Congratulations!

This adorable picture features non-other than my beautiful sister and her wonderful fiance! As of last night they are officially engaged to be married and I couldn't be happier for them! Congratulations, you two!

A New Beginning

Tomorrow is my first day as a full-fledged member of the Washington, D.C. workforce. Truthfully, it's my first day as a full-fledged member of any workforce. I have worked in D.C. before as an intern and have interned other places as well, but when I say "full-fledged" I mean it comes with a paycheck and without a predetermined end date. Somehow those two things make it a lot scarier. Maybe scary isn't the right word, though. Actually, the way I am feeling reminds me of how I felt nearly every year at the beginning of a new school year. Each new year, I knew I had been prepared and educated to a point that should allow me to succeed in the next school year. That was comforting, but the reality of the unknown still made me a little anxious. That pretty much sums up how I'm feeling about my situation now. One big difference with starting work is the schedule. Even though new school years were a mix of excitement and anxiety, I essentially knew what I was getting myself into. For 17 years straight, I started a new school year every September and I got the hang of it. I actually got pretty good at it. School was something I enjoyed and I could handle. Working is a new ball game. I've never had such a scheduled life with so little flexibility. At school I could choose when to study and when to take break. Aside from the four hours of class everyday, my time was essentially my own. Not anymore. My schedule will be typical, 8:30 - 5:30, by no means a ridiculous workload. Still, it's more scheduled than ever before. I tend to thrive on schedules, though, so maybe I will just love it. I'm going to go with that - I think I'm going to love it. Wish me luck!

Russ' Birthday Celebration

Here we are after dinner at Charlie Palmer Steakhouse. It's right across the street from the Capitol and we were lucky to have a beautiful night and view of the Capitol from our table. The food was delicious and a little gluttonous, and by the end we were reminded why we only go out to places like that once or twice a year. :-)

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

It's this guys' birthday today and I am so excited to celebrate with him.

I love everything about birthdays - using the red "You are Special" plate, getting to choose a favorite meal for dinner, feeling special all day, getting cards in the mail - it's all so much fun!
We're going out to dinner tonight, but we used the "You are Special" plate for breakfast this morning and then Russ opened his presents before he went to work.
I'll post pictures of the rest of our day later, but for now...

Happy Birthday Russel!

It's still a Winter Wonderland

Yesterday I talked with my Mom about possible activities I could do with the Young Women in my ward. One of her suggestions was a gardening activity because we're entering into the spring season. I wish I could use her idea, but I think it may be a few more months until we hit Spring here in Virginia.
Today's local weather report:

Light Snow and Windy

21°F
Feels Like
5°F

Updated: Mar 2 10:05 a.m. ET

Wind: From N at 22 mph gusting to 34 mph

Humidity: 76 %

And the view from our window this morning: