SPRING BREAK! is finally here-next week! (and I sure needed it!)

While most have a crazy somewhat MTV version of Spring break like this one:

My spring break on the other hand will look something like this:

So I've decided to take some time to camp this spring break, and relax(<--keyword). I am planning to bring some books with me and get some very necessary reading done for my research, as I am a slave to coursework, but I think it will change up the tone of things and make the spring a lot more tolerable and allow me to change the tone of the mundane everyday. Ohh and of course I will also work, so I will also not be able to escape this..:

This is the view from the mansion at Montpelier. It has been a great place to work so far, and a undoubtably relaxing environment to return to everyday.. -As if to set the reset button almost.

Stress seems to be the overall theme among my peers in the architectural history department, as thesis defenses quickly approach.

I found out a week or so ago that I will be receiving the Charles E. Peterson Fellowship Award from the Society of Architectural Historians at the conference in Detroit. What this means me to me is far much more than I can explain.

Charles E. Peterson was as some have written, "The champion of the American Preservation movement", he worked in the renown Department of Preservation at Columbia University and dedicated his career to the thought and education of preservationists in America.Peterson was the founder of the Historic American Building Survey, which I had the opportunity of working with last summer. He was also a Fellow of the American Institute of
Architects. He was a founding member of the APT or Association for Preservation Technology, which is one of the paramount professional Associations for preservationists today that publishes a journal that is at the forefront of preservation research and development.

Charles E. Peterson donated most of his papers, research and books to the University of Maryland where there is an archive named in his honor. A truly great figure in terms of the amount of work he did in America so we could have proper documentation and records of the built environment.

(Charles E. Peterson circa 1976)

Being named the recipient of this award will give me the opportunity to publish a series in the Buildings of the United States series, which will help me to build my resume. This is without a doubt one of the biggest opportunities I've had in terms of getting my name out into the academic realm, and perhaps the break I need in order to secure a spot in a Ph.D. program this fall. Understanding that this honor is being given in the name of one of the nations most notable historian/preservation/architects makes the award that much more important to me.

"23 Skidoo"

AHHH I'm 23 today!

I'm not sure where to begin this post.I'll start with which I am most excited.. My niece Kenleigh Prettyman was born Sunday night. 7lbs. 11 ounces. She's soooo cute.(early indications are)She has dimples and she also had a huge head of hair...(red) I got to hold her for about twenty minutes before I had to drive back to school and she was soooo cute. A little butterball baby that was seriously indescribably heart melting.

Also->

I found out yesterday that I got a job at James Madison's Montpelier as a part time Museum Educator. I can't wait! From what I've heard and understand of the job details I look forward to the variety it will allow me to have, while continuing to build my resume/ and supplimenting(

23 SKIDOO

"It is at a triangular site where Broadway and Fifth Avenue—the two most important streets

of New York—meet at Madison Square, and because of the juxtaposition of the streets and the park across the street, there was a wind-tunnel effect here. In the early twentieth century,

men would hang out on the corner here on Twenty-third Street and watch the wind blowing women's dresses up so that they could catch a little bit of ankle. This entered into popular culture and there are hundreds of postcards and

illustrations of women with their dresses blowing up in front of the Flatiron Building. And it supposedly is where the slang

expression "23 skidoo" comes from because the police would come and give the voyeurs the

23 skidoo to tell them to get out

of the area-

The weather is freezing here, but we don't have snow...It's kind of like the vitamin C without the orange juice.. I feel kind of ripped off in a way.

I've been filling out dozens of applications and looking into opportunities for summer employment. It's kind of a hard balance between using this very important time to build my resume and actually earn money that will allow me to live next fall.

I can't wait to watch the Grammy's tonight. It seems to be the least exciting of any of the award shows, but at the same time. It's pop culture and I think it reflects the time. "My time", if you will. I think it's important to stay up on who is winning what.

Of course there will also be a Whitney Houston Tribute tonight. I will never forget dancing in my pajamas as a kid(probably first or second grade) with my two big sisters to the albums of Whitney Houston.

Microphones in hand we could rock out for hours..

(I'm sure this would have been awesome to witness)

We also watched the Biography on VHS.. My sisters were really big fans, and by default, and without the power to choose, I too became a fan.

My thesis committee is still in the works and coming together. I've been reading a lot on my topic.

I may have to discuss that topic more when it begins to be set in motion.

It's a bit crazy/scary to think that I only have a year and three months until Graduation.

(Oh and my niece is still a no show.)

I'm finally getting used to the routine of this

semester, and while my classes may be the deathof me, I am however loving my subject matter. This post is going to be a confetti of thoughts.. First and most important is the fact that I'mexcitedly awaiting the arrival of my new niece. My sister is due on the 21st(a day before my birthday), and I can't wait to meet the next little girl in my family.!On the school front, I've been frantically working to establish my thesis committee and also working on a few aspects of my thesis writing. The topic has been in constant shift over the last three months, and I'm
getting more and more excited about where it's heading. I'm fairly certain that I've naileddowna topic, but now actually getting faculty to sign on to the topic will be the next challenge.

I booked my flight yesterday for the Conference of the Society of Architectural Historians. This year it's going to be held in Detroit, Michigan. I'm excited toexplore a new city, and to see

Detroit especially because of the drastic changes the city has undergone in the last few years.

That's pretty much all that's new, which doesn't seem very exciting, so I decided to spice things up a bit and add my top ten, well eight, favorite foods that are probably going to kill me before age thirty.

I'm not really sure that a top ten list is warranted, but I'll add them below.