Girls Night Out; Birthday Style!

This past weekend was my birthday weekend! One of my best friends, Sydney flew from Auburn to visit me and we had a great time together. She is the nicest person ever to take time off school and spend her money to travel to DC to spend time with me. I am a lucky girl!

So she flew in pretty late on Friday. When we got home we enjoyed some wine and caught up on the couple months we haven't seen each other. The fun pretty much started on Saturday, though. When we woke up the next day, we got ready for a fun filled day! We started off our day at the Air Force Memorial, which I had never been to. My dad did our mini tour of DC with us, and he really had fun explaining the memorial to us.

Next, we went to the Pentagon Memorial which I had been to a couple of times... but I wanted Sydney to see it. In my opinion, it is the most thought out memorial in DC. Each person who died in 9/11 has a bench in their memory. Each bench has the person's name engraved. If you are reading the name and facing the Pentagon, they died in the Pentagon. If you are facing the opposite direction while reading the name, they died in the plane. You are facing the direction the plane flew into the building. The benches have a small stream of water flowing under them, and it's a very relaxing and peaceful memorial because of the mini streams under each bench. The benches are also positioned in birth year of the people who passed. For example, if three people were born in 1990 that passed at the Pentagon on 9/11, there would be three benches in that years column. The memorial is so humbling and breathtaking. It really puts into perspective how many lives were taken just in DC on that terrible day, while looking at all the benches. I truly recommend this memorial to anybody who hasn't been. 

After the Pentagon Memorial, we drove to Arlington Cemetery. Again, I have been many times... but I really wanted Sydney to see the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier because she had never been. This is another must-see while in DC. The guards of the tomb are super dedicated. They are required to live monk style under the tomb for two years, & they can't drink alcohol for the rest of their lives. They can't swear in public for the rest of their lives, and for the first six months, they can't talk to anybody or watch TV. Talk about motivation. We also walked up to the Kennedys' grave, which I have no pictures of because my battery was "exhausted."

After fulfilling our tourist duties during Sydney's visit. it was time to celebrate my birthday and her trip to DC! We met my co-intern, Rachel, and her two roommates in Georgetown (my favorite place ever) and went to a couple different places there. After a good night of girl time and dancing, we called it a night at about 3AM. I had a blast! 

In a nutshell, I have one of the best friends ever. She is a friend that I will have forever, and we will be so glad we spent this time together in DC & took advantage of me living here for the semester. And I am so thankful she was here on such a special weekend. Turning 22 only happens once, ya know!

There's nothin' like a good deal!

I've decided that since this is my second post about books, that I am a nerd. I'm OK with that. & I'm super excited to share the good deal I landed today! So anyone who knows me knows that I will never give into a kindle or any other type of reading device. I have my reasons and in case you're interested, I'll name a few. 

1. A kindle doesn't compare to holding an actual book in your hands and flipping the pages.

2. You can't have a bookshelf or library which I will definitely have in my house one day. 

3. The "environmentally friendly" approach is stupid. The books are printed regardless of if you buy one or not. You aren't saving the world, one book at a time. I used to believe this, but now it's pointless to me, because its unrealistic. I've never been to a bookstore that didn't already have at least three copies of the book I was buying. 

The downside of me being so anti-kindle (or any other electronic reader) is that books are expensive. And by expensive, I mean ridiculous. That's why today was such a cool day for me! I went to mass with my parents and before hand there was a book fair going on. Guess who scored FIVE books? Me! Guess who got FIVE books for TWO dollars total? Me! How amazing is that? Not only does the money go to the church, but I paid two dollars for what would have cost about 100. Here's what I got:

"Addie Downs and Valerie Adler were best friends until the swirling currents of adolescence swept them into different cliques. Fifteen years later, Valerie (a beautiful TV weather girl) and Addie (a plain Jane seeking love on the Internet) are leading very separate lives, but fate soon thrusts them together once again. When a hysterical Valerie shows up on Addie's doorstep with blood on her clothes, it marks the beginning of a hilarious set of adventures that will bring the two friends closer together as they try to keep their distance from the law."

"In this powerful and riveting novel, literary phenomenon Christos Tsiolkas unflinchingly exposes the inner- workings of domestic life, friendship and parenthood in the twenty-first century, and reminds us of the passions and malice that family loyalty can provoke. When a man slaps another couple’s child at a neighborhood barbecue, the event send unforeseeable shockwaves through the lives of all who are witness to it. Told from the points of view of eight people who were present, The Slap shows how a single action can change the way people think about how they live, what they want, and what they believe forever."

