National Cheesecake Day

For those of you who didn't know, yesterday was National Cheesecake Day. Yes, it does exist and no, it's not too good to be true! My friends and I celebrated by going to The Cheesecake Factory and getting cheesecake for half-off. It turned into a girl's night out and we had so much fun! The seven of us each ordered a different kind of cheesecake. . . Sundae Brownie (mine), Lemon Raspberry, Banana Cream, Carrot Cake, White Chocolate Raspberry, Devil's Food and Chocolate Torte. They were all so beautiful! (Mine is the one with the cherry on top!)

We each took a bite of our own, and then proceeded to pass our plates to the left, taking a bite of the next, and then passing that one on until we had tried each different cheesecake and were left to devour what was left of our own. The flavors and richness overwhelmed me and I couldn't even finish my piece. Me not finish dessert?! Now that's saying something!

We decided to box the left-overs and take them to the boys. :)

Oh, it was a wonderful night! I must admit though that despite the wide variety of flavors (I spent forever ogling the menu trying to decide), I think I would have preferred to order just the plain old cheesecake with maybe some strawberries or cherries on top. I didn't get the satisfying essence of cream cheese because it was masked by all the other flavors. I'll tell you what though, nothing beats my mom's homemade cheesecake. Hers is the best ever! Sometimes she even makes huckleberry sauce to go on top. YUMM. I'd like to see The Cheesecake Factory top that!

Growing up I was a cheesecake junkie. Not in the sense that I ate it all the time, but that it was my absolute favorite dessert, and when we did have it I could never get enough. I'll never forget one night when my mom decided to make a cheesecake and I refused to go to bed without having a piece first. Cheesecake takes a long time to make and then after it has baked, it has to cool for hours. Well, I didn't want to wait til the next day, so I insisted on eating a piece of hot cheesecake. Long story short - it wasn't very good. The taste and texture were all wrong. Definitely not worth the temper tantrum I threw. I am ashamed to admit how old I was at this time because if I remember correctly, we were in our second house so I must have been about 12. Wow.

Although my hunger for cheesecake has subsided over the years, I do enjoy a good piece now and then.

Reflection

Monday after work, I went for a walk to explore more of the area. Intelsat is located on International Drive where, as it happens, several embassies are located. (Hence, the name International Drive.) I saw the embassies for Singapore, Kuwait, Ethiopia, Ghana, Israel, Jordan, China, Bangladesh, and more. Each building is different, and possesses architectural characteristics unique to its country.



I found a garden near the embassies and in the garden was this tree; propagated from the original apple tree that inspired Newton back in 1687.

As I was walking through the garden, I heard a rustle behind me. I turned around just in time to see a buck emerge from the tall grasses and leap away, not 10 feet from me. That would make about the 20th deer I have seen out here (crazy).


I have been thinking about my stay here in D.C. a lot lately as it is now coming to a close. I can't believe how fast time has gone by, but at the same time how long it seems since I have seen my family. This has been an amazing experience and my heart and prayers are daily filled with gratitude for the time I have spent here, for the lessons I have learned, and especially for the friends I have made. My experience wouldn't have been the same without them. They have been my lifeline and have taught me more than they will ever know.

As I approach the end of my stay, (I only have two weeks left), I am striving to make the most of the time I have left; to fit in everything I have wanted to do, but haven't yet done. Call me sentimental, but I have somewhat grown attached to Maryland and D.C. I feel like a part of me will always be here. I don't know if or when I will ever come back, so I am trying to soak it all in while I can. As excited as I am to get back home, I know that I will miss this place.

Remember

I have now visited all the memorials and monuments on foot - as instructed by Bekah. (Well, at least all the main ones that I am aware of.) Here is evidence of my travels. . .

Korean War Veterans Memorial

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

African American Civil War Memorial

This was one that I had never seen before.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

This is why I'm hot . . .

