that's a wrap

Well... my time in DC has come to an end, and I am back on Southern soil with the friends, family and casseroles I have so dearly missed. I have had dozens of blog posts in my head for the past few weeks, but I can't bring myself to write them until I update this blog in a chronological order. I also have this crazy, irrational idea that if I don't document an event, then it really didn't happen. Like I said... irrational. So here is my feeble attempt to compile some highlights from the past month into one post. Get some snacks and buckle up, kids. It's gonna be a long one.

Here goes. Ahem.

My family came to DC for Thanksgiving. (Yep... we're going way back.)

We watched the parade,

went to the Norman Rockwell exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery,

ate Thanksgiving dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill,

saw A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theatre,

and saw some landmarks.

It was glorious.

You know what else was glorious? Having my friends Alison and Ann Elizabeth come to visit the next weekend.

We ate cupcakes in Georgetown,

whipped our hair back and forth by the Potomac,

sadly, we sang this clever Willow Smith song the entire weekend

galavanted around Eastern Market,

sipped cider and took some 18th century dancing lessons at Mount Vernon,

and watched the SEC championship game on an iPhone.

War Eagle... there, I said it.

It was oh so fun, and I'm so thankful they were able to come join me in the city I've grown to love.

The rest of the month was spent celebrating my roommate's birthday,

doing Christmas stuff around town,

and convincing my fellow intern to participate in a live nativity at our office Christmas party.

Not many people realize that the original manger was an outgoing mail box.

And yes, Joseph's staff was actually a yard stick.

I even got this sweet surprise on my last day in DC. The snow was beautiful, but it sure did make for some difficulty getting home.

Speaking of home... I discovered that while I was in DC, my family was hard at work making our house look festive for Christmas. This is what I came home to:

Santa can be so clumsy sometimes.

We may now be known as the Tacky Todds, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm so grateful for the past three months. It felt great to be stretched, challenged and ultimately strengthened. I loved every minute of the experience, and it's a season that I will always treasure.

But right now, on this Christmas Eve Eve, as I look at our classy Christmas inflatable decoration, I realize...

It's good to be home.

And that's a wrap.

monuments

I'm surrounded by memorials and monuments these days. Some are larger-than-life marble statues. Others are unpretentious plaques that tell us how someone was important for doing something somewhere some time in the past. They're all reminders. They tell us where we've been, where we're going, and the price that has been paid so we may prosper in this life.

I was going to write a post about all of this, but then I came across this blog entry from Lauren Chandler (wife of Matt Chandler). It's exactly what I want to say. So why mess with it? I'll let her do the talking...

Have you ever anticipated an event, got there, experienced it, knew something monumental was stirring in you throughout it but were left with just a vague impression of all that had just transpired?

Maybe I'm the only one.

In my walk with Christ, there have been times when the Lord has whispered, savor this. In the moment, I can cognitively acknowledge its preciousness but my heart hasn't quite wrapped around it. I can tell myself, okay, one day, this is going to mean something beyond what it's meaning to me right now.

In the Old Testament, the Lord had His people, the Israelites, set up memorials to remind His people of all He had done for them. You'd think they'd just remember if it was such a big deal. But, not unlike myself, they got distracted by needs, wants and a deceitful heart that would lead them astray into trusting men instead of God. They forgot how perfectly the Lord delivered them from their enemies and provided for all the needs and wants. Since He knew them and knew that would happen, He was adamant about constructing a memorial as a physical, tangible evidence of His faithfulness.

The Lord gave me a picture: a road, not so level in some places, winding, well-beaten with monuments marking every quarter mile or so.

It was as if I heard Him say, that's the way you've come, that's the life you've lived, and the monuments are distinct evidences of My faithfulness to you...see what I've done? ...see how much I love you?

the more things change, the more they stay the same

I wrote this post exactly one year ago.

A lot has changed since then. But then again, a lot has stayed the same. If you've read this blog before, you may have noticed that I love documentation. I learn a lot from reflection, so I thought it would be fun to do a little "compare and contrast" between November 23, 2009 and November 23, 2010.

Then, I was on the third floor of Samford University's library trying to finish up a paper before heading home for Thanksgiving. Today, I'm on the fourth floor of an apartment building in DC waiting for my family to come to me for Thanksgiving.

2009

2010

Then, I was concerned about the Great Eggo Ration of 2009. Now, I am back to eating an Eggo a day with a free conscience.

Then, I was happy for Susan Boyle. Now, she has just released a Christmas album. You go, Boyle.

Doesn't she look fantastic?!

Then, I was feeling sorry for John Mayer. Now, I'm still feeling sorry for John Mayer. I like John. He's had a hard year.

Then, I ate Snack Wells Devil's Food Cake from the Samford food court for lunch. Today, I had an Auntie Anne's pretzel from Union Station.

Then, I was worrying about what I was going to do with my life. I recall feeling "square in the dark" about a lot of things, specifically life after graduation.

