Love, Life and Appreciation

This past week, on the 25th, Rex and I celebrated our one year anniversary together. I remember the day we got married like it was yesterday. I remember getting my hair done the day of, my nails done two days before, finding my wedding dress and most of all looking into the eyes of the man, I'll be spending the rest of my life with. The year seems to have gone by pretty fast, especially when raising our daughter. We can't believe she'll be 10 months in October. She is growing up so fast! (I know I always post that).

The day of our anniversary, we both had to work. May spent the day with her babysitter, a friend of the family. That night however we went to a Bingo event that our apartment complex was holding. It was fun. Rex never really played Bingo so it was nice to show him. I've actually wanted to play Bingo for a long time now. There's a Bingo/Casino not too far away from where we live and I've been hinting to him that I wanted to go there. The Bingo event at the apartment was very family oriented and we brought May with us. She was grabbing onto everything! The markers, the tablecloth, the game board. Anything she could get her little hands on. It was nice though. It was great spending quality family time together. Much of the time, Rex and I are working and May is with her babysitter for much of the day. We played about seven games in total. One of the rounds I won right down the B-line. It was actually an intense round. The numbers kept getting called and no one was yelling "Bingo." My board was so full when I hear the announcer say, "Is that a 9 or a 6?" Someone replied, "It's a 6," and it the specific number was B-6. With that three people including myself yelled, "Bingo!" After that we stayed for a few more rounds. One round we did get but one more number other than the free space. It was a good event, I even took a picture of May and Rex by the balloons, where the event was held.

We later dropped with the babysitter, as Rex said he wanted to take me to the Bingo/Casino. We didn't spend too long at the Bingo/Casino and played a few games for the Early Bird Bingo round. Though we didn't win there we came so close on two games. Rex had one more number to finish his "T" and I had one more letter to finish my box.

The weekend of our anniversary, we all took a trip down to Gordonsville, VA. Rex and I signed up for a package a while back for a three day, two night stay at the Shenandoah Crossing resort by Bluegreen Vacations. We signed up for the package through Bass Pro Shops. Rex and I really like the outdoors and I've heard of the Shenandoah Valley before and thought it would be a nice place to visit. We knew the deal would include a presentation about a timeshare.

We all left Friday night, after I had finished work. Rex had the day off. We both had that weekend off. The trip down was about 3 hours and a half. May actually slept the whole way down. The resort was very nice and rustic. We stayed in a cabin that had it's own kitchen. We took advantage of the full kitchen by cooking during our stay. We made a really nice vegetable soup the second day we stayed :-) The resort had many activities, such as a pool, a putt-putt course, horseback riding, hayrides, an arcade and an exercise center. Though much of these activities were not free. We partook in walking around the main center and the pony back ride for May while we were there. We were also given a list of events happening for the week and that Saturday night we partook in a campfire with roasting marshmallows and making smores and we also listened to a story teller.'

May seemed to like the pony back ride. I was able to put her on the pony and I walked with her around the track. After the first few steps, May started clapping. We went around the track once. On the second go around May stopped and clung onto me half way. She was done. We meet a really friendly father with his son at the pony back ride. Rex and I saw the duo the rest of the time we were there. We saw them at the campfire and also before we left. The presentation wasn't too bad. It was long and we had to take May out twice. We ended up not buying a timeshare. Overall we enjoyed our time at the resort, the staff was very friendly and the cabin was cozy. Here are a few pictures:

Lastly on the way back to Maryland we stopped by Shenandoah National Park. The park is beautiful and so big! The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. We came in via the Thornton Gap entrance and drove to Loft Mountain. We stopped occasionally to look at the overlooks. We hope to go back to Shenandoah National Park when May gets bigger and do some hiking. Here's a few pictures we took:

Here's to one year down, forever to go!

