Slices of Cheesecake and Secretaries of State..What an End to July

This has nothing to do with this post but what a good-looking man, am I right? This is my DC crush for sure.

Happy last day of July! I am pretty sure I mean it when I say it's a happy day. This summer has flown by, and I think that has to do with the fact that it wasn't a typical summer at all. August means that school is starting and I just don't know if I'm ready for that yet. Yesterday was National Cheesecake Day so of course we had to make an appearance at the Cheesecake Factory where all of their cheesecake was half off. What a deal! Yesterday was also the Commencement Ceremony at the Washington Center. I was hoping for a cap and gown which didn't happen but there ended up being something even better. I was sitting in the back and honestly I was not paying attention at all because I was so excited about the cheesecake when they started announcing awards. Let me remind you that there are hundreds of Washington Center interns. The Washington Center has three pillars that it outlines in its mission: leadership, professional achievement, and civic engagement. So do the math, an award for each means that there is only three awards for three out of hundreds of students. Well all of a sudden they call my name. I have no idea why I was given the Professional Achievement Award because at this point I was so in shock that the only thing I could do was awkwardly stand up and head to the podium to receive my certificate. Everyone at work told me congratulations because they got an email from a corporate member who was at the ceremony and she told them all about it. It's funny the way news will travel. It really is an exciting thing to receive especially when I think back to what I was doing last summer..waitressing in little ole Jeff City. And to think my faculty advisor had told me that I used the word "like" too much which made me sound unprofessional. I guess I'm more professional than everyone thought. Even me. Today was the other intern's last day. I now have an office all to myself which means I get to play any music I want without wearing headphones. Whoohoo! We all went to Happy Hour after work to celebrate her last day. We had a table right by the window and guess who just casually strolls on by. None other than Colin Powell. (The 65th Secretary of State for all those political failures out there like myself). Everyone I work with got really excited when they saw him. I, of course, played along although I didn't recognize him at all. I think living in DC works the same way as studying in a foreign country. You go to Spain to be immersed in the Spanish language and you come to DC to be surrounded by political language, most of which I did not understand when I first got here but it makes a little more sense now. By no means will I become President someday, but I will hopefully be informed enough to have a serious political conversation with someone someday..maybe. Also today, it is confirmed. I have train tickets to North Carolina for the weekend. Just when you thought I was done traveling..tsk tsk you should know me better than that. Now that I have had a taste of this world, I am addicted. The question is: Where should I go next?

Who Let the Dog Out?...Not This Girl

Even my dog back home doesn't look at me with those eyes...

Well I can say that I have officially been a pet sitter now AND I did not kill said pet....go me. Just go ahead and ask me what I haven't done this summer. Anyway yesterday morning, the neighbors dropped off their Irish Setter named Riley. He is almost 100 pounds which is actually very terrifying because dogs and I have not always gotten along. AND a 100 pound dog could kill me if he wanted to. When I was really, really young, a dog supposedly snapped at me when I went to pet it and, although my mom had to tell me that story because I don't remember it myself, I was kind of scarred all the way through childhood. It also didn't help that a few years later I was with my mom when she was bitten by a dog, so overall just some really awful experiences with the canine variety. From then on, I ran in fear of any kind of dog: small, big, ugly, cute, loud, quiet, you get the picture. As I've grown up, I've had to remind myself that I am now usually much bigger than most dogs so they are probably scared of me and yadi yadi yada. I do have to say that I was worried for nothing because Riley has ended up being a complete sweetheart. He even laid by my bed all night. What a gentleman. What I did NOT appreciate, though, was being woken up at 6:30 this morning because he was hungry. I rolled over and hoped he would let me sleep. He did..for maybe half an hour..and then woke me up again. I grudgingly stomped downstairs, put food in his bowl, and then let him outside. After that I crawled back into bed and thank god I was able to get back to sleep.
Today I also went to pick my cousin up from the airport. I don't really know why I bother even using a GPS because I usually end up missing exits and then getting kind of lost. Today that also happened but somehow I stumbled upon a different way to get to the airport and it ended up being much faster. Maybe I have somehow gained a sense of direction here..or maybe I'm just extremely lucky. Anyway, she is now home, and I am no longer here alone WHOOOHOOO. I leave DC in exactly two weeks. And my family will be here in less than two weeks. And I have an entire portfolio to put together of all the work I have done here sooner than that. Alright leggo! (According to Urban Dictionary, using "leggo" instead of the phrase "let's go" is the most unintelligent thing to say and my IQ must be very low..well it's not and I'm still going to use it so ha)

