Hurricane Day!

So due to Hurricane Sandy my office is closed today and tomorrow which basically means I get to stay home, be warm, and watch netflix/read all day! Well, except for the list of work stuff which was e-mailed to me explaining a bunch of things they want me to work on from home. Luckily I don't expect these tasks to require too much of my time because some of them I did in the office on Friday. I guess I am just a harder worker than they thought. Since I have already started on the list this morning I put together a stew in the crockpot and I am in the process of baking bread. I have been looking forward to making bread for the last while but didn't have time until today. I really hope it turns out ok. The worst thing which could happen is for the power to go out before the stew is cooked and the bread is baked. I am not really worried though because so far it it raining outside but other than that it really isn't bad at all. There isn't even any wind. The metro is closed until further notice so everyone in our house is at home today. Our weekends seem to get busy and we have not yet had one where we just sit around home. Today is our opportunity to finally relax for a full day without leaving the house. Although a few of them did run to Giant (the grocery store) this morning because we discovered we are going to be out of toilet paper soon and none of us want that. They said that the store was completely sold out of milk and eggs. We have flashlights and lots of food so we aren't worried and I think that a few of us (myself included) are excited to see how bad this storm can get!

Laundry Day!

So at work we had been focusing a lot of our time and energy on an event that occured on Tuesday night. Now that it is finally over we have been given part of today off which mean I can spend my morning and part of the afternoon catching up on things like laundry. For the last three weeks or more we have been without a working washing machine so there has been a large pile collecting in my closet. On Tuesday we finally got it fixed so it has been in large demand the last few evenings. So now that I am able to be home during the day I am able to do mine! I have the third load currently in the wash and still have one more full load waiting to be done. It is amazing how many clothes I have here. I only had to resort to hand washing once over the last few weeks. I have also decided to make some baked oatmeal for us to eat over the weekend. It is fairly easy to make and I have realized that I really like it. That is probably due to the amount of brown sugar and oil which goes into it.

Since I am doing some house keeping stuff today I have realized that one thing I need to do is upload some photos on here which are long overdue. There are some in here from our retreat, some from sight seeing around DC, some from my mom's visit, and some from the school where I work.

 

These are from one of our walks through the woods during retreat. We ended up taking a "short cut" meaning we were lost, wandered down a really steep and long hill side and found our trail once more. We found some chairs made from stones and Keith attempted to cross the creek on an unsturdy log. He didn't get hurt, but gave up before getting very far. We then found the river and hung out there for awhile.

 

Here are some of my sight seeing pictures. (Me and Anne in front of the White House)

 

Because of alge growing in the reflecting pool they drained it and scrubbed it out. Before they refilled it people discovered that it is a nice place to hangout - that is until the police come along and yell at everyone to get out. Here are some before and after shots.

 

And a few pictures of Mom and me at the WWII memorial. It looks really cool with all the fountains going. There was also a group of vetrans from one of the Honor Flights there.

 

And lastly a few pictures of the students I work with. They are working in our garden beds at the school. We have 5 beds.

 

In the future I will try to stay more up to date on pictures. Some of these are from a month or more ago. 

 

Healing

My mom was thoughtfull enough to send me my sister's walking cast from back when she had a much worse break in her ankle/foot and I have decided that I am sick of those crutches so I am now in the walking cast. My foot does not bother me at all, but my heel and ankle feel weird since I haven't been using them for over a week. My splint didn't hold my ankle at a 90* angle which it was supposed to so now it is stiff and a bit sore because now it is being forced into that angle. I have only used this walking cast for the last few hours but it is amazing how much easier it is to get around. I took the simple act of walking for granted for so long and this last week has taught me some much needed humility and gratitude. The simple act of walking to the metro station (two blocks) would leave me winded and sweaty. My sides are beginning to be worn raw by the crutches which is why this walking cast is my new best friend.

