19/365

114/365

Closed: Washington Monument. Damage from the earthquake in August 2011 will soon be repaired.

104/365

There's no place like home.

This photo is awful. But it is truly significant and meaningful -- and not just because our trips home to DC are numbered. Seeing the Welcome to Washington DC sign last night after more than five hours in the car was magical...

We are driving a 14 year old car with 125,000 miles on it. And, well, our little car is on her last leg. The trip to and from Pennsylvania required four quarts of oil -- yes, four quarts. The car is burning oil fast and hard. We are also having transmission problems. The combination of these two issues results in huge plumbs of white smoke coming out of our tailpipe as we go up large hills. We also have a loss in power and cannot get the car's speed to increase.

Things were bad on our trip to Pennsylvania. And worse on the way home.

We will not be taking this car on another road trip. We're praying she lives long enough for me to get through the semester. We're also praying that we can get at least $1,000 at trade in.

Obviously we are shopping for a new car. More on that to come...

GARDEN

We planted a garden this year. In our 10 x 3 foot box, we planted beans, tomatoes, snap peas, regular peas, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and spinach. A few days after planting an animal started munching on our tomato plant. At one point the plant lost all of its leaves. Same thing happened with our wax beans. And then our garden dried out - I failed to adequately water it. Our spinach died (mostly do to no water, but animals munching on it also lead to its demise). In mid-May, we got a sprinkler and we started tending our garden with care. We also covered our garden to prevent animals/rodents from munching on our harvest.

And our little DC garden has thrived. 

Today we harvested wax beans, green beans and snap peas. And our little nearly dead tomato plant is thriving. We have nearly a dozen green full-sized tomatoes growing.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY

Spring has arrived and I am feeling healthy again. Early this morning I received an email saying that the azaleas at the National Arboretum are in full bloom. The sun was shining, a cool breeze was blowing, and I was ready to get out and enjoy the day. So off we went...

We spent some time admiring the azaleas. Then we hiked across the meadow to check out the original columns of the U.S. Capitol.

Afterward we spent some time running through the meadows, checking out the fountain, and sitting on every bench at the park.

 

We ended up trip at the choi ponds. No pictures were taken because I spent the majority of my time trying to keep my two year old out of the water (and away from the fish).

NO TELEVISION

Technically, we do not own a TV. We do have a 13 inch TV set in our basement. This TV was brought to our house by my father when he was here for a week when K was born.

We don't use this TV.

It is not our TV.

We are a TV-free house.

And proud of it.

There are times, however, when I would really enjoy having a TV at home. Such as when the Steelers are playing (in the AFC Championship game!!), during the summer Olympics, and when I need either 15 minutes to get something done or K needs 15 minutes to unwind/cool down.

We do allow K to watch youtube clips and short videos from Sesame Street; however, we cannot leave her alone in front of the computer in order to get something else done. The computer is just too tempting to touch with all of its buttons (the most appealing of which is the on-off one at the top right of the keyboard). So when K is watching a clip on the computer, one of us is right there with her protecting our computer from harm.

QUESTION: what do we do when K needs to calm down? Or when we need 10 minutes of time to get something done without interruption?

ANSWER: we pull a chair up to the sink and give our little girl a sponge, some soap, and a handful of items to clean.

What can I say? Our little girl loves to play in water; she loves to wash; she loves her bubbles.

She would spend the entire day on her tip-toes washing dishes, cleaning the sink and playing in a small steady stream of water from the facet if we'd let her.

We have to cut her off from this activity. The timer on our oven is my best friend. I set the number of minutes she can play at the sink and when the timer goes off, she reaches up and turns the water off. This week we've had to really limit her time at the sink (resulting in having to come up with alternate activities, which is hard) because all the water play has led to severely chapped cheeks and chin.

Yes, in addition to washing the dishes and sink, she also washes her face and arms. Hence the snowpants with no shirt on. This allows for proper arm washing space without getting a clean shirt drenched.

And, yes, she stands on her tip-toes the entire time she is at the sink even though she is tall enough to reach the water and soap on flat feet. The tip-toes are needed, however, to reach the bottom of the sink when it needs to be washed.

Our water bill is slightly higher these days as a result of K's water play; however, the extra dollar or so to that bill does not compare to paying $75-100 per month for cable or direct TV.

