Special Drink.

Growing up in the Jones Household was rough*.  We didn't have chips, soda, candy, or treats of any kind.  My mom baked cookies for special occasions and sometimes we got small reward treats for being good... but it was strict. One time I got in BIG trouble for trading my apple juice (100% real juice...) for a Kool-aid squeezit during lunch. I don't know who had the brilliant idea to put my elementary school's cafeteria in the basement and install windows around the ceiling- but it conveniently allowed parents to spy on their children as they traded their food.  Big mistake.

Soda was the big culprit in my house- it was only allowed inside on two holidays: Thanksgiving and New Year's.  We always craved soda as kids- when we visited my grandparents we always busted into my grandpa's stash of Fresca, the delicious grapefruit soda that he soon learned to buy and store in large quantities.  I will always remember my parents' reasoning for why we weren't allowed to drink tons of soda- it wasn't "you'll rot your teeth" or "it's bad for you"- it was "if you drink too much soda you'll pee your bed."

They were right.  They're always right.

This post is not a confession that I peed my bed as a child- because I actually didn't- but I found out this week that I have a low tolerance for soda.  You see, after 21 1/2 years, I have purchased soda for the FIRST time.  Not just a can or a small bottle- two large 2 Liter bottles of Fresca.  Target was having a sale. And I thought to myself, "self. You have been deprived for over 21 years.  You have the right to spend $1.25 on two bottles of soda." So I bought them.  And naturally, I've been having a few glasses of my "special drink" every day.  It's been great- but today I noticed how tired I was, even after sleeping until 10 AM.  I thought about how weird it is that I would be tired- and then realized that I've been tired ever since I bought that stupid soda.  You see, my tiny bladder is not accustomed to large quantities of carbonated liquids- so I've been waking up multiple times each night to make the mad dash to the bathroom.  Unfortunately, I live down the hall and around the corner from my bathroom- and my new apartment is big. And there are not one, not two, but THREE doors between my bed and the toilet (and one of them slides out from inside the wall- trying opening that at 3:30 am when you're in a hurry), along with other potentially hazardous obstacles- including a large clock on the wall and a slippery bathroom rug. So I've been running back and forth between my room and the bathroom at night instead of sleeping.  My parents knew exactly what they were talking about when they kept me from drinking soda.

 I can't believe I have another bottle and a half of that stuff left.  I won't be getting proper sleep for a week.

*My life actually wasn't rough at all. HOWEVER, when I go home to visit my family for holidays and breaks, I can't help but notice all of the treats and snacks that I was never allowed to even think about as a child.  My parents claim that they are for my "growing" brothers.  I guess that's why my 13 year old brother is almost six feet tall.  He's been eating his doritos.

Facelift

If you look closely, you may notice that I attempted to give my blog a facelift.  Last week I sat down to totally re-work my whole blog. New name, picture, style, background, everything.   I spent about half an hour trying to figure out how to work "blogger" and failed miserably.  So you may NOT notice the changes I've made to my blog- because there really aren't any.  Unless you consider new font a "change"- because I certainly changed the font.  Please note that I'm no longer using "Times New Roman"- I'm using Calibri.  I have an addiction to that font- I've secretly been turning in research papers for over a year now written in "calibri", even when the professor clearly states "times". I'm such a rebel.

Or maybe the real reason that my professors haven't picked up on the change is a testament to the fact that there basically is no difference between the two fonts.

Either way, I feel good.  I will eventually get around to changing my picture to something besides DC and I will eventally think of a clever (and usable- believe me, I've thought of some clever ones, but I'm not about to write them in bold letters and claim them as my own) name for my blog. Suggestions are welcome.

Old Academy Life

I am currently sitting at the bar in my new apartment, eating grapes and watching my roommate make chocolate souffle. Yes, my new apartment has a bar.  It also has a huge massive kitchen, recessed lighting, private rooms and bathroom, and a beautiful parking garage.  My apartment is so big that I can literally pick up speed if I run from the front door to the opposite end of the living room.  I had 20+ people over one night and it didn't even start to feel crowded. My apartment was officially built for parties. Old Academy Rocks.



My Huge Massive Bathroom... and it's all mine. Oh yeah- the shower and toilet are in a separate room... and I have two sinks. But I NEED two sinks, okay! Sorry for the cheesy self shot...




I finally got around to decorating... thanks Kels, for the pillow inspiration AND the curtains.




About Half of my apartment's living room area. Come Party!

