Slave to Technology

This past week a lot of things happened, all at once. The first, is that my Macbook Air decided to break again...so I had to take it to the Genius Bar. You know it's bad when the people behind the counter start recognizing you. Anyway, they kept my laptop for two days, and on Friday, I got a phone call saying that they wanted to replace my old Mac Air with the new 11-inch Macbook Air! I was SO HAPPY. You see, I strongly believe that an Apple product lasts for 3 years, and then everything goes kaboom. My Mac Air was nearing the 3 year mark, and I had 1 month left on my Applecare. After graduation, I was planning to buy the 11 inch mac air anyway, so Apple essentially gave me an early graduation present, minus the hefty fee it would have come with! So I am now a proud owner of this computer:

It's so tiny I LOVE IT!!!

Note to self: NEVER buy first generation of anything from Apple!

I am so excited! Also, I went approximately 2 weeks without my phone, and Kyle went ahead and got me a new blackberry torch yesterday. I am so...at peace now :) I need technology to function. I've been carrying around a little $10 flip phone for the talk/text capabilities, and then my iPad for my data/email capabilities. It was getting a little ridiculous, and I feel more connected right now, with a new (FREE!) laptop, and a new (pretty good deal from ATT) Blackberry Torch. Not quite ready to jump into the iPhone bandwagon yet, but maybe in a year and half when the new phone comes out :)

This past week it's been absolutely unbearably hot. On Friday the heat index was 120 degrees!!! It's one thing when it's summer weather, but another when it just plain hurts to breathe outside...this week is supposed to be in the 80s so I'm crossing my fingers. The past two weekends Kyle drove down to DC to see me. He's been doing really well, still loving his job, which I find amazing and awesome and very...jealousy-inducing :) He has already gone to court multiple times, which is great for litigation experience, and he plays a lot of golf with the people at his firm. He finally has his name on the door and his official business cards, so I am SUPER proud of him. Super super super.

Yay!!!!!!!

The Happiest Place On Earth

Two weekends ago I was able to see three of my best friends from our time as camp counselors. It's hard to believe that we've known each other since summer of 2004, where Camp Champions in Marble Falls, TX changed our lives :) Since then, we've all tried to meet up once a year, and the past two years have been Sarah's and my wedding, respectively. This year, though Lanie's wedding is in November, we decided to go to Orlando, and will be starting official MVC trips every year, excluding weddings. It was seriously one of the funnest weekends ever, one that we had planned since December.

Because we only had two full days, we decided to spend our time wisely. We knew we wanted to go to Disneyworld, and to Harry Potter World, so it made sense to do Magic Kingdom one day, and Universal's Islands of Adventure the next. Lanie, Robin, and I managed to land in Orlando at the same time. We parked ourselves on the balcony of our hotel right away and waited for Sarah, and in the process, watched in horror as it thunderstormed and rained and....THUNDERSTORMED some more. It was pretty terrifying. As soon as Sarah got in, we went out for dinner in Downtown Disney. It was also Lanie's bachelorette and so we celebrated in style! We were able to have a relatively cheap meal in downtown Disney at Gloria Estefan's restaurant, after which we headed to an Irish pub. We were able to royally embarrass Lanie by asking the Irish fiddler and guitar player to invite her up on stage and dance a jig. Literally. Here she is hating us with every inch of her life:

Lanie dancing an Irish jig.

I love us :) Cheers!

The next morning, we got up nice and early to head to Disney! I've never been to Disneyworld before since we have Disneyland in California, and my parents never really saw the need to travel domestically when we can travel internationally. So, basically, I set foot in 15 different other countries before I'd ever even been to NYC or DC. No joke. But I suppose that's where I get my traveling bug, and that's how I turned Kyle into a world traveler too :) Anyway, I digress. We got to Disneyworld, and it was...SPECTACULAR. The four of us acted just as young as the majority of the patrons there- namely kids. We ran around and went on EVERY SINGLE RIDE, and were quite successful! It was soooo much fun. Pirates of the Caribbean, Winne the Pooh, Snow White, Small World, Peter Pan, etc etc, and the BEST roller coaster ride of all was Space Mountain. I am SUCH a fan. Love. In the midst of all that it started to POUR. It was quite disgusting, but luckily, everything in Disneyworld is pretty close together, so we were able to not get as soaked as we would have been at Universal, where everything is wide open. The last thing we did was stalk the princesses and Mickey/Minnie for pics, which we did quite successfully! It was so much fun!

