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...