Jenn E. from the...suburbs?!?!?!

Well my loyal fan base...the season of change has started to bud and Lord knows when the bloom will come, but it will come! I have officially moved off the block I have called home for the past 2 years. All my stuff is packed nicely in a 10x10 climate and bug controlled unit up on Bladensburg road and I am officially a transient!...only I don't pee on the streets

How am I surviving you ask?? Well that's a good question. With no real sense of placement or routine it is making me a little bit anxious, but still VERY excited about what lies ahead! I plan to stay with Chris and Becky (my brother and sis-in law...this allows some quality time with the most precious niece EVER!! see picture where she's holding "baby Shelley"!! haha, she named her baby after my mom...she's a ball if energy!) for a week or two and then move on to the Tshibaka resisdence (where my clothes already reside in a nice big closet in the guest bedroom) down off of rt. 1 in Alexandria. Kelly Brooke is living with the Tsibaka's also (as of Saturday) while we look for a house, so she will be driving me to the metro on the way to work every morning since I don't own a car. My dog is at summer camp (aka: Gammy's house) and my lil'kitty (who thinks she is part dog/ part human) is resting comfortably in the guest bedroom window at my brother & sis in laws house. Comfortable that is until Abby runs in innocently screaming "KITTY CAT!! HERE KITTY CAT!!" and freaks poor Chloe out since she is not used to kids. (Shameless plug: I need someone to foster my cat for the next couple of weeks...until I find a place to live...just look at those big beautiful eyes asking for a loving home in the meantime...and to my loyal Tunisian fan base -> that is a Tunisian television station playing in the background!)

The search for a house continues! Kelly Brooke and I have prayed specifically for certain features and conveniences and so far have not found a rent house that provides a peace about making the decision. Therefor we have now broadened our scope to purchasing a house. One of our prayers is for a 3rd roommate and we are quite certain that we've been provided one! Yay! we found her!! Double Yay!

So things are up in the air for an undetermined amount of time, but strangely enough Kelly Brooke and I are both COMPLETELY ok with that..."And I will provide a place for my people (that refers to me!)... and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed (ie: without a house)..." 2 Samuel 7:10

So, with all of this said...I am SO EXCITED to see what happens next and where I'll end up! In the meantime, I am going to enjoy living in the suburbs for a change and try to enjoy the "peace and quiet" while I have it...Maybe my life will slow down a little bit or at least allow me to catch up with people I haven't talked to in a while.

Special thanks to: My mom/Gammy for watching Montana for me; Chris and Becky for letting me stay and keep my cat there for a little bit; Kelly and Niki Tshibaka for offering up their home and being so excited about having me stay(!); Dawn & Ray for offering up their guest bedroom also; Kelly Brooke for driving me around in her pimp volvo; Chirine and Monaem for allowing me to stay in their guest room the past month and everyone who is helping us look for a house!!

"I'm not white!?..."

I was cussed out again last night by one of the "leaners". A leaner is a term that I coined for the persons in my neighborhood that take a multitude of pills and/or other controlled or illegal substances; get so high that they essentially fall asleep standing up. The "sleep" mode that they go into is trance like and causes them to "lean" in all directions but never quite fall over...thus comes my term "leaner". So this woman came in to the B&V market (which now has a nice new space mid-block rather than on the corner) for who knows what. Chirine and I were "in the store" (meaning we were behind the bullet proof acrylic wall...it was Chirine first time in!) talking to Brionni and Teddy about houses and the new store. The woman was unsuccessfully trying to put a pen on the turnstile and pretty much ended up with her butt to the glass, and her nose almost to the floor.

Side note: The Leaners are similar to zombies. They are essentially tranced out and unaware of their surroundings. However, a loud noise and they are wide "awake" and most of the time mean.

So Brionni leans over and slaps the glass right where the woman's butt is (after I pretended to pinch her butt through the glass). The woman immediately started yelling about "why would he think it's funny to scare her" as she struggles to stand up. She comes over to where Brionni and I were standing and proceeds to yell at "us" through the glass. I say "us" since we really don't know what she was yelling and more specifically to whom she was really yelling. She looks at me looking at her and asked what the (expletive) was I looking at. I let her know that since we had no idea who she was talking to we were all listening and I apologized if she wasn't directing her conversation towards me.

