Bang! Pow! To the moon!

We leave Saturday for our honeymoon. We're going to St. Thomas for a week, and we are going to do absolutely nothing. It should be a good time, we'll let you know when we get back.

Moving In, Again

Sarah and I are no longer in Washington, DC. We left Saturday morning, and drove the four-hour drive in just under seven hours. Apparently, all the people from DC, Northern Virginia, and lower Maryland flock to Virginia beach, clogging up I-95 for 100s of miles on their way. It was amazingly frustrating, but it's over, thank God. Also, thanks to Annie and Kyle for helping us move out of our DC apartment and for countless other unrepaid favors over the summer.

We're now in Durham. We've been moving into our apartment for the last day and a half. We also made a trek out to Target in Raleigh to spend our Target gift certificates on more of our registry stuff. It was a good time. The place is a wreck, but we're getting through it.

In other news, I found out last week that if you need to, you can get 1) a birth certificate delivered to your door in under a week or 2) a passport in a day if you're willing to pay for it. These realizations came soon after I realized that I needed one or the other to travel to St. Thomas. What I don't understand is why if I'm traveling from the US to a US protectorate I have to prove that I'm a US citizen? Didn't we spread our empire to the beautiful Caribbean for a reason? Jeez. By the way, you can only get a passport in a day if you live in DC or NY, and it's by appointment only. However, you can pay a service to do it for you in 3 days, but it'll cost you...a lot. I should be getting a birth certificate delivered tomorrow via FedEx.

I'd better cut this short, I'm not holding up my end of the deal on the unpacking thing (Sarah's just so good at it and seems to enjoy it, so why should I ruin her fun?).

Summer's Almost Over...oh...and the Pictures are In

The last few weeks in DC have been pretty busy, and it doesn't look like things are going to slow down.

Though most of our time has been taken up by work, we have managed to get out on the weekends. This weekend we went to the National Zoo, where we saw the two new(er) pandas, and a frog that for all the world looked dead (I'll see if we can get pictures up). It's a pretty decent zoo overall, though they were doing a lot of remodeling when we were there.

We've also been attending the "Screen on the Green" movies, where they play a movie on a big screen on the Mall. We saw Cat on a Hot Tin Roof the first week and The Postman Always Rings Twice the second. I'd never seen either, and now I wish I hadn't seen Postman at all. Talk about your melodrama. (Sarah did think it was better than Spirited Away, which we had rented the night before and definitely had its weird moments.)

Sarah's grandmother was also in town a couple of weekends ago, so we got to spend some time with her and her friends, who especially enjoyed Eastern Market. This weekend we had her friends Elizabeth and Erin visiting for Sarah's birthday (which was yesterday), and this coming weekend Ron and Lisa will be in town. Add to that the fact that we move out in two weekends, and our schedule gets pretty full. Especially since we go on our honeymoon the next weekend.

I've got about a week and a half of work to go, and I'm trying to get my projects finished up. I've really enjoyed my summer here, but being a student won't be so bad, either.

The pictures are available at this link. After you get there, go to "Weddings," and then click on "Nicholas and Sara [sic]." The password is Sarah's maiden name. Enjoy!

For all of you who have felt it necessary to ask over the last week, married life is great.

Though Sarah and I thought there would be some post-wedding depression, I think the fact that we are in DC (where we only temporarily live and thus are really tourists), has helped keep us from feeling like we've returned to "normal," whatever that means.

Last night we were both at the NOW conference, where they were holding their Democratic Presidential Candidate forum. In attendance were Howard Dean, Al Sharpton, Carol Moseley Braun, and Dennis Kucinich. They were all really interesting, but to be honest the only one who seemed at all Presidential was Dean. Sarah was the time-keeper for the forum, and got to meet them all before and got her time sheet signed by them. We also met John Edward's wife, Elizabeth, who was there as his representative and Sarah got her picture taken with Helen Thomas, who was in attendance as a moderator.

