An Aspiring Native, Day 5

At our new church, Virginia and I have starting noticing that several celebrities, or their stunt-doubles, regularly attend.  So far we have found the following: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeremy Renner (scary how exactly he matches), Christopher Hemsworth, Aaron Eckhart, and Rowan Atkinson.  We've only really met one of these people (he confirmed he wasn't actually Hemsworth), so we may or may not be attending church with famous people.  Ya never know.

To date, the strangest question I've been asked in an interview is "how do you deal with dogs?"  I was taken aback, stumbled over my words for a few seconds, and finally responded, "Uh, fine I guess?"  Turns out, the Congressman likes to keep two large dogs in his office.

Despite my fumblings, I ended up getting an internship with Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri (NOT MissouRUH, although this probably estranges me from the constituency).  I've been working nonstop (and for no pay) writing letters to Missourians, doing research on advocacy groups for "The Boss," answering phones, etc.  To my great shock one day, I answered the phone, and I heard on the other line a gentleman say, "Yes, this is General Thomas Stafford."  Again, I was taken aback, and stumbled over my words.  I transferred him to the proper line, and sat back astounded at what just happened.

Oh, and this is where I work.

Since pictures are worth a thousands words, I'm just gonna put a few right here to sum up the past few weeks, and add a few interesting facts for your enjoyment.

Being Congressional staff means one of the best views of the city from a private balcony in the Capitol.

We went to an event after work and got to see the legendary Budweiser Clydesdales!  Hundreds of people showed up and filled the whole block.

The city is redoing all the sidewalks in our area with brick instead of concrete.  This is the area just in front of our gate.  Looks pretty great!

Virginia and I have been asked several times recently what our hobbies are outside of work.  Ashamedly, we haven't been able to come up with much interesting, so we tried our hand at miniature gardening!  Cheaper than dinner and a movie, and WAY more cathartic.  So we have one hobby now.  ;)  We also took up teacup herb gardening too.  Oh, and we started a hanging garden in our room.  So...I guess you could say our new hobby is unique-gardening.

Oh, and Virginia is insane crazy about Cocoa Pebbles.  Like, addiction level.  I have deduced this because she says it isn't her favorite cereal, taking Honey Nut Cheerios as her favorite (ew), and yet she talked about having Cocoa pebbles for breakfast constantly...even the night before.

So...there ya go.  Update from the Creasys in DC.  We're doing great, and we're loving our life.  I'm sure Virginia will be wanting to write to you soon.  :D

-J

An Aspiring Native, Day 4.5

Jonathan asked me to do a guest post on Creasy Capers, since I am capering a Creasy, after all. So here are my impressions of our capitol to date.

DC is unique among large cities because of the strict building height requirements. Instead of the slivers of sky among metal and concrete that is typical of metropolitan areas, DC has a wide open sky, horizons glimmering with aspirations. Often Jonathan and I drive over the 11th St SE bridge at sunset, the Anacostia river a lustrous gold inlaid with battleships and bridges.

Another splendid feature of DC is the plethora of museums and galleries, most of which are free.

The Museum of Natural History is among my favorites so far, especially the gems. The vibrancy of colors and patterns that spring from the dark, lowly mines astounds me. Rocks with natural tree-like etchings, minerals with swirls of grass green, translucent towers of crystal, dazzling yellow formations, mysterious opals. These and more fill my mind to overflowing, flashes of some great unfathomable painting.

Humanity's touch beautifies this city too.

The national mall has street drummers and sax players on sunny days, and the music strokes and pulses above the murmur of voices. Laughter is a flickering solo, foreign intonations the harmony. Closer to our little neighborhood here on Pleasant St SE, the sounds of the city are much different. I hear more helicopters than birds, and the ceaseless pitch of police sirens could be likened to the absent hum of crickets.

There is a dizzying array of lines in the metro escalators that fascinates me. The escalator at our local stop almost seems to pitch forward - the vertical cracks of the walls compete with a dozen other angles; gravity itself seems confused - have I fallen down a rabbit hole?

