Favorite Pastime

And it's not baseball.  My absolute most favorite thing to do now that it's warm outside is to go for a bike ride.  I simply cannot get enough.  I love the tranquility of going by myself + pondering about life or letting Pandora entertain me with some jams as I cruise around in the sunshine. And then there's biking with friends, which is a blast and takes me back to my childhood and simpler times. Sometimes there are night rides, which remind me of summer vacation, freedom, and little to no responsibility. Therapeutic, to say the least.  I've been taking advantage of the favorable temps (read: not ridiculously humid) while they last. 

Bike ON.

Mt. Vernon Trail

Praise to the Mom



THEN

I wish I could be with my madre today to celebrate her. It's overwhelming when I think about all of the sacrifices she has made to be a mother - including that time we both almost died when I was still in utero. Basically I was a handful before I even arrived, and my mom has loved me unconditionally through it all.  She is a superstar. There are countless other sacrifices she has made, and there is no way I can ever repay her for the wonderful example she has been to me.  A few things she has taught me:

* The importance and vaule of hard work. People always assume since I'm the baby and the only girl in my family that I was spoiled. This absolutely was not the case; from a young age it was work, work, work. There aren't many things that are as rewarding as the satisfaction that comes from accomplishing short-term and long-term goals.

* How to be self-sufficient. This wasn't something I truly appreciated until I moved away from home. All of the things I watched other kids struggle to learn/accept I already knew thanks to my mom's wisdom.

* How to serve.  My mom is a complete dynamo when it comes to giving of her time and her talents. She is crazy talented in so many ways. 

*How to love and forgive others. It's been amazing to watch my mom through the years as people have been unkind, even downright rude to her, and she is always more than willing to look the other way and strives to be a peacemaker. It speaks volumes of her character and I appreciate that she practices what she preaches.

One of the biggest drawbacks of moving to DC has been being away from my mom. She has been, and continues to be, my biggest cheerleader. Happy Mother's Day to my favorite mom in the world!  I love you beyond words.

NOW

Adventures in baby-sitting

During my last bout of unemployment (thanks, dismal Phoenix economy), I got creative about how to make some quick cash. Every day I scoured Craig's List looking for random gigs.  Said gigs included participating in focus groups, working as a brand ambassador and I did a couple of health studies at ASU (having someone pay ME to get a physical = genius).  It kept things interesting.

Since I've been in DC, things have been somewhat mundane because I've just being doing the office temp thing. A few weeks ago I got a call from a woman who received my name from her sister-in-law via my friend Cassie asking me if I was interested in watching her 10 month old twins. Initially I was hesitant about accepting since the prospect of not one, but two small children seemed a little daunting. However, I decided it would be good for me to mix it up. Plus I heart bebes.

There was some definite anxiety on the actual day of about watching baby A and baby E. They're on a pretty tight schedule: eat every couple of hours, have a bottle every couple of hours, sleep every couple of hours. Repeat. You get the idea. And factor in there are two of them, which means double time.  Anyway, my anxiety was all for naught, because things went really well. The highlight of our time together was going on a huge walk around their hood, Chevy Chase, which is quite possibly one of the cutest communities in the US of A. Aside from a few moments of post-nap hysteria, I was  impressed with how easy-going they both were.  I've watched them twice now, and I think it's safe to say, they like me, they really like me.

                                                           

                                                  

clean. happy. ready to zonk out. success.



i believe in a thing called love

...and so do Will & Kate. For some reason this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRYNYb30nxU was stuck in my head while I watched the Royal Wedding. Perhaps because the band is British? Who knows, but I thoroughly enjoy the chorus.
Since the actual wedding took place at the crack o' dawn on Friday (clearly I value sleep a lot more than some people, who watched it in real time) we had a Royal Brunch on Saturday, to ohh and ahh over the dress, the venue, David Beckham, etc. The girls who hosted know how to do it right and I couldn't get enough of the decorations. And the food was also pretty tasty - sweet potato hash, beignets, muffins, and fruit.

My favorite is the "Keep Calm and Marry On". I see singles wards worldwide adapting this motto in the near future.