If I Could Love Someone Like I Love Music, I Would Live Happily Ever After

Warped Tour 2012:)

Warped Tour...the epic day of all days and quite possibly one of the best days I have had all summer. And you know it has to be great when I can say that and I have even been to Europe and back this summer. It started out on a sour note though when we had to sit in traffic for OVER an hour to only drive a mile and a half. Yep that was ridiculous. And we did miss out on a band that both of us wanted to see but besides that it was wonderful. Amazing. Absolutely breathtaking. You get the point. I was able to crowd surf TWICE and in the process lost a bracelet and the top of my belly button ring but it was so worth it. We also had the front row for one of my favorite bands ever, We The Kings. I wish all I could do all summer was travel with the bands and go to every single show. Maybe instead of being a wedding planner, I should just plan concerts all day and then attend them all. What an idea.

Crowd surfing like a fool

 Anyway, this morning I had to take my best friend to the airport. What a sad, sad day. This time she teared up a little when she was heading towards the gate. I held it in..I don't know how but I did. The rest of the day was rather depressing, and I really haven't felt more ready to go home. I have two and a half weeks left and I sure hope they go by fast or else I'm driving myself home early. Missing the Midwest:/

       

Life Without a Best Friend would be Pointless

I know there has not been a blog post in a few days but I have been constantly moving all weekend. I showed up at the airport to pick up my best friend from the airport Friday afternoon. I decided to make a sign for her purely because she had jokingly suggested it in a Facebook status and I thought to myself "That's a great idea because she won't be expecting it!!" It ended up being an obnoxious hot pink color with pictures of us through the years glued to it. I think most people only expect to see signs when a soldier comes home but you would not believe the smiles and compliments I got when they read it:)

That's one phenomenal airport sign if I do say so myself

Of course as soon as I saw her, we started running at each other like a dramatic scene from a movie and thankfully neither of us broke anything when we collided. Here is once again another example of how I am becoming more like my mom everyday because I was bawling and she wasn't. I'm an embarrassment. I took her to my friend's country house for the weekend. That ended up being pretty tragic after someone fell off the zip line and broke his neck and back in three places.

We do look like thieves don't we??

After that we headed to my house only to have the neighbor suspect us of breaking in and called the cops. It was basically the worst Saturday I have had thus far. Thank the great lord that Sunday ended up being one of the best days I have ever had this summer. We took a road trip to Virginia Beach and it was beautiful! Not only was the weather perfect but the water didn't smell bad like the other beaches I have been to on the easy coast so far. At night, the city pays for performers so we heard some live music and watched flame throwers, hiphop dancers, and trapeze artists perform in the street. At 10:00, they shot off fireworks above the beach as we all stood on the shore and watched. It was pretty romantic minus the fact that her boyfriend wasn't there and I don't have one haha. I think the DC Award for the day has to go to the man who used the pick up line "I'm here ladies, what are your next two wishes?" he was gross. There was another terrible line used but it is far too inappropriate to put on this blog because my family is reading it but let's just say I faced forward and basically ran away when he said it.

We spent all day Monday in DC and I showed her all the monuments. Sandals and flip slops are terrible for the amount of walking we did. She is limping now and I think I have like five new blisters. It's gross, I know. We got some really great pictures though and it was still a very successful day. I am glad that I have gotten to know DC as a resident would because there is only so much sightseeing to do and then you run out of touristy things to do. Tomorrow is the big day I have been waiting for all summer! WARPED TOUR!!! My dream come true would be to crowdsurf again, get a million autographs, and get married to the lead singer of any of the bands there. I'm seriously crossing my fingers for the last one haha especially bc I threw two coins into the Trevi Fountain which means I'm getting married within the year so hopefully this happens...

Fall in Love With a Nerd...

