Black History Month Kick-Off!

Anyone who really knows me knows that I love African American history/culture. Thus I love February (Black History Month) and planned a whole day of activities to commemorate the wonderful contributions Blacks have made to America. DC is the perfect locale to do this :)

My friend Cory from BYU just moved to DC for an internship and I invited him to come exploring. We both invited friends who joined us through various parts of the day. We met my friend Leslie at George Washington University (where I work and study), grabbed breakfast sandwiches on campus, and set out on an extremely chilly morning for the Lincoln Memorial!

My sandwich was uber delicious (ham, cheese, & eggs on toasted wheat bagel)

It was uber cold

I hadn't seen the movie "Lincoln" and Cory mentioned how cool it would be to go to the memorial and watch the movie on the same day - great idea!

Great view of the Washington Monument over the Reflection Pool. So many historical events happened here! i.e. Marion Anderson's 1939 concert and Martin Luther King, Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech. (see blog post about my last visit in June 2012)

Then we scurried over to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, which I had only seen from the water, paddling on the Tidal Basin last summer. (see blog post about that adventure)

We couldn't find someone to take a good pic of us, so we spent forever trying to take shots with the timer setting haha

Walked by the site for the new National Museum of African American History and Culture - I can't WAIT to celebrate Black History Month there in 2 years!

Then we scurried over to the American History Museum just in time to catch the Jazz Masterworks Quartet :) Such talented musicians... Jazz, in my opinion, is African Americans' single greatest contribution to America.

Cory's friend Porschia and my friend Greg met up with us there. We listened to a couple of great Smithsonian actors re-enact and teach about important black historical speeches by key figures such as Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, and Ida B. Wells.

Walked through this new exhibit "Changing America" comparing the 1860s (Civil War & Emancipation Proclamation) and 1960s (Civil Rights Movement). Ironic how the "Civil" War and "Civil" Rights Movement turned out to be quite violent and un-civil...

Saw a display about Gabrielle Douglas, the US gymnast who helped bring home the Olympic gold last year. Leslie and I met on our high school gymnastics team 10 years ago (!!!). Sweet moment :)

Then we walked to Chinatown to buy movie tickets for "Lincoln", continually marvelling at how un-Chinese the DC Chinatown is -

We walked around and finally agreed on lunch at Royal Thai, where the decor was adorable, the food was blah, and the service much lacking...

The chicken was undercooked in my Thai fried rice (the most bland and lackluster I've ever had)

Then Greg and Porschia had to leave; Leslie, Cory, and I went to see the "Struggle for Freedom" exhibit in the National Portrait Gallery about brave activists not only for Blacks' rights, but also for women, the disabled, LGBT, migrant workers, Native Americans, Asians, and Latinos -

The time came to watch "Lincoln". I regret to say that I was really sleepy from being full, comfy, and warm...so I didn't catch the beginning parts. But it was an insightful movie about such different times. So grateful for the sacrifices of others for the freedoms and comforts we enjoy today.

After the movie, Leslie had to go and Cory's friend Jeff met up with us. We left DC for the day and went to Hamburger Hamlet in Crystal City for dinner because I'd seen an ad for free jazz there! The band was SO GOOD! I could tell they were extremely experienced and well-trained. I couldn't believe it was free. And the ambiance and food were both up to par :)

I got my Oreo milkshake that I'd been craving all afternoon :)

I tried my first mushroom burger. It had caramelized onions, spinach, cheese, and pesto - super tasty!!

So as you can see, I'm really quite Black on the inside haha. More celebrating and exploring ahead!

Asian Cowgirl

I finally got to go country dancing in DC!!! (well, technically, Virginia) I did a fair amount of country dancing in Provo, Utah, so I was super curious to see how different it would be on the East Coast. We got a pretty good group going!

It was a perfect experience of being "in the world, but not of the world". Nick's Nightclub was a full on bar with two dance floors (one with karaoke on the side haha) and a live band. Lots of free flowing alcohol but we were just there for the dancing. They played a few pop songs that had profanity in it but one thing I love about country music is that it's generally clean. And the dancing is completely clean!

