february is over!

Seriously February flew by! I don't know how it is the end of the month already! The last two weeks have been busy busy busy! I went home for a long weekend for Presidents' Day and enjoyed seeing my twin on Friday night - I stopped by her & Andy's house and caught up with them, as the last time I saw them was their wedding in August! Then I enjoyed my weekend at home seeing my family and just enjoying Jersey! There is just something about it! My sister and I saw Safe Harbor - gotta love a Nicholas Sparks movie! And then my gramma was over for dinner. Monday I headed back to Jersey kinda early as I was leaving Tuesday morning to head to Indy and I needed to do laundry and re-pack!

nothing like cliff's ice cream - even when it is 15 degrees outside!

So Tuesday was my first State travel of the spring! It was weird flying since I haven't been on a plane since July! I was flying almost every week from February to July last year and then nothing for 6+ months! But I was off to Indianapolis and looking forward to it. I'd been to Indiana two years ago for work - and loved it! So I flew in Tuesday and went out with my coworker and her friend and watched the end of the Indiana-MSU game and it was fun being in a bar in Indiana watching the #1 team play in a very close game! Wednesday we headed out on an adventure downtown - I wanted to explore the State Capital which you know I love!

woooo for another capital!

So after walking around downtown we headed to this great burger place and then headed back to the hotel to get things set up. It was a good conference - overall. A few hiccups but nothing crazy and it was fun. MJ was working this weekend too so it was nice to have her around! I survived my first session as a State PC - so yay for that! I'm off to Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday for round two!

The fun was Sunday night - I met Amy's parents for dinner and had a great time with them! I haven't seen them in a little over a year so it was nice to catch up! I can't wait to see them in May in Charleston for Amy's graduation! And Sunday night was glorious to lounge around in my lovely hotel room and king size bed and just relax and catch up on tv I've missed! Monday morning I flew back to DC and I've enjoyed my week in the office getting ready for the next few sessions! Especially that I'm gone the month of March for work! Wooo - Columbus, Westchester, Albany and Orlando! Especially Orlando! I'm heading there early (sadly the flights for Austin didn't work out) but I going to go to a National Park site and the beach since I get there early! 

And in other news... there is a new boy in my life. I've been seeing him since mid-January and he is pretty awesome. I went on a really interesting string of first dates from December-January and this one was a pleasant surprise! Since the first date I've seen him about twice a week and it has been hard with my crazy schedule but he has one that is just as crazy as mine. So in a way it is kinda good as he understand when I'm like yeaaa - so I'm home for 4 days in March. So the details - he is 30, from Texas and works in government (as does everyone in this area), was in the Navy and enjoys backpacking & camping/the outdoors and I really enjoy spending time with him! 

So how was the end of your February?

so far

so it is january 9th - a great time to write about new year's eve right?

becca and i new years 2003!

so back at thanksgiving becca, suz and i talked about doing new year's eve together and when making plans it made us laugh because we were seniors in high school ten years ago and rang in 2003 at suz's aunt's while we babysat her cousins - (where if i remember correctly were asleep when we came over). but i remember laughing at the fact that it was now 2003 and we really felt like seniors! my photo albums from hs are at my parents house but i have this one scanned of becca and i. i wish i had a copy of the 3 of us in hs here in virginia! but so it just made me happy that ten years later i still talk to two of my hs (and for suz elementary school) friends. while in the last 13 or 21 years we've had times when we were closer than others, i love that i've had great friendships with friends who've seen me over some of the awkward years! 

so when we made plans for nye - we said keep it low key, go to suz's - she lives on the upper east side. dinner in the city and drink some champagne at mid night at suz's. well - this photo should sum up the evening. and it was only taken at 9pm - heading to dinner.  i was holding the elevator! so when we got to suz's around 6 we cracked open the champagne and drank 3 bottles by the time we left for dinner.  and it was just a funny night! we went to dinner at this awesome mexican place with delish guac and margs! and then we threw out the plan of going home and ened up at a southern themed bar where i had drinks in a mason jar. and immediately had drinks bought for us by 2 guys. so it ended up being a hilarious evening - i did make out with one of them at midnight - classy i know! and we ended up staying out until 2am and let's just say i had a horrible first with how hungover i was. champagne & tequila don't mix! but it was awesome to ring in 2013 with 2 great friends! 

me, becca & suz! 

so i did manage to squeeze in one last national park! on the way to suz's we stopped at federal hall in downtown nyc. it was the site of george washington's inauguration! i need to plan a trip there as there are 11 NPS sites in NYC. 