After the forum, we stayed for the NOW PAC auction (Sarah because she had to, me because....well, I had to too). There was some really cool stuff, including a two-hour meeting with Janet Reno in Miami (dance party not included).

Today we have a dinner to attend after Sarah finishes her duties at the NOW conference, but the rest of this weekend is pretty wide open. Finally.

We've Been Busy, Give Us A Break

Well, our wedding in Paducah was nothing short of spectacular. The rehearsal dinner and fireworks lived up to their billing (with the exception of two bridesmaids falling down the stairs), the ceremony was beautiful , and the reception was a lot of fun (for those who left before the Dippin' Dots, you truly missed out). We both want to thank everyone who was involved in the ceremony, including, in no particular order: the bridesmaids (Lauren (MOH), Elizabeth, Aimee, Heather, and Pamela) and groomsmen (Benjamin (Best Man), Geoffrey, Christopher, Josh, and Tim), the junior groomsmen (Alex and Garrett), the ushers (Ryan, Michael, Michael, Corey, and Kyle), the flower girls (Micah and Madison) and ringbearer (Andrea), Kevin Medlin and Jeff Stewart (our minister tandem), Annie (the reader), Mike Baker and Smith Crafton (the musicians), Lana Suiter (aunt and wedding coordinator extraordinaire), Reagan and Jessica Carfield (our greeters), our program attendants (Paige, Kolby, and Taylor), all of our families, especially our parents, and everyone who attended. Thank you for helping make this the best wedding EVER!

We got back to DC on Monday morning and ran some errands during the day. Sarah got her hair cut. We may post pictures later, but Sarah doesn't want to spoil the surprise for her friends who are visiting in a couple of weeks. I think it looks great. She likes to say that it's perfect newlywed hair (I'll excuse you while you gag yourself).

We returned to work Tuesday morning, and it was sort of a let down, but not too bad. I had enough to keep me busy and Sarah's office is gearing up for the NOW conference, which is taking place this weekend in Arlington.

Today at work we had the summer golf outing, which was a lot of fun despite the fact that nothing I hit went straight and I lost about 8 balls in ten holes before it started pouring rain and we had to quit. I am bad at golf...there, I said it.

Well, that's the update. We'll try to be a little more regular about this blog thing, but no guarantees. Also, look for updates to sarahandnicholas.com

Well I have just recently returned from the American Association of University Women's National Women Student Leaders Conference. For all of you confused, the AAUW is a feminist organization composed primarily of older women who have graduated from college (the average member is around 60). The organization is dedicated to equity through education and has just recently tried to start reaching out to younger members. One way they have done this is by hosting the conference. The other is by forming a National Student Advisory Council which I am on. As a member of the council, they paid for me to come to Providence, Rhode Island and not only participate in the NWSLC but also participate in a panel/workshop at the National Convention which was held simultaneously with the Conference. It was really a very rewarding experience in which I got to meet other women my age but also network with women older and wiser than myself.

Of course the highlight of the Conference was meeting the matriarch of the feminist movement Ms. Gloria Steinem. She was receiving an award from the AAUW Educational Foundation at a dinner on Monday night. Before the dinner, she did a booksigning which is where I got to meet her. My friend and I almost missed it however because we got the times confused. Luckily we made it right at the beginning and the line wasn't very long. As soon as I saw Gloria, I started to cry. I was just so overwhelmed that this person I had admired and respected for so long was only a few feet away. Then I promptly started to freak out because I realized I was going to have to say something to her. By the time I actually got up to her I was really crying and really freaking out. I was crying so much that she stood up and hugged me and told me it was okay. I told her I had been worrying about what to say for weeks but all I could think to say at that moment was thank you. I also told her how much I admired her and how I promised my mentor I would ask for her contact information so I could write her for advice. Then Gloria Steinem, one of the most powerful women in the world, gave me her personal email address! I couldn't believe it. Of course now I actually have to think up something to write!

The Mall

I'd just like to say for the record that we were not "dehydrated" after Vintage Virginia, we were "tipsy."