Belle was probably the nicest princess out of them...and the prettiest!

This was right before Sarah called Mickey short and almost got us kicked out of Disney ;)

That night we went out into the town of Celebration for dinner. Now, we got a nice little background info from our hotel person about the town. Celebration isn't really a real town. It was created by Walt Disney so that Disney employees can live, eat, and breathe Disney. It's a perfect little town, very reminiscent of the Truman Show or Pleasantville, where everything is basically ...perfect. It was quite eerie. It's a little haven where kids grow up and ARE disney. Kinda crazy. We had the best Italian food ever, and headed back early bc Universal was going to be a LONG day.

Next morning: Universal. O.M.G. I can't even begin to describe how much fun it was and how incredible everything was, and the fact that you could drink your way through Universal. Who knew that selling beer during 2 hour lines was genius? Anyway, I digress...as soon as we got in, we raced in Harry Potter World. HP world is...everything you can imagine it is. I'm an HP fan, but not really...I read all the books and thought they were good, but didn't like it enough to watch the movies. Well, HP World is INCREDIBLE. It is an exact replica of Hogsmeade, from the shops to the signs to the little things like the bathroom ghost person in the restrooms! The best part of HP world was....BUTTERBEER!

OMG BUTTERBEER.

Entering HP World was like a rite of passage.

We were ecstatic, and ran around like little kids in a candy store. Lanie, Sarah, and I did the Dragon rollercoaster, which was incredible, and we tried to do the main HP attraction, but it was closed, so we did everything else first. We did Jurassic Park, which had an incredible water ride that got us soaked, then we headed into Toontown for lunch, and that was super cool.

ToonTown!!! Bettyboop's territory.

The next island we went to was Marvel Comics Superheroes land, and went on an amazing Spiderman ride. I convinced Sarah to go on the Hulk rollercoaster to me, and....let's say I give her props. I'm a HUGE rollercoaster person, and Robin is DEFINITELY not. Lanie kinda is, but didn't end up going with me, and Sarah was a good sport and went with me. Anyway, it was ... INTENSE. It was definitely one of the most intense rollercoasters I've EVER been to, but it was still incredible. I don't think Sarah will be going on any rollercoasters soon after that one :) Thanks, girl! :D As soon as we got off the Hulk, these...dressed up superheroes started running around, and we chased after them to get pics with them:

Captain America!

Wolverine! He was prob my fave, but whoever took this pic sucked.

We did Dr. Seuss land, which was REALLY trippy and eerie. I've never read Dr. Seuss as a child, and I can't imagine reading them...whoever the creator is must have been on acid when he created the storylines and characters, no joke.

Dr. Seuss land. Trippy, right?

The last thing we did before heading back to HP world was the Lost City or whatever it was, and we had dinner there. Post dinner (9pm-ish), we headed back to HP world, got some drinks, and headed to the line for the Hogswart ride. OMG. The 90 minute line was worth it. The castle is AMAZING. It had EVERYTHING...the fat lady portrait, the sorting hat, Dumbledore's office, etc etc. It was ....AWESOME. The ride was very very scary. I'm not scared of rollercoasters, but I hate 3D things where ...things pop out at me. This is our picture at the end:

The key to this pic is all our different expressions.

Nothing beats Hogswart. This is exactly what it looked like at dusk :)

The ride capped off an amazing day at Universal. We ended the night with a bang, bc that's when I lost my precious Blackberry. :( Otherwise, it was definitely an amazing trip celebrating Lanie's upcoming nuptials. I love these three girls with all my heart, and I'm so blessed to have them as friends :) We only see each other once or twice a year, and every time we do get together, it's like nothing's changed. Can't wait to see where our adventures take us next year!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