They played country two-step, country waltz, country West Coast swing, East Coast swing, country cha cha, and LOTS of line dances (most of which were way more advanced than what I'd done in Provo). "Country" is used here as an adjective to mean much more relaxed and less rigid/structured than the standard ballroom versions of all those dances (I'll always be a ballroom girl at heart). I danced as many of the dances as I could - it was so much fun!

Food-wise, I've been in a rut since I got back from Christmas break. I feel like I've lost all creativity in the kitchen and also haven't had time to cook meals, so I've been eating out way too much. But when it's combined with catching up with close friends, I don't feel as guilty :)

Monday - Caught up with Jessieann at Nando's Peri Peri. Honestly, the story was way better than the food (a combination of Portuguese and Mozambican cuisines - read the story here) and it was way overpriced for the portion I got.

But I was mostly there for the company, so I wasn't disappointed.

Friday - Caught up with Britt & Chelsea at Bertucci's :)

I must have had some mad sweet tooth because I got dessert first - 2 of them! Both the chocolate mousse and limoncello cheesecake were sublime.

The mushroom asiago pizza had great flavor but the crust was way too thin for me. I love my carbs!

Saturday - Got to help with set up, registration, and clean up (I'm on the Activities Committee) for the combined ward Scavenger Hunt. We had a great turn out - the activity was a success!

***If someone seems amiss, see my other recent blog post.

So That's Where All My Money Goes!

Most of you may know that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka Mormons) pay 10% of their income as tithing, but you may not know that we are also encouraged to give a "generous fast offering" each month - we generally fast as a church once a month and donate the money we would have spent on the two meals to the Church. I knew that the money goes to the poor in our area, but I got to SEE the amazing humanitarian work in action this weekend when I went with some girls from my Relief Society to the local bishop's storehouse.

It's basically a big warehouse where food/supplies bought by fast offering money is stored and distributed to the needy. There is only one paid employee - the manager - who supervises the "staff" (volunteer senior missionaries) and other volunteers like us. A sister missionary was full of awe and conviction for the work that's done here and gave us a grand tour. I learned some amazing facts:

- She considers this the 2nd temple in Maryland. The one in Rockville is for spiritual needs and this one is for temporal needs :)
- There are 34 storehouses in the US northeast region. This one (in Upper Malboro, Maryland) is the main one that distributes to the rest of them.
- The region stretches from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, and Maryland to West Virginia (I can't imagine traveling 100's miles to get food - feeling humbled and blessed).
- You don't have to be Mormon to get food/supplies, you just need to fill out a sheet through the local Mormon bishop and then come pick up the food for free.
- Some of this food also gets shipped to places around the world after, say, a natural disaster.

The Church also owns farmland and cans food to sell at very low prices for people's emergency food storage. This missionary explained that we often talk about being prepared for big disasters but this backup food supply can also help people during financial "bumps" such as car problems, health bills, etc. I'm so grateful for the teachings of food storage that helped me get through a difficult period of unemployment.

There was a huge freezer we could only stay in for a few seconds. Brrrr

We took a group pic before they split us up for various tasks :) We were so happy to be there and touched by the Lord's programs of charity and service that also teach principles of self-sufficiency and provident living.

I ended up helping measure and bag nuts :D

It was SUCH a wonderful and powerful experience, and I loved getting to know the girls in my Relief Society while we served :)

In other news, I got a new prescription and year's worth of contacts! I had way too much fun trying on glasses (and different personalities) while I waited for the eye doctor lol...

I also enjoyed helping Mike shop for clothes at the outlet mall (I advised against this coat cuz I thought the piping and cut looked too feminine).

Mike's roommate, Joe, came along and they both looked sharp in this jacket, but it was a bit out of the budget...

And of course, yummy and new foods were part of this foodie's week. After a long day of shopping, we had a delicious dinner at Olive Garden.

I ordered some kind of scrumptious creamy garlic-y shrimp pasta

Had the dainty limoncello mousse for dessert. Alot of flavor and richness packed into that little glass!

On Friday, I went with Mike to his coworker's house for Chinese hot pot, which is as much about the process of creating a soup together as it is eating it. Stuffed ourselves silly.

