Trip to D.C.

This past weekend I drove up to Washington, D.C., with my brothers.

I am glad I don't live in the D.C. area, because traffic is really bad. It started well over an hour outside the capital. At one point we counted five fender-benders in a one-mile stretch!

I don't know if you can really see it in either photo, but there are four or five lanes of traffic practically at a standstill on the other side.

We had a great time. On Friday evening we went to visit my friend Nad, whom I have known since my senior year in high school, and his wife Danielle. Nad's parents and sister were visiting from Mauritius, so I got to see them again, too. We had a really nice visit, and I look forward to many more.


On Saturday morning I went to the temple. Oh, what a beauty! And that feeling on its grounds.... I didn't want to leave.

But I did go pick up the boys and we did some sight-seeing in D.C.

Ryan on National Mall with Capitol building in background

Akilesh had a really good time.

My favorite place was the WWII memorial, which wasn't there the last time I visited D.C.

An up-close view of the Capitol.

New Life

Here are, as promised, a few photos of my apartment.....

Living room

Hallway

Dining room and kitchen

and of the campus....

Gray Hall, where my office is located

My office!!

Another view of Gray


The little courtyard in which the dining hall and bookstore are located

View of school grounds from Quad; the construction is for the new gymnasium, which will open next year. The campus covers 1300 acres, so all those hills in the background are part of it. Lots of exciting hiking in perspective!

MOVING ACROSS COUNTRY!!!

Thursday, July 10, 2008
Finished cleaning the apartment and loaded a few last things into the trailer. Had the trailer picked up and did the apartment walk-through with the landlord. Had one last dinner with the Tompkinsons at Gandhi's

and then went to buy some snacks for the trip. Left Tucson around 9:15 p.m.

Friday, July 11th
I drove first- drove all night and until 7 a.m. when I just couldn't stay awake anymore. Deva took over and drove for a few hours, and then I took over again. It took us all that day to cross Texas- we were so tired of it! But the eastern part of it was beautiful, as people had told me. We crossed into Arkansas around 5 p.m. Had dinner and spent the night in Arkadelphia.

Saturday, July 12th
The boys didn't get up until almost noon. Checked out and got on our way. Found a sign for
(yes, in Arkansas!) and decided to stop, since it is highly unlikely any of us will be in that corner of the country any time soon. The park is a swamp- first time I'd been in one!


We saw snakes.... possibly cottonmouths?


There was a marker for the spot from which land was surveyed and allotted to soldiers of the war of 1812 and others.


We crossed over the mighty Mississippi River mid-afternoon, and were welcomed into....

While we were driving by Memphis, we thought it was only appropriate that we should stop by

but it was CLOSED!!! At 5 p.m.!!! During SUMMER!!! Does anyone else think that's ridiculous?

We did get to see

as well as

but the house itself we only saw from across the street


Here is Akilesh in front of a mural:


Memphis wasn't very good to me. Not only did its greatest (only???) attraction close 4 minutes before I got there, it was also the place where my middle left finger got smashed in the car door. This is what it looked like right after it happened:


You can see the little bit of blue in the lower left corner. Some kind workers at a pizza place gave me some ice to put on it, but, oh, how it throbbed!

We had planned to drive straight to Virginia, but both Deva and I were so tired we didn't think it was wise. So we stopped for the night in Jackson, TN.

Sunday, July 13th
Left around 11 a.m. and drove all day. Right outside Nashville, I-40 was closed because a semi carrying hazardous materials had overturned somewhere between Nashville and Knoxville. We figured that the best option was to follow the semis, as they would know the best/ quickest way. This little (well, actually HUGE!) detour ended up being quite an adventure and the most fun part of the trip. We drove through the mountains of central Tennessee, almost down to Chattanooga, and had gorgeous views of valleys, meadows and lovely little mountaintop villages. These pictures really do not do justice to the beauty of that part of the state.




By then my nail was turning seriously blue and was throbbing and hurting like heck. Whenever something touched it (and most didn't touch, they somehow managed to slam into it), it would send shocks and waves of pain up my hand. This picture was taken at the beginning of the day; by the evening the whole nail was blue.

We drove throughout that day and decided to keep going until we reached our destination. Deva drove almost all the way; I took over a little after midnight, after we had already crossed into Virginia. I drove the last two hours approximately. When we reached our hotel, my nail was hurting so badly that I asked Deva to try to drain the blood that had accumulated under it to relieve the pressure. We heated up the end of a paper clip using a cigarette lighter, and then he pushed it through the nail (sounds barbaric, but it really doesn't hurt; the hot tip burns cleanly through the nail). However, this little operation was unsuccessful, as the blood had already dried and so couldn't be squeezed out. I would have to continue to suffer. Here's what it looked like after the failed operation:


Monday, July 14th
It is Fete Nationale in France- a.k.a. Bastille Day- and this is the first year I am not holding some kind of celebration.

Drove to Richmond to drop Deva off at the airport. Discovered an excellent Thai restaurant, which will surely become a favorite.

Tuesday, July 15th
Started looking for housing and found nothing.

Wednesday, July 16th
Looked for housing- found a condo overlooking a lake that we really liked.

