Alexandria

This last week of my internship I have been living out in Alexandria, VA. It is a beautiful area and it has been fun to explore the streets of Old Town and the cute neighborhoods. In the few days I've been here I feel like I have a good feel for the area walking and running around a little bit. (PS-I have learned again this summer that I actually really LOVE being a pedestrian!) :)


It has also been fun to explore a new route to work. I walk up a beautiful neighborhood road, catch the bus to the Pentagon (it's so fun to see all the people coming and going and there's a beautiful view of the District from there), and then transfer to the Metro that goes over the Potomac to Chinatown and finally walk a few blocks from there. It's a little longer than my original commute, but fun to learn a new area...and to get to stop at the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial.

One other fun highlight of the week (but not pictured) was a wonderful Korean dinner at Anna's house!! :)

I ♥ DC!

I moved from Capitol Hill today. It has been an amazing, wonderful experience to live so close to the center of decision-making in our country and the symbol of power and freedom.

I love that I’ve had the chance to walk everyday by the Capitol, Union Station, and down Massachusetts Avenue towards Chinatown and experience the city on my way to work. I felt connected to the world around me as I saw business professionals on their way to work (some obviously with very important jobs, but all of us making a difference in our sphere of influence), tourists coming to see the sights, vendors selling papers and breakfast, and homeless people sleeping on the grass or sharing their musical talents.

Seeing so many interesting people has made me think about what an interesting world we live in. We really are all the same. Whether you're a Senator, a President, a government employee, a bus driver, a security guard, a CVS clerk, a homeless person....we are all here trying to do our best to be happy. :)

Last night a few famous people became more real to me when I got to watch one of the last Senate voting sessions before they take their long summer break. It was so amazing to watch the process....the Senators walking around the floor voting, talking, wandering...kind of chaotic, but very interesting. Each party gets one minute each to say why they are for or against a certain bill and then the roll call and voting begins. The clerk reads through the names, marks their votes, and the presiding Senator gives the results and they move on to the next vote. There were all the famous politicians I've seen and heard about on TV...John McCain, John Kerry, Daniel Inouye, Robert Bennett, Orrin Hatch, Burris, Dodd, Feinstein, Harry Reid (who congratulated everyone on a productive week and told everyone to have a nice vacation)....just wandering around the floor taking care of the business of the country. It was cool to be there. (We just missed the historic Sotomayor vote, but were there for the Cash for Clunkers extension vote.)

As we were leaving we went down the wrong elevator and ended up walking around the first floor of the Capitol right near the Senate Gallery (I think where all the Senators' hideaways are). No one was around. It was quite amazing to be exploring the historic Capitol so closely. :) We quickly turned around once we realized where we were and headed back to the Vistor Center. It was pretty neat though. :)

I also just finished "Team of Rivals” which is the story of Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet. It was a wonderful and inspiring book. I am encouraged by the example of others who were brave and stood for right! I am grateful for leaders that held the Union together and helped make our country what it is today. After my readings, I was really touched last night re-reading Lincoln's second inaugural address ("with malice toward none; with charity for all") at the Lincoln Memorial ("the temple" where the "memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever") and then listening to the U.S. Army band play the national anthem on the Capitol steps. What a symbol it is of "the land of the free and the home of the brave" and to think that Lincoln was the one that insisted work go foward on the Capitol dome during the Civil War as a symbol of the strengh of the Union. It's neat that Lincoln was inaugurated there when it was finished, right before the War ended and he died. It's wonderful to have reminders of heroes that have gone before and let them inspire us to move forward in righteousness today!

"Off to Massachusetts" :)

I love exploring the East Coast! :) There is so much history...so much to see and do. I spent the weekend in Boston. Such a neat city! I took nearly 800 pictures, but have picked a few of my favorites to represent the adventures...from the temple near Belmont, all of the Freedom Trail (including 294 steps to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument), Harvard and MIT, Back Bay and Commonwealth Avenue, the quaint houses of Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Charles River! It was a fabulous trip! I love Boston!

I am grateful for the history of the area and the "Cradle of Liberty" it represents. So many historical leaders made this city what it is. It still stands as a symbol of liberty and freedom. I love the fact that so many people in Boston are always outside exercising, reading, and spending time at the park (from what I could see)! :) I felt like education, family, and history were important here and "every step tells a story."