I'll take the water play, clean sink, and sanitized toddler any day!

A FRIENDLY FOOTBALL REMINDER

Just a friendly reminder that the Steelers are playing in the AFC Championship game this weekend.

I expect you to be praying.

I expect you to watch.

I'm blessed with a friend (and Eagle's fan) who wants to watch the game with me.

HERE WE GO...

FOOTBALL

In case you haven't heard or noticed, it is football playoff time. And being from Pittsburgh, I'm a Steelers fan. I proudly wear black and gold. I've also been known from time to time to have black and gold plates, napkins, cups, and even M&Ms on hand.

I've also been known to proudly wear my Steelers shirt in Baltimore after important games have been won.

This Saturday, the Steelers are playing the Baltimore Ravens (boo). It is likely to be one of the best NFL games of the year. It's going to be hard fought and cold game in Pittsburgh. I am thankful that it is a local game and I will be able to watch it on my 13 inch TV with rabbit ears.

Like all good fans in Pittsburgh and around the globe, this is the prayer I'll be saying before bed tonight:

Our Father, Who Art in Pittsburgh, 
Football be Thy Game, 
Let Mendenhall Run,
6 Superbowls Won, 
On Earth as it is in Heinz Field. 
Give Us this Day a Playoff Victory, 
and Forgive Us Our Penalties, 
as We Defeat Those Ravens Who Play Against Us. 
But Lead Us into a Victory, 
and Deliver Us to Texas. 
For Thine is the D-Line, the Polamalu, and the Harrison.....A-Ben.

HOME

After...

1 high speed rail trip (1.5 hours);
1 taxi ride to a hotel;
1 night in a Taipei hotel (more on our swanky digs to come);
1 shuttle bus ride to the airport;
3 airplanes (Taipei to Tokyo to Detroit to DC);
2 metro trains; and
1 leisurely walk with two suitcases, a backpack, two carry-ons, a computer bag, and a stroller

we are HOME.

More than 25 hours of travel (thankfully broken up by a glorious night in a swanky hotel).

All of this with a toddler, who did NOT have her own seat on the airplane.

We had a wonderful time in Taiwan visiting family and enjoying everything there is to enjoy about Taiwan (highlight: all the yummy food). Many stories and pictures to come.

But for now... bed. I haven't slept in 25 hours and more than likely K will be up around 3am.

Here's to getting over jetlag quickly....

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual started by SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

CITY LIVING: PROS and CONS

If you've had a conversation with me in-person or over the phone in the past six months, you've probably heard me stressing out about living in the city. Specifically, living in Washington DC and having a child. A child who will need to go to school some day.

The process of enrolling/applying to DC public schools and public charter schools begins in the spring right around or before a child's third birthday. The city offers FREE preschool to all residents. Nice perk, yes? Unfortunately it is not a clear-cut/black and white yes.

We cannot send K to her public neighborhood elementary school. Although I do not know a single thing about the teachers, curriculum, or other students, I will not send her there because the building itself is a disaster. We've had several neighborhood meetings there and I've seen serious water damage, mold, and (yes, shudder) a rat (inside). So it is not an option. That means we have two options in terms of school - charter or private.

It kills me to think I'm going to have to apply for my baby to go to preschool. It kills me a little bit more to think we could end up paying upwards of $18,000 for preschool. These are the CONS of living in the city and trying to raise a family.

I was discussing these cons with a good friend the other day. I was frustrated with the process; upset over the thought of having to "get into" preschool; terrified by large pricetags for elementary school; disheartened to think my daughter's school could be more than an hour long commute from our house.

Now I understand why so many people move to the suburbs!

The list of CONS for raising a family in the city is long.

If we lived in the town where I grew up, we'd send our daughter to the local public elementary school and our biggest troubles would be do we let her walk to the bus stop alone? or does she have time to do piano, dance and soccer this fall?

This sounds nice. Maybe the city isn't the place for us. Maybe I'm not cut out to deal with all the CONS of living in a city with a child.

But then I spent Tuesday with K in our neighborhood. We went to FREE story hour at the library, which is a five minute walk from our house. We then walked over to the FREE spray park where K played in the water for hours. We met up with a bunch of K's little friends. On our street alone there are six kids three and under. After lunch and a nap, K and I walked to two grocery stores where we bought everything we need for the week. We then went outside and visited with our neighbors until D got home.

