A Lone Photo

Here is a photo from the Easter egg roll. If you would like to see more, please e-mail me, and I will provide the link to the Snapfish album online.

An Easter First

Today I was fortunate to attend, for the first time, the Easter egg roll on the south lawn of the White House. As you readers know, last year (and into the beginning of January), I worked in a part of the Executive Office of the President. EOP employees generally get invitations to WH events, and in this case, one of my former co-workers invited me to go with her, her husband, and their daughter.

It was a really neat experience. There was a lot more going on than just the egg roll. There were dozens of costumed figures -- everyone from Cat in the Hat to Strawberry Shortcake, Snoopy and Charlie Brown, Cabbage Patch Kids, the DC Nationals mascots, and, of course, the Easter Bunny -- roaming around the grounds for you to pose for photos with. There were also men and women dressed as former Presidents and First Ladies. In the case of Grover Cleveland and his wife, there was a man following them around with a sign, indicating who they were. A very important job, I would say, because no one would have recognized the Grove.

There were stages for magic acts and children's entertainment (I saw Elmo and Zoe singing), areas for face painting and Easter egg dyeing, an obstacle course called the "Bunny Trail," and a real live bunny rabbit to pet. (That was actually my friends' daughter's favorite part.)

Oh, there was also a boa constrictor to pet, but we skipped that part.

We also saw President and Mrs. Bush speak from the south portico, and then we watched Mrs. Bush and Jenna read a children's story in the "reading nook." I have no idea who the Jonas Brothers are, but they sang the national anthem, much to the delight of many young girls who screamed and cheered. (I'm imagining them to be like the New Kids on the Block of this generation, perhaps?)

All in all, a very fun experience. I will post some photos as soon as I can.

Radio Silence

It's been a while since I've posted, and I have considered shutting down this blog. I know that I have at least three loyal readers (hi Bob & Brooke and Aunt D!), and I keep in touch with them through e-mail. So, is there any point in continuing to blog? Does it matter if anyone reads what I write or not? I'm actually still in debate with myself on these questions, but here I am today with my first post in over two months, so I must continue to see some value in blogging.

Other than the debate over "to blog or not to blog," I've been occupied with life, such as it is. I went home to Missouri for the holidays, and had a great time visiting family and friends. I was involved in an unfortunate (and ridiculous) car accident on the day after Christmas. Short version of the story -- I was driving myself and my grandmother to the Wal-Mart in my rental car (brand new!) on a country road when a man in a pick-up truck decided to back up on the road, and backed into my car. No one was hurt, thankfully. My car wasn't so lucky.

Just FYI, that was my first ever car accident (as a driver; I had been in other accidents as a passenger).

Over the next few weeks, I spent many hours on the phone with my insurance company, the man who hit me, and the car rental company, trying to straighten this whole mess out. (No, I did not buy the insurance offered by the car rental company. Herein was the problem.) Finally, on January 31st, the man who him me settled with the rental company, and my insurance company closed the case for good. Whoo-hoo!

On my drive home from the bus stop that very evening, a man pulling out of a driveway, making a left turn onto the road I was driving on, failed to look both ways before turning, and struck my car (my own car, my fully paid for car) on the passenger side. Again, no one was injured, thankfully. My car didn't fare so well. Both passenger doors -- smashed in. The rear quarter panel -- jacked up. The center pillar -- damaged beyond repair. (I didn't even know what a quarter panel was until my first accident.)

My insurance company deemed my car a "total loss." In plain English that means my car has gone to the great junkyard in the sky. Boo-hoo!

If you're keeping score, that was my second ever car accident, and my second accident in 36 days.

Currently, I am without wheels and am looking for a new used car. Shopping for a used car feels like a second job.

Other than the accidents and my first ever trip to the Emergency Room on January 16th (I thought I was either dying or having appendicitis, but it turned out to be a kidney stone), I have been continuing to search for new employment. I've applied for several positions, had a couple of interviews, and have a third round interview next week.

I also celebrated a birthday since my last posting, and I'm happy to report that it was much, much better than last year's. Of course, anything would have been an improvement over my last birthday. So, the bar was pretty low, I admit.

Also, I had a very special Valentine's Day for the first time in recent memory. Dinner out at a small romantic restaurant with a guy who had Godiva chocolates delivered to my office -- I'll let that speak for itself.

I will leave you with this photo of me in the ER, taken by my very good friend Rob. He was so considerate and kind to drive down from Maryland and meet me at the hospital so that I didn't have to endure that alone.

Getting It

For as long as I can remember, I have been "the smart one." That has been a major part of my identity. Legend has it that I scored a 100 percent on my kindergarten achievement test. As part of some program that I can't recall, I took the ACT in 7th grade and scored high enough to get into most public colleges and universities. I was valedictorian of my high school graduating class. I did very well in college and in graduate school. (I will spare you and won't post my GPAs.) You get the picture.

To keep my grounded, I think, my dad has been good at reminding me that there is more to being intelligent than book learning. And he has often pointed out that sometimes I can be lacking in common sense.

