What We Saw: {A Dad Moment}

Before I was born, my parents took a trip to Washington D.C. 

When my parents found out that we would be living here for a little while, they told us about some of the things that I enjoyed seeing while they were here. 

My mom loved Ford's Theatre, Mount Vernon and the Library of Congress. 

My dad?

Archie Bunker's chair. 

I'm sure there were plenty of things that he enjoyed seeing in addition to that. But for some reason, that is one of the main things that he remembers from when he came here. 

Aren't dad's just the quirkiest?

So dad....this one's for you!

I blame the strange pose on the fact that Mike was struuuugggggling taking this picture and people were waiting for us to get out of the way and things were feeling suuuuuppper awkward.

But that wasn't even the best part!

You guys! I had that moment. You know, the same moment that my dad had 30 years ago when he saw Archie Bunker's chair!

I saw the Hogwart's Cape that Daniel Radcliffe wore in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone! And in 30 years when my kids decide to go to Washington D.C., I'm going to tell them all about it!

Yep, there were even some thumbs up going on because I was so excited. 

Oh and we saw a piece of the Berlin Wall. And a dress that Jackie Kennedy wore. I love her.

And tons of other pretty awesome stuff.

{National Museum of American History}

We also went to the National Archives where the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and Constitution are housed. But you can't take pictures in there. So here is our single picture to remind me in 30 years that I actually did go there.

 

What Our Life is Like: {Behind the Closed Door}

When Mike and I were first married, we slept on a queen size bed that we had inherited from Mike's parents house. I had previously slept on a full size bed, so a queen was definitely an upgrade. Untiiillllll you throw that 6'3" man in there too, then you suddenly feel like your sleeping on a twin. We also happen to be middle of the bed sleepers. Yes, both of us. And both of us are in denial about it. One morning early in our marriage, Mike snuck out of bed and took a picture of me sleeping. Smack dab in the center of that queen mattress. Just to prove it to me. You better believe about a week later I did the same thing to him. But even with photographic evidence {which I would absolutely show you except there are t-shirts up to chins and underwear and stuff} we both still deny that we are bed hogs.

Then we got a king. And we fell into heaven for a bit. But then we were back to unconsciously fighting over this new extra space that we had. Fortunately, I've learned how to push Mike just enough so he'll roll over. How can I hog the bed if he already is?

But now, our king sits in storage. And we move from mattress to mattress, so kindly being provided for us by family and landlords. Currently we're in a queen. I think. {I don't really know, it feels like a twin, remember?}

Last night was another night in which Mike was dominating the territory. I was having trouble sleeping {I blame the Nightstand App that Mike has going on the iPad every.single.night...I swear the thing could light up the night sky}. I lay there with Mike's hand jabbing me in the side and him breathing right in my face. Normally I would push. Get him to roll out of the center. But I just lay there. And listened. What a beautiful thing it is to have someone to share your bed with; to trust someone enough to fall asleep with them right next to you. It seems to be just a small representation of a relationship in its entirety. And in that moment, I had such joy. That guy right there loves me. Enough to fall asleep with me next to him.

And then he kneed me in the butt so I pushed him and he rolled over.

What I Crossed Off the Bucket List: {East Coast Camping}

Girls Camp is fun.

Canoe races in the pool, hiking, fires, s'mores, testimony meeting, staying up until the wee hours of the morning chatting with the other leaders like we were 14 again.

It was a blast.

But East coast camping is different. It's hot. Really hot. The bugs are huge. Moss grows all over everything. And the fires are hard to start because the wood is wet. And I don't really wanna go east coast camping again.

But I am so glad I did! I'm so glad I was randomly called to be the Assistant Girls Camp Director. I'm so glad I was able to build a relationship with the girls and leaders. I'm so glad that I am able to cross another thing off my bucket list that I didn't know was on it.

What I Love About Him: {Eyes}

Being at Girls Camp all week was awesome. But do you know what was even more awesome?

Walking toward my man who can't take his eyes off me, with a huge smile on his face, after spending 4 days apart.

Being greeted with a large hug and a perfect kiss.

And the best surprise I could have asked for.

He put in extra hours studying during the week so that he could spend the whole night hanging out with me.

Oh, how I adore him.

What Our Weekend Looked Like: {DC Sites with a Sundae on Top}

Our weekend was filled with sunshine, each other, and walking. And walking. And walking. 

And we were able to cross a bunch more DC to do's off the list!

