Well!!!! I finally got to meet up with some of my girlfriends from college, girls I hadn't seen in 2 years! It was great!!!! We met up at the Smithsonian and walked around the Natural History Musuem a bit....and thanks ladies for letting me see the Insect Zoo and get all excited : ) You're right Jasmine, I was hoping that little boy who kept asking me about that huge beetle would be so excited by the time I finished pointing it out to him.....and yet he just said, "oh" and went to get his dad....oh well! : ) I'm going to definitely see if they have any openings in the insect zoo to work there. : ) yeah! ; )

But it was great to see my good friends, experience the DC metro once again....so slow! Miri and Kim were there as well and Kim, Caitlin and I got stuck in a massive downpour of buckets upon buckets of rain at the metro stop running to the car. It was fun tho.....sort of reminded me of a rainy night in Oxford running around in the Linacre College garden. ; )

In two weeks we're meeting up again (without Cait, she came along for the first trip), but seeing Abbie, my roomate from college and our dear friend! It will be great to see her, as I haven't seen her in two years! We're all looking forward to it, and hopefully will have a fun weekend planned. This time we'll meet up somewhere and stay overnight so we can spend more time together. : )

Am studying hard for the GRE and am focusing on applying for late admission to schools. I've thought about it and I'd like to stay in the field of insect ecology or biological diversity. While I love all animals....I think insects are pretty cool. Preferrably not spiders.....even after studying them for so long in college, I've lost any courage built up and am once again, freaked out by spiders! : )

My right knee is doing well and I'm walking the dog a mile everday, except the last several days, as we've had nothing but heavy rain and severe thunderstorms! My left knee is now pretty sore....but I'm thinking it's a remnant of walking around the Museum in DC...and overcompensating when my right knee got tired. But, I'm running better now....just need to build up endurance...my goodness....just going up a flight of stairs at a normal pace still get's me winded sometimes.... : ) I want to get back to my old self....but it's happening.

So she's been lost in that sea of faces
That crowd of people just following the tides
They don't even know the places
In which each one resides
Just dull, drab, dreary
Just weak, worn, weary
Going thru the motions
Without showing any emotions

Did she lose her confidence -- her drive?
Does she remember how to survive?
Can she ever feel alive?

She longs to break free.....

Stop rehashing old battles
Get back up in the saddle
Don't look back again
Keep her eyes focused on Him
Live a life anew
Have a purpose in what you do
Don't despair or be depressed
That pain from the past is repressed
It's not coming to harm
So take life's arm
And move on, move up, move free
She say's, 'don't forget me'

So I climb slowly up to the stage
I hum a few notes in my head
I look out at the crowd and think
'It's not them I'm here to impress --
My singing's only meant to bless."
So I clear my throat
Get rid of that scratchy feeling
And smile secretly to myself
As those butterflies finally fly free
In that stomach of mine
And I close my eyes
Go deep inside
And open my mouth
And the music comes forth
Shaky at first,
Gradually stronger,
Until even I am overcome
By the life song I sing
Familiar harmonies come through
From my friends like you
The beat has changed
But I like it just the same
I've got a new song in my heart
And the ache of newfound joy to let loose

Here are some pictures from my brother's commissioning into the Navy!! (See how short I am compared to him!!)

Here's Cait, Jared and Me...hm...bunny ears, eh? Not very officer like, young man! : )

The family, with the former Midshipman, now an Ensign (well not quite yet at the time of pic)

Celebrations after, we had a huge dinner and my brother, sister and I all got Margaritas!! woo-hoo! ; )

Here are some pictures I've been hoping to post, some of me and Gussie, or Toula or Cait's new puppy, Maggie.

Gussie Sophia Mallis

Toula (she's 3 years old)

Maggie Mallis (Cait's puppy!)

Me and Miss Maggie (6 months old) at Cait's

Just look at those eyes!!!! This is Toulie!!!