Happy Birthday, David C!

I'm actually on the opposite side of the country for David's birthday. Sad, I know. :(

But don't worry, it just means that we got to celebrate a week early, when I was still in DC!

We took a trip to the National Geographic Museum to check out the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit. It was fascinating stuff. And isn't he an attractive guy?

Naturally, said trip was followed later by the movie "Hero." Because we're cool like that. And also because David is mildly obsessed with everything China. Makes me feel pretty awesome, for beating out all the Chinese ladies for his attention. :)

We also took a trip up to the temple to check out the lights and listen to the Northern Lights Dance Orchestra play some big band-sounding Christmas tunes.

Yay, Christmas.

And yay, anniversary of birth of David. :)

Where was I?

FYI - year 2 of business school is hard. Anyone who says otherwise is lying to you. I feel like for the majority of the last month, I've been running around in a sort of maddened delirium of trying to finish out my semester. Not the stressful kind, because I can't really say that I've been that stressed. Just a delirium. Like a chicken running around with its head cut off. Yeah, that's a fitting image. The last two weeks of school I feel like I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to get everything done. You can imagine how hard that must have been, what with no head and all.

But it's done now. Projects and papers have been turned in, presentations given, finals taken. Time for a break.

Sort of. Something tells me I'll be plenty busy over my "break."

Now, where did I leave off? Ah yes, Thanksgiving. David and I went to Idaho, to spend some QT with a portion of the family and to see some friends. And of course, to eat. A lot.

And play with the kids.

And sleep.

We also decided that this was the year to chop down a real, live Christmas tree. So we all piled into the cars and took a drive through Arbon Valley. Destination: Christmas tree farm.

And we drove.

And we drove. It was very scenic.

But not a pine tree in sight.

Once we hit the freeway, we decided that maybe it was a better idea for the ladies to go to a girly movie (where we made everyone else in the theater mad by laughing really loud at all the wrong times) and the gentlemen to go to the manly shooting range (where apparently my Dad reduced the boys to tears of laughter by telling stories of the high school days).

It was classic. That's what I love about my family. They're all flexible like that. :)

Ah well, at least the pine tree chopping permit was only $5.

Bringing it back to DC...

Over the last couple weeks of school, I was craving some serious excitement. Something - anything - to shake things up a little and keep me from burning out before my last final. Turns out, the opportunity presented itself via a presentation to be given in a marketing class by some of my friends.

Basically, they were pitching a new Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor, Good Mooove, and an accompanying marketing campaign. It's brilliant. Good Mooove has its own website, it's on twitter, and it has a fan club on facebook. And the presentation was amazing. They were just missing one thing...a Good Mooove mascot to pass out ice cream and business cards to everyone who came to the class.

Yep.

I could use the excuse of "a lot of actions are forgivable during finals week," but odds are good that any other time of year, I would have done it anyway. :) Someone else commented that I had done my charity for the Christmas season. Yeah...that was what I had in mind...I need to dress up like a cow for my friends because, hey, it's Christmas.

In that case, let the Christmas festivities begin!

He liked it, so he put a ring on it!

He asked.

I said yes.

:)

I'm a little tardy in my posting of The Story. Please forgive. Today seems to be a particularly timely day to tell the tale, as I indeed have much to be grateful for. And I'm going to bend my rules a little bit for the content of this post - this is a blog for adventures, not the personal stuff. But I can make an exception this once...although this one kind of counts - I still see it as quite the adventure.

Ahem. Just a little background, to get you oriented, and for those who are saying, "You have a boyfriend?" Well, yes. Actually, he's my fiance. I've got to get used to saying that one. I have a Fiance. His name is David.

I met David at the beginning of this year at Institute. (Hooray for Institute!) We had quite a few months of nothing more than chatting for 10 or 15 minutes when we crossed paths, during which time we both started to notice that we had an awful lot in common. One thing led to another, and eventually we moved beyond the once-a-week chats. Since we'd taken our sweet little time letting the interest build, we sort of took off at a sprint once we started dating. We actually figured out very early on where we wanted things to go, which was a blow to my pride because I'd always been of the mindset that some things just take time. But I got over it. When it's right, it's right. I know now.

By the time I left for Africa, we'd built ourselves a nice, solid base. We kept in touch all through Kenya and continued dating once I got back. Things kept going wonderfully well despite our backwards schedules, and so we decided to proceed with what we'd basically already figured out after about one week.

Now. On to the good stuff.