 And lest you think I've become a snotty rich girl after living the high life in DC, I happen to practically be SAVING money by living here.  Let's just say that certain management companies get quite desperate to sell contracts once the semester has already started...
I feel right at home in the parking garage-everyone's license plates are PA, MD, VA, NJ- of course, I'm still the only DE- but that's typical (not only for BYU but home too... go to the nearest Target and you'll see more PA and NJ plates than delaware. poor delaware).  East Coast is where it's at...

Okay so technically this is the west coast... but it's the only pic I have of me with my beautiful license plate.

This semester has been wonderful so far- my Public Policy Theory class is amazing.  It's been fun to see old friends and make new ones, see my old students, attend the temple regularly, meet my new ward, and even drop off my friend at the MTC.  However, I've developed a bad habit of needing constant entertainment.  I guess it's not exactly entertainment, per se, that I'm craving- because the cravings cannot be satisfied with simple movies or television- I'm talking enriching, exciting activities. Fulfillment. So far, I've managed to keep myself busy for the month of January with the following:

Sundance Film Festival: Britt and I drove up to Park City and spent the night walking around looking for celebrities. We went to a delicious restaurant and both ordered fish (obviously we miss the wharf in Old Town Alexandria...) and then spent the night exploring Main Street.  Park City is adorable- it reminds me of a  mini-Georgetown... in the mountains. We saved the $25 on parking by parking wayyy down the mountain and hiking up into the city... we sort of missed all of the signs for the "free bus" to the festival. oops. But it was so much fun and I will definitely be going back.

*although we didn't see any celebrities, a gaggle of teenagers stared us down as we walked into a coffee shop. As soon as we walked inside, I heard one of the girls say "guys I'm pretty sure they're in a movie". Yeah. I'm pretty sure you're blind, girl. But thanks anyways...

Utah State Capitol Tour and Reception: 

 I can't believe I've lived in Utah for four years and never been up to the state capitol!  I always loved fridays in DC- that's when we would meet interesting people, tour awesome places, and learn tons about our government and country. When the BYU Political Affairs Society announced yesterday's trip, I jumped on the chance to go up to Salt Lake. After all, why pass up an opportunity to wear my "cute suit", as Rachel pointed out?!? And there was free food involved. And the possibility of cute boys. Of course I went. I had a wonderful time with old Barlow friends as we toured the Senate and House chambers, the Supreme Court, the Gold room, Rotunda, and the Governor's office.  We met the Speaker of the House, the Senate President, a few Legislators, and had the chance to mingle with some BYU professors and current Legislature interns. It was a fabulous day.






Kim and I in the Rotunda. It has beautiful artwork!



House gallery



The Senate Floor. We met with the Senate President and I got to stand behind his desk/shake his hand. Pretty neat.



Governor's Office.  As everyone looked in, he walked behind us and into a meeting.  I totally noticed him. He's not very good at being discreet.



So Gorgeous.

Dropping Amy off at the MTC:  It was hard to say goodbye to the very first friend I've ever had in Utah- but I've already received my first letter from her, and I can tell that the next 18 months are going to be amazing for her. She is wonderful!

Sundance: It's that time of year again. Ski season. I'm in heaven.

I've also been keeping busy with volunteering at Timpanogos (where I used to work). Those kids melt my heart.  I had to write a policy paper for my theory class and I wrote all about them.  LOVE


It was St. Patrick's day, okay. I don't normally wear large green bows in my hair (or match them to large green sweaters.)

 Life is good. It's fun being a senior and coming to the realization that I only have a few more months left to live the college life.  I finally got over a 3 1/2 year crush- I didn't realize, however, that I was over it until I found myself crouched behind a cart in the bookstore, praying that this boy would not see me and come talk to me.  It's ironic that I spent over three years dying to talk to him, only to wind up shuffling between large objects as I try to hide/escape from him. Interesting.  I should probably not write things like this on a blog... but since I have a grand total of like two readers, well, who cares. 

I was reflecting on my grand array of college experiences, both good and bad, as I sat in my apartment last week.  I was actually sitting on my bathroom counter, staunching the blood flow that was streaming from my nose. We (me and my nose) hate the dry Utah weather and extreme altitude.  As I thought about my college career and all of the crazy experiences that I've had, I was hit with a crazy random but profound thought. As gross as a nosebleed is, it helps you appreciate your normal mouth taste so much more.  That nasty blood aftertaste you get after a nosebleed lingers all day, but the next day is sweeter than ever.  Sometimes in life you have to have the momentary taste of blood so that you can appreciate the sweetness that follows.  Gross comparison, huh. Sorry.

Well, my Friday night has been a success. And if you're wondering how that souffle turned out, it was AMAZING.



Delicious.



