White vs. Off-white

Since Ben and I are still technically newlyweds I still get a kick out of the differences between men and women. I knew men were different but until I got married I had no idea how different. This week brought up a funny example.

When Ben and I got married I bought an off-white cardigan to wear to our open house and wedding breakfast. After I discovered how much I loved it, I kicked myself for not having bought a white one as well. I returned to Nordstrom to discover they were all sold out and for months I looked for a plain white cardigan to no avail.

Then finally right before my birthday I found them on the web but the price was higher and when I showed Ben, he asked, "Isn't the sweater you already have white?" I tried to explain that off-white and white are different and go with different outfits, etc., but that's difficult to explain to a man who still wears the same shoes he wore in high school :) Anyway, in the course of the conversation I felt silly for wanting another and very similar cardigan and so I let the opportunity go for the second time.

But then this week I went to the mall here in Pentagon City and I found... the same white cardigan I've been looking for. Woo hoo! And I bought it without any regrets. When I came home I made sure it was a different color than the one I already have, then showed Ben when he got home. He's such a good husband; he just laughed and didn't comment.

Can you see a difference?

But now that I look at the picture, maybe Ben (the man) was right all along. Except that I'm already imagining great spring outfits that will go perfect with the white cardigan, which would never have worked with the off-white one. :)

Newseum / Waiting for Superman

One of the best kept secrets in DC is the Newseum- a 7 story building on Pennsylvania Avenue dedicated to the history of news and journalism. We went for free with Ben's class on Friday (it's $22 per adult regularly), then returned Saturday since we had so much more we wanted to see. The exhibits are so well thought out and displayed. Many historical events are told from the eyes of journalists: 9/11, Katrina, the fall of the Berlin Wall, etc. They even had a gallery dedicated to Pulitzer
winning photographs.


We also got to see one of the antennas from the top of one of the twin towers, as well as large sections of the Berlin Wall. Anyway, it's definitely a must-see if you have $22 laying around and are going to be in DC. And if your husband is a broadcast journalism major. Then it's a "can't miss" :)


On a side note which has nothing to do with the Newseum, Ben and I watched a great documentary this weekend called "Waiting for Superman". It's about the state of public education in our country and very worthwhile. We just rented it off iTunes, although it may be available through Redbox. So if you're looking for a good movie that will make you think, we highly recommend this one.

Living in the Barlow Center = Prep for parenting

I believe living in the Barlow Center has been part of Ben and my preparation for parenting. I know I've already mentioned the 18 guys who live on our floor, the perpetually messy kitchen, and the lack of privacy due to our room being right by the common room. Sounds like being a parent, right? But what all you parents out there are saying is, "You still have to get woken up in the middle of the night. Then you'll have a taste of parenting!" Well I'm here to tell you, if that's what it takes to know parenting, I'm ready to be the mother to 18 boys.

That's right, Ben and I have had our fair share of wake-ups while living here. Just a few weeks ago, we both were awakened at 4:30 am to loud laughing and talking in the common room. I thought "Who in the world is awake? Tomorrow they have class!" I couldn't fall back asleep so I threw on some clothes and kindly asked the 2 guys who were typing a paper due the next day to "keep it down". They felt really bad, and both apologized the next day. And I felt bad I'd made them feel bad, but come on... did I sign up for this?

Then a few weeks later I was exhausted after working a 12 hour shift until 7pm. It took me an hour on public transport to get home, and after talking with Ben for a bit I fell promptly asleep. I had to be up at 5am again for another 12 hour shift, but my wonderful dreams were interrupted about 2:30am when I heard a knock on our door. I wanted to ignore it but it came again. So I threw on some clothes and opened the door to find one of the guys telling me (I am not making this up) that he had a temperature of 110 degrees and he didn't know what to do. I explained that it is impossible to live with a temperature of 110 degrees, and he later mentioned the second temperature he took was 99.8. Gees. Anyway, I gave him Tylenol and Motrin and went back to bed. I thought he'd thank me for saving his life, however the next day he informed me that the medicine wasn't working and he was going to the doctor. Good thing I was around...

And last but not least, this past Saturday Ben and I didn't feel well and decided to go to bed early. At about 11pm Ben was sawing logs but I was still trying to fall asleep. Then a knock came. I refused to answer it. The knocker gave up after one attempt but persisted elsewhere. Ben's phone soon after vibrated with a text, which Ben read to me the next day. It was from the same 110 fever kid and read (once again, I am not making this up) "Is Athena awake? Janie has something poking out of her neck." I was flabbergasted, but ignored the issue completely and guess what, everyone lived.

