Live in the Moment

Goodbye my LOVE....(Dumb & Dumber)

2007-12-10T06:11:00.001-08:00

Things I am going to miss about DC....

Abe Lincoln

The Wahington Monument

The Nations Capital

Going to the Mall like every weekend…I got so used to that place. I should have kept track how many times that I went down there because we went every time someone came into town. I got to go on a few runs around the mall too, which made the mall that much cooler. And for those 24 fans, I saw Keither Sutherland filiming 24 on the mall at one of the buildings there on the mall. Too bad that I didn’t have a camera on me for proof.

Red line to Shady Grove

DC Metro

Buying Metro Cards

The Metro…Ding…Ding…Step back doors closing. Please step to the middle of the cart so that customers can… I will not only miss that recording that I pretty much memorized, but going up and down the escalators everyday. And seeing William(daily on weekdays), handing out the daily newspapers along with those musicians trying to make money and also those selling souvenirs and flowers.

The walk to the office

Walking to Policy Impact…and feeling all businessy walking down the street in my skirt and high heel pumps. It’s fun feeling important or trying to make your self feel important.

policy impact

Answering the phones at Policy Impact “Good morning Policy Impact, this is Randi, how may I help you?”…and interacting with all of the employees at Policy Impact. We became good friends, especially Carlie and myself. We would chit-chat everyday, she had a routine, we would talk everyday about the same time everyday, a couple times a day. I don’t know what she is going to do without me. Good luck to the new intern, they will love you and you will love your internship.

this is a view from my apartment but this is a little what DC looks like in the fall and it looks similar to walking to church

Going to Chevy Chase Ward…the walk to church is gorgeous. The area it was in was so classy and the streets were just lined with huge mature trees. Adios DC 2nd ward!

New Yorkster (not only in NYC does everyone use their horn for any reason (mostly to get out of the way), but they use it up and down the east coast)

going to the beach

harpers ferry in West Virginia

Traveling the east coast…boy am I going to miss this freedom. From Virginia Beach to New York to Southern Virginia University to Annapolis, MD to Harpers Ferry…I could go on and on. Cheers to my time spent in DC the last 4 months!

My girlfriends

Last but not least I am going to miss my girls….my roommates were the BOMB! Erin, Emily, Nichole and Rebecca..we had some good times. I am so glad that I got to travel and do things with each of them at least one weekend out of the semester. I learned something from each of them. I love these girls!! I am so glad we met!

Now it is my time to go home... look at what I had to pack up and take home! Yeah it was embarrassing in the airport. I felt like a high maintenance girl with all of my bags!

Apartment Five-Fifteen's Last Supper

2007-12-10T06:10:00.003-08:00

The lady chefs from Nic to Er to Me to Em

Serving my Masterpiece with a pitch fork! We were limited on appliances at Apt. 515

Our first and last and only sit down dinner with all the roommates went down on our last Sunday in DC. We were all trying to get rid of our food before we left to go back to the 801. I back a Devils Food Cake with Buttercream frosting and the other girls (Emily, Nichole and Erin) cooked the meal which consisted of sun-dried tomato pasta alfredo sauce typa-deal with noodles and vegetables. Everyone did a very nice job and the meal turned out better than perf. We ate cake right after dinner and all had to pose with our first bites of cake. Take a look at the scrumptious, savory bites…

A sequence of us enjoying our first bites of the savory devils food cake with cream cheese frosting...

You Go Girl!

You Go Girl!

You Go Girl!

You Go Girl!

Treated like a Princess!

2007-12-10T06:10:00.001-08:00

Rugby Cafe

I met Carlie Anne Christensen in Georgetown for our last night together. We met at Rugby Café (Polo Ralph Lauren). It is a little high-end café. I got a tomato, mozerella and basil panini and yes at the end of the meal we ordered Hot Chocolate that was so frothy and chocolaty (huh, that’s funny!). It was so much fun to spend some time with my favorite person that I met out here. I know that we are going to be friends forever and keep in touch. See bought me dinner and took me to a movie. I felt like a Princess having her pay for everything that night. She said that it was my going away present and birthday present. She is such a sweetheart. We went to August Rush, it was a cute feel good movie, but definitely a $1 movie. It’s worth waiting. I took my last ride in her mini on the way home up Wisconsin to Van Ness. Thanks for everything Car, you are a doll! Go get your dream girl and work for a magazine, maybe even Vogue. I hope to see you at that point sometime in your life!
Car & I in the cafe

The Whole ShA-bAnG

2007-11-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

Hanging out @ U Street. Me and the girls

My fun roomies!

