Weekend Wrap-Up: 4th of July

Hope you all had a great holiday weekend! As it was my first Independence Day in DC, I can definitely say it was everything I imagined & more! First I should admit that a lot of these pictures are stolen from my friend Sophia whose phone takes ridiculously amazing pics – even in the dark! Luckily, she is nice enough to send them all to me so I can Instagram them to death and post them up here! You’ll also notice that I’ve recently learned some new picture tools and I maaaay have gone a little overboard…but it’s just so fun!

Sophia and I on the roof of my office – that’s the Capitol in the background 🙂

Anywayyyyy…..

I started the 4th off at a BBQ with some old and new friends where we drank beer, played cornhole, and hung out up on the roof (classic!) and it was a lot of fun! I love being in a city full of young professionals – it seems like I’m always meeting new people, which is awesome! After a couple hours of hanging out there, Sophia and I walked over to my office for our Independence Day Celebration. This party was definitely as epic as it was described to be! We had Famous Dave’s catered food and specialty drinks named “Sunny Afternoon” and “A Walk in the Countryside” (I much preferred the first – but hey, it was an open bar so I had to try em both!). After mingling for a while and meeting everyone’s family & friends, it was time for fireworks. We had an INCREDIBLE view and the weather was perfect! Just when I think my job can’t get any better they throw this at me….

My 4th in review – pretty epic!

I was able to sleep in a little bit on Friday before my family came into town and I was in full-on tour guide mode! My oldest cousin had been to DC recently, but my other cousin, uncle, aunt, and her parents had never been so it was my duty to show them how amazing this city is – all in 2 days! It was especially important since my aunt’s parents were visiting all the way from INDIA….so I had to prove that America was as awesome as they believe it to be…and that DC isn’t always as much of a mess as it seems to be on the news! Due to the blistering heat and my guests’ restrictions, we decided that a walking tour was out of the question. So Saturday afternoon I finally got to go on one of those crazy Big Bus tours I’ve always secretly wanted to go on! We literally rode ALL OVER the city, taking stops at some of the more interesting locations to get a closer look. I wouldn’t recommend the tour to anyone able to walk, as it was expensive, but it was definitely worth the money for our group! Also – just note how adorable my cousins are in the picture below – presh!!

ultimate tourists!

I hope that between all the BBQs and fireworks this weekend everyone had a chance to stop and think about what Independence Day is really about! Not to get too sentimental, but sometimes I really wonder how I got lucky enough to live in a country where freedom is cherished and celebrated. Having a father who was an immigrant and still having a lot of family overseas always helps me remember this point. Sure, every country has their issues – but I’d say we’ve got it pretty good over here and I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!

Creed on what he would do if he won the lottery…anyone else miss this show as much as I do? (Thanks, E, for the link 🙂 )

An incredible weekend of family, friends, and fireworks – what more could you want in life?

xO – S

CPAC 2013 at National Harbor

*First I have got to apologize for the absolutely terrible picture quality in the post…my excitement paired with my crappy iPhone camera did not serve me well this weekend…*

For you non-politicos out there – CPAC refers to the Conservative Political Action Conference, where thousands of conservatives gather each year to attend workshops, panels, and speeches by some of the best conservative lawmakers, commentators, journalists, and policy wonks.

Gaylord National Hotel right on the water at National Harbor!

This weekend was all I needed to ensure that I am definitely in the right place. There’s nothing quite like being around thousands of people from all over the country that are so passionate about the same things you’re passionate about!

We left work early on Friday to head over to CPAC as a team, which was awesome. Unfortunately we missed some of my favorites – including Rand Paul  Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, and Mitt Romney…but we still arrived with plenty of time to see my #1 favorite current politician – Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana. Bobby did not hold back at all – firing shots at the Obama Administration, the Republican Party, and NJ Governor Chris Christie.

BOBBY!!

We attended a couple other workshops Friday evening, and I almost stayed for the dinner with Jeb Bush, but ultimately decided against it because I’ve been fighting off a cold and wanted to make sure I was in perfect shape to endure an entire Saturday of CPAC madness.

