March Madness continued into April and May...

Well friends, things have finally slowed down a bit. Here's the highlight of each month:

March: I had visitors almost every weekend!

April: UNC took home yet another National Championship trophy!

May: A good friend got married and I was able to spend a weekend at home in Charlotte. :)

All 3 months were a busy time at work. I spent many hours assigning interns to rooms and working with different AU departments to prepare for summer conferences. Rather ironically, my hours at work have decreased now that summer has actually arrived. Now it's on to preparing for student arrivals in August.

I'm still clueless as to what my next step is. It's nice to have my feet on the ground at my current job, but I want to be able to apply my experience to something new at some point. I'll keep you updated on when/what that may be. ;)

Sasha has grown alot! Last time we went to the vet, she weighed 7 pounds. That's quite a bit more than the 2.7 pounds she weighed on her first visit. I love her mucho. Our current favorite game is fetch. I throw a ball into the kitchen and she brings it back. She used to go get it and then take it to "her" carpet. But now she actually brings it back to ME!

That's my short and sweet update. I'll leave you with a photo from the wedding I went to last weekend.


Oh and if you're a fan of Taylor Swift and/or Coldplay, check out this video. It's a beautiful composition!

Oh the Madness of March...

This time last year I was in Savannah enjoying my last spring break. Now I'm hiring students, planning for summer conferences, and attending meetings galore. Luckily 2 friends from college came to visit last weekend so I don't feel too disconnected from the college years. Since it's been a while I'll give an update on a variety of subjects...

1. WORK: It is so much better than it was 2 months ago. I finally got over the negative enough to put my positive attitude back on. I'm getting along much better with co-workers and doing my best to develop positive working relationships. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I will probably always encounter people who want to shoot down my positive outlook on life. I definitely know that things are not perfect, but somehow happiness & excitement get me so much further than bitterness. :)

2. APARTMENT: Two words... cute & cozy. I've found a place for almost everything and even hung some pictures on the walls! I actually like living in a smaller apartment- less to clean and lower utility bills! My roommate and I are getting along well. It's nice to have someone to come home and talk to at the end of the day.

3. SASHA: She's a mess! I think she's about 7 pounds now (the first time I took her to the vet she was 2.7). So she's definitely growing! I have my moments of frustration- like when I'm trying to take her for a walk and she decides to lay down on the sidewalk or when she barks at me because she wants to play at 1:00am. NO Sasha! The moments of adorableness outweigh the frustration. Right now she's passed out on the rug outside my room. We go to the vet again on Saturday. Hopefully all is well.

4. LIFE: Lately, I've been debating what to do next... grad school? teach? something else? This week I spent some time looking at social work programs and researching DC charter schools. I just don't know what to do. I wish I could feel at peace with a decision. But right now all I feel is confused.

5. BASKETBALL: Go heels! My love for Roy's boys grows more each year.

6. THINGS THAT MAKE ME GO HMMM... I think I'm going to write a book about the strange things I see on the metro. Here's a couple:
- A man carrying a wireless microphone. Maybe he was rushing it to a local concert?
- A woman wearing one dress shoe and one tennis shoe. At first I thought maybe she had an injury, but couldn't she still wear matching shoes?
- I know there's more, but I can't think of them now...

Hope your March is as mad as mine. :)

<3 Michelle

2 miles down the road

So... I'm moving. Basically my cleanliness, niceness, and overall lifestyle do not exactly match up with one of my roommates. After a rather loud argument with said roommate, I decided it was time for me to find a new place. For a while I was looking at places in Alexandria and Arlington, but I decided that I couldn't handle an even longer commute than what I have now (it takes me an hour door to door even though AU is only 5 miles away!). Finding housing in DC is quite the chore. But after searching high and low on craigslist, rent.com, and various other sites, I was able to find a place. The apartment is probably less than a third of the size of my current house. There is no living room, but my bedroom is a decent sized. What's most important and exciting is that I really think I'll get along with the girl I'm moving in with. She goes to the church I've been attending and is a grad student at AU. Hopefully movie nights and late night roommate conversations are right around the corner. I'm packing up tonight and tomorrow. Then moving on Super Bowl Sunday. Luckily the place I'm moving is only two miles away. It's about 8 blocks from Union Station (where I'll get the metro to work), and 8 blocks from Eastern Market (my most favorite Sunday afternoon activity is going to the market). While the stress of moving is looming in the air, the excitement of being in a new place with a new friend is sure to be worth it.

I'll post pics once I'm settled into the new place. Oh, and you've got to see how much Sasha has grown!

Love from the district.

the tomorrow so many have waited for is finally here

I think it finally hit me yesterday when I was driving back into the District from running errands in Virginia. When I was stuck in traffic amidst people from all over the country, I realized that this really is history in the making. And I'm here for it. Who knew that the reason I didn't want to move here- the fact that DC is the nation's government center- would allow me to view and be a part of history. While every Presidential Inauguration is an important part of United States history, I feel like this Inauguration is an important part of World History. It makes me excited to see Americans from all different backgrounds supporting Barack, but it makes me even more excited to see people from across the world supporting our new leader. Take a look at this photo album posted on the New York Times website.

Tomorrow is here.

I have a friend. Her name is Sasha.

So I'll start with the big news first... Santa brought me a puppy! I left for Denver to visit a friend on Dec. 21st (more on that later) and when I came home on Christmas Eve, there was a furry friend waiting for me. I'm still not sure if now is the perfect time for a puppy, but does "the perfect time" actually exist? She's a Shih Tzu poodle mix and is currently 3 pounds. As my neighbor said, "all puppies are cute, but she's adorable!" She gets lots of attention when we go on walks around the neighborhood.

While Sasha was the highlight of Winter Break, there were many other exciting happenings. I was able to stop in Chapel Hill on my way home and visit with some of my best college friends. As always, it was good to be in the place I called home for four years. My extended family got together for lunch at my cousin's house. I got many hugs from my cousin's daughter, Sam. And Sam got me a Christmas present!- a pink unicorn like hers for me to sleep with. :) It may have been my 2nd favorite present.

The day after our family luncheon, I flew out to Denver. This was a semi-last minute trip that could not have worked out better. My friend Rachel's parents moved to Denver this summer and her family invited me to come stay for a couple days over break. I'd never been to Colorado, so I was so excited for the opportunity to see that part of the country. We could see the Rockies from a park near her house! We spent time lounging around, exploring downtown via light rail, visiting crafty stores in Boulder, and we even went to the Nutcracker! Rachel and I met at UNC at Convocation and spent alot of time together during our college winter breaks. It wouldn't have felt like the holidays if I hadn't been able to see her.

I came back to DC on the 28th and had to return to work on the 29th... I spent this last week training the students who work at the front desks of the residence halls. It was a draining and stressful week so Sasha and I will probably lounge around this weekend watching movies... and probably will take a trip to Petco- she sure chews up her toys while I'm gone during the day!

Happy (belated) New Year!

Much love,

Michelle & Sash