Serendipity

This weekend Adam and I headed home for my sister Sally's baby shower! It was wonderful and I think Baby Birm will be the best dressed little boy around when he arrives in May. I will try to post some pictures from the shower tonight.

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day, so we decided to take the scenic route home. While we were driving, we were talking about how much fun it would be to have a really cute sporty car to drive around on nice weekend afternoons. Adam said that his dream car would be a 1970 orange Corvette.

When we were about 20 minutes from our apartment, we were driving along and all of the sudden I saw an orange Corvette for sale by owner in a vacant parking lot. I thought Adam was going to crash my car as he u-turned and headed back for his dream ride. Turns out it is the exact one he was describing to me. He checked it out for about 20 minutes while I took some pictures. He put the guy's phone number in his phone and called him later to find out that the car is $21,000.00.

I wish that I could magically write a check for $21,000.00 and have that car sitting in the parking lot with a big bow on it when he gets home from work tonight, but for right now I think he'll have to keep dreaming.

Spring has sprung?

If you would've asked me a month ago if I thought spring was ever going to make an appearance in Baltimore, I would've been hesitant to say yes. If you ask me today, on this absolutely gorgeous, 60-degree, blue-skied and sunny day if I think spring is finally here, I will say, I sure hope so!

I couldn't resist buying this cute little tulip in Trader Joe's this afternoon and sticking my one little Easter decoration in it!

Now, if the ugly, dirty snow piles would just melt already, I'd be a very happy camper.

"Don't worry, the cream always floats to the top..."

That is what someone told me a few months ago at work when I was disgruntled about something. But is it true? Not always, according to this article that I read on CNN.com this morning.

According to the article, people that are courteous, trusting, good-natured, cooperative and tolerant don't always make the best managers because "being too nice can deter your career progress and muddle your effectiveness as a leader." I agree that it's probably not possible to be a best friend AND a boss to your employees, but I also don't fully agree with the article's definition of "nice."

The article defined someone as nice if they are trusting of others as well as likable (good-natured, cheerful, gentle), nurturing, sympathetic, supportive and agreeable. They argue that people with these traits may be push-overs, afraid to rock the boat and worried about what other people think. Sure, nice people might have these characteristics, but I also think being nice means genuinely caring about people, being someone people like to talk to and confide in, and being a good listener, which I think are all good qualities in a leader or manager.

In my organizational management class this semester, we've been discussing why some managers are great and some are not so great. One trait in a good manager is the ability to recognize an employee's strengths and encourage an employee to use them in work-related tasks, so that they can feel successful. One of the ways to learn an employee's strengths is by taking a vested interest in them, asking questions and really listening to their answers. Isn't that also something that a nice person does?

So, does the cream always float to the top?

Day Trip

For the past few weekends, Adam and I have stayed in Baltimore and laid pretty low. Usually, it was snowing, so we were unable to go anywhere. On Friday afternoon we both realized we were experiencing some cabin fever, so we decided to head to Washington, D.C. for the day on Saturday. It's amazing that the nation's capital is in our backyard, and we've only been a few times.

We woke up yesterday morning and even though it was cold and windy, we decided to go. We drove down, parked in the big parking garage and walked to the National Museum of American History. We spent quite a few hours walking around, checking out ALL of the galleries. It wasn't very crowded and we were able to read and look at everything.

After we had our fill of the museum, we walked over to the Old Ebbitt Grill, which also happens to be the place where we went to eat to celebrate one year of dating. By the time we had finished dinner, it was getting dark, so we decided to walk back to the car. It wasn't very cold, there was a full moon, and we got to see all of the lit monuments.

Overall, it was a really fun day and I'm already looking forward to going back for the Cherry Blossom Festival in April. Sometimes it's just nice to go experience things in your own backyard.

Bloody Mess

I'm sure you all NEVER get sick of reading my amazing metro stories, so here's another one for you....

Last week, following the double blizzard of 2010, the metro was insane. For most of the week, it was running only on 1 track, and sometimes the trains would be 45 minutes apart. Besides the long span in between trains, they were crowded. I don't mean not find a seat crowded; I mean, heads pushed into armpits, not able to move, nauseous just thinking about it crowded. On top of all of this wonderfulness, the Maryland Transit Authority thought it would be awesome to crank the heat up to 102 degrees, even though everyone was wearing full winter jackets and boots.

On Tuesday, after waiting for 30 minutes for my train after work, it finally came. A sea of humanity piled on, and I raced to sit down so that I could hunker into my protective cocoon with my IPOD blasting. Two stops down the line, when a woman came to sit next to me, I didn't even look up, until something red plopped onto the leg of my pants. Yes, the woman had blood gushing out of her nose, and she had no tissue or anything, it was just running down her hand!

I swear, I almost died right then and there. I couldn't even get up because people were crammed so tightly together, so I just sat there in misery, with strange blood on my pants until the lady got off of the train. I really need to find employment that does not require public transportation.

Blizzard Part 2

Tuesday night into Wednesday, it snowed another foot in Baltimore, and blizzard conditions yesterday prevented us from going to work, or anywhere else. The clean-up from the second round of snow began this morning and work was canceled again. I could get used to this 1-day work week.

A few pictures of the aftermath (by the way, that lump of snow behind the picnic table is actually a car):
After shoveling for an hour to clear out my parking spot, there was only one way to keep it from getting stolen by someone else:
Today I discovered one sign that spring is on the way, I cannot wait to see this tree in bloom in a couple of months:

24 with snow on top

Today was my 24th birthday! I got to sleep in late (we got a 2 hour delay from work) and I got to leave work at 2...so I really only had to work 4 hours today, and we already have tomorrow off. Even though I spent a total of 4 hours on a metro that was only running on one track, I tried to make the best of it.

