Prepped Up!

My school is famous again!

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How can you watch that and not want to be in education??  I love my school.

The New Day.

Yikes!  I let a whole week go by without posting about Inauguration Weekend.  To be honest, that whole weekend was busy and I filed way more than I could handle in my "to blog later" pile.  So now, I'll try to briefly recap using what I remember.

On Sunday, we headed down to the Mall for the Opening Concerts.  Jamie was fortunate enough to secure some tickets which allowed us to completely jump the line.  You know, the line that stretched for a long, long while down Constitution Avenue.  While we didn't have the fancy pants tickets that got us into the seated section, we did have front row "seats" (a.k.a. standing room).  I do admit that I felt  pretty guilty spread out on my sectioned-off portion of The Mall, when across the reflecting pool there were people hanging off of trees for lack of space.  

The concert was pretty great -- lots of interesting readings and big celebrities -- and the walk home was a good way to thaw my toes again.  On Monday, we went to a Obamabash sponsored by Jamie's group.  They had some pretty good musical acts and really tasty finger foods.  I also finally got to meet all of the people that Jamie had been working with for so long in his group.  

Then, of course, we had the Inauguration.  For a long time, I had been planning to avoid the crowds, and just watch the event from the warmth and comfort of my living room.  I feebly resisted...and by Friday I already knew I was going.  I was NOT, however, going to wake up at 4am to get there.  Instead, we decided on a much more reasonable time of 7:30am and aimed to meet some friends of ours on the way over at 8am.  We knew that we would probably not get the best view, but figured we could position ourselves near a Jumbotron and see well enough.

We met up with Trevor -- Jamie's friend from college -- who was wearing his "Minnesota" outfit.  I guess while he was braving the cold there, he regularly wore this particular jacket over a t-shirt.  What I don't think he took into account was that in college you only have to face the freezing cold air for short bursts of time, whereas this event would require at least 5 hours of freezing cold air.  Suffice to say he was cold.  But I think he was excited enough for the Inauguration that he didn't mind too much.

We followed the signs as best we could...mostly following the crowds and ended up with an incredible space despite our late departure.  We were super close to the first Jumbotron and could still also see the Capitol.  The crowd was incredible.  Normally, my claustrophobic self (yes, even outdoors) would not last long -- but my fears of a stampede quickly vanished when I stood in the crowd and realized nothing could dampen this crowd's spirits that day.  Everyone was just so happy and so friendly.  Even when the almost 2 million people were trying to funnel out of the Mall, everyone was friendly and apologetic for pushing.  It really was great.

But the best part (aside from Obama being sworn in) was watching Bush get into the helicopter and fly right over us.  The crowd around me waved and sang goodbye...

It's probably more interesting with the video.  I haven't gotten around to uploading all of the video we took...it'll be up soon -- er, at least some of it will.  We walked home once again from The Mall -- this time through some pretty crazy crowds -- and by the time we got there we were frozen and starving.  We had some of our friends over and all looked back fondly at our morning.  

That night, Jamie and I had the Youth Ball.  I will not delve into the mishap with my dress...but let's just say there was panic and we got out much later than intended.  We waited in line to get in...a line which was around the block...and not at all fun to stand in when it is below twenty, and you're wearing a short dress...and strappy sandals.  We knew not to expect much: we figured we'd be on our feet all night with no place to sit, we ate a big lunch because we figured there wouldn't be food, and we planned to hold our coats as the coat check would be a nightmare.  Really, the only thing that motivated me to go and brave the cold in the strappy shoes was the idea of seeing President Obama up close and watching him dance.  Never mind the musical acts...not a big fan of Fall Out Boy, Kid Rock, or Kanye West.

I am not kidding when I say that Jamie and I were the last ones locked out of the ballroom.  The only person between us and that freaking ballroom was a Secret Service guy.  AND, he was not at all what I expected him to be.  I was expecting stoic, threatening, and not unlike those guys with the fuzzy hats in England.  This guy was talkative and friendly.  Friendly, except he was NOT letting us in.  Boo.

