On: Butterfield's Lullaby...

When we lived in Davis, there were nights where we would hear the barn owl that lived in the tree by our bedroom window. We never actually saw the owl, but we could hear him (or her) some nights before we went to bed. It would make these beautiful noises--one of my favorite memories about living in Davis.

Since moving to DC, I can't say that we've heard any owls, but we do have a bugler.

Several nights out of the week, between 10:00 and 11:00 pm, we have the pleasure of hearing our bugler play the city to sleep with a singularly beautiful and appropriate rendition of Taps.

I'd love to think that this was his sole purpose for performing so late in the evening, and in such ridiculously cold weather. The reality of the situation, I've discovered, is that this anthem is the conclusion of military burials. Whenever a man is buried with military honors anywhere in the United States, the ceremony is concluded by firing three volleys of musketry over the grave, and sounding with the trumpet or bugle "Put out the lights. Go to sleep." The reason we can hear so clearly is that we keep our windows open at night, and we live just across the highway from Arlington National Cemetery. I'm sorry to say that these types of ceremonies are performed between 20 and 30 times a day there.

As sad as it is to think about the sacrifices that merit these ceremonies, the lyrics to this melody are actually really comforting. There are men protecting us from people that want to inflict serious harm on our country, and potentially our current city. There is also this musician who takes the time to remind us of these men, and of God's presence and protection (there are a few renditions, but I like this one):

"Fading light dims the sight,
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright.
From afar drawing nigh -- Falls the night.

"Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills, from the sky.
All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

"Then good night, peaceful night,
Till the light of the dawn shineth bright,
God is near, do not fear -- Friend, good night."

On: Pocket Fisherman and Cleaning Products...

I'm not sure how it's happened; I may have entered my email address on one-too-many internet sites... Whatever the reason, my spam folder has filtered dozens of spam emails over the last couple of months. I'll have to be more vigilant in the future.

Some of them are a kind of funny though. Some developer is creating an ad right now for the pocket fisherman, hoping that someone will open it and discover that their fishing experiences have been incomplete, and inefficient up until now. They're competing, of course, with the inventors of the ShamWow, the Nigerian mail scam, the PediPaws, Smoke Start--The healthy alternative to smoking, the Loud N Clear, and a waterproof razor called the Micro Force.

Part of me feels compelled to invent a micro fisherman, or a Macro Force... Take THAT spammers.

On: Plenty to be Thankful for...

(I am taking an artistic liberty with the title).

Thanksgiving indeed.

You can imagine how thankful we felt after reading the following:

"Dear Mr. Pagan,
The members of the Committee on Admissions of the UIC College of Medicine join me in extending you an offer to be a member of the Class of 2013."

That's right! After years of hard work, Jon has been accepted to med school!!!! I'm so proud I can hardly stand it.

We got the news on Friday evening, but I'll back-track for a moment to fill you in on the Thanksgiving festivities as well.

Jon and I celebrated Thanksgiving at our friends' house on Thursday. Very nice. Our friends introduced us to their light oven and I learned how to play Nertz.

Then, we bundled up and went to the theater to see Australia.
What a beautifully made movie.

On Friday, we celebrated Thanksgiving again, at home.

Items featured on the Pagan menu (above), rolls, cranberry and gravy not captured.

This year, we decided to implement two new traditions:
1. During the holidays, there is no limit to the amount of butter the chef may use.
2. During the holidays, there is no limit to the amount of food you may consume.

As with any tradition founded upon gluttony, there were consequences:
The results of exceeding capacity.

I'm happy to say that we recovered in time to venture out that evening, (our first Black Friday experience in the DC metro area), and explored some of the "deals," that are only available the day after Thanksgiving. 7:00 PM and the malls were still packed. Amazing.

Later that evening, we received notice that Jon had been accepted to UIC med school. We both went nuts. I won't lie, there was a lot of kissing. And after months of anticipation, Jon finally exhaled.

So yes, we are extremely thankful this year. Thank God, really, for these tremendous opportunities, the dynamic adventures, our marriage and friendship, supportive families and friends, and His constant provision.

And mittens.

Warm hands make for happy Pagans.
May need something a little thicker for Chicago...

On: NASA Doesn't Make a Suit for That...

Today was a bit of a "weight of the world," day.

By 4:30 I was wishing for sweet silence, or some type of NASA regalia that would insulate me from the craziness of work. I wanted to be as Buzz.

