Free Cocktails and a New Church

Oh my goodness, how have I let it go this long without an update?? Well, I have lots to tell!

Work is still going very well...I ALMOST got to give a lecture at an NIH Health and Wellness Symposium last week. Unfortunately, due to the cold, nasty weather it got cancelled (yes, it was supposed to be outside). My talk was on "Pain and Injury Prevention with Aging." The symposium got rescheduled to the spring, so I'll be doing it then! Honestly, I was a little relieved when it got cancelled because they sprang it on me at the last minute...but, still pretty excited about the opportunity! Also, I've been talking with this guy that instructs boot camps at NIH and possibly might start teaching those!! All kinds of opportunities popping up!

Kelsie, Bekah, and Lolli came to visit about a week and a half ago...I was so happy to see them! We packed about as much as anyone can in the few days they were here! A few highlights: we went to a fancy sushi restaurant and ended up getting a free round of drinks and edamame, because they forgot to bring our appetizer! Our check went from $100 to $50!!! Um, you can forget my edamame anytime.

We also made a spur of the moment decision to go to New York for a day. It's about 4 hours from DC, so we took advantage of it. We drove to stay with Lolli's relatives in New Jersey on Sunday night, and took a train into Manhattan Monday morning. This is what we did in the 6 hours we were there: arrived at Penn Station, walked to Times Square, ate lunch at the Roxy in Times Square, took a subway to Chinatown, shopped/walked down Canal St. (I got an awesomely fake Burberry scarf for $5), walked halfway across the Brooklyn Bridge, walked to Ground Zero, took a subway up to Chelsea/Meatpacking District, walked around there, then walked back to Madison Square Garden/Penn Station and caught a train back to New Jersey! I was definitely exhausted...but we drove back to DC that same night after we ate dinner with her relatives. It was such an awesome weekend!

My housemate, Sarah, and I found a church a couple Sundays ago. We googled churches in Bethesda, and it came up with The Church of Bethesda...why didn't I think of that name? So the website seemed contemporary enough so we decided to check it out. The service was great, but the really awesome/exciting thing was a dinner we went to Friday night. It was at one of the girl's apartments and there was about 15 people there from ages 22-30...young crowd. I have never had so much fun with a group of people I just met! The dinner started at 6:30pm...Sarah and I didn't leave until 12:30am! It felt like I'd known these people for a long time...I have really needed a good push and motivation to get plugged into a church up here, and God provided! I can't believe how blessed I've been since I moved up here...God just keeps on providing. He can't make it any more clear that He wants me here right now. Amazing!...So, uh, God...don't you think it's about time for a guy? :)

I love fitness center stories!...

-There are these two asian girls that work out at the fitness center, who always come together. I've never seen one without the other. Whenever they workout, they do everything exactly the same! I watch them and think "Stop synchronizing your crunches...this isn't the olympics! We know you guys are good at everything!" They get their little mats, lay them side-by-side, and execute their rou-...I mean, workout perfectly! I swear they run on the treadmill at the same speed, feet striking the belt at the same pace, in sync! And they slow down at the same time! I honestly feel like I'm on Candid Camera. Why are they doing this??...Nonetheless, I'd give 'em a 10 for synchronization....about a 7 for difficulty.

-I was talking to one of the older ladies that comes into the gym (Vivian, if you remember her from an earlier story) the other day. On her way out she told me that she liked my "top knot." Noticing my confused expression, she pointed to my hair and said, "your top knot." My hair was in a completely un-fancy, messy bun (how it usually is when it's up). I now call it my top knot.