It is an already overwhelmingly hot Wednesday morning here in our nation's capital. It also did not help that the metro was packed so that you could barely feel the air conditioning. My office is cool, though, and I have a glass of ice cold water so things are looking up. Nothing too exciting has happened since my last post. I have a presentation tonight that I am not entirely ready for but I have the next 8 hours to prepare. I do have an article I would like to share with my readers. It's called Date A Girl Who Reads by Rosemarie Urquico.
http://littlemissdorkette.tumblr.com/post/3118512524/date-a-girl-who-reads-by-rosemarie-urquico
I got it from my cousin a few months ago and I had forgotten about it until today. Rather than fall asleep on the metro which I do most mornings, this article inspired me to write instead, so here it is.

Fall In Love With a Nerd

1. Fall in love with a nerd because there will always be someone to share a study room with.
2.She is far less concerned with how you look than what is on your mind.
3. Fall in love with a nerd because she probably games harder than you do.
4. For safety purposes - she knows what to do if there were ever a zombie apocalypse, and she knows all the spells if dark wizards really do take over the world.
5. You will never stand in long lines with her at outlet malls - instead she might make you wait while she scans the bookshelves at every library in town and even the next town over.
6. The only team she was ever on was either the debate team or the math team so you will never feel emasculated by her athletic abilities.
7. Fall in love with a nerd because she probably looks good in her glasses which is a good thing because someday she will be too old to wear contacts.
8. Yes, she is going to stress over her next exam A LOT but you would rather hear all about her calculus equations than the latest gossip on E!
9. The heaviest baggage she carries with her is her book bag.
10. She is not the type to talk your ear off because she has sat through multiple tests like the ACT- she appreciates the silence.
11. Fall in love with a nerd because you won't have to share her with the jocks and frat boys on campus - the number of her GPA is probably much higher than the amount of boys she has ever been with.
12. She was never a spoiled beauty pageant toddler but instead was in far more spelling bees than she can count.
13. She had braces and headgear and bad acne too - she knows what it's like to be unpopular but has embraced who she is.
14. The messiest part of her room is not her closet but her desk - she is far more proud of her collection of letters of recommendations and honor roll certificates than the amount of shoes and purses she has.
15. Fall in love with a nerd because she is going to be successful - all of those AP classes and extracurriculars are going to pay off and as long as you can accept that she might make more money than you, you will never be hungry or homeless.

She Flies With Her Own Wings.

Happy Monday everyone! I do not understand why this day seems to wear me out the most because I never have work on Mondays. I went to a Networking event today for my program. This was nerve wrecking at first because I am the Queen of Awkwardness. Like really, I just stood in the same spot for like ten minutes but then after I talked to the first professional there, it got much easier. I got at least five business cards and a bunch of potential connections to event planners which was really exciting. People pass out business cards like candy here. I haven't handed out one yet. Fail on my part. People even have personal business cards that they give out at social venues like bars when they meet people. This might be old fashioned but I refuse to call/ text/ friend you on Facebook if you give me your business card. Court me like a gentleman please and don't treat me like a business transaction. Okay thanks.
One of the ladies I met at the event tonight was telling me that there is this organization in DC that hosts speed networking events. So it is like speed dating except with professionals...I guess it could be fine OR it would be extremely weird haha. After the networking, I met up with my group from class to finish our presentation on the Peace Corps which we have to give on Wednesday. One of the group members was talking about this horrifying experience she had back home. For privacy purposes, I am not going to offer details but lets just say I was so tempted to just give her a huge hug, and I hardly know this girl. I also was very close to crying. Basically, I just am so thankful that I have not been through anything like that.
Well it wouldn't be a typical blog post from me if I didn't mention food haha. Today is a very important day because I tried sushi for the first time! And I am addicted!!!! It was so good:)

Shrimp Sushi...the only thing that would make this more legit is if I could actually use chopsticks.

Anyway, I only have three days of work this week and then one of my best friends from back home will be here to visit me:) We have a very busy agenda ahead of us so I know I will wear her out by the time she heads home. All I can say is that the next three days better go by fast or else!