Instead, I left at 6:00, looking forward to evening Jon time. This was a day that would constitute, at the very least, a tiny rant. So during the drive home, I prepared my most pitiful account of the day's happenings.

I'm sorry to say that, after arriving home, I did rant. But I was quickly defused.

Jon had cleaned the entire Pagan piazza. Deep cleaned. On top of that, he had made our favorite cookies, started dinner AND cued up the newest episode of House for us to watch. Jealous? Oh yeah, he's that awesome.

It's a wonderful thing to have a mate who knows how to help you decompress. It's like having your own personal bomb squad--ready to disarm the stress that can cloud your perspective and take your eye off the bigger picture.

On: Mr. Zazharias...

I have recently become a fan of the messages expounded by Ravi Zacharias and his team at RZIM. Before dedicating an entire post to these messages, I thought it would be best to listen to a number of his presentations--you know, just in case he turned out to be an unblogworthy nut-job.

Quite the contrary.

As if our blog were that cool.

If you're in the mood for some rigorous mental calisthenics, I encourage you to take a listen. There are two radio broadcasts that provide extremely insightful commentary on some of the most honest and intimidating questions that, I would wager, you have asked yourself or others at some point in time.

Broadcast numero uno: Just Thinking
http://www.rzim.org/USA/Resources/Listen/JustThinking.aspx

Some of my favorites--
Absolute Truth in Relative Terms
Any of the Q and A sessions
The Relevance of the Trinity


Broadcast numero dos: Let My People Think
http://www.rzim.org/USA/Resources/Listen/LetMyPeopleThink.aspx

Some of my favorites--
The Top 5 Questions (If you don't listen to any others, I highly recommend this series)
A Fish out of Water
Divided Heart Divided Home

I will admit that I generally fast-forward through the commentary before and after these presentations, but there is certainly nothing wrong with them.

This is not an attempt to sneak some Jesus into your life, like some mothers who attempt to sneak cauliflower into their children's mashed potatoes... Nay. These links provide resources to some fantastic questions and equally fantastic and thought-provoking answers.

Lastly, an interesting excerpt if you choose to read it, it is long: http://www.rzim.org/GlobalElements/GFV/tabid/449/ArticleID/10100/CBModuleId/881/Default.aspx

On: Thought Provoking...

People on the streets of DC explain who they think Jesus is. Thoughts?

On: Date Night...

We are blessed with very full weeks.

At a time when some people are struggling to find work, or pay their bills, Jon is studying to become a doctor and I am working for an office that does helpful work and gives me free cookies once a week... Sometimes I forget how fantastic our situation is--usually when the hours start to feel too long, or when Jon has to study late. Admittedly, we aren't those people that have to schedule time to see each other, but the work/school week can take up a lot of our time.

At the end of each week, however, lies a beacon of hope: Date Night. I can rest assured that every Friday or Saturday night, Jon and I will go out and do something that is related to neither work, nor school. Sometimes it's as simple as grocery shopping. Sometimes it's renting a movie. Sometimes it's swinging by the book store to drink tea and read about hormonal imbalances, the economy, planning for a successful retirement, Dante's Inferno, and the best hair cuts for people with oval-shaped faces all in one sitting. Sometimes it's ice-cream. The point of date night is just to go out, have a good time, and re-charge with some quality face time. We love the Date Night.

Recently, Jon surprised me with symphony tickets--Schumann Date Night. What an incredible evening:) Lovely dinner, Peer Gynt, followed by 8+ hours of uninterrupted sleep. Beautiful.

On: Jon's 25th--Team Pagan Goes Apple Picking!

Since it's been several weeks since our last post, I'm a little overwhelmed by the amount of things to be blogged... Let's start off simply with bullets and links:)

So much has happened since our last post:

• We celebrated our first anniversary in September!
• In honor of Jon's 25th birthday, we went apple picking in the Shenandoah Valley--very beautiful.
• Jon flew to Chicago and back for a med school interview.
• November 1st marked the first day of Christmas music listening in the Pagan piazza.
  

There is certainly more to discuss, but for now, I've added a link to an album (right side of the screen) for your viewing pleasure.

On: Run With It...

Over the last month, something miraculous has happened. By the grace of God alone, I have taken to waking up before the sun rises (most of the time), clumsily fighting my way into my yoga pants and sweat shirt (in the dark so as not to wake Jon), and walking down to our complex's work-out facility (often times with very interesting and provoked-looking hair) to run/walk before work.