Today it is 86 degrees, but feels like 88 due to the 60% humidity. I didn't have to be to work until noon so I found myself waiting for the bus (which was considerably late) in the blistering midday heat and sun. As I arrived at the metro station and boarded the train, I realized that there was no air conditioning. Perfect. Lack of air conditioning can be summed up in two words: utter discomfort. Can I just say what a luxury air conditioning is? I think we often take it for granted. I don't know how people ever survived without it. I imagine women in thick, heavy dresses with yards of fabric and who knows how many petticoats underneath. I am so glad that I did not live back then! When I arrived to work, one of the members, Anu, asked me if I had just gone for a run. Now what does that tell you about my disheveled appearance?

Washington Monument

The Washington Monument stands at 555 ft. and is visible from pretty much anywhere in the District. It serves as a marker and a reference point. (I get so mixed up here with no mountains!)

I find myself taking pictures of the monument wherever I go, from different viewpoints and perspectives. Here's what I've got so far . . .

taken from the top of the Old Post Office Tower

4th of July

taken near the Lincoln and Korean War Memorials

view from the FDR Memorial

view from the Jefferson Memorial

A Different Perspective

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to go to the top of the Washington Monument! This is something that I have wanted to do for a long time. Tickets are free and passed out every day, but you have to get there early before they run out. It's a 70-second elevator ride to the top and then you get to view the city from eight different windows. From the top you can see the whole D.C. area, along with parts of Maryland and Virginia. It was pretty awesome, and I am so glad I got to go! Here is the amazing view . . .

To the North is the White House,

you can see the Jefferson Memorial to the South,

the Capitol Building is to the East,

and the Lincoln and WWII Memorials are to the West.

In this one, you can barely see the National Cathedral in the distance.

Monday the 13th

Monday was my friend Ashley's 21st birthday, so we went out to dinner to celebrate. We had the best sushi ever! Loved it! Crunchy eel, rock shrimp with cilantro, California rolls, etc. Dip it in some soy sauce with a little wasabi and you're good to go!

(Going clockwise: Me, Ashley, Jon, Andrea, Molly, Merry, Taci, and Rachel.)

The Wasabi Story

After we finished our delicious sushi, there was quite a bit of wasabi left on the plate. Merry and Jon started discussing the price they would ask for to eat it all. I wasn't sure if they were truly willing to dish out the money, but I listened intently to their conversation. I thought, I could use the money, and I like wasabi . . . I'll eat it! I didn't want to do it alone, so Jon agreed to eat some of it as well. We divided up the wasabi into two equal balls. Everyone else laid their money out on the table while Merry grabbed her camera to capture a video of us in pain. On the count of three, we popped the lumps of wasabi into our mouths and swallowed as quickly as possible. It burned a little and my eyes began to water slightly, but all in all, it wasn't that exciting. Kind of anti climatic if you ask me. No yelling or screaming for water, no smoke coming out of our ears, no fire-breathing either. I think everyone was disappointed. Hey, it was an easy $8 though! (Which I spent Wednesday night on a ticket to see Harry Potter.)

The Cupcake Story

After dinner, came the cupcakes . . . Ashley had gone to the Cupcakery earlier that day and purchased 15 beautiful cupcakes of all different flavors. They all looked so good, she said that she just had to try one of everything! She is so great! There was vanilla, pumpkin, lemon, raspberry, strawberry, and German chocolate (just to name a few). The butter pecan was one of my favorites, along with the pumpkin and the lemon. We all grabbed a fork and dug in so everyone could taste a bite of each. We soon devoured the rich and buttery goodness, only to become comatose shorty thereafter due to an overdose of sweet bliss.

The aftermath . . .

To this day I still don't know if it was the cupcakes or the wasabi that gave me a stomach ache that night. Perhaps it was the combination of both . . . I tried not to imagine them churning about inside me.

Sneak Peek

Here it is . . . a behind-the-scenes look into The Life of Kim! What does she do all day? Where does she go? Find these answers and more as you watch this exclusive secret footage!

(Available for a limited time only and to a select few individuals such as yourself.)

National Zoo, Part Two

As promised, I returned to the Zoo to see everything that I missed last time; and to take more pictures. Enjoy! (I know I did.)