Yesterday, I got the chance to meet legendary actor, singer, screenwriter and comedian, Dan Aykroyd! I met him at my temporary assignment as a receptionist at Republic National Distributing Company in Jessup, MD. I was placed there by Office Team, an administrative staffing agency. The agency has been very kind in finding me temporary employment. I've been looking for permanent employment since February of this year. I was trying to find a steady job before my stipend from fellowship at Howard University ended (I am still a student there, as they are paying for my tuition.) I did get a few interviews but no offers and decided to go through the agency because I have background experience in an administrative setting. I'd have been working with RNDC for three weeks, when I got to meet Mr. Aykroyd.

With RNDC being the second largest beverage alcohol distributor of premium wine and spirits in the United States, there's many showcasing of wines and spirits and the company is very professional. The day started out with me loading the daily PowerPoint slide. I was given a different PowerPoint presentation to load entitled "Crystal Head." I did not know Dan Aykroyd was coming until I saw the first slide which stated "RNDC Welcomes Dan Aykroyd." After that one of the managers asked me if I knew who he was and I replied "Yes." One of my favorite movies is My Girl and I liked him in The Campaign and Ghostbusters. She explained to me who to get in contact with, (I was going to write, "who to call"), when he showed up. He was scheduled to give a presentation of his vodka line at 9:30 am and arrived to the building at 9:10 am. He came with about five other people from the line. They all arrived in a GMC SUV.

Aykroyd walked through the front door, wearing black and his signature tie. He greeted two managers when he first came in, asking them their names, and shaking their hands. Then he proceeded to the receptionist desk asking me my name and shaking my hand. I remembered my name! Hehe. I told him "Tasha" and he smiled and then he signed the sign-in sheet on the desk. I said "Thanks for signing-in," and he proceeded to the conference room where the meeting was to be held. I was very casual and not overly excited. He seemed as charming as he is in his movies and and very personable. Later that day, I got a second chance to meet him after the presentation was over. Some of the managers asked if we wanted to take a picture with him. Of course I said "Yes" and called one of the representatives so she could relieve me a bit earlier before my lunch break. I had spoken to one of the men he came with, when he was in the meeting and when I went to the conference room. I believe the man was his driver. The driver said "Mr. Aykroyd this is Tasha. She'd like to take a picture." Aykroyd paused from signing the numerous boxes of Crystal Head. I gave my phone, opening the camera app, to the driver and Aykroyd shook my hand again and asked me if I went to school around the area and I told him I went to Howard University and that I was studying Atmospheric Science. He asked if I had been to an observatory in New York. I replied "No." The driver took two pictures. The last one came out better. After taking the picture, I thanked Mr. Aykroyd and he said "We have a meteorologist." The driver asked me if the picture on my phone was of my daughter. Me and the driver then spoke about our children and he showed me a picture of his daughter on his phone. After that conversation I went on my break and later I found out that Aykroyd left through the front door and got into the driver seat of the SUV and drove off with the rest of the members of the crew.

It was awesome meeting Mr. Aykroyd and he is such a nice person. His crew was very nice as well and the event was very professional. Some of the managers got some of the boxes the vodka which retails for around $50.

Rex has also been spending more time with May while I've been at work. I absolutely adore this picture he took of him and our little one.

First off we wanted to wish everyone a Happy Labor Day! Hope you are able to get some rest.

Gosh where have we been these last few weeks? We've been trying to keep up with May! She has mastered crawling and now she's cruising! She holding herself up on the coffee table, the furniture, our legs. This girl is on the go! It's really amazing to see her progress. She'll be nine months on the 13th. Sleeping through the night is not an option for May, as she wakes up about two to three times a night. I think it's because I'm still breastfeeding. She's eating certain solid foods like carrots and peaches but it seems like she really doesn't like others. (She's a picky eater like her momma. Hehe.) We are trying different foods including finger foods and it's still exciting to see which ones she likes and doesn't like :-)

We've also been working hard. Rex has been working pretty much non stop at his job and I've been focusing more on my research for my thesis. I'm hoping to defend my thesis in October and graduate with my Masters in December. I'm been actively looking for a job too. My stipend ended at the end of August. I've actually been looking since February. Though I've went on a few interviews, I still haven't gotten a job offer. I'm not giving up hope though.

