caitlindwarf

Life in Washington, DC with my fiancé Daniel, our fur-children, and a love affair with pictures.

[caitlindwarf]

many updates, some sad, some happy

Hello all. It has been such a long time since I've updated this blog. I haven't been taking many pictures lately (except via cell phone on Instagram and other social sites) so I apologize. I could say I'll get back to it but I don't want to make promises just yet. Many things have happened since the last time I wrote here. We got engaged. While we were in the Adirondacks, Daniel proposed and of course, I said yes. Our wedding is in March of 2014 on our four year anniversary and I couldn't be more grateful or excited. We moved. Not far! We'll still in DC and technically still in the same neighborhood, but we left our charming little one bedroom English basement apartment for a larger two bedroom apartment on the ground floor of an old townhouse (from 1902 I believe). It's great, so much natural light, exposed brick, and even parking! Those of you in DC understand how incredibly hard that is to find (for a decent price). The area is still undergoing gentrification, but it is slowly turning into one of the best places to live in the city. We've met tons of awesome neighbors and are really enjoying our new place. We lost our dog, my heart, my best friend. Our German Shepherd, Mali, passed away at ten years of age due to a cancer called hemangiasarcoma. It happened quickly and unexpectedly. I say "our dog" because we both loved her dearly, but truely, she was my best friend. I grew up with Mali, picked her up as an eight week old puppy when I was just thirteen years old. She saw me through a lot of changes; big, small, happy, sad, and life altering. I will never, ever, ever forget how much she loved me and how much I loved her. I switched jobs. After years of working at Taylor Gourmet, I left them to start serving at a restaurant in Georgetown. While I love my new job and it is definitely a better "fit" for me, I will never forget working at Taylor Gourmet and I owe them for giving me a great job for so many years. I'm taking a break from school. I wrestled with this decision for a while. I'm going to be in school for a long time and to draw it out even longer seems silly, but I really needed a break. I'm taking the time to enjoy my loved ones, my friends, enjoy getting married, plan things in my free time, and start new hobbies. I plan on going back within two semesters, we shall see, however I most certainly am not done with school, that's for sure. Other things have happened, but in comparison to the above, they've all been small and aren't really worth mentioning. I hope to share some pictures or perhaps videos with you all soon. <3 Caitlin 

[caitlindwarf]

first day in the adirondacks of new york

So we've come to the Adirondack high peak region for our three year anniversary.  We rented a cabin in Jay, NY which is about twenty minutes from Whiteface Mountain (a nationally acclaimed ski resort) and Lake Placid (Winter Olympics site).  We're very close to the Canadian border and about two hours from Montreal. Needless to say, we love it up here.  The cabin is so cute and romantic, the wilderness is abundant, and the snow is everywhere.  We've spent the day exploring, tumbling through snow up to our knees, and enjoying the surroundings.   Here's some shots from today.  The quality isn't that great, since they're from our GoPro and without a lot of light, those pictures don't turn out too well.  Forgot the DSLR at home so it'll have to do. Sugar Mt. Cabin, our home away from home.

We had to park in the front of the driveway, since parking fully in the driveway equals getting the car stuck in the snow.  Found that out the hard way during the first night here.

Exploring in the woods behind the cabin, checking out the mostly icy river, and falling in the snow.

Roads and highways leading to the cabin.

We briefly visited Whiteface Mountain.  We'll be skiing this tomorrow!

Spotted a little taxidermy shop.  Checked it out and couldn't resist spending a little money there.

Really enjoying it here, especially all the snow!

[caitlindwarf]

winter 2012/2013 is a bust so far in dc

These are the snowiest shots of winter in DC I've gotten as of the end of February.  We're heading to upstate New York this week, and hope to get some more winter there.

It's looking pretty bleak for DC as far as the chances of getting a big snow before the end of winter.  We shall see.

[caitlindwarf]

first fall shots @ home with gopro camera

Haven't posted in forever, due to how busy we've both been.  We bought a GoPro Hero HD2 Camera a few weeks ago to film moments here and there.  Today I took it out to try out the tiny wide angle lens.  We have some beautiful trees changing on our street this time of year.  Needless to say, pretty impressed with this tiny little camera.  Fits in the palm of my hand (smaller than my palm actually), and I kind of like the simplicity.  Downside is not being able to see what you're shooting but I plan on purchasing the LCD backpack at a later time.

We <3 you fall!  