Awhile back, David's cousin had a flight that connected in Dulles. The original connection out of Dulles was cancelled, so he got an overnight stay. He called to see if we could give him the grand tour while he was in town, which sounded like a fun adventure, so we were in. We picked him up that night at 11pm, took him to Ben's Chili Bowl, gave him a whirlwind night tour of the monuments, and got him back to his hotel by about 4am. 'Twas a fun adventure indeed.

Among the stops we made was the Lincoln Memorial, which was mostly deserted. We started chatting with the security guard, and he told us that the best part of his job was that he got to watch the sun come up behind the capitol building every morning. He was so convincing in his description of the sunbeams bouncing off the reflecting pool that we decided we'd have to get around to doing that, sometime, later. Definitely not that day, but sometime.

Fast forward to Saturday night, November 14. Seemingly out of nowhere, David turned to me and said, "Hey! We should go watch that sunrise at the Lincoln tomorrow!" Great idea! I love spontaneity! It had been rainy and gloomy in DC for the past few weeks, and it was finally clearing up (and not too cold yet), so it was an optimal time.

And so we went. I literally rolled out of bed at about 5:55, David came and picked me up at 6:00, and we headed into town. He’d thought ahead about the cold temperature, and he brought some thermoses of hot chocolate, along with some breakfast. Awesome. I love this guy. Not only is he adventurous, he's also always thinking of details to make my life better. And he was right about the weather. It was just a little chilly, and the sky was clear except on the horizon – perfect sunrise conditions. (Have I ever mentioned that one of my favorite things is sunrises and sunsets?) We snapped some photos, talked about his family's "Let the Magic Begin" post-Thanksgiving tradition, and joked about letting our own magic begin. Hello, foreshadowing?



We found our way up to a corner of the memorial, which really gives a grand view of the DC skyline. I did consider the fact that this was a bit of a perfect setting for someone to pop The Question, should they so desire...but I wrote off the possibility of anything happening because, remember, this was a "spontaneous" activity. Which I'm absolutely positive is exactly what David intended to make me think.



Once the sun finally peeked over the horizon, David said, "You know, there's really only one thing that would make this better."

“What?”
“If you said yes.”

Then he got down on one knee, brought out the ring he'd been hiding somewhere, and asked, “Will you marry me?!” (If I remember right, he was sort of giggling when he said it. Maybe it was nerves, maybe it was in response to the gasp that I let out when he did it. In any case, it was adorable. I know I'm biased and all, but honestly - how could anyone say no to that?)



I didn’t actually say yes. I think my exact words were, “Of course!”

There were a lot of people passing by because of a race going on across the street. I don't know if anyone actually witnessed the proposal, but I hope someone did. I hope it made their day.

We're going to have a lot of fun. :)

You can see David's version of the story here.

Thanks to all for your support and excitement. It's definitely cause for celebration. I feel like I have already been abundantly blessed with a full and happy life, and things will only get better with David (and his family) in the picture. Now that he's here, I'm not really sure how I ever lived without him.

Voices calling from a yellow rooooooad!

I've realized there are a few common underlying elements to bands that just really impress me. One of them is if they can actually involve instruments above and beyond the guitar/drum combo of typical rock bands (although I do love that stuff, too). It doesn't hurt if they can pull off the falsetto, either. And any band that can involve children gets bonus points.

Guster proved their worth last weekend, and then some, when they performed at my favorite cheap venue, the 9:30 Club. Their concert represented the 10th anniversary since their Lost and Gone Forever tour, so they sang that entire album and then some. It was delightful.

Big weekend event #2: Halloween!!

I LOVE Halloween. It's such a creative time of year. I'll probably be that mom who keeps on dressing up for the holiday long after my kids think it's cool for me to do it.

And just for fun, here's a preview of a new Guster song!

Happy weekend everyone!

I love the fall.

Especially in DC.

It's the perfect time. The weather is cool (but not cold), the humidity is gone, and the fall colors come out in all their glory. I feel like I've said this before. Still true.

David and I took advantage of this optimal combination by taking a leisurely bike ride down by the canal in Georgetown one morning.


This was the same day as the Marine Corps Marathon, so we got to watch and cheer a little.



I love big marathons. They're inspirational. The energy in the air is electrifying. You get to see all sorts of interesting people - the ones juggling, or wearing a grass skirt, or a jack-o-lantern outfit - none of which I got pictures of, because I was too busy cheering them on. Next time I run a long-distance race, I'm wearing something fun. I want to make people smile the way the dude with the kilt and mohawk made me smile.

