The Jean Quest

For a long time now, I have been on a quest to find jeans that fit me.  The last time I bought jeans that actually fit, I was in DC the first time, roughly 2006ish.  I have despartely been clinging on to the handful of jeans that really fit, but two of the four pairs have holes in inappropriate places and are wearing thin.  Another pair was essentially ruined in my first craptastic job rotation with filing cabinet grease of all things.  I have one last pair that is acceptable to wear in public, so needless to say, the options are getting slim.

Of course, if you looked in the drawer were I keep my jeans, you might say to yourself, "But you seem to have plenty of jeans in here."  And you would be right, but half don't actually fit and the other half have been accounted for above.  I bought 3 pairs of jeans from Old Navy when they were on sale and appeared to fit me really well in the dressing room.  And they did.  And then I washed them and wore them.  They fit every place except the waist.  And you might be thinking, "Doh!  She shrunk them!"  Not at all!  They seem to loosen up after wearing them and so the top really doesn't fit unless they are sitting at my hips which then puts the crotch of the jean about 3 inches lower than it ought to be.  Sigh. 

As best I can figure the jeans fads took a turn for the worst right after I bought my last pairs.  They went from what I will refer to as my "normal" to super ridiculous low rise, show your hoochie coochie, half inch zipper jeans.  Umm no thank you.  That fad hung around surprisingly longer than I expected.  They got rid of every resemblance of my "normal" and put in these impostors that claimed to be the same fit, but came with an annoying gap between the waist and the back of the jean.  This was the problem with the 3 pairs of jeans from Old Navy and in fact is still a problem today with all the pairs of jeans I try on.  Apparently at some point people's asses just morphed into their backs and eliminated the need to have jeans that accommodated us freaks with a waist and a rear end.  Today, the latest fad is the Skinny jean.  Note to all fashion designers - this has been your worst idea ever.  EVER!  Only a fraction of people actually look good in Skinny jeans, but the general public is unaware of this.

I feel it's important to state that I had never really had a problem finding jeans that fit until this roller coaster fashion wheel of jean designs began.  I haven't really gained or lost enough weight in the last 10 years to really affect how jeans would fit me.  In fact I am still wearing the jeans I bought way back in 2004.  Desperately clinging onto them and hoping that will power will stop them from wearing too thin for wearing in public.

On occasion when I have been in high spirits or have had enough to drink, I get this bright idea to try on every pair of jeans I can.  Rationale, there has to be SOMETHING out there that fits.  Those trips resulted in a lot of anger and no where to direct it.  Today was another one of those such trips.  I felt pretty optimistic as I had insider information on where someone found jeans that fit really well.  Sadly, that turned out to be a giant bust for me.  Like all the other pairs, they fit everywhere but the waist.  I said screw it, I am here (mall), I am going to give it a go.  I tried on another 20 pairs of jeans, different brands, different stores, and finally I had a pair that fit.  Like honest to god fit.  They were long enough, stylish, and had NO GAP!  Holy crap!  Who was the genius behind this invention?  Not Your Daughter's Jeans!  Right, ok, so I don't have a daughter who has jeans to be some kind of bizarrely jealous of, so that part is not quite right. But they fit and I don't give a flying fig!

They were a little more pricey than I am used to paying, but I said, well, I could buy another 3 pairs of jeans that almost fit or one pair that definitely fits and I will wear for another 5 years (if my last purchases are any indication).  So I was kind of cursing myself for leaving my Macy's coupons at home, but I said, whatever, just buy them.  I think the universe was trying to give a general approval of my purchase since when I actually checked out, the sales person gave me some random 25% off (they were not on sale, I checked after).  Umm THANK YOU!  I was tempted to go back and buy another pair, but I didn't want to repeat the Old Navy mistake at a larger price (ugh).  I will make a final decision on purchasing more after a few wears.   For now I will rejoice in what is most certainly the end of my quest!

Purses Galore

I recently bought a fabulous purple purse at Shecky's Girls Night Out kind of on a whim.  Meghan and I were wandering around the show and we came to this booth that had all kinds of purses for sale.  We were both drawn to two different purses, but decided to check out the rest of the vendors and come back later.  We figured if they were still there it was a sign we ought to own them.  When we returned to the stall we found both were still there and immediately made the purchases.  As an added bonus, because we were so polite while two really cranky ladies were harassing the vendor as she was ringing us up, she threw in a purse hook for each of us.  Sweet!

I was so thrilled with what I bought, I had to show it off to everyone at work.  I also emailed the guys I used to work with on the flight line for fun.  They have had a history of teasing me over my purse collection and I thought they would want to know there was a latest addition!  Their favorite was my "shinny bucket" which they always told me was really a weapon or some sort of mirror device to check my teeth after lunch or be forewarned of people sneaking up on me.  It also went against the rule of No Fu Fu on the Flight line!  I got numerous emails back with all sorts of comments regarding my taste in purses.  In fact one of them requested a group photo of my purses so they could see the brilliant collection all together.