[caitlindwarf]

two year anniversary @ george washington national forest

So Daniel and I celebrated our two year anniversary today!  It has been an amazing two years, and I hope this journey never ends.  How better to spend it than being in the wilderness together! We drove about two hours outside of DC towards the mountains, ending up in the George Washington National Forest.  Right outside of West Virginia, this is seriously "out in the boonies".  No cell phone coverage, no bathrooms, just you and the mountains. Our German Shepherd, Mali, was quite pleased to go along.

  We set up our tent in the Elizabeth Furnace Campground the night before.  There were only a few other campers there so we were lucky to get a spot right next to a trout stream.

  Mali REALLY enjoyed the stream, much to trout fisherman's dismay.

  Wet dogs have to dry themselves off somehow.  ;)

  So finally we left our tent and started hiking up the Massanutten Mountain toward Meneka Peak.  We were on many different trails throughout the day, so many that I'm still not sure which ones we hit.

  We were having loads of fun, but slightly cautious as well.  I mean, it is bear country and all.

    We found a little caterpillar friend on the way. 

  As well as stopping to take silly pictures.

      We even ate some trees!

We began to wonder, how high are we going to go?

Finally, we got to a stopping point.  This seems plenty high enough for one day.

So we made our way back down, passing some more creeks along the way.

Exhausted, but completely satisfied, we packed up our gear and headed back to Washington, DC, passing some beautiful Virginia countryside on the way.

[caitlindwarf]

hitting the gorge with mi amiga

So my friend Jamie Quinn is in town for some important reason, and this gave us ample time to hang out!  What did we do?  Hit up the trails around the gorge in Great Falls, MD.  The trail we wanted to hike (Billy Goat section A) was closed due to flooding which was quite disappointing however we still got some good shots!  

Of course, no hike is ended better than with burgers from Good Stuff Eatery, on Capitol Hill.  Mmmmmmmm, delicious!  

[caitlindwarf]

2012 washington auto show

I took some time to check out the Washington Auto Show last year and really enjoyed seeing the way technology is shaping today's vehicles.  This year was just as nice.  Daniel and I are not really fond of American brands (except old muscle cars, and classic cars) so we skipped that floor and focused on the foreign stuff downstairs.

            Sadly the show has ended for this year, but I suggest checking it out next winter if you're even slightly interested in cars!  You can sit in most of them and ride in some too so it's especially helpful if you're in the market for a new car. Daniel and I are hoping to go camping soon if we can get some time away from work and school.  Hopefully we'll have some nice woodland pictures to share within the next few weeks! 

[caitlindwarf]

first winter storm of 2012

Last post was all about our first real snow, this one is about our first real storm.  It was a small one but enough to create some refreshing winter landscapes. Started out as snow late at night.  I happened to be working at the time.

      Overnight the snow turned to ice, which turned to freezing rain.  The next day's light revealed the stunningly pretty aftermath.

    Hopefully we'll get more snow soon, I can't get enough. In case anyone is wondering, night time pictures were taken around 14th Street NW and U Street NW, and day time pictures were taken outside the National Zoo around Adams Morgan and Woodley Park. If you care to see the bigger picture, full resolution photos can always be found on my Flickr account, which is linked off in one of the side bars. 

[caitlindwarf]

Blacked out my blog in protest of SOPA/PIPA for the rest of the day.

[caitlindwarf]

first snow of 2012

Today it snowed in Washington, DC, for the first time this year and really the first time this winter.  We got some flakes around Halloween and one other time, but they didn't really "count" and the bursts were extremely short lived. At first, it seemed like this was another one of those flurries.    The snow was definitely coming down.

    However as soon as the snow hit the ground it was melting.  My initial excitement was gone.  

  Then, something wonderful happened.  The weather forecasters were wrong!

    The temperatures had stayed cold enough to keep the snow from changing to rain, so finally, we got accumulation.  By nightfall, everything had a light winter coat on.

      Sure, it isn't two feet like I'm hoping for, it isn't even an inch, but it's enough to put a smile on my face and put me in that true winter mood.  Considering we had temperatures of almost 70F the other day, who knows, this might be the only snow we get!  I sure hope not...

[caitlindwarf]

new year, new rules

Well guys some things have changed, for the better.  I finally bought a decent camera, a Nikon D50.  Nothing too fancy, but it'll do.  I've demoted myself from a management position to a delivery driver position so I can focus more on school.  Lastly, I've decided this is the year I start documenting my life more, and I'm going to do it here as often as possible. To start it off, Daniel and I had a quiet Christmas and New Years.  Pretty much stayed indoors playing with our camera.

      One of my very good friends named Gaynelle visited, and brought along her man-thing Josh.

  Unfortunately, they were cold most of the time.

  They are now safely nestled back in South Carolina, and Daniel and I are busy as can be. Yet, there will be more to come.  I promise.  :)