As a wishful artist, I ache at times to portray the wonders I see here. Yet, instinctively, I know that the visions I see are too intricate to be detailed, too universal to be contained on a canvas.

One last sensation: Jonathan and I have agreed that the metro station is an odd place. The air is a bit dank and stuffy, but there is a constant wind from trains whisking by. I am reminded of a quote from my favorite author, “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” The metro hints at our path to yet unknown adventures.

~VA

An Aspiring Native, Day 4

You wouldn't believe the intersections in DC.  I'm sure many places are worse, but when I think intersection, I generally don't think 14 red lights pointing every angle but straight up and straight down.  Yes, this is, in fact, an intersection Virginia and I encountered trying to find our way around the city.  In just two weeks I have become a pro at crossing six lanes of traffic in 150 feet to exit on the opposite side of the highway, and of parallel parking my massive Dodge Charger into places I would have otherwise thought impossible just 16 days ago.  Dad would be proud of that.  In fact, the stress of driving and of shopping in ridiculous grocery stores downtown have made something as simple as shopping in Walmart intensely relaxing.

Oh, what do you do to relax?

Oh, we shop at Walmart.

...

One thing I have unfairly neglected to tell you about thus far is our wonderful new church, Capitol Hill Baptist Church.  At the recommendation of my former pastor, Chris, I did some research on it before moving, and have started attending since we moved.  After our first Sunday there, Virginia and I have been nearly every time the doors have been open.  We *love* it.  Solid teaching, both Sunday morning and night and Wednesday, like-minded couples (we went out to lunch last Sunday and are planning to go out again tomorrow with couples there), and just an all around warm and welcoming atmosphere have led us to attend the membership classes, with a hope of joining.  We have yet to find work, but reader, we have found a church.  And to us that is just as, if not more, important.  I haven't felt so alive and so happy to be a Christian in many years.

Today, we spent our day finishing up the membership classes at CHBC, and then met our new friends Carla and Jason at Pi (literally, π) Pizzeria - which is our new favorite pizza joint - and then toured Ford's Theatre (saw the actual gun that killed Lincoln), finishing with a stack of 15,000 books all about Lincoln himself:

From there, we headed over to the National Art Gallery, where just inside we got to see the Navy Chorus perform a few songs.  I really wished that my sister Jessica could have seen them - they were immaculate.  To get from one section of the museum from another, you have to go through an underground tunnel, that is really difficult to describe, so I'll just show you another picture:

The lights move in patterns all along the ceiling and down to the left, and we could still hear the haunting lyrics of a song called "Prayer" being sung by the Navy Chorus above as we went through.  It was beautiful and eerie.

Still underground, there is a massive book/art/merch store for the Art Gallery, and there is a coffee shop/food court that, again, I wished my sisters could have seen, as I know they would have enjoyed themselves.  There, we swapped stories with our new friends on how the other met their spouse, got married, etc.  It was so relaxing to have a good and natural conversation with another couple.

I have decided, upon a very brief tour of the Gallery, that it is my favorite museum to date.  The atmosphere is incredible - it is as if I could nearly hear physical manifestations of all my dreams and aspirations as an artist floating about me in the rotundas and corridors that were filled with art.  I fully intend to return soon with a pen, some paper, and perhaps some classical music, and just see where my inspiration takes me.

The weather this entire week has been beautiful.  Virginia and I have been wearing shorts and tshirts, taking walks, enjoying a few of the early cherry blossoms, and making plans to go see outdoor attractions when we can.  Today, however, we awoke to cold temperatures, and discovered that snow is coming - as soon as tomorrow.  Some people are speculating this could have a negative effect on the coming cherry blossoms, but that remains to be seen.

Well, this is where I will leave you.  I had an interview for a position with a congressman last Thursday, but have yet to hear anything.  We have both been applying to many, many jobs, and Virginia has an interview on Monday.  Please be praying that we would get something soon.  I think, despite our many adventures, we are both beginning to get a little stir-crazy.

