On: Goodbye, My Old Friend...

Alright kids.

The time has come to transition! Jon and I have joined forces (and by "forces" I mean "blogs") and created our own webpage! Now, instead of keeping you updated through Blogger, you can check out our latest happenings/thoughts on:

www.teampagan.com

Please feel free to check it out!

I won't be updating this blog anymore, but I'm also not going to delete it. Archives, you're safe in the Blogger...archives.

Blogger, we've had a good run. You had all the right moves, all the right words. We shared some laughs. We'll stay in touch--you know, we'll write. Our kids will play on the same soccer team someday. You'll see. You will surely be missed, but we're pumped about our new site (and we hope you are too).

We wish you nothing but happiness, Blogger.

Thanks for all the good times.

With much love,
Team Pagan

On: Newest Fashion Accessory

This has been the best allergy season I've ever experienced. I don't mean to salt the wounds of those of you who are assaulted by your local pollens, but this is the first Spring that hasn't sent me into fits of sneezing! Yes! Thank you allergy shots!

However, the one thing my allergy shots are powerless against are... bees. Virginia has exploded with flowers in the last few weeks, and where there are flowers, there are bees. I'm pretty sure this premise was the inspiration for Field of Dreams : if you blossom, they will come.

=

Look at them... so smug.

We can't forget the return of the Cicada Killer Wasps at Georgetown either:


Since I have never been stung, Jon and I decided that asking my doctor about an Epi Pen would be a good decision. During my last visit, he agreed that having one on hand would be a good idea anyway, because of the peanut allergy.

So after a "quick" trip to the pharmacy (I know few trips to the pharmacy that are quick--the poor pharmacy techs deserve some kind of medal, or hazard pay for some of the surly customers they have to help), I am now the owner of an Epi pen. Huzzah.

On: Sunday! Hallelujah!

I think this is the first Easter that has really resonated with me.

Don't get me wrong, I have understood the significance of Easter--the meaning behind the holiday. For some reason, this year, Easter seemed more significant.

I was pumped to wake up this morning, knowing that in a few hours, we would be singing with thousands of other people, celebrating the resurrection of the man who gave his life for my benefit. For your benefit. This morning, it made total sense: this is the most significant event in the history of the world.

Yesterday, Jon and I were reading Luke's account of the resurrection, but this morning, I couldn't help thinking about 1 Timothy 1:15--

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst.

I feel you, Paul.

Perhaps it's because I'm a little older now. With age comes the opportunity to make mistakes--and I've made some really spectacular mistakes. The good news is that God always (yes, ALWAYS) reserves the right to show mercy and compassion. The good news is that Christ came to save me, in spite of my mistakes. How much more thankful I feel, now, knowing that Christ destroyed the junk in my life and is alive, because nothing is too overwhelming for him. He makes things right. That's a reality worthy of singing. Loudly.

I had such a good time watching our choir this morning--a rainbow of faces. Lovely Asian women, unafraid of busting a move while they sung, beautiful Indian women in brightly colored saris, young, old, all singing at the top of their lungs. I wanted to explode, it was so powerful. "He's alive! Alive! Alive hallelujah! Alive! Praise and glory to the Lamb! Alive! Alive! Alive hallelujah! Alive forever amen!"

As our service drew to a close, Lon (our pastor) raised an important question: who's buried in Christ's tomb? I'm sure you've heard the joke, "who's buried in Grant's tomb?" The answer to the previous question is one that--I'm embarrassed to admit--I have never really stopped to ponder until this morning. The answer is a resounding: NO ONE! Is anyone else blown away by this? I know I am. Our sermon closed this morning with a quote that I thought was amusing, "Follow a dead savior, and you'll end up just like him (or her, to be PC)." Oh snap.

I love knowing that our savior is alive and attentive.

He is risen indeed.

What is she talking about? Has she finally lost it? See: Matthew 28:1-7, or Mark 16:1-8, or John 20:1-9, or Luke 24.

On: Come back with our tire, or on it...