Since the race is so big, they close all sorts of major roads in and around town...which is why it was perfectly fine for us to ride the middle lane down 110. As you can see, David just won Tour de France. The second-place guy is so far behind, you can't even see him.

I've always been just a little jealous of people who could ride bikes with no hands like that.

In other news, David and I took a trip down to Raleigh to visit Lauren and Yuriy one weekend. Lauren is having her baby soon and I'm excited out of my mind about it! We hit up the NC state fair, where we partook of such delicacies as grilled corn on the cob, ham biscuits, fried macaroni and cheese, and caramel apples. (We stopped short of trying the fried candy bars and fried twinkies. But I was tempted.) And a state fair isn't a state fair without a pig auction and few rickety carnival rides! It was a nice weekend indeed. Especially knowing that we bypassed a weekend of gloomy, overcast raininess in DC.

And in other other news, I would like everyone to meet my new car. Thanks to the DKCs for helping me in my search to make my dream a reality.

David has dubbed him "Vader." I guess it reminds him of someone?

And finally, just to fill in all the other gaps: school. Class at night is hard! But on the plus side, the delightful silver lining is that I have never been so well-rested because I don't have to get up extra-early and rush out the door every day. All of my classes are starting to pick up the pace in a mean way, just like I knew they would this time of year. I had an exam last night and another tonight, and I'm TIRED!

But then I got home, and found this waiting for me:

That's right, it's a card full of Halloween love from Mia! (With an extra helping of love from the rest of the Cleveland Croshaws.)

I went from feeling like this:

To this:

I love my family. :)

And just like that, life picks up again

Muse is my current favorite band.

How does one gain this status, you ask?

Simple. They create incredible musical music with haunting-yet-upbeat sounds and thought-provoking lyrics, and then they put on a show and let me come watch.

Even from the nosebleed section, Muse gave me the adrenaline rush that only a top-notch group of musical performers is capable of. I was feeling it. It takes more than your everyday run-of-the-mill band to pull that off.

U2 also put on a rockin' show. Now that I've seen them, I feel like I can cross an important event off my list of things to do before I die.

However, I have one grievance regarding this show: too much propaganda. Just because you have a captive audience doesn't give you carte blanche to start filling everyone's heads with your ideals. Now, I can respect that Bono feels strongly about whatever given cause or issue, I think it's great that he's using his power for good. But there's a time and a place. People go to U2 concerts to hear Bono sing. With all due respect, when he's putting on a show, that's what he should stick to.

Let's talk about U2's 360-degree stage. I guess it's a big deal because it's the first of its kind or something?

It reminded me of a spider (that's right, a giant 4-legged spider). David thought it looked like a spaceship (which I think is what it's supposed to be), and Marcia was reminded of Invader Zim.

We basically ran all the way to the metro after the show, counting the hours we were saving as we passed by hundreds of people (it was estimated that metro had to cart out about 10,000 people once the show ended). Good thing we both are runners. That marks the 3rd time I've gotten to run in the last two months. Three days later, my legs were still voicing their complaints. It's glorious.

I also have another thing to add to my growing list of why David is cool.

Work sent him to California, then at the end he flew me out to play with him because he found a ridiculously good deal on flights (and also because he missed me). Needless to say, I had a fantastic weekend.

David showed me around the neighborhood he used to live in, and introduced me to some of his old favorites - like Tommy's (the closest California will ever get to Ben's Chili Bowl)...

and Venice Beach (the people-watching possibilities are endless).

I also got to meet some extended family. They're delightful people. One night, some of us had dinner (not so much dessert, not so much spoiling our dinner, just dinner) at Yogurtland. If you don't know what that place is...you should.

Naturally, we paid a visit to Sarah-Dawn. She never fails to fill my soul with joyness. We all went to the beach.

Which, by the way, means David and I made it to both coasts within the month of September - ironically, both were in O.C.

He found some dolphins...right - over - there!

David still wants to hang out with me even after he saw me and S-D in all our uncensored silliness. Isn't that great?

The post you've all been waiting for...

That's right, it's time to see pictures of my 5th (and most likely last) Colonial 2 Retreat Campout Socialfest Party Shindig Gathering Activity Event.

I sort of just coasted through this weekend, which felt a little unusual - I've almost always either been on the planning committee or participating somewhere or other. This time I decided to take it easy and just let other people run the show. (What can I say, school is beating me up, I needed the break.) I met new people, made s'mores, played cards, napped on the grass, and spent an inordinate amount of time trying to remember the Tin Man song from Wizard of Oz. I got so involved in my chilling out that I didn't even take any pictures. So here are a bunch of candids for you, courtesy of random other Colonialites.