Last night our house went to the DC United game (soccer). DC won in the final minutes of the game! It was a great game and worth the long walk but I was beat by the time we got home. Today Anne, Cara, and I went to house church which would normally be about a 15 to 20 minute walk but it took us at least half an hour or more to get there due to my slow progress and sore muscles. We were lucky enough to recieve a ride back to our house though which really saved a lot of time and energy. At church there was also a table of some free books so our house now has a few more cookbooks which is always exciting. Some of us have decided to try cooking new things throughout this year and since we each cook about four meals a month for the house we should be getting quite the variety going on. I have discovered that the crockpot is for sure one of the handiest inventions. The fix it and forget it cookbook which Mom brought out for me has already been used by several of us in the house. I didn't cook this last week (it just happened to be my week off) and I didn't realize that I would miss the kitchen but since I haven't been in there much at all as of late I am kind of looking forward to cooking and possibly baking now that I can move around more freely. I have really been craving some homemade bread so I think that is going to be first on my menu this week!

Broken Foot

I am sure that many people have already heard but I have in fact broken my foot. On Friday evening I was riding on a crowded metro train and when the train jerked a guy lost his balance and stepped on my foot. Well more like stomped. He apologized and I figured that it would be bruised but not a big deal. As the evening went on I realized that it was really swelling up a lot and I couldn't walk on it anymore. So Saturday I went to the ER and the x-ray proved that in fact I have a fracture on one of my metatarsals. Everything is still in alignment so they put it in a splint and sent me home with crutches and instructions not to put any weight on it. Getting around the city with these things is a huge pain and my foot still swells up to three times its natural size anytime I am standing or walking for more than a minute but there isn't really any pain so long as I don't put any weight on it. I was able to get an appointment at the orthopedic surgery center at the hospital next Tuesday (this was the earliest available time) so we will see what they say. Perhaps I'll end up with a cast but I am really hoping for a walking cast. So please keep me in your prayers as I heal.

Birthday Stuff

This week has been a lot of fun. Work has been going well and I didn't have any big discipline issues at the school. Tuesday I went to Corey's apartment for dinner. He had cooked for me and we watched a movie he gave me for my birthday. I have recieved a handful of cards and a fun package from a fun aunt! (Thanks Marlinda) Last night my house gave me my birthday present from them. There were 5 boxes of nerds and office supplies in my gift bag. I guess they have caught on to what candies I like! They also informed me that I am going to be taken out to dinner tonight. Apparently Mom thought that her gift of cash to me needed to be subsidized with a nice meal out with my house. So tonight on her instructions our house is going to eat out at The Heights which is just down the street. I am really looking forward to some delicious fries. Thanks Mom!

Mom's Visit

My mom has been here since Wednesday and we have been having a lot of fun. I had to go into work Wednesday and Thursday so she had to entertain herself but it seems she managed just fine. On Wed. she painted most of my room while I was gone. She ran out of paint after a two walls and the ceiling so we went to the store and bought more and finished that evening. My room looks ten times better. I love it! (I will make sure to post a few pictures within the next few days) On Thursday while I was working she visited the memorials and some museums. On Friday we got quite the work out while out and about. We got to visit the Captial and the White House. While we were waiting in line to get in we saw Bo nearby (Obama's dog). He was on a walk with one of the staff people. We walked to the Martin Luther King and Jefferson Memorials and went to Arlington Cemetery. I also had to go into work for a little between the Capital and the White House. We figured that in all we walked about 5 miles or more. Our feet and legs were getting sore by the end of the day. We took it easier on Saturday and only saw a few museums and monuments. There was a group from the Twin Cities at the World War II memorial from one of the honor flights and it was neat to watch them all look around. Right now the reflecting pool is empty because they had to drain it and clean out all the algie. There were people walking and riding bikes and skate boarding through it until a police officer on a motor cycle came and yelled at them all to get out. It was an interesting sight to see. Today we have been pretty lazy and have been laying around for the most part. I finally unpacked the suit case mom brought for me with all my winter stuff in it but other than that and a trip to Target we have been sitting around.