Jamie and I eventually did get in, but long after President Obama left.  Still it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Although it did feel like prom like many told me it would.

Probably the best Inauguration-related thing that happened was actually today at work.  I was observing a teacher with a Pre-Kindergarten class.  As part of their Morning Meeting they were talking about big events that happened in January (as the month comes to a close).  The teacher pointed to a picture of Obama and asked who the gentleman was and all of the children started raising their hands enthusiastically.  FOUR YEAR OLDS...tripping over themselves to talk about our President.  I heard facts about our President excitedly burst out of their mouths: "44th President!", "dad's from Kenya!", "his wife is Michelle!", "he works with everybody!"

Later, when I was talking to one of these FOUR YEAR OLDS I mentioned "President Obama" and he quickly corrected me in his little voice: "President Barack HUSSEIN Obama" with special emphasis on that middle name.  So funny.

I love that these children are excited about their new President because it means that their moms, dads, uncles, aunts, grandmas, grandpas, foster parents, brothers, sisters, neighbors, etc. are excited about their new President.  It truly is an incredible time to be working with children because even the four year olds know they are living through a historic time...

I am sorry for the shoddy writing in this post.  There was a lot to cover and it is below 50 in this particular room of our house and I'm trying to get out of here before I freeze.  Like, I'm thinking, it's in the low 40s.  Stupid windows.

We Are There.

Remember that time when I found my car on Google Maps twice? Well, I found me! Take a look.


See that little itty-bitty yellow circle? That's where I was! This picture is from an hour plus before the actual Inauguration...so it actually filled up even more from there...craziness...(Thanks Abby for sending me the picture!)

More on the Inauguration Weekend soon.

Continuation of Nerd.

Well, we've already establish that I'm old and a nerd. What's that you say? You don't believe me when I say I'm a nerd? (sarcasm). What if I tell you that I laughed -- a lot -- when I watched this.

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Whippersnappers.

D.C. is buzzing with excitement these days. Yay! The bleachers are up along the parade route! Look! There's our future President at our local chili place! People are still chanting on the Metro and our students are still excited about politics. It's all very exciting.

So, Jamie managed to get us tickets to a bunch of events going on around town. Upon realizing that an Inaugural Ball is called a "Ball" for a reason, I scrambled today to find a gown...and shoes...and all that good stuff. Ick...I hate shopping for dresses.

This whole process has also helped me learned how old and lame (note: I do not mean to imply that being old also means being lame -- I am just both of those things) I am now. One of the other events we are going to has a pretty interesting line-up of performers and speakers including: Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Usher Raymond IV, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am, and Stevie Wonder. Among those reading historical passages will be Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington.

Of those, I am excited about the decidedly old-school performers. Yes, I am more excited about James Taylor than I am about Beyonce. No, I don't really know who will.i.am is and I really like that "For Once In My Life" song by Stevie Wonder. Man, I'm uncool and OLD.

Plus, Beyonce is performing at the ball we are going to also...that's twice the Beyonce I've ever had in my life within two days. Too much booty-shaking if you ask me.

West Side Story on the East Side.

Jamie has been working like a dog lately. He only had 1.5 days off for the holidays, and ended up going to the office while we were in San Francisco visiting the family. He's been working non-stop since then, not even taking a break for New Year's Eve or the weekends. Poor guy.

Actually, that's not entirely true: he did leave the office "early" yesterday -- a SATURDAY NIGHT -- to take me to see the new Westside Story. He had purchased tickets as a Christmas gift and it provided him with his only break since Christmas Day. Not that I'm complaining (maybe just a little), but I just miss my husband.

Anyway, the show was great! It was interesting because they made it more "authentic" by having scenes and dialogue in Spanish. When the Sharks were talking amongst themselves they spoke and sang in Spanish. The cast was great and I was super happy to see that Cody from my guilty pleasure reality show Step It Up and Dance was playing Riff. It was pretty great to see him dancing in real life -- he's really good -- a nice to know that he could sing as well. Good for Cody! Oh and hey, that was him in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"!

