Our life is still an adventure

I'm beginning to think that, no matter where I go or what I do, my life is always going to be an adventure. All things that happen to me will range from peculiar to complete blessings to everything in between, and I hope it never ceases.

When I last signed off, Steven and I were gearing up for our first fourth of July in the DC metro area. On Friday, two of Steven's friends from college, Scardo and Higgins, were flying in so I was just planning on doing all wifely duties (cleaning, primarily) while Steven was at work. All of a sudden, around 12:30, someone shows up on my doorstep, ragged and sweaty with a bike, that looked a bit like my husband. Steven said he got off of work early because of the holiday weekend! And I was thrilled to pieces :) It was definitely the biggest blessing in Arlington thus far.

Around 7, we were heading to Pentagon City to pick up Scardo and Higgins when another culture-shock moment occurred. As we bounded to the car, all happy-go-lucky and smiling and laughing, we saw about 8 to 10 police men in bullet proof vests holding M16s and M8s standing outside of the building across the street. All of a sudden, they charged into the building, there was some shouting, all of our happy-go-luckiness was gone and we stared open mouthed at each other. We can't be sure what happen, but we are sure that things like this don't happen on a regular basis in State College. All-in-all, it was pretty anticlimactic (which is actually good in this case), and we continued on our way.

We successfully picked up Steven's friends, Steven directed Robbie to our apartment, and then we decided to meet up with Steven's old roommate, Sam, who is interning in the Capitol Building for the summer. We went to a part of DC called Adam's Morgan, which is north of Georgetown. We spent the better part of an hour just trying to find parking, so (as I knew would happen) Steven dropped us off and then drove to Timbuktu to park on some random, dark, dingy street that we would have to walk to. This is the night that it occurred to me that DC is the place to be for everything who is 21-27 years old because it is happening. We met up with Sam and his roommates/friends at the only place on the street that was blasting techno music (we should have known) and hung out for a few hours. Sam said that this was a low-key night since everyone left for the 4th, but the place was still completely packed.

The next day, Steven and I woke up early and made the guys pancakes and Robbie helped. And now I kind of want everyone I know to come and stay with us so I can make them tons of food. We went into DC via metro and our first stop was the Smithsonian. We only went to the American History Museum, but we got to see Julia Child's kitchen (I was SUPER geeked out about that), something exhibition about cars or mechanics (I went back to Julia's), and we stopped in the military history wing (of course). The military history wing is actually thoroughly interesting, despite whatever political values you hold. And since the Smithsonian is free, it is well worth the trip.

We then went to dinner at Elephant and Castle, where I had my first deep-fried soft pretzels, which were surprisingly good and not terribly greasy. Then, Sam took us to Georgetown, which is an awesome part of the city. The atmosphere is completely different then at the National Mall or Adams Morgan. It's like you cross into historic Richmond with it's slower, classy Southern feel. All the shops there are quaint, chic, and cost a million dollars for a shirt, but it was so nice to just take a deep breath and enjoy the view for a bit. To relate it more to home, it's like a more Southern and old-school version of State College in the summer.

As evening approached, we were all exhausted so we just went back to Sam's apartment in the Eastern Market, which is about 5 blocks away from the Capitol. It's 2 bedroom, 1 bath in a basement that costs a mere $2400/month. Something like that back home *might* be $1500/month. Maybe. One thing Steven and I may never get used to: the extreme cost of living. The Eastern Market is a quiet side of town that has one main strip of restaurants and the rest is residential, so it was nice to continue the "slow down, step back" theme of the night.

The next morning, we headed off to Gettysburg for their big to-do. Gettysburg is only 90 minutes away, so we thought it was worth the time and money. We went to a church in an old school tent, sat on log benches, sang "Amazing Grace" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", and got a history lesson of Christianity during the Civil War, which was actually quite interesting. It is said that before Gettysburg and the Civil War, Lincoln did not profess to be a Christian and that only 7% of America attended church regularly. Of course, it all depends on whose point of view you're listening to, but it's still an interesting thought. We then walked around the battlefield, saw Lee's statue, and then went up to see the re-enactment of Pickett's Charge. I wasn't all that into it, but I guess I can say I did it so I never have to do it again.

When we got back to the area, we were planning on heading into the city to see the dress rehearsal of the 4th of July concert that is broadcasted every year on PBS. As we were leaving, we were met with the craziest thunderstorm ever, but we didn't think much of it. Apparently most of the damage happened while we were on the metro, but when we got to the National Mall, huge limbs were down, tents were blown over, displays were ruined, and the entire mall was empty. Because of that, we couldn't go to the dress rehearsal and almost everything else was canceled that night, so we were out of luck. We went over to the Eastern Market for an hour or two and then just headed home.

The next day, I had an interview at Starbucks. Steven drove over with me, and that gave me a peace and confidence that I did not expect. The entire thing lasted all of 15 minutes, but since we knew it was in God's hands, there was no reason to fret over the time. We went back, got our friends, and tried to go to Arlington National Cemetery, which is about 5 minutes from our house. We got lost and drove in circles (as usual), and when we got there the entire thing was blocked off! No one could get into the cemetery without parking at the metro and taking that in. Forget that! Who blocks off the National Cemetery on the 4th of July?! How lame. We ended up just dropping off Steven's friends, saying goodbye to Robbie, and hanging out at home for the rest of the night. Steven and I attempted to go see the fireworks, but by the time we got around to it, they were over. Oh well, we have 3 more chances in the future.

Tuesday came, Steven left for work, and I was left to my own devices to entertain myself/keep the place afloat while trying to be productive all day. I had a second interview at Starbucks and was offered a job, which I was very pleased with and felt very blessed because Steven and I had put this into God's hands. I can't help but feel like this is going to be another adventure of sorts :)

I also finalized the plans of me going to Ohio with Penns Valley Community Church next week on a missions trip, and I'm very happy to have an opportunity to serve! I also have an opportunity to go to Germany to help out with English Camp, so I'm praying and hoping and waiting that it works out monetarily! (And that Starbucks will be understanding). So there's a lot of new and exciting on the horizon, and I know that, in the adventure that is my life, I am very, very blessed.