Soul Music and Road Trips...Life is Good

Ocean City...the city of the ocean..lo and behold the Atlantic to be exact

Beach, beach, beach, I absolutely love the beach!! This just reinforces why I am destined to live in California. We attempted to get up and leave by 7:30 this morning. It was more like 8:30 but in our defense we had some errands to run first. The drive there was not as bad as I anticipated. The bridge crossing to the island part of Maryland only took about 45 minutes to get across which I know sounds terrible but I had been warned it could take almost 5 hours.

I have to say it was a pretty cool looking bridge, and the view was fantastic so I really would not have minded being stranded on it for a while. My car would not have liked it though. We got to the beach around noon. On a side note, there are a few things I learned today. Harriet Tubman was born in Maryland and Oreos have been around for 100 years. Hooray for random knowledge! Anyways, the beach was so nice. For some reason the beaches on the East coast all seem to smell kind of funny but it was significantly better than the beach in Jersey.

When we arrived, the lifeguards had just closed the beach because they had seen lightening but we didn't have to wait long. The sun even came out about an hour later, and I got sun burnt because I had expected it to be cloudy and rainy all day. I also hate sunscreen...oh well. The weather here is so bipolar. We also swam in the ocean twice, and I got way to much salt water in my mouth but it was such a great day. The actual road trip was fun too because we did not get lost once (go me) and we jammed out to all types of soulful music, singing it at the top of our lungs. Overall, it was one of the best weekends I have spent here this summer! Next weekend should be awesome too because my best friend from grade school is coming to visit. We will most likely be going back to the beach so stay posted for more beach pictures!

Can you intern as a food taster? That would be the Life.

Sometimes I feel as if I only use this blog to talk about all the food I eat here. What a fatty...but anyway I did go to this amazing restaurant last night! It is called Founding Farmers..yes you heard me right, not fathers but farmers. And the food was AMAZING! This has got to be the only place I have ever heard of that serves waffles, fried chicken, and macaroni and cheese all on one plate. What a glorious combination! And they even have fresh homemade lemonade which is always a win in my book. To top it all off, we had red velvet cake for dessert and I brought most of it home so it'll last for a few more days because it was HUGE. The best part was that dinner was all paid for by my lovely university. Thanks Truman:) I can't believe I am admitting this but I am missing school a little. Everyone at dinner was all from my college and after talking about it for over two hours, you kind of remember why you love it so much. It takes a special person to go to Truman. Yes, yes, yes I do my fair share of complaining when finals come around or when I just don't possibly think I can take anymore stress but there really is no other school that would have fit for me like this one does. Once a nerd, always a nerd:)

Best Restaurant Ever..besides Olive Garden of course

I can't believe that tomorrow is already Thursday and that this week is over halfway finished. It seems to go faster and faster now that I only have a month left in DC. I was asked today what the best thing has been that I have done here so far and I am not exactly sure how to answer that. I have had so many random experiences, and if it weren't for this blog I probably would have forgotten half of them already.
Now onto the agenda for the rest of this week! I have class tonight, and we are just watching a movie so that won't be too bad. On Thursday, I am either going out to dinner again with people from school or going to an alumni event...also with people from school..so yay for Truman Thursday! And this weekend is HOPEFULLY the super exciting road trip to the beach..which beach you might ask? We have it narrowed down between Ocean City and Virginia Beach. It is rather exciting to actually have beach options as opposed to being in Missouri where the closest thing to a beach is the sand by the lake at Thousand Hills. I would like to clarify that a state park in the middle of the forest CANNOT claim to have a beach! I also apologize for the lack of pictures in this post because everyone loves pictures but I will take more this weekend...promises!
I have a few small DC awards to give out today and once again sorry because there aren't any pictures to accompany them. For starters, thank you red umbrella sporting the Denny's logo that I borrowed from work yesterday because it looked a little overcast. Although your breakfast selection and food service is questionable, your rain gear is not so thanks for that. I was slightly irritated at first because it was the size of a walking stick and annoying to carry around but when it started down-pouring like a hurricane I was glad I had it.
The other award goes out to the man on the Zamboni-type machine in the metro station. My cousin and I used to have a certain soft spot for the guy who drove the Zamboni in the middle of all the hockey games we used to go to...and really who wouldn't?! He kind of resembled Prince Charming on his gallant steed except he wasn't wearing armor and his machine had a lot more horsepower...get it?? Horsepower..ahhh I crack myself up. Anyway, thank you metro Zamboni for bringing back some good memories.
Final comment for today: I interviewed an operations manager out of Chicago today who plans events with a Destination Management company. She told me that honestly event planners do not make much money..sorry parents..but as long as you love planning events then it's worth it. She also said her company takes interns. Wellllll spending summer 2013 in Chicago doesn't sound too bad to me:)

