You can tell we've had exams recently

You can tell we've both had exams recently due to the lack of update. This is in part due to time, and in part because there isn't much to update when we sit at our desks and study all day and night. BUT, now that it has been a few weeks, we have accumulated a few fun things to share.

Two Wednesdays ago, we went to a neighborhood lecture given by Bernard Deczuk, put on by our church. He gave us a great account of black history in DC over the last 100 years, and then narrowed in on some of the recent change in our neighborhood, as well as how the DC government works and how to be involved both as a neighbor and citizen.

Last Friday, LauraBeth and her friend, Jen, drove up from Atlanta on their way to Philadelphia. On the way, they stopped to see us in DC. We got to feed them, catch up a little, and exchange some quality hugs.


Last Sunday, Jonathan's sister, Mary Robin, was in town and spent some time with us. Unfortunately, we were not the most fun to be around, seeing as we both had exams the next day. Still, it was great to catch up in person before she heads back to Turkey for another year!

This past Monday, Jonathan had the first of his "comps" (comprehensive exams taken between the first and second year of his Econ PhD program), and Stefanie had her first set of exams as a second year med student. Needless to say, we ended the day feeling pretty exhausted. Jonathan then went on to take his second comp on Thursday. Both Jonathan and Stefanie are glad that they are over!

After a quick meal together yesterday, Jonathan headed off to Philly to meet up with his friend Nick. The two of them will be road-tripping out to Wheaton, Illinios to help Jonathan's youngest sister, Catherine, move into college and drive her things out there. From what Stefanie hears, their trip has already begun with some interesting adventures.

A Weekend of Fun

This past weekend was filled with several different fun outings and time with friends.

The big neighborhood news is the new park that was built on our street corner. It has a baseball diamond, grassy area, 2 basketball courts, a tennis court, and playground equipment! Nothing like election season to get community projects completed quickly. Each corner of the park proudly displays a sign ensuring that all who walk by know exactly who was responsible for this addition to the neighborhood development and renewal campaign.
Friday night we went to the Gala Hispanic Theater (no picture of it, but here's a picture of the Tivoli theater next door) to see a showing of Los Treinta, a series of monologues about the history of Salvadorians in DC, and particularly in this neighborhood. The show was thought-provoking, funny at times, and left us with some philosophical questions about the dynamics of culture, immigration, and urban housing.

The weekend thankfully brought cooler (below 90) temperatures. We were grateful, as we were able to do several things outside. Saturday afternoon we enjoyed good company and delicious burgers at a cookout at our friend Lindsay's house. Her spacious backyard and proximity (across the street) made for a relaxing afternoon study break. But this was only the beginning.

Jonathan's college roommate and best man Nick was in town, so after some afternoon studying, the two of them watched baseball, chatted, and generally distracted Stefanie for much of the evening. On Sunday, Nick and Jonathan went to see the Phillies-Nats game, where they were treated to an extra-innings comeback victory, and got to see the most expensive twisted ankle in recent history firsthand.

There was much rigorous studying of bugs and drugs (Stefanie) and dollars and sense (Jonathan) squeezed into all other free moments of the weekend.

Highs and Lows...

...and I'm not talking about the tide.

For 2 years, we had a long distance relationship. Sure, Philly and New York are relatively close in the grand scheme of things, but sometimes it felt like we may as well have been on different coasts. We talked on the phone almost every night, and often for a long time. But, sometimes phone talking is awkward, or its hard to know where to begin a conversation. So, regardless of what else we talked about, we always started with what each other's "highs" and "lows" were for the day. Usually these developed into longer stories and conversations, though sometimes not. It always helped put those stories into a greater context of how the day had been, generally.

All that to say, here are a few of our highs and lows from the past week:

Lows:
-attempting to go on a date to Georgetown Cupcake only to find it closed early on Sunday. Then to go see a movie (Inception), only to find it sold out

-spending our first 2 days apart since being married

-oppressively hot and humid weather in DC (102 today, with a low of 88)

Highs:

-delicious frozen yogurt from a place in the neighborhood (an attempt to make up for said failed date mentioned above)

-Jonathan led our first church neighborhood group

-Stef had a great, though very short, trip to Philly to see friends before diving into the school year tomorrow

-we set up Stef's keyboard to have a permanent home in the apartment, which we previously thought we wouldn't have space for

-we each "happened" to get connected with mentor-esque people in our respective fields--one who works in an inner city health clinic in the neighborhood, and one who is an economics professor. Both interested in talking through work and faith.

Well, it looks like the "highs" outweigh the "lows" this week in the Kreamer house. Jonathan is still spending his days studying for his comprehensive exams. Stefanie enjoyed a relational feast this past week, seeing lots of people and doing many things, and trying not to mourn all the freedoms she'll lose when school (ie- relational fasting) starts tomorrow.

Oh, and one other thing! We have uploaded ALL of our wedding photos to an online gallery. If you would like to see them or order prints, go here:

http://www.adoramapix.com/home

login: stefanie dot f dot lenz at gmail dot com

password: weddingpics

Happy Bastille Day

Also known as Stefanie's birthday (July 14th).

The day started off rainy and "cold" (77 degrees), so Jonathan made Stefanie breakfast in bed and they watched an episode of Lost. The weather cleared up and warmed up (95 degrees) and we headed to the Smithsonian museums around the national mall. First, the Native American museum, which was interesting, thought provoking, and had great food! The cafe served traditional food from the different tribal regions of the Americas. Mmmm bison burgers!

From there we walked around the mall, through the sculpture garden, and into the Museum of Natural History. Jonathan liked the big dinosaurs, Stefanie liked the exhibit on marine life, and they both liked the exhibit on Human Origins. So, not much has changed from when they were kids. We got tickets for the "Wild Ocean" Imax (in 3D!), and spent 45 minutes swimming through the waters off the coast of Africa and being reminded of how marine life is dying. It was sponsored by Nokia, and they made sure to spread a preachy environmentalist message.

From there, we attempted the trek out to the Lincoln memorial, but after ~30 minutes in 95 degree heat, realized all we wanted was iced coffee and shade. We found bothat Starbucks, where they had the AC turned on full blast.

Dinner at the Cheesecake Factory was delicious. We headed home on the Metro, but got off after half the ride and walked the rest of the way (2.5 miles).

The Birthday Girl

Love birds in the National Sculpture Garden

Too cool for school. Ready for 3D Imax.

Welcome!

Welcome to Coffee and Kreamer, your source for memorable and amusing photos, stories, and blurbs about the lives of Jonathan and Stefanie in Washington DC.

To start out with, here are a few pictures of our new home, situated in Columbia Heights. It isn't really a new home, Stefanie has been living there for a year. But it is new for it to have 2 people in it! To learn a little bit about the area we live in, click on the two links under "Where We Live" in the column to your right. We've still got some picture frames to hang and boxes to unpack, but we're feeling very at home.

4th of July with the neighborhood

View out our window on a stormy summer day.

Stefanie's work station.

Jonathan's Office

The Sleep Room- still needing a few decorations.

Our wheels!


The kitchen and eating area.


The living "room."