Nature

 I just wanted to share these pretty nature pictures.

Spring has come! I was walking on a trail on Sunday afternoon and this is what it looked like on either side of the trail most of the way. I liked the contrast of the brown trees with the green ground cover and yellow flowers.

So pretty! On the same trail as the first picture.

I liked the sun beams coming through the clouds behind the Washington Monument in this picture, but also the blooming cherry blossom trees, the green grass, and the sky with their contrasting colors. (I took this picture on Saturday).

Orchid Exhibit

I read somewhere about an orchid exhibit in downtown Washington D.C. I knew immediately that I wanted to go and see the exhibit. I invited a couple of my friends to join me and one was able to come. 

Heather and I met at Metro Center and we walked to the museum where the orchid exhibit was located.

The exhibit was at the National Portrait Gallery courtyard.

The flowers were gorgeous! There were a lot of natural orchids as well as some hybrids. There were some pretty amazing colors. I loved it!

Enjoy the pictures below!

 I loved the color of this one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we finished at the orchid exhibit we decided to look around some other parts of the museum. The colorful paintings of this artist were fun to look at! (Read more about the painting above in the picture below.)

 

Michelle Obama!

 

Since last Saturday, the cherry blossoms were close to peak and it was a really nice day outside, we decided to walk to the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms there. But everyone else had that same idea and it was super crowded.

We got close to the Tidal Basin but ended up not going all of the way there because the crowds were too crazy. But we saw some pretty cherry blossom trees along the way.

 

 

 

After the Tidal Basin we headed to the metro to head home. 

Overall it was a nice day! Thanks Heather for joining me on this adventure.

Why I Blog

Why do I blog?

I started this blog in 2008 when I was in my last year at BYU. One of my roommates at the time encouraged me to. Also my sister, Lara, had started a blog the year before and I thought it was kind of cool. :)

When I started this blog it was supposed to be me writing my thoughts and opinions about stuff, any and every kind of stuff (hence the name The Early Morning Confessions of AnnaLisa). Although it may have started out that way, I mainly use this blog now to post pictures and write about adventures I go on.

Although I will happily share my blog with certain people, I mainly blog for myself. On a day to day basis, my life isn't very exciting (and that's okay). But I like documenting the things I have done or thought about (although I don't blog about everything because that would be too much) and I like that I can look back on old blog posts and remember those things.

I enjoy blogging. It's kind of like a journal of my adventures in life. I have always been a journaler. I have over 10 physical journals full of stuff I've written since I was 8 or 9 years old. I do still keep a journal where I write my most personal thoughts but I don't write in it very often anymore.

Although I'm not always consistent with updating this blog, as of right now, I plan on continuing to update on here when I feel so inclined. :)

A random photo of me on a hike last month.

Sky Meadows State Park

One of my friends mentioned how she's been hiking at Sky Meadows State Park a few times and really liked the area. I decided I wanted to go there and check it out sometime. (It's about 45 minutes away. There's a $10 entrance fee and it's self pay so bring cash (for my future reference).)

The first Saturday in February, I convinced my brother, Tim, to go with me to Sky Meadows.

When we first arrived at the park, there was a cold wind blowing that we weren't quite prepared for... but we continued on. The wind did eventually stop and it was much nicer. Without the wind blowing, it was a nice chilly sunny day.

 

The area was really pretty! Even with the brown of winter, I thought it was beautiful!

The trail was different depending on what part we were on. Probably about half of the trail was pretty muddy, but it wasn't too bad. That just added to the adventure!

(There are multiple trails to choose from at this park. This trail was the one the park ranger recommended to us at the visitor's center.)

What a nice view from the bench!

I really like this shot I took!

I've been thinking about going to Sky Meadows for quite a while now and I'm so glad I finally made it happen. It was a beautiful area with lots of different hiking options. I hope to visit again and try another trail in the spring time.

Random Happenings (Ragtime, Snow Week etc.)

January, what to say about January. I actually don't really know what to say about January except that it's not my favorite month. 🤷

Here's a post about random things in January (and one thing in December.)

I went to the musical Ragtime at Signature Theater with my brother, Tim and my friend, Diana at the end of December. 

It was an awesome production! I had actually seen it a few years before at Ford's Theater but I wanted to see it again because I loved it so much then. It did not disappoint.

Ragtime was so good! I loved it!

 

I have three brothers that live within an hour of where I live. We don't get together super often (because of everyone's busy schedules and also the distance) but we made it happen on New Year's Day. Pete and Mika and their whole family were there, Matt and Karey and their whole family were there as well as Tim and I. 