(For those of you who haven't seen 300, this line was taken from a scene in the movie where Queen Gorgo tells Leonidas-before he marches off to fight Xerxes and his army-to 'Come back with your shield, or on it.')

This past weekend was what you might call our "acquisition" weekend. Nay, an acquisitional fortnight!

In an effort to make our humble abode feel more homey, Jon and I have taken the last couple of weeks to scour the greater DC area for the best home accessory bargains. I'm happy to report that we found some pretty great deals--soon we will have MUCH more seating space, our walls won't be completely blank, and we are able to watch movies on more than a 13" laptop. Our backs and eyes are so thankful.

Howeva, as we were driving home from Woodbridge, chatting about what a great weekend we were having, our conversation was interrupted by what sounded like a helicopter attempting to race us onto the freeway...

Que blown tire.

Indeed, we ran over something that completely obliterated our right rear tire. It was decidedly flat. Jon proceeded to change it like a champ and the following day he went looking for a replacement. We didn't really anticipate purchasing a tire during the Pagan Acquisition Fest, 2009, but these things happen.

Tire aside, the Pagan piazza is coming together, slowly, but surely! Pictures to come soon!

On: Stitches...

Since Jon entered the SMP, he's had to study a lot (and by a lot, I mean several hours a week). We've also been making a concerted effort to be good stewards of our finances...not always an easy task --I am the reigning queen of the impulse buy. Considering the heavy work loads and our new-found frugality, I think I've finally come upon a hobby that is easy on our wallets AND helps to pass the time while Jon is learning how to save lives.

I have decided to try my hand at sewing. It's a relatively inexpensive amusement, and because I'm such a newb (I've ripped out my fair share of seams), I can keep myself occupied for long periods of time.

I'm currently working on a shirt! Yes, an average, long-sleeved shirt. The pattern insists that it's a "tunic," but I've found that telling people I'm making a "tunic" elicits some pretty puzzled reactions.

Thus far, I like this hobby. It's therapeutic. (Mostly) straight, consistent lines. I like the cutting and the pinning; I like taking my time. I especially like the ironing. I like the challenge of looking for good sales on fabric. If only I would make more time to enjoy it!

On: 25 on the 25th...

It is official: I am now a quarter of a century old.
The big 2-5.

This post is actually after the fact... I turned 25 on the 25th of February, and now, we're approaching the 25th of March. How does this happen?! I can recall my mom saying, "Time starts to move very quickly after you graduate from high school." Very true, mom, very true.

For as quickly as time seems to be passing, I must say that 25 feels pretty great. God has been extremely good, I'm happily married, wonderful friends and family, and my hair is only slightly more gray than last year (thanks for those genes, dad), and Jon and I are just a few short months away from embarking on the next, great Pagan migration :) Yes. 25, I welcome you. You're alright.

To celebrate my birthday, Jon made the house look amazing, then topped our Friday off with dinner AND cake. On Saturday, we spent the morning playing hex on the subway into DC (if you haven't played hex, it is really fun, and a little frustrating for those of us who aren't exactly gifted strategists), and wandering around the American History Museum until it was time to meet Adrienne and Danial for dinner at the Front Page -- one of my favorite restaurants.

Here are some of the highlights from the birthday weekend:

Breakfast of champions

Stradivarii (apologies, it's a little dark)

Ruby Slippers!

Joe Louis' boxing gloves (every time I hear "Joe Louis," I think of Coming to America)

Creepy doll, the puffy shirt from Seinfeld, Sid Caesar's hat, and Oscar the Grouch

Edison's early light bulb models

Jon and I in the Edison exhibit

Danial and Adrienne at the Front Page


Danial attempting to eat Adrienne's face...

On: Not Diggin' the Time Difference...

Here we are again...

Another night where I'd love to call and chat with west-coast friends, but it's right in the middle of their dinner hour... How does everyone feel about this? Do you all eat dinner between 5pm and 7pm PST?

I'm not diggin' the time difference right now.

