H-core

I have some of the world's most incredible friends.  If I wrote about every one of them, I would need like seven more blogs- but I just have to do a quick post in honor of one of my inspirations:

Amy Dawson.

In about five hours, she will  be sitting on a bus, driving up a mountain in Logan, UT- en route to the starting line of her marathon.

This girl is amazing.  She is the kindest, sweetest, happiest, and most sincere person I know.  She has trained so hard for this marathon and I just know she's going to rock it!

I love you Ames- thanks for being my very first friend in Utah- you've changed my life!  I still can't believe Russia gets to keep you for 18 months- they don't know how lucky they are.

Seeing Amy in Paris was definitely a highlight of my trip

Amy (with the Amish) on pioneer day. in Iowa.

Amy + me = hiking buddies for life

D.U.M.B.

So two weeks ago I lost my phone on a bus here in DC.  I've never felt so dumb in my entire life.

Until I found it under my bed. Three minutes ago.

Awesome.

NatsTown

As a semi-permanent resident of Washington, DC, it is only fitting that I attend a Nationals game and cheer on the home team.  It was tons of fun- the stadium was really nice, tickets were cheap, and we absolutely killed the Mets- but I have to say that 'NatsTown' has nothing on PHILLIES NATION.
But Danny Espinosa is probably my new favorite player...

It's slightly depressing to think that my Labor Day holiday is almost over- back to work in the morning.  The good news is that I will no longer be falling asleep over my computer at work- my mother kindly pointed out that the allergy medication that I thought was 'non-drowsy' is actually Benadryl... let's just say that antihistamines and legal documents do not create productive work days.  I'm going to be SO alert this week...

Other than that discovery, my weekend was wonderful! On thursday night (which is really the night our 'weekend' starts here at the Barlow since we don't work on fridays) the internet started working in our rooms- that was a blessing and a curse. Since my phone situation is still complicated/ non-existent, this new development helped me out of the dark ages and back into semi-reality. Friday we had our briefings, but they were nice and short and we were out by lunch.  The 'group' decided to go to the national zoo- and I reluctantly tagged along, grumbling the whole time about the lameness of the trip.  It never fails to disapoint- we saw a grand total of FIVE animals the whole four hours we were there. That's like an animal an hour. Like I said, LAME.  But it was fun being with our awesome group and we had an amazing dinner at Good Stuff eatery and a Jazz concert that night.  The best part of the Jazz concert was when I was accosted by Mark, San-Dijhi, and Benji* (*names have been changed) and they proceeded to stroke my hair, interrogate me about my address, name, and other personal information, and attempt to buy me a drink. 
I made a quick getaway to the bathrooms and then doubled back to meet up with my friends, making sure to avoid a second run-in with my new buddies/stalkers.  The 'concert' was actually a relaxed get-together of tons of locals who gathered in the National Galleries Sculpture Garden to unwind after a week at work.  It was the perfect way to spend a friday evening and enjoy the local flavor of this beautiful city!

Saturday morning will go down in history as the best run I've ever had in my entire existence.  I'm on week 13 of marathon training, so I ran 16 miles around Georgetown, Chevy Chase, and the national mall.  The best part about my run was definitely running through the American History museum to get a drink of water- and making a detour through the Star-Spangled Banner exhibit.  How many places in the world can you go for a run and see the nation's first flag?  Only in DC. This run also marked the first time in my training where I didn't wake up the next morning feeling the effects of the day before.  After those miles, October 16th can't come fast enough!

Sunday was incredible, like always- thanks to my beautiful cousin Rachel, who has single-handedly introduced me to more than half the ward.  I love living so close to her and to my Grandparents, Allyson, and Emily!  Sunday dinner with everyone was fun and it's so nice to be so close to family.  It's a huge blessing to be able to live and work here and have these incredible experiences.

Today was the game- I have to say that the most exciting part of the whole experience was the metro ride to the field.  I was literally picked up off the ground and carried onto the train by a stampede of Nats fans- I've never been so close to that many sweaty and smelly bodies in my entire life.  It was like rush hour on a NYC subway TIMES TEN.  After our exhausting afternoon we had what the boys affectionately termed 'chick time' and watched Enchanted.  After FHE, the Wallaces kindly took me to Safeway, which was an adventure all in itself.  I almost broke my toe (again) walking to their car, and then once in the store I accidently took the shopping cart a little too close to the exit and subsequently had my cart wheels electronically locked down.  I felt like a criminal.  I guess I just look like someone who naturally enjoys swiping shopping carts from Safeway. I had to switch carts and everything. But the lower prices were worth it.

Tomorrow starts another exciting week at the law firm- I hope I survive!
peace.

the whole crew at Georgetown Cupcake

and on the steps of the Jefferson memorial after the power went out...

life in the district

So, like all of my friends, I now have a blog. Unlike all of my friends, I am neither married nor pregnant...so i kinda feel weird doing this. BUT i promised like thirty people out in Provo that i would 'blog' about my adventures in DC- so here goes.
First of all, i refuse to use the term 'blog'.  It sounds too much like booger. Seriously- whoever created this crazy word was not thinking ahead.
Second, i have no camera and no phone (thanks to dc public transit, a needy person is now in possession of it), so there will not be many lovely pictures to post. sorry guys.

However, those who know me know that the weirdest things happen to me every day. So hopefully that will be entertaining enough!

Here's a quick re-cap of my week: I walked about 50 miles (or more), spent over $20 in metro fare, hitchhiked (literally.), dreamed about drowning in the Potomac river, got hives, lost my cell phone, realized my feet have turned into two large blisters, soaked all of my fancy outfits through with sweat, worked about 30 hours in 3 days,  found out (the hard way) that my bus route changed, saw the world's biggest rat and cockroach within minutes of each other (probably BFFs), had the power go out while sitting in the Jefferson monument, fell off the stairs at Iwo Jima, tripped on a brick, burned my knee with an iron... and pretty much had the BEST WEEK OF MY LIFE!

I had to get all of the whining out of the way in the first post- because this blog is all about my adventures, not misfortunes.  I'm very lucky to be living at the Barlow center right now- it's so beautiful and big and clean- and it's in the best location.  Georgetown and the national mall are both steps away- it's incredible.  Every night, after dinner and FHE/institute/other activities, we round up a crew and go out on the town.  Some examples of our exciting adventures include: Georgetown cupcake (as in the tv show DC cupcakes...), Iwo Jima memorial in VA, Jefferson Memorial, frozen yogurt/smoothie runs, Lincoln memorial, radio shack, and there's more to come!

I'm loving the program, I'm loving the people, and I'm in love with this city!

ps best thing about the barlow center: free laundry. AND i have the handicap room, meaning that i have the biggest bathroom on the floor. and there's a seat- IN my shower. HAH