SweetTea by the Tree
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I hope you spend your days, but they all add up

8/18/2015

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School is beginning.. Oh, wait. I kind of forgot that I actually don't have to go back this year and I don't really know how I feel about that yet. You mean I don't actually get to move all of my stuff to a house and live near my friends and see them everyday? Even better, I don't actually have to go to work and then come home and try to work out and study for a few hours?! I might be a little overjoyed by the second statement, but I think it's still going to be weird for awhile. I'll definitely get used to it though.

What's going to take some getting used to is in two weeks not being on the road anymore.. Living out of a suitcase, eating the most amazing seafood, going on random [incredible] adventures with the dream team and seeing this beautiful country. I can't talk too much about that yet because we're already starting to get a little sad here in room 321, so we'll skip out on that for now. 

I know in a while, i'll be able to look back on these posts and reminisce on all the good times, so for now I'm just gonna fill you all in what's be going on in this crazy beautiful life. 

8.3- Took a drive to the Arlington cemetery and walked around. I didn't know the John F. Kennedy is buried there, so that was a neat little surprise. It was surreal to see so many graves lined all around me. After that I just drove around some nice neighborhoods and looked at all the houses. They're crazy big and beautiful, and looking at houses is one of my favorite things to do soooo thats what I did.

8.4- We had an event then we went to a crab house for dinner. It was my first time eating the whole actual crab and having to crack it open to get out the crab meat. It was delicious!

8.5- Drove to Dover, Delaware. I didn't know what to expect, but it was adorable! The downtown area was a little street that was a few blocks long. Marie and I went to lunch at a little restaurant on a pond, then walked around. Our hotel was incredible and had an outdoor patio with not one, but TWO grills, so we definitely took advantage of that. Not just the first night we were there, either. Whenever we get the chance to grill out, you'd definitely think we haven't eaten forever judging by the amount of food we have on the tables. It's insane, but we love home cooked food. So we grilled out that night and hung out on the patio. 

8.6- Event dayyy! And then some more good food. It's funny to watch people walk by when we sit outside.. I'm sure people hardly ever use these grills, and then there's us. Plates of side dishes everywhere, both grills covered in cooking meat.. And us looking so happy and content with what's in front of us. Who goes out to eat when you stay at a hotel with a grill.. Oh yes, you people on vacations.. I would too, typically. But not anymore. Yes, we might be scavengers at this point!

8.7- I went and walked around the main street of Dover, visited the Governor's Cafe coffee house (which was super chill) then drove to Alexandria. Bri and I went to some Spanish place for happy hour then walked by all the shops and hung out by the water for awhile. 

8.8- Another day, another event! Then we decided last minute to take a trip to the Nats stadium for the Nationals baseball game. We were going to buy tickets at the door but they were $40, and we weren't about to spend that much because we didn't really care that much about going. Some guy had been saying "section 105," which was the section Bri had bought his ticket in, so we went to see if he was selling some tickets.. Well, he just so happened to be giving away 3 free tickets, so we gave him a couple bucks for a pop and the tickets were ours. There wasn't a better feeling then getting through the security gates and the tickets actually being legit. So that was a cool experience. We went to a little brewery afterwards to grab some food and called it a night. 

8.9-I won't tell you how lazy I was that morning, but it was pretty lazy. I layed around until about 2 when Cherie and I went to grab some brunch. We ate at Gatsby's, the same place that George Washington once ate at. It's in an old house that just looked really historic, so it was neat. Then we walked around Alexandria for awhile, then went down to DC for awhile. We walked around all of the monuments again. I can see them so many times, but it really never feels real that I'm actually here and seeing these sights. It's pretty incredible! 

8.10- Grabbed some coffee at a local coffee shop then walked around until we found a spot to have lunch outside. I got a crab salad, and lets just say it was amazing! After that I hopped in the car and made the drive to Annapolis. I didn't really realize that this was the capital of Maryland until I was there, but it was one of my favorite towns. Okay, so maybe alot of these towns I've been to are my new favorites, but it was really cool. I drove downtown that night to check it out and drive around. I wandered aimlessly on the main street and had walked past an interesting food place called Chick and Ruths Delly that had orange paint and posters hanging all over it. I decided on my way back past it to go inside because I was a little hungry and could use a bite to eat, and it looked like a place I wouldn't look totally weird eating at by myself. The waitress told me what was popular there so I went with it and it was the best decision ever. It was a lump of crab meat with 2 sides (mashed potatoes and these delicious onion rings). I definitely had leftovers after that. This place has been featured on Man vs. Food and there's a few different challenges people can do. Alot of different people have eaten there, so theres newspaper articles and pictures of all the "important" people that have been in there. There was article that even featured someone getting married there.. I guess they really loved it! 

