Day 2. Journal Entry 1

Saturday, July 09, 2011 7PM

Day 2 in DC,

 We got here with little to no trouble yesterday afternoon. Everything went fine with the plane.

We flew from home to Baltimore, from Baltimore we rode the Marc and then transferred to to the metro. Metro travel is a little interesting to say the least.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to Georgetown with Mrs, Donnie, the boys, and Emily.

We went to explore and go to Georgetown Cupcakes. Georgetown Cupcakes was so good!

I got a chocolate mocha and mom a chocolate pb.

They were phenomenal.

We waited for about 20 minutes, but it was well worth it!

We put the boys in the strollers because it started raining a bit.

Let me just say that pushing 5 year olds in strollers on brick paved streets, with crazy people rushing by, is not the easiest.

I mistakenly wore flip-flops and by the time we got home, my feet were ready to fall off

It makes me happy that my work shoe are Dr. Scholls.

Last night we went to dinner with Katie and her mom, Mrs. Wendy.

We had a little miscommunication about meeting, due to the lack of directional skills of two teenage girls.

Once we got together, though, we had no problems.

We ate at the Old Ebbitt Grille.

I had the crab cake and mom had the canntelloni and the seafood was sooooooooooo good!

I've had Southern seafood and it is nothing compared to New England seafood!

After we left, we tried to go see the White house but since they are trying to 'refurbish the grass' we could get there very fast.

We decided to go see where I am going to stay, Webster Hall, but it was pretty dark so we turned around and head back to the metro.

This morning, we left the hotel right after I woke up and then we walked over, with our luggage, to the Anderson's appartment.

After we put all of our stuff up, we went to the Eastern Market.

It was very hipster there.

You can find alot of different thngs there.

We were pretty hungry so we found this interesting resturant, Tunnicliff Cavern.

We shopped around for bit and I bought a couple of things and then I found a pellhat.

The boys got tired, so the Anderson's went home and we went to the American History Musuem.

We went for the First Ladies' dresses and other items.

After that we came home and now we are eating meatloaf for dinner.

The boys are playing with the planes that Mom and I bought them in the Smithsonian.

Tomorrow Mom drops me off at Webster Hall.

My adventure starts soon.

_____________________________________________________

Food Ratings:

Au Bon Pain - Crystal City: ** 1/2  (2 and 1/2 stars)

Good salad, fast to-go service, fairly affordable. Perfect for a quick and easy lunch that provides variety.

Old Ebbitt Grille - Near the White House: **** (4 stars)

Amazing seafood, amazing crabcakes. Great chocolate brownie desert. Pretty good service but very loud.

Tunnicliff Cavern - Eastern Market: ** (2 stars)

Slow service, onlycomes when passing by. Food is great. Burgers and fries are pretty great but the salads are pretty mediocrea.

Orange Cow - Eastern Market Truck: *** (3 stars)

Yummy, inexpensive ice cream. They were sold out of peanut butter cup and from what the cashier guy said, it was sold out the hour they are opened.

Georgetown Cupcakes - Georgetown: **** (4 stars)

Cupcakes are to die for. The Mocha was devine, lemon was dreamy, and the chocolate pb was by far the best! The icing tasted like peanut butter fudge.

The big day is here!

It's here.

The big day!

in 14 minutes we are supposed to be leaving for the airport.

Not to sound like a little Alabama girl or anything but,

this is me first plane ride.

And the first of many I'm sure.

It seems crazy that it is here all of a sudden.

It seems like it came all too fast and not fast enough at the same time.

Funny how things happen like that.

Words can not be placed to my excitement, fear, stress, hope, and happiness!

Going with no computer, this might be my last blog for a bit.

Maybe a week, maybe 5 weeks.

But trust me, I'm keeping a journal.

Everything I see, feel, hear, taste, is going in the journal and I'll report back to here when I get home!

Wow that is months of blogs!

Yes!!

