i heart my canon 50d

Here are some pictures I've taken over the last few days... Have I mentioned how much I love my new camera?!!?!!!? Holy cow. I heart it!

The pictures are a bit out of order and they are all from different events, but you will just have to deal with them being all mixed up... hahahaha ;o so sue me!!!! ;)

This is cute baby Mason! He is the child of Avery and Kristen from my small group.

What a cute kid! He was just a little sleepy!

One of my co-workers, Brandon. I like his PURPLE tie! :)

Brandon and Donny at our work happy hour! They are being SERIOUS!

Brandon and Mika - co-workers

Me'n'Hayley! Happy Birthday! Happy Happy Hour!

Um... why does Cosi do smores? Please don't ask what got into me! hahaha ;)

Hayley at her birthday party!

Chris Joyner (worship leader at my church) jammin out!

The stage at our church... usually i'm on the left hand side where the girl is in white...
that would be me! hahaha ;)

Brandon rockin'!

Supah cute Fridah!

Fridah and Kristen

Stage again at church

Mason unhappy to be back in his winter coat.

Dirv came to the work HH too! Yay! We had so much fun! :)

George Mason

My parents came to town this weekend. We had a nice relaxing day yesterday and a fun night out last night! We went to Marrakesh in DC... I've posted about it many times in the past, but this was the first time any of my family had been there. Dinner was great! :) I think everyone had a good time!! After dinner we went to walk around Jefferson's Memorial (seriously my FAVE at night!!!). It couldn' have been a more beautiful night!!!!!! :) I don't have time this morning to post more pictres (I gotta meet mom and dad and the bros for church) but here are two just for a taste...


Here is my brother George and George Mason :) There is a memorial to George Mason right next to Jefferson's. George Mason's memorial is kinda cool... it is set up with a garden and fountain area modled after Gunston Hall. Kinda cool. I didn't realize Mason was so into gardening! :)



Here is Mason and me! :) (Side note -  you can check out my new haircut... chopped it all off!!!! :) Whaddya think?)

Today I think mom and dad and I are headed to Mt. Vernon.  My pops has wanted to check out Mt. V for a long time now.  The weather is supposed to be AMAZING again, so it will be the perfect day!  I'm sure there will be lots of pictures of that posted soon!!!!!  :)

Ok, off to church!!!

Jennie's B.Day!!!

Tonight we celebrated the birth of Jennie! We went to Tallulah's in Arlington. Such a cute place! It was a great time.

Here is Jennie and the men that love her!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNIE!!!!

I'm super tired right now, there are a LOT more pics from this evening that will get posted soon!!!! :) YAY!

DC at Night

So this past week my roomie Jason's step-brother Joe came to stay with us. What fun!!! :)

One night we went to Sakura in Fairfax. YUMMMMMY. One of my faves. I love watching the guys cook. I brought my camera to catch some of the show...

Our chef is cleaning the griddle.

The burning onion volcano

Jess' Sashimi plate. If I remember correctly, it is from left to right: swordfish, trout, salmon (tuna top center - not pictured)

Another pic of the onion volcano

Just makin fire for no readson ;)

Fire! fire!

Another evening, Jason and I took Joe to see the monuments at night. I LOVE DC AT NIGHT. It is suuuuccchhhh a beautiful city. It is such an awesome thing to see the monuments all lit up. Just beautiful. Here is a picture from the foot of the Washinton Monument looking down the mall at the WWII memorial (the golden lights/fountains) followed by the reflecting pool and the Lincoln Memorial in the distance. You can almost make out ole Linc just chillin in his chair. :)

This is Joe at the foot of the Washington Monument.

The wall of the Washington Monument at the right of the frame looking towards the other end of the National Mall towards the Capitol building.

Sorry this is a bit crooked... I didn't edit these pics any... hahaha. This is a picture of the WWII Memorial looking towards the Lincoln Memorial.

