DC Snowtastrophe

Last year we had "Snowmageddon" and "Snowpocalypse" and last week we had what I'm deeming a "Snowtastrophe." Heavy, heavy, wet, fast snowfall on Wednesday evening resulted in probably one of the worst traffic related incidents DC has ever seen. Horror stories of people being stuck in their cars for upwards of 8-12 hours trying to get home were abound. We got 8-12 inches in about a 5 hour period, weighing down trees (three full trees down on our street alone) and power lines resulting in hundreds of thousands of people out of power.

WE on the other hand...left work early, made it home safely and quickly, and kept power throughout the whole ordeal.

Our only minor casualty was a major limb that LOOKED from our window like it had crashed down on Micheal's car. We ran out to check out the damage and breathed a sigh of relief.





THANKFULLY the limb fell straight down with the large part on the road and only the outside branches falling on Micheal's car.



The heavy snow protected the car for ANY damage or scratches - so blessed! As you can see it was still actively snowing, we spent the next hour or so digging out our cars, and dismantling the tree with our neighbor Jeannette so her husband could get through (when he got home at midnight after leaving work at 6, ugh.) So crazy!

Weekend Update 1/30 & WWL

Hola! Ciao! Hello! How are you all this fine day? Me? Thanks for asking, I'm doing great. No more traveling, no more marathon interview days, no more rental cars, and no more hotels (all though room service was delish!)

Now to dive back into home projects, and TRUST ME there is plenty to keep me busy (and hopefully you entertained) until I start internship (hopefully) in July.

I've got lots of fun things to share with you this week including my best craigslist find yet, our little snow disaster, dining chair full pad replacement and reupholstering tutorial, and for today....

KITCHEN UPDATE!!!

A brief reminder of the old:





Friends and family have been hounding me for updated pics so I cleaned up today and snapped some update shots.


Hello my beautiful orange kitchen! Below I've highlighted some things to check out.



Some more pics...


I've officially deemed this my baking corner! The extra 3 feet of counter space we added is ah-mazing!


Check out the longer handles we put on the drawers compared to the matching smaller ones on the cabinet doors.


The view to the living room - keepin' it real with the kitty dishes :)


The view from the living room

So what do you think? We reached that point about 2 months back where everything was functional so we really became complacent with moving forward. But now we're both motivated to get'er done!

What have I learned over the past few months...

1. They don't have small vehicles for rent in TX (or at least the weekend I was in Houston) - hope you can drive a truck (or take a cab...)!
   
2. Big fluffy pancakes delivered to your room before an interview are amazing.
   
3. If you're flying Southwest you'd better get in the A group or you're gonna be riding bitch fo-sho.
   
4. The brush attachment on our vacuum has a long and a short option! Who knew?! (Well, Micheal did since he showed me...)
   
5. It's really hard to make decisions that will set you and your family's path for at least the next two years if not longer.
   
6. Parking is a SUPER motivating benefit!
   
7. I could never have a career that required me to travel regularly.
   
8. If you're looking for a cat in our house, check by a heater vent. Kali and Moshe have taken to lying on their backs and heating up their bellies.
   
9. Angry birds? Yes please!!

My House Sits Quietly...

...while I travel about the US trying to convince different children's hospitals that I would be an excellent addition to their staff for the next year. The great news for me, Micheal, my kitties and YOU is that tomorrow is my LAST ONE! Which means we can get back to finishing up the kitchen and other projects around the house!

Here's a quick peek into the past three weeks of my life:

Interview #1 - St. Jude's Research Hospital, Memphis TN

Interview #2 - Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD


Interview #3 - Alfred I duPont Children's Hospital, Wilmington DE


Interview #4 - University of Louisville Health Center/Kosair Children's Hospital


Interview #5 - Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City MO


Interview #6 - Texas Children's Hospital (Baylor Psychiatry Department), Houston TX


Interview #7(tomorrow) - Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City OK


I can't tell you my favorites because of APPIC rules (and because I haven't totally decided yet..) but they're all really great training programs. After I'm done with interviews I rank the places I interviewed in order of preference and submit to APPIC. Then each site ranks all their interviewees in order of preference and submit to APPIC. Then a big computer mushes all that info together and spits out an email that (hopefully) tells me where I will be spending the next year of my life. As you can see there is a good chance I'll need to move, but never fear! I can always blog about decorating a small apartment on a tight budget when you're working 50-60 hours per week!! :)