I truly think this is a sign of aging... In college I never would have dreamed of working out in the morning before class. I also never went to bed before 11:00. Now, the pendulum is beginning to swing in the other direction. Being married means that your body isn't your own to abuse with caffeine and sleep deprivation anymore. Also, I knew it was only a matter of time before years of sitting (in class, at work, in the car) would catch up with me and start to alter both shape and posture. And another thing-- I have suddenly become a "miss" or worse, a "ma'am" to most teen-aged restaurant hostesses now. All motivation to drag my bum out of bed in the morning and stay healthy.

So now it's been several months of multi-vitamins and more whole grains, fruits and veggies. More recently the treadmill has become less of a mockery of my coordination and more of a friend (the ipod helps). And you know, I think I thrive on the endorphins! I feel more awake in the morning, I feel more pleasant, and I have more energy! This makes for a happier, more productive home and work Jenn.

Jon is a distance runner, so I still have a ways to go before I can keep up with him, but this is a good start. Would you believe also that he is eating leafy greens and other colorful veggies!? That's right! Attempting to eat well and stay fit: evidence that we are getting older. Hopefully the pendulum doesn't swing too far...

Seventies, you and the wife retire to Fort Lauderdale, you start eating dinner at two, lunch around ten, breakfast the night before. And you spend most of your time wandering around malls looking for the ultimate in soft yogurt...

--Billy Crystal
City Slickers

On: Space...

Before we moved, Jon and I were trying hard to consider the adjustments we would have to make given the amount of space we would be living in for the next year. We decided that brain-storming would be easier with resources. So we did what any couple with limited space and a budget would do--we went to Ikea.

Phase 1: Strategery

We are practical people, but Ikea doesn't mess around with space saving.

Nor does Target mess around with tiny adult-looking chairs for small people.

Phase 2: Ponder

This was our life, in 336 cubic feet:

And then we flew across the country and waited for our things to arrive--just a couple of days. It gave us a chance to ponder how we would explore our new surroundings and how we would arrange our new living space:

Phase 3: Organize/Execute!
(This is still a work in progress)

I would love to say that we're completely unpacked and settled in, but for the moment I can't. This is our living space now. As you can see, we have some more decorating to do. It will happen. This is our place as of this past weekend:

View from the front door.

View from the kitchen doorway.

View from the kitchen.

View from our window.

We love our space, and soon, it will have more character!

On: I think it's the humidity...

DC is a dynamic place to live. This is true. I know we've raved about the beautiful views and fun outings, but for the sake of objectivity, I think I should share some of the more unusual elements of DC that we encounter more often than we'd like...

I give you:
the cicada. Disgusting, I know. They are everywhere... How do I know this? You can hear them practically anywhere you go (especially around heavily wooded areas). Cicada's sound like nature's sprinklers. It's not a terrible sound, and really, they can be very relaxing to listen to in the evenings. But, they sound a lot less calming after you see one... Seriously, this isn't an insect, it's an alien. Jon and I have only seen a few of them--all dead--most likely because of the next prehistoric-looking insect...

I have to scoot the lappy away from me, these things evoke a lot of anxiety... Meet the cicada killer wasp. This is an African breed of wasp that is commonly found in the Georgetown/Arlington area... Are these not the craziest beasts you've ever seen? Apparently, they're only deadly to cicada. Also, from what I've read, the males are harmless and the females will only attack humans if provoked. What a relief right? Next time I encounter one, I'll simply ask its gender, politely, in its native African tongue...

So there you have it... Some of the animals that, on paper, are completely harmless. If you were to ask me, I would insist that these things are waiting for the opportunity to attack us from the air and devour us.

On: Evidence...

Hmm... I wonder if Jon has been here... (Image of lecture notes posted on our bathroom wall).

On: First Days...

Last Monday (the 4th) marked my first day of work, and Monday (11th) marked Jon's first day of class.

We are officially "full time."

This change in status makes for relatively full days, but exciting days none-the-less. I take that back, our days were full and exciting before any of this came to fruition, it's just that our days are full of work now.

