Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Goodbye For Now
My final week in DC was a great way to finish up the semester.
Tulips are everywhere in the city. And they are my favorite which is fitting!
On Monday I had to take a final for my foreign policy class.
Wednesday night everyone in the Washington Semester Program gathered for final presentations and dinner. It was a great evening to reminisce on the whole semester and all of our fun times together as a group.
Thursday was my last day at my internship. I can’t thank everyone enough at my internship for making it an absolutely amazing and valuable learning experience.
My parents also arrived in DC on Thursday. That afternoon I had the opportunity to give them a tour of the Capitol. We were able to even go onto the House Floor which was really neat. Afterwards we had dinner at a little Italian place I had wanted to try, Toscana.
Mom and Dad in the "center of DC"
Friday we each ate “The Brick” for breakfast at Eastern Market before we went to the Newseum. The Newseum was an awesome museum that we spent hours exploring. There were so many exhibits to see about how the media has covered certain events including Hurricane Katrina. There were also a few photography exhibits including Pulitzer Prize exhibit and a Presidential photography exhibit. Then we went out to dinner at Ted’s Bulletin where I had the delicious country fried steak, macaroni and cheese, and green beans. Of course we couldn’t pass up homemade cherry pop tarts for dessert! After that we began packing my apartment up for the journey home.
Saturday morning we finished up packing. Then we went to Georgetown and explored. The weather was absolutely gorgeous so it was very crowded. We shared pizzas and salad for lunch at Pizzeria Paradiso. We saw the flood damage and clean-up down around the waterfront area. We found the campus of Georgetown University and were amazed at some of the old architecture, including Healy Hall. I tried to get a little shopping in. My favorite store was Patagonia where I found some great hiking shorts! We finished the day with Sprinkles cupcakes at a beautiful spot down by the water.
Sunday morning we went to Arlington National Cemetery and saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers as well as the eternal flame at the Kennedy grave. I took lots and lots of pictures. After that we went to Alexandria. We walked all 17 blocks along King Street and down to the water. We had a wonderful seafood lunch at The Warehouse Bar and Grill. The best part of lunch was the crawfish and shrimp beignets. Yum!
Tomb of the Unknowns
One of my favorite quotes from the Kennedy grave site: "It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
Monday morning I had my last adventure in DC: a Capitol Dome tour. It was absolutely incredible. We got to climb up over 300 stairs to the top of the frieze around the rotunda, the balcony around the Bermidi fresco on the ceiling, and the outside walkway at the very top of the dome. What an experience and a way to say goodbye to DC! Hang tight - pictures to come!
Tulips are everywhere in the city. And they are my favorite which is fitting!
On Monday I had to take a final for my foreign policy class.
Wednesday night everyone in the Washington Semester Program gathered for final presentations and dinner. It was a great evening to reminisce on the whole semester and all of our fun times together as a group.
Thursday was my last day at my internship. I can’t thank everyone enough at my internship for making it an absolutely amazing and valuable learning experience.
My parents also arrived in DC on Thursday. That afternoon I had the opportunity to give them a tour of the Capitol. We were able to even go onto the House Floor which was really neat. Afterwards we had dinner at a little Italian place I had wanted to try, Toscana.
Mom and Dad in the "center of DC"
Friday we each ate “The Brick” for breakfast at Eastern Market before we went to the Newseum. The Newseum was an awesome museum that we spent hours exploring. There were so many exhibits to see about how the media has covered certain events including Hurricane Katrina. There were also a few photography exhibits including Pulitzer Prize exhibit and a Presidential photography exhibit. Then we went out to dinner at Ted’s Bulletin where I had the delicious country fried steak, macaroni and cheese, and green beans. Of course we couldn’t pass up homemade cherry pop tarts for dessert! After that we began packing my apartment up for the journey home.
Saturday morning we finished up packing. Then we went to Georgetown and explored. The weather was absolutely gorgeous so it was very crowded. We shared pizzas and salad for lunch at Pizzeria Paradiso. We saw the flood damage and clean-up down around the waterfront area. We found the campus of Georgetown University and were amazed at some of the old architecture, including Healy Hall. I tried to get a little shopping in. My favorite store was Patagonia where I found some great hiking shorts! We finished the day with Sprinkles cupcakes at a beautiful spot down by the water.
Sunday morning we went to Arlington National Cemetery and saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers as well as the eternal flame at the Kennedy grave. I took lots and lots of pictures. After that we went to Alexandria. We walked all 17 blocks along King Street and down to the water. We had a wonderful seafood lunch at The Warehouse Bar and Grill. The best part of lunch was the crawfish and shrimp beignets. Yum!
Tomb of the Unknowns
One of my favorite quotes from the Kennedy grave site: "It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
Monday morning I had my last adventure in DC: a Capitol Dome tour. It was absolutely incredible. We got to climb up over 300 stairs to the top of the frieze around the rotunda, the balcony around the Bermidi fresco on the ceiling, and the outside walkway at the very top of the dome. What an experience and a way to say goodbye to DC! Hang tight - pictures to come!
Monday, April 11, 2011
birthday extravaganza
A lot has happened in the past few weeks. The week before last I was battling a cold, coughing, and sneezing, but thankfully I am feeling a lot better. During the week we had a seminar that was filled with debate about a national energy policy. We also had a hallway potluck dinner. I made brownies!
Last Saturday we attempted to go to the Braves v Nationals game. On our way to the game, it started sideways raining with intense wind so we decided to make a pit stop at a nearby Starbucks. Once the shower passed we continued on our way to the game. We watched about the first four innings and the Braves were not looking their best when another storm came up. This time it began to hail so we found a stairwell to take cover in. At this point we were fed up with the crazy weather, cold, wet, and the Braves were losing so we headed home. The rest of the day was filled with us hanging out, eating Good Stuff burgers, and watching movies.