Andrea, the miracle-worker

Find Your Passion

Today was one of the best days I've ever had at Brigham Young University.  It all started with this incredible woman:

Condoleezza Rice, Former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, Current Professor at Stanford

She is my new role model.

I've been waiting for today's forum for over a month now.  I remember sitting with some friends in the Barlow Center in DC when we got the email announcing Dr. Rice's visit to BYU.  As embarassing as it is to admit it, we were pretty excited.  Actually, I think "excited" is the wrong word for our reaction- I'm pretty sure one girl (who will not be identified) may have shrieked.  It's not that we're in love with Condoleezza or her policies and positions - it's the fact that someone with her knowledge and experience would take the time to come to Brigham Young University, in PROVO Utah, and talk to US. Students.

 In DC, every friday was dedicated to "briefings."  We heard from a wide variety of speakers, ranging from Senators and Congressmen to entrepreneurs and journalists.  We were even able to meet with a member of President Obama's National Security Council in the White House Conference Center. It was an incredible honor and privilege to hear from such intelligent and interesting people- and to have that same opportunity on campus has been one of the highlights of my four years at BYU. 

Condoleezza Rice had a wonderful message.  Not only is she a classy and impressive woman, she is extremely intelligent and capable.  Her main message was to "find your passion."  She encouraged us to discover what we're truly passionate about and make it our goal in life to succeed in that area.  She reminded us that we can do anything we set our minds to.   She also mentioned the importance of faith and family and reiterated the need to set and strive towards specific goals.   I was inspired to recommit myself to accept challenges, work hard, believe in myself and others, and increase my optimism. 

After the incredible forum, the day only got better.  I'm pretty sure I ran into at least fifteen different friends in a two-hour period on campus.  I had lunch with old roommates (and had leftover cafe rio for lunch- life doesn't get much better than that), I finished my reading and homework for my class, had a least three people compliment me on my favorite Jerusalem scarf (thanks Kels), shopped around in the bookstore (and had this guy follow me around really awkwardly for a few minutes- right as I was going to turn around and ask him to stop stalking me, he reached out his hand, touched my shoulder, and blurted out "bythewayyouhavethemostbeautifulhairi'veeverseen" and ran away. Super cute), loved my public policy lecture, listened to the Tangled soundtrack, talked to my brother for half an hour, ice skated across my parking lot (which was actually a life-threatening experience that turned out okay) and went to a cookie party with my roommate.  And I'm going to the temple in the morning. 

So, since I graduate in April, I need to hurry up and "find my passion," as Condoleezza so gracefully put it.  I'm passionate about a lot of things: children, the gospel, my family, cafe rio, human rights- the list is endless.  I can do anything! 

(except I'm probably the last person cafe rio wants to hire- I have a bad habit of picking at other people's food and I can only imagine how much I would eat off of everyone's orders as they come through the line...)

The End.

I've been putting off writing this blog post because I knew it would be the last one I'd write in, well, forever.  Not that i'm giving up blogging- I just have nothing to blog about. Not anymore.
I'm officially a resident of Provo, Utah.  I don't live in Washington, DC anymore.  I no longer live one block from Georgetown, three blocks from the Foggy Bottom metro, seven blocks from the Lincoln Memorial, three miles from the U.S. Capitol, and ten miles from the Washington, DC Temple  (i'm really good at measuring distances, if you can't tell. Training for a race makes you very mileage-conscious...).  I can't walk up M street to get a cupcake or jog down to see the sunset over the Potomac River or bike to the Jefferson Memorial or visit my grandparents for Sunday dinner.

Am I depressed? No. Am I having severe withdrawals? Maybe... Will I go back? Yes. Definitely.

Last night in DC. Sunset over the Washington Monument; view from the Capitol

Driving back to Utah was one of the most depressing things I've ever done.  My poor mother had to spend three days shoved into a car with my grumpy self and every earthly possession that I own (and when I say shoved, I mean SHOVED.  I have this clever technique where I pack the car from one side, shoving everything in until I have to slam the door closed.  Then I pray that I won't forget and open the wrong side, causing an avalanche of clothes, shoes, hangers, toiletries, and a full length wall mirror).
We stopped in Illinois the first night, after eating dinner at a sketchy-looking Subway.  Friday was New Year's Eve, and we spent the holiday in my 1997 Toyota Camry, eating lukewarm yogurt, listening to Harry Potter on tape, and writing twelve cover sheets ( in the dark, since the light in my car is broken) for my internship portfolio assignment that I SHOULD have completed over Christmas break but somehow managed to still procrastinate.  The highlight of the day was stopping for lunch in Iowa City, Iowa, and seeing this lovely lady:

Sister Amy Dawson.