I happen to like my eclectic collection and each one of them has some sort of story behind them.  The first couple I ever bought were more of less the functional kind.  One black one (in front) and one brown one (back right).  I branched out with a blue one (back right) because it is my favorite color and I thought the purse was cute.  I acquired a few from gifts and beauty purchases and carefully hand picked the rest.  Those particular ones (Shake Your Coconuts - back left, Red clutch - right center, Patchwork - front center, Swirl Cyclone - front right, and the Purple - back center) all were purchased because they made me feel giddy in some way or another.  After some thought, I have decided this is pretty much my main criteria for selecting what I buy.  The only other thing that gets factored in is price, but that weighs in less if I am head over heals in love with one.  So far that hasn't been an issue as I happen to some luck finding great deals.

I hope to expand upon this collection as time goes on with all kinds of fun options for a carryall.  I just received a $30 gift certificate for completing a survey for eBags.com and I am overwhelmed by the choices.  I have found a handful that I would be really happy with, but picking just one is going to be hard.  But it will be unique and it will make me happy!

Happy 13th B&B Party

This year we celebrated the 13th year of the B&B Party.  This year I took a kind of different approach to my costume.  I more or less bought pieces of my costume and assembled them together instead of sewing on leaves or sequins until the 11th hour.  I also had this costume picked out last year.  Of course I still waited until last minute to start to put it together.

I decided to go as Flo from the Progressive commercials.  I figured given my personality, it wasn't much of a stretch to imagine me as her.  There were two things I learned in putting this costume together.  One - the instructions on the iron on patch were not applicable to the apron I was using.  It burned a little, but still mostly looked ok.  Two - How to use a "Bump-It" which I have to say was one of the more ridiculous things I have learned in a while.  The good news, the "Bump-It" had been out for so long, I got it on clearance.  Bonus!  Overall, I think it turned out pretty good. 

Rob was inspired by some tall boots to become his college self.  Mostly it was inside jokes with the people he went to college with, but it was done well.  :)

Rob as his college self

Here are some of the other stars at the party:

The Most Interesting Man in the World

Mr. Tea

Buddy the Elf and Jovie

Marty McFly

Chilean Miners

It was nice to see everyone again and I am still amazed that we have so many original costumes after 13 years.  I already have ideas for next year, but as usual I will probably wait until September to start working on it.  :)

Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear

Living close to DC definitely has it's perks.  Say for instance the closeness to National Events that occur on The Mall such as The Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear that John Stewart and Stephen Colbert hosted recently.  We decided to brave the crowds and head downtown for some laughs and be a part of something that would certainly be talked about for a while.

The Rally was scheduled to be from noon until 3pm so we thought we would be doing well to start our journey around 10-11am-ish.  Oh we were so wrong.  There were lines like I have never seen before in my life to get onto the metro.  Upon closer examination we found out that it was the line just to buy tickets for the metro.  Thankfully we were able to scrounge up tickets for everyone that was going downtown without having to wait in those lines.  We were able to breeze through the turnstiles and make our way down to the platform pretty easily.  When the car pulled up to the Dunn-Loring Metro stop (one from the end of the orange line), it was full.  Or at least what we thought was "full".  Haha, what an understatement.  We all piled on to the car much to the chagrin of the current passengers.  It didn't get better at any other stop we made.  By the time we decided to exit the metro I was literally squeezed in by people on all sides of me. We played telephone through the crowd of people to communicate our plan to exit  and even then we were wondering if we would all be able to climb out in time.  Thankfully, the current passengers wanted more room on the train so they were happy to make a hole for those leaving. 

We made our way from the Foggy Bottom stop down to the mall with droves of other people.  As we got closer the crowd started to pack in and you could see people taking pictures of everyone and every sign.  Honestly, the signs were the best reason to go in person.  Most of the good ones were captured by people and put on this website.  I am proud to say I saw a number of those first hand.  We didn't really hear too much of the Roots playing which kicked off the event.  We did hear John Stewart make his entrance and Stephen Colbert calling in from his Fear Bunker.  We heard the crowd chanting something that sounded like "G-A, G-A,  G-A".  We found out after watching the Rally on TV that he had come up in a Chilean Miner mock pod and was really chanting "Chi-lie".  We were down there long enough to hear Ozzy and then the O'Jays, but left a little after 2 to avoid what would inevitably be even worse crowds going home.  Hey, we still had a Halloween party to get to. 

While we didn't really get to see and hear everything, it was really amazing to see all the people that came out and all the signs that people made.  One of the members of the crowd was passing by us saying, "This is one of the nicest crowds I have ever been in" and I agree with her.  As many people as there were, there was no shoving, screaming, and elbowing.  There was a lot of "Excuse me, Pardon Me" (as seen on a sign as well).  It was definitely an experience to remember. 

Fast Forward Catch Up

It was really my intent to post on everything I had taken pictures for up til now.  I figured those were probably the more significant events that occurred in the last 6 months.  There were also some things were just significant news items with no pictures, but either way, I had a hit list of things to "catch up on".  To be honest, the thought exhausts me.  So I thought I would do a one longer post with a 3 sentence limit on events as they happened.