Allow me to paint you a picture with my summary brush:

I really like my job with consulting firm. I'm currently working within the Federal Human Services division in the Children, Youth and Family group on a project that helps low-income families save for, and purchase assets (homes, small businesses, or education). The firm has about 130 employees and it's been around for over 30 years. Also, from what it looks like, I will be working between 45-50 hours/week. Ah yes, since this is not a government gig, all bets are off regarding over-time:) In the grand scheme of things, this is not bad, AND, there are cool perks:

• I enjoy the work
• I have my own, small office
• Every Tuesday we're provided with free bagels & shmear from Manhattan Bagel!
• Every Wednesday the company offers massages for a small fee.
• Every Thursday we're provided with free cookies from Mrs. Fields(!!!!)
• Great benefits/time off
• Cool co-workers
• There seems to be free food everywhere, much of the time

And Jon? His first week has been, well, very academic (as you can imagine). Because of the change in curriculum, his schedule has been (and will continue to be) a little schizophrenic. He has classes five days a week, but none of the classes are scheduled at the same time each week--if that makes any sense... Molecular and Cellular Physiology (MCP) from 9-12 on Monday during week one, may fall from 9-11, then 1-2 on Monday of week two. Fortunately, he's developed a very strategic study schedule and has been flexing his organizational muscles, so all is well. This present term, covering MCP lasts until September 5. The following term starts up again the following week-- Metabolism and Signal Transduction. From what I've seen of the material, it looks VERY exciting. The human body is both amazing and disgusting. :)

The transition for both of us, from gainfully un-employed to super-full-time student/employee, has demanded that we both make the most of our time. This means being extremely diligent at work and school to ensure that we have time in the evening to hang out with each other and relax. I think it is safe to say that this is the most organized either one of us has ever been. Ever. It feels good:)

On: Down at Fraggle Rock...

A few days ago we ventured down to the American History Museum to see Jim Henson's Fantastic World--an exhibit honoring the 50th anniversary of the Muppets. Why? Because in the late 80's/early 90's we grew up on Sesame Street and were down with Fraggle Rock!

This particular exhibit housed a lot of the muppets that were made famous on "The Muppet Show" (like Mahna Mahna, Doctor Teeth), "Sesame Street" (Bert & Ernie and of course, Kermit), "Fraggle Rock" (the doozers, Red and Cantus), and "The Dark Crystal." They had also displayed a lot of Jim Henson's original sketches, posters and ideas for shows.

The truly sweet thing about the whole experience was watching the adults enjoy the exhibit (I know we did). Most of the children there hadn't gone under their own volition, the parents were excited to go and see figures from their childhood under glass. It's fun to be in a room full of adults who all light up at the sound of a familiar theme song--"It's time to play the music! It's time to light the lights!" Good stuff. Grown men sitting on tiny stools next to their kids reading books and drawing pictures.

On: Ms. Rowling would be proud, Our digs, and the Newest member of the Pagan family...

This will be a bit of "DC in Review," mostly documented by pictures.

Primero: Welcome to Hogwarts--I mean, Georgetown...
This is the view of GU as seen on the Key Bridge (the bridge that crosses the Potomac, connecting Arlington & Georgetown)

I half expected to see "Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus" etched above the doors of Healy Hall. I can't say that I've read any of the H.P. books, but after doing some substantive research, I dare say it looks a bit like... Well, I'll let you be the judge:


vs.


Blessed indeed. This is where Jon gets to learn for the next year. Classes begin in ten days, so there will be more to update then.

Segundo: River Place

This is the building in which we live!
Gotta love the bricks. This place is nice and reasonably quiet--offset enough from Washington, DC so as not to be RIGHT in the middle of everything, but close enough to the city to enjoy it when we want to. It's also just two blocks away from a metro station, so we're a short ride away from all of the museums/restaurants/excitement. We're also a three minute drive away from the Pentagon and other cool monuments.

This is the view from our parking spot (Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol in the background). Very cool.

We're still organizing the apartment, but once it's done, we'll post more pics.

Tercero: Gainfully Employed!

As I had mentioned in a previous blog, I start working at my new job on Monday! Last week I accepted a position with a consulting firm that is about ten miles from our place here in Arlington. I am very excited... They do helpful work, I start at 9:00, AND they observe casual Fridays (and by "casual" I mean they wear jeans)!

And to get to this new job/around DC...

We are the proud owners of a new car! Again, so blessed and so excited!

A serious thanks to everyone who has been praying for us. We have had a great transition and on top of all of this--cool apartment, beautiful campus, great new job and smooth wheels.

On: Glasses...

Showin' off the specs... That's all...

On: Prepare! I found some pictures and I want to blog as much as possible before I start work on Monday!

