More Crazy Good Times

Well, I know there are at least a couple of you out there who read my blog every once in a while, so.....these pictures are for you! It's been awhile, I know, but trust me -- there haven't been many lovely things to take pictures of. The winter here has been kind of blah weather-wise, just gray and ugly. But finally, the sun is starting to appear every now and again! So I've been outside taking advantage of D.C.'s wonderfulness. Here y'are:

The Capitol! Early on a quiet Saturday morning. Sigh.

This is Greg and I getting ready to go up the Washington Monument (my first time since I was 4!!!!) That's Lincoln in the background.

Here is a view of the White House from the top of the Monument! Ay!

This is a drum and fife marching band at Mount Vernon on President's Day. GW was there himself to celebrate! The band was totally my favorite part, though. Ten, hut! Dress right!

Greg and I at Mount Vernon. It was SUNNY! I got SUNBURNT! (Even while wearing sunscreen)

The Potomac. It doesn't get much better than that. Ay, que fabuloso!

Crazy Good Times

Well, these are crazy times 'cause a million things are happening to me at once, but they're good times because the million things are all good! As you can see above, I am having a blast in D.C. That's a picture of me at the LDS Temple in D.C. The green tree behind me is a product of a few hours of volunteer work by yours truly. I went with a group this year to help put the lights on the trees for the annual Festival of Lights. And we did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself.

Other good things? I cleaned up one of my college papers (with many revisions by many good friends...thank you all!) and it will be published in February in the Journal of Intelligence and National Security. Ay!

I also passed the Foreign Service Oral Exam (the second part of a long and tough process). It doesn't mean an instant job offer, but it does mean I'm one step closer to a long time career dream.

Work is going super well. I'm staying busy, thinking up my own projects to do if I run out, and making friends! Aw. I also got to go to Hawaii to support a conference.



This is a picture of me at Pearl Harbor on Pearl Harbor Day. A very neat experience. But since I understand not everyone is as obsessed with historical sites as I am, here is a more picturesque picture:


And another:

So life is good. Yup.

I've Never Been to Boston in the Fall....

But now I have! And I loved it! Here are a few picturesque pics. I went with my roomie Becky, and we met up with our dear mutual friend Chris, and that's when all the fun began. We also got to have a picnic with my good friend Anna from Kindergarten! That's right, we've been friends since we were five!!!! Way too much fun and reminiscing.

And since I NEVER post on here, here's an update on my life: it's great. I've got good friends, good family, good food (now that I have a good paying job), and I couldn't be happier. The holidays are just around the corner (huzzah!), I am learning Russian from my roommate Anastasia, and I am getting to be great friends with my 14-year-old sister! I'm singing in my church choir (not well, but singing), I saw geese racing the rowers on the Charles River in Boston (see above)....and the list goes on.

Ciao now!

Pictures!!!

I went apple picking with my peeps from work! Mmmmmm. And then, of course, we have me and my sisters being goofy as always.

Sorry, no pictures again

Well, I can't upload pictures at work, nor can I upload them in our apartment's computer lab, AND my laptop is busted, so......just wait patiently 'cause one day soon: WHABAM! They'll end up on my blog all at once, and the world will never be the same. One of them is a classic picture of me and my sisters making the goofiest faces ever. Wow, that description did NO justice to the picture. You'll just have to wait.

In other news, I tucked my shirt into my skirt today. I was about to say "Goodness, I haven't tucked in my shirt in x-amount of years," but to be honest, I don't think I've EVER tucked it in. I've always gotten by with leaving my nice button downs untucked, but now I have a roommate from Ukraine/Germany, and it's showing up in the way I dress. Go figure. It actually looks kinda classy. Hm.

We read to know we are not alone. -C.S. Lewis

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!
-Emily Dickinson

As the beginning of school approaches for so many, I am feeling a little azul. School is all I've ever known! From the farthest reaches of my memory, #2 pencils and homework assignments have been a part of my life, and now I feel a bit stranded, without anyone pushing me to LEARN! But with my lack of homework comes a surplus of TIME, and I have been voraciously consuming book after book. So refreshing! If any of you have great book suggestions, hit me! I'd love to hear what literary works have changed YOUR lives and made YOU think. Que nunca olvidemos lo que podemos aprender de un libro.

Role Plays and Long Days

Well, the job is going smashingly! I forgot what an adjustment it is to work full-time, holy cow. But I love staying busy, and I love having no homework, so it's the perfect combination for me. My commute is not too shabby; just a half-hour bus ride. I can't believe there are people who commute to D.C. from West Virginia. Unbelieveable.






Also....I will have the opportunity to travel to Honolulu to be admin support for a conference there! Hooray! There are five of us "admin" folks, and five conferences. Everyone got their top choice, but me (I'm the newbie). Hawaii was actually my last choice :) if that gives you any idea of what my other choices were like! I really wanted to go abroad, but I just keep thinking about what one of my friends in Mexico told me when I asked him where he would want to travel in the United States. "Oh, I don't want to visit there anymore. I really need to get to know my own country." And so it is with me. I have spent so long focusing on international relations and dying to visit exotic places that I've quite forgotten the importance of getting to know MY country. This will be such a neat experience (it's still exotic :) and I will get to see a part of the country I never planned on. Wow!