So on my way home from work, I'm stopped at the light to turn left (turns out to be a very important detail) onto 741 in that horrendous intersection at Austin Blvd, when the car behind me runs into me. They were behind me, stopped at the light, for a good minute so why they decided to push the pedal to the metal when I'm still sitting there is beyond me.
We sit there awkwardly for a minute, stuck at the torturous intersection when the car pulls around me to the right. At this moment I thought, "she must be pulling over so we can exchange information," so I follow. Then, she guns it. This is the moment I realize the game we are about to play...
I speed up and follow so I can get her license plate number but she takes a sharp u-turn right into the busy traffic. My blood was boiling but the tiny "license plate dings" on my back bumper were not enough to kill myself over, so the next logical thing to do was report this hit and run to the cops.
For the next 30 minutes, I would be juggled by 3 dispatchers who couldn't decide which jurisdiction I was in.
"Which road were you on?"
"Which way were you turning?"
"We're you headed north?"
"Are you sure?"
After being asked the same questions 10 times, I realized that this intersection is not only incredibly dangerous but also lies in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle because no one knows where you are located or where you belong.
How insane is this?
45 minutes later, a state trooper showed up - because they still couldn't decide which jurisdiction I was in. Then as I was describing the car, I gave him the first 3 digits of the license plate and this picture.
He said it was a Chevy.
The trooper wasn't impressed with my "dents" or my detective work, but my drawing skills are sure to put her behind bars.
Taking a half day of work today to head to Gatlinburg for another Cabin Getaway... Which in my opinion is the best kind :)
Instead of just Adam and I, this time we are joining a group of 12 high school and college friends, so it is sure to be an amazing time. Right now it is calling for rain but we will be exploring rain or shine. I will make sure to take plenty of pictures and post when I get home!
If you just can't possibly wait to see my mediocre photography of a potentially rainy Gatlinburg, follow me on instagram at Jbarmstrong87 for instant uploads. I know The anticipation is killing you.
The holidays are over and life has resumed as it was. My friends are in different cities and my boyfriend and I are back to splitting our time between Dayton and Cincinnati (this is way better than Cincinnati and DC for the record. I just really miss him during the week). I know everyone had a case of the "bahumbugs" today with the first day back at work. My older sister also had to go back to work today after maternity leave and take my 9 week old niece Gwenyth to daycare for the first time. So, she had a tougher day than the rest of us. Luckily she is the strongest person I know, and I know she will be able to pick things back up at work while continuing to be the best mom in the world. She'll find her balance. She always does.
Today, I daydreamed about the perfect vacation - a cabin getaway in West Virginia. We stayed at Mill Creek Cabins and I definitely recommend them! The cabin was clean and was stocked with fire wood, a full kitchen, and plenty of towels for the hot tub outside. We didn't even have to check in. The keys were waiting on Cabin #5's table and we left them where we found them as we quietly left the next morning. The drive through WV was just as gorgeous as the cabin with plenty of lookouts and roadside waterfalls.
It was truly paradise...
As we were leaving the cabin, we encountered our little friend who was the sweetest dog in the world but happened to be covered in poo. Someone had a little too much fun in the wilderness. Well the sneaky snake kept creeping into our pictures and I love poo dog for it.
This makes me crack up every time. Poo Dog!
Thank you Adam for the perfect getaway that I will never forget.
Just got home from a jam packed Holiday weekend. I have so many pictures to sort through and I cannot wait to show them to you! For now, here is a sneak peek of the road trip to West Virginia....
Our road trip soundtrack was the Allman Brothers :)
I thought the jet-setting days of Life According to Jes were over the day I left DC, but in a stroke of luck (maybe?) I am in Georgia this week for work and I am leaving Friday for Chicago to visit my handsome Jew boy. The Hampton Inn in Toccoa, GA may not be as luxurious as the Four Seasons Maui (ouch.. missing out on this still stings), and I may not even have a nice plush robe waiting for me in the closet, or even a real headboard to the bed, but it is travel nonetheless and I am grateful for it.
Every trip needs good music, so while the scarves warm my neck, this playlist warms my soul.