We were so excited to see Governor Scott Walker Saturday morning, but unfortunately missed it thanks to a marathon blocking off all the roads downtown (ugh). We did still make it in time to see Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, and Sarah Palin. Now these aren’t my favorite people in conservative politics, but it was still cool to see them all in person! We also got to see Dr. Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins, and a rising star in politics. If you haven’t heard anything from him yet,  you should definitely look him up – he is really inspiring and eloquent in his speech.

the PACKED room! Note the press/media all on their computers on the right…so cool

Sarah Palin herself!

On top of the programming being awesome, I finally got a chance to visit National Harbor! Being that it is all the way out in Prince George’s County, I’ve had no incentive to get down there all this time, so it was awesome to finally have a reason! It’s basically a little town filled with shops and restaurants on the outskirts of the city. I wish we had more time to explore the area, but I’ll definitely be making a trip back sooner rather than later.

The highlight of National Harbor is the Awakening Statue, which surprisingly has no real story behind it other than a man struggling to break out of the ground…

The little kids playing on it was too much to handle

We took a short break from all the political jargon to walk around and grab lunch at Rosa Mexicano. I was a little disappointed with the lack of options, but finally settled on tortilla soup and chicken taquitos, which were delicious. Not to mention their super strong pomegranate margaritas!  On the way back to the hotel we came across one of my favorite stores, America!, and someone was clever enough to put this guy out front:

Making my friends pose with Obama

We went back to the hotel for the last few speeches – Ann Coulter and Ted Cruz, two people I have very different feelings about. Ann Coulter is….an acquired taste, in my opinion. She’s definitely not my go-to source on conservative ideas. Ted Cruz, on the other hand, I admire a lot. He’s young, passionate, and energetic. We both have immigrant fathers and you can tell he really cares about and believes in the policies he promotes, which is important and rare in politics.

Crazy Ann Coulter

TED CRUZ!!!

Standing ovation for Senator Cruz

I’m so inspired and excited from this weekend! I can’t wait to see what the future of the conservative movement holds. This all refers back to our recent post about job hunting. It’s so worth it to spend time finding your passion and applying it to your career. Trust me, life is much more enjoyable when you love your job! My apologies again for the terrible pictures, and for rambling on in this post about politics…I’ll post a cookie recipe soon to make up for it, I swear!

-S

AMA DC’s 80th Anniversary Gala

Last night I had the honor of attending the D.C. chapter of the  American Marketing Association 80th Anniversary Gala!

mmm mini carrot cake

Held at the Carnegie Institute of Science downtown (which I entirely forgot to take a picture of but its quite impressive so this will have to suffice)

The first hour consisted of finger food and drinks, perfect for networking and seeing familiar faces

I attempted to tweet at the AMA and contribute to their board.. oops it went through a few times only slightly embarrassing.

yes, thats my face a MILLION times on the left

The awards section of the night honored 20 of the top marketers in DC helping projects like the American University WONK, the 100 year of Cherry Blossom Celebration, and the DC Jazz Festival. Pretty cool stuff! After the show we were given dessert and more champagne. Well if you insist!

my dessert — carrot cake, macaroon & champagne

I was not entirely sure what to wear to this as the word “Gala” sounds fancy and very black tie, but this one was more cocktail wear and a short silk dress and heels was perfect! Next time I’ll take a picture of myself too.

Walking back to the Metro I came across a brass band playing and people dancing on the sidewalk. DC may not have the culture  & flavor of NYC but I’m always happy to stumble upon little things like this here.

brass band outside of the new Dupont metro stop

Oh and since I’ve moved here half o the Dupont Metro has been closed, well not anymore!! Its so beautiful now!

Its finally beginning to feel like fall in D.C.! Hopefully this Snowmagedon/ Frankenstorm thing that is headed our way doesn’t ruin Halloween, but do you know what would get me through??

A. All men in DC becoming fashionable and starting to dress like THIS

&/or

This guy:

monster made from cupcakes!

I may go buy him after work.