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:

The Good, the Bad and More Good

The good news is that I do not weigh 300 pounds. Let me just start with that and as I go on, hopefully you will begin to understand.
Now for the bad news. Even though I am not coming in at 300 lbs., I am tipping the scales higher than ever before. Over the last year or so, I have gained some weight which I attribute to being married and having my very own kitchen all to myself, working out slightly less vigorously than before, and a few other things that I feel I have no control over.
Here comes the second piece of good news....
I have decided to get rid of my extra pounds and really do what it takes to get back to where I was, namely, back into my killer black wool trousers. Currently I can still button them and breathe, but I'm not so sure that anyone else would appreciate seeing me squeezed into them. For that reason, I have decided to take the plunge and for the next few weeks I will be working with a personal trainer to get me back into the gym scene and teach me some new exercises and techniques. I am excited and somewhat terrified all at the same time. The trainer I will be working with, Antonio, told me he wont kill me, but it'll be close. Gee, how comforting. Hopefully all the pain will translate into me in my black trousers again! Wish me luck!


In other GREAT news that I have previously failed to mention, Russ started a new job last week at Eagle Bank and I got a job which will begin March 9. Hooray!!
Russ was previously at Wachovia and that got a little interesting with all the bank issues that have circling for some time now. He started looking for some alternatives and was hired by Eagle Bank! It is a smaller regional bank that is doing quite well despite all the economic hardships of the times. They are based in Maryland with offices there and in D.C. and now Russ is heading up their Northern Virginia division. I am so proud of him! It is such an unstable time right now, but he managed to get himself a promotion!
As for my job, I will be working in Georgetown at a place called The Advisory Board. I'll be doing marketing for them and I'm looking forward to starting. I'll have to fill you all in a little more once I actually start.

An apple a day

Two days ago, I went to the doctor and had a pretty typical blood test. Not a lot of blood was drawn, just a quick in and out. After the blood test was over, I stood up and felt a little light-headed and dizzy. I thought I would walk it off - after all, I have never felt that way after having my blood drawn before. I made it all the way to the front of the office to schedule my next appointment, and the next thing I know, I'm on the ground with a a bunch of nervous nurses and doctors trying to help. That's right - I fainted in the doctor's office. Wow, that's not embarrassing at all. Especially because all the nurses were like, "Wow, we've never had someone faint from such a small blood sample before." Thanks. The doctor had me lie down and all the nurses were so nice. They brought me water, juice, and even pizza. All the other patients walking past my room were probably wondering why I was getting all the attention - and all the pizza! The doctor was worried about me driving home, so I ended up having to call Russ to come and get me. That was an interesting call. :-) The whole event was a little embarrassing, but otherwise, just fine.