Let's get science-y!

You all know science is not my thing. But occasionally I like to wander around the National Museum of Natural History. They have dinosaurs! And jewelry! They recently opened a beautiful new Ocean Hall, and who doesn't like marine animals?

As you can see, it gives the feeling of being underwater. The screens around the top show constant video footage of marine life. I think the architecture of the hall is my favorite. Apparently the arches in the ceiling had been covered up for years. I also love the blue skylight.

The jaw of a great white shark. Compare to the size of the person standing behind it.

The architecture of the building definitely gives off an old-museum feel. LOVE IT!

I also took some neat pictures of the stairwell.

Take-off

Blake and I recently rented bikes and rode down to Gravelly Point, which is located on the Potomac adjacent to Reagan National Airport. It's a popular spot for watching planes take off.

It's also got a nice view of the Washington Monument in the other direction.

Apple pickin' time!

Last weekend I went back to Hartland Orchard with Lacey and Lauren for our annual apple pickin' adventure. I love getting out to the countryside; it's so beautiful.

We trekked through the orchard on the hunt for apples...

But they had all fallen off the trees...

So we had to "pick" our apples from the crates...

Pretty!

Our next stop was the pumpkin patch.

Apparently it takes two people to cut a pumpkin off the vine.

We all show off our prizes.

And now for some gratuitous shots of the farm:

They still got the right stuff

The year was 1990. I was ten years old. My wonderful mother took me and about 5 of my friends to see the New Kids on the Block at Dodger Stadium. It was the best night of my childhood life, and I never thought I would get to experience it again.

Fast forward to the summer of 2008 when I hear that NKOTB is reuniting. I was so excited, I bought concert tickets the day they went on sale. I scoured my parents' house for old NKOTB shirts and memoribilia. The day of the concert arrived, and I was so giddy I felt like a schoolgirl again. At the arena, you could feel the electricity in the air as thousands of grown women waited for their former teen idols to take the stage.

My roommate Mary came with me. Why can't people learn to take pictures that are in focus...GOSH!

You could count the number of guys on one hand. This one was wearing an awesome retro jacket.

The sellout crowd filters in just before the show.

The lights dim. And everyone goes bananas.

And it's ON! (That's my boy Joey in the pink shirt. *Swoon*)

I'm a sucker for choreographed dance steps.

About halfway through, they decided to shake things up a bit and appear on a stage in the middle of the arena. Again, the crowd went bananas.

It was a great show and definitely brought back some memories. Unfortunately, Jordan didn't bring me up on stage and sing "I'll Be Loving You Forever" to me, but you take what you can get. (For better pics of the concert, visit the DCist website.)

Yin and yang

This is what happens when you leave tea lights outside during a rain storm.

Renovations

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History has been closed for renovations for the past two years and is scheduled to reopen in November. My friend Mike works in the museum's development office, and he was able to give Connie and me a tour of the facility this past week. It already looks vastly different from what it did before. Everything is much more open and spacious, and I can already tell it will be easy to navigate. I worked there for about 8 months and I got lost all the time! It's like they were trying to trap the poor tourists in there on purpose.

A view of the central atrium on the second floor and the grand staircase. On the back wall will be an abstract "waving" flag to mark the entrance to the Star Spangled Banner exhibit.

The artist's rendering of the same space.

The frame of the giant flag is ready to be mounted on the wall.

A view from above.

The Star Spangled Banner exhibit being installed.

Another view of the central atrium.

A construction worker looks out at the Mall.

Connie and I pose for a picture in our sexy hardhats.

Evolution

This building fascinates me. It looks like it has such history and has been through many changes. I find it interesting that the antiques people didn't paint over the sign completely.

Picnic in the park

This past Saturday, the Nationals hosted a picnic in the park for season ticket holders. There was free food, activities, and lots of player appearances.

We watched manager Manny Acta being interviewed.

We got up close and personal with the giant presidents.

They let fans "run" the bases. It was more like a slow crawl though.

A view of the press box under a beautiful blue sky.

And the highlight of the day....I got my picture taken with my boyfriend Ryan Zimmerman (and some other guy). Look at that, we're touching!! *sigh*