What better way to start your Saturday morning out than to go do baptisms at the DC Temple. Emily and I went to do baptisms for the dead and had a wonderful experience. I am so glad that I got to do baptisms before I left. And I seriously left it to the last minutes here. It was a commute, but that made it more worth while because of the sacrifice of getting there and taking time to go. That afternoon Erin, Emily, Nichole and I went to U Street (near the ghetto…ahh sketch balls) but we heard that there were some cute boutiques there…they were so darn expensive, but it was fun to spend some time with the roomies before we all start heading home. We went to get lunch at this resturant called Ben’s Chili. I wish that we would have found this place sooner. It totally felt so diverse. I loved the feeling in there, laid back, music blasting and the employees were all happy and lovin’ work and life (which you don’t find often on the east coast) There wasn’t a white person that worked there, they were all black, I wish that we had more diversity back on the west coast, but whatev. There food was yummy! PS-There bathroom was awesome they had chalk to write all over the walls, I signed my name!

Dancin' in the Moonlight

2007-11-28T09:28:00.001-08:00

Me Erin Sara

The Rink

Skates

Talk about a full moon, a winter chill in the air and an ice skating rink decked in Christmas decor. The only thing missing was a cup of hot chocolate. The little local shop was closed for the evening and I was so bummed, but don’t worry we fixed one up when we got home :) This ice skating rink at the Nation Mall at the Sculpture Garden was so darling and it was only $9 for 2 hours. Erin, Sara Johnson and I were those in attendance. Those that didn’t come…missed out BIG TIME!! Sorry to rub it in. We had such a good time. By the end of the night we were cruising so fast on the ice. We almost could have been sponsored or qualified for Olympic speed skating…in our dreams. Dreams can come true though, you know.

The next Michelle Kwan...look at my sweet balancing skills

Sara and Erin pulling a move

The girlies taking a break while the rink was groomed

And we finally got a Big Slice

Last Day on the job...Farewell Policy Impact

2007-11-26T06:23:00.000-08:00

The Tower Building @ 14th & K

Bill Nixon's wife Tammy decorated Policy Impact beautifully with Christmas decore. She did such a nice job of making the office look great. I got to enjoy this tree and decorations everyday. They were in the front entry by my desk. I am going to miss Policy Impact! I am going to miss waking up everyday at 6:15 to work out, leave for the metro by 8:30 and then arrive at Policy Impact by 9:00 and spend Monday through Friday until 5:00. It's hard to get used to something and then change. Sooner than I know I am going to be back in the 801. So am going to miss hearing the phone ring and I answer "Goomorning/Good afternoon Policy Impact this is Randi, how can I help you" and I am going to miss talking with Car about random things and hearing her cute laugh an her in her cute little voice saying, "Sure!" and "Love it!". I hope to keep in touch with her. And I am going to miss Epp's jokes when I don't know if he is being serious or joking...it's hard to read him. And everyone else at PIC (Policy Impact Communications)! Thanks for the great opportunity Policy Impact! Thanks for your friendships... Good luck impacting policies :)!
Last Day @ the desk

My last day at Policy Impact was on November 30, 2007. We were only at the office for a couple hours because we were going to my farewell lunch at a Mexican Resturant in Arlington that Bill(my boss) goes to all the time. He has the one and only frequent diner card, VIP 15% off. He is pretty proud of it. It is like a hole-in-the-wall place that has pretty good food. I think that Bill and his family keep them in business. :) So each intern every semester has to eat the Super Burrito. This thing I tell ya is like, almost the size of a nerf football…dang this mother freaker was huge. John Epperson told me that depending how much I ate, would reflect the grade that I was going to get for my internship. Hopefully I get a decent grade, if not, at least I got to travel the whole east coast (pretty much). That part would have been worth it for coming out to DC!! Jes kidding…so we enjoyed ourselves and then at the end I threw in some words and tears on how grateful I was to intern at PIC (Policy Impact Communications). They presented me with a beautiful framed picture of the capital in the fall time. It is just one more thing for me to take home, but it is going to go so perf in my newly remodeled bedroom back in SLC! Oh yeah that’s right..! Thanks Policy Impact, I am going to miss you all…Carlie, Bill, Epp, Drew, Craig, Jeff, and Kelly. I will definitely be back to visit!
The gift I received from Policy Impact at my farewell lunch

Kelly Bill Drew John Craig Andre Car Me

Another view of the clan

ChRiStMaS LiGhTs @ the DC Temple

2007-11-26T06:22:00.000-08:00

DC Temple at night

DC Tab Choir

Elder Packer...guest speaker

Elder Oaks...guest speaker

A couple of the nativities

Wall decore at the visitors center

In the DC Temple Visitor Center

My boss' wife Tammy decorated this beautiful tree for her stake center...in real life it was breath-taking. This pic does not do it justice!