On Sunday, I had a photo walking tour scheduled for the afternoon. Stu Estler leads photo tours around the DC area, giving pointers on how to take good photos. We spent the afternoon around the tidal basin, taking pictures of the cherry blossoms which were in full bloom. I had a paper due on Monday so Sunday night was a very late night of writing and editing my paper.
Last week was even more busy than the previous week. My 21st birthday was Wednesday! To kick the celebration off, Shayna made me a chocolate cake Tuesday night which was so yummy! I got to work and there was a cake and card on my desk from the office. After being at work for just a few minutes, I received a call that Firehook bakery (the bakery with the best cakes in town) had a cake to drop-off for me. It was from Justin, and it was my favorite cake that they make: chocolate raspberry truffle cake. The whole office joined in the festivities and sang me happy birthday which was really nice. When I got home from work, there were two packages waiting for me. One was a box full of goodies from my parents. Thank you Mom and Dad!!! And the other box was wine glasses from Justin which are hand-painted with cherry blossoms on them. They are beautiful. Thank you too, Justin!!! My roomie, Bethany had our room decorated with streamers. We got ready and almost everyone in the program went out to dinner at Nando's in Chinatown. They are known for their chicken, vegetables, and sangria all of which were delicious.
Wine glasses from Justin!
Wednesday was the first day of my online photography class. Sharon Clark's company, Smitten Photography, is one of my favorite photography blogs online and she offers an online photo academy which I am super excited about!
On Thursday we went to the Phillips Collection for Phillips after five. I was very excited to see works by Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse, El Greco, Pierre Auguste Renoir, and Mark Rothko.
On Saturday I took a trip to Eastern Market to take pictures. The tulips all over DC are in bloom and are absolutely gorgeous. I have had my heart set on a few watercolor paintings of the Capitol and the National Cathedral so I went ahead an made the investment. They are all absolutely beautiful and will be a great way to remember my time in DC.
Tulips: My favorite!!!
Saturday evening I went to church and then Bethany and I went out for Thai food which was so good! I had drunken noodles which were egg noodles cooked with peppers, chicken, egg, and chili sauce. After dinner we found a Krispy Kreme and could not resist the hot sign.
On Sunday I went on the White House Garden Tour. I basically got to walk around the Presidential backyard. There were many commemorative trees planted by different presidents. I also got to see Michelle Obama's kitchen garden which grows vegetables and herbs for the White House kitchen. My favorite part was seeing the walkway from the house to the West Wing where presidents walk.
On top of all the stuff going on, I am trying to work out the details of my plans for this summer! So many decisions to make!
Last Saturday we attempted to go to the Braves v Nationals game. On our way to the game, it started sideways raining with intense wind so we decided to make a pit stop at a nearby Starbucks. Once the shower passed we continued on our way to the game. We watched about the first four innings and the Braves were not looking their best when another storm came up. This time it began to hail so we found a stairwell to take cover in. At this point we were fed up with the crazy weather, cold, wet, and the Braves were losing so we headed home. The rest of the day was filled with us hanging out, eating Good Stuff burgers, and watching movies.
On Sunday, I had a photo walking tour scheduled for the afternoon. Stu Estler leads photo tours around the DC area, giving pointers on how to take good photos. We spent the afternoon around the tidal basin, taking pictures of the cherry blossoms which were in full bloom. I had a paper due on Monday so Sunday night was a very late night of writing and editing my paper.
Last week was even more busy than the previous week. My 21st birthday was Wednesday! To kick the celebration off, Shayna made me a chocolate cake Tuesday night which was so yummy! I got to work and there was a cake and card on my desk from the office. After being at work for just a few minutes, I received a call that Firehook bakery (the bakery with the best cakes in town) had a cake to drop-off for me. It was from Justin, and it was my favorite cake that they make: chocolate raspberry truffle cake. The whole office joined in the festivities and sang me happy birthday which was really nice. When I got home from work, there were two packages waiting for me. One was a box full of goodies from my parents. Thank you Mom and Dad!!! And the other box was wine glasses from Justin which are hand-painted with cherry blossoms on them. They are beautiful. Thank you too, Justin!!! My roomie, Bethany had our room decorated with streamers. We got ready and almost everyone in the program went out to dinner at Nando's in Chinatown. They are known for their chicken, vegetables, and sangria all of which were delicious.
Wine glasses from Justin!
Wednesday was the first day of my online photography class. Sharon Clark's company, Smitten Photography, is one of my favorite photography blogs online and she offers an online photo academy which I am super excited about!
On Thursday we went to the Phillips Collection for Phillips after five. I was very excited to see works by Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse, El Greco, Pierre Auguste Renoir, and Mark Rothko.
On Saturday I took a trip to Eastern Market to take pictures. The tulips all over DC are in bloom and are absolutely gorgeous. I have had my heart set on a few watercolor paintings of the Capitol and the National Cathedral so I went ahead an made the investment. They are all absolutely beautiful and will be a great way to remember my time in DC.
Tulips: My favorite!!!
Saturday evening I went to church and then Bethany and I went out for Thai food which was so good! I had drunken noodles which were egg noodles cooked with peppers, chicken, egg, and chili sauce. After dinner we found a Krispy Kreme and could not resist the hot sign.
On Sunday I went on the White House Garden Tour. I basically got to walk around the Presidential backyard. There were many commemorative trees planted by different presidents. I also got to see Michelle Obama's kitchen garden which grows vegetables and herbs for the White House kitchen. My favorite part was seeing the walkway from the house to the West Wing where presidents walk.
On top of all the stuff going on, I am trying to work out the details of my plans for this summer! So many decisions to make!
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