Adam was great at cheering me up after my long trek home in the snow; he made me dinner (homemade stuffed shells) and a birthday cake (since my original cake is still stuck in Mechanicsburg at my parent's house.) The cake isn't the most amazing looking thing in the world, but I'm sure it will taste wonderful once we cut it a little bit later.


I also got an amazing present, a Nikon D3000 camera, thanks to everyone from my family and Adam's family pitching in! I can't wait to spend my day off tomorrow watching the instructional DVD and learning how to use my new toy.

I also got this voicemail on my phone courtesy of my sister, Carrie and my niece, Charlotte:




Here is one of the first pictures that I took with my new camera, I'm sure there will be many more to come:

Snowmageddon

To say we were buried in snow this weekend would be an understatement. Over 2 feet fell on Pikesville, MD and we're still attempting to dig out. The snow started coming down on Friday afternoon, prompting the federal government to release us at 11, and also prompting Adam and me to go out and buy a Wii with the percentage of our tax return money deemed as "fun money." We made it home just before the roads became really treacherous and we have been stuck inside ever since.

Unfortunately, the snow storm ruined my birthday dinner plans that were scheduled for Saturday night and then postponed (and later canceled) until today. Even today, it would have been hard to get out and about, so we stayed put.

We have been passing the time playing Wii, watching movies, napping and working on schoolwork and real work. I am hoping that the government will be closed tomorrow, because I am still a little bit nervous about driving in all of this mess. Another 6-10 inches is expected to fall again starting on Tuesday and continuing into Wednesday.

Today, as we were attempting to break up the icy chunks of snow in front of his car, Adam suggested that we start looking for a warmer place to live. I would have to agree.

Bilingual?

At our premarital counseling sessions, the minister that married us spoke about a book called "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman. I meant to buy the book and read it, but unfortunately I don't have much time to read for fun. Luckily, someone bought it for us as part of a wedding gift, and I was able to read it over Christmas and New Years because I didn't have class.

The book explains the 5 different love languages that people can have, and it also explains that many times couples do not speak the same language. This can lead to your "love tank" being empty. It describes the different love languages and how to decipher which is your primary language as well as your spouse's primary language. It also offers ways to turn your spouse's primary language into your secondary language. If it sounds confusing, buy the book and read it, or you can borrow my copy.

Here are the five love languages:

1. Words of Affirmation: This language is mostly about words: unsolicited compliments mean the world and insults can leave your significant other shattered and are not easily forgotten.

2. Quality Time: This language is all about being there for the other person with undivided attention and without any distractions. Distractions, postponed dates, or the failure to listen can be hurtful.

3. Receiving Gifts: Receiving gifts is not about the money spent on the gift, it is about the love, thoughtfulness and effort behind the gift. If you speak this language, the perfect gift or gesture shows that you are known, you are cared for, and you are prized.

4. Acts of Service: The words he or she most want to hear: “Let me do that for you.” Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter.

5. Physical Touch: Hugs, holding hands, and thoughtful touches on the arm, shoulder, or face can all be ways to show excitement, concern, care, and love. Physical presence and accessibility are crucial to the person who speaks this love language as their primary language.

Through reading the book, I learned that Acts of Service is my love language. I love it when Adam empties the dishwasher, folds the laundry or vacuums the carpet on his own. You can find out what your primary language is by taking this assessment. What's your love language? Is your love tank full?

A little bit ambitious

While we were in Italy for our honeymoon, I read the book Julie and Julia. I really enjoyed the book, it actually made me laugh out loud while I was reading it. Last weekend, Adam and I rented the movie and I made it through the whole thing without falling asleep. I guess Adam was feeling inspired because he decided to cook beef bourguignon in our Le Creuset yesterday for dinner.

On Saturday, he looked up the recipe and wrote down all of the ingredients. We proceeded to go to the store, where he bought 95% of what he needed, but somehow managed to forget the beef stock. Yesterday, we stopped after church to grab the missing ingredient and ended up standing in line for about 25 minutes with our one item.

Throughout the early afternoon, I kept reminding Adam that the football playoffs were on at 3:00, and kept inquiring about when he was going to start cooking so that he wouldn't miss the game. He remained on the sofa, laptop open with ESPN.com emblazoned across the screen. Usually when he is in this entranced computer-viewing state, I suspect my voice sounds like the teacher on the Peanuts.

At 2:37PM he decided he'd better get started, the beef bourguignon needed 3 hours to cook in the oven and there were 47 steps in the recipe.

"47 STEPS," I gasped, "how are you going to accomplish this in 23 minutes?"

"I'm not worried," he explained, "you're going to be my sous chef."

There goes my relaxing Sunday afternoon.

What I realized is that the title of sous chef is code for clean up crew. While he splashed grease and oil and beef stock all over the kitchen and dirtied every pot, pan and spoon we own, I followed behind him with the Lysol spray and a paper towel.

After about an hour of cooking (combined with catching glimpses of the game) and an emergency run to Target for a forgotten sieve, the beef bourguignon was in the oven and the kitchen was semi-clean.

At 7:00PM we took it out of the oven and tasted it to find that it was delicious disgusting. It was insanely salty, and resembled the canned dog food you might find at the dollar store (see picture below). Even Adam agreed that it was not very edible. We ate rolls for dinner and finished watching the NFL playoffs. The smell of beef still lingered in the air as the master chef licked his wounds and Tobey licked his chops.



So much for Julia Child!