Last week has gone by pretty fast. I've started my job and I really enjoy it. The people have been wonderful. Helen and Kelly took me out to lunch on my first day. I'm starting to learn more about the company and understand the different facets of the division. It was a little slow on Thursday and Friday, but hopefully once I get security clearance within the company, I will be able to do more things. Don't get this confused with governmental clearance--it's not that. Anyways, on Friday evening Daniel had to work late--well not really late but had a AIMS meeting and a happy hour thing. I came home from work and read a book. On Saturday, we had our Sams date and then came back home. I took a nap and then we left to go to the game in DC. We drove to the metro center and rode in. At Old Dominion we met up with several people and we finally caught up with one of Brian's old pals from 'Bama, Chris. It was great to talk with him and Daniel got to meet him as well. 

We asked Uncle Bill to come over for dinner on Sunday, except that we found out that Janet was in town too, so we had an early lunch today with them because Janet's flight was at 2 or 2:30. We went to 9:30 mass and then came home and got ready for lunch. I got up early this morning and put a roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions in the oven, and then we also had english peas and cornbread. For dessert we had vanilla ice cream with strawberries. It was good. After Uncle Bill and Janet left, we went to the library and returned some shoes that I had bought for Daniel that didn't fit. We tried to get them in a different size but they didn't have them. I dropped Daniel off at our apartment and went to Target. I had to find some kind of halloween shirt for work on Thursday. We are having a big Halloween party for the kids at work with games, crafts, movies, food, and trick or treating. Tonight we've just been doing a little laundry and getting things straightened up around here. This Friday, we have tickets to the Coldplay concert--someone Daniel's been wanting to see for a really long time now. We can't believe it's only a month until Uncle Bill's and Janet's wedding. We go to Ben and Celi's not this coming weekend, but the next and then they will come down here for Thanksgiving. We can't wait to see everyone! So, I guess that's it for now. We hope everyone has a great week!

Oh happy day! (Oh happy day!)

Today was a good day. I had my interview today at 11 and it went really well. At 1:10, I was walking out. I really enjoyed meeting the different people I would be working with and they told me straight up that there was another person they were interviewing. However, I guess I left a super great impression because by 4:00 after their other 2:00 interview, I had a call from the staffing agency saying that the company really wanted me to work with them and I accepted. I start Monday!! We are still working out some of the details, but the important thing is that I have a job and I'm really excited about it. I really feel comfortable with the people I will be working with and the atmosphere. It's a nationwide company so I could potentially move and still stay with them. The best part of it all is that I will be able to help my boss plan different events whether it's for the office or if it's for a bigger company event. So, Daniel and I went out to Carrabba's to celebrate. Well that's all for now. TTFN!

A little while longer...

It's been a while since we've wrote. Let me try to get you caught up. Last week Daniel got to go to 'bama to help with interviews and got to spend the weekend with his family. He also got to see Brian, Janie, and Sam. We sent Elizabeth's very much belated and Sam's birthday present with him. He said both of them seemed to really like their gifts. Sam enjoyed her batteries more so than the puzzles...yes, these puzzles require batteries and Elizabeth enjoyed doodling on her Doodle pad. Daniel took lots of pictures while home and I really liked seeing how much Elizabeth and Sam have changed. I couldn't believe it. While he was home in Alabama, I went to the library, checked out the mall, Tyson's corner, and rented a few movies. I saw Definitely, Maybe--it was quite good and I also really liked Jane Austen's Book Club. It's a little different and takes a little bit more time to get into it, but by the end of it, I really enjoyed it. I think it would help more or be a little bit more entertaining if you have read Austen's novels but you can still follow it and the point that it's trying to make. 

This past week, well nothing too exciting.  Except for Wednesday night/Thursday morning, Daniel woke up and began to get ready for work.  He did the usual wash his face, fix his hair and all.  Then, when he went to the closet to figure out what he was going to wear for the day, he realized that it was only 3:00 am.  Since he had already put gel in his hair, he got a washcloth, put it on his pillow and went back to sleep.  He says that he thinks he heard an alarm clock in his dreams. (At least that's what he says happened. I have no idea because I was actually asleep through it all. He typed all of the previous.) Oh and I got a call Friday afternoon while washing my car, for an interview on Tuesday. 