This is my first time blogging from my iPad, so please forgive me if my grammar is off. My MacBook air is in the shop again, of course....you know, by this point I've had a completely new computer from all my trips to the genius bar: I have a new motherboard, new keyboard, new trackpad, new fan, new display (monitor screen thing included), and now new speakers. It would have been cheaper for apple to just give me a new freakin computer. Anyway, I digress. This past long weekend Kyle came to visit! It is always nice when there is a long weekend bc the visit doesn't seem so short, but it still flew by nonetheless. Friday night he got in and we just hung out. Saturday morning we went to Alexandria to get my mini serviced and checked out the Countryman, which is the four door mini and a ridiculously awesome car. Probably my next car after this lease is over :) we came home, rented two movies from redbox, got food, and came home. Rented The Other Guys and The A Team. Both EXCELLENT movies, amazing! Sunday we finally decided to get the new bed, and so now we are proud new owners of a westin heavenly bed! Very exciting, since the tempurpedic actually hurt my back, which is really counterproductive. Nadia and Nick were in town for the day from Baltimore, so we met up in Georgetown. Got in line for g-town cupcakes. The line was insane, but as always, the cupcakes were worth it. We then headed to the Potomac River, which is literally a couple blocks away. We walked downhill, nearing the dock, and looked behind us. The sky was, no joke, BLACK. There was a fierce storm coming our way. The wind started going, water started churning. And the crazy thing was, PEOPLE WERE STILL GETTING ON THE BOATS, and people were still out on their kayaks, floating around. Well, our little group got a little nervous, so we decided to turn back. Sure enough, no sooner than walking half a block, this torrential DOWNPOUR came down. Not like, rain. But big fat droplets that pelted us. Luckily, we were under a highway, so everybody in the surrounding vicinity got under it. The river, which was half a block away, was now totally NOT visible. Virginia and the trees? Gone. The kayaks? I hope they're ok. It was a ridiculous thunder/lightning/rain spectacle that lasted a good 20 minutes. Freak storm for real. Anyway, after that we decided to be near a car at all times, so we headed to National Cathedral, then to Cactus Cantina for margs and food, after which we took Nadia and Nick to Union so they could head back to Baltimore :)

line @ g-towncupcake

Today (4th of July!) was pretty worthless. We got up, watched a movie, ate, slept, and read books all day, just enjoying each other's company :) We headed over to Duane and DeVere's for a little 4th get-together and to watch fireworks. Good food, good company, and a great view of the fireworks that were going over the mall. It really is something to be an American. I do a lot of immigration work, and so it makes me even more thankful to be an American, knowing what we have, and knowing how hard so many people strive in order to get that green card (which isn't even green...). Immigrants in this country really love being here, and are thankful to be here. Many of them don't take it for granted, and I think there are many people who can learn a thing or two from them. Anyway, that's my two cents for the day :) Happy Fourth, everyone! God bless America :)

great view of the fireworks from duane and devere's!

(ps: blogging from an ipad sucks. i had to switch to a real computer. blarghhh)

Marriage.

Kyle and I are pretty much liberal conservatives, however you want to take that. We were so, so excited to celebrate our first year of marriage together....as well as celebrate New York State legalizing same-sex marriage on our one year anniversary! Yay New York!!!!!! What a great anniversary present, as one friend termed it :)

This past weekend, Kyle came down to DC to celebrate our anniversary. He got in on Friday and left late Sunday, and we had a really good time together! Saturday morning we brunched outside at Clyde's where I live, then we did some grocery shopping at Costco and sauntered over to Nordstroms to look at beds. Kyle had purchased a Tempurpedic bed, but it's pretty awful, so he finally gave in and agreed to try out the Westin bed, which is my personal favorite. Annnnd I think we have a winner! Plus it's way cheaper than the Tempurpedic. I honestly don't know what you pay for with those beds. Anyway, that night, we decided to celebrate by going to dinner at a casual, but relaxed place, and we ended up at the Mussel Bar in Bethesda. It was an hour wait, so we went over to Georgetown Cupcakes and got some DEEELICIOUS cupcakes. LOVE that place. Like, to the point where it's probably not healthy for me and negating all the running and working out I'm doing...

MUSSELS GALORE. This place was worth the wait!

Cupcakes, beer, and mussels. Great combo!

Sunday, we had dim sum in the morning (by now Kyle is a total expert and knows exactly how to order, and even uses chopsticks better than me :)). We then headed over to the Jefferson Memorial, which I've never actually been to. It was a very very beautiful location that was serene and quiet. Nothing like the hustle and bustle the Washington and Lincoln Memorials have. Very much enjoyed sitting on the steps for a while and just looking out :) Beautiful day, great time with my husband, can't really ask for much more, can I?

In front of the Jefferson Memorial.

This pic, on the first try, is courtesy of the Samsung camera that has the screen on the front ;)

Sitting appropriately under the Preamble.