"Simon and Emily Bear look like a couple that has it all. Simon is a respected doctor. His wife, Emily, shines as a partner in a premier public relations firm. But their marriage is scarred by hidden wounds. Even as Simon tends his patients' ills, and Emily spins away her clients' mistakes, they can't seem to do the same for themselves or their relationship. Simon becomes convinced he's discovered a cure for chronic pain, a finding that could become a medical breakthrough, yet he is oblivious to the pain that he causes at home. Emily, struggling to move beyond the devastating loss she and Simon suffered fifteen years earlier, realizes she hasn't felt anything for a long time-that is, until a lover from her past resurfaces and forces her to examine her marriage anew."

"Delia Hopkins has led a charmed life. Raised in rural New Hampshire by her widowed father, Andrew, she now has a young daughter, a handsome fiancé, and her own search-and-rescue bloodhound, which she uses to find missing persons. But as she plans her wedding, she is plagued by flashbacks of a life she can’t recall. And when a policemen arrives to disclose a truth that will upend the world as she knows it, Delia must search through these memories – even when they have the potential to devastate her life, and the lives of those she loves most. Vanishing Acts is a book about the nature and power of memory; about what happens when the past we have been running from catches up to us… and what happens when the memory we thought had vanished returns as a threat."

"Self-awareness is a slippery thing, though, when you find yourself at odds with a "supposed to" in life. I understand that I am supposed to want to marry Andrew. That some women wait their whole lives to stand before a bended knee, or fantasize about a sparkly stone that silently announces to the world, see someone loves me, someone picked me. But I can't do it. I would be nothing more than a fraud, a pretend grown-up, a con artist playing the role of bride, I don't even want to spend the rest of my life with me. How can Andrew? And how do you explain to someone you love that you can't give yourself to them because if you did, you're not sure who you'd be giving? That you aren't even sure what your own words are worth? You can't tell someone that, especially someone you love. And so I don't. Instead, I do the right thing. I lie." 

To see or not to see?

Last night I had the pleasure of experiencing China Town on a Friday night before a Wizards/Heat game. The atmosphere was right up my alley. There were people everywhere, the music was blaring, and I saw "The Vow". I was so excited for this movie! Some girls from my office had bought our tickets a couple days in advance, and we even had time to go to happy hour before the movie. Talk about a good night!

The main problem was the movie didn't meet my expectations, which I was bummed about. Overall though, it was cute. Channing Tatum is totally candy to the eyes, but his acting is a little dry. I was hoping this would be the movie that saved him for me. Obviously, I'm still madly in love with his gorgeous looks (& he's from Alabama!) but not his blah acting. It could be the roles he plays, though... and for his good looks' sake, we'll go with that.

The next problem I had with this movie was the stupid trailer. I fell in love with the movie and the characters before I even saw it thanks to the numerous amounts of times that I watched the trailer. As much footage from the movie as they showed, I didn't even have to see the movie to know how it would turn out.

The third problem with "The Vow" is that there was too much of what I like to call "middle time." Without spoiling the entire plot for you, there was too much down/depressing time... and Lord knows that bothers me because I'm a sucker for a happy ending.

So besides it being super predictable, having a depressing vibe (majority of the time) and Channing Tatum not pulling through for me, it was a good movie. I wouldn't pay $14 to see it again (yes I'm aware that China Town movie prices are ridiculous) but I would recommend it... to watch at home from a dollar redbox machine.

War Eagle from The Hill!

Yesterday was an AUsome day! Ok, I admit that was super cheesy, but I couldn't resist. Anyway, I was at work and our Staff Assistant was talking to a man in an orange tie. The orange tie didn't register until she introduced me to him. He is the Public Affairs Director at Auburn and had a group of people with him visiting the Alabama delegation for meetings. Once I started talking to him, he asked if I'd like to meet Dr. Gogue.

Um.... are you serious right now? Of course I would like to meet Auburn's President! So I follow Mr. Keeter out to the hall and am surrounded by about five men in orange ties. Ahhhhh, there's no better color tie to be surrounded by, especially accompanied by a blue suit.

