Christmas at Mount Vernon

I was able to get the chance to go to Mount Vernon and see it decorated for the holidays. While in the 1790s they did not decorate like we think of Christmas decorations today. The decoration in the house was pretty much limited to evergreen bows over the windows, and the Christmas Camel on the lawn Aladdin. I just love going to Mount Vernon, and I now have an annual pass so I can go whenever I want!

The Thanksgiving Turkey

Aladdin the Christmas Camel

I love this house so much!

The Greenhouse

View of the Potomac from the Veranda

View of the Spinning Room. 

The Loom. G.W. was a huge proponent of homespun cloth for his Plantation. 

Mount Vernon in Gingerbread, Incredible!

Veranda View

It is so detailed, and looks exactly like the house!

One of my favorite spots. I can just picture the Washington family sitting out here, and watching the activity that passed by on the Potomac River. I am in awe when I stand here, and think about it. I'm so lucky to be able to go here whenever I want to. 

Nooshi

I got home from work today and really wanted sushi. I had to go downtown to pick up something from school, so I asked my roommate if she wanted to get sushi. We decided to try out a restaurant in D.C. called Nooshi. It's on 19th Street between L and M streets. It was really good!
I decided to just dive in and get sushi. It was reasonably priced with rolls ranging from $4-$12. I got the California Roll, Yellowtail and Cucumber Roll, and Soft Shell Crab Roll. I only spent around $17 for all three and was so full when I was done. The soft Shell Crab was my favorite roll. There was a mixture of the crab, with a creamy sauce in it and maybe lettuce or cabbage. I just thought it was super tasty. My roommate got the Tuna and Avocado roll and a noodle bowl. She said they were both really good, and the noodle bowl was huge it could have fed 2 people.
This is definitely a college/young professional hang out because of the excellent prices.
I will be going there again and trying more things soon! I think it will become one of my new favorite sushi restaurants.

Random Thoughts

Well there isn't much to report about up here in the District. I have begun working at Starbucks about 20 hours a week and I'm of course still in training. Learning to make some drinks and such during my shifts.
I was able to have a completely free day on Monday. My first labor day off in 3 years, because well Flagler does not believe in that holiday. My roommate and I went to Ikea. It's about 30 minutes away in another town with a huge outlet mall beside it. I bought a bunch of stuff including Ikea meatballs and cream sauce, Yum! School is back up and running. I have all three classes next week, and a paper topic due. I have no idea what I am going to write about. All in time. I'm staying pretty caught up on readings so far, and actually taking notes on the readings. Which mainly has to do with the fact that I have to pay for all of my printing here.
On Tuesday, I left class and took a 1.5 mile walk through D.C., past the White House to the National American History Smithsonian to take a look at their special 9/11 exhibit. 50 items were on display on tables for people to look at. There were objects from the three 9/11 sites (New York, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa) as well as the TSA. It was really interesting to see what survived out of that horrible day. At the end of the exhibit was a short film, about the day from the news and news anchors perspectives. Then a place where people could reflect and write their thoughts and memory of the day. I thought it was fantastically done, because if someone had a question about an item, they could ask different staff and volunteers at the tables. Also it left the objects up to interpretation. There weren't text panels or anything like that, just labels as to what the object was. I think the video was the most powerful part of the exhibit, because it was right there again in front of someone's face. I'm really glad I braved the rain on Tuesday to see it.
It has been raining like mad here, and I feel wet and damp all of the time. It's gross, and I'm willing it to dry up and the humidity to depart from this place. I want beautiful fall.
Also a new random fact. I am falling in love with yoga. I felt like trying it because I was so stiff. I bought a yoga mat which was also for my dvd cardio/strength style workouts. However, I just decided to try an online streaming yoga video, and I just love it for getting all of the tension out of my body. I have found a Weight Watchers meeting here in town that I am now attending. I have been in a plateau all summer, and I'm trying to get out of it. I lost 1.6 pounds this week, so if I can lose another pound I will be super happy.

Memorials

Well today was an errand/adventure day. I took the metro down to GWU and got my student id which is needed for everything! I then had lunch at J-Street, which is the dining facility on campus. Then I decided to check out the library. Oh man I'm in love with the library, there are so many books! 3 floors of books, plus a floor of periodicals, and study areas everywhere! I'm can't wait to use it. 

I then went on my way and decided to walk from GWU  to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial which is on the tidal pool. It was a super long walk but was well worth it! I walked by the Lincoln Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial on my way to the MLK Jr Memorial. 

