Waking up in DC

I woke up last Friday morning and needed someone to pinch me………..was I really in DC. Then I rolled over and fell off a couch, hitting the floor was just the pinch I needed. Toto we are not in Oklahoma anymore, nor Tulsa, nor my bed.

I may have only had five hours of sleep on Thursday night, but I was ready to get out and explore DC. Being this was not my first rodeo and I have been on many of the touristy adventures in DC I chose to take some time for me in a park reading and enjoying the sights, sounds, and sun.



Don’t let the fact that DC is geographically located in the Northeast fool you into thinking they have cooler weather because they DON’T. I found this out quite quickly as I began to smolder in the heat. After spending 45 minutes outside reading I looked and felt as though I had just worked out for 4 hours. Oh wait, I was reading…the taxation on my mind was workout enough; I am sure I can blame the profuse perspiration on the over exertion of my mind rather than the sun.

Following a fun…well not really fun at all, adventure in the heat a couple years ago I can’t handle being in the hot sun for long anymore. With that knowledge I hastily began to map out a new plan for the day since the weather was not being too friendly to this sister.

This DC trip was first and for most a business trip, and I did have a Komen meet and greet I needed to attend later in the afternoon. Unless I wanted to hike, and yes it would be a hike, from Chad and Ashley’s place to downtown DC, I needed to start making my way to a metro station. Chad’s office building is conveniently located right across the street from a metro stop so I called him and told him I was coming by to see him and his co-workers.



For any of you that may be wondering, no I did not shower before heading out for the rest of my afternoon. I thought about it for a fleeting second, but then realized I had to take a 15 minute walk to Chad’s office and then ride the oh so clean metro and then do some more walking in the blistering sun until I arrive at the Hyatt to meet fun new Komen friends. So a shower really didn’t seem practical to me. You may be thinking that I must have looked like a drowned rat and you would be right. Apparently my intent was not to stun Chad’s office with my astounding beauty or to pick up any good looking DC men.

Have I happened to mention how happy I was to be in DC, everything about the city makes me all tingly inside, from the history to the people watching, and the activity to the subway. Speaking of subway I jumped on a subway car bound for I don’t know where, but was hopeful it was traveling in the direction I needed to go. After all I had an hour to get to my meet and greet and I was not overly familiar with the area of town I was traveling to. For any of you that know me well know how much I love unfamiliar territory of any kind……………

I made it to the Hyatt smelling like lilies I am positive and only a few scrapes and bruises from my battle through the subway.

I don’t have pictures to share I was too busy meeting and greeting to think about taking pictures. However, it is pretty safe to say that Komen staff and volunteers are quite possibly the most amazing people I have met. It is rare to find an organization that is packed full of kind hearted, energy filled, and loving individuals but I have yet to meet anyone associated with Komen that do not encompass those traits and so much more.

As my journey back to VA began I was able to take some pictures of the Komen Village for the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure being assembled on the mall.




This is called unbalanced photography……I don’t think the Washington Monument leans that much






Representation of many countries lining the mall.


The map of Komen Village.


The stage is set for the 2010 Global Race for the Cure.

Love,
Jen

The wrong form of transportation

Imagine if you will, jumping on a flight bound for Baltimore thinking you would arrive when your itinerary stated you would. I tell you to imagine, but I really should just say think about the last time you flew somewhere and the experience you had; because I am starting to think that there are zero flights that are not delayed anymore. In fact after this last visit to the friendly skies which went from what I thought would be a simple flight to a journey of epic proportions in no time flat I realized I need to start considering another form of transportation when I travel.

I suppose I should I have known that my day was going to one for the adventure books being it started out on the rough side. I had to get up super early to pack because texting a friend all night the night before took priority over packing. As I was packing I realized some of the clothes I wanted to take on this journey needed to be ironed, as I headed to my living room to plug in my iron I discovered that the room flooded again during the storms the night before. It was quite the morning………………

I trudged through the day and made it to the airport by 2pm and was beyond excited to be blowing out of town. The winds however stopped blowing when I arrived in St. Louis; in fact they stopped blowing for three hours. Thank heavens for cell phones, moms, and great friends to get me through the delay in a small no food airport.

At some point during the night I boarded a plane to Baltimore, I am pretty sure I was sleep walking when I stepped on the plane. Then in the wee hours of Friday morning the plane landed at BWI and I slowly made my way to find my brother, a car ride to DC, and a couch to crash on.