Simply put..almost as good as Temple Square in Salt Lake. Spencer Daw, Erin and I were on our way to the Temple Lights and the Festival of Lights program. Unfortunately, Erin had to go back to the apartment but Spencer and I still went. We went to the Forest Glen Metro and got a ride to the temple from a missionary couple. We got there in time for the Festival of Lights Temple, but it was for guests onlyI (Diplomats and their families) and the sister that picked us up, snuck us in the back. And guess what, we got guided to the front row. We felt so lucky, right place, right time. The program was beautiful. They had the DC Mormon Tabernacle Choir and they had a guest singer. The music was angelic. They had two guest speakers; Elder Oaks and Elder Packer, we were honored to hear their testomonies about Christmas and why we as Latter Day Saints celebrate this time of year. At the program we counted down from ten to turn the lights on for the holiday season...10.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1....waaaa laaa! The lights were B-E-A-UTIFUL!!

The group. Em. Me. Spencer. Nichole. Adrial

Lights outside the Visitor Center

Light Tulip Flower Garden

More Lights...

Basking in the Temple Lights

Horray for Abercrombie

2007-11-26T06:21:00.000-08:00

Me and the Moose....A & F Rocks!

Car & I celebrating my last night

I am going to miss taking the Circulator Bus to Georgetown that drops me off at M Street & Wisconsin about twice a week. I worked with some of the coolest people. There names were Joel (Store Manager), Monique and Adam (MIT's-Assistant Managers) and Carlie, Bryce, Lauren, Rich, Stephen, Jay, Isaiah, and Prysicila. They were all so much fun to be around. I am going to miss working until 11 pm and driving home in Carlie's mini cooper jammin' to her Ipod with the windows down. I don't know that I will ever have a retail job again, until then...cheers to folding jeans, labeling clothes and refolding and refolding clothes over and over!!! The best is folding a stack of clothes and then a customer comes and messes it up...it's ok everyone does it :)

The store

Monique & I during my last night

I AM THANKFUL FOR...

2007-11-26T06:20:00.000-08:00

The runners we joined Thanksgiving morning at West Potomic Park

Thanksgiving morning started with the Washington DC S.O.M.E. Turket Trot (donations went to the less fortunate) that started at the FDR Memorial(Franklin D. Roosevelt)/ West Potomic Park. Our TEAM name for the day was ROMDERSON it is all of our last names combined (Romney/Anderson/Olson, it works right?! Er thought she was clever!) We joined 2,600 people on Thanksgiving to run the 5k. We all stuck together the whole time on the run! Way to go team. On our way back home, we took a stroll through the Mall. The leaves are beautiful...gotta love DC in the fall!

Before the Turkey Trot...goodmorning faces :)

Me. Sara. Er R.I.A. (RUNNING IN ACTION)

Post race TEAM ROMDERSON- Me. Jerry. Sara. Brad. Erin

Er and I by the reflecting pool on the National Mall after our 5k

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! Bytheway...I spent Thanksgiving with Anderson family. Because my family is in SLC...so I was priviledged to join their fam for the weekend! Her brother Jonas and sister-in-law Jen hosted their 1st Thanksgiving at their house in Bethesda. And her mom and dad, JoAnn and Jerry, and Sister, brother-in-law and niece Vivi came in town. So Erin and I took the metro up to Bethesda and we met up with the fam to hang out and get Thanksgiving dinner ready. Jonas and Jen spent the whole week preparing the food. We had a feast...mashed potatoes, turkey, rolls, carrots, stuffing, and then we topped it off by homemade pies; keylime, pumpkin spice, and apple. LOVE IT! After dinner we watched a few re-runs of The Office and then we painted Christmas ornaments for Jonas and Jen's Christmas Tree.
Thanks Andersons!