We've made a really big effort to get to know our neighbors and it has been wonderful. We live on a diverse block with wonderful, loving people from all walks of life. There are two widowed black women, who greet us with a warm smile and hugs and kisses whenever we see them. We have a single mom with FIVE boys across the street. She LOVES K and recently bought her a little sundress and matching shoes. And she hemmed the dress, too. She speaks Spanish to K (our nanny does, too) and it is fun watching to see if K picks up on what she is saying. We also have neighbors willing to share produce from their little gardens or stop by with their dogs so K can get some doggy kisses.

We walk to the metro most evenings and meet D after work. We walk home as a family - visiting with neighbors and meeting new people along the way. Some nights we meet D at the local spray park and enjoy some time in the water before walking home. We are surrounded by construction sites that provide hours of entertainment. We've had the opportunity to meet policemen and the guys who drive the trash trucks.

We rarely drive our car. We walk or take the metro everywhere. There are FREE activities at many of the museums that we can take advantage of. There is Rock Creek Park a little over a mile away, which is a great place to run. And let's not forget about the zoo. We can walk there, too, and it's free.

There are PROS to living in the city with a family, too.

Sure, choosing and getting into the right school is a process and will require a lot of hard work. And we may have to travel a little bit to ensure that K goes to the best school for her. But we can make these things work.

What I am eternally grateful for is all the wonderful people and great activities we are surrounded by. I love that K is growing up in such a diverse community. I love that people of different races and people speaking different languages are part of her normal life. I love that we walk everywhere together. I love that the parks and spray parks are her favorite places to go.

I don't know if we'll stay in DC for the long-term or if we'll end up moving in a year. But for now, I'm trying not to focus on all the CONS of living in the city. Instead I am going to focus on the pros and really enjoy our life, our neighborhood, and all the wonderful people surrounding us.

A HOT, HOT SUMMER

Yesterday I had three little girls in my charge. A soon-to-be 10 year old, a soon-to-be 7 year old, and my little one year old. The older girls belong to a good friend of mine who was in town for some physical, occupational, and recreational therapy. I volunteered to take her kids for the day. The older girl made a list at the beginning of the summer outlining the things she wanted to do. On the list was:

Visit Washington DC.

How could I not take her and her sister and my K into the city for the day. Fortunately, my friend Angie joined us and provided an extra set of adult hands. Unfortunately, it was HOT. The heat index was well over 100 degrees by mid-morning.

So what does one do on a sweltering day in DC? Tourists hit up the museums or take tours of the Capitol or White House. We locals opt for some of the off-the-beaten-path activities.

First stop was the observation deck at the Old Post Office.

This is K looking out over the EPA. In the background behind the wires, you can see the Washington Monument. (Note K's crazy hair. Little girl sweats A LOT. And when she's hot she refuses to wear a ponytail. Her hair was crazy out of control yesterday.)

After taking in the city views, we "picnicked" in the food court of the Old Post Office. Nothing beats eating indoors and enjoying a free lunch-time concert when it is sweltering outside.



We enjoyed our picnic food and the cool temperatures.

After lunch we ventured down Pennsylvania Ave to the Navy Memorial.

Nothing beats playing in the fountains.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon inside baking brownies. The early evening hours were spent swimming and making a pizza dinner together.

MY VERY FIRST EARTHQUAKE

This morning a little after 5am I woke up to the sound/feel of a loud rumble.

What the heck?

Was it low-flying military aircraft? Loud base from a car outside? The collapse of one of the many construction cranes in the city? A bombing?

NO.

It was a freaking earthquake. AN EARTHQUAKE.

Technically, this is my second earthquake. We experienced a 4.7 in Meadville my senior year of college. But I was at swim practice during that earthquake and quakes cannot be felt in the water. I totally missed out.

Today's earthquake, I definitely felt.

RIDDLE ME THIS

Riddle me this... is a phrase D and I say to each other when we need some explanation; specifically when something is mind-boggling.

In the spirit of mind-bogglingly puzzled, I say to YOU,  riddle me this:

Our backyard is fenced in. There is a gate at the far end to allow entrance/exit. We keep this gate shut at all times. Yesterday I closed it myself. In spite of a fenced in backyard, we have dog poop in our backyard all the freaking time.

RIDDLE ME THAT!