So I am introduced to all of these men and they are asking me questions all about myself- what college am I in at Auburn, how's the internship going, what are my plans after graduation. So after about a ten minute talk with the Auburn men I went back to the office.

It was honestly the coolest day ever. I had been at Auburn for 3 1/2 years and never once even came close to meeting Dr. Gogue. Then of course, while living in the city of opportunities, I meet him! And not only that, I emailed my resume to Mr. Keeter to glance at if he gets some time. Let's keep our fingers crossed people.

I am such a hopeless romantic when it comes to anything Auburn. For example, I tear up while watching the eagle circle the stadium, I tear up while the football team is running out, I tear up while thinking about my experience at Auburn. Pretty much I'm crying all the time about how much I love my school :) Not really, but you get my point. So, meeting the President of the university I am currently a student at made for a wonderful Wednesday. Even if nothing is made out of the networking email I sent, I am a happy camper.

So being in this city I now call home pulled through for me again. Thanks, DC!

January favs.

Now that February is here (I can't believe it's already February) I'm going to let you in the loop on some of my favorite things from the month of January. I'm going to try to do these monthly just for the heck of it. This subject doesn't really need much of an explanation because it's pretty much self explanatory. So here we go:

 

Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting primer. Um thank you Smashbox for making my days a little bit brighter. I use the green one since I have redness in my complexion. You literally only have to use a pea sized amount because a little goes a long way which makes the product even better because the tube will last ages. I put a little on before applying my mineral foundation and just like magic, the makeup stays on my face all day long, literally. No touch ups required throughout the day whatsoever, and by the time I get home it looks as if I've maybe had my makeup on for a couple hours. Which brings me to my next January fav:

bareMinerals matte foundation. Do I even need to go into detail? Yes, because you must know how amazing this is. I refuse to wear liquid foundation because it's so awful for my complexion. I went to Ulta on the look out for something that has good coverage without the cakey feel of liquid makeup, and that's when I stumbled upon this product. The key to mineral makeup is layering. Using a brush I add layers where needed and it just makes everything look so smooth and perfect. Ahhhh :)

This is totally opposite of the other two, but this water bottle is the coolest invention since cell phones. Not really, but you catch my drift. Anyway it's a water bottle that's like no other, what else do you need to know? 

This perfume is by far my favorite this month, and will probably be a favorite for next month too. Apparently it's a Valentine's Day special, but if they get rid of it after Valentine's Day, I will go insane. It is the most amazing smelling perfume ever and I'm obsessed. The one and only complaint I have is that the smell doesn't last long and wears off pretty soon after spraying, very unlike Chance by Chanel. 

My last January favorite are my co-interns. This picture was taken at Spider Kellys in Clarendon. These two have really made DC so enjoyable for me! We get drinks after work, talk about life, and other fun Hill related topics. Rachel (the girl) is from New Jersey and went to Duke. Jackson (the boy) is from Montgomery... small world, and went to Alabama, gag. Thanks to these two I have had a social life with people my own age since I've moved here. They are lots of fun and always keep me laughing. 

Let me tell you 'bout my best friend.

Since the title of this blog starts with "My Life" I feel like I should write about one of the most important people in my life. Her name is Caity Cook and she is my best friend. Caity lives in Washington, but we've still managed to travel to visit each other at least once a year since we became friends in third grade. She is now a mommy to the cutest little boy ever, Cohen, and she's pregnant again with her second little boy! It's been truly amazing to grow from kids to adults together and I really look forward to staying friends forever. Here's a little tribute to my best, the person who has grown through life with me, even miles and miles apart.

Last time I was visiting, her little family was getting their family pictures made. I jumped in a few and these pictures were the results. I am so glad that I was in town on this day, because if not we wouldn't have these pictures together. They really mean so much to me because we both look so genuinely happy and it will be fun to look back at these fifty years from now and reminisce on the times we had together. 

Our friendship is so precious to me. It is unique because we don't get to see each other whenever we're in the mood to hang out. The phone is the main source that keeps us up to date with each other's crazy lives and honestly that has made me appreciate her and our friendship so much more. Ever since I moved to DC I've had some adjusting to do. I've been getting used to a new schedule and longer days, and not being able to pick up the phone and call her between classes like I was able to at Auburn. She's such a trooper though, whenever I do have time to chit-chat she's there, and its like we never skipped a beat. 

I hope you know how much your friendship means to me, Caity. I love you!