Let the stories of the DC adventures begin……………………….



Love,
Jen

A day at the park...

I met my friend Amber and one of her friends at the park today to take some oh so cute pictures of three precious little ones. Here are a few of my unedited favorites.

Scrumptious

I made an oh so scrumptious pizza a couple days ago. It was piled high with everything I love, cheese, green & yellow peppers, spinach, tomatoes, basil, crushed red pepper, cheese…….Oh did I already mention cheese, well it is my favorite part of pizza and the main contributor to the size of my backside.

Here is what you need:

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 lb fresh spinach leaves
1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
Crushed red pepper (for taste)
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
3 ¼ cup All-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water (120-130 degrees)

Here is what you do:
Pizza Dough-
1) In large bowl combine 1 ¼ cups flour, yeast, and ¼ teaspoon salt; add warm water and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
2) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic.
3) Divide dough in half. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes
4) Spread dough out onto baking stone or pizza pan.
5) Sprinkle dough with olive oil, crushed red pepper, and ¼ cup parmesan cheese.

Toppings-
1) Cover bottom of skillet with thin layer of olive oil and pressed garlic clove.
2) Begin sautéing spinach.
3) Cut yellow and green peppers into choice shape and add to spinach.
4) Sauté for 5-7 minutes.
5) Spoon mixture onto dough; add sliced tomatoes, basil, and a combination of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes at 425 degrees.



Enjoy,
Jen

Is it possible?

Is it possible that this little guy, holding a puppy in one hand and his brother’s hand in the other be old enough for prom?


It is somehow possible and this past weekend my little cousin all grown up went to prom. Looking beyond handsome with a stunning date at his side………


Boutonnieres were pinned on…………


Hair was perfectly fixed……..


The car was gassed up, washed, and ready to escort Mark and Sydney to prom…..



And they are off......


Uncle Erland was asked, along with many other fathers’ of prom goers, to be a valet parking attendant. He was such a sport to wear the ‘silly hat’ which went in line with the Asian theme party.



Mark and Sydney have arrived at prom……….


They looked great and had a great time!!

The wind comes sweeping down the plains......

At 4:30am last Thursday I was rudely woken up. My body was prepared for Tim MaGraw, Carrie Underwood, or Lady A to sing me awake, but was not prepared for a roaring wind outside my window to rudely wake me from dreamland. Having lived in tornado alley for quite a few years now, I am use to thunderstorms…..the cracking of thunder, the impressiveness of lighting (which I am secretly petrified of), the wind, the rain……….but my friends Thursday morning was a different sound.

As I lay in bed unable to hear my radio sitting on my bedside table right next to me, I realized this storm was something more than a typically Oklahoma thunderstorm. It was at this exact moment when I realized something was just not right, that we lost power. Like a dummy I laid in bed, paralyzed with fear, yet thinking I really need to seek shelter or at least get away from my bedroom window, so that anything that impales the window will not impale me as well. But sadly I continued to just lay there waiting for the terrifying noise outside my window to pass.

It did pass in time, our power came back on, and I immediately went to seek insight as to what just happened. As I flipped on the T.V., I noticed we were simply under a severe thunderstorm warning. I got up and began getting ready for the day. I was on my way out the door when I received a text from my boss explaining that the power may be out at the office and I could just stay put at home until she contacted me to tell me it was okay to come into work.

I never made it in to work last Thursday…………..our office didn’t have power restored until late afternoon, and the roads were covered with debris which made it difficult to navigate. As news began to filter in during the day it was determined that what I heard was not a thunderstorm after all, it was the winds generated from a tornado.

Since work was no longer on the books for the day, I ventured out to see what damaged had been done in our neighborhood……………………

Parts of roofs were missing…..


Trees were blown down……




Branches needed to be cut off power lines…..


There were many parts of town that looked like a war zone. Yet, the extraordinary blessing that came from this event was that not a single person was hurt from the 3-5 touch downs this tornado had in the Tulsa area.

Love,
Jen

Touch my life.

I was driving to work the other day and heard these lyrics............

When I think I'm going under, part the waters, Lord

When I feel the waves around me, calm the sea

When I cry for help, oh, hear me

Lord and hold out Your hand

Touch my life

Still the raging storm in me.

-Selah

Lyrics that will remain in my mind and heart as I face difficulty and feel I am going under.

Love ya,
Jen