An Unforgettable Summer: Light Up the Sky

7/5/10

Location: Arlington, VA/Washington D.C. area

Fourth of July tonight in the nation’s capital. It was absolutely…dazzling. Is there any other way to describe the flare of shining white gold, twinkling royal blue, and shimmering brilliant pink flashing across the dark night sky over the illuminated white Capitol and gallant tower of the Washington Monument? The fireworks and the layers of instruments in the music of the National Symphony built into a simultaneous powerful crescendo of light and sound in the air…maybe that sounds cheesy, but really, that’s what it was like. It was just stunning and I was able to view the entire spectacle from my 10th floor apartment with my family.

My family is visiting me in DC this week and it’s been a little rough. Being a tourist is stressful. The daily back and forth about where and when to go and how to get there combined with the heat (over 100 degrees a couple of days!) and people wears on all of us and I’ll be honest and say our tempers have gotten the best of us a few times. I don’t know if it was the brilliant display of light, or the laidback feel of Darius Rucker’s “Alright” (love that song), or the beer and Mike’s Hard that took the edge off for us but all I knew is that we all were a little more relaxed and little more aware that all we have is each other and while we drive each other crazy sometimes, we share more with one another than anyone else on the planet and we would be lost without each other to rely on. I love my family more than anything, but I know I take them for granted sometimes. Here’s to cutting the fuse on my fiery temper and tossing that stick of dynamite out the window. The phrase “life’s too short to be anything but happy,” is a little unrealistic for me because I’ve lived long enough to know that not everything in this world is good. I prefer “Life is too short not to make the best and most of everything that comes your way everyday.”-Sasha Azevedo

CONT. 7/12/10

Besides the big Capitol Fourth celebration, I gave my first solo tour of the Capitol to my family, and we visited the National Archives, many museums (Smithsonians of Air & Space, American History, Natural History, the Spy Museum, the Newseum, the Holocaust Museum…you get the idea. A lot of museums.), the Washington National Cathedral, and completed a night tour of all of the monuments and memorials. Some of the monuments I hadn’t revisited since I was here in high school in 2006, so it was good to see those again and the monuments and memorials look heavenly at night. They really take on a different air and I loved seeing how the Lincoln Memorial lit up like a gold treasure box on a pedestal and how life-like the Korean War Veterans Memorial’s soldier statues looked in the green shrubbery around them against a pink and orange streaked sky. I still think the Capitol is the most beautiful building in the city. I see it every weekday, but it still leaves me in awe whenever I see it.

Washington, D.C. is a wonderfully historic city, but the areas are as well. I’ve spent a few weekends in Georgetown, the famous neighborhood in NW D.C. that used to be the stomping grounds of John and Jackie Kennedy. It’s home to many retailers, both those whose items I can afford (H&M, Urban Outfitters) and those I cannot (Chanel, Coach). It also is home to the famous Georgetown Cupcake, one awesome little cupcake shop that makes cupcakes so damn good, they now have their own show on TLC (DC Cupcakes). You know that if you have your own show on TLC, you’re good. Well, if you are not Kate Gosselin that is. My family and our family friend Bob and my friends Whitney and Michelle ate at a place called Farmers & Fishers on the waterfront of the Potomac in Georgetown and it’s actually owned by the North Dakota Farmers Union. Needless to say, I was a little disappointed because there’s not much for Midwestern fare (although they do use ND wheat, durum, etc. in most dishes) and you do not get a discount for being from North Dakota or associated with the Farmers Union. Two and half stars.

Another cool area is Old Town in Alexandria, VA. Old Town is the “historic center” of Alexandria according to Wikipedia, and if narrow cobblestone streets that date back to the 18th century is historic to you, then I guess that is correct. All I know is that they also have cool shops like Georgetown, but they have much better places to eat, IMHO. We ate at the Chart House on the waterfront in Old Town, and it was way better than Farmers & Fishers. I ate there with Bob in 2008 too when I was in D.C. for Obama’s Inauguration, and I reprised my favorite blue crab cheese dip with French bread. Superb. For main course, the best Maryland crab cakes on the planet. Four and a half stars.

After my family left, my high school friend Julie was in town for a convention so I got to do some fun D.C. stuff with her, too. It was wonderful to catch up with familiar people, and my boyfriend, Jake (since I'll see him twice in four months, I really miss him!) is coming to visit me in August to help me and D.C. friends celebrate my 21st birthday! I can’t wait for my first drink.;) Well, first legal drink, yes, but still something to be celebrated. Especially for a youngin like me—it’s not fun to do everything last, months after your peers have gotten their driver’s license, voted and bought lottery tickets (not jealous of the smokers whatsoever), and been able to go out to the bars. My mother tells me I’ll like being younger more after I am over the hill…ehh, maybe. I don’t really want to think about that, anyway!

In other news, internship is going well, GRE prep is going alright, and my tan is building slowly. My family is getting a new puppy in October and he’s as cute as a button. You can see him and his sibs here. His name is Ace and I’m sure I’ll love him, but no one will replace Rex for me. Especially since I rarely am home, Ace will hardly get to know me. Nonetheless, I look forward to meeting the golden red furball. Oh! And Whitney and I are planning a trip to New York to visit Michelle, which I am also very excited for. A weekend for Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Central Park, and just being in the city that never sleeps? I’ll take it.

Thanks for being patient with me with my sporadic updates lately. Hopefully, some people are still around to read this. Well it’s 10:00 P.M…good night!