How can we have dog poop in our backyard? Does someone open our back gate and allow their dog entrance while we're sleeping? Is it possible that it is not dog poop? Could it be a cat? or raccoon?

Is there any other hypothesis to explain the dog poop in my fenced in yard?

I'd love to hear your thoughts...

TALBOT PRIDE

Yes, my high school mascot was a Talbot. And, yes, it is an extinct dog at that.

Anyways, the source of my pride today has nothing to do with our mascot, the four time state champion swim team, the WPIAL champion girls swim team, or our Blue Ribbon School status. Although I am proud of each of these things.

Today's pride swells from the fact that the new Taylor Lautner movie Abduction is being filmed at my alma mater. Camera crews are onsite TODAY.

According to some reliable Hampton gossip, the high school marching band will be featured in the film (for all of 3 seconds). Additionally it is rumored that while touring the high school the director was shocked by the fact that there are no locks on the lockers in the school (never have been). Supposedly the director opened one of the lockers during the tour and it was littered with pictures of Taylor Lautner and the rest of the cast from the Twilight series. The director supposedly set up a meeting/lunch between Taylor Lautner and the girl whose locker was opened. (These rumors are unconfirmed at the present time.)

Details about filming are available here.

The school district's web site confirms that the school will be closed today and tomorrow for a facilities rental. I'm hoping the rental fee is made public. I'd love to know how much money a school can make for hosting a movie...

I'm thinking about going to see the movie when it is released (or several month later when it is available for rent on iTunes) just to see my alma mater in all its lock-less glory.

HOT

It has been a crazy hot week here in the Nation's Capital.

We haven't seen temperatures below 80 degrees all week - even at night. I went out for a run on Tuesday evening at 7:00 and the heat index/real feel was 105. This morning I ran at 10 and it was a balmy 85 degrees with about 90 percent humidity.

It is hot.

In an effort to stay cool, hydrated, and comfortable during a heat wave, this is what we do EVERY DAY.

We love the spray park! 

This morning K and I went out for a run, stopped at home to refill water bottles and then hit the spray park. I ran through the water and stood underneath some of the taller sprays in an effort to cool down from my run. It was the perfect end to a hot one.

FIVE vs. SIX

I've had the luxury of working from home this week.

No commute. Endless coffee and ice water. No public restrooms. Two computers - one for lit reviews and articles the other for the word document that contains the first chapter of my dissertation. A window to look out (I work from a closet at school - great to have my own room and computer, but I miss seeing sunlight during the day).

There is also the perk of running at 6am instead of 5ish. To get a run in and get to school on time means I have to run around 5am. This translates into a run from about 5:15-6am. When I eliminate my commute, I can run around 6am and still get to work on time. It is such a luxury!

This morning K and I headed out for a short four mile run. We left the house at 6:01. It was hot and humid out and I was sweating before we reached the first traffic light (a block and a half from home). We set out on a normal running route and it was crowded with walkers and runners. And they were ALL so friendly. Even the college kid, who looked like he hadn't run or exercised in ages. He was all waving to my baby and wishing me a good morning. It was a delightful run; full of smiles, good-mornings, waves, and have a nice days.

It was SO different from the 5am running crowd. For whatever reason, the 5am runners are a little more serious/tired and a lot less friendly. Rarely on my early morning runs to I get any pleasantries. Sometimes a passing runner will nod in response to my friendly morning smile.

The 6am crowd was great this morning and I'm looking forward to more 6am runs this summer as I'm planning to work from home on Tuesdays starting in July.

Also on our run this morning, we watched the sun rise over our little corner of the city. We had to navigate around an enormous goose who was monopolizing the sidewalk. We saw several BIG backhoes. Unfortunately they were not running yet. We also bumped into several of our neighbors who were off to the metro early in the morning.

This morning's run ended with two big glasses of icewater and a cool shower.

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Today's goal: complete a full first draft of the first chapter of my dissertation.

Tomorrow's goal: edit said draft and email it to my advisor.

Tomorrow: spinning class at noon!

A TYPICAL DAY

This is K playing in the fountain at the National Arboritum surrounded by the original pillars of the US Capitol.

I.heart.DC.