First thing I did was hurry over to the see the big cats since I missed them last time. They go indoors at 4 p.m. so I had to get there quick. This tiger was my favorite animal in the whole zoo.

A fake lion . . .

And the real one . . .
Unfortunately, they provided the same amount of entertainment. Apparently male lions are inactive about 78% of the time.

Poisonous frogs: in the wild, these frogs produce toxins due to their diet, but in the zoo their diet is different. Therefore, they don't produce any toxins.




This little guy was so good at posing for the camera. Think he's had experience?

Soggy Love

I LOVE cold cereal in the morning for breakfast. I don't know what it is about it, but it's great! I remember growing up, my mom would fix us hearty breakfasts of pancakes, eggs, waffles, french toast, etc. and looking back now I am extremely appreciative of this; but we hardly ever had the satisfaction of munching on cold cereal in the mornings. Even if we did, my mom always made sure to buy the healthy cereals (Honey Bunches of Oats was borderline). Cereal was never exciting because it was Wheat Chex, Shredded Wheat, or Grape Nuts. I like these cereals, I really do, but I always envied my friends who would talk about Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Apple Jacks. What were these? I wondered to myself. They sound amazing! Upon leaving home for college, left to fend for myself, I discovered that since I was in charge of buying my own groceries I could have ANY cereal that I wanted! Oh the joys and wonders I discovered as my taste buds were introduced to new flavors and textures! Now, don't get me wrong, I didn't go crazy. I still tried to buy somewhat healthy cereals. The health science major in me just can't justify eating Cocoa Puffs or Cookie Crisp and call it part of a complete breakfast; I don't care how many minerals and vitamins they have fortified it with. Thanks to my roommate Lindsay, I experienced Life for the first time! (no pun intended) This has become one of my favorites along with Frosted Mini Wheats, and my most recent love - Raisin Bran! I could seriously eat cereal for every meal. I have only one condition, and that is that my cereal must be soggy when I eat it. I will have it no other way. My morning routine involves pouring my milk and cereal, and then going back upstairs to fix my hair before coming back down to eat. This gives my cereal a good 10-15 minute soak, and it's perfect. I know, I know, I'm weird. Most people like a little crunch to their cereal and proceed to shovel it down before it soaks up too much milk. I personally prefer not to hear a sound as I chew my cereal. Plus, placing sharp, poky squares or flakes into my mouth is not desirable to my palate. I even stir my cereal to make sure that no strays peak up out of the milk and resist becoming soggy. Some cereals tend to soak up the milk a little bit better than others. Raisin Bran just happens to be one of those good ones! I like to eat the bites with all the raisins first, and then enjoy the rest of the bowl full of mushy, branny, goodness. Every time I finish a bowl-full I just want more!

Yummmm!

For Bekah . . .

My dear friend Bekah Hintze interned in Washington, D.C. two years ago and had a wonderful, life-changing experience. Before I left, she made me a "D.C. To-Do List" to help me experience all the joys of D.C. and hopefully to have an amazing time here just like she did. I have checked off about 2/3 of the things on the list and I look forward to doing more. There are so many things to see and do here; I am afraid I am going to run out of time before I get to see it all! While I'm sure my experiences out here are very different from Bekah's, I am loving it and I am learning so much!

Bekah is coming out here to visit the beginning of August. She will be here to celebrate my 22nd birthday with me! And . . . she has arranged for us to take a tour of the West Wing of the White House exactly four weeks from today! I am so excited! Life is good.

Bekah, this is for you. Here are some of the things on the list . . .
Love you too. :)

First thing on the list was to eat an ice cream sandwich at Potbelly's! Bekah introduced me to them two years ago when I went out to visit her. I know I have raved about them before in an earlier blog post, but suffice it to say that they are simply AMAZING!

Kermit the Frog.

(This also reminds me of Lindsay.)

The EEOB (That stands for the Eisenhower Executive Office Building)



And of course, the beloved White House . . .

Not the best picture of me, but I was in a hurry. You have no idea how embarrassing it is to take pictures of yourself around D.C.! Especially in front of metro stops. What am I? A tourist?


The beautiful Washington, D.C. temple.