We just got back from what's turning into a weekly tradition (aka we've done it two Friday nights in a row). Last week, we walked to the Washington Monument from our house which took about 2 1/2 hours and was great. This week we took the metro to the Washington and walked to the Lincoln Memorial and the FDR Memorial. It was very muggy tonight because it had just rained. (See Nicholas's previous post.) We still had a wonderful time and both admited to getting pretty emotional when reading all of FDR's quotes. I know it's dorky but atleast we're better than the obnoxious high school kids that bounce around their like it's Gadzooks, looking for something to buy.

When I'm not getting teary over marble, I'm completely and utterly freaking out about the quickly approaching nuptials. My new way to deal with planning/stress is assign my parents endlesses little tasks which they seem to be handling very well. As soon as the wedding is, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is even sooner. The release of the new book also happens to coincide with my meeting Gloria Steinem. It all might just be more than I can handle.

The Weather Here

I have to say that I don't understand the weather here in DC. It's pretty hot here now, but for the last two days we've had monsoon rains in the afternoon. And it's not just the classic Atlanta afternoon thunderstorm (the ones I used to pray for as a lifeguard), it's a regular downpour, with dangerous winds and everything.

My week has gone pretty well. I've been busy at work, but yesterday we went to a Maggiano's Restaurant and they fed us family style for two hours. Despite the fact that I went to bed early, I still felt tired from all of the eating. Anyone who complains about being a summer associate has problems.

This weekend Sarah and I are going to go to the Smithsonian Museum of American History to see the reconstructed Julia Child's kitchen they have set up there. I've already been once, but it's really cool and Sarah should definitely see it. It's also Flag Day this weekend, so I think they're doing something big there.

It's Your Birthday, It's Your Birthday, You Got a Cake, With Your Name on It, and a Candle

I had a pretty good birthday weekend. It started with a welcome party for all the summer associates at a partner's house. It was a pretty amazing house, with all sorts of modern art (Sarah was especially impressed with the Lichtenstein in the study) and sports memoribilia (I was especially impressed by the Michigan Jersey signed by the Fab Five). The food was great and we both enjoyed ourselves.

On Sunday we went to Vintage Virginia, which is the Virginia wine festival where the Virginia wineries share their fermented grape-juice. Some of it was pretty foul, but there was enough good to make it worthwhile. Despite the fact that it was really muddy and I walked around all day with my jeans rolled up to me knees like Huck Finn, we had a great time. Needless to say, we were very dehydrated when we got home. Later that night we went to Annie and Kyle's house and shared a birthday cake that Sarah bought at Eastern Market. (Good times, good times.)

Yesterday at work the other summer associates had a surprise birthday celebration for two other summers and me, who have birthdays either on the 8th or the 9th. Last night, Sarah, Annie, Kyle, and I saw Finding Nemo, which was absolutely amazing. Pixar always manages to have one really blow-you-out-of-the-theater scene in every movie they do (the door assembly line from Monsters, Inc. comes to mind), but I think this one had three. The inside-the-whale scene in this movie was just amazing, but I thought that the jellyfish scene and the "E-A-C" scene were pretty awesome, too. Best line of the movie goes to the young fish early in the movie who yells, "I'm obnoxious!" If you haven't seen the movie, you can't truly appreciate it, so what's stopping you?

We are getting into the first truly hot days of summer here in DC and I believe the firm's business casual policy is a stroke of genius. I can't imagine wearing a suit in this swamp.

In other news, I made Sauteed Tilapia filets tonight which were pretty good. I'd never even heard of Tilapia until the guy at the market sold it to me because I was too flustered to say no, but the magic of the Internet made me a regular Tilapia expert. My next cooking adventure is going to be Pasta Primavera, I'll let you know how that goes.