Yesterday I experienced one of those "duh" moments.

With visions of my annual bonus dancing in my head, I finally broke down this week and bought myself the one kitchen appliance that I have been longing for for years -- a KitchenAid stand mixer. (Loyal readers may recall me blogging about this mixer months ago.) Merry Christmas to me!

Much to my delight, my mixer arrived in the mail on Thursday. I unpacked it right away, but because had some things going on Thursday night, I didn't really try it out until Friday. I noticed right away that the bowl didn't sit right on its metal pin rests. It was decidedly crooked. I got out my level and a ruler to confirm what my eyes were telling me. Crooked as a politician with money in his freezer. Not wanting to part with my mixer so soon after I got it, I decided that I would try to adjust this issue myself. I got out my tools and set to work. In actuality, there were a few screws I could adjust, but nothing I could do to make the bowl sit level. Darn it!

I was not excited about sending the mixer back to amazon, so on Saturday I choose the only other option I could think of: I called KitchenAid customer service. I spoke with a kind woman named Kathy. The conversation went like this:

Me: I just got my mixer and I think there is something wrong with it. The bowl doesn't sit level. When it's on the pin rests, it sits at an angle. I don't think this is normal, but I wanted to check before I send it back.

Kathy: Here's what you're going to do -- Place the bowl on the metal pins, position your hands at ten and two and firmly press down. The bowl should lock into place.

Me: [Trying the above. The bowls clicks into place and is now level!] Wow! It worked! You really made my day. There isn't anything wrong with my mixer! YAY!

Kathy: Is there anything else I can help you with today?

Me: Nope; you've done enough!

The thing I like about Kathy is that she was kind enough to treat my problem as if she had not answered this very same stupid question 50 trazillion times and respectful enough not to talk to me as if I'm a giant doofus.

And now I am happily baking Christmas Ameretti cookies that I made with my new favorite toy!

Something to Distract Me

I'm not the type of person who is obsessed with material possessions, nor am I a techno-geek who needs to have the latest and greatest gadgets. (For example, I still have the same old television set that I got in college.) But, I am pretty darn crazy about my new cell phone, which I received in the mail yesterday. It's cute, easy to use, and has a full QWERTY keyboard, which makes texting a whole lot easier. (Thanks to my work-issued Blackberry, I've become accustomed to using a tiny keyboard.)

Doesn't hurt that my new phone was completely free, either!

'Tis The Season

Today at church, we celebrated, in a very high-church manner, the feast day of Christ the King. It is the last Sunday in Pentecost, and our priest aptly calls it, "an exclamation point at the end of the church year."

As we enter the season of Advent (beginning on Sunday December 2nd), I am reminded of how much my faith means to me, especially this time of year. Advent is the beginning of the church year, kind of like New Year's Day for Christians. It is a solemn time for reflection and preparation. Like Lent, it is a time when we are called upon to return to those aspects of our faith -- reading the Scriptures, attending church, etc. -- that we may have neglected a bit during "Ordinary Time" (the time in the liturgical year between the Feast of Pentecost and Advent).

To me, it's not a coincidence that I'm more reflective this time of year. Part of it is the feeling of a fresh start that comes with Advent -- this year, I will read the Bible every day; this year, I won't get too caught up in the commercial holiday -- and part of it is simply the season. It's getting colder, and I turn inward. I feel lonely around the holidays, so I turn to God.

So, while the radio stations and all the stores are already repeatedly blasting the Christmas tunes, my own personal soundtrack for the next four weeks will be Advent carols. Some of my favorites include Come, Thou Long-expected Jesus; O Come, O Come Emmanuel; and Sleepers, wake! A voice astounds us.

Wishing you all a meaningful holiday season.

Thanksgiving Recap

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday and ate their fill of yummy foods. I know I did! I had a double-header Turkey Day.

Around noon, I went to a local (as in a mile down the road) friend/co-worker's place for a Thanksgiving brunch/lunch. We had warm spiced cider, mimosas, pumpkin apple muffins, banana bread, croissants with Nutella, as well as fried turkey and all the fixins. Everything was delicious, and she sent me home with a plate of treats to munch on later.

Before I headed into DC for the main event, I took Chalupa for a walk around the neighborhood (mostly for my benefit, so I could eat more grub guilt-free).

Thanksgiving dinner was at the house of a couple from my church. They have two little boys and asked me to bring my cameras so that I could take some photos (for their Christmas cards) of the four of them before dinner. I was happy to oblige, given that they were including me in their holiday feast.

We started off with appetizers of cheese and fancy crackers, along with Champagne (my favorite!). For dinner, we had turkey, mashed potatoes, really yummy stuffing (I normally don't like stuffing) and several veggie sides.

For dessert, I made a pumpkin banana mousse tart, which I had watched Ina prepare on the Food Network recently. It was a little more difficult to make than I had anticipated (Food Network ranked it as "medium" difficulty), but can I just say that it was DELICIOUS?! Wow! I usually don't brag about my cooking, but this tart was amazing. It's definitely going to be an annual holiday recipe for me.