A closer view of the WWII Memorial. We also drove through parts of Arlington National Cemetary, visited Iwo Jima, found my great uncle on the Vietnam War Memorial Wall and circled Jefferson's Memorial. It was a great night!!! :) If you haven't visited DC at night, YOU MUST GO. If you've never visited DC, YOU MUST COME! I will take you on a tour!!!!! Come on up anytime!!! :)

On another note, but still related, I've asked a few of my friends to rank their favorite memorials/monuments. Mine are:

1. Jefferson Monument
Tie for Second place:
2. Iwo Jima War Memorial
2. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Tie for Third place:
3. WWII Memorial
3. Vietnam War Memorial

I know two ties is kind of cheating, but they are allll soooo goooooood. It is difficult to select one over another. I love Jefferson because it is just soooo beautiful. Jefferson's Monument sits along the tidal basin. When the cherry blossoms are bloomed, it is framed in light pink beauty. Sooo great.

I love Iwo Jima because it is based off of a photograph. That picture truly is worth 1,000 words.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is also a place of beauty and emotion. At the center of Arlington National Cemetary, the final resting place for so many servicemen/women sits this living testimony. There is a soldier marching 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The men that guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are of smilar build and stature. They pace a specific amount of steps with a matching stride. The ground beneath the soldiers is warn from their steps. It is a touching experience.

The WWII Memorial is the newest memorial on the National Mall. (The Air Force Memorial is the newest off the mall monument... anyhow, I digress...) The WWII is really beautiful. It is a low lying memorial that I think fits in so nicely on the mall. I like the cool, calm beauty of the Memorial.

The Vietnam War Memorial is another one of the emotional sites of DC. To see the thousands of names engraved on a black wall will bring tears to your eyes. I have a family member on the wall, and I love finding his name.

All of that to say DC is awesome. If you haven't visited, DO! There is plenty to see!

Busy Couple of Months...

So the past few months have been a whirlwind.  Sooo many things have happened.  I'll only be able to show a few pictures... a snapshot of life.  Here goes...



Hanging out with friends




My brothers, Robby, and me.  My baby brother can now go to bars legally... I'm getting old!



The small group visited the Gaylord Hotel.  This is Avery in front of their fountains.  Sooo pretty.



Small Group Boys



Small Group Girls :)



Chives :)  So pretty



Don't know what this flower is, but it is great!  :)



Uncle Tom, Aunt Jane, Aunt Judy, Pops, Ben, Momma, Geo



My new roomie... Monte



Cute Chloe!



Congrats Mr. A and Mrs. Z!!!



The getaway vehicle!

I know that isn't much description of each item, but you'll get the picture!  haha...

enjoy!

jf

February Excitement

So the past few weeks have been full of excitement for me.  This is going to be a LONG post... get ready!!!  Here are some highlights and pics:

I start a new job on Tuesday! yay!  From my office, I will have a KILLER view of the DC and the monuments.  (Sorry no pics yet, but there will be SOON!)

When I went to Philly the other weekend, I experienced the "Italian Market." Holy cow! How fun is that. :)



Just a quick view of some of the tasty eats! I enjoyed the sights and sounds of this famous open market.



Philly has some beautiful sights (see below) but parts are a little... welll.. er... "rough"



Beautiful building, beautiful sky



Another beautiful building - If I remember correctly, this is some of the decoration on their city hall building.
 



The K-Mart sign was in need of repair... I just screamed... "kiss my bum!"


I had so much fun at Jess and Robby's birthday celebration! It was a great night celebrating BOTH of their birthdays!!!  As always - a blast!!!  :)




hot! Hot! HOT!



The cute married couples!



My beautiful friends, Jess and Jennie



Robby's infamous drink...  :) hahaha



The birthday boy



Best Buds at the "girls only" birthday dinner for Jess.


I really enjoyed making Valentines treats for the fam and small group! I also LOVE my small group from church, and the ART GALLERY where we meet!!!!! :) Def. more pics to come! :)




The package



The detailed contents



YUM!



The treat bags for my small group members :)



A pic from the gallery :)

I miss my nanny kids (and nanny mom and dad too!!!)! It was so nice to see them and have dinner at the best restaurant in NOVA, Villa Bella! :)




Ted, me and Dean



Janice, Daryl, me :)

As you can see from the amount of pictures, it has been a busy month!!!  Tomorrow for President's Day, I'm heading to the newly remodeled Virginia capitol building.  I'm sure there will be more pictures of that!!!  This weekend my parents are coming down for a visit.  I'm not sure what we are doing just yet, but I'm sure MORE photos will be involved there too!!!   
Keep your eyes peeled for more pics soon!!!!!!!  :)