A favorite activity. We were playing Hearts. Darren shot the moon. Twice!

We did two service projects: some of us picked up sticks in the park and threw them in the forest (yep), and others colored and cut out rockets for the children. Here we are, anxiously engaged in making our rockets perfect.

We always have church in the forest on Retreat weekend. Look at how good and disciplined I am in wearing kosher footwear. (I'm not yet back to my 100% physically active self, but I did go running once last week!) And it's true that I may or may not also have scrubs on. Don't be fooled by the sunshine - it was cold!

The highlight of the entire weekend: Eyner spontaneously jumping up on the stage during our skit night, stealing the microphone, and saying, "Imma let you finish, but Prince Charming is the best prince of all time!"

It was just his way of giving a shout out to everyone's favorite charming, classy hip-hop star.

And now I'm off to prepare for my next whirlwind weekend adventure. You'll have to visit again for the deets, but know that it involves two of my favorite people. And a coast that isn't the east one.

Awesome times for which I have little to no photo documentation

...at least for the most part. For the sake of getting caught up, I'm just going to give you the basics. If you want the deets on anything, all you have to do is ask.

* While I was still in Idaho, my whole entire family came to visit. That's 14 adults and 12 grandchildren. It was insanity. I loved it. What I didn't love was that my recovering feet kept me from entertaining the children in my normal fashion (fortunately, the kids seemed to understand that it was just my shoes that were making me so boring, not that I had actually become boring myself). David picked up the slack for me with the kids, because he's cool like that.

We also had a surprise 60th birthday party for my dad, and he was actually surprised. I am shocked that he didn't find out. I guess it helped that his birthday is actually in November, so even when certain nameless people did accidentally slip up, he didn't even question it. This party was complete with delicious goodies, friends from all over, and the grandkids singing "Yellow Submarine" inside a giant cardboard yellow submarine. If you want to see more pics, they're scattered all over my family's blog over the past few weeks.

* School started! I am still trying to adjust to my backwards schedule with class at night. This goes against some serious morals of mine - I've always made it a point to get off campus ASAP once it gets dark. Now, that's when class begins. But I'm slowly but surely finding my groove. I'm really enjoying my classes and my two jobs - all of which are forcing me to use completely different parts of my brain. Ahhh, education. How I love thee.

* Marcia, Darren, and I got to see Lord of the Rings with the National Symphony Orchestra and a choir performing the soundtrack music. It was superb. My geeky musical self couldn't stop watching the conductor - he had a screen that was playing the movie. It would flash for every downbeat, and a line would go across the screen to signal when he needed to start up again.

* Jazz from the Navy band on the Capitol steps + warm summer evening - humidity + David + Indian food = I love DC.

* David and I took advantage of the long weekend and went to Ocean City for Labor Day. This is where I ran my marathon three years ago, but I never got to see the beach. It was mental and emotional therapy to get quality time with the sand and the ocean. I was so enthralled that I neglected to snap a single photo. But if I had to pinpoint my favorite moment, I think it would have to be when a plane flew over us with a banner in tow, advertising for a doc who could take care of toenail fungus. Since my mind is easing back into the business school mentality, I had to give the guy credit for marketing to people right at the exact time when they'd all be barefoot and checking out their little tootsies.

We got a chinchilla! His name is Desmond and he lives in our front room. He pretty much has the softest fur ever.
I'm getting a new car. Stella (my trusty Civic) wasn't getting it done for me anymore. And by that, I mean the transmission stopped working once she collided with another car's bumper and State Farm decided she wasn't worth reviving. :( But on the plus side, now I can get that Corolla S I always wanted since before I met Stella. :) To all of you who have been carting me around since I'm not yet able to walk all the way to the bus stop to take the metro to school: you are saints and I love you.

I got to start wearing normal shoes again this week. While I still miss flip flops, it's nice to not have to explain my cute blue velcro open-toed shoes with socks all the time...although now when I park in handicap spots, I feel like I should pretend to walk with a limp, in case anyone is watching and thinks I'm an impostor. My feet are recovering great, but I don't feel like I can start running yet. I've picked up swimming to fill in the gaps, but man do I miss the running. It very well may be the greatest test of patience I've ever had, to learn to bide my time until I can be physically back to normal.

That is all.