Lincoln Memorial

They are redoing the reflecting pool (hence now water) WWII Memorial, Washington Monument, and Capitol

Lincoln

Lincoln Memorial

I wasn't completely sure where I was going, but when I saw all this paraphernalia I knew I was heading in the right direction.

The memorial was really nice, and full of people. It is the opening week, and the official unveiling ceremony is on Sunday. I was walking around, and found it really moving that a bunch of people were on the phone talking to others who weren't there. These people seemed to be recounting many of their Civil Rights Movement era experiences, and it just reaffirmed that this memorial not only belongs on the National Mall, but how much this man, and the movement impacted people's lives. It was a great time.

The memorial is lined with some of his quotes, this one is about the Vietnam War.

View from the Memorial.

 I then walked a forever long way past the Washington Memorial, and finally ended up back at the metro. It took me forever to get back to the metro, because the MLK memorial is kind of in the middle of nowhere so it is quite a hike, and I was not wearing the right shoes! 

Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial

National Park: Floral Library

Jefferson Memorial

My Shoes! I walked 2.5 miles between GWU and the Smithsonian Metro Station

I finally came upon the Holocaust Museum and Bureau of Engraving and Printing building. So I quickly new exactly how to get to the Smithsonian Metro station which would take me right back to my station closest to home. 

Holocaust Museum is the closest building, and the big square one is the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. 

 I thoroughly enjoyed wandering around downtown today. I really think that The District is the only city I could really live in. I was just thoroughly delighted today, and I think that God keeps giving me the gift of delighting in Him through where I am now! "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives." Psalm 37:23

Apartment Tour

I decided to go ahead and make a video tour of my apartment last night. There is much work still left to do on the common areas, but my room is basically all unpacked and even decorated minus a few items. I apologize if the video is terribly shaky, I obviously was walking around, and have never claimed to be the best videographer, especially with my little camera. Enjoy! 

The District

Well it's been a few weeks since my trip to The District also known as Washington D.C. I really had a great time although it was a whirlwind trip filled with business and not much pleasure. My Dad flew us up there and we spent 3 days traipsing around D.C., Maryland, and Virginia looking at the school, apartment hunting, and airplane business. I did find an apartment, and recently found out that I did get it! I was really nervous that I wouldn't be able to secure an apartment in my price range, but I was successful. Another bonus is that it is about a 10-15 minute walk to a Metro station. So I will have easy access to and from school. There is also a bus that will take me tot he station if I don't feel like walking.
So the main purpose of my trip was to find an apartment and see GWU. However Dad and I also got to go to the National Air and Space Museum on Sunday night when we got there. During the summer months some of the Smithsonian's are kept open a little later to account for the tourists and such. I really enjoyed the exhibits and I think my Dad did as well. After we left the museum we took the opportunity to take a couple of pictures on the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol building, while heading back to the Metro Station.

The next day, we were able to take a tour of the GWU Foggy Bottom campus, which is just a few blocks from the White House! The campus is huge compared to Flagler, and walking around I totally fell in love with it. Below are some pictures I took of the campus. 

The 7 story library! I'm sure I will know every inch of it soon!

24-hour Starbucks on the 1st floor of the library. 

The Women's Studies Department building. This house has a great story behind it!

John Quincy Adam's House, He was one of the original founders/financial contributors to the college.

I look disporportionally short in this picture, but this is where the main admissions office is located. I think it is also the official address for the college as well. 

In honor of Mr. Washington himself, these are on the four main boarding corners of the campus, and they look out onto the city. 

The GWU Bookstore. There are three levels, enough said. 

Campus map, they are posted around campus on the street. I can't believe I'm going to a school so big they have maps on the sidewalks. 

Oh the Hippo. The unofficial mascot of GWU. I'm kinda in love with how ridiculous it is.

That pretty much sums up my whirlwind trip to the District. While we were there, we were able to meet up with my cousin and her fiancee which was really cool, as I had not met him yet. I am so excited to begin my journey in the big city. The countdown is on, and we will be on our way in 21 days! I only have 3 shifts left at lovely Panera, and then we will see what kind of wonderful jobs await me in the big city. 