By the way, if you actually want to see Benjamin Button, don't watch the trailer from that website as it shows the entire film. I exaggerate, but not all that much.

Disclaimer.

I'll begin this post with the warning that you may not find this video all that interesting if you are A) not related to me or B) not obsessed with babies/cuteness. That being said, I spent too much time on this not to post it on my blog. Also, I still feel like gloating about how adorable my nieces are. But again, I warn you that this video is long (about 8 minutes) and is probably only interesting to those meeting the aforementioned requirements.

I know it's a low-quality video, but I will upload a larger version soon. If it's not abundantly clear, I absolutely love these babies. I am glad I managed to finish the videos before I started work again (tomorrow)...there wouldn't have been a chance otherwise.

It will be back to regular posting content tomorrow!

Premiere.

Here is my first attempt at editing film using my Flip. I went against Jamie's advice and decided to make many smaller movies using the video from our trip rather than one big one. At the very least, it would be easier to upload...Enjoy!

Belated Holiday Wishes...

Just got back from my trip out West to see the family. I'm just going to cut to the chase and give you what you want.





Aside from how adorable they are, the thing that struck me most was how quickly they are growing up. Last time I saw them they were 10 days old and not all that unlike blobs. Granted, they were cute then too, but they did little else than sleep and eat. And poop!

This time, they were (much) larger blobs that cooed and attempted to roll and showed their personalities. And poop in larger quantities. I just left yesterday, but I'm already itching to get back so that I can watch them grow some more...

Christmas with the family was pretty great. Jamie and I flew to California on the 24th. Poor Jamie had to work on the 26th and on -- but we still enjoyed ourselves. He managed to pull a couple of strings and get permission to work out of the San Francisco office so that he could at least spend a part of the evenings with us.

I hope that all of your holidays were exciting and relaxing. I will be posting again soon with my first attempt at a video! In case I don't make it back today, I hope everyone has a Happy New Year and enjoys the extra second of 2008!

and Many More to Come...

When we got married, Jamie and I (okay, just Jamie) decided that we would no longer celebrate the anniversary of our first date.  After all, we had a new, more significant date to celebrate.  Instead, we would simply commemorate it with an extra hug and smile and maybe a nice dinner.  While I was a little saddened at the prospect of "losing" the 8 years we had been together before getting married, it did make sense.

BUT, despite all that, today we did celebrate our "date-iversary".  Granted, our actual date-iversary isn't until tomorrow, but Jamie is super busy with work these days, and this would be our only opportunity to get out to a fancy meal.  We decided to celebrate this one because it is the TENTH anniversary of our first date!  10 years!  

I think that's pretty special.

So we went to a nice dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in the District.  Even though it wasn't Chinese food like on our first date, we figured it was a good choice since it was an "asian fusion" restaurant.  Yum!  

I would also like it noted that I abided by the rules laid down by Jamie and did not purchase any date-iversary gifts.  He did not.  However, he is forgiven because he got me really purty jewelry.

More posts soon! 

The One Where I Steal from Other People's Blogs.

I fell off the blog-posting wagon!  Sad.  Well...I will update briefly now.  I say briefly because I need to put together a presentation for tomorrow and I haven't started...at all.

First, the obligatory picture of my nieces as they rounded the jolly age of two months.

So funny.

Next, a video that our lovable best man (a.k.a. my brother-in-law) posted on his own blog about his venture into comedy.  Actually, it's just a little song he performed with his friend at a Thanksgiving celebration in Italy (?) with his graduate program.  Although his Bret imitation leaves something to be desired (there can only be one), it sounded as though the ladies in the crowd disagree with me.

I miss the guy.  He needs to return from Italy yesterday.  Also, there would appear to be a lot of woo-girls in Italy.

