Tina is slacking

So I'm jumping in again...

Around Town
There is a great oil change place in Alexandria - Lube It! They are always quick, friendly, and (so far) trustworthy. They tell you if you need something more than the usual service (oil change, fluid top-offs, tire pressure checks/fills, even a window wash and floor vacuum) like a new air filter - but they don't push it on you every time. And if you use the regularly, they include coupons with their reminders, as long as you bring the car in within 500 miles of the listed service recommendation.

Growing Up
Something that I've known was coming for a long time was the part of my life where my weekends rotate between bachelorette parties, wedding showers, baby showers, and farewell happy hours for friends moving away. I'm still not ready for it though! While it was an amazing feeling to hold my friend Whit's new baby girl this weekend - Whit and I grew up down the street from each other - I hate to think about the day when we move away, or Whit and his family move away. I guess the part of growing up that I didn't see coming was getting to know all of these great people in DC and then realizing that none of us would be here forever.

Books
The last book I recommended to a friend *ahem* didn't go over that well - so I'll try another one. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, it is a wonderful book written from the perspective of a 9 year old boy. It reads like a young adult book, and can easily be consumed in one day. If you've already seen the movie or been told the ending it may not be worth reading, but if you only know the premise (as I did) I think it is worth a sit.

Grinds My Gears
It really grinds my gears when I get in the way of myself! With Frank in law school I've tried to fill my time with fun and interesting things so that I'm not always sitting at home watching him study. This summer I have my sewing circle on Mondays, Small Group on Tuesdays, and class (Law and Political Process) on Wednesdays. I am left with Thursdays open, and then the weekend (which as noted above is usually spent celebrating something for someone). Well, this week my husband was in DC for the day with his law firm (based in Richmond) and I didn't have time to see him! My plan to keep myself busy backfired! I was really sad that we were so close and so far apart at the same time - but his 10 weeks in Richmond are almost over and he'll be home again soon, so I'll just keep hanging on until he comes home this weekend, and then I'll hang on for two more weeks and this will all fall back into place.