**Updates from this week of travel to come soon! (and my disastrous attempt at cake pops).
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.
Yep, I said it. I didn't want to admit it at first but I really do.
People who are from Cleveland even have a love/hate relationship with it. It is the butt of many jokes, in the winter time they report a miserably large amount of snow, and they love to hate this man.
Last weekend I went to Cleveland to visit Adam's family and had one of the best weekends I've had in a long time. His family welcomed me with open arms, even though I'm sure his mother would have preferred a Jewish girl ;) JK, they are truly wonderful people.
We started off the day on Saturday with breakfast at the yacht club and an afternoon sail on his parent's sail boat. Without a view of land in the horizon, Lake Erie felt more like an ocean than a lake. It was gorgeous. Sailing takes a lot more work than I ever thought.. it's all manual.. it would take a lot of work and tricks to be able to go sailing by yourself. It was incredible though to see Adam and his dad working together and I would love to say that I grew up on the water.
The Family :)
My Favorite Picture!
Hahaha
After a day of fun on the water (and a nauseously hungover sail) we headed off to Great Lakes Brewery. We tried to get a table for dinner but the wait was too long so we headed down to the bar/cellar for some yummy tastings. We each got a pint of their specialty beers on tap for the week, Traffic Light and Market Street Wheat. I loved the Traffic Light and he loved the Market Street so it worked out perfectly. I definitely need to go back next time I'm in town.
Next, we met up with Adam's old college roommates and our friends from OU for the Indians game. We scalped tickets for $8 a piece and went in around the 5th inning, so we would be able to sneak down with our friends right behind home plate. The seats were amazing. I took this picture with my cell phone from our seats:
Even though we had an incredibly annoying stuck up family in front of us... heaven forbid we say the H-E-double hockey sticks word.. it was an amazing night... and the Indians pulled out a WIN! I am a Reds fan but I love all Ohio teams (except the Bengals). It was really odd because after the game, no one left their seat. It was weird.. usually people are rushing out at the 6th inning to beat traffic.. then we saw signs that said Rock and Blast tonight after the game. We assumed fireworks so we stuck around. Good thing we did.
Rock and Blast was an extravagant fireworks show synchronized to 30 seconds clips of all the rock classics... Adam was in heaven and I thought I was going to have a seizure I was in awe.
So yes, I loved Cleveland and I'm looking forward to our next trip, whenever that may be. The best part is, I was telling my best friend Ally about Cleveland and her boyfriend is from Cleveland too.. she leaned forward and whispered "isn't Cleveland fun?!" like it was a secret :)
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."
April is the month of Cherry Blossom fever in Washington DC.. and I'm not mad about it!
So here is the story according to Wikipedia:
Japan gave 3,020 cherry blossom trees as a gift to the United States in 1912 to celebrate the nations' then-growing friendship, replacing an earlier gift of 2000 trees which had to be destroyed due to disease in 1910. These trees were planted in Sakura Park in Manhattan and famously line the shore of the Tidal Basin in Washington DC. The gift was renewed with another 3,800 trees in 1965.The cherry blossom trees continue to be a popular tourist attraction (and the subject of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival) when they reach full bloom in early spring.
If the National Cherry Blossom Festival isn't enough to get you excited, you can experience cherry blossom treats like cherry cupcakes, cherry flavored brandy, cherry upside down cake... you name it, and as long as it doesn't remind me of cherry flavored cough medicine.. I want it!
I first fell in love with cherry blossoms when I went to China last summer. There are subtle hints of cherry blossoms in everything from pottery, to paintings to garments... when my trip came to a close, I became obsessed with doodling cherry blossoms all over my notebooks in class. So obsessed that I got one of my cherry blossom drawings tattooed on my body.
My tattoo
The cherry blossom has different meanings in Chinese and Japanese culture. In China, the cherry blossom stands for women's dominance and beauty as well as feminine sexuality. In Japan it symbolizes the transient nature of life, as the cherry blossom blooming season is so short.
So now that I have bored you with my interest in the cherry blossom, take a look at some beautiful pictures my friends and I took along the Tidal Basin when the trees were in full bloom
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.
