It's Golden!

Highlights from my golden birthday:

Dinner at the Cheesecake Factory with Kirb

If you haven't had their avocado eggrolls- to die for!

All the gifts from Kirb- she knows me well- shiny lip balm, perfume, scarf, earrings, "to do" list- what more could a girl ask for?!

Opening the fun package from the fam

socks!

Kell taught me how to make hats using this loom when I was home. I had so much fun, that she sent the loom to me so I could keep making them. So nice.

They even sent me sour watermelons! Yum.

I got some new down pillows, too! And it's a twin pack- you know what that means...I have an extra pillow for a guest just waiting to be used...hint hint. :)

And then Jana sent me a package....

...with the most adorable cupcake wrappers

...so naturally I made cupcakes!

Aren't they cute?

And then some friends from school went to dinner to celebrate. Fun fun!

And I received the greatest news that I'm going to have another nephew!

And I received so many cute cards, texts, and calls to make it such a great day. Thanks to all my wonderful family and friends for making my day so special! It was the best golden birthday I could've hoped for.

This Is The Place

So, I've been trying to get to this for a month now, but just finally found a spare moment. Take a look at my cute home!

The exterior

Yes, I have a fireplace in my room. How cool is that?

And I have a sink in my room, too!

Snowpocalypse, Snowmageddon, or whatever you wanna call it...

In case you haven't heard, 30" of snow hit DC this past weekend! Since DC can't handle the effects of a storm this size, me and my roommates have been completely snowed in since Friday.

View of my patio outside my room- look at the accumulation on the gate and chair!

A common site

Yes, I lucked out and had the garage this week...but look what I had to shovel in order to get out

Kirbie and I enjoying an ice cream cone

Naomi, Lisa, and Adriel just taking it easy in the park

After our fun in the park, Kirbie rolled out her beauty parlor and gave everyone haircuts!

Wait for it...

Ta da! Lisa's new do!

Wait for it...wait for it...

Naomi's do!

And now, just a few pointers from this experience.

Lessons learned from Snowpocalypse 2010:

1. Be prepared. When DC weathermen predict a storm this big, be sure to stock up on food before the night before the storm. I went the morning of and the shelves were empty and the lines went to the back of the store.

2. Be Resourceful. Grocery bags are a great substitute for boots.

3. Be strategic about who you get snowed in with. People with skills are important to have around. I mean, we had great cooks, great hair dressers, and great entertainers. Next time we'll be more prepared and make sure to invite at least a masseuse and a snow shoveler.

Road Trip!

Last weekend Dixie and I set off on a fun road trip down to Norfolk and Williamsburg to see some fun U.S. history sites.

Since we only got to spend a few hours here, we didn't want to spend the $30 entrance fee to go inside, but this was one of our favorite buildings.

Bet you've never seen restroom signs like this!

Just outside the parrish

Inside the parrish. In "G Dubs" pew.

Then we went to Chesapeake Bay

First time I've seen the ocean since living on the east coast

Historic Landmark. Pretty sure that's the exact place they set foot on the land.

Saw tons of huge boats in the bay

Then we went on a hike/walk in Virginia Beach

Dix's bro lives in Norfolk, so we celebrated their birthdays with a delicious homemade banana/chocolate cake and other delicious homemade food

Then we walked on the campus at William & Mary

Buildings at William & Mary

...and more buildings

The end! It was so fun to have a quick get-away for the weekend.

Fall Ball

The MPA Student Association at school hosts a Fall Ball every fall. Last night was the night! Felt like High School Prom all over again, but it was fun. I only got a couple pictures, but here are a couple of friends in my program. We had a good time and the view from the Elliott School where the dance was held was to die for! We could see the Capitol, Washington Monument, and Jefferson Memorial. These are some of the moments I love about being in DC.

My friend, Sarah, from Connecticut.

Friend, Alex, from California

The Washington Monument in the background...