Isn't it though?

Published

Well I guess you could say I'm a professional photographer....I've been pulished...kind of a big deal.  The Church did a story that mentions our tutoring program recently and asked me to send them some photos.  The fluorescent lighting really helped things along I must say...


I was actually really glad that they did, because I'd been meaning to take some pictures of the tutoring kids for a while. Despite my heavy sarcasm above about my photog "skills", it's been an awesome experience working with the youth in our ward (pending the whole stolen-credit-cards fiasco) and organizing this program with Brody. We've loved getting to know the kids and working with the awesome volunteer tutors

 

 

Nighttime Stroll

Brody and I took a little stroll to the White House, Eisenhower Executive Office Building and the Treasury the other night, enjoying the spring/summery temperature, and the smell of blossoms on the air. Lovely!

 

 

 

Snapshots

Random snapshots of life lately...

 

Fancy Friendship Heights shopping and Brody looking dapper at church

A ridiculous amount of cops

 

My outfit made entirely of Christmas gifts (mostly from my sweet mom) and the Dupont metro escalator

Sometimes You Need A Batman

I try to steer clear of any topics that are too political on my blog and keep it relatively light and shallow around here ;) But with Brody in law school and my working at a law firm, legal discussions and relevant cases are just inescapable for me, and there have been some major cases in the news lately where I feel like the law has failed me. Failed the families involved, really.  And it's hard to reconcile it in my mind, because I love the consitution so much and have such a deep respect for its authors.  Not to mention, the United States legal system is one of, if not the best, and fairest in the world. I really do love and appreciate the law, but sometimes I wish batman was real and could just serve up some vigilante justice.

The first case happened a couple of weeks ago when a 41-year-old school teacher (that my friend Katherine actually had as a teacher) left his wife and kids for one of his students. Yes. Ewwwwwwwww.  The female student just barely turned 18, and that's when they claim their relationship became physical, even though he had been sending her over 10,000 text messages since last summer, and calling her for hours at a time at night, oh yeah and the fact that he has a daughter that is only a year younger than her and went to the same school.  Oh yeah and the fact that he was her teacher and clearly a pedophile!!!!!

But because the girl is 18 and there isn't any proof that they had any sexual contact before then, legally he hasn't done anything wrong.  And it makes me furious.

The second case, which I'm sure you've all read about by now is about the teenager in Florida that was shot by the neighborhood watch guy. The teenager was walking back from a convenience store when the neighborhood watch guy saw him, thought he looked suspicious, called the cops and started following him (even though the police dispatch told him not to). There was some kind of altercation and the unarmed boy was shot dead. 
And again, no arrest has been made because the neighborhood watch guy claims it was self defense and is pinning his future to Florida's "Stand Your Ground Law" which basically says that you can use deadly force if you are in a place you have a right to be and feel reasonably threatened with serious harm, whereas under most state's laws you have a duty to retreat rather than respond to provocation.

It's a horrible tragedy and I can only hope that the law will pull through on this one. Thankfully the Department of Justice and the FBI have started their own investigations and hopefully justice will be served. 

But if there is any silver lining to both of these cases, it's that the law continues to be improved, analyzed, and changed---hopefully for the better. I've loved having thought-provoking discussions with Brody over the last few months about principles he is learning in classes, and precedent-setting cases.  It has opened my eyes to the fact that the law is anything but black and white, there is always room for interpretation (and there needs to be because every case is going to be different), and I would never want to be a judge (despite how freely and decisively I tend to give my opinions). But even still, sometimes you just need Batman.

Girl Crush

"The reason that I can be 38 and have two kids and wear a bikini is because I work my (explective) off.  It's not an accident. It's not luck, it's not fairy dust, it's not good genes. It's killing myself for an hour-and-a-half five days a week.  But what I get out of it is relative to what I put into it.  That's what I try to do in all areas of my life."

-Gwyneth Paltrow

I saw this quote on Pinterest and just had to save it in my blog archives as well. I love it. I can't stand when celebrities claim they never work out or diet, and just have good genes. Uh huh.... that and an eating disorder. And sure, it helps to be able to afford nannies and physical trainers and dieticians, etc. to look like that after having kids, but the principle is the same. You get what you put it in. And it's definitely inspiring.



But I digress, I have always loved Gwyneth Paltrow's style, classic with a less-is-more theme. My mother always used to tell me, "You wear the clothes. Don't let the clothes wear you." and I think Gwyneth definitely has that down to a science. You never see her wearing the tacky matchy-matchy over-bearing necklace and earrings set, or uber-trendy fad.  It's simple and understated.  She is the closest thing we have to a modern Grace Kelly in my opinion, well her and Kate Middleton.

So Close

And yet I missed another celb-staking opportunity. The Sudan Embassy is a mere 4 blocks from our apartment.

Oh George, such an activist...

Fantasyland Friday: The Rec Room / Mancave

I love basements. They are just comfortable and are inescapably linked to fun-- like moving watching movies, playing video games, pool tables, hide-and-go-seek, the list goes on. Oh to have a walk-out basement someday, with lots of windows so there is enought natural light that it doesn't feel like a cave. And this may be the only room I would prefer lots of plush wall-to-wall carpet....maybe. I love this photo from Restoration Hardware, that U-shaped leather sectional looks ridiculously comfortable and absolutely perfect for superbowl parties and the like.

In my fantasyland dreamhouse mancave/rec room I see lots of leather, reclaimed wood or exposed brick, stainless steel, plaid and sweater pillows, masculine fabrics and more industrial finishes and light fixtures. Perhaps even a darker paint color on the walls that is more conducive to movie nights, a classy sports memorabilia and photo display (because that can get tacky real fast), resin antlers, maybe a vintage movie poster or two. A wet bar for making popcorn and having snacks during games, and all that wonderful sound system high-tec stuff that I let Brody take care of (which of course, hides nicely and is contained within lots of built-ins).