The Thanksgiving GANG
Vivi. Brad. Jerry. Jen. Jonas. JoAnn. Er. Me

Dinner will be served...Thanksgiving none the less!

Erin was always talking about her cute niece, Geneieve also known as Vivi. And truth be told, she was darling! I couldn't get enough of her this weekend. Sara, her mom, always dressed her in the most darling clothes. She was a stylish chica the whole weekend.

Oh the baby...

Vivi Romney...look how stylish she is, she has on mocasins and fur trim pants and darling headband..America Next Top Baby?

Brad. Me. JoAnn. Jen. Jonas. Er

Painting Christmas ornaments with the Anderson Fam

BLACK FRIDAY HERE WE COME!! For those of you who don't know what Black Friday is, it is the friday after Thanksgiving where most stores are having killer sales for early Christmas shoppers. So we woke up at 5:45 AM and went to H & M at Metro Center in DC. I got some AWESOME deals! We went out to Tyson's Corner, a big shopping mall in Virginia. It was fun to see all the people in the holiday spirit. I love Christmas! It puts a HUGE smile on my face!

Me & baby Vivi after a morning of shopping. She decided she wanted to wake up and join us girls.

Black Friday ShOpPiNg

Our adventure on Saturday was located in Virginia on the Appalachian Trail on a 2.2 mile hike to Annapolis Rocks. The perf topper offer for the weekend. It was perfect weather for a hike. Those that went on the hike were Jerry, Sara, Er and I. (The others stuck around DC to watch the BYU vs. Utah football game..which we won't talk about because the outcome was not as hoped for!) We OOOed and AWWWed at the view. I wish that we could have gone two weeks earlier because the leaves were already starting to fall off the trees, but it was still pretty. There is nothing like a casual hike! That took me back home to SLC...I miss the mountains!

Oh the fall on the Appalachian Trail on the way to Annapolis Rock

Leaving our mark....WE WERE HERE

Hiking to Annapolis Rock...Me. Er. Jerry

The view from Annapolis Rock

Atop Annapolis Rocks
Sara. Er. Me. Jerry

THE PERF COMBO

2007-11-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

The perf combo consisted of farewell dinner @ Alero for the Louisiannan, Chelsea Bella Clouatre on friday, co-ed flag football; university of utah vs. byu and brunch in Annapolis, Maryland.
Alero- the authentic mexican resturant was decked out in Christmas decor (already!! I loved it!). Chels invited about 15 people to celebrate her time here in DC. We got to visit with new friends and old friends. I am so glad that I got to know Chelsea. She has the cutest Southern accent. She is such a darling girl that is going back to LSU to graduate! And get married to her love, Jar Bear!

Erin. Me. Chels. Er. Nichole @ Alero Mexican Resturant

If you like Pina Coladas....and getting lost in the rain! (it was virgin of course)

We pretended like it was Chelsea's birthday because we were celebrating her farewell and that is the only way that we could tell them that we wanted a free piece of cake for her!! We know how to work the system!

Saturday was a day full of errands. I went to the grocery store, dry cleaners, cleaned the apartment and went running. Around noon we went to the UDC (University of District of Columbia) soccer field to meet the boy interns to practice for the co-ed flag football vs. the BYU interns. We practiced for about an hour so that we could get our plays down and kick some boot-A! The BYU guys finally showed up and we played 2 50-minute halfs. It was so much fun. I took some oranges for half time. I mean, what is a saturday morning game without oranges for half-time. They were refreshing...for the time being. The weather was perf! UNIVERSITY OF UTAH FOR SURE WON! The final score was 28-21. We came, we fought, and we conquered! We went home with the trophey. (Taylor Morgan bought a trophey for the winners, engraved and all, and he wants the flag football game vs. the interns to continue. He is trying to make it happen! Hopefully the tradition continues on..we shall see. Until next year! )

The U of U interns and BYU interns

Red vs. Blue

U of U intern hotties

Settin' up a killer play

U of U interns

Takin' game rules...can I say B.Y. vs. the U

Annapolis, Maryland is only 30 minutes from Washington DC. It is so much closer to DC than we thought. We got a late start, so we were so grateful it was so close, considering our time crunch. And by time crunch, we only had 3 hours there (because our driver, Bryan, had to be back for a work meeting). We walked around town, down Main St. and West St., two of the most popular roads to check out Annapolis. We went to brunch at Rams head (a popular cafe/resturant) and also checked out the souvenier shops. What a town...the waterfront made it that much cuter! The only place I wanted to visit, but we didnt get the chance to was the Naval Academy. I think I felt OK about it because we saw Navy boys in the town, so we felt that our lack-of visit to the Academy was justified. Gotta love boys in uniform...
Annapolis, Maryland Waterfront
Me. Er. Bryan. Chelsea. Em

Maryland Hall

In front of Maryland Hall...Chels. Er. Bryan. Me. Em

Maryland flag that was taken to the moon (the little circle above the flag is pieces of the moon...cool huh!)