On: Just BLOG Already!...

Sometimes I forget that we, you and I, have the freedom to just blog.

I believe I have been stuck in a work-induced funk that inhibits updates like this. In a field that manages delicate client relationships, every word of every conversation and memo has to count; otherwise the relationship is compromised. Example:

"The grantees agreed that securing a facility with computer and internet access for a group training session has been a historically difficult process. In order to reduce the monetary and logistical challenges associated with in-person training sessions, the grantees requested tools that would promote a more autonomous approach to learning the system."

Does every word of this blog have to count? Perhaps. I could attempt to get all philosophical up in this post, but I know too little about philosophy to be totally convincing. This is an area that I'm interested in exploring. I'll save that topic for another post.

Also, I reserve the right to change the sub-purpose of this blog on a per-post basis. This post is kind of like a power cleanse--it's only purpose is to shake the day's memo (that I FINALLY finished) from my thoughts and playfully update you. Loved one.

[Transition]

Excellent. This is really just a stream-of-consciousness post, so props to you for enduring every tanJent!

Fun Weekend Update

This weekend was glorious. Fairfax saw highs in the mid, to upper 60's, so Jon and I totally blew off our professional responsibilities (I had planned to finish the aforementioned memo and Jon had planned to study) to romp in the sunshine. We went for a nice walk, perused movies and electronics at Best Buy, threw balled-up socks at each other, watched movies, went to a fantastic evening service on Sunday night, etc. Also, I put Betty Crocker to SHAME and made home made pitas, hummus, chicken pot pie, and chocolate cup cakes with cream cheese/chocolate chip filling. I am such a happy camper when the sun is shining. I become exponentially happier the longer the sun is out and the longer the temperature hovers between 70 and 90.

Verbalities

Since Jon and I have been writing a lot for work and school, I thought I'd introduce you to some of the more common words and phrases that we've come across as we've proofed each others' work:

• Apparently, I abuse the word, "substantive," especially when paired with, "contributions."
• Then there is the classic Jon Pagan, "from (something) to (something)" statement. I love it! It's in several of his admissions letters.
• There is also the classic Jenn Pagan, "aligns with (someone's) personal, professional, and academic goals."
  

More to Come...

I'm going to make a concerted effort to update more often. There has been so much going on and I haven't recorded any of it! Beyond that, I've lost the adapter for the memory card in our camera, leaving only the printer as a picture extracting device... The down-side of that is that our pictures are loaded onto the mac, which squirrels them away into these bizarre folders and organizes them numerically, not by image.

Anyway. More updates to come. More pictures too.

I hope you are well.

On: Her Morning Elegance (Another Video)...

I know, another video. Commentary on life with the Pagans shall have its day... as soon as I finish this memo.

Non-the-less! Thank you Anna for initially posting this! What a charming performance!

On: She. Pagan.

A few weeks ago I received a letter from my employer informing me that the gender they had on file for me, female, did not match records on file at the Social Security Administration (SSA). They had discovered the error during a routine audit...

So I called the SSA to verify that I am, in fact, female.

Sure enough, their current records indicate that I am:

Jennifer A. Pagan--Male

Crazy, right!?

I suspect that an error was made after the wedding, while I was changing my name... This means that I'll have to pay a visit to our local SSA office with my birth certificate to verify my gender. Yes.

Until then, I remain a dude in the SSA system...

On: Penn Says...

Penn says.

Thanks for the link Jason B!

On: Musts...

Things that I must do:

• Update our blog
• Post/send people pictures
• Banalities around the house
• Narrow down the resolutions
• Make some phone calls
• Write some notes
• Chillax with the Naz
• Congratulate Ben and Cynthia (they're prego!)
• Relinquish my GU smock...
• Call Carol and Katie
• Fill out some paper work
• Do some research
• Find a cheap copy of The End of Reason
• High-five Jon (he's still sick)
  

Etc.

More substantive posts (and pictures... I can't guarantee that all of the pictures will be substantive) to come.