Warning: Possible Thunder Showers...


Last week Jon and I met up with some friends for dinner in Georgetown. As we were walking back home across the Key Bridge, we exchanged some, "I think it's starting to sprinkle," s. Before we were half-way across, the heavens opened up and dumped several thousands of gallons of water all over the DC metro area... and us.

No joke, it was like the scene in Forrest Gump where Tom Hanks is describing, "big ol' fat rain."

On the brighter side, it was warm outside, which made things nicer. Jon and I raced back home, laughing hysterically, soaking wet and squishing around in our shoes. Welcome to DC.

After getting into the elevator to get back to our place to dry off, one of the people next to us smiled and said, "They just sneak up on you sometimes." Good memories:)

One of my favorites:

On: Geeks...

Our beloved lappy with all of our pictures on it recently decided to stop working...

Thankfully, we live near a Best Buy. We've given the lappy to the Geek Squad with the hope that they can revive it. I'm sure they can.

Once it's up and running, more pictures and posts of what we've been doing here in DC!

On: JPs in DC...

After two weeks of "good-byes" and a few tearful moments, Jon and I boarded our red-eye and headed off to DC (Arlington, VA, to be exact).

We flew out Monday night, landed in New York the following morning, then landed in DC on Tuesday around mid morning. They were some of the least hectic flights we've ever had--no lost or "abandoned" luggage, no crazy plane acrobatics, no offensive perfume. Excellent.

On Wednesday we rented a truck from a very helpful Jeremy and iphoned our way to the pick up sight in Maryland to retrieve our relo-cube. After unloading the cube and re-loading our life into the truck, we noted only minimal damage to some of our things: chipped mirror, gauged dresser, broken cirque du soleil mug, dirty couch--nothing outrageous. Then we drove back to Arlington, making sure that we didn't take the wrong highways that didn't allow trucks...tricky. Next came another round of unpacking and hauling all of our things up to our new place. Since we live on the ninth floor, we were singing the praises of the freight elevator and hand truck that made our move much, much easier.

Now we're just in the process of unpacking and organizing! As some of you may know, our place is small, but we've discovered that it's very cool. More pictures to come once we put everything away. For now, this is a picture that a kind Japanese lady snapped for us in the Sacramento airport--we actually ended up sitting next to her on the plane.

(This is us awake for many, many hours).

On: "It's good..."

Oh my gosh... Some friends of ours recommended "Enchanted" as a movie to add to our netflix queue. Sweet movie, although I think this scene is our favorite. Listen for, "It's good..." We can't say these two words without laughing now.

On: Bon Voyage BSA...

July 3, 2008 was my last day at the BSA. I have to say that I had the pleasure of working with the best co-workers I've ever had. Also, I sat in the greatest cube of all cubedom-- they (cubies) took the liberty of strategically hiding Big and Small (the wooden drawing figures) on day the last... Very sweet.

Admittedly, the last eight hours were full, but not hectic. It was actually a very special day, full of Cilantro's and toasting frozen yogurt with J, L and M. Every office should have a J, L and M--the thought of not seeing them during the work week anymore is very sad...


And so the last day came and went. I filled out the paperwork. I said my goodbyes. I caught the 43 (Davis Express Bus) one last time, and then I walked home listening to Collin Hay, Ben Folds and Paul Simon--while humming. Then I sat down and took in the days events, trying to digest the fact that the following week, I would not be going back to the office. To a degree, I still feel like I'm just enjoying a long weekend... [Photo illustrates some of the contents of my desk that I carted home like a crazy person--or a person who forgot to bring a box for the contents of her desk on the last day of work].

On: Happy Birthday America. And Matt...

Happy fourth of July from Team Pagan!!!

I believe that God created our balcony just so that we could have the best view (in Davis) of sunsets and fireworks...

Proud to call the U-S-of-A home? You bet we are:) To all of our friends (and those we don't know) in the service, thank you.

Today also happens to be my brother's birthday, so I thought I would take a moment to acknowledge him and the celebrities with whom he shares this special day:

1. (*My favorite*)Giraldo Rivera
2. George Steinbrenner
3. Ann Landers
4. Rube Goldberg
5. Calvin Coolidge
6. Abigail Van Buren
7. Louis Armstrong
8. Nathaniel Hawthorne
9. Matt (standing)
   
10. The USA (According to Leon, it's actually July 2)