I was hoping to get some weirdos but I was irritated to find that everyone seemed pretty normal (at least from their first email)... we are hosting an open house next week though so hopefully someone will be blog worthy! While I hope someone is worthy enough of an entertaining blog post, I am confident that we will find someone respectable to fill my spot.
I'm so excited to start phase 2 of DC! Bring it on March!
I blame OU for making me believe that all people are awesome and that "random roommates" are always going to be super cool and turn into your new BFF's.. or even just respect one another.
Welcome to the real world... or the world of Craigslist roommates.
So here it goes... the story of the man boy in the basement.
I had a bunch of my best friends in town for NYE here in DC. It was hands down one of the best weekends of my life. I only have a few towels at my house so I asked everyone to bring their own, along with pillows, blankets, etc; Well one morning, we woke up to a peculiar sight on the kitchen table. There was a white towel spread out with what appeared to be a "questionable brown stain" with a note that read, "Someone needs to explain this..."
At first, I thought it was a joke. We all laughed it off and I kept saying, "Okay guys, whose towel is this?" No one fessed up so I figured they were too embarrassed by the "questionable brown stain" to speak up.
About 2 days later, I finally saw "the man boy in the basement" and he abruptly said, "did you see the note I left?!" to which I replied, "ha, yeah what was that about?!" and he said, "one of your little friends went downstairs and wiped their ass on my towel!"
...let me just let that sink in for a moment...
I felt an immediate sense of confusion and then, I couldn't hold it in any more, I burst out laughing. I said, "You have to be kidding me! You actually think one of my friends, went all the way into the basement just to wipe their ass on your towel?" Do you know how ridiculous that sounds.
Now mind you.. no one went in the basement the entire weekend and there would be no reason to go down there. I only go down there to do my laundry.
Well,
I have an idea for you Mr. Man Boy in the Basement....
Did you ever think that maybe you didn't wipe your own ass good enough and when you got out of the shower, you wiped your own ass on your own damn towel?
I have been wanting a Jewelry Tree ($70?! Really?) for a long time... I had my sights set on a white metal tree from Urban Outfitters for about $35 and then I thought... I can just make this myself!
I found the perfect branch and just screwed it tight onto a wooden base I bought at Michaels Craft Store for only $3.
Viola!
Super easy right?! And rather than a manufactured "tree," your Jewelry Tree will be one of a kind! Right now, my Jewelry Tree is natural but I may paint it with some white gloss paint for strength. So far though the branches are holding up just fine! It complements my naturalOrigami Crane Mobile well too! :)
*please note: I am too poor to buy a camera for the moment so my Droid camera will just have to do
GUESS WHAT?!!?! Okay, most of you already know because you saw me buttttttt... I GOT TO GO HOME FOR THANKSGIVING!
I was ecstatic when I found out that I would be home for the holidays, even though Thanksgiving has never been a huge holiday for my family. I think that my mom did a great job of making sure we had family dinners growing up, and even as we got older, we maintained a sense of appreciation for family dinners. Since our Thanksgivings usually include my sisters, my mom, and my brother-in-law, it is usually just a normal day around the house but with more food to bash! Small and quaint :)
The past few years however, we have been going to my brother-in-laws family Thanksgiving. There are kids running around, and my mom doesn't have to cook as much so it's perfect. Plus, Patrick has been a huge part of our family since I was about 12 years old so his family is now our family.
This is the part where I bore you with family photos:
I enjoyed seeing you all so much and I'll be back in less than a month for Christmas! Brandy, can we not get roofied this time (seriously, though) Don't ask.
Since I graduated and moved out on June 12, I have been counting down the days til' Ohio University Homecoming. My sudden and exciting move to Washington, DC, has made the anticipation for OU Homecoming even more exciting. I cannot wait to see all my best friends. In 9 years of best-friendship, Allison and I have never gone more than a month without seeing each other. And I miss all my best friends more than you can imagine. I've always said, "Friends are the family you choose for yourself."
I cannot wait to black-out with my best friends, classmates, random townies, acquaintances, freshman biscuits, horse cops, and any other poor souls I happen to encounter this weekend. Here is my formal apology: "Sorry for partying!".. yeah, I said it.
...this song explains beautifully the way I feel sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I'm really beginning to love living in DC but I would be lying if I said I didn't feel "Lost And Far From Home" at times...
Anywho, as promised here is a picture of my bedspread/walls/room. I know I should have done a boring plain white wall before and after shot but just picture the most boring white hole filled walls you can think of... There. That one.