Now, I'm still square in the dark. But it's not as much of a scary, looming cloud kind of dark as it is a mysterious, thrilling, temporary shadow kind of dark. It's the kind of dark that makes me recognize my dependence. It is the kind of dark that is lit by the "lamp unto my feet and light unto my path." It's the kind of dark that makes me trust and hope and rejoice in what is to come.

I finished all of my papers that semester. The Eggo shortage didn't last long. Susan Boyle is lookin' good. John Mayer is learning. And I'm a different person in a lot of ways. But I'm still just the same.

And I'm still eating terrible lunches.

relishing

No, this is not going to be a cliche' "Fall" post.

I'm not going to talk about how beautiful this time of year is.

I'm not going to tell you how much my heart leaps when I see things like this:

I'm not going to mention any pumpkin-flavored beverages.

I'm not going to tell you how much I'm relishing in this season.

Nope. I'm not. Gonna. Do it.

I'm not even going to write a verse about it.

Okay, I lied on that one:

"May the peoples praise you, God;

may all the peoples praise you.

The land yields its harvest;

God, our God, blesses us."

Psalm 67: 5

pie pumpkin

I requested we have a "pie pumpkin." But the official carver said it would not be scary enough.

So he added a good 'ole "boo." Problem solved.

I celebrated Reformation Day a little differently this year. We had a party at our apartment. I was Liz Lemon from 30 Rock. Can you see the resemblance?

Liz likes Pop-Tarts, too!

We had a plethora of delicious snacks, including some toes, eyeballs and a few molars.

Thankfully we had David Caruso from CSI: Miami on hand to investigate the alarming amount of body parts:

I'm going to leave you with a picture of the graveyard cake I made. As Liz Lemon would say, "It's my own recipe. I used cheddar cheese instead of water."

on snow globes

I've been a little shaky lately. Sometimes even a little queasy. And no, it's not from all the Halloween candy.

I'm being exposed to a lot. I'm learning a lot. My head is spinning a lot.

I feel like a snow globe, turned upside down and tossed about. Don't get me wrong... it's a beautiful thing. All the glitter floating around, suspended and reflecting the light. It's actually very cool. But I'm being shaken, nonetheless.

But just when I think my head and heart are about to explode, and my little globe is about to shatter, I remember the Rock.

"For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip."

- 2 Samuel 22:32

What a firm foundation. What a blessed comfort and security. My feet have not moved! I have not slipped! I'm just holding on tighter. And enjoying the glitter. And reflecting the Light.

stuff

Once again, I'm going to just post pictures and captions because I'm too lazy to really write. One day I'm going to do a post that involves more than a single line of pictures going down the center of the page. But not today.

Some things I've enjoyed lately:

Doing the Nixon pose everywhere I go.

Lighting up on the mall

*Not really, guys!*

My dad being in D.C. for 24 hours.

Oatmeal. Used to hate the stuff. Now I can't get enough of it.

Fall decorations. Found this one on the street.

So clever.

Seeing Peyton Manning's... ummm... helmet? Yeah, helmet.

Going home for a weekend and getting my sweet tea fix.

Running (towards food) while listening to this song.

Thanks, Erica via Mary Laura!

Things I have not enjoyed?

Losing my iPhone for 20 minutes while going through airport security.

And spending $5.15 for my oatmeal.

the verdict is in...

I love the District of Columbia.

The jury was out for a little while, but life looks a lot different these days from when I came here twenty days ago. I arrived wide-eyed, overwhelmed and unsure about what the heck I was doing. Three weeks later, I'm wide-eyed, overwhelmed and unsure about what the heck I'm doing. But I'm starting to enter a state of normalcy, and that feels so very good. What a difference new friends, great co-workers, roommates that can cook, the new Hillsong album, and a close Subway (sandwiches) location can make.

Also, sights like this are making me feel right at home:

*Please click on this picture to get the full effect.*

I thought about cropping this. But I just... couldn't... do it.

Go A-murica!

Here's a little taste of what my days are like.

Walk five minutes to work here:

Make my fellow intern take an awkward solo shot of me in front of the capitol:

Console fellow intern when he loses his glasses and has to wear his prescription sunglasses to work:

Try to make fellow intern feel better by wearing my own sunglasses at work:

Make pancakes (eat pancakes):

Hang out at Eastern Market:

Try to look cool and read a book here:

Do touristy stuff with my roommate:

Meet Jenni for the first time, go to church with her, go to small group with her, let her family cook for me, feel like I've known her for ten years, pay her to be my friend, and thank the Lord for providing such a wonderful blessing:

My mom brought a very important milestone to my attention the other day. It was the first day that I had not called her. I think this is a pretty good gauge of my overall emotional well-being. Research (my own) has shown that there is a direct, positive correllation between the number of times I need something and the number of times I call my mother. The results of my study have concluded that things are looking up, and I'm becoming less dependent. Until I need help with the Stouffer's lasagna recipe...

I'm still learning a ton. About everything. Politics, theology, life, how to make friends with the mailroom staff in the basement... you know, everything. But other times I realize that I haven't even touched the surface of all there is to learn. It's humbling, really. But that's another post for another day...

Right now I gotta call my mom.