Above pictures: Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and new bacon sundae from Burger King

Included sites were: Arlington Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. 

I love seeing all these wonderful sites around me. And its even more fun to get to see them with Mike. Oh how I cherish those few hours on Saturday of attention!

Aaaaaannd since I know you are wondering, the bacon sundae from Burger King is....okay. I, myself, enjoy a little salty twist to my sweet treats, but I would have much rather preferred a nice sprinkling of peanuts on top than chunks of bacon mixed throughout. However, the fudge and caramel swirled through this soft serve ice cream was so delicious, it made it all worth it. Oh and we shared it. So only half the guilt.

And I told Mike I want a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee for my birthday, so we'll see if he delivers. 

I leave for Girls Camp tomorrow. I still can't believe I got wrangled into this, but even though I haven't memorized a single girls name, I'm weirdly excited. I can assure you that none of that excitement stems from getting to sleep in cabins and take regular showers.

What Today Is: {FridayFreeForAll}

It's been a while, but I think it's about time that I do another FridayFreeForAll!

If you had been a fly on our wall this week, you would have seen us jamming on the couch to this song.
It's true, there was some serious sit-down dancing going on.

Thank you Burger King commercial for reminding me of such a great song!

Walk of Life
Dire Straits

And don't forget...feel free to leave your own suggestions for the next FridayFreeForAll! 
If you give suggestions, I will highlight you/your blog/and your video on next week's FridayFreeForAll...just make sure you give me all the details! {And you must be a follower.} 
{Oh and all music videos must be appropriate. We are family friendly on this here blog.}

What Is Officially Official: {Law School}

Well the verdict is out. Mike received his grades yesterday for his final semester in Law school.

He did a smashing good job!

So relieved to know that that whole graduation thing we did a month ago, is actually legit now.

Not that I was worried. I'm married to a smarty pants.

But still, we both breathed a sigh of relief.

He really is done!

What I Do: {My Daily Life}

With Mike working 8 1/2 hours a day and studying for the bar another 4 to 5 hours, I spend most of my day alone. And as much as that sounds like I am looking for pity, I am actually pretty good at filling my days.

I've been doing these workouts. This girl is tough. She makes me sore. And that makes me happy.

I watch a whole lot of HBO.

I read {currently reading Killing Lincoln}.

I watch the maids. Yes, we have maids. And its very awkward to sit here while they clean. But on the flip side, I'm not leaving cuz I plain have trust issues. But yay for a clean house!

When I feel excited and like I want to get downright sweaty, I actually do venture outside. Sometimes I'll go down to the mall and hit up a museum. I frequent the grocery store a few times a week. I regularly walk down to Mike's work at quitting time and walk back home with him {that's my favorite 30 minutes of the day}. We walk everywhere {except church}. Which is actually pretty awesome. It gives us more time outdoors. Once you make peace with the fact that you just kinda always have a stench and a small stream running down your back, the walk can actually be quite pleasant.

I eat delicious food.

I play with my blog template. Which you may notice is a bit different today. And don't be surprised if you see some pretty constant tweaks here and there. I have a lot of time on my hands!

So what may seem like a really boring, unemployed life, is actually very scintillating to me. I enjoy my days so much and I am really having a blast here in Washington D.C.

Many of these pictures were taken via instagram. You can follow me @abbys14.

What My Baby Sister Did: {Engagement!}

My baby sister is engaged!

I have 4 sisters, and she is the last one to get married! Bittersweet if I do say so myself!

But I am quite the sucker for family weddings!

Congratulations Alexis and Kyson!

What I Saw: {The Work of a Few Famous Guys}

No big deal or anything, but here are a couple things I saw today...

Claude Monet

Leonardo da Vinci

Raphael

Vincent van Gogh

Pablo Picasso

Thank you, National Gallery of Art, for giving me a solid few hours of pure viewing pleasure.

What We Splurged On: {Grocery Shopping D.C. style}

Well we caved. We bought ourselves a grocery cart.

I honestly don't know how else you are supposed to grocery shop in this city if you don't have a car.
And I have absolutely no idea how we are planning on getting this cart on a plane in a few months when we leave D.C.
And for now, I really don't care.
All I know is it only cost me $24.99 to make my life a million times easier.
It's the simple pleasures in life, really.

What a Mormon Church is Like: {The D.C. Version}

Church in Utah: Less than a 5 minute drive to the church around the block.

Church in Oklahoma: A 20 minute drive to the church in a neighboring city.

