Washington DC – …on the B.L.

Crawfish Boil 2019

May 29, 2019September 8, 2019 RaeAnna

More people came before and after. We had fun. Can you find me?

Family is one of those complicated things. I have not always been close with mine. Extended family were around when I was younger, but they were never a huge part of my life especially in my teen and adult years. No one person’s fault, life just works out that way. I was also in a weird age bracket. I was the oldest by a lot (my brother not included) of my first cousins. The extended cousins were either much, much older or much, much younger. Now, as I’m nearing 30, my cousins view me as an adult like them [yay, finally!!!], or I get to be the fun much older cousin.

The chef, my cousin, sharing the plunger of honor to cook the crawfish. It’s a thing. I promise.

In March, I went on a cruise for my Grandma’s 80th birthday. I hadn’t seen the aunts, uncles, or cousins in about fourteen years. I fell a little bit in love with them. While I was there, I was invited to my great aunt’s 80th birthday party in Maryland over Memorial Day weekend. The cousins I stayed with in Germany – eight years ago – throw an annual crawfish boil, which made the perfect birthday gathering.

Kelsey pulling her weight in the… kitchen.

I would just like to inform you, my family has this ‘All Are Welcome’ attitude. I found out I come by that trait genetically. There was a swirl of cousins, aunts, uncles, relatives by marriage, friends, and strangers. As an introvert, I am not comfortable in crowds but I also hate feeling like an outsider. I hadn’t seen a lot of my family in a very long time, but they never made me feel like I wasn’t included. I wanted my bestie to see my grandma and also because I wanted someone to be able to lean on and know in a crowd. My family made her feel right at home and kept our plates well stocked.

Precooked crawfish. Still alive and pinchin’.

This part of my family hails from New Orleans. I spent a huge amount of time there growing up, so it feels like home for me too. They moved all across the country; many are on the East coast. New Orleans is known for food. There’s nothing quite as Louisiana as a crawfish boil. Almost 200 pounds of crawfish were brought in fresh and consumed. I can’t really explain the scale of this party because it was immense. My great aunt is loved, so she brought in a crowd. My cousins are loved and make friends everywhere they go. Throughout the course of the afternoon, there had to have been close to 200 people at the party. Everyone had a blast and ate their fill of crawfish, shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn, and mushrooms. I’m a fan of crawfish boils. Enjoying one surrounded by family made it even better.

Kelsey trying crawfish for the VERY first time.

The food was amazing. The fun was even better. It’s been a long time since I have been to a party quite like that. Even longer since I was surrounded by family. I had a blast. I can’t wait to make it next year.

Books, NonFiction

From the Corner of the Oval by Beck Dorey Stein

April 8, 2019April 8, 2019 RaeAnna

Read Yes
Length 330
Quick Review From the Corner of the Oval is the story of Beck Dorey-Steins experiences in the White House under the Obama administration as a stenographer.

Reading *From the Corner of the Oval* by Beck Dorey Stein | Cold-Shoulder Shirt | Hot Pink Skirt | Blue Suede Shoes | Fossil Watch

I wasn’t sure what to think of when I picked up From the Corner of the Oval. The cover is hot pink and blue, but it’s a political memoir. What? Those don’t go together unless you’re the fictional character Elle Woods. Beck Dorey-Stein is definitely not Elle Woods, but she belonged to the political sphere and the bright color wearing crowd.

Dorey-Stein begins From the Corner of the Oval as a tutor at a private school in DC. She had no idea what she was doing or where she was going, but she wanted it to not be in Washington DC. One day, she replied to a Craigslist ad, which ended up being a job as a stenographer in the White House. As a stenographer, she accompanied the president on trips around the country and the globe catching rides on Air Force One.

There is no way you can read Dorey-Stein’s words and not see her honesty. She’s sharing her life in the White House and her personal life as they bleed into one another. She makes mistakes, but she doesn’t try to hide them. She lets her humanity shine through without being apologetic for the choices she made. It’s the clarity that makes it a good and entertaining memoir to read.

The prose is fun to read. There are a ton of quotable moments, but I failed to jot them down. She has a witty way with words. She finds the humor in the unfortunate events that transpire.

It’s a great read. Not at all what I expected from a Capital Hill memoir, but Beck Dorey-Stein explains the color choice on the cover of From the Corner of the Oval through her flamboyant personality on every page.

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Quick Review
“…and as on so many other nights, it’s like I’m not there.”
“The world is what you make it.”

Title: From the Corner of the Oval
Author: Beck Dorey-Stein
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780525509127

Experiences, Travel

The National Arboretum

April 22, 2018September 8, 2019 RaeAnna

So it’s been a week and a half since I was in DC… I meant to do more writing while I was in Arkansas, so that I wouldn’t be so behind. BUT I was having too much fun living. Better late than never I guess.

My best friend, Kelsey, and I decided to visit some beautiful sites during my visit to Washington DC. You’ve already read… Or at least, I’ve already written about seeing the cherry blossoms along Tidal Basin. Next on the list of gorgeous places in DC that are incredibly Instagrammable: The National Columns at The National Arboretum. Bonkers, it was pretty.

