What's That You Say?

I haven't blogged since July?

Wow, well, color me embarrassed. I suppose I have let my blog fall to the wayside, bad Tina.

I suppose an update on my life is in order.

I'm still not in New Orleans, I have a move date though: December 19th. It's really coming up fast. I have so much more packing to do, but I have a good start. As for my bucket list I have accomplished quite a few items. There are a few on there that probably won't get done, which is sad, but it gives me reason to come back and visit. I promise to blog more in depth about what I have and haven't accomplished in detail. I've also been working on some life goals that I have decided I wanted to accomplish before I turn 30 (still more than a year away, but I figure I can get a jump on things).

It's late, so that's all for now.

Love,

Tina Marie

DC Bucket List

As I prepare to leave DC I realize there are a number of things which I want to do but still haven't done.

To name a few:

Eat lunch in the Museum of Native American History - apparently the food court here is to die for, and extremely authentic. I'm definitely going to try this before I leave.

Go to the top of the Washington Monument. - Can you believe I haven't done this?! It's like the first thing you do when you get here, but I have never been. I must take in that view before I go.

Re-Visit the Smithsonian Museum of American History - This is my favorite Smithsonian museum, and the year after I got here it closed for renovations. It reopened a year after that but I haven't been back! I have to see Dorothy's shoes, and the Fonz's jacket one last time.

Visit Great Falls/ Old Rag - Living in Virginia means that I get all the awesomeness of DC, but I also get the beautiful scenery of rustic Virginia landscapes. I need to take advantage of that before I go.

The Newseum - I don't think I even need to explain this one, everyone who lives in DC knows that this museum is well worth the $20 admission.

Re-visit NYC one last time - I've been 3 times in the almost 6 years I have lived here, which makes me sad. I'm totally going again (and staying with Theo, even though she doesn't know it yet). I want to take in another Broadway show, and spend a night on the town.

Monticello - This is an easy day trip that I've never taken! I can't believe I have put it off for so long!

Arlington National Cemetery changing of the guard - it's really sad that I haven't seen this. I live less than 2 miles away.

Theodore Roosevelt Island - I must take a walk across the footbridge and visit this place.

Visit the National Archives - look at important papers... it's a must.

Whew! I think that's it for now, can ya'll think of anything that MUST make it onto the list?

Love, Tina Marie

Big News for the Big Easy

Last week I went to New Orleans for the second time this year. It seems as though I find myself there more often than any other place I visit. This time around, it was for a wedding, which I plan to blog about later. I had a fabulous time, which I always do. It was a few more points in the pro column... but perhaps I should back up and explain.

Over the past year I have really been feeling the need to change things up in my life. Last August I left my cushy 9-5 job and started searching for something I really wanted to do. I settled on the food service industry, and I've been catering for a few months now. I grew up with my mom owning restaurants, so while cooking for the masses is very different than "Support Contractor for the DHS", it wasn't all that unfamiliar. Still, I feel like I've been missing something. I knew what it was, no matter how much I tried to ignore it, I missed my family. The thought of moving back south entered my head. It's something I tried to ignore for a long time now. Spending time in NOLA last week put a few more points in the pro column, but still I wasn't convinced.

I like my life in DC, but, I don't love DC. I love the friends I have made here. My heart has been very torn. I kept adding the pro and con columns for staying/leaving and coming up with different results each time. Then I read an amazing book. "City of Refuge", completely made up my mind for me. It's a story about two families struggling during and after hurricane Katrina. I cried several times while reading it, and finished it in two days. I was convinced that there is no other place where I want to settle down. I know this might sound smug, but only a handful of people can really understand what it is to love a city. I think New Yorkers get it, and New Orleanians get it. There might be other cities that radiate personality, but I don't know of them. New Orleans is a hard city to live in, there is crime. Lots of crime. It's a poor city. There are few job opportunities. The list goes on and on. But there are also second lines, and mardi gras, and food, and friendly people, and the music, and the art, and the atmosphere. It's something you have to experience to understand.

Eventually I want to have a family, and I can't think of a better place to raise children. The city is filled with culture, and I want children who aren't afraid of anything. I want them to know that people are people, and whether you are black, white, young, old, poor, or rich, there are certain things that bring us all together as a people. The love of a great city is one of them.
So off I go. The moving date is still up in the air, but, for sure, I will be turning 29 in the big easy.

I'm totally going to miss DC, and the friends I've made here. Spending the majority of my 20's in this city really shaped who I am today. And I like who I am today. I owe a lot to the friends that I have made here, friends that are my family away from my family.

But, I'm not gone yet. I plan to make the most of these final few months. I'm going to play tourist in every way imaginable. I'm going to take walks at night by the capitol and soak in the scenery, and I'm going to say long tearful goodbyes to the ones I love.
For the next few months I'm going to use this blog to chronicle everything I do here, as I prepare to embark on the next stage of my life.

It should be fun.

Love, Tina Marie

Exploring DC

A few months ago my friend Tamsin had an idea. She thought that every month a group of us girls should go out and explore DC. We would have brunch, and plan activities in neighborhoods that we wouldn't normally visit. So far it's been a success.
We've been to Eastern Market, and U Street, and most recently Sarah led us on an excursion to paddle boat in the tidal basin and visit the DC fish market.
While I had done the paddle boats before (almost 5 years ago) I had never been tot he fish market.

I had a blast! The fish market actually has decent prices and the freshest fish you can get in the area. I'll defiantly be back for my future seafood needs and the boats were only $19 for an hour for 4 people!
I didn't manage to capture a pic of the market, but I got a few whilst we were boating:

Sarah enjoying the sunshine with the Jefferson memorial in the background.

Anna Pope is all smiles!