SLI Trip II

So I promised that I would post some more about my trip to Washington. It was so much fun and we did so much stuff in only 2 1/2 days. It was a crazy trip. Tuesday we traveled up there all day and that was fun, a long ride but I'm used to that on a church trip. Wednesday our trip finally got started. That morning we arrived at the Arlington National Cemetary very early around 8:30 I believe, but I'm not sure. We went to the Tomb of the Unknown Soilder and we also saw the memorials to the Challenger Space Shuttle as well as the Iranian Rescue Mission Monument. Before we left we went to he Kennedy grave site. We went to the Holaucost Museum for about an hour and a half. We were rushing to get to our appointment at the Capitol, so while we were in the museum my youth pastor went to McDonalds and got sandwhiches for everyone it was a great deal and we ended up only spending 2 bucks for lunch which was great!!. Then we went to Ander Crenshaw's office to meet up with his interns so that we could take our tour of the Capitol. I love being in the capitol and its one of my favorite things to do in DC. There is so much history in that one building and all the decisions that are made there, I just love it. After our tour we had a meeting with Representative Crenshaw and I think he was abour 20 minutes late but that was okay because we were really working around his schedule. He was great he told us his testimnoy and what it is like to be a Christian in Washington. After our meeting with Representitve Crenshaw, we went to the National Cathedral which is a beautiful building. We prayed for our nation and leaders while we were there and we also attended their Wednesday night worship service. Now I am a baptist so it was slightly weird for me because the National Cathedral is an acting Epicopalan church so that means they don't have Bibles, well the who attend people don't, and they read out of The Book of Common Prayer. Basically when I left I was glad for my church and pastor. After that we went to The Outback for dinner and back to our hotel. We were back at our hotel by about 9pm which is really early for a church trip.

Thursday was equally as busy, however Thursday was also a funny day and started out very hectic. We were able to leave the hotel a little later than usual becuase we were not meeting the Ambassador until 10:30. However on our way into Washington our bus got into 2 accidents. Now accidents are not typical on a bus trip usually busses break down for us but we don't get into accidents. Well here is the story of the accidents. We had just gotten into DC and a moving van got really close to our bus and our bus I guess hit the van's mirror knocking it askew. The bus didnt' knock the mirrror off it just messed it up. So then the driver of the van gets really upset and wants the police to come and everything. So we had to wait about 30 minutes and then we finally got on our way. So here comes the funny part we are going around the block to get back to the street that we needed to be on and as we are going around the corner this car comes up on our right and the bus driver couldn't see it as he was turning right and we ran over the car's tire and scraped the side a little bit. We were basically all in shock, we couldn't believe that we had gotten in 2 accidents in one hour. So the same policeman came and our bus driver was going to get a ticket but he ended up not getting one which was good. So we finally made it to Ambassador Vitu's house and we were all shocked becuase they had "tea" for us which ended up being our lunch. The ambassador was really cool and he told us a lot about Fiji and what it is like to be an ambassador for his country in the U.S. After that we left and went straight to the White House complex and went to the Eisenhower Executive office building. It was so cool while we were waiting to go in one of the White House interns came out and told us that we had to wait because the President was on his way to a meeting so we had to wait a little bit before we could go in. So we finally made it to the Indian Treaty Room where we had a briefing with Tim Goeglein. Through the interns we found out that President Bush and Condilezza Rice were on the same floor as us in a different meeting. When we left, I got to ride in the same elevator thta Presdient Bush and Secretary of State Rice rode in just a few minutes before. It was so cool!! I also saw the door that the President walks through from the West Wing. It was so cool. Then we walked over to the White House and took some pictures. Finally that night we went to Georgetown and ate dinner at the Sequoia Restaurant. Friday morning we had a meeting with the Family Research Council, which was interesting but I was kinda falling asleep because I was really tired. After that we went to this little souvenir shop but all they had were T-Shirts and other knick knack junk so I didn't by anything. The shop happened to be by Ford's Theatre and the Petersen House, which is where Abraham Lincoln died, so a friend of mine and I went into the Petersen House becuase it basically only takes about 5 minutes to go through. Then we headed back to home. All in all it was so much fun and I want to go back soon!!

SLI Trip

Here are some pictures from my SLI (Seniors Leadership Institute) Trip to Washington DC with church. I'll write more about it when I have time, but for now here are some of my favorite pictures.




The Lincoln Memorial



The White House



This is the door that the President walks through when he comes from the West Wing

The President and Vice President (Bush and Cheney)

The Ambassador from Fiji His Excellency "Vitu" (thats his nickname "Vitu" his real name is really long and is practically impossible to pronounce)

The center alter at the National Cathedral



The rose window stain glass at the National Cathedral

The National Cathedral

My Hero John Gorrie who invented air conditioning and refrigeration.

King Kamehameha I from Hawaii

The Arlington House AKA General Robert E. Lee's House

The Capitol