So for now, as always,

Alex

One last blog before DC

It crazy to think that tomorrow is the day before I leave.

24 hours.

1,440 minutes.

86,400 seconds.

That is what is standing in between me and a plane.

A plane that is going to take me to a place that can change me.

Change me in a  good way...

or a bad way if I let it.

I have chosen to submerge myself in a world that is completely not of my own.

A world of black suits, and elections.

Of hard stone buildings and hard hearts.

A world outside the protection of my family and friends who love me and help me when I fall.

As the seconds, minutes, and hours fall away, slowly but surely does my confidence falls too.

Anxiety and fear have begun to creep in.

I'm leaving Alabama, my home.

The place where I grew up and where everything is comfortable.

I'm going to Washington DC, a foreign territory.

The place where I'm going to have to deal with things I never have before.

So I will submerge myself.

Take a breathe and jump.

Surround myself in the peace of God.

"For I can do ALL things, through CHRIST who strengthens me!"

Playing a little Catch-up

4 days.

15 hours

44 minutes

and 

40 seconds

until I board the plane to DC.

Kind of lame, counting down, I know.

A lot of stuff has happened since I blogged 16 days ago.

We are *finally* getting our roof fixed from the tornado back in April.

This is the mess that has been happening since Friday:

Shingles in the front yard

Dumpster full of mess!

I am so over being woken up by hammering at 5 in the morning.

Also, this puppy,

turned 1!

And this girl,

Spent almost 2 weeks in Nashville practicing "Annie in a nutshell". 

It was Annie the musical shortened.

And on Monday I received this;

in the mail along with an orientation book and a letter.

The letter informed me - 13 days before orientation - that I am to know the names and how they are spelled and be able to recognized the faces of 535 senators and representatives.

13 days!

So immediately I started.

Then I realized that some of these names I can not pronounce, such as this name

or this one

or this one

So I googled  and found a website that told me that this name,

is pronounced

Fah - la - o - mah - vu - en - gah

and this name

is pronounced

Sehn - sehn - bren - na

and this name

is pronounced

A - kah - kah

But some names I did know, and some I thought I knew.

Like this name

Sewell, easy enough.

You would think it would be pronounced

See - well.....

See - well, that isn't how it is pronounced.

This name is said like

Seal.

Crazy right!

I guess that is just the business of working in politics, learning funny names.

Dreams Of Tomorrow

Have you every wanted to be someone or do something that inspires people?

Have you ever wanted to be the best person that you could ever be?

Wanted to do everything, accomplish everything, see everything, be everything?

Change the world?

I do.

I want to make people notice me.

I want people to see me and know who I am.

I want to inspire people.

I want to be know for making hurt people better,

For making the sad, happy.

For giving hope in a hopeless world.

I want to change the world.

My life is a endless amount of wants, mayb

es, and could-bes.

I want to travel the world.

If I could I would jump on the next plane out of the country tomorrow.

Go some where no one knows me.

I want to be inspired by the world around me,

the God in me,

and then turn around and do it again the next day.

Lately I can't seem to learn enough, or experience enough, or see enough.

My life feels so dull and lacking lustre.

So bland and boring.

So not, colorful enough.

One day I am just going to leave, tell know one where I am going,

no one where I am from.

Live for the tomorrow of life.

I want to see places that inspire,

meet people who inspire,

hear stories that inspire.

I want to know what the world looks like, not just see through pictures or hear from stories.

My feet want to run and run and run until I reach every knook and cranny of this beautiful world.

I want to marvel, to wonder, to learn, to laugh, to cry, to understand.

Until then, I'll dream, and live, and yearn for those days.

That thought makes me weep for joy and sorrow.

For joy that someday maybe I can be honored by the adventures I am given.

For sorrow because tomorrow year seems to far to stand.

What I Should Be Doing

As it turns out, this weekend has kind of been a bummer.

I'm sick.