So if nothing else, thank you for letting me rant about the difficulties of raising eighteen 20-something boys. I'm sure all you parents can empathize. And if you have any tips about how to control the aforementioned behaviors, I'd love to hear them. I'll be sure to include them in the parenting book I'm writing about my experiences here.

The Pentagon

Last Friday Ben and I got to take a brief tour of the Pentagon with his class. I liked it, but it was very different than I expected. I was so surprised to see that's it's like a city; it has it's own restaurants and food courts, dry cleaners, post office, barber shop, even a flower shop. We had a good time on the tour though and enjoyed getting to go inside such a high security place.

Practicing our political face

Outside the Pentagon at the 9/11 memorial (there is also a memorial inside).
Each bench represents a person who was killed during the attacks.

Mount Vernon

For President's Day this year, Ben and I thought it would be fun to go to Mount Vernon, George Washington's home. It's about 20 miles south of DC on the shore of the Potomac River. Since it was President's Day it was free (it's usually a $15 charge per person) but it was also PACKED with people. On a busy summer day they have about 6,000 visitors but on Monday they had 15,000. But we just braved the crowds and slight rain and had a great time. We got to see George and Martha's graves, a museum of family artifacts (including Washington's dentures), and a working plantation with animals. They even had a surprise birthday party in the afternoon and did a show with actors. It was really fun and I think we'll go back again when it isn't so crowded.

Ben and I with George and Martha

The memorable moment of the trip was our taxi ride to the plantation. One of the BYU students asked, "Now whose faces are on Mt. Vernon again?" I don't think we stopped laughing all day. She was so disappointed to find out we were just going to see an old house.

It has a beautiful view of the river

The front of the home

Dinner with Krissy

My cousin Krissy is about 17 years older than me, but has become a fast friend since we came to DC. She picked us up from the airport the day we arrived (without being asked) and since then has been so accommodating to help orient us to the city. It's been great to catch up since I hadn't seen her for 15 years before coming here. When she was in college I was still in diapers, yet I've found that being family connects you no matter what age you are.

Krissy has lived in the DC area for more than 20 years, so she's a resident expert. She came to DC for law school, then met a great guy and settled in the area. Last night she invited us to dinner so we could see her home and meet her 3 adorable kids. We ate delicious Afghan food, then sat and chatted about everything from parenting to politics. It was so refreshing to be in a HOME again and be around kids. I think I prefer the noise of little kids to college kids. Remind me I said that in a few years :)

It's so fun to be around a 6 year old and 4 year old twins! What a great family.

Lucy, Krissy and Me. Can you tell our fathers are brothers? I don't know how obvious it is in the picture. What do you think?

Famous (& obscure) things to do in DC

When we first arrived in DC, there was a list in our dorm lobby of "Obvious and Not So Obvious DC Attractions". The list includes everything from the White House to Georgetown M street, from the famous to the less notable. Since then we've been checking attractions off and have been having a great time seeing so much of the city. Below are some of the things you too can do if you ever chance to visit or live in DC.

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

I think we would vote this our favorite building so far. It's so ornately painted and decorated and the sun hits the windows so beautifully in the afternoon. Last week we even took a nap on one of the benches and watched the sun begin to set out the windows. It was breathtaking.

THE CAPITOL BUILDING

We took a tour of the capitol on Friday. It's also an incredible building; a definite must-see.


THE NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS

The gardens are less famous than other attractions on the National Mall, but no less beautiful. One Saturday we took our lunch and ate in the jungle area.

THE BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING






This is where they print money. Visiting and watching the process helps hit home the realization that it is just paper. Ben was nice enough to let me buy a bag of shredded money. I don't know why, but I thought it was such a novelty. Everyone made fun of me, but I knew they were all jealous of my souvenir.






THE THOMAS JEFFERSON MEMORIAL


THE ALBERT EINSTEIN MONUMENT

This is a pretty cool statue, although I wouldn't go out of the way to see it. We went at night. Maybe that's why this picture looks creepy.


THE NATIONAL ZOO

Yesterday we had a great time seeing the famous pandas and lion cubs at the National Zoo. It was so fun, and free!