{travel diary} D.C & Virginia

I had the fortunate opportunity to visit the East Coast for the very first time two weeks ago.  It was my boyfriend's brother's wedding!  An exciting trip because I had yet to see any US historical monuments that DC is known for and even more exciting is celebrating a love that is cemented with marriage.

Short and sweet as the trip was, a mere 3 days tops, I was able to pack my carry on with ample space left for my boyfriend's goods too.  .

When we finally landed in DC and headed to Alexandria Virginia I immediately felt an old town vibe.  Fittingly, we were staying in Oldtown Alexandria.  Sidewalks were cobblestone, buildings were brick, homes were similar to those in NOLA, narrow and high with doors that had personality.  

The whole fam bam and I stayed at the Hotel Monaco, a Kimpton Hotel, where the wedding was to be held.  And boy, this hotel was beautiful.  Pet friendly, the lounge had lemon or lime infused water throughout the day, the mornings there was coffee and tea to help boost your morning and robes awaited to embrace you in the cute closet in the room.  

Zebra print robes. fantastic!

The evening we got in we partook in the most delicious Tapas Dinner yet.  La Tasca was the restaurant that was lucky enough to accommodate 20+ guests and they did it wonderfully.   Casta menu you rock! As a yelper you can read my thorough review here. 

The next day my boyfriend and I walked around oldtown with Coco {bf's sis's dot} and found a delightful cupcake shop, no puppy treats for coco, but many human treats! Yelpy review here.

beautiful aren't they?  

That evening was the wedding and oh was it touching and fun!  You betcha, touching = a bit of tears.  It was such a sweet ceremony it was a battle to hold back the tears of happiness for this couple.  They are so fun and sweet and perfect for each other.  

It was a party that each of us had fun with.  My boyfriend gave a moving speech for his brother, The bride's sister and bestie each gave touching speeches, my boyfriend's family sang a song in filipino.  It was so much fun.  The photo booth was a hit, the DJ was a rockstar, playing tunes we could ALL dance to and have fun with.  Very well worth the hop skip and jump it took us to get there  =)  

the happy newly weds. 

The next day we went to the monuments.  I was so excited I was screeching with joy!  I finally got to see him, the one guy that I would probably want to have lunch with if I could with someone who has died.  

Mr. Abraham Lincoln.  

Regal and breathtaking.  It was amazing being in this memorial seeing his statue.  He had done so much in his lifetime, many could learn from him.  

We also saw the World War II Memorial, took pictures next to our states, {Nebraska} and {Hawai'i} even the Phillipines was there {along with other Pacific Islands that were affected by World War II. We saw the West Wing of the White House and the Washington Monument.  It was such a great experience.  So happy to have seen this all for the first time with Joel and his family and especially thankful to have celebrated a new Chapter with those two newlyweds above.  

Peace & Love til next time!

13 days.

In that short amount of time I will have packed, purged, and moved to my very first and my very own humble abode.  We saw, I applied and I signed the application in hopes of making this apartment a place of my own. Just the other day I was approved!! And with flying colors!! I am uber happy to have a place to call mine 'o mine.

Here's a peek of the amount of space I'll be working with.

my future little nook all 725 sq ft of it

Honestly, there's going to be so much space for me I will not know what to do with myself.  So cue the inspiration and I will be working on this little space so it will reflect everything I love.

Looking for an apartment, as many of you may know, is one challenging task.  One has to consider many factors before agreeing to live in a place.  Because, let's face it, you'll be sleeping here, eating here, showering here, and entertaining here.  The space must meet, or almost meet, all of your requirements you feel will be a 'home' to you.  Here were a few of my factors when looking for a place. They may be helpful for you should you set off on your own quest. 

Below are the must knows

• utilities residents are responsible for. Is the resident responsible for water, sewage, electricity and/or gas, or does the apartment cover some utilities? 
• Washer and dyer in unit or how much does it cost to do laundry in their laundry facility?
• Controlled access entry to apartment building
• Parking or Garage rentals
• Cleanliness 
• What does the complex do in between tenants to make it ready for a new resident?
• Distance to work and frequented places like: church, grocery store, target, goodwill. Places like that.  
• Windows --> we all need natural light!

The above were very important factors on my list during my search.  I found them to be a great guide to finding the perfect new home for me.  

Here is a list of contributing factors that played into my decision to sign on the dotted line at this particular apartment . My boyfriend also helped me with this very important decision as well. Gotta love the boyfriends who are always there to support us!

Below are the Extras but not necessary factors

• What I call the, "have fun pool" and the playground.  Nice touch for families.
• The fitness center that is shared with a sister apartment.  I will never have to pay for a gym membership ever while living here! AND I can start swimming in the lap pool, take spinning classes, and choose from ample treadmills & elliptical machines should I want to amp up my cardio. 
• Balcony facing a golf course. I can sit outside and be inspired :) 

If I had found a smaller place that didn't have the above amenities, I would be just as happy too!  At this point in my life, having had roommates since I was in college, whom I adore and glad I had friends that I could live with and still be friends with today, it's a nice feeling to be able to spread my wings. 