Yes, the past few days at NOW have been really cool. The first day I called celebrities (or atleast that celebrities "people" ) and tried to get them to donate signed CDs/books/art to the auction NOW is having at their upcoming National Conference. So far I've talked to Norah Jones's management and procured a signed poster from the Guerilla Girls. Currently, I am putting together a master list of all the organizations seen as NOW allies. It is just as fun as it sounds. Today, we took a field trip to a Senate Approbriations subcommittee meeting chaired by none other than the great (or AWFUL) Senior Senator from KY Mr. Mitch McConnell. I should stop doing a random assortment of things and start working on PAC stuff when my supervisor gets back on Monday.

On a side note, walking out the front door and seeing the Capitol on my way to the subway NEVER gets old.

Where We Live, At Least For Right Now

As promised many days ago, here are some pictures of our apartment.

Sarah has enjoyed her first three days at NOW. She works with a girl who was on the first Sorority Life show..exciting stuff.

In Durham

After working all day to get my stuff in order and getting the house clean, I am currently the dirtiest and foulest smelling person ever. I am sweaty, but I also have that "ZEP Heavy Duty Carpet Cleaner" smell on me too, which makes for a nice mix.

I am at the law school right now, and it is eerily calm here. They have apparently decided to make the Blue Lounge an open-air market or something by knocking out the wall that was between the lower level lobby area and the lounge. This has effectively taken a quiet place to study and made it into a loud place to hang out. I am intrigued by this logic, especially since we already have a loud place to hang out called the library.

I think I'm going to go shower now.

I'll be back in Durham this weekend so that Sarah and I can move into our new apartment. Sarah is excited that all of her stuff will be in one place at one time for the first time since she went to college.

I get paid tomorrow for the first time, which should be very nice. I currently have something like $0.64 in my checking account. Hopefully I will at least be able to double that.

Work is actually great. I really enjoy all of the people and the projects that I have had so far are really interesting. I think that Food and Drug work may be something I'm truly interested in.

Lastly, an early congratulations to Elizabeth and Shelly on their marriage tomorrow. Hopefully they will use their combined powers for good or for awesome. (Apologies to Strong Bad at homestarrunner.com)

Graduation Weekend at Transylvania

I was in Lexington this weekend for Transylvania's Commencement. I flew in Friday night and left this afternoon from Cincinnati. The ceremony itself was really good, about an hour and a half long and nobody spoke for too long. Sarah did get her diploma, which was the important part, and then we did the goodbyes to all the professors and the rest.

After the graduation and the after-party, we went with some friends to "Ten Commandments Mini-Golf," which is a Christian-themed putt-putt venue. It was fantastic. We did the Old Testament course, and there are two others, New Testament and Miracles. Each hole was themed along a day of Creation (all 7 days, with the 7th day being a very easy hole-in-one chance) or another Old Testament story, like Noah, Samson, etc. Though we ended up losing as a team to the Turner/Weatherholt Team and the Hicks/Graham team, we lived to golf another day. Overall a good graduation day, if you don't count Sarah's uncontrollable sobbing for about 15 minutes after we left the graduation reception--she's entitled, though.

I'm now back in DC and I am trying to figure out what to do for Memorial Day. I think maybe I'll go to the National Symphony concert or something, but I may also just stay in if the weather is crappy.

Sarah had another wedding shower today, which is just another event in a very busy week for her, but I'll let her talk about it.

A big thanks goes out to Aimee and Johan (the aforementioned Hicks/Graham team) who drove me to Cincinatti today out of the goodness of their hearts.

While Nicholas has been in D.C., I have been wrapping up the wedding plans. I met with the minister and started working out the final ceremony details. There were a few bumpsin the road. For instance, it looks like we won't be allowed to have guitars, which could drastically affect our music choice. I also went and tried on my dress with a third petticoat (yes, that's right) but it will still have to be taken up. The favors are almost finished and I only have a few more invitations to send.

In the midst of all this, I totalled my car. Last week, I was leaving Paducah and thought this van was too close to me so I swerved left (I was in the left lane) and overcorrected into to him. He flipped over and I ran off the interstate. We both escaped unharmed which is no small miracle considering I was going over the speed limit. Well, atleast I don't have to worry about storing it over the summer. I am pretty upset considering I've had a car since I was 16 and I'm used to the independence it affords but oh well.

