Thanks for your patience...

And another blog post begins. First, let's start with the not-so-hot new that has happened since we've blogged last:

Joe is no longer employed. Our "hey our lives are pretty awesome" streak ran it's course...we figured the whole law school/condo/my job/Joe's job situation was too good to be true, and we were right. It was completely unexpected, but we feel very fortunate that we were not left in a total financial crisis. We are just starting to recognize the effects of a single-income lifestyle, but I think it will be okay. Joe is going to focus on law school for the time being, and we will see what happens. Gosh that sounds delightfully optimistic, doesn't it? :)

Well, now that that's out of the way, let's focus on the super awesome and fun things that have been going on:

I got a new computer at work. It's kind of awesome. I only use about 3% of the features on it, but it works and doesn't freeze up (like my old computer did,) and I look pretty cool using it.

We found the best burger ever. One day Joe met up with me after work, and we were determined to be spontaneous and walk into Georgetown and find a hip place to eat, etc. Unfortunately, about 5 blocks from work it started pouring and we had to run for cover. Luckily, we were right next to the Westend at the Ritz. Joe had just read an article about the chef there and his quest to build the perfect burger. Destiny? Yes. Deliciousness!

I'm making friends at work. Some fun-tastic activities have included: watching the Roller Derby in Baltimore, decorating the office for engagements and birthdays, and currently tin-foiling our boss' office while he is on vacation.

We have had visitors! Some have even stayed over! Ben & Shauna, Marcus, JJ, Abbie & Scott & Ella, and Steve & EB have all seen the new place. It's been so awesome to see familiar faces.

We are taking advantage of our surroundings. DC is full of fun and interesting things. I decided to include an awkward photo of us with comedian Brian Posehn and a car we saw outside of Best Buy. Concerts, restaurants, super-duper liberal people...these are all things we couldn't find in Utah. Well, we could find them, but not so readily. Joe would probably add to this list that we see really cool, expensive cars all the time too :) Every day there is something new and exciting going on out here; you can never get bored.

I'm finally running a 5k. I fell off the wogging wagon for a bit, but am back on track and ready to run a 5k on September 20. Unfortunately, I had to use Joe's OLD employer to sign up for the race, so I'm a little bitter that they get a cut of my registration fee. Oh, well. I decided to include a picture of pre-wogging Brittney; you can't really tell...but that's me taking a nap, in the 2nd bedroom, with a body pillow over my head to drown out any distractions. I've mostly replaced my naps with wogging. Go me!

Joe is an awesome husband. Since our schedules overlap, (lame) I come home to an empty house...an empty, CLEAN house: the beds are made, the sink is empty, and I love it! Joe is 4 days into law school, and working really hard. He's going to do awesome.

One last trip Post

Somewhere in the midwest, we came across another silver 2005 malibu lsv6 that was packed to the top as well. They followed us for a hundred miles or so, and we were buddies. Then we split up, never to see each other again.

Other Notes on the Trip

We left at 4:30pm on Monday, and got in at 6:30AM on Friday. Not bad time, considering we got a late start pretty much every day. Three favorite pictures from the trip: The bugs on the front bumper. The Dale Earnheardt sticker that let us know that Iowa is a special place, and a very ugly piece of artwork at Notre Dame. Oh, and in Pittsburgh, we saw a limousine made out of a Pontiac. Why not?

Home at Last

Finally we got home! Britt did a great job with the condo, and Marcus earned a lifetime pass for driving with me, and saving us with the changing of the tire. We drove about 2,200 miles, spent about $400 on gas, got good mileage, saw friends and family, and had a lot of fun. Mostly, we got to see how cool America is, and how lucky we are to live here.

Flat Tire

After Pittsburgh, we drove a few miles and we were home! Just kidding, we blew out a tire, in the middle of nowhere at 2 in the morning. Luckily Marcus was able to put on our spare, and the spare was good for 3,000 miles, according to the owner's manual. So we drove 60 the rest of the way home.

Pittsburgh

We decided to stop in Pittsburgh on our way home. I was really impressed with Pittsburgh, it seems like a really cool city. The baseball stadium was amazing.

Indiana

After Iowa, we went to Indiana, where we got to see Notre Dame, see Jacob Smith, and see where Marcus lived on his mission.

Iowa

The next stop on out trip was Iowa, where we got to stay with Greg, Tiffany, and Jakob! We also got to get our fix of Halo and Fuddrucker's, two of the cornerstones for a healthy life. Thanks to the Welches for having us!

Nebrasksa

I am not making this up: Western Nebraska smells just like the inside of a Coldstone Creamery. I have no idea why a whole half of a state would smell like an ice cream store, but it does. In Nebraska we stopped in Lincoln, in honor of Grandfather Cramer, and saw the state capitol and massive football stadium.

First Stop, Denver

Good to see Wray and Natalie, and their soon to be baby. Many thanks for letting us stay at your place.

Packing up the Malibu

When it was time to make the drive from Utah to DC, I knew I could count on the trusty Malibu. GM's stock may have lost 15 billion this quarter, but it's not because the 2005 Malibu Maxx LSV6 is no good. We packed it full and headed east!