And finally, some pugs for no apparent reason.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Hello to everyone from California!  Jamie and I made the trip yesterday and arrived in Los Angeles last night.  It's nice to be back and to see how some things are the same and some different.  For the most part, the same.  

I'll try to post pictures from our Thanksgiving hijinks.  In the meantime, I want everyone to have a wonderful day being with family and giving thanks.

Transformation.

Here's a documentary about the construction of our newest campus (which opened this fall).  Hooray for DC Prep!  To clear up what I know will be confusing, DC Prep currently shares the building with another school called  NIA.  (Our kids are cuter).  We have our own sides and we share a cafeteria.  

Right now, I'm sharing my time between two DC Prep campuses; I am primarily at the Edgewood Campus, but spend my Tuesdays at Benning.  It's amazing how quickly they were able to transform the building and the environment.

Watch Benning school construction in How to Videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

No, I don't expect you to watch the whole thing, but it's pretty cool to see how the building started out (around 3:30 to about 4:00) and see how it ended up around 10:14.

Apply now!

Amigos.

I can't decide if this is kind of funny or extremely disturbing.  Help deciding?

Please don't call PETA.

And, if you find that horribly offensive, I'm sorry.  Here is something that is definitively funny.

Okay.  Maybe just to me.

Awesome in a Stalker Sort of Way.

Today I discovered that Google Maps has finally gotten around to "Street-View" mapping Washington D.C.  While I am street-savvy enough not to post my home address on this blog, I encourage those of you who know me well enough to actually have my address, to Street View it.  If you look closely, you can find my cat in one of the windows.

Bonus points if you can find my car.  I'll give you a hint: you'll have to look around the block.

I was also excited to find that I could find my car in more than one location on Google Maps -- the other being at my school.  Sadly, the picture must have been taken on a Saturday or over the summer when I was one of a few people at school and therefore my car was quite easy to find.  

I kind of want to see if I can find my car in even more places...Fun pasttime for all.

If you have 15 minutes to kill...

This link will probably only appeal to a small handful of the people who actually read this blog.  Specifically, the blog reader of the brother-in-law variety as it has to do with Star Wars.  I just enjoyed it thoroughly...because I'm a huge nerd.

You'll have to sit through a commercial or two...but there are moments that are very much worth it.  And, if you have less than 15 minutes to kill, I'd skip the first few minutes...

Half-Decade.

Today marks the fifth birthday of this blog!  Guys, I have a Kindergartner!

It seems kind of crazy to think that I have been "consistently" writing in this blog for that many years.  So, of course, I spent a little time today looking back through my blog and searching for those key things that happened in the lifetime of this blog: graduating from Williams, getting in to TFA, two presidential elections, adopting two cats, buying our first house, getting engaged -- then married, becoming an aunt (!) and so on and so forth.

What I ultimately found was that the more interesting things most of the time were the things that reflected the times.  I also found it amusing to look at this post from Election 2004 in which I sort of complained about how much time Jamie spent volunteering for the campaign.  Present-Melissa wants Past-Melissa to know that she doesn't know the half of it.

Anyway, to commemorate the fifth birthday of this blog, I would like to revisit an old post from January of 2004 and see how successfully (if at all) I was able to beat mediocrity.

I was looking at the "2003 Bloggie" nominees, and I have decided that my blog will never be the stuff of greatness -- it is forever doomed to be mediocre. From what I saw, here are the ingredients for a great blog: 

1. Be married or engaged. This way, you always have something to talk about. You can talk about how your husband farts in his sleep or how he said something uncharacteristically chauvanistic or whatever. If you're engaged you can always talk about the planning of the wedding (which will almost always be wacky and unpredictable). 

1. Done and done.  Despite the fact that Jamie does not fart in his sleep (fortunately), he still provides plenty of fodder for the blog -- unfortunately for him.

2. Be unemployed or have a job with so little responsibility that you can spend hours looking for random news and weird stories on the internet (See #3). 