8.11- {Event} and then the guys and I headed back to the delly because they wanted to check it out. I had eaten my leftovers so I opted naturally for the "award winning milkshakes." It was a cookies and cream peanut butter combination, and it was the most amazing milkshake I've ever had ( and thats saying alot, because I eat ice cream.. Alot!) They loved it just as much as I did. The picture on the left is a building on the main street.. I loved the clouds so I had to stop for it!

8.12- I drove around some random roads and made my way to downtown Annapolis again. I walked along the streets, checked out the State Capitol building (which was once the capital of the United States for a few months!), and toured the U.S. Naval Academy. I had stumbled upon the entrance (I didn't even know it was there), so I decided to go in and check it out. I arrived at the right time because I got to see everyone getting ready to go to lunch. A group had been coming to the area and they were chanting and singing songs. They all have to report in before they go inside, so there's a band and everyone reports in. It was a pretty neat thing to see! Then I met two of the guys for lunch at.. who's gonna guess it?! Chick & Ruth's! Can you tell I'm in love? I got the crab meat again and I'd told one of the waiters I was going to try the pie the past two days, so I just had to get it that day. I got a piece of strawberry rhubarb and like everything else, it was great. And of course I had to get another milkshake. I walked over 20,000 steps that day, so I tried to justify all the bad I'd been eating ;) There was a couple there that was doing the milkshake challenge.. It's a 6 pound milkshake in a huge glass.. Dream date? Yes, please. After that I made the drive to Sterling, Virginia. The hotel had an outdoor pool so I took advantage of that and sat by the pool for most of the night. 

8.13- Work, work, work, then a drive back to Alexandria. 

8.14- Event take 2. Then we went to Top Golf that night. It's like a driving range, but it's electronic, so it can tell you how far you hit it, etc. It was so much fun and their food was pretty tasty. 

8.15- Event #3! An ice cream truck stops by this center everyday. One of the client advisors said that he needed to find someone who likes ice cream because they have a banana boat sundae that no one can ever finish. He said whoever can finish it, he'll buy it. Little did he know he was talking to the ice cream queen over here so of course I told him I'd be able to do it. When it finally arrived in the afternoon, he went out and ordered it. It didn't take me long to scarf it right down. He was pretty surprised, but hey, I love my ice cream! After the event I went to dinner with a family I'd met in Jacksonville, Florida. They live around the Annapolis area, so we met up and enjoyed a nice dinner at Olive Garden. The kids are all soo adorable, and they're such a sweet family, so it was a great evening with them. Afterwards, the team and I went out to a few spots in Alexandria. One place had this amazing band and the woman singing was incredible. It was alot of fun!

And so now it's already August 16 and in two weeks from now I'll be done. Where is time going and can we please slow it down? Today we had a lovely girls day. We went to brunch and enjoyed some mimosas and walked around downtown Alexandria again. We had the most amazing cupcakes and then had some pad tai for dinner. We've just been relaxing and preparing for our busiest week yet!

I heard this song a few weeks ago on the radio called "I lived" by OneRepublic and every time I hear it, it just hits me. It reminds me so much of this summer, all I've gotten to see, all I've gotten to do, the people who've become my little road family, and the people I've gotten to meet along the way.

I've gone places I never would have probably ever gone, I've fallen in love with city after city, driven on the most random streets that I'll probably never drive on again. Even if I tried, I probably won't because they're often so random and I decide to turn at the last second and see where it takes me. 

{Hope when you take that jump, you don't fear the fall} I've climbed a ladder in a river and jumped 30 feet into the water. My heart was racing, my mind didn't know how to respond, but when I went in and came above the water, it was exhilarating. I've sat in the front seat on roller coasters that terrify me, I've ziplined, kayaked, paddleboarded, watched sunrises and sunsets in the most beautiful places. I feel extremely blessed to have done all I have done, and I won't give up there. I believe the best is still yet to come. It might get hard, I might be afraid, but I'll embrace everyday with all that I can. Every day is the best day, and I tell myself that every single day. I take advantage of the moment and live life, because it's definitely worth living. It's worth forgiving. It's worth being a bigger person. It's worth telling someone you love them because you never know when God could need them back. Being happy is 100% a choice. You can hold a grudge against someone, but why? Those moments and the energy you spend doing that will only take away from your happiness now. You can't get that time back, so make the most of it. Don't sit and wait for your moment to forgive, to love, to take a chance because there's only so much time. Don't wait for someone to make plans with you, just go. Go alone, go with a friend, but just go. There's nothing wrong with doing things by yourself, it makes you more comfortable with yourself. You learn things about yourself when you spend time alone. Love with everything you have, give to those who don't deserve it, and be kind. Everyone you meet could be fighting some type of battle, even if you can't tell. You never know how you could impact someone's day. Whatever you do, be happy. It makes a world of difference, not only to you, but to those around you. 

 It's a crazy, beautiful, incredible life and when you take the time to sit back and reflect on it, you'll realize just how precious it really is. 

{I owned every second that this world could give
I saw so many places, the things that I did}




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