Lt. Colonel Allen B. West

This is from last October, but I just stumbled upon it now. Check it out...

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP2p91dvm6M

ChachachachaCHANGES Part Two

My first year in the District was definitely a tumultuous one. I knew when I embarked on this journey I knew I was sacrificing a lot of things. You can itemize them. Take out a piece a paper and write down the things you would lose if you packed a 1996 Suburban and drove 3000 miles. Now, once you have that paper, just toss it. Its completely useless. There is a difference between itemizing your treasures (tangible or not) and actually living without them. Sure, I knew I wouldn't be able to hop on the 405 and go home whenever I wanted. But I have a cell phone, email and Skype! It's just a good, right? I learned that Facebook can make you feel like you are closer than you actually are, and spending your vacation time on your family isn't so bad, but when you hit hard patches, that distance feels twice as far. Lets continue...

July and August 2009 was when my life finally felt like it was gaining momentum. After almost nine months, I finally had a job that I was excited about AND... most importantly... what I was ACTUALLY missing this whole time...

All summer I had bumbled around the online dating world. Right when I was ready to give up and wait for "the one" to bump into me on the metro or some other equally ridiculous place, I received an email. For a variety of reasons, I almost didn't respond. But, as I am a highly curious individual, I threw caution to the wind and it was the best gamble I ever made. After a few months (or weeks rather) of dating, Daniel and I decided that we were it for each other.

After the December snow storm that dropped two feet in the middle of my move to Arlington, we were happy to trade our snow boots for sunny weather. My Midwest boy was excited to see Los Angeles for the first time, but I think he got more than he bargained for! After a surprise trip to the Rosebowl on January 1st, he was "initiated" into the family courtesy of Austin and Tyler Cripps. We attended my brother's wedding and Daniel had a little conversation with my parents...

On January 9th, 2010 at about 4:30 in the afternoon, Daniel surprised me on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. He dropped down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I know its my story, so I am highly biased, but I think its the best love story I've ever heard.

ChachachachaCHANGES Part One

I began this blog with the intention of providing friends and family a window into my life from 3,000 miles away. I must confess I've been a terrible blogger. Its been almost a year and a half since my last post. You could say that a few things have changed! Lets begin where I left off...

November 2008 we saw the first election of an African American. I personally voted for the other guy, but I can't ignore the historic moment that took place. We have witnessed a multitude of bailouts, government takeovers and tea party-esque revolts. Its been a wild ride. I'm happy to have seen it from my comfy spot over the Potomac in NoVA. This month I also adopted a precocious kitten named Connor.



December 2008 and January 2009 were interesting months for me personally. I moved from a disgusting townhouse in Vienna (which I had only occupied for three months) and into a cute apartment in McLean (pronounced Maclaine), just a few miles away from Langley (CIA Headquarters). Promptly after this move, which only took about 24 hours, I hopped on a plane to Hawaii (with a short layover in LA). I spent a week in paradise to celebrate the marriage of my cousin Jordan and new cousin Rusty. Oh, and my little brother proposed to his girlfriend. She said yes, of course.



February through April 2009 were fairly uneventful. My best friend from Middle School and High School, Justin, moved to DC to become a fireman. I attending CPAC for the second time with my good friend Chris and got to rub elbows with some interesting individuals. Immediately after that I experienced my first significant snowfall of 6-8 inches. Professionally I began applying for assistant manager positions within Enterprise as well as other positions outside the company. I had my first interview with Kaplan Inc. I also flew home to attend my Dad's retirement dinner. Surprise!




May and June came and went with little excitement.

July 2009 I was promoted to Assistant Manager at the Enterprise in Tysons Corner. Shortly after that I received my job offer with Kaplan Inc. Personally, I was doing the dating thing and getting nowhere fast.

More to come...