Remember, No One is Invincible

Hello hello hello! It has been a lazy day in DC. It rained a little today...much less than I was hoping for. Sometimes you just want it to be a rainy/ stormy day so that you can just curl up on the couch and do nothing. I did go see the movie Magic Mike today. It was just as wonderful as I was hoping it would be and anyone who has seen it knows exactly what I mean. I will definitely be purchasing the deluxe edition when it comes out on DVD;) Work last week was rough. My concentration level was dangerously low so I'm hoping that this week is better.

On Friday night, I went to the Marine Evening Parade. It was a lot longer than I thought it would be but it was really cool to watch. There were Marine wives and girlfriends sitting around me, and it is so funny because they have come so many times that they know everything about the parade and even a lot about Marine Corps. history. The Silent Drill Platoon was really cool because they flip their guns around and do creative tricks. I was so scared someone was going to mess up but they were all so in sync the entire time.

On Saturday morning, I went on a tour of Du Pont Circle which is an area of DC known as the Gay & Lesbian Neighborhood or "Gay-borhood" as it is called for short. Clever haha. We learned a lot about its history and important landmarks found within the neighborhood. The picture above is of the metro exit at Du Pont. Engraved is part of a poem by Walt Whitman, not only because he was obviously a very well-known poet but he was also gay. I have had multiple literature classes where we discussed his work but I had never known that about him. The first Gay Pride parade was held in this neighborhood as well. I also found out that there are typically neighborhoods like this in major cities. Maybe sometime I will check out the one in St. Louis or Kansas City just to learn about their history.
Anyways that is about all I have to report today. I just want to give a shout out to my family back home. I will be seeing you in a month:) Yipppeeee!

Big Cities are Beautiful

Happy 4th of July from Washington DC! Okay I am aware that it is now the 5th of July but I figured it is never too late to celebrate our country's birthday. So Happy 236th Birthday USA! This 4th was particularly special because not many people can say they stood beneath the Washington Monument and watched the fireworks light up the sky in our nation's capital. I feel like this is comparable to Mardi Gras in New Orleans and New Years in Times Square, both of which I hope to do someday!

In reflecting on our freedom here, there are many other aspects about what I have experienced this summer that I have given some thought to. To all those who don't think that big cities can be beautiful, they really haven't taken a good look around.
For all those who say people in big cities are rude then you must not have noticed that...

• For every one in like ten cars that you let cut in front of you on the interstate, someone will wave out of appreciation.
• There is always that one driver who will let the pedestrians walk across the street even if they are late or in a rush.
• There are always those people on the metro who will give up their seat for that elderly person or that pregnant lady so they don't have to stand.
• There is always going to be that person you sit next to on the train that turns and asks how you are or where you came from even though you have never met before.
• There is always that co-worker who will buy cupcakes for the whole office or share her lunch because she just wants you to get a chance to try everything while you're here.

For all those people who say that traffic is horrible...

• Must not know what it's like to turn your stereo up to its loudest and sing and dance without a care because you will never see those people driving next to you again...anonymity is beautiful.

For those who say this big city isn't home must not...

• See the beauty of that text from your best friend or that Skype call from your parents and realize that home can go wherever you are...even if home is almost 1000 miles away.

For those who say a big city is missing the beauty of nature and wildlife must not...

• Be able to see the beauty in architecture that people have crafted with their own two hands for others to enjoy. 

For those who think that city people are uptight or overly professional must not...

• Ever see that man on the metro who has loosened his tie and rolled up is sleeves after work which expose his tattooed-covered arms because the day is over and it's time to relax.
• Ever experience celebrating the 4th with millions of other people you don't know but you all sing along to our nation's anthem because being American is what we all have in common...freedom is beautiful..so is unity.