Though we've been working hard, we got a chance to relax last Saturday, when my parents came down from New Jersey to visit us. They were really happy to see May. I text pictures of her often but it had been at least three months since they have seen her physically. My parents spent the night in Maryland and on Sunday we decided to go on a slight tour of DC and stop by Georgetown Cupcake, a famous bakery in DC.

Since I've been living in Maryland for the past three years, I never went to Georgetown Cupcake, nor have I heard of it (I never watched DC Cupcakes). Rex had been there once for one of his customers and wondered why the line was so long and my parents have heard of the bakery through Cupcake Wars but never went to the shop. It took about 15 minutes to get inside the shop but we were given a menu of the cupcake selection before we got in. We didn't order the cupcakes beforehand and just decided to go there and get what was there. My parents got a half dozen cupcakes which included carrot, strawberry and red velvet cupcakes. Rex and I got a half dozen as well which included chocolate coconut, chocolate ganache, banana split and red velvet cupcakes. Here are some pictures from our visit:

Outside the bakery.

Almost inside.

Cupcakes!

May by the cupcakes. She seemed to enjoy the visit.

After tasting the cupcakes I can see why so many people enjoy them. They were delicious! We'll definitely order these cupcakes again, especially when May gets older. They are a little on the pricey side though.

Later this month, Rex and I will be celebrating our one year wedding anniversary! I can't believe it's been a year already :-) We'll also be taking a family trip to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. We are so excited!!!!!

A few days ago my Fall Yuzen box arrived. Yuzen is a quarterly subscription box featured 6 to 8 eco-friendly samples. Recently the price for the subscription changed from $26 to $33. Though the price of the box is a bit high, I feel the contents are worth the price. I look so forward to receiving Yuzen. They also recently changed the packaging, to include a bigger box with their logo on it. Here's the box I received:

Here are the contents:

Torie & Howard Blood Orange and Honey Hard Candy. These candies were wonderful and so delicious! According to the card provided the candies are "a delicious combination of Italian Tarocco blood oranges and pure wildflower honey." There's no artificial flavors and the packaging is made from recycled steel. I think in the near future, I'll getting more of these.

Acure Argan Cell Stimulating Body Wash. I follow Acure on Facebook and saw that had a line of body washes. Having received samples in previous boxes before from Acure and liking those samples I was excited to try this. Acure has done it again! The body wash smell amazing and works very well.

Sanitas Vita-Rich Serum. According to the care this product, "delivers pure, active nutrients deep into skin tissue to moisturize and promote a healthier appearance." This is a 15 fl. oz sample and I can see this sample going a long way. At first I did four pumps, now I do only two. It says on the bottle to use it sparingly. I like the serum. My skin feels very moisturized and it sinks into my skin well.

Coola Mineral Facial Sunscreen. This sample does feel very light on the skin and I like the UVA/UVB protection.

Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive. I was really happy to see this sample in the box. I've heard many things about Juice Beauty and the apple peel. It smells good and I leave it on for 10 minutes. I've tried it twice and I am starting to see some improvement in my complexion. I might purchase the full size version of this product.

Sphatika Vitamin A Night Creme. This night creme has such a soothing smell and I like how it replenishes the skin while I sleep. This is a pretty good sized sample too and I could see a little going a long way. As much as I like this product the full size very expensive.

Verve Organics Soul Sister. I was happy to see this product in the box. The size is good to get a feel for the product. The scrub left me feeling relaxed and smooth.

Ajara Ayurvedic Beauty Tea Bath Sachet. I've never tried a bath sachet before. I actually still have yet to try it. All I need to do is just drop it into the tub. Sounds interesting.