We found out the National Columns and the Arboretum itself is a beautiful secret kept from the tourists and maybe even DC itself. While the cherry blossoms at Tidal Basin and the National Mall were packed with people, the arboretum was all but empty. A few cars and a few people with their dogs dotted the landscape. Trees were in bloom everywhere.

I was a little disappointed because the columns were under construction or something. Whatever it was, there was an orange plastic fence around them. When it came to taking pictures, we had to get a little creative with the camera angles. Voila, no ugly fence in the background… Although, I have some cute scrapes on my legs still to prove I’ll work for the pictures I take! I can’t wait to go back and see the columns when they’re up and running with the water and everything.

A little history lesson…. Because I, personally, enjoy knowing the whens, whos, whats, and hows of a place. I’m weird like that. In 1926, the National Arboretum came to be through an act of Congress after a campaign by botanist Frederick Vernon Coville. It is a part of the U.S.’s Department of Agriculture and their Agricultural Research Service. It is home to gardens, public art, walking trails, and more. Today, it functions as a hub for botany research as well as a beautiful place to walk around and take pictures for Instagram.

The Capitol Columns are one of the most recognizable features of the Arboretum, and the place I spent the most time. Partially because by the time I was done… I was so itchy from kneeling in the grass, it was time to go. Yay allergies! There are 22 columns in the Corinthian style placed in the Ellipse Meadow. The columns were originally meant to support the East Portico of the Capitol Building when they were built in 1822 before the dome, in existence now, was finished. The columns were unable to hold the mass of the dome and were removed in 1958. Ethel Garrett was an Arboretum benefactor in the 1980’s, and she wanted to find a permanent place for the columns. In 1984 with the consultation of Russell Page, the two decided where to place the columns and a reflecting pond to capitalize on the beauty of the area. Suffice to say, everything worked out and the Capitol Columns are happily situated in one of the most serene spots I have ever seen.

Basically, if you like the outdoors or are a blogger looking for something beautiful and not so DC-cliché, you should definitely visit the National Arboretum. It’s beautiful to walk around, and if you’re not fond of walking around, you can drive through the park. It’s amazing and worth the visit.

Experiences, Travel

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms

April 18, 2018September 8, 2019 RaeAnna

In the middle of February, my best friend, Kelsey, texted me: You need to come visit the beginning of April! We need to take cherry blossom pictures. You HAVE TO COME! It so happens, I was putting plans into action that I would be on the East coast then… coincidentally.

Kelsey lives just outside of DC, so we woke up early – for us, put on our pretty faces, packed a bag of books, hopped in the car, and drove the twenty minutes to a parking garage close to the Mall. Basically, she is a great friend to have for the touristing!!! And her photography skills… And her friendship, I just like her. She’s stuck with me for always because I have too many ugly photos for her to ever ditch me! *insert evil witch laugh here*

The famous DC cherry blossoms are planted along Tidal Basin, which is adjacent to the Mall and features the Jefferson Memorial. Suffice to say, it’s down right gorgeous. I was there the last weekend of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Holy Bajeezus, there were bunches of people. Absolutely a ton of people dressed in varying shades of pink, white, and other cherry blossom complementing pastels. (I would be a bold faced liar if I told you I accidentally picked out a white dress with light pink flowers to wear. Because I too wore cherry blossom complementing clothes.) Old, young, tourists, bloggers, families, solos everyone was out with their cameras to take pictures of the beautifully, short lived blooms.

The amount of blossoms is breathtaking. I was there at the end of the season, so petals fell from the trees with a light breeze in what can only be described as “made for the climax of a romantic comedy.” Definitely cliche. Definitely gorgeous. Definitely worth a trip.

The blossoms are white on the edges with pink centers giving the illusion they’re pale pink. Their season is short and highly dependent on the weather. It was surprising they were still there by the time I made it to DC because there had been a big freeze the weekend prior. This year, they lasted from March 17 – April 15. It’s an amazing site to see. Tidal Basin is surrounded by cherry blossoms. At one point in your walk, you’ll look one way to see the Jefferson Memorial across the water, and looking the other way, you’ll see the Washington Memorial over the tops of the cherry trees. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is nestled into the cherry trees and is quite stunning all by itself.

You could spend all day walking around looking at the cherry blossoms, and I think it would be worth it. If that’s not for you, the Mall with all the Memorials and museums is quite literally across the street. So if you’re bored… I don’t know what to tell you. There’s tons of options for pretty much anything anyone could possibly enjoy.

If you ever have the chance to see the cherry blossoms in Washington DC, I highly suggest you do. It’s not quite like anything else I’ve ever seen.

Of course, as the blogger I am, I had to do more than just walk around and enjoy the blossoms. I also had to create content. Honestly, it was not a burden. I would have made Kelsey take pictures of me with the flowers any ways! I just had to take a little extra time to make sure I enjoyed being there on top of working. So this is me not complaining.

I was there on April 13, and the trees were gorgeous. The blossoms quite literally fell off two days later… I guess my timing could not have been better. This year, Washington DC cherry blossoms. Next year, cherry blossoms in Japan! (Just kidding, unless someone wants to sponsor me! I would totally trade posts for a trip to Japan next spring. Please email me!)