Alas I didn't get a picture of all of us but here are us siblings! (I really don't like this picture of me, but since it's the only picture that I took that day, it'll have to do.) 

We met up at a restaurant in Rockville, MD and had lunch and chatted. Afterwards I went to Matt and Karey's house and hung out with them until the evening. It was a fun day!

 

Sometimes I need a break from my normal walking route. One Saturday morning in January, my brother, Tim and I walked around Burke Lake. The scenery was pretty even if everything was brown.

 Burke Lake!

 

Recently Ash has started sitting in my chair (which I am totally fine with as long as I don't want to sit there). Sometimes when I am sitting in the chair, though, he'll sit at the foot of the chair and stare up at me (and I imagine him thinking "hey lady, you're in my chair" because as soon I as get up, he'll take my place in the chair). 🤣

(I also just wanted to say I got the blanket hanging over the chair from two of my friends for Christmas. It has one of my favorite Korean actors on it and I think it's pretty great.) 🤣

It snowed in January. There was a week that was snowy and cold enough that I didn't really leave my house for that week (and I didn't really need to since I work from home and I had enough food in the house).

I will say that when it's snowy and slippery outside it scares me because I'm worried my knee will pop out of place. Click here to see a post about a time when my knee dislocated. Although that time my knee popped out of place it wasn't because it was slippery, it has dislocated in the past because of it being slippery (but those times it just popped back into place on its own). 

Anyway that snowy week, I worked, read books, watched movies and Kdramas, called family and chatted on the phone, and wrote a couple of blogposts (although I haven't published them yet) etc etc.

Drinking some hot honey water while watching a Kdrama during that snowy week. 

Honestly my January wasn't all that exciting, but you know what, that's okay. Here's to a lovely February!
 

Meadowlark Gardens Winter Walk of Lights

I wrote most of this post back in December (when I went to the gardens) but am just publishing it now in the middle of January because that's when I finally remembered to finish it. 🤣

It's the Christmas season! I love all of the Christmasy things there are to do in this area! One of the events is the Meadowlark Gardens Winter Walk of Lights. I've been there a couple of times since I've lived in Virginia and this year I decided I wanted to go again.

There were a lot of cool light displays and I really enjoyed seeing them! It does cost money to go, but I still highly recommend it. :) 

Enjoy the pictures below!

 

Fairies!

 

 

 I really liked these lights! They're so pretty.

 

I also liked this lantern!

 

This tree's lights danced to music! It was fun to listen to the music and watch the lights dance.

 The Meadowlark pavilion all lit up!

 

 

 

 

 

A river of lights with jumping fish (although you can't see the fish (made of lights) in this picture).

I'm a butterfly! 🤣

 

Thanks Diana for joining me at the gardens!

Happy New Year my family and friends!

Kdrama Wrapped 2023

It's that time of the year again for my Kdrama Wrapped! Yay!

My Top 6 Kdramas I Watched in 2023 (in no particular order):

1. The Legend of the Blue Sea 

2. Prison Playbook

3. My Love From the Stars

4. Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938

5. The Uncanny Counter (Season 1)

6. A Daily Dose of Sunshine

My Top Song from Kdramas I Watched in 2023

1. Meet Again by Kim Sejeong (from The Uncanny Counter (Season 1))

 

Total Kdramas Watched in 2023

26 total

Below is a list of some of my favorite songs from Kdrama OSTs.

My Top Songs from Any Kdrama I've Watched (in no particular order)

1. Round and Round (feat. Han Suji) by Heize (from Goblin: The Lonely and Great God)

2. Stay with Me by Chanyeol and Punch (from Goblin: The Lonely and Great God)

3. Pray by Klang (from Angels Last Mission: Love)

4. Sweeter by Jess Penner (from Angels Last Mission: Love)

5. Done for Me by Punch (from Hotel Del Luna)

6. Satellite by SALTNPAPER (from Chicago Typewriter)

7. Blooming Memories by Yerin Baek (from Chicago Typewriter)

8. Christmas Tree by V (from Our Beloved Summer)

9. Hallucination (feat. NaShow) by Jang Jane (from Kill Me Heal Me)

10. Maybe by Lee Hae Ri (from Her Private Life)

12. Once Again by Mad Clown and Kim Na Young (from Descendants of the Sun)

11. Meet Again by Kim Sejeong (from The Uncanny Counter (Season 1))

 

Here is a link to my Kdrama Wrapped from last year.

Happy New Year! 🥳🎉