Operation Christmas Cheer: Botanic Garden

This was my first trip to the United States Botanic Garden located on the Mall, a mere stone's throw from the Capitol. When I used to live on the Hill and would take evening walks around it, I'd see the pretty glass building from afar, but never entered.

I'd heard about their amazing Christmas display and had meant to go the first weekend of December to capture some pretty photos for my Christmas card. Alas, I went out to celebrate a certain friend's certain engagement and didn't quite feel up to it the next day. (So if you see one of these pictures on my card next year, pretend to be surprised.)

I planned on being there right when it opened at 10, but didn't end up getting there until 10:30. Not a big deal, right? Nope, wrong. Every family in D.C. must have had the same idea and the line was way out the door to get into their famous train section. As much as I love trains is also how much I hate long lines, so I skipped the trains and headed straight for the Conservatory instead.

The main draw are the re-creations of famous D.C. landmarks and buildings made out of natural items like gourds and sticks. They were simply stunning.

Clockwise: Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial,
White House, Washington Monument

Capitol, Capitol Dome, Supreme Court

The Botanic Garden, Smithsonian Castle, and Library of
Congress, Jefferson Building (I think that's its name.)

I took photos of some of the pretty plants and the colors that really caught my eye.

 

There are lots of different sections and gardens that I was able to walk around, despite the hoards of people. There was also what they call the "jungle," which is several stories high, full of flora, and very warm. You can even go up a flight of stairs and walk around the "canopy." You can see the jungle in the background behind the lone train they had in the Conservatory.

I didn't really get photos of this section but I did take photos of one of the displays. I'm calling this "Reindeer Games" and I just love it.

Close-ups of some of my favorites. The one in the middle, clearly vogueing,
is my favorite.

I've lived in the city for 5 years and it's so nice to find something new -- and free -- to do. I'm definitely adding this to my Christmas traditions list and will also visit during the other seasons as well.

Wednesday Words

"We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths -- that all of us are created equal -- is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth."

-Second Inaugural Address of President Barack Obama

Operation Christmas Cheer: Capitol Tree, National Tree, and Willard Hotel

This week's goal is to get almost all of my Christmas posts done. We'll see how this goes.

I love the holidays every year, but this year I was especially determined to enjoy them. Sometimes I can get so caught up in the shopping and doing that I get too stressed to enjoy everything. So this year I started my shopping much earlier, and let myself be ok if I didn't get to do everything I normally do.

The result? I had an entire day before leaving for home – I'd even already half-packed for home – in which to do whatever I wanted. Thus I embarked on what I called Operation: Christmas Cheer. Which consisted of me doing my usual National Christmas Tree and Willard Hotel viewing, plus the addition of the Capitol Christmas Tree and the National Botanic Garden. Though my first stop of the day was the Botanic Garden, I'll start with the last three since I have so many beautiful pictures to sort through.

I've never made it to the Capitol Tree before, I'm not sure why. I expected it to be smaller but it was really quite large and majestic. I expected the Capitol to dwarf it but they really complemented each other.

The tree's ornaments came from people in Colorado and I took a few photos of my favorites. It wasn't too cold of a day and as you can see, the sun was shining and the sky was blazing Carolina blue, so I just took a few minutes to stand and stare.

After that, it was off to catch a bus to take me closer to the White House. (Figuring out even just one bus route along the mall is going to change my life.) Last year's tree was quite puny as it has just been replaced after the previous one was damaged during a storm. The replacement tree ended up dying and they replaced it with this much more grand one.

 
The state trees have different ornaments every year, with handmade creations encased in clear plastic cases. But this year some of them had decorated the outside of the case, like New York and Florida, or completely eschewed the cases like Idaho, who had gourds. Either there were new regulations this year or there have never been regulations and some states finally got creative, but they were much more impressive this year. My favorite was Florida, with their gorgeous orange blossoms that looked like glass.

 
This is Connecticut's tree. This was the day after the Sandy Hook tragedy and a little memorial was forming.

My last stop was to look at the outside and inside decorations at the Willard.

I used to only do the outside but I also love to go inside. Their main tree is full of all the past White House ornaments. They also had a pretty amazing gingerbread house.

Things I Learned This Weekend

A really bad Friday can be made so much better after a drink with friends.
And maybe a little crying. And some food. And a free shot from the bartender. But mostly after the friends.

Sometimes there is just nothing quite like lying on the couch all day and reading.
Which is what I did on Saturday. All day.

Grace Coddington really is extraordinary.
I spent the day reading her memoir that I got for Christmas. It was witty, funny, and full of information about the fashion and magazine industry and her role in it. 

A butcher block from the father makes a great, but very heavy, cheeseboard.
Thanks, Daddy. Doesn't it look good? That's after 5 coats of the oil and then I got bored.

George Mason University is really far.
So that's good to know.

Wedding showcases are fun.
And full of information. And people. Mainly women. Karey and I went with Brandie and her mom to a wedding showcase event with tons of vendors at Mason. Brandie got lots of information and we all got to taste a bunch of cake. Win win. Oh, and Brandie tried on a crown. So win win win.

Identifying stickers really help minimize the number of times you have to say "I'm just a bridesmaid."
Thank goodness.

If you're sitting in seats for a basketball court, you really have the fight urge to cheer.
We sat in the seats to watch a wedding fashion show. Thankfully, there were several opportunities to cheer: for the cute kids hamming it up and the guys dancing to that sexy and you know it song.

There's something beautiful about eating nachos while watching a fashion show.
One of my favorite things ever are nachos with processed cheese. Seriously, I just love them. The second worst part about Nationals games -- the first worst part being the baseball part of course -- is that their nachos are made with fresh cheese, no processed. Absurd! So I was thrilled that they had concession stands open where I could get this very large tray of processed goodness.