So here's the deal: I grew up on military bases in Europe where my classes consisted of every race, mixed and not mixed. I did not understand the reasoning behind racism growing up and I do not understand it now. Skin color describes the exterior appearance of a person; it does not define who a person is (despite cultural stereotypes), where they should live or how they should act... So when this woman informed me that I did not belong in this neighborhood and I was trying to be a "negro" I decided to not respond...she continued to cuss me out through the glass, cuss out Teddy and Brionni more, then back to me. Then she started in on me because I was white. I found that the "brain/mouth" sensor was indeed turned off at that point because I replied "I'm not white!?". "what color are you then (expletive) cause you ain't pink...you ain't blue... (expletive, expletive)...
I let her know I was tan. I've worked very hard to get this light golden brown tone... apparently that wasn't funny.

She eventually left and went back outside to loiter with the other leaners. Chirine was a little bit scared as this was her first encounter with a leaner. We waited a little bit to let the lady simmer down and to let Chirine relax a little before leaving. This was not my first encounter with a leaner and I learned that the best thing to do is just ignore them. No matter how nice you are (even if just to say "hi, how are you today" you will most likely be perceived to have a condemning attitude and you will be yelled at)...I need to work on taking my own advice.

All joking about my skin color aside...racism sucks. My first day to step foot on this block I was called a "white B*@#&^"... I had to make a decision right then and there. Live in fear of my surroundings because my skin is lighter... or love the people around me no matter what color, what background, what they've done (or not done), what they say or how they view me. I chose the latter. The Lord has changed me exponentially over the past year...I am filled with joy even in challenging situations ("The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy! Psalm 126:3...exclamation mark added). I find I have been more blessed by the people, friends and children in this neighborhood than anywhere else I have ever lived and I cannot let the ignorance of others (or my own for that matter) prevent me from receiving those blessings.

The realization I admitted (I say admitted because I always pretend like it doesn't bother me and I turn it into a joke) this morning is that it truly, truly hurts. Racism hurts. It has cut right to the core of me and made me second guess who I am. Are the things that have been said to me over the past 2+ years true? Do I really not belong here? Did I do anything to warrant that comment? Ok, ok...did I somewhat instigate this woman yesterday?...yes. She is not mentally there, I should have ignored her from the beginning. However, saying "good morning" and getting a verbal rocket attack or standing on the sidewalk looking in an opposite direction and being snobbishly called names due to my lack of melanin is not anything I can prevent. I also refuse to change who I am to avoid potential berating. If someone is offended that I say good morning or that I live in certain place, that is their problem to deal with not mine and I must remember that. Love others consistently (this is a tough one) and treat people with respect (remembering that everyone has a different definition of respect). But despite the overwhelming joy that I have for life...at the end of the day, it hurts...no matter whose "problem" it is to deal with.

"Love God, Love others...nothing else matters" Matthew 22:37-40

The Juror

I have had the honor of being selected to report for jury duty (oooh, ohhhhh!! PICK ME! PICK ME!!). I have been obsessing about this opportunity for at least 4 years now! I am ECSTATIC to serve the District of Columbia Superior Court!!

I have always wanted to be on a high profile trial...I want to be the bleeding heart conservative that can't make up her mind and in turn is the "swing vote" that will determine the outcome. With all this in mind... the plan: after the trial get an amazing book deal (that of course turns into a movie & Katherine Heigl will play me), make some serious bank thus allowing me to travel the world on a really BIG catamaran (of course working remotely because I don't want to quit my job!)...

July 15th is the big day...what to wear?...what to wear??!

seriously...if I don't get selected I'll probably cry right there in front of the judge and scream "WHY NOT?!"! Then sue the city for discrimination ;)

Vinoria Nampemba

I sponsored this little girl last year through World Vision at the Women of Faith conference. I must say, it has been such a rewarding experience. She is one of 9 children; her family lives in a community severely affected by HIV/AIDS. Her letters are such a sweet reminder that there is joy in life even when surrounded by poverty and illness! She turns 8 this July, and she writes the cutest letters wishing me the 'love of Jesus' and 'blessings for me and my family'... so wonderful to read.

Anyway...one of her letters she said her dad needed a new cow and 2 goats. So I called up world vision and asked how much something like that would cost. a goat is $75 and a cow is $150... "Ok, sign me up to send the Nampemba's a goat please". I just got this letter (about 2 months later) with the photo's below... I cannot say how incredibly rewarding it was to see this little girl smiling from ear to ear with all of the items she was able to buy spread out in front of her and to have a picture with her mom!
Thanks to a poor economy worldwide, Vinoria's World Vision representative who brought them the money was able to negotiate well enough to get TWO goats, a new dress for Vinoria, new shoes, a new shirt and shorts, a blanket and a water bottle! PLUS, they also had enough money to transport themselves there and back(with the goats) rather than walk.

"Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me" Matthew 25.40

I recommend sponsoring a child to anyone, regardless of your faith...it's a beautiful thing :)



Sorry, the pictures are a little dark...they weren't digital ;)

Only one house left. It will be gone by the time I make it home tonight...The only reason I love this video is that you can hear the GC talking to a man about why that man CANNOT use his port-a-john. Amazing enough that the GC has to justify the reason that the street man cannot use the "potty"...the street man proceeded to argue and put the GC on the defensive as if he is entitled to a "baffroom" since he doesn't have one of his own....so he went in the ally by my house :(
Come on Man!! SERIOUSLY?!
I would be so bored if I didn't live here :)

Bringin' down the house(s)!! Literally

Right behind our good buddy Officer Wright (yay John! Your first cameo...that and I didn't have any other pictures with the houses in them!) are the homes on Hanover Place that have remained vacant for over a year. Thoron Development bought the houses and let them sit while they worked on Permitting. During the permitting phase the houses became a breeding ground for drugs, sex, more drugs, and a shelter/bathroom for vermin and homeless people that broke in.
So Thoron Finally decided to do something about their embarrassing property. (side note: myself and many other neighbors had been requesting a fence be put up to keep out the "rif raff" for months...they kept say "oh, next week we'll do that". apparently their concept of a week is much different than a standard calendar! But at least now it is being done).
can you see the door hanging off of the side of the wall?! LOL. It is a shame that the developers couldn't leave the facade's of these beautiful old houses and build the condo's behind it to historically preserve the integrity of the building and the original architectural style. I personally do not like the new condo design...But that's just my opinion :)


the renderers for this image forgot to remove the two houses at the left side of the photo (the peach and brown brick house that Offc. Wright was in front of). Those are the houses (& lack there of) in the photo's above.

Memorable cab ride: follow up to my thank you

I jumped in the cab this morning to head over to a client space (a 10 minute cab ride at most). My driver was an older gentleman wearing a black hat. I could see what I thought were two W’s on his hat, so I asked “is that a WWII hat?” and it was indeed. I thanked him for his service and sacrifice. He downplayed the war and told me “it’s been such a long time since the war, there is really no need for ‘Thank you’ now a days”. That made me feel stupid for a split second and then I thought to myself “Whatever old man!! It’s never too late!” I told him that it was never to late to thank someone for defending our freedom or coming to the aid of those under the oppression of a dictator.

He told me he was in the 4^th Infantry under Patton. He came in through Italy and they eventually made there way up to Bastogne. He talked about how he was drafted into the war; otherwise he doesn’t know if he would ever have volunteered to go. He also said the most memorable advice he got was from his 1^st Lt. right during training…the Lt. told him to NEVER volunteer for anything in the Army…Interesting (insert scratching forehead emoticon here).

The more he talked, the more I realized that he was indeed moved by my asking him questions. I (briefly…I wanted to hear his stories) told him about the Honor flight and how it had impacted me and “moved” me. Mr. Wilson started to tell me about the most memorable event (and “moving”) for him…he stopped talking for a few seconds and that is when I realized he was getting choked up…so of course I start crying in the back (good thing I’m not wearing make-up these days!)…He said upon docking the ship in NY harbor, there was a massive American flag, the size of an entire building, and a huge sign that said (and it took him a lot of effort to get these words out) “WELCOME HOME! JOB WELL DONE”… He said he still has a vivid image of that scene as if he were there. I find it absolutely amazing! Such a simple phrase can still penetrate straight to the soul of this (84 year old; yes, I asked) man and result in such an emotional moment for both of us.

We continued to talk. He said that there are very few WWII veterans still alive, and a large portion of those men have never seen the memorial. At the end of the ride he said he didn’t understand why it took America over 60 years to build a memorial to the soldiers of WWII…he named off many of the memorials that were built before the WWII (thus why he tried to minimalism my ‘Thank you’ in the beginning of the cab ride) In his words “for a while many veterans felt as if what we did was of no importance to America…or that everyone forgot”. I told him his sacrifices are not forgotten! “Your sacrifices give us the freedom today to be as ignorant and flippant with the freedom we do enjoy”…I know! I'm so cheesy these days!

So as I got out of the cab, he told me Thank you for talking to him and then pointed out that he did not reciprocate the “age question”…then he winked and smiled as he drove off! What a cute old man(sorry I didn't take a picture!)