Okay, well, not really cough-cough-flu-virus-sick

More like I-want-to-sleep-until-I-die-cut-off-my-legs-can't-eat-losing-6-pounds-in-2-days-sick.

Yeah it is wonderful.

And totally what I want to happen 26 days before I leave to go out of town, by myself, for a month.

And also totally what I want happening the night before my sweet 16 birthday party.

I could tell my wonderful experience on Thursday night/Friday morning but it is a long, painful, boring, and not very interesting

so

I'm just going to tell you the things I should be doing during all this free time, instead of watching Netfilx, sleeping, and watching TV

(Remember, I like making lists)

1. I should be reading the 5 library books I have that are due on Wednesday

2. I should be coming up with a term paper topic

3. I should be doing more laundry

4. I should be eating something more stable then a handful of chips and a couple of M&Ms

5. I should be outside helping my Dad clean up our swimming pool

6. I should be finishing Algebra I

7. I should be at my mom's cousin's wedding shower

and

8. I should be researching what senators do

But for some reason I just don't feel like it

Lists, planning, summer, DC and more lists

Obviously it is very cliche to say that 'This summer is going to be the best summer of my life' but honestly that is the way I feel.

This summer I have awesome opportunities!

There are so many things I want to do and see.

Science shows (sorry, psychology is kind of my thing) that people who visualize, make lists, and goals, achieve goals, seize opportunities, and ultimately improve life quality by 80%.

Therefore I like to visualize and make lists.

I make them all the time.

I made one for things I want to do before I die.

I was the kid who always had every birthday party planned like 6 months in advance.

Yeah, I was such a cool kid.

This summer I want to try new things, meet new people, eat new food, go new places and ultimately be put out of my element.

This summer I want to be the summer of newness.

It seems like this summer has just started but is already half way over.

But yet I still have a month before I leave for 3 1/2 weeks in DC.

Well 31 days to be exact.

Crazy, 31 days and the only thing that I have for my trip is my uniform, shoes, and 2 pair of shorts.

Not even a plane ticket.

So prepared, I know.

I just wish I was there already!

I just want to be there!!

I want to explore the city and live in the DC moment.

Suddenly, a city I never thought about, is always on my mind.

I promise you my last 4 dreams, well that I can remember, were about DC.

Sad, I know, but hey you would be excited too!

Seriously tell me you would not be excited about getting the opportunity to work in this building

5 days a week!

So to end this blog that is way over due,


(Seriously, I haven't blogged since April 12th. Almost a month! I am ashamed to call myself a blogger)

I will finish with the thing I do best!

1) A list for what I want to do before I get to DC

1. Educate myself on more political happenings (A must)

2. Further educate myself on choice of career (Neurology)

3. Become a better organized person (Another must)

4. Lose 15 more pounds (A personal must/desire)

5. Push my photography business to the potential of my abilities

6. Stop stressing small stuff

7. Become a better person/sister/daughter/friend

8. Make others happy before myself

9. Make an effort to worship God with my life

10. Become a better blogger (I need to before DC, so that I can share my experiences with all you lovely readers)

2) A list for what I want to do in DC

1. Go places I have never been before, try things I never done

2. Document everyday

3. Make new friends (Dumb I know but very important to me)

4. Learn from the experience

5. Make a difference (Probably not possible but just maybe)

6. Try harder

7. Encounter and overcome obstacles

8. Be a hard worker

9. Smile a lot

10. Enjoy every moment

and

3) A list of what I want to do when I get home from DC.

1. Start the school year with a splash

2. Be a better person/sister/daughter/friend/student

3. Get a jump start on college and scholarships

4. Get a job

5. Really push my photography business to its potential

6. Fall in Love with God

7. Love deeper

8. Do things I haven't done

9. Live to my potential

10. Do things differently and better then before

So there it is dear readers.

The list that I hope guide my summer and afterwards.

To be continued are my summer adventures and more!

Thanks for reading and happy summer!