Losing to George Mason in the 2006 NCAA tournament still hurts.
And it hurts more when you have it constantly rubbed in your face everywhere you go in their arena.

The inauguration brings out the really big flags.
Like this one at Union Station.

Every day should include a Lifetime movie.
Like "The Surrogate Trap." Which was the perfect combination of crazy, dramatic music, and Canadians. Though, on second thought, most of my days already include Lifetime movies.

Being on the mall for the Inauguration is awesome, but so is sitting at home in my pajamas, on the couch, eating cinnamon rolls.
It was just so warm. So, so warm.

Wednesday Words

"She was an earnest little thing who had a way of blinking distractedly behind the thick lenses of her glasses when she was nervous; the kind of girl, Rusty thought, who might treat herself to a mental breakdown about fifteen years after graduating summa cum laude from Smith or Vassar."

-"Under the Dome," Stephen King

An Open Letter to the Pretty Little Liars

I realize that I'm 29 and possibly shouldn't be watching a show about teenagers. I also realize, as the roommate once pointed out, that the show isn't exactly meant to be realistic. However, as I've become quite emotionally invested in/obsessed with this show, I can't just sit idly by while these characters make such poor decisions. So, attention Emily, Hanna, Aria, and Spencer:

1. Stop going to scary places at night. Especially the woods. Seriously, have you never seen a horror movie? Nothing good is ever going to happen to four teenage girls alone in the woods.
2. But, if you insist on finding yourselves in scary places in the dark, keep a flashlight on your person at all times. Maybe even spring for one of those high-powered spotlights. Also, consider looking into some weaponry, or at the very least, a self defense class. I think all of us would feel better if you would just learn to break someone's trachea.
3. Stop keeping secrets from each other! Every episode you learn some shocking new thing and keep it from each other, even though at least one other person is also being tormented by it. Gosh, the fact that I even have to explain that to you, it's no wonder you're being stalked.
4. Anytime you go into a room, close all blinds and curtains. Get multiple locks for every door in your home and get a house alarm. A good one.
5. Find someone smart and have them create some sort of attachable mirror, like on a car, that you can wear so you always know when someone is behind you.
6. If something bad happens, it's 99% likely it's A. So stop, especially you Aria, with the confused, doe-eyed "who would want to hurt little ole us" schtick.
7. Consider just leaving Rosewood. Seriously. For 4 17ish year olds, y'all have seen, done, and know entirely too much. It's veering into "One Tree Hill" territory in terms of how much bad stuff can happen in one small town. (And I swear, if you make the most evil character need a heart transplant and then have a dog steal the heart out of a cooler in the hospital, I will stop watching.)
8. Figure out a way to make Toby be not bad, not A, and not a terrible jerk who is ruining all men for Spencer in the future.

Thank you for your time. I will now go back to doing adult things like paying bills, emptying the dishwasher, and wearing below-the-knee skirts.*


*Haha, fooled you. That's not happening now/ever.

I Used A Saw...

...and I didn't lose any fingers!

Now, if you're like several of my friends, and upon reading this exclaimed, "Who in the hell let that klutz use a saw?!" Then you'll find the answer several times below. Hint: It starts with "D" and ends with "addy."

When I was home over Thanksgiving, Daddy taught me how to use the band saw so I could cut some wine corks for a Christmas gift. (These particular corks later became cork coasters for my friend, Jan. I also made a cork memo board and a cork necklace holder for my other besties.)

Bottom line: This saw is awesome. And I kind of want one. And as soon as I figure out what I would use it for, where I would put it, and if my insurance covers domestic accidents, I'll just place the call to Daddy and he can pick up the one we already picked out at Harbor Freight. (Because, yes, of course that happened.)

Wednesday Words

"Her writing style – usually challenging, frequently polarizing, always provocative – went on to challenge the conventions of the English language, shaking its very skeleton to radically reconstruct the relationship between words and meaning."

-Maria Popova re: Gertrude Stein

This quote was taken from a short essay on Stein for The Reconstructionists, "a yearlong celebration of remarkable women." Popova's writings are paired with the illustrations of Lisa Congdon, whose website and blog you should also check out.

Thanksgiving

Either because I don't really care for the day, or because it's not a lot of fun to take pictures of people eating, but I never take pictures on Thanksgiving. Until this year!

We spent the day at my sister's house. This was the first holiday since she and her family became vegetarian/vegan, but it worked out just fine. I even tried some tofurkey. Which I never need to try again.

 

It was a low-key day, as ours usually are, with just a lot of eating, talking, drinking, and then cleaning. And as the pictures show, there was also some cheesing (from the nieces), reading (of ads), posing (with a turkey placeholder), lazing (the dog), and drinking WHILST cleaning (me, obviously.)

 

A siblings pictures WITHOUT one of us in a graduation gown.  This just doesn't happen very often.  (And we almost never get to pose with a lumberjack.)

 

It was a good day and if it hadn't of happened two months ago I might have been able to write more about it.

Celebrate Good Times

Way back in November one of my best friends got engaged! So then way back in December we went out to hang out and celebrate, of course.

This is B with a glass of Prosecco and the engagement card I got her.

She liked that the card matched our drinks. I like that she let me try on her ring. So shiny!

Perhaps because we were celebrating such an important occasion. Perhaps because we hadn't hung out for a month. (Gasp!) Perhaps because we just tend to get a little silly when we go out. But whatever the reason, the night took us from a restaurant to a hotel to a bar, plotting and laughing and chatting (and drinking) all the way.

We ended up at Hotel Monaco, which for some reason we gravitate toward.

Where we like to take silly pictures in the bathroom mirror and anywhere else that strikes our fancy. (Like this chair.)

We were both hating life a bit the next day, but you only get engaged once, hopefully, so I think it was worth it.