Earlier in the week, I stumbled upon a restaurant that's been on my DC bucket list for about 8 months - G Street Food, with a fun environment and an innovative international menu. I asked for a sample of the Tuna Thai Salad and instantly had to have it. I'm not a big salad person, but this salad blew my mind!

The week ended with a major surprise. I had signed up to sing "Where Can I Turn for Peace" and accompany myself on the piano at church this Sunday. I didn't have much time to practice and when I arrived, Quentin L. Cook (one of the 12 modern Apostles of the Lord) walked in with his wife and sat on the stand! I was flabbergasted. Apparently, nobody knew he was coming (he was sent here by the prophet to attend the presidential inauguration tomorrow) and the room was filled with a mix of excitement and reverence. My hands started sweating, my heart started thumping fast, and I tried to turn all my nervous energy into awe - I felt so honored to be performing for an Apostle! I just prayed that I would help invite the Spirit and hit all the notes on the piano and in voice. I was relieved to at least accomplish the latter.

Going through some other challenges in life but I couldn't ask for a more supportive network of friends or more loving Heavenly Father. Onward we go...

Yoga Boot Camp

Part of my Christmas present to Mike was a weeklong unlimited pass at Epic Yoga since he's looking to expand his workout to improve flexibility. I have a pass there so we went to 5 classes this week to get back in shape after winter break. Woo, it was a challenge for both of us, especially after full work days!

I have a confession: I detest yoga (except for a few poses). Hated it the first time I tried it, but I kept going to classes because I think it'll be "better this time". But nope, I still find myself becoming irritated by the repetitive/boring/uncomfortable poses, the excessive philosophizing by the instructors, and the "ugliness" of outspread and flexed fingers & toes. Gimme the grace and variety of Pilates, ballet/dance, and free weights instead!

With that said, I did learn a few poses that feel good...don't remember what they're called.

And it was fun to spend time with Mike while improving our fitness.

I felt a sense of relief and accomplishment after our last class. I still have 3 more classes on my pass, which I'll use for Barre Yoga (it has ballet elements in it)...but not for a looong time.

After our last class on Saturday, Mike took me out for a celebratory lunch at Brasserie Creperie, an absolute gem at Pentagon Row (no, I didn't do my hair or put on makeup)

Their crepes are fresh, packed with flavor, with the perfect density and texture...

...and gorgeous works of art (this one's definitely Jackson Pollock-inspired). Highly recommended!

Rewind to Friday, Mike and my 2 month anniversary! Mike surprised me with a chocolate rose :)

After our yoga class, we got dinner at Bob & Edith's Diner, a great family joint in Arlington. Dessert first - Mike got his eccentric apple pie with melted cheddar on top (he had me try it and it wasn't bad), and I was delighted by their voluminous coconut creme pie (almost 4 inches high).

I got a childhood favorite: corned beef hash, along with some great grits and eggs. Mike got a tasty sausage, eggs and potatoes. All were very well-executed; wouldn't expect anything less from a family business that's been around since 1969!

Then we went to The Salsa Room to dance and get our VIP cards (they only sell it a few times a year), which gives us huge discounts for the rest of 2013!

Back to Saturday - after catching up on all the errands/chores of the week, I met up with Britt to try a charming eatery on my list - Bayou Bakery, which serves Southern cuisine.

We both got their popular gumbo, and I got their very interesting endive side dish, topped with feta and candied pecans (pretty yummy).

Britt also shared her cheesy bread with me :) Grateful for good gal pals

Ran into an old BYU ballroom dance team partner there! The semester I quit team, my coach called me last minute to fill a spot in the Lindy Hop routine. Good times :) and what a small world!

As you can see, I definitely made up for all the calories I burned at yoga with all the delicious food I ate at the fun new restaurants I tried this week!

I'm grateful the weekend ended with spiritual highs with the two LDS young single adult firesides - a regional one and an international one. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's wonderful CES Fireside is available online. I am SO THANKFUL to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in which I can learn principles of truth, happiness, and salvation. I'm grateful for all the tools and resources the Lord gives us to guide and comfort us through these times of moral relativitism, political upheaval, economic chaos, social evils and tragedies, and daily stresses. I have really felt the burdens of the world this week, but the gospel of Jesus Christ offers me peace, comfort, and hope...especially as school starts again tomorrow!