Survivor: DC Heat Wave edition

I've actually never watched Survivor but I feel like this title is appropriate. Burned myself OUT this week. Being outside so much during this heat wave has been physically taxing but I'm glad I pushed myself to have some great experiences.

Monday - Free food (leftovers from meetings) at work allowed me to sample something from another restaurant on my to-go list! This "margherita sandwich" with mozzarella cheese, roasted red peppers, and pesto on ciabatta bread was from FoBoGro, short for Foggy Bottom Grocery. Clever.

Finally went to an outdoor movie! My 1st time and a big DC summer tradition.

Killed 3 birds with 1 stone: went to FHE (Family Home Evening), watched Hitch for the first time, and hung out with Stephen and Koryl (BYU Ballroom friends)! Read about my thoughts on the movie in my other blog!

Tuesday - Confession: I love [non-fried] cafeteria entrees. Warm, mushy, and comforting. The George Washington Hospital (GWH) next door has a great affordable cafeteria. Not sure what this dish is but it had veggies and rice, and was very satisfying.

After work, I finally went to Pilates in the Park, a free weekly class nearby. No more excuses, this was the last one this summer! Got an uneven tan on my right side :/ Gave my camera to a stranger and this was the only one she got of me working out (front left)

The instructor actually led mostly yoga moves (dislike) with some ballet moves (adore), and I was very frustrated she didn't do any Pilates except for 5 minutes of abs at the end. I later found out it was "barre yoga" - made sense!

It was an incredible toning workout. I felt sleek and fabulous the next day. Ran into Melissa from church!

Wore one of my many BYU shirts! Represent!

Wednesday - another GWH cafeteria visit. Salisbury steak, rice pilaf, and steamed veggies. Good ol' wholesome American food.

First day of the 2-week long Smithsonian Folklife Festival. After work, I went to the National Mall to volunteer at the info booth (I signed up weeks ago)

People were more rude than I expected. Maybe it was the heat and dust...

...or the fact that all the porta potties on the north side were locked (?!), or that some food and beer stands were closed. Some of the visitors really tested my patience; thank goodness for my awesome new friend and booth buddy, Megan, who kept me sane! She's one of the many interns in DC this summer.

We were great partners in helping each other find answers to visitors' questions.

Thursday - first time salsa dancing in 3 weeks! Michael's goofy giddy smile says it all

Glad to be dancing again

Friday - Got a ton of heat warnings; it was supposed to be over 100 degrees with high humidity. So I decided to forego my usual lunch time stroll and took refuge at the magazine wall in Whole Foods. Too many magazines, too little time!

There's a lot of inspiration to be found after sifting through all the junk and sleaze. 2 revelations:

1) An interviewer observed that a certain female celebrity seems to view "interesting" and "scary" as the same thing. Therefore, take more chances in life.
2) Says a designer: Fashion is an extension of ourselves. That explains why I've been dressing way more colorfully in DC - I feel more vibrant here :)

After work, I went back to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, this time as a visitor. I got there before everyone else and this was me after 35 minutes. Whose idea was this anyway!? (oh yea, mine)

So I drank more water and forced myself to walk around cuz I wasn't planning on coming back as a visitor. Watched some Hawaiian dancers, singers, and musicians...

...then some cool local hip hop dancers

One of the 3 themes this year celebrates the arts and culture of southeast DC, a rough and under-appreciated neighborhood. I loved the amazing murals by local artists. Notice that the lower right side of the heart is the shape of southeast DC! Very creative.

I stood in front of this one for a while. There are so many layers and colors. It's mindblowing how talented some people are.

Got some authentic Southern grub...collard greens, potato salad, and corn on the cob (I could eat 4-5 of these) - surprisingly filling!

Andrea, Carissa (and Britt) came after work to watch the evening concert with me.

Quetzal plays a fusion of Mexican and Afro-Cuban rhythms, jazz, R&B, and rock music. The band was very instrumentally eclectic and racially diverse, but I actually (unexpectedly) didn't like the music that much...maybe it was the relentless heat

I was really nervous any of the hard-playing musicians might collapse. And then a couple got up and started salsa dancing! Very jealous. Wish I had a dance partner with me...

Went home to cool off a bit, then got to enjoy some great conversation over great Afghan food (1st time)! Lamb "sauce" and dill yogurt sauce over amazing rice with doughy crispy bread. Mmmm

The restaurant was literally called "Afghan Restaurant". What it lacked in name creativity, it made up for in scrumptiousness.

An EPIC thunderstorm late Friday night caused 1 million people to lose electricity. Another case in which I'm grateful I live in an apartment and not a house. No messy yard to clean up, no potential roof damage to repair, and back-up electricity!

Saturday - With the heat, I was overwhelmed just thinking about my 12-hour day of service at the Festival and then a ward temple activity. That's why I was so grateful/excited to wake up to find out both events were cancelled due to storm damage (very unfortunate). It would have been nice to end the month with a temple trip but I was very happy to stay home ALL DAY in my air-conditioned room. I slept in (much needed), caught up on laundry and favorite TV shows, made a big fruit salad and ate 1/2 of it, wore no makeup and gave myself a facial, sweated through a new workout DVD, blogged, read scriptures and books, and set up my new bed!

Bed threads since 2006

New bed threads that seem much more expressive of my new DC life

I've wanted one of those chair pillow things since freshman year in college. So glad I finally invested in one :)

It has been...

6 months since New Year's Eve 2011 when I was so optimistic about all that 2012 would bring
3 months since I hit the road for DC
1 month since I started my permanent job at GW

I could not be more grateful for how far the Lord has brought me and how patient He's been with my weaknesses and struggles of faith.

Second half of 2012 - bring it on.