Church in D.C.: An hour long commute via walking to the Metro, taking the Metro, and walking from the Metro to the church in a neighboring state. {But now I can officially mark Maryland off the list of states I've been to.}

They say the church is the same everywhere. But please, let me clarify, the gospel is the same everywhere...the church however, is definitely not the same everywhere.

I was grateful for fast Sunday on this particular Sunday. Isn't it so much easier to fast when church isn't until 1:00?

We successfully spotted a few other Mormons on the train, making it easy for us to once again, find our way in a foreign land. 

And lets just throw it out there. Isn't going to a new ward the worst? Or a new anything really...a job, a class...

We walk in and quickly find a seat, hoping that we didn't just steal someones 'regular' spot. 

While we sit and wait for the meeting to start, I hear a member of the bishopric approach the gentleman sitting behind us and quickly ask him if he would be "...the assistant to the Executive Secretary."

Umm...okay. Yes, his response.

Seconds later the meeting starts and he is sustained into this new calling. Wow, and I thought the ward in Norman was bad {calling speakers the night before to assign them talks.}

But to each his own. 

The meeting continued on just as normal. Or should I say Utah normal, as I was about to find out that things are run a little differently in this D.C. ward. 

First testimony bearer gets up, starting out: "Good Afternoon Brothers and Sisters."

Congregation: "Good Afternoon!"

Hah. What just happened?

Next testimony bearer gets up: "Good Afternoon."

Congregation: "Good Afternoon!"

Oh dear. 

You should have seen the reaction when the young teenager got up and said: "Hi."

That poor crowd had no idea what to do with it. A chuckle was about all this extremely vocal congregation could get out. 

Then there was the older black lady that got up. She was adorable. She begins her testimony like normal {or should I say D.C. normal}, but then takes a drastic turn by asking everyone to sing with her saying, "I know you know the words."

I definitely did not know the words. Pretty sure Mike and I were the only two in that room that didn't though. 

And it was definitely not a hymn.

I looked at Mike, "What just happened?"

Mike's response?

"That was awesome."
I still have no idea what song they were singing.

So several more Good Afternoon's later, the bishop gets up to end the meeting and then says, "After the prayer has been said, please stay in your seats and we will introduce the new people."

Did I mention that I kind of hate going to new wards?

And sure enough, after the prayer, we went around the room like on the first day of school and introduced the new people. Of which there were quite a few. 

And THEN {I know, its like it never ends} we got up to go to Sunday School and were intercepted by a member of the bishopric. He introduced himself and just asked why we were in D.C. and what our story was, when I told him that I wasn't really doing anything this Summer, just kinda following my husband in his adventures, he says, "Do you want to be our Assistant Girls Camp Director?"

Umm.

I'll be in Utah for the month of July, and so I was thinking that I would not be there for camp.

Nope.

Camp is in June.

So guess who is going to Girls Camp?

Bahah. 

I did not even know that this could happen. What in the world.

But I'm still really excited for the opportunity, and it will be nice to have something to do for a few days. 

Random.

Did I mention that in Relief Society we sang "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.....".
More than once I questioned whether or not I was in a Mormon church.
And now I just think about it and laugh.

Did that really just happen?

What A Snapshot Looks Like: {Our Stint in D.C.}

4 suitcases, a large duffel, a backpack and a laptop bag later, we find ourselves in a small ground floor apartment that smells like a dog in the heart of Washington DC. Where the bedroom is through the kitchen, the back door exit is through the bathroom and the laundry detergent and a bottle of wine are included in the rent.

At the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden

In one hand I carry my mace and in the other hand I turn my wedding ring to the inside whenever I see a person that makes me feel uncomfortable. I'm a young, white girl from the suburbs and this little bit of a city life that I am currently living occasionally makes me feel very vulnerable. 

At the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden

Today I received one of the best arm workouts I think I can get in DC by carrying our groceries from the store back home. Mike insisted we get a case of water, so between that and a gallon of milk, that poor guy was literally drenched in sweat by the time we got home. We were grateful for the clouds and the occasional breeze. 

If you came to my house for dinner tonight, I could offer you mac n' cheese, PB and J, Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Ramen. Epitome of health, we are.  

And as my arms still shake while I type this, I laugh at my life, learning how to appreciate this current random adventure that we are living. 

{And it JUST occurred to me that it is Friday, and I should be posting a FridayFreeForAll but to be honest with you, I can't keep track of the days of the week since I stopped working and so I'm just gonna bypass this Friday if you don't mind...}