Sitting on the steps peacefully.

I am so so SO lucky to be with someone I love very much. It's not only been a year since we've been married, but almost a year since I found out I was going to transfer, and of living apart from each other. We've done pretty well, I must say. That night, we FINALLY picked out the final shots from our wedding. Here are a few of my favorites I would like to share with all of you again, taken by our professional photogs and by our very good friend and professional photographer, Austin Benton :)

Happy days :)

New York!

New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of; There's nothin' you can't do; Now you're in New York; These streets will make you feel brand new; Big lights will inspire you; Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York.

I have always loved this song. I made the trek from California to Texas, and finally to New York bc I had always wanted to work at the United Nations in some human rights division. Of course, a lot has changed now, but there's no doubt about it. I heart NY :)

One big reason? Kyle was officially admitted to the New York Bar as an official attorney, sworn in and everything fancy!

I present to you, Mr. Kyle Pozza, Esq.

I am so so SO proud of him! Two days after he was admitted, he was sent to court to argue his first motion. Now THAT'S what I call awesome lawyering :)

Other than that, the weekend of the 18th, I went to NYC for a little weekend trip with my friend Emily, where we met up with Nancy, who, I must say, is now a TRUE native of New York. I kid you not, we were able to see ALL of New York City (Times Square, Rockefeller, Central Park, Wall Street, Ground Zero, East Village, Chelsea, Columbus Circle, Bryant Park, Meatpacking District, AND we took a ferry to Staten Island. I was really quite impressed. Our feet were dead tired from walking so much, but it was well worth it! Now, the real reason for our trip was to attend the Glee concert, which was THE most amazing concert I have ever been to. No joke. This beats Backstreet Boys back when I was OBSESSED with them, like in 9th grade, when I went to two concerts in a row. Regardless, the Glee concert was ON FIRE. Everyone from the cast was there, singing live, and BLAINE WARBLER was extra dreamy ;) I've actually had 3 independent sources tell me now that they think Kyle looks like Blaine. Ha! Anyway, the weekend was soooo much fun. We stayed in Times Square, in this little SHOEBOX, but we were literally a block away from all the bright lights. We got into NYC maybe around 11:30pm, and everything was still SO bright.

It really was a great weekend getaway! Here are some pics: Radio music hall, Central park, the Glee concert, the Wall Street Bull, etc.

At the Glee concert in NY!!!

This is perhaps one of my most favorite quotes from Glee.

Everyone knows the Journey song/outfits well by now!

The entire cast of Glee singing Empire State of Mind. How appropriate :)

Hiiiiiiii Blaine!

Hot dogs in Central Park are a must!

Wall Street Bull. No comment.

It was a great weekend. Loved visiting. Not sure I can live in such a hectic city...unless I have a couple million to spare to buy a "large" (aka 1500 sq. ft.) penthouse :)

A very very special weekend :)

This past weekend was the amazing and incredible wedding celebrations of one of my best friends- Ellen Pollack :) It was truly such an amazing and happy day that I wish they could do it again! It was a very very whirlwind weekend...I got into Buffalo on Wednesday night...midnight to be exact. My flight was delayed an hour, which is fine, Baltimore and Buffalo are my favorite airports to be in bc they're clean and small. Thursday was a lot of running around tying up loose ends and ended with spa night with the bridesmaids. Friday was more running around and checking things off the to-do list, rehearsal, and rehearsal dinner, before we all headed back to Ellen's to spend the night! Saturday morning was another whirlwind. We were all ready by 11am, and then the groom's side came to the bride's house! Armenian tradition was SO cool to observe and be a part of. Then came the ceremony. Absolutely beautiful church. Then were the pictures. And lastly- the reception, where the party REALLY started. It was SUCH an amazing wedding with awesome music (half of which were in Russian but it was still a ridiculous beat nonetheless), a freakin' awesome wedding singer, and emcee who could salsa like nobody's business. We literally all danced the night away. Below are some pics. You can tell that the theme was very pink :)

Kyle and I before the ceremony. The first and last time you'll see me in so much pink :)

The party bus!

All of us now. So pretty

Seriously one of my favorite shots. Love candids.

I was having a GREAT time.

FAVORITE PICTURE EVER. Ellen looks ridiculously happy and beautiful while I look...special.

CONGRATS TO ELLEN AND GEVORK!!!!!!!!