SUNSHINE DAY

To quote the Brady Bunch:

I think i'll go for a walk outside now
the summer sun's callin my name
i hear ya now
i just can't stay inside all day
i gotta get out get me some of those rays
everybody's smilin
sunshine day
everybody's laughin
sunshine day
everybody seems so happy today
it's a sunshine day...


Today was perfect in every sense of the word.


K slept through the night. Slept until 7:10am. And since I didn't have to be at school this morning, I slept until 7:10am. It was luxurious. D made me a strong pot of coffee before leaving for work, and he even bought me some flavored coffee creamer. I had a coffee milkshake with breakfast!

We goofed off around the house until 10 and then set out for the park. We hiked over to the park; the park with swings AND a spiral slide. K had a blast (I had a good time, too; completely enjoyed my travel mug full of coffee milkshake). My little girl has NO fear. She climbed to the highest heights on the jungle gyms. She hit the swings hard. Asking me to go push her "more up" (read: higher!).


We hiked home from the park and had lunch.


K went to sleep soon afterward. She didn't sleep for long. I got no work done, but was successful in getting a couple of loads of laundry washed.


After K's nap, we did some water play. I filled up a couple of bowls and she sat on the floor and played for nearly an hour. She laughed a lot and asked continuously for more - water that is!


After an afternoon snack, we set out for a run. It was the first time we had the jogging stroller out this year. It was perfect weather for running - sunny, 70 degrees, no humidity, and slight breeze. I set out on my 4.13 mile loop a little faster than I should have. Pushing a nearly 20 pound toddler and a 28 pound stroller is hard freaking work. The run was going great until I hit THE HILL...


This is the big hill. It's basically straight up. And it is a full city block long. I was three miles into my run before I set out to climb the hill. By the time I got halfway up the hill, my butt muscles were burning. I was out of breath. And, honestly, I didn't think K and I were going to make it to the top.

But we kept going.


One.step.at.a.time.


We reached the top of the hill and had a little celebration. We also stopped to take a look at the city. The view from 13th and Clifton is amazing. And Washington DC is beautiful this time of year.

 [photo credit: http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/]

Upon completion of our run, we parked the jogging stroller and K and I went for a walk on our street. We met D at the metro, walked home, and fed K some dinner.


I took a wonderfully hot shower.


D is cooking two pizzas for dinner --- a mushroom lovers and veggie lovers.


We have a bottle of wine to enjoy with the pizza.


Oh, and did I mention that the baby is sound asleep? And the work on our house is nearly complete? And that our kitchen sink is FINALLY draining (after a year and a half of only draining when the garbage disposal was on)?


It truly was a wonderful day!

PRODUCTIVITY

It has been a productive week.

To prove my productivity, I retired two pens today. Both were completely out of ink.

Yes, I have been writing a lot. The number of articles one has to summarize, categorize, and synthesize for a dissertation is astronomical. Just when you think you have covered every possibly aspect of your project and have resources to support your methods and analysis, another topic rears its ugly head and it is back to the library (virtually, of course).

Since I read most of my articles online, I take notes, write summaries, and create resource charts on paper with a pen. Yes, I am old school when it comes to research. I believe I am better organized with a pad of paper and multi-colored pens. And, yes, I do end up retyping most of my notes and charts, but I learn through writing. Ultimately, this is the strategy that works best for me.

I've been through well over 200 articles this week alone.

I've used a lot of ink. Two pens worth to be exact.

Throwing the pens away this afternoon made me feel like I've really accomplished something.

I'm estimating that I'll go through at least five more pens before the research phase of my dissertation is over.

Anyone else want to take a guess at how many pens I'll use?

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Other areas of productivity:

HOME: keeping up with the messy mess that is our house. The contractors have been working all week. We have walls and ceilings, but it is messy. There is a layer (or two) of dust everywhere. We're managing, keeping things as tidy as possible, and trying not to track dust to parts of the house that are clean.

EXERCISE: had two great bike rides this week. My inner thighs don't agree with my mind. They are sore. So is my bottom; bike seats are hard of the bottom. Also had a great run on Tuesday night. I'm getting close to achieving my goal of running my 4.13 mile loop in less than 35 minutes. Only 45 seconds to knock off. Tomorrow it is supposed to be sunny and 70 degrees. I'm going to dust the jogging stroller off and take K on a run. I was planning to run hills; not sure if that will happen with a nearly 19 pound toddler and a 30 pound jogging stroller. We'll see...