She will be entering the MTC on wednesday, January 12th, to serve a mission in Ekaterinburg, Russia.  She is wonderful, and I will miss her, but I'm very excited for her. She is going to be an incredible missionary.

We didn't pull in to our hotel in Nebraska until 10 pm, and we forgot to eat dinner. So, to start the new year off right, we went to the gym!  I spent my New Year's eve in a tiny hotel work-out room (with horrid mirrors that covered the whole walls- who wants to watch themselves as they jog on a treadmill, dripping with sweat and regretting the four weeks of Christmas treats that they probably shouldn't have consumed?) and I watched as the ball dropped in Times Square.  It was probably the most depressing celebration ever, especially since Nebraska is one hour behind NYC and it wasn't even 2011 when the TV showed the celebrations.  I've never NOT been on the east coast for New Year's - it was hard.  However, as the clock turned to midnight (for real) and I realized that it was no longer 2010, I had to stop and think "what a year".  2010 was my year.  I sat and thought of everything that I accomplished in just 365 days:

• I completed 26.5 credits at BYU and am only 11.5 credits from graduating
• I finished Quantitative Political Methodology (PLSC 328) and lived to tell the tale AND got a decent grade
• I worked at Timpanogos Elementary school for my third year, taught summer school, watched my sixth graders "graduate", and said goodbye to that profession (for now)
• I spent the summer in Utah and finally went camping in the mountains
• I watched one of my best friends marry her best friend and was a part of her beautiful wedding
• I drove across the country with Amy, ran 16 miles in Philadelphia, and then had my car break down one minute into the drive home, resulting in the craziest tow-truck ride of my life (thanks for not killing me, Amy)
• I moved to Washington, DC in August and worked for a law firm for five weeks
• I trained for and ran the 2010 Under Armour Baltimore Marathon
• I applied for a internship with the Office of Congressman Jeff Flake and was hired for fall semester
• I worked on Capitol Hill for three months and learned more about government, politics, and life than I ever thought was possible
• I fell in love with DC. Seriously.  And the east coast in general.  During fall semester, I spent time in Delaware, Potomac MD, Baltimore, New York (upstate and NYC), PA, West Virginia, southern VA, and more.
• I stood on top of the US Capitol.  
• I watched my little brother play COLLEGE baseball.  I visited SVU.
• I enjoyed Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family. It's the last time we'll all be together for the holidays for a long time- at least two years, maybe more.
• I became best friends with 40 strangers. I will never forget the Barlow crew.
• I moved back to UT to finish up my last semester as an undergraduate student.
• I lived, I laughed, I loved.  It was an incredible year. 

With my new year started off right ( I made some good resolutions too- more about that later...), I fell asleep. No partying, no fireworks, no drunk people yelling "happy new year!"- it was very quiet.  But even with the lack of celebration, I think it was my favorite New Year's eve yet. I can't wait for 2011!

My first day of the New Year did not bode well, however, for upcoming happiness.  We spent the whole day driving through Nebraska, Wyoming, and Eastern Utah.  I never EVER want to go to Wyoming in the middle of the winter EVER again.  It was absolutely horrible.  It was about 3 degrees outside (windchill -20) and the wind was ridiculous.  Imagine a depressing road (I-80) that extends in a straight line for 400 miles through absolutely nothing. Put ten-foot snow banks on either side of this road and add 50mph wind gusts. Can you picture it? If not, don't worry- here's exactly what it looked like:

See? Or maybe you don't see- yeah, that's the road.

That's exactly what our 11 hour drive on New Year's Day looked like. Pretty fun, huh?  I didn't think I was going to live. At one point we stopped to get gas and I went inside the nasty convenience store to use the bathroom. As I sat there on the cracked toilet and stared at the peeling walls and listened to the howling wind and swirling snow, I thought "is this worth it? was my incredible semester in DC worth this trip through hell?"

Five hours later, sitting in Cafe Rio with  my mom, I thought to myself, "Yes. Yes it was".

I'm excited to be back in Utah. My new apartment is lovely- and my roommates are amazing.  I don't know why I always luck out in the whole "living with strangers" category but I have the BEST track record for getting awesome roommates.

This blog is so scatter-brained- but I guess I love it.  In fact, I may just change the name... and keep it!

So Until my next super long, ultra crazy post- Happy New Year!

ohhh ps- I conquered my fear of GREEN.  People always tell me that redheads look good in green- but i've always thought that redheads wearing green look like Christmas ornaments.  BUT I decided to buy my first green article of clothing- we'll see how I like it...