The Ballet!

Wow! That's really the only way to describe it. The ballet was absolutely fantastic :)

I attended the American Ballet Theatre's performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Kennedy Center yesterday afternoon. I was blown away by not only the ability of the dancers to portray so much without using one word, but also the costumes and sets that were used. I now fully understand why going to prestigious theater performances is so expensive. But I'd definitely say I got my money's worth and will likely be attending as many Kennedy Center performances that my budget will allow. I can't believe I've been holding out so long to attend my first show there. Maybe it was for the better when my finances were so tight, but the door is now wide open.

I have so much respect for all of the ballet dancers. They all showed so much passion for what they were doing and were in the best shape anyone could imagine. My mind couldn't help but wonder how many hours of the day they spend either practicing or performing. And then in those few hours of down time they might have, what is it they do? Surely not stay in watching redbox movies and eating ice cream like I did last night. Just some food for thought.

It snowed nearly all day yesterday. But it wasn't like a Midwest blizzard or anything. It was just a lovely (long) snowfall with bearable temperatures and little wind. I was amazed by the beautiful nature of each individual snowflake as it fell upon my coat and stuck in my hair. Often times it's so easy to be annoyed by such things without taking just a moment to reflect upon them. I was reminded of the individuality of snowflakes and awestruck that God could create such beauty in something that so many people never take the time to notice. Though many of you are probably reading this from the Midwest and thinking you've had quite a rough winter, I hope you are able to take a few minutes the next time it snows to enjoy the beauty of a snowflake. Maybe it will help you get through until Spring arrives, or at least through a week or two :)

National Compliment Day

Upon reading the title of this blog, I'm sure you're wondering if "National Compliment Day" actually exists or if it's something I conjured up all on my own. Though I'd like to take credit for such an enlightening day, the origin of this "holiday" dates back to 1998 and was founded by two women from New Hampshire. You can learn all about it on the official website: http://www.complimentday.com/MediaPage.htm.

Ok, so maybe there isn't all that much to learn about it. However, I did my best to give a handful of compliments and incite a few others today...even though I was a few days late in celebrating the holiday. If nothing else, it initiated a few smiles from strangers and a laugh or two at work.

Today I also saw and extraordinary amount of people with red hair. And I'm not talking about the vixen salon red hair, but naturally orange-red. No, I'm not trying to be condescending of the holiday by making fun of those who were born with red hair. All I'm saying is that it is abnormal to see so many gingers (4 women and 1 man) in such a short amount of time (during my 30-min morning commute). Maybe I should have gone out of my way to compliment each of them on embracing their natural beauty. I don't know. All I know is that this observation stuck with me throughout the day.

And as if my observation weren't strange enough on its own, my daily email devotion told a story of a fiery red-headed little girl. Huh? What are the odds of that? And what could it mean? Is God trying to tell me something. If so, I'm afraid it's going to take me a while to figure this one out. In the meantime, I hope you were able to find some enjoyment out of my ironic day.

*Signing off so I can tune in to President Obama's first State of the Union*

A New Year

Although we are already nearly a month into 2010, this is regrettably my first blog of the new year. My Christmas vacation in the Midwest was absolutely fantastic. I got to see nearly everyone I planned to spend time with, and I was even able to welcome my nephew Noah John into the world just before coming back to Washington. As usual, I loved all of the quality time I got to spend with friends and family, making it a bit difficult to come back home to DC.

The first few days back were rough for several reasons. I was exhausted after being on the go 24/7 while on "vacation," the electricity was out in my apartment and I had to stay in a hotel for two nights before being able to sleep in my own bed, and I inconveniently left my cell phone in Nebraska. Nonetheless, I made it through that first week back and spent most of the weekend recovering. But then I was really busy at work preparing for more than a handful of clients who were coming to Washington for a conference. My perfect schedule was ruined more than once, but we made it through last week seemingly unscathed. I even accompanied a group of Texas community development directors to their Senate appointments on Thursday - in my brand new suit! And I also dropped in my old Senate office to say hello to my former co-workers. We are hoping to all get together for a drink sometime this week...fingers crossed.

This weekend I was able to watch several of my kickball teammates in performances. Each were absolutely hysterical, and I can honestly say I laughed off a good number of my beer calories from Friday night. I also got to spend a significant amount of quality time with my friend Jessi and look forward to furthering our friendship in the upcoming months. With my roommate spending more and more time with her boyfriend, and my friend Michelle (who had been crashing with me for the last two months) moving to her own place this weekend, I am realizing that I need to make more of an effort to see other friends in order avoid spending time alone at home. With something to do and so many new people to meet, there simply is no reason for me to feel lonely. So I'm making a conscious effort to get out more.

During January, we've been doing a series at church on spiritual disciplines and my small group has been doing a Bible study on the book of James. The combination of these things, along with a new year's resolution to be in the Word more often, have led me to think and pray about what I'm giving back. About what kind of an impact I'm having in secular Washington. And about what I feel called me to move across the country after graduating college. I've not come anywhere close to answering these questions, but I am thoughtfully considering each of them. As I reflect on these subjects, I hope you will keep me in your prayers. And know that I am praying that each of you will take a few moments to reflect on how you're giving back.

"Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works." ~James 2:26

Christmas is Here!!!

Last time I checked in was just after our first snow in DC. It was an exciting day, as we usually don't get snow in the area until late January or even February. As many of you likely saw on the news, we recently got hit with a historical blizzard. In Bethesda, we received the most snow in the entire state of Maryland with 24 inches in less than 24 hours. Yep, you read that correctly. TWO FEET of snow. Many people who live around here and are imports from other areas of the country haven't ever seen that much snow in one winter, let alone from one storm. Needless to say, the entire DC Metro area nearly shut down for several days to recover.

As there isn't much grass or unused space around here, there still seems to be snow everywhere even after a few days of melting. It will truly be a White Christmas in DC! That will excite many of those around here who've always called this area "home," but a large number of people (including myself) are keeping their fingers crossed that they make it back "home" for Christmas - white or otherwise.

A number of friends and family members have been telling me for days about some untimely winter weather conditions for when I'm expected to return this evening. I didn't think much of it then because the weather is so unpredictable, but I took the news to heart when a friend currently residing in Tulsa warned me of the snow. When people in states other than where you currently are and other than where you are traveling begin to send warnings your way, I'd say there is good reason to be concerned!

My flight is just a few hours away now and is currently scheduled to depart on time, so keep your fingers crossed. I'll be back in the Midwest through January 3, 2010. I hope to see many of you during my holiday vacation...maybe even including my nephew :)