Friday we went to Sam's as per our usual. On Saturday we decided to be a little adventurous and head to Baltimore. We parked at the Baltimore airport and took the light rail the rest of the way in. I think we've decided that wasn't the best way in the long run. We walked around the Inner Harbor and Fell's Point. We found a pub called Kooper's Corner to have lunch at and then a little gelato shop afterwards. Fell's point was pretty neat with all the cobblestone streets and old style brick buildings. There were streets that were so picturesque, something you would see in a real estate magazine. Today, we went to Cox Farms with our friends Astu and Rishi. They have all these giant slides, animals, a fake corn maze, pumpkins, a hay ride, and some entertainment. We went on this really huge slide--it was really really fun. I was disappointed in the pumpkin selection but the apple cider that they make was fantastic. We got all the apple cider and apples we wanted for free. That was tasty.  I must say, they don't really know how a hay ride works and I was a little sadden by the shape that some of the animals were in. I haven't seen a cow that way unless they were sickly and same thing for the goats. It kinda made me sad.  Anyways, the afternoon was fun and something different to do. When we got home, Daniel cleaned the bathroom and I cleaned the kitchen and cooked dinner. I made spaghetti and it was quite tasty. I don't know what made it so different this time, but it was really good. (not to toot my own horn or anything but we both really liked it) Oh yeah, and somehow my big pyrex dish broke. It was in one of our cabinet drawers with plenty of room and everything, but it shattered. The only thing we can think is that enough heat from the oven caused it to shatter. It's not a drawer that we go into at all-- I mean the only thing in it was the pyrex dish, our serving pieces, and a few jar rings. I don't get why it broke. Oh well. A mystery that we'll never understand. Well I guess that's it. We'll try to get a few new pictures up soon. 

Don't spill the grits.

Last night I had the brilliant idea to spill the grits. I know what you're thinking. Why would spilling the grits be brilliant? Well let me just tell you of the many advantages of why to spill the grits. Despite the over-spilling in the microwave and the fact that the grits are boiling lava hot and can produce many speckled and splattered shaped burns on one's arms and legs, you can find much laughter, amazement, and joy in life. Those three things usually come after the shouts and tears from the much wanted pain that you will receive. Now, back to those three wonderful things that come after---the advantages. Please, to really enhance the advantages, use a plastic rubbermaid dish that becomes pliable when it warms for best results. Of course after asking if you're okay, the laughter comes after your husband comes out and looks at you with a rather confused look and then the two of you look around to see the damage. It's amazing how one serving of grits that falls to the floor, just 3ft down, can spread to the walls on the opposite side of the kitchen to the tune of as tall as 6ft and get in all the cracks and crevices of the cabinetry. But wait! Then it hits! BAM! The amazement. Can you feel it? You'll find, for the ultimate experience, to drop the grits about 2 ft from the end of the counter. That way when you go to the closet next to the end of the counter to get the mop and look towards your nice and clean living room which is behind, to the right of, and blocked by the 2 ft of counter, you'll have a nice surprise awaiting you on the carpet. Now, for the final advantage--joy. Ah, the joy you will feel after you clean for an hour to get all those tiny little grains up. They make such a nice coating on the floor and it's such a great feeling to know how soft the floor has become. You'll look around and be completely satisfied--no not exhausted--but satisfied to know your kitchen is sparkly clean. Then you'll feel like your day is complete.

Laugh of the day...

So, Daniel made a funny. Here's how it goes:

Me: I didn't see the gooses (yes, I say gooses) anywhere today.
Daniel: I'll be your gooses. Onk! Onk! Onk! Onk! Onk! (While he's making his goose noise, his hand is opening and closing like the goose's mouth.)

Okay- so if that doesn't make you laugh...well you need to use your imagination more! 'Cause it was funny for me. The "onking" came outta left field.

