Tag: 2019

Our Capitol City

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The State Capitol, obviously!

Last I checked in, I had let you guys know I was going to Washington, D.C. for a bit of a vacation (but also to visit one of my favorite people on this planet–hi Tessa!) I have been here for about 48 hours and am loving every minute of it so far! Good lord, it is beautiful! Everything is beautiful! There’s snow on the ground and beautiful buildings everywhere I turn!

Since I didn’t get in until 9:30ish on Thursday, we didn’t do much that night, but yesterday and today have been jam-packed with activities. I saw (and toured) both the State Capitol and the Library of Congress. I checked out the White House, which I sadly couldn’t tour since you have to set up a reservation like 4 months in advance. That’s okay though, next time. Originally I had planned to go to the Smithsonian museums since those are a huge attraction in the city, but because of the government shut-down, they are obviously closed. I was bummed about that at first but then got excited about the fact that I would have to be a little more creative about the sights that I chose to see. (Spoiler alert: I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve seen so far!)

  • Checked out the White House!
  • Enjoyed the Library of Congress

After we saw the government buildings I mentioned already, we walked over to the Georgetown area and spent a few hours walking around and checking it out over there. My friend correctly assumed I would enjoy seeing it and getting to do some shooting because the buildings/area are really pretty. I was very impressed. She knows me well. She’s also very tolerant and understanding of my constant stopping to take shots, so that’s a huge relief–makes me feel less guilty about taking 30 minutes to walk the length of one city block.

Check out my beanie, though. 😉

We stayed in the city last night (rather than in her apartment in Ashburn) which was really nice! (Marriotts are always a good choice!) Relaxing time, then dinner with some friends made for a nice Friday evening. Saturday was filled with one activity: the Women’s March. I’m not really one for marching (or politics in general), but as far as experiences go, that was a really cool one! I mean, if you’re going to march for the first time ever, might as well make it at a Women’s March in the heart of the United States? It was interesting and let me tell you, I took an absurd number of pictures. Actually, I took an absurd number of pictures almost everywhere we went. I’ll link to the photo albums I put up somewhere in this blog entry once I’m done with them.  

Anyways, tomorrow I’ll be on my own for most of the day and I am thrilled about the things I’m planning to see. It’ll be a long and busy day, that’s for sure. Stay tuned for more updates (and loads of pictures).

xx – A

2019 Resolutions

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img_9178I am fully aware of the fact that 2019 is well under-way and it’s a bit late to be doing a 2019 Resolution blog, but oh well. (Or am I still in the correct timeframe? I don’t know!) Regardless, I had been wanting to do a blog about my resolutions for the new year for a long time and I even had notes about what to write in a note on my phone. I’m so prepared, I know!

Typically, I’ve never been one to wait until the new year to start a resolution. I always thought of it kind of as an excuse to procrastinate doing something that you should start doing as soon as possible (like working out, for example). I still feel that way for the most part, but there’s a sense of finality when you say you’re going to “leave something in 2018” and I am starting to appreciate that phrase a bit more. Looking back on my life, I can ultimately decide what years for me were better than others, and this past year definitely had it’s high points, but as a whole, I hated it. It was a year for growth and sometimes growth is insanely painful and hard. At least it definitely was for me.

I decided to make 2019 a beautiful year in every sense of the word. I want to do my best to make myself happy and in order to do that, I need to bring a few healthy habits or routines through the year with me.

My first goal for myself is to stop comparing myself to people. I don’t talk about how frequently I do this because I’ve really only noticed recently. The worst part, it’s not physical features that I compare as much, it’s personality characteristics–my success, my income, my motivation, things like that. Rather than admire someone else’s success, I find myself putting myself down because I might not have had that level of success. This is a really bad habit to be in, and I genuinely just need to learn to appreciate myself and my accomplishments without comparing every little thing to other people. (I hope that makes sense.)

My next goal for 2019 is fairly simple, actually and it encompasses most other resolutions I could have typed out here. It’s to leave toxic people in 2019. If there is someone that is bringing negativity into my life, I just need to back away. Maybe they’ll realize what they’re doing, maybe they won’t. To add to that, I want to stop giving so much of my time and effort to people who do not deserve it. I’ve realized that I put in way more effort into relationships than I receive and it’s not fair to me.

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Also, I’m going to try to spend less time on social media. It’s toxic, we all know this.

I struggled a lot this past year, and I really just want to be as happy as possible in the future. Lately my life has been pretty happy and I love that so much. I want to maintain that low-stress streak. Who wouldn’t?

Since there was actually a “start date” for these goals, it almost seems easier to embrace them 100%. It’s time to really take care of myself.

xx – A