I graduate in less than two weeks and I cannot believe it. I'm having a yard sale on Thursday to hopefully put a dent in the large amount of stuff I have accumulated over the last four years. It's pretty disgusting. That's aobut it...

First Day

Today was my first day at the firm. It went well, mostly orientation stuff. I went to lunch with my mentor and did the whole Lexis training, learn about billable hours, etc. I won't talk about work here anymore because I'm aware that this is a public blog and that would be both imprudent and boring, but today was good. No complaints.

My first few days of DC living have been interesting. Yesterday I came to the realization that from the White House to my house is a Very Long Way. I walked it anyway, it was good for me. I then had a chipwich, the only kind of ice cream that I will eat in DC owing to the fact that it is among my fondest memories of my first trip to DC when I was but a youth. (All the Holland children nod in remembrance, or not.) I also went by and saw the Supreme Court, which is much closer than the White House, and I've done some of the Smithsonian. Other than that, I've just been figuring out what's around my apartment and seeing how long the Metro-ride is from the apartment (Eastern Market) and work (Farragut West). The answer is 13 minutes once you get on the train.

In D.C.

For everyone's clarification, I have moved to DC for the summer. I am living on Capitol Hill, about 6 blocks from our fair judiciary and legislature. It's a small apartment, but it's bigger than I thought it would be. I may post pictures on sarahandnicholas.com later this weekend, but those may have to wait until Sarah gets here, as the only digital camera I have is a webcam. Anyone who wants to come see me can sleep on the spacious floor or perhaps on the hide-a-bed in the kitchen. For those who know the area, I live about 2 blocks from Eastern Market, which is apparently a large open-air market on Saturdays and Sundays.

I went to the National Air and Space Museum today (insert your own model rocketry/dork reference here).

In other news, you can't take your Segway on the Metro. Also, Christopher and Nicholas came in 4th and 5th in most popular baby names. Congratulations to Christopher for beating me this year, but this was a rebuilding year for Nicholas...

Lastly, congratulations go out to all of the soon-to-be Duke Law Grads. You know who you are.

AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME!!!

It's that time of year folks. Pick your pony and lose your hard-earned cash. My exacta pick this year: Ten Most Wanted 1st-Empire Maker 2nd. If I was actually betting I'd probably bet this ticket as well as the reverse (box it). I would also pick Peace Rules or Indian Express to Show.

Caveat, I WILL BE WRONG ABOUT ALL OF THESE. Despite having spent 4 years in KY, there was only one time that I ever correctly picked an exacta, and it didn't pay that well. I am the worst handicapper of all time. It's a good thing I never bet more than 2 bucks on anything. Post time for the Derby is 6:04 pm. Don't forget that there are races after the Derby (which has always been weird to me, it's almost like having a minor league game in the same stadium right after Game 7 of the World Series).

THE WORST TIME OF THE YEAR

This is the time of the year that I like the least. It's the "everyone else is finished with school, but I still have a take-home exam and a paper to do before monday" time of year. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, though, and it is bright. After Monday, I have about two days to pack the stuff in my house and then I have to be in DC for work on the 12th for my first day.

I am about to go insane with all the stuff I have to worry about, and you all know how much I love to worry.

Sarah is having a shower at Transy tonight. It's our first big gift-getting event, and I am enjoying watching stuff get picked off our Target list. I know that's tacky, but it's something to do.

I have now completed two days of ceramics. Let me just say, watching Ghost a couple million times does not count as experience because this stuff is HARD. Good thing I"m not doing it for a grade. He he he

I'll be going to Durham this weekend to visit Nicholas. I'm hoping some of my relaxed state of mind will wear off but I"m not holding my breath. If anyone needs me tonight dont' bother. An hour long Friends, Madonna on Will & Grace, a new ER AND the Dixie Chicks with Diane Sawyer. It's almost more than I can take. Good thing I dont' have any homework. (I really will stop gloating eventually...say around May 24th.)