2. Sort of.  I have a job now.  Boy howdy, do I ever.  That still does not stop me from spending ample time on the internet looking for random news and weird stories.

3. Find and link to random news and weird stories on the internet. 

3. Yep.  I think I do this.  I think I do this a lot.  Dare I say, too much?

4. Have a dog that you treat like a child. A spoiled, rotten child. (This is not to be confused with actually having a child: that makes you not have time for #3 and otherwise boring since you would rather sleep than upkeep a stupid blog. There are exceptions -- see #5). 

4. I think two spoiled rotten cats count.  I also have Puppy Cam!

5. Be pregnant. This makes you wacky and unpredictable and brings hours of fun as you complain about those people who touch your belly or make stupid comments to your pregnant ass. Also, if you're employed you will probably take some maternity leave to relax at home, put your feet up...andsurfthenetandupdateyourblog (see #2 and 3). 

5. NOPE.

6. Take pictures and put them on your blog. 

6. Can do!  I just need fun places to photograph.

7. Be willing to candidly talk about your bowel movements and other such taboo items. 

7. Up to a point, people.  Mostly because I am cognizant that people who read this blog probably wouldn't want to hear about such things.  Besides, the bowel movements of our preschoolers would probably be more amusing anyway...

So it seems as though, five years after starting this blog, I am doing alright.  Here's to five more years of exciting milestones and those not-as-exciting snapshots in time. 

I encourage you to randomly pick a day from the sidebar and read -- I had a good time doing it.  And had I not, I would not have remembered that J-Bomb had accurately predicted the outcome of this year's election almost two years ago.  Though, I don't know if Traffic Light Boy is any closer to Secretary of Transportation...

Lest We Forget.

There are other things going on in my life besides Cody. 

For instance:

How precious is my niece, Leah????

And, oh my goodness, Riley!

Another, non-Cody post coming soon!

Welcome Back Cody.

So!  Cody came home!  Even better, Cody came home after narrowly escaping surgery!

After spending just shy of a week in the hospital, Cody's doctor recommended that he get a "P.U." (perineal urethrostomy) which basically means they remove what's left of his manhood because his urethra kept on getting blocked by crystals or build up in his urine.  Fortunately for him, his last night in the hospital he was able to pee on his own!

For the next 18 hours the hospital staff was on bladder-watch and I called regularly for updates.  Jamie dropped him off at the clinic where we had scheduled his surgery, but gave them the instructions to continue monitoring him and hold off on the surgery until the last moment when we would make a last minute call.  Ultimately, we opted not to go through with it...and brought him home last night.

He's been doing well!  See?

Aside for the stylish bald spots on his leg where they put in the IVs, he looks like his old self.  He's is the same, big, teddy bear but just needs to make more frequent trips to the litter box.

Unfortunately, Junior is behaving predictably.

Part of me loves Cody's response.  Complete and total apathy with maybe a little confusion.  I am hopeful that they'll return to their regular loving relationship soon.

Junior and Cody a mere two weeks ago.

All Cody. All the Time.

I'm sorry for the single-trackedness of this blog as of late -- but really, I've just been really concerned about this guy lately.

This is the picture I took on my flimsy little camera phone this afternoon when I was visiting the big guy at the hospital.  He looked much better than the last time I visited him when he was on Valium.  In fact, despite what the picture may convey, he was actually more lively than I had anticipated.  He kept trying to walk around -- but slipping because of the makeshift cast he has on one of his paws for the IV -- and making crazy Marge Simpson noises instead of meowing.  Later, the nurse informed me that he was "doped up".

After plenty of quality time with him and several Cody headbutts, the nurse kicked me out as it was time more medications.  He's got another night in the hospital -- they took out his catheter for the second time this evening -- and will be monitoring him all night.  Best case scenario, he'll be ready to pick up tomorrow morning.  If not, he'll be having surgery and spending a lot more time in the hospital.

Cross your fingers.  And hopefully, I'll have something different to talk about soon.