Well I've been working the temp job the last 2 days and it's going pretty well. It's the same stuff day in day out of just entering a large amount of data into an excel spreadsheet. Each entry has between 20-25 pieces of information to enter. I think I'm averaging about 25 entries and hour. Not great but, not bad. There's a lot of deciphering. Most of the information is foreign so there's a lot of figuring out the order of stuff especially when it comes to the addresses. I think it's taking longer then they expected and I think they thought there would be more of the information pre-entered. When I started they told me that I should find a lot of the names already on the computer...not the case. Anyways, it's money and it does feel good to be working. I've realized how much I've missed working.

I hope everyone is doing well. We miss everyone so much. We especially miss seeing our little nieces grow up -walking, crawling, talking, and all the fun things of growing up. I look at the pictures online and I can't believe how much each of them have changed! Three little cute girls! Talk to ya later!

Nothing creative today...

It's been a little bit since we last wrote, so we have some catching up to do. Daniel's been in a testing phase so he's had a few later nights and earlier mornings, but not as bad as before. He's only had to stay a little later a few times. The metro has been having some repair work done and this morning it took him 2.5 hours to get to work. As for me, I've signed up with a staffing agency and they are helping me to look for a job. In the meantime though, they call me when a company needs some part-time or last minute help and I get to work even though I don't have an official job. I interviewed/screened and took all the computer tests on Thursday with them. I had a interview with Wachovia on Friday and I think it went pretty well. Hopefully, I will hear from them soon. The staffing agency found a place for me to work for a few days and that starts tomorrow. It'll be some data entry from what I know, but maybe it could turn into something else. At least I'm making a little money.

This weekend was nice. We had our weekly date night to Sam's on Friday. We like to "eat out" and walk around the store. Kinda sad, but we have fun and that's all that matters. On Saturday, since the game was at 12:30 our time, we went to DC to the alumni spot. It was pretty fun and we really enjoyed the atmosphere and hanging out with all the Alabama fans. It felt like we were kinda home and watching the game with our closest friends. Daniel knew a guy there that was one of the project managers while he was still in school and so we sat with him. I recognized a few people, but that was about it. I'm not sure if we will go this weekend since it's on national tv. I think this time around, we might try to drive to DC instead of taking the metro. It might be faster and then we wouldn't have to walk the streets late at night. That's why we waited until an early game before we went to DC. Sunday, we went to church and then Daniel was a good sport. He went to the mall with me while I looked around at shoes and clothes. We also checked out Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Linens and Things. Our LNT is closing so they have a decent sale going on we had a gift card to use up. We were able to get a nice, big, wooden rolling pin, tongs, and a wine opener. We also visited Target and enjoyed looking through all the Halloween, Fall, and beginning Christmas stuff. I found a delightful, fall table runner and finally, I mean FINALLY, some Kraft caramels. I've been looking for some of those since we've moved here. I was getting somewhat desparate and was either going to have Mom mail me some or get Daniel to bring some back after his visit to Tuscaloosa to conduct interviews for Accenture. (He'll fly down on Oct 2nd and he'll come back on the 5th.)

The weather has been absolutely beautiful here. It's been in the 70's since the beginning of last week. I've had the windows open since then with the air off. Janet will be in town this weekend and I know that we will be doing something with her and Uncle Bill. There's a new restaurant opening in the town center and I think Uncle Bill knows the owner so we will probably check it out Friday night. Well, I guess that's all I got for now. Have a good one!

More new pictures!!!!

We've added some new pictures of the geese that we have been talking about for a while now. We finally got the camera out on a day when the geese were in the pond next to our apartment. Hope you enjoy!

We had a nice, relaxing weekend. We had dinner with a friend from work and her husband on Friday night here, in Reston. We got up on Saturday and went to Sam's to get a few grocery items that we were out of and then came back to watch some football. To our surprise, one of the sports bars in the town center (Americn Tap Room) had the Alabama game available! So, we went there Saturday night to enjoy another Alabama victory. Hopefully, they can get another win next week at Arkansas! Sunday morning, we went to church and then to Barnes & Noble. We then came back to the apartment to do a lot of laundry and made hamburgers for dinner. Not quite ready to return to the workweek, but I guess it has to come around at some point, oh well. Hope everyone is doing well and we look forward to talking with everyone soon!