Here's to hoping your bracket is doing a lot better than mine, and that this post finds you with a smile on your face with the promise of warmer weather soon.

Yours,

J

Something that is completely new to me this week: An ad promoting a tattoo convention April 15th in Baltimore.  No further details were provided.

"Nmmjhm/ ..,.VHN.TYDRM,KERMEKUJMEDMN MN"

Alley would like to inform you that running laps around the room dragging one of Virginia's shoes is his new favorite activity, and that he is considering taking up fashion as a hobby.  I cannot confirm nor deny my endorsement of these activities.

An Aspiring Native, Day 1

Well, I am writing to you from our new house in Anacostia, Washington DC.  What a ride it has been getting here.  We got up around 6am on Friday morning and hit the road with our car, the family van, and a Budget moving truck crammed full of our belongings.  The drive was a crazy one - the temperature when we left was around 32 degrees, a few hours later it had risen to around 52, and by the time we arrived it was back down around freezing again.  It took us nearly 12 hours of driving to get here (my dad is a truck driving master though, so nothing was damaged and everyone arrived safely), and once we arrived it took us several more hours to get everything piled in the house.

We spent our Saturday sightseeing with the family, as Jennifer has never been to DC, and Mom hasn't been for quite some time (Dad and the kids having come for youth summer camp).  Our first stop was the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, being one of my favorites.  Due to lack of time we did a quick tour, but Virginia and I have plans to go back soon and take our time with it.  It's still mind-boggling to me that we live so close and can get in for free whenever we want!

From there we started the long trek to the Washington Monument, and then continued even further down to the Lincoln Memorial (I most enjoy the view from the steps).  Completing our giant circuit, we headed back to the van and made a food-stop at District Taco (our housemates Jacob and Alyssa took us there on our last visit and we loved it...think a better version of Chipotle with more food than you can handle), and then a quick stop by the Peregrine Espresso shop.  Upon a little further research (and the Google query "best coffee shops in DC"), I found out that we had stumbled upon one of the best shops the city has to offer: and it's locally owned!

Sunday saw everyone minus me, Virginia, and Jacob (my brother, not to be confused with my new roommate) heading to Capitol Hill Baptist Church.  Virginia was sick that day, but it is the church we intend to attend regularly starting this week.  I'll be sure to update you once we visit.  We said our goodbyes later that afternoon in the parking lot of a Walmart (the parents had to pick Jacob back up, as he had spend both nights with us in our new house.  As a side note, Costco was a mad house when we went...there were more people crammed in the aisles than I thought humanly possible, and the check out line went well over halfway through the store.  Talk about an adventure...), and my family headed back to dear old Tennessee, leaving Virginia and I to open a new chapter of our life.  It wasn't easy to say goodbye to my family (even though they may think otherwise sometimes), because they have been my closest friends since I graduated last May.  And now here we are, in our nation's capitol, hoping to change our little slice of the world in some way or another, not knowing anyone or having any friends waiting to meet us.  It's quite a change!

Yes, we are terrified.  But a new friend of mine told me that if you aren't terrified to begin with, you aren't doing it right.  So...let's just assume we're doing it right.

Currently I am emailing connections for possible job openings, looking online for job openings, writing to you, and compiling a list of places that we would like to see.  Our goal is to use the weekends to explore as much as possible - museums, restaurants, coffeeshops, pubs, whatever.  Speaking of which, if you have any suggestions for places let me know; I would be super interested.

So here I am, an Aspiring Native of Washington DC.  Any tips, hints, or suggestions are welcome.  I'll write to you again soon!

-J

Brand new things this week:
1) A police helicopter shining a search light in your bedroom window.
2) Moving to a new state.
3) Grocery lines half the length of the store.

P.S. lcllcvklixcjvpf;cx - Alley says he misses you.