Aside from the food, the day was spent in wonderful company all around. I am grateful for many fabulous friends who include me in their traditions.

Hope you all had as much fun, laughs and great food as I did!

When the Bubble Pops, You Analyze

Shortly after posting my "Bursting" entry, the bubble popped. Yes, the dating thing I was all excited about, the guy who caused my stomach to turn flips. . . . Well, it's over. Now you know why I don't frequently blog about my dating adventures. I can't update my blog fast enough to keep you in the loop. One day things are going swimmingly and the next day, my boat has capsized.

I was e-mailing with my friend Brooke about this most recent break-up, and it reminded her of another break-up in my past. She wrote today, "I am puzzled by [summer 2006 guy] and now [this guy] . . . how they are so into you, but get an idea about this one certain thing that isn't working and call the whole thing off."

And then I had lunch with my friend TNT today, and the same topic arose. It is very puzzling to both me and my friends. With a few notable exceptions, I date quality men. They are kind, thoughtful, intelligent, successful, funny, and attractive. They love their families. Many of them share my faith. They would make wonderful husbands and fathers. They like me. They are "into" me.

I, too, am a quality person. I am all the qualities listed in the previous paragraph and many, many more. I am confident. I am secure. I am not needy or clingy or desperate. I am not bitter or angry or jaded. I'm not even close to being a drama queen. I am positive. I am upbeat. I manage to show my interest in these men without overwhelming them or scaring them. I am fun. I am interesting. I am easy-going.

We meet, we date, we hit it off. Things are good. Things are great. Things are so great that someone even mentioned inviting me to Thanksgiving with his family. Then, suddenly, two months, three months in, things are no more. We don't fight. We don't have a major disagreement or a falling out. They just decide, hey, I don't want to continue on here.

Why does this happen? Is it me? Is it the men I date? Is it just the circumstances? Bad luck? That I haven't met the right guy? We all have our theories, but in the end, I don't know what the answer is. Tell me what you think in the comments.

On the career front, the job interview was this morning. I think it went very well. I was interviewed by three people, and it lasted for an hour. They asked me a lot of questions, many of them specific to their organization and their field of work, and some of them were quite challenging. I'm glad I did my homework, but I wish I had done more!

I do think I interviewed strongly, and now I just have to be patient. They said they have to provide their decision to HR by December 4th and then it is in HR's hands. I would appreciate any and all prayers and positive thoughts sent my way. I really want this job!

Bursting

Have you ever been so happy that you thought you might burst? That was me yesterday -- I had just gotten off the phone with the guy that I'm so happily dating (more on that below). During our conversation, we were planning our next three (!) dates. Shortly after hanging up, my phone rang again with an unrecognized number on the caller ID.

Female voice on phone: Ms. DC Brownie?
Me: Yes.
Woman: This is [redacted] agency. You applied for a job here last month, and we are calling today to arrange to bring you in for an interview next week.
Me (barely containing my glee): Sure; which day did you have in mind?

I think I've mentioned here my desire for a new job with new and exciting challenges. (If not, consider it mentioned now.) Currently, I am away from my "home" agency (where I have worked, either full or part-time since the beginning of 1999) on a detail assignment that has so far been extraordinarily challenging, fun, and rewarding. However, my detail is scheduled to end right before Christmas, and my goal is to secure a new job before I have to return to my "home" agency after the Christmas/New Year holidays. Looks like I may be on track for meeting that goal. (And I have some other irons in the fire in case this particular opening does not pan out -- but I'm so hoping it does because it sounds like a great fit for me and my skills.)

After I scheduled the interview and hung up the phone, I sat in my office feeling like I had just won the lottery. On top of the world. About to burst.

And, turning to the other exciting aspect of my life right now -- to say that I am dating someone who I'm very excited about doesn't sound at all adequate, yet it is about all I want to say at this point. Let's just say that the stomach cartwheels aren't going away anytime soon. Let's just say that he is as happy to see me as I am to see him. Let's just say that I know my worth and have finally met someone who, so far, seems worthy of all that I have to give.* Let's just say that I'm beyond happy. On top of the world. About to burst.

* But, don't worry -- I am taking my time, getting to know this person and enjoying his company, not thinking (too much) about the future. Neither of us is in a hurry to rush things along, and that's part of the reason why it feels so right.

Happy 2 Year Blog-versary and A Request for My Readers

Two years ago today, I launched this blog as a way of keeping my friends and family spread throughout the country (and in Canada, too!) updated on the happenings in my life in DC. Although I don't blog as regularly as initially planned, I still think that my blog is serving my original goal.

One thing that I'm uncertain of but very curious about is who outside of my core group of family and friends reads this blog, either on a regular or occasional basis.

As an anniversary present, I'd like to request for you, my dear readers, to please leave a comment for me. Tell me where you're from, or how you found me, or why you read Brownie Points. Or, you could just say "hi" or put in a plug for your blog.

I'd love to hear from all of my readers, but particularly from those who've never commented before. Thanks!