Right after graduation, our house was getting packed up one more time for our move back to Washington, DC.  I had gotten a job offer with a promotion to work in Rockville, MD for my off program position and I took it.  Let's just say, the older my kitties get, the less the enjoy the long car rides.

Shortly after arriving in DC (about a week), we were back into the events of friends in Northern VA with a 4th of July BBQ out in Loudon County.  Jeremy marinated and cooked meat for something like 20 hours and it was delicious although hot as balls out.  After roasting all day, we went over to Jeremy's parent's house for fireworks and s'mores.

The crowd that plays volleyball

The crowd that watches volleyball

The following weekend, Rob and I decided to go "hike" at Great Falls but we didn't make it to far because it was 100+ degrees out and we were just miserable.  Instead we walked the C&O canal and dodged rain drops.

Great Falls, MD side

Later in July, I timed my return trip home to pick up remaining items from NY (including my wedding dress and plants) to coincide with a good friends baby shower.  That was a lot of fun.  She has since had her baby and he is super cute.

Baby Shower Cake for Jenn

At the end of July, we went to Megan and Bruce's b-day party where there was more volleyball.  I have decided being a sports photographer could be a back up plan if being an engineer falls through.

Rob missing the return from Mike

Matt serving it up

Before we knew it we were in August and off visiting our close friends The White's in Newport News.  We spent some of our visit in Colonial Williamsburg, but most of our time was spent playing with Julia, my favorite little person!

Julia with her new bff Tigger (gift from Aunt Sarah)

As we were unpacking, apparently we found some hats. 

The things Sparky puts up with

In the middle of August we went to West Virginia for an adventure weekend of white water rafting and zip ling through the tree tops with an overnight camp trip at ACE Adventure resorts.  For reasons I don't totally understand, I don't have any photos of this.  It was a lot of fun and I didn't die white water rafting; which honestly was a concern.

At the end of August we set out on our next excursion which was down to GA for a wedding of a classmate of Rob's.  We stayed with Bonnie and Alex in TN so we got a nice long visit in all around.  Also, the photographers for this wedding mistook me for someone who knew what they were doing because they were following me around and copying angles I was getting.

The happy couple

 In September I celebrated my "last" birthday by walking around DC, hitting up the German beer garden, and enjoying a 4 day break from work.  We also celebrated Amanda and Collen's birthdays later in the month with various activities.

Rob and I participated in the critically acclaimed Applefest 2010 at the Godfrey's house.  It was a lot of fun and we even got to take home some cider (which was delicious).

Sarah picking some apples

Bruce taking a turn at the wheel while Sarah and Rob feed apples in

Bruce and Rob squeeze out the juice

In October, The White's came to our house for a weekend of fun, pumpkin picking, and hanging out.  Julia even started to crawl a little (a few forward creeps before rolling out of it).  She's growing up so fast!

Andrea, Julia, and Tyler

Julia in the pumpkin patch

SO!  I think that brings us up to Halloween, which I think I can handle it from there.  And if I can't, I am not sure I should continue to have a blog.  :P  Besides I have had a lot of funny thoughts that I haven't posted because I "should really update the blog first".  It's not a rule written down anywhere, but one I impose on myself because I have slight OCD.  Here we go again!

I Are Graduated!

Over the last two years of my life, I have been going through a rotational leadership program at work (amongst other things).  In June, I officially graduated from the program.  When I started it felt like I was on a never ending road.  A year of grad classes, a few business projects, committee work, community service, 3 week long conferences, and not to mention learning a new job every 6 months with at least two bosses, and oh hey, throw in a move too. I am really happy to be done.

Graduation was kind of a two part deal; we had site graduation and then graduation at our final conference which was also held in June.

Allison and I at Syracuse Site Graduation

Tea time bud Shawn and Andy and I

Our final conference was held in Landsdowne, VA at "the compound".  This week long conference was better than others before with better classes and more personal time (a rare and precious thing during these events).  They also arranged for a "Night at the Museum" where they opened up the Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum at Dulles International Airport just for the conference participants.  The had their docents there to ask questions about planes and history in the museum.Very cool night.

Brent, me, Allison, Bryant, Greg, and Susan

SR-71 Blackbird

Me, Greg, Susan, Brent, Dave, Bryant, LaTisha

It was an interesting two years with a lot of experience.  I met a lot of great people and made life long friends.  But I will have to think long and hard about doing something like that again.  :)

My Sister's Garden

If there is anything I will really miss aside from family and their cooking in NY it's my sister's gardens.  She maintains them well and has orchestrated them so there's always something blooming.  I really enjoy walking around and smelling all the plants, it's very relaxing.  Of course every now and again I remember my camera and try to capture some of the fun of the flowers in her garden.

The view from the driveway

She really has a green thumb whereas I have a yellowish green thumb.  I am learning, but have a long way to go.  She brought back all of our plants we nearly killed off this past winter.  Time in her gardens do everyone some good.  I really think she could be on the pages of Better Homes & Gardens someday.  In the meantime though, I will just enjoy her gardens with a glass of wine and warm weather.