Overall, I've very happy with this box. I feel that the products included are well worth the price. I'm looking forward to November's box!

Disclaimer: I purchased this box with my own money and was not monetarily compensated for this review. Opinions are honest and are completely my own.

Back in July, I applied for the NASA Social Orion Stationary Recovery Test. If you aren't familiar with what NASA Social is, it's a program that allows NASA social media followers, an inside look at what goes on at NASA. This may include tours of facilities, talking to astronauts and more. I apply for the socials under my twitter handle @weathersavvy1. On that account I tweet about many things in the Earth Science field.

I applied for the social because I've done three NASA Socials in the past (all at the NASA headquarters in DC). I really enjoyed them. I also was very interested in what the social was to offer. The social included a tour of the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton,VA, the NASA Langley Research Center also in Hampton and a view of the Orion Spacecraft Stationary Recovery Test in Norfolk,VA as well as a tour of the USS Arlington. I was a little apprehensive because only 30 of NASA's social media followers would be selected. I wasn't really worried about the drive. The NASA Langley Research Center is about 3 hours and 8 minutes from the house. A few days after I applied I got an email saying I was on the wait list. I was a little upset and thought I wouldn't be selected. Two days after that I got an email saying the I was off the wait list. I was in! I was so happy.

The dates were August 14 and 15th for the event. Unfortunately Rex wasn't able to schedule off for the 14th and 15th. I decided I'd leave the morning of the 14th and leave after the events on the 15th. It was hard leaving May, as that night was the first time I spent a night away from her. Rex was there to watch her while I was gone and I knew they'd have some good father/daughter bonding time :-) The ride down to Hampton was good. I meet up with a couple of social media followers who were selected for the event. We went to a late lunch at the SurfRider. After the lunch we all went to the Virginia Air and Space Center. There we got to tour to facility after hours and see an IMAX movie, Elysium, at a discounted price. Here are some pictures from the center:

In front of the Apollo 12 Command Module.

The Apollo 12 Command Module.

I didn't stay to watch the movie. I went back to the hotel to get some sleep. We went to the NASA Langley Research Center the next morning. We had to be there at 8am. It was nice and we got an overview of the facility. Here's a video describing the center:

We got to see the landing facility where they test airplanes and helicopters. That was also the place where the Orion Capsule was drop tested in the Hydro Impact Basin as well as where the crew of the Apollo spacecraft trained. Here's some pictures of the Landing Facility:

The Hydro Impact Basin.

The NASA Social crew in front of the Hydro Impact Basin. (Credit: @NASASocial)

After the Landing Facility, we went to the National Transonic Facility, were they test aeronautics. That center is one of two wind tunnels in the world that can achieve high Reynold's numbers (My college classes came back to me with "Reynold's numbers.") Here's a few pics from the facility:

Inside the control room.

We also got to tour a space habitat at another facility at the NASA Langley Research Center.

Inside the space habitat.

After the tour of the Research Center. We went to the Naval Station in Norfolk, VA. That's where the US Navy on the USS. Arlington was to recover the Orion Spacecraft. The last time a recovery of a spacecraft was done in the water was the Apollo spacecraft back in the 1970s! It was so cool to be there to watch the recovery. NASA, the US Navy and Lockheed Martin did a great job. The recovery was a success! Here are the pics:

The media.

The crew at the Naval Station. (Credit: @NASASocial)

All attached.

Secured.

Success!

Lastly we got to tour the USS Arlington by some of the US Navy. Part of the heel of the ship is infused with a piece of the pentagon from 9-11. Here's those pics:

The Orion Spacecraft on the ship.

Never forget.

The landing pad.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience. It was so nice meeting everyone and visiting the facilities and the Naval Station. I left after the events on the 15th and got back to the house in Maryland around 9:30 pm. Thanks to everyone who made this opportunity possible.

Here's our future scientist:

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