Thursday, July 17th
Learned that the owner of the condo didn't want renters with pets. Was disappointed, but went to visit another apartment that I really liked. Drove to Richmond again to pick up Megan from the airport. Submitted application for apartment. Drove a bit on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a scenic drive along the Blue Ridge mountains. Breathtaking scenery! Here are some shots of the James River and its environs:

Megan posing on a ledge...


We even went on a little hike!


And a gorgeous red moon on our way back:



Friday, July 18th
Was approved for the apartment. Signed lease and picked up keys. Called moving company, which dropped off the trailer around 6 p.m. Unloaded trailer.

Saturday, July 19th
Unpacked some boxes and tried to get kitchen organized. Evening- went for a walk downtown, there was nothing and nobody there. Apparently downtown is NOT the place to be at night!

Sunday, July 20th
Went to Church and was very warmly welcomed by everyone. Was directed to the correct ward and met my bishop. Was invited to dinner at the Stitts'. Long drive in the surrounding countryside in the evening. No pictures of that, unfortunately, as Megan took them with her camera!

Monday, July 21st
Lunch with the head of my department as well as another colleague. Continued to unpack.

Tuesday, July 22nd
Saw performance of "Romeo and Juliet" outdoors on Sweet Briar campus. Very good, but interrupted by big storm.

Wednesday, July 23rd
Left around 7 a.m. to drive Megan to Richmond airport. Poor thing- her plane sat on the tarmac for hours and then the flight got cancelled because of bad weather! She had to spend the night in Richmond.

Thursday, July 24th
Picked up some furniture- couch, loveseat and bed. Yay! We have somewhere to sit now! Went to the second half of "Romeo and Juliet" with Aubrey, a new friend. Great performance.

11th Anniversary

Today marks exactly eleven years (both datewise and daywise) since I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What a wonderful occasion to remember and celebrate!

My brother and I in our baptismal outfits

Friends, family and missionaries at my baptism, July 6, 1997

I was raised in a good family, I was taught well and I lacked for nothing. I was happy- or so I thought. It was only when I accepted the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and was baptized into His only true Church upon the face of the earth that I came to experience and understand true joy- a "fullness of joy", as the scriptures promise us. It has been an amazing journey these last eleven years. I have learned and grown in unimaginable ways. I have had experiences and opportunities that I would never have dreamt would be mine. I have become someone that I never imagined I would be.... I am truly happy.

I look forward to the rest of my life as a disciple of Jesus Christ and a member of His Church. I am excited to see how my life unfolds, what blessings and opportunities my Heavenly Father has in store for me, and what I am called to accomplish and become in this life. In other words, as I reflect upon the journey I have traveled so far, I look forward to the journey ahead.

Graduation

So I never wrote about graduation.

It was fun, even though it was all make-believe (I hadn't completed all the requirements for graduation yet). I participated in both the college convocation and in the university-wide ceremony. My mom and brother flew down to attend my graduation, and several friends came in from out of town. Here are some photos of the graduation ceremonies:

The new graduate

Hooding by my advisor


With the head of my department and another graduate student who also graduated

Friends and family after the ceremony

I don't have photos of the party yet, but I will post them when I receive them. It was tons of fun! I had it at a park with natural springs, ponds, water fowl and palms swaying in the wind... As close to an island atmosphere as you can get when you are hundreds of miles from the ocean! Lots of friends came, including some from out of town. We had grilled hamburgers and veggies, as well as fruit. People visited and caught up with one another's lives. The weather was perfect. I didn't get to chat with as many people as I would have liked, but it was good to see so many friends there. Definitely a day to remember.

First monsoon!

This afternoon we had the first storm of the monsoon season. It was glorious! The rain came crashing down around three- it even hailed!- and the wind howled, shaking the trees. It was an awesome sight (both in the sense of inspiring awe and in the sense of being a wonderful thing to watch). It reminded me of cyclones back home, which I have always loved. Cyclones last a lot longer, of course, about a day and a half on average, but it's the same thing that I love- watching nature in all its fury and power...

Now the front yard is flooded- huge pools by the dumpsters!- but the backyard just drank up the rain. I am excited to see my garden come to life after these rains. My plants seem to like rain water much better than water from the faucet. Plants that seemed dead come back to life, everything starts blooming, the grass becomes green again- it's a miracle to watch!

So preparations for the move are picking up speed. I now have a set, definite move date- July 10th. That's in exactly two weeks. I am sending my personal belongings through movers and my brothers and I are driving in my new car:

Snazzy, isn't she? I have named her Victoria.

Anyway. So the four of us, along with my two doggies, are driving across country. I don't have housing yet at my destination, but I have looked online and found a couple of houses for rent in the area, so hopefully it won't take me too long to get something. It's exciting!

Bitten by my dog!

Never disturb a sleeping dog. Never. If you do, the consequences can be dire, as in my case.

And this picture doesn't even show how swollen it was! There were six sutures, which were taken out just today. The doctor did a wonderful job of stitching my lip back together, so I think the scar won't be too bad. I have bought Mederma, which is supposed to help make scars less visible. The nurse who took the sutures out said that the little "bumps" where the skin didn't mesh back together perfectly may have to be dealt with through plastic surgery in about 6 months. Hmmm. We'll see!

The other big news right now is that I am graduating in about 10 days! YAY!!! My mom is coming down, and I am throwing a party at a park here in town afterwards. Should be fun!