Flowers

Wandering around, I see flowers I remember as a child, violets and forsythia, and buttercups that we put under our chin to tell if we were good.

But what are all these other flowers?

Yes, I LOVE flowers. :)

Trusting God, day by day...

Before I got the job offer in Washington, DC, I was learning to trust God more and more. 

My hours at my job in Dallas had been reduced to part time, and I was using money in savings to pay for daily bills and expenses.  I tried to start a business or two, and brought in some money from them, but it wasn't enough.  I applied for jobs online nearly every day, went to interviews, and overall, tried to remain hopeful. 

Even when this job offer came, I wasn't sure what to do.  But one step at a time, things came into place.  The house was in good shape to rent out.  I found a place to stay temporarily that wouldn't be overly expensive.  And friends are helping me, in ways I hadn't expected or even asked. 

Now I found out that the five month contract was only for a three week project, I need to remember that when I trusted in God, it worked out.  They have got approval for two more weeks.  After that, I don't know what will happen.  But God does.  I need to remember that, too. 

One more day

Work has been very good. I met with two of the ladies today to get more detail about some items and hear feedback on the newest changes.  Somehow I keep making changes to the database, and I keep getting more changes to add to the list to change.   So I have been extended for two more weeks. 

I have been working a little bit late this week because I will be missing some time next week.  In one more day, I fly back to Dallas. 

I need to go back to get my car to drive it back here.  I plan to get some items that I have stored in boxes, too.  And meet with Bill about the new tenant and new lease.  Pick up my mail.  And last but not least, see some friends and hopefully go dancing!!! 

Counting the days.... 

New room

Found a nice new room to rent. It was listed on Craigslist. We emailed each other back and forth a few times.

It's a bit closer to the office and a reasonable rate, for this town, that is. I don't have to share the house with a group of college students. I will have my own bathroom, and it has a cool reading room with lots of windows. Did you know that I love windows? :)

The woman who owns the house is very nice. Yes, I think this will work just fine.

Sunday site seeing

The cherry blossoms were falling off the trees... petals covered the ground...

From the tour bus...

The tour bus had to stop because these protesters were blocking the road.

I visited the WWII memorial.  Very moving.  Thank you,Dad.

People everywhere taking pictures of the cherry blossoms, taking pictures with the cherry blossoms.

View from afar...

Branches hanging over the water...

International people

There's breakfast time in the mornings and tea time at night to get introduced to the other guests at the B&B.

The first night I was at the International Meeting House, I was invited to meet everyone at tea at 9 pm.  I was asked to introduce myself, where I was from, and what I would be doing in town (work, vacation, school, etc).  When I was done, everyone else in the room introduced themselves.  They were all volunteers at the House!  I was the only guest!  The remainder of my stay was not like that, though.  Not at all. 

The first week I was there, I didn't realize it was spring break week.  There were students from China, Korea, and the states, vacationing, and doing research.  

I met a lady from the Congo who represented a non profit organization that helps women start their own businesses with an investment of $7.00.  I also met a man who got his law degree because school was easy for him, but he did not want to practice law.  There was a group from the Minnesota Peace Project who were in town to speak to their representatives.   One beautiful lady, Catherine, was in the fashion industry.  There were also couples who were in town to visit the host couple at the B&B and to see the cherry blossoms and the city.

Fascinating place.  You never know who you'll meet there.  This is the website: http://mysite.verizon.net/igh_dc/index.html  I highly recommend it as a place to stay if you are visiting in Washington, DC. 

Fashion show on the bus

The bus takes me through some nice neighborhoods. I know this because as I drove past the houses and apartment buildings, I searched on my phone for nearby rentals, and the prices were very high. And I know this because I see the fashion show on the bus in the mornings.

The first few days it was amusing to learn by watching what the girls that got on the bus were wearing. Skirts short and medium length, skinny scarves, colorful flats, classic jackets, and bold jewelry. One day as I was sitting, a lady standing in front of me positioned her Louis Voutton purse an inch from my nose. Good stuff.

I can learn from this.

For sale or lease...

 

Should I rent or sell the house?  I consulted with two real estate friends.  Both did the numbers and said I would be better off renting it out.  I checked the rent rates in the neighborhood and set what I thought would be the best rate. 

Since I would be out of town, it would be difficult to handle calls, showing it, adding information to flyers, putting flyers out, so I thought, I'll set up a website!  That I could manage from anywhere. 
Then I put a sign in front of the house. 

And I got calls right away.  Several people wanted to see the house.  They all wanted to rent it. 

I rented it to a lady who had looked at it back when it was for sale and I purchased it.  She was happy to be able to rent it and I was happy to have her move in.  

Echo Glenn dance

First Saturday night in town.  I worked all week, and have a rental car for the weekend to look for an apartment.  I want to go dancing, and I have a vehicle to get there, too!   So, where to go?  I looked online and sent messages to friends and friends of friends.  The most interesting one was from a friend of Vicki's.   He described a fun place, lots of dancers, and a lesson.  Perfect.  I can take the class, meet some people, and get a dance or two after the lesson is over.  Besides, what does he mean by a "fun place"? 