The beauty in this big city is knowing that all those tears over the last year, all the struggles, and all the heartache led to this moment and these opportunities that I never would have had or taken. This summer is beautiful. Life is beautiful:)

It Should be Socially Acceptable to Nap in a Museum...

One of my favorite quotes found in the Newseum!

No work today which was wonderful! I went to the Newseum, and it has been confirmed that I am just not a museum kind of girl. Take note of this boys: museums are just not a good idea as a first date. My teacher estimated that it would take about three hours for us to get through the whole thing. It took me an hour and 45 minutes. Not that it wasn't interesting because it definitely was! There was a radio antenna from the top of one of the World Trade Center towers. There was also part of the Berlin Wall on display. They also had all of the photographs of Pultizer prize winners on display which I LOVED because I am a photography minor.  One of my dreams would be to someday win that prize. I know it's a pretty big goal, but hey maybe after these next two semesters of classes I will hopefully be kind of professional...maybe.

 

I do have a problem. I am starting to worry that this house is haunted. I swear there was a huge puddle under the refrigerator yesterday, and I was worried that I would have to call someone to come fix it because there was obviously a leak. But this morning when I went down to breakfast it was completely gone as if it had never been there. Weird. Then this elderly lady called me and said that my number had showed up on her Caller ID last night but I have no idea who she is and I also definitely didn't call her. She called again 20 minutes later to tell me that it showed up again. Once again I didn't call her. Something crazy is going on or I am losing my mind.

Part of the Berlin Wall!

The highlight of the day had to be feeding a squirrel a lollipop. Yes, this is obviously random but my friend Garrett from back home told me I had to do it because when he came to DC in kindergarten he fed one to a squirrel. I know I am 20 years old and not 5 like he was so I'm sure I looked ridiculous. It worked though. The squirrel looked very satisfied, and he should be too because it was a super blow pop which should last him quite a while. I just hope he doesn't choke on the gum and die.

Let's be Canadian for a day...eh?

DC United against Montreal Impact...how do you have a mascot that accurately represents these two...soo puzzling

Yesterday was the DC United game against Montreal. Yesterday was also the first day I changed my nationality...temporarily of course. I met up with a group of people that I met on the trip to Atlantic City. They are all mostly Canadian so we went to tailgate for the Canadian team. I got a Canadian flag, a Canadian pin, a Canadian fan, and free food and drinks! You could say I was a pretty happy camper. It was also probably the most random experience but I loved it! Even the game wasn't too bad. I prefer watching American football but I couldn't really say that because I wasn't exactly American for the day ya know. The best part was that there was an American fan sitting two rows behind us who kept yelling at all the people I was with because they were obviously cheering for Canada. DC ended up winning 3-0 and he had no problem trying to rub that in our faces. Well jokes on you buddy, the American team won and I got tons of free stuff so I would say I'm the one who came out winning this one. By the way I hope that $5 hot dog and $10 drink were satisfying.

Check out our sweet Canadian fans..it even had the anthem printed on it so now I can sing it in English AND French

I headed home after the game because everyone else was headed to the bar. Yay for still being 20 years old-_- But that's okay, I had a paper to finish anyway. And I did! Including the cover page, table of content, references, and the actual paper, it came out to be 31 pages. Yuck! Good luck to my professor who now has to grade that delightful thing. I also took my cousin to the airport yesterday so today is the first day that I am home alone. Of course when anyone hears that they always respond with "PARTYYYYY". Ha well do you want to know what I really did all day with this house to myself? I did the laundry, did the dishes, cleaned the house, and reorganized my room. Basically you should call me Susie Homemaker and clearly I would make a terrific house wife or stay at home mom minus the babies. Oh and I have to go to the grocery store in like 15 minutes. I think I went from a 20 year old to a 35 year old in a day. Tomorrow should be fun because I am going to the Newseum! I also don't have class this week and I am off work Wednesday for the 4th so it's going to be a great week:)

Oh and one more thing! I had my first Georgetown cupcake at work Friday. This is a big deal because I am told there is a show about them and everything. And lucky for you I took a picture sooo feast your eyes viewers. You're welcome.

Red Velvet..also known as heaven in a cupcake wrapper