What I love most about this apartment is how beautiful the building is.  I have surprised myself in having an opportunity to live in such a place.  It's beautiful, safe, and exactly what I've wanted, for a long time.  I love it and can't wait to break it in with my cooking, crafts, and beautiful things.

Pretty Brick Building. LOVE!

I'll be sure to share with you my crafty moments and the outcome of how I will turn my apartment into a wonderful and happy place!  *cheers* to good news and Independence day!  

Getting back to it.

Now that now that summer is finally here it's time for me to get back to healthy eating. It's been a whirlwind of changes lately with a new job and a new routine. As in life there are things we can't control and things we can control.

One of the many things we can control about is what we eat. This morning I decided to take control of what I eat and I did so by eating this wonderful breakfast. I basically combined three of my favorite foods together in one meal.

Strawberries, Greek yogurt, honey. Paired with a small cup of soy milk and I've got my protein, some sweet, a bunch of vitamin C, and calcium all in one meal!

Eating a meal like this makes me so happy and makes me feel good about my body and I know when we make good decisions for ourselves and our body our body will love us back. It is not always an easy thing to do, to steer away from are good friends: chocolate donuts, chocolate chip cookies, and candy; yet the rewards of eating healthy outweighs the rewards from instant gratification from those sweet treats.

Cheers to a summer full of healthy choices!!

my first day

on the phones at PayPal was a trip.  My first day in training I felt comfortable and cool to handle whomever I'd answer the phone to.  Well...after learning half of what we need to know and were set out to answer phones I realized that all the information can be overwhelming...but knowing how to use your resources to find the answer to help someone is what really matters.  

As I reflected on this method of training and applying said training to my job this is quite similar to life.  As we journey through our lives facing obstacles, adventures, and experiences, memorable and not so memorable, each of those moments continue to move us forward.  It all depends on how we use those experiences, we can use them as a foundation and keep building on it to become a stronger person, or we can let those experiences go...  Or I could just be writing bubbles and this may not make much sense to anyone.  But somehow it makes sense to me, when we're young we go to school, some go to college, and some even go to graduate school.  

Do we know everything to do well in our career?  Do we have every experience to share with others therefore being a strong candidate as a professional?  

We know a lot. That is for sure.  But to know everything perhaps no.  What we do need to know is how to find and use the resources we've experienced or the resources we have on hand to provide the best answer or give our best selves to our customers/career/students what have you.  This is my biggest takeaway from my training so far and it is a great way to view life.  

How can we use our experiences and resources to be our best selves?  

I choose to use my experiences and resources to choose happiness even if it's hard sometimes. Happy days are my favorite.  

My sister's cat Catch. I miss & love her so much! 

let go.

and fill yourself with the unexpected.  This can be a hard thing to do when it comes to life and people.  Once you accept what's before you you open yourself up and your life up to so many possibilities and happy moments.  Rather than get frustrated and mad at an issue or person, ask yourself what you can do to make the situation better or communication better or planning better.  Whatever it is you are going through.  I know for a fact that getting upset and arguing over something really makes situations much more worse than it has to be.

My favorite moments are those that surprise me.  Moments when my boyfriend does the sweetest gestures or when my niece sends me a text saying she misses me.  Even something as simple as a cute little pound puppy from a nice coworker.  All of these makes life a bit sweeter and worth shedding negativity and the urge to argue or get upset, because the next sweet surprise could be just around the corner.

long time no write.

wow. It really has  been a long time since I last wrote.  So much has happened that I will give you a quick run down...this way I can come back to my blog and read up on my shortened version of all the great happenings that occurred in the past several months. here we go...

• moved into an apartment with my mom.  
• got a cat named wally.  
• studied studied studied studied for A&P 2 and Statistics
• Christmas time fun times and Secret Santa with the fam bam & highschool besties 
• started off the new year budgeting and buckling down on spending...no community runs for the ENTIRE year.  Sad stuff but necessry considering expenses for the year. 
• school finished with flying colors!! 
• 2 year anniversary celebration with my boyfriend.  Good times & crafts. My creative juices started flowing and heartfelt gifts my favorite gifts to give. 
• Went home to Honolulu for a much needed visit with the fam bam, besties, and celebrate a beautiful wedding of my bestie Christine and her now hubby Sid.  Enjoyed every beautiful relaxing moment at home and cherished every part of it. 
• came back to nebraska to a job interview and moving time again!
• finished my last two weeks at the hospital to start a new full time position at PayPal! 
• bought a Schwinn Commuter bike, helmet, lock and I've been riding most days to work.
• celebrated my boyfriend's birthday with his fam bam, an iron man cake, and watching Iron Man 3 with everyone :) 
• enjoying my new job, making a few new friends, and staying in touch with my friends far away. 

yes. so much has happened. so much to catch up on.  I'll get back on my blog track and begin posting more pictures and adventures.  Here is a picture of my mom's  cat wally.  I miss him so much :) he's such a cutie.