The country in you NEVER leaves.

Well here it is spring and almost April (Opening Day starts this week!) and I woke up to snow!  Just 10 days ago I was in shorts in 83 degree weather.   Crazy!

I have discovered a new love in Cragislist!  Wow, that site is wonderful.  Just yesterday I bought a George Foreman grill with removable plates barely used, a microwave barely used, tv stand (6 months old) 2 new curtain rods, a toaster used once, and a dish rack all for $45.  I was exhausted by the time I was finished making my 3 rounds of stops yesterday.  LOL

Yet some sadness has overtaken me as I went into Costco the other day and realized they don’t sell sausage dogs and a drink for a $1.50.  Nope, only hot dogs.  However you can get Italian sausage dogs with peppers, onions, and others stuff for $2.75.  Not sure about this…. :) 

Last Saturday I was blessed with a touch from home.  I met up with Lori McKinley and Holly and Jesse Losli as they were in DC for the week.  Loved spending time with them wondering around the District in beautiful weather, drinking good coffee.   They discovered this place in Georgetown called DC Cupcakes that apparently has a show on TLC on Friday nights.  Below you will see a picture of people lined up outside that goes at least a block long.  Rumor has it the wait was about 2 hours just to get in.  Is it really worth waiting that long for a cupcake??? 

In less than 3 weeks, I will be moving into my studio apartment.  Yes, I will post pictures, with all my decorating and picture taking skills.  J  Mike and Cheri are flying out to help me move and we will spend a few days wondering around and of course going to a Washington Nationals game!  Go Nats!  Looking forward to a great time…. I am sure there will be stories.

In my pursuit of finding a couch for my new place, again Craigslist has come to my rescue.  Below you will see a picture of how the country just never leaves you, no matter where you go.  The guy I bought it from helped me load it into my car, I put an old sheet over the couch so no road dirt and debris would get on it, and we bungi corded the back down.    So off I went driving through town (not DC) with a couch hanging out the back of my car.  I knew if I got tired I could always pull over and take a quick nap.  Ha ha ha.    Sometimes I just laugh at myself….but bottom line….Mission Accomplished!!!!

Overall I am adjusting well.  My job is good.  I work with nice people.  I am now a member of The City Church.  Yet it is still weird that I am actually here.  Just the other day I started giggling as I walked down the street thinking…I live in DC!   Ha ha ha   What a great big God we serve!!

Stay tuned for pictures from “The Move” and of course plenty of stories.  Off to Capitol Hill again this week to hear Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood testify before a House subcommittee.

I am blessed in the country and blessed in the city!  (thank you Pastor Wendell)

The best is yet to come!!!

Patti

Couch in my car

DC Cupcake....LONG line

It's official....

What a week….after spending 5 days in a classroom learning more about the audit process, (which was interesting) I received a phone call and officially will be moving into an apartment complex in Alexandria, Virginia sometime in the middle of April.  Thank you for praying, it was definitely effective and worked!  

I will be in a studio/efficiency apartment as I build up my furnishings.  I am not going to purchase much stuff at first until I know what I really I want and get a bigger salary.  J  I will get the basics and go from there.  Plus I want to see what I have and how it all fits with everything.   Not going to rush things.    Pictures will be coming in the future.  Be prepared to be overwhelmed by my natural decorative abilities…..ha ha ha.    I think a Wii might be a good accent to whatever I have….still thinking on that one.   J

Well I did it….I got on the wrong train and took a nice tour of DC, underground, Tuesday morning.  Oh how I just laugh at myself and my adventures.   Good thing I was early and had some time to spare.

I could devote a whole other blog to just stories of how the Lord has taken care of me and worked on my behalf since I have been here.  It’s been a truly amazing experience.  The things I have learned since being here are life changing for me.  I love it.  All of what I had to experience before I came, obviously prepared me for this time.  Never underestimate trials and tribulations in life.  You will get more out of them than you will realize.  Wow….I am in complete awe of our God!

That’s it for now…off to meet a great Pastor for coffee.

The best is yet to come!

It's here!

With those friendly reminders from some of you, I have realized that too much time has passed since my last post.  My apologies.  I have been busy looking for a place to call home.  Hopefully I will have some good news to post soon on that front.  Thank you for your prayers, they have helped.  But please don’t stop, it isn’t over yet.

Before I go any farther, I have to give a great BIG shout out to my Uncle Arlie in Nevada.  Thank you for the letter in the mail.  I absolutely loved it!!!  It made my day. 

Things are starting to become more routine and I feel like I am getting more familiar with my surroundings.  I have advance and am able to get it to certain places without Barbara, my GPS!  Ha ha ha    Although this past weekend I was in Alexandria and oh boy was she busy telling me how she was “calculating route” every time I made a wrong turn.  I think I would still be driving without her assistance.   But thank the Lord, I made it back safely.

Last time, I informed you I went to Capitol Hill to attend a Congressional hearing.  What an interesting experience that was.  I love how DC has scripture carved into many locations and buildings throughout the city.  In the room we were in, not only was it freezing cold so you wouldn’t fall asleep (yes I am serious), Prov. 29:18 was carved on the wall, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” 

After the hearing we talked with the Inspector General, who happens to be Red Sox fan.  When I met him a few weeks ago I told him I would let that one slip by, we both laughed.   I really do work in a great place. 

As you can tell, I am getting more and more settled into my job at work.  This week I will be attending audit training, which should be pretty interesting.  It will be a good help as we get ready to start traveling to various states, which have yet to be announced, to begin a new stage of the audit for the department.  I am sure I will have some great stories to share once we start traveling…should be a rather interesting experience.

This coming week marks another significant point of each year.  It’s March….and for many of us that means ONE thing…..no not the Spring Showcase, nor Spring Break..….it’s March Madness baby!   Now that’s what I’m talking about.  Go Duke (men)  Go Tennessee (women).

With that, I think there is no better way to end…..

Thank you again for all your words of encouragement and especially your prayers.  They are felt and really mean a lot to me.

Until the next post…..The best is yet to come!

Capitol Hill

On Wednesday we went to Capitol Hill to hear the Inspector General give testimony for a Congressional hearing.  It's interesting because they make those rooms SO cold.  As you can imagine why...yes they can get boring so they don't want people to fall asleep!  Anyways, this is on our way into the hearing.  The guy on the far left, Jimmy, he is a Mets fan from New York who moved to DC recently, like I did.  You can just imagine the interesting baseball conversations him and I had throughout the day.   Overall, a great day of fun!

A little bike ride

This is a pretty cool thing...it's called Capitol Bike Share.  You can rent these bikes and ride them around or ride them to another bike share station.  With the weather being so weird, 40 one day and 70 the next, it's a great way to spend a lunch break....on the warm days of course!  Although I haven't done it yet I think about it every time I walk by them!