I followed my Google maps to get there, but when I pulled into the parking lot, I didn't see anything but the parking lot and trees.  I went back around the block, and didn't see any building that would be a "ballroom".  I decided to wait in the parking lot until I saw some people show up, and ask them, or follow them.  People started showing up, and walking down a path into the woods.  I stopped to ask, and followed them in.  I would not have found it if I hadn't. 

The ballroom is in the middle of a very old amusement park.  Very fascinating place.  We walked past art deco buildings with "Popcorn" signs on the front, a carousel, and an outdoor bumper car pavilion. 

The ballroom was huge and beautiful.  There was a large big band setting up, and people getting their shoes on, preparing for the lesson.

A young couple taught lindy swing.  Even though they were teaching us to triple step in a slot, many were doing their east coast swing version, to the side.  As I rotated from one leader to the next, I found that most of them had never had a dance lesson.  There must have been two hundred people there, and all ages.  The instructors taught a basic, a turn, two variations of coming out of the turn, two ways to let the girl out, and a stall step.   I think.  Many of the guys were overwhelmed, and I did backlead a few. 

The band came on after the lesson.  They played very good swing music, some balboa tempo.  I danced with a couple of guys I met in the class, but then I had to leave to make it back for curfew at the B&B. 

Next time I go, I plan to stay later, as the experienced dancers started showing up after the class was over.  And I want to go to this place during the day sometime to take pictures of the wonderful architecture.

Love the tile

So apparently the previous owner of the guest house I'm staying in owned a tile company.

Going down the stairs to the basement...

Patchwork on the kitchen floor...

Mix on the walls...

.

View of the stairs heading back up....

Love the variety!!!

Yellow form

Still not able to log in to the computer. 

Went to the id office and was told to turn in a yellow form.  Can't do anything until the yellow form has been completed.  It's all about the yellow form, she said. 

First it was the password, then it was the id login, then the badge, and the software.  I can borrow someone's office.  Soon I will be able to start working.  I hope. 

But first we need to get that yellow form.

Day one, wandering around DC...

The paperwork wasn't complete for my first day of work (Whew, what a relief! What was I thinking!?) so on Monday, I had the day to find my way around and do a little site seeing.  A little.

After breakfast, I studied the bus schedules and got ready to go out for the day. 

I took the bus that would bring me to the office.  It dropped me off in front of the White House.  I took a few pictures.  There were a few protesters out front, but not a lot of people around.

Then I wandered around the park in front of it.  The cherry blossoms were beautiful.  It was great weather for walking. 

I walked around George Washington University.  I needed to find a Kinko's.  Google maps said there was one there.  I found out it had moved a few blocks north. 

I walked a lot that day.  I was glad for that extra day. 

Arrived in DC...

Flew to DC.  Changed planes in Cincinatti.  Dragged my bags to the Super Shuttle desk at Baltimone airport.  (They "aren't allowed" to have skycaps at that airport.  What?) 

Checking in at the B&B. Glad to have help carrying three bags up three flights of stairs.  I have the room to myself, at least for now.

And yes, I bumped my head on that ceiling.  A couple of times.  And no, it's not a trick photo, that closet door is tiny.

Since I had been up until 4 am the night before, I was extremely tired.  I did get a very good night's sleep on my first night in DC. 

Going away party

Kit invited the girls to her house to have a going away party for me!

They brought food, and we drank wine, and I got lots of hugs!

They're so awesome!

I miss them so much.....

New phase...

After six months of looking for work, and trying to start and build my own business, I had a job offer.  And since it happened on a day that my bank account balance was twenty bucks, I said yes. 

The job, they told me, was in Washington, DC.  I had been praying for a job.  For months.  And I wasn't finding any opportunities in the Dallas area.  Recruiters wanted me to interview for jobs in Ohio, Pennsylvania, even New Jersey.  I realized maybe God was answering my prayer after all, and I needed to make an adjustment and listen to my answered prayers.

The offer came to me, they raised the rate that I was asking, and they offered five months.  Then they asked me when I could start  Thinking that all I needed to do was pack a suitcase and go, I told them two weeks. 

A few days later I thought, five months is a long time to continue paying to keep an empty house.  Maybe I should rent it out or sell it.  After all, I may even stay there longer than five months.  They did mention that there was a lot of work and a possibility of an extension, or even an offer to be permanent. 

So started my packing.  And selling stuff.  And showing the house.  And fixing the house.  In two weeks. 

It seemed so sudden, and it was.  My friends say I'm brave.  I feel as if I am crazy sometimes.  And I suppose I am brave, too. 

It was also good to think about stuff this way. Maybe when my house got broken into last June, it was a way of God  getting me mentally prepared to more easily get rid of my stuff.  I think it helped. 

It's good to have a job.  I want to pay bills.  I liked my house.  But do I really need such a big house?  I had always joked that I wanted to travel, live out of a travel trailer maybe, and work whereever I wanted to. 

Well I guess this is it, an answer to my prayers after all.