                       
the statue of george on the spot where he gave his inaugural address! and wooo NPS #61! yes - i know, i'm a really big dork! who else crams in her last national park site of the year on new year's eve? and was sad most of the NYC ones are closed monday/tuesday so i couldn't do more then!

so i've been super crazy with work this week and it is only getting worse! the earliest i've left the office has been 6 and i was there until 7 today. so many things to do before the staff arrive on tuesday and the student arrive next saturday. and then after this one ends we have 7 work days before our state training and then i begin my 6 of 9 weeks traveling! but i am looking forward to it, just keeping my fingers crossed for good weather and nothing too crazy! i'm still really curious to know what 2000 high school students look like! hell i just realized that is way bigger than my college! wac only had 1300 undergrad! how crazy is that!

so not up to much besides work - went on a bad date last week, had the weekly mj & patricia fun and caught up on life and went to the movies. sunday i got to see jerz! yay for quick friends catch ups, and monday night watched the first half of the notre dame/bama game with some friends. i don't have any weekend plans - keeping it quiet before the crazy, but the weather is supposed to be gorgeous so i'm hoping to get outside and possibly get a national park in!

and i'll end with his gem - figured it was fitting with a 1993. 2003 & 2013 photo!

figured i might show a picture from 1993 as well!

2012 in review

2012 was a very interesting year for me. More uncertainty than I'd ever had - and while that was stressful I had a great year and never expected I'd end up where I am right now. 2012 started out slow but got super crazy by the summer with all my traveling and then moving to Virginia at the end of August! So total I went to 18 states - with 2 of them new Colorado & Wyoming! 

So here is the month by month recap:

January: A quiet month with a lot of physical therapy, I decided to work State again and training in DC where I got to see my DC friends! 

dc fun

February: Still lots of physical therapy and issues with knee braces. Superbowl fun with Meg & Suz, lots of NJ ZTA time!, substitute taught in NJ for most of the month , Boston conference, my last great grandmother died at 98 and trying to enjoy the month in jersey! 

superbowl fun

March: Still lots of subbing! Going to Chicago for a conference and having a wonderful time there -  lus it was 80 in March! After my conference in Princeton I was given the ok to go back to Charleston! Woooo! Finally! It was so nice to get to go back home to Charleston!

Chicago!

April: Back in Charleston! Woooooooooo! April was a busy month with being back in Charleston and taking advantage of everything there. I also subbed a lot and also had conferences in Atlanta & Irvine. Atlanta was a blast and I got my National Parks Passport! Which only set off my obsession! Went on a lot of first dates. And I went to Denver to visit Annie and fell in love with that state!

exploring Charleston with Amy - Old Sheldon Church ruins

Atlanta fun with coworkers!

NPS Passport!!!!

Fort Moultrie - you can see Fort Sumter in the background!

 

COLORADO FUN! Yay for seeing Annie!


 

May: Super busy! I subbed almost every day! Watched a lot of hockey with the Devils in the playoffs! Had a fun weekend in Columbus, Ohio with a conference. My aunt came to visit Charleston. And enjoyed going to the beach every chance I could! 

Columbus state capital

with my aunt in SC

spent a lot of time at Sullivan's Island!

June: Kicked off 7 weeks of traveling! Jeanne's bridal shower & bachelorette in New York. Had a few 36 hour visits to Charleston and saw a Phil Vassar & Dustin Lynch at Party in the Park concert, went to Denver for a conference and then went camping in Rocky Mountain National Park for 3 days! It was a blast and I saw a moose! I loved all the hiking and just taking in the most gorgeous scenery! And my quick last minute trip to Wyoming where I enjoyed lunch in Cheyenne!  Another conference in Houston and then a surprise trip home for a job interview, but I enjoyed being in jersey longer than I had planned for twin's shower - and a fun hiking trip with her & Andy. A few hours in Charleston before headed to Philly for a conference at UPenn.

Jeanne's shower

gorgeous sunset in Charleston at Party in the Park

Rocky Mountain National Park fun!!

Woooo! State #34

hiking with twin at the gap

co-worker fun on UPenn's campus!

July: More interview fun at another school in NJ (aka I got to see my parents a lot this summer). A fun weekend at Yale for a conference (the Mean Girls quoting weekend!) And then a wonderful weekend for Jeanne' & Travis's wedding!! 10 days in Charleston - it was glorious! Working a session of NYLC in DC and celebrating my 27th birthday being super excited to get passport stamps on the National Mall and catching up with my DC friends!

Yale conference fun!

Crew loves at Jeanne's wedding!

summer 2011 loves reunion! froyo for life!

happy 27th birthday! woo! passport stamps!

August: Continuing the FA fun in DC and interviewing for the position here, spending quality time with MJ & Patricia after the conference, spending a lot of time in the car driving between NJ & SC and stopping at as many historical sistes I could! Reuniting with my big for a fun time at the beach, twin & Andy's wedding! Finding out I got the job in DC!! Wooo! Packing up and saying goodbye to Charleston, my parents coming to vist Charleston to help me move! And going to my first Civil War 150th at the Second Manassas.

a fun night with MJ & Patricia

my big & I! Hadn't seen each other in 6 years. 

Twin's wedding!

mom & dad in Charleston

Fort Sumter with my parents

September: Started working!! Wooo, and the fun of apartment searching. Stayed with MJ while I was looking and had fun with her roomies. Drove 8 hours in one day for the Luke & Jason concert with Momma & Kelly and then drove home for Grandma & Pa's 60th wedding anniversary dinner,  moved into my apartment. Continued with my 150th Civil War with Antietam, enjoyed getting to know the NoVA Zetas with a Redskins game, enjoying my National Parks in the DC area and just loving getting to see so many of my friends.

with MJ & her roomies at UVA - we went to say hi to Thomas Jefferson!

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J-E-T-S!

150th at Antietam

My Apt!

yay for fun DC days with friends!

October: Kicked off the month by going home for an Army football game with my parents and the NNJZTA Think Pink game with the Giants! Moderated a panel for work, went to see Zac Brown with friends, a hilarious night in Baltimore for kspice's bachelorette where I met a guy with my same name (so freaky!) a hilarious trip to Skyline Drive with MJ & Patricia, lots of running, a fabulous Kip Moore/Justin Moore/Eric Church concert, and sadly ending the month with Hurricane Sandy - where I saw my state get destroyed.

momma & i at the Army football game

Love my NNJZTA sisters

kspice's bachelorette in baltimore

a wonderful day on Skyline Drive with MJ & Patricia

meeting Kip Moore! SO EXCITING!

lots of running in prep for my half - marathon! 

November: Helped kspice celebrate her wedding! election day, lots of fun with coworkers, more national park exploration! Going to Arlington Cemetery to honor our veterans, a great weekend in Philly for the Philly Half Marathon with Jeanne & Chelsea! Woooo 13.1 miles a year after tearing my ACL, enjoying a long weekend home for Thanksgiving, did my first Turkey Trot for Team Steve, stopping at Gettysburg on the drive back to Virginia and more fun with friends!

congrats kspice!

love this quote! at Arlington

13.1! Woooo! Philly half!

coworker fun

team steve!

December: A fun time at Walburn's annual holiday party with my college friends, continuing my historyness with the 150th of Fredricksburg, an amazing Redskins-Ravens game! catching up with college friends at the WAC holiday party, wreath laying at Arlington, Amy coming to visit in DC, a great Christmas at home with my family, the annual NYC trip with my parents, 3 more national parks that week and ending 2012 with Becca & Suz in a hilarious night- we all rang in 2003 together, so it was even more fun 10 years later! 

wreath laying at Arlington

WAC holiday party - love these ladies

Redskins- Ravens game with the NOVA Zetas

The Capital Christmas Tree

Merry Christmas!

parents at Rockefeller Center!

Happy New Year!

So a really great 2012! I was able to go to 18 states, 2 new states, 3 weddings, a lot of work conferences, waaaay to many days subbing, a lot of first dates (and a few got 2+ dates), lots of physical therapy, 42 flights, 5 drives between NJ & Charleston, 41 national park sites!, 132 nationa park passport stamps, 138 books read, 3 NFL football games, waaaay too much put on my credit card, so many visits to visit friends,  5 country concerts, 6 job interviews and 1 job!! 

Hope you had a wonderful 2012!