Randall Street :) in Annapolis

Brunch @ Rams Head Cafe
Em. Bryan. Me. Chels. Er

...and a cheery on top!

2007-11-12T08:32:00.001-08:00

The National Cathedral in the fall

To top the weekend off, on Sunday Erin and I went to the National Cathedral. It is such a remarkable building...its breath taking. It is the highest building in DC because it is on a hill, so the view from the top level, views the whole district. The tallest building in DC is the Washington Monument and nothing is suppose to exceed that. But anyways...we spent the afternoon in awe at the architecture of the Cathedral. They also have a garden to the south of the Cathedral that reminds me of the secret garden. The National Cathedral is now checked off my list of things to see before I go home....

Look how vivid this yellow fall tree is...

In front of the National Cathedral..Er & I

The flying buttresses (oh boy, I love that word. Erin taught it to me. Its where the towers connects(the arch) to the building)

This is a horrible pic of one of the stained windows in the Cathedral, but just so you get the just of how beautiful they are

Later that night Erin, Me, Em and her friend Tim whose visiting went to the National Mall...we went to the Washington Monument, WWII, Lincoln and Vietnam Memorial. We had to go to the Vietnam Memorial because it was Veterans Day. We had to honor those that fought for us. It was perf timing! We also went across Constitution Ave to the National Sciences Building to see Einstein. He is so big and you could just look at him for hours. My favorite part of the whole night was the last monument that we went to. It is called the Awakening. It is so cool...you actually feel like you are walking on the guy when you stand where his body would be. The pictures dont do the statue justice but it shows the face, one hand, one arm, one leg and a foot. It is located in a really cool location also, out on an island/penninsula where the Anacostia and Potomic merge.

Riding the Metro

WWII- we visited my favorite memorial

Em. Tim. Me. Er @ the WWII

Me.Er.Em @ the Einstein Statue

Tim posin' with Einstein

Me.Tim.Em @ The Awakening

This pic doesn't do the statue justice...but look hard for the hand, face, arm, and leg

And of course we went home and finished the night with a movie...Ever After!

MARATHON BLISS...26.2 in Richmond, VA 11/10/07

2007-11-10T21:20:00.000-08:00

Could running a marathon be described as blissful.....for those of you who have run a marathon know the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment when you get that medal put around your neck. You feel like you have conquered something great! Crossing that finish line brings smiles and tears through all the pains you feel in your body. This weekend I ran the Richmond Virigina Marathon.

Carlie (from work), Erin and I went to carb-up friday night at Bertucci's Brick Oven Ristorante. It was delicioso. I got a Tri Cheese Ravioli. We were taking our time at dinner so that we wouldn't hit traffic driving to Richmond. We road tripped in Carlie's "LADY" (mini). Isn't it darling, everytime I get in her car after A & F I tell her how cute it is because simply...it is! It is so much fun to ride in.

It's 5:30 AM, before my race on saturday morning...you've gotta love friends that support you through everything...thanks for sacrificing your sleep to take me to the start line! Love you girls!

Thankfully my friend Blake let us stay at his house in Richmond on friday night. It was so nice of him and his roommates to let us crash for the night. We got there about 11pm, everyone hung out and I went to bed (about 12:00am, that bites, I had to wake up in 5 hours!) for the BIG RACE!

The race started at 8:00AM in downtown Richmond. I got my bib #534 (thank goodness it was another even number) and my name said "Randall" below my number. It was so cold during this race, I mean what can you expect it was mid-November. I wore gloves the whole time and there was a little rain for about less than 5 minutes. The coldest part was running back over the river into Richmond and running into the head wind. It bit to the bone. I hit the wall about mile 18. Honestly, the Cliff Shot that I took at mile 20 saved me. Those GU's are amazing, they give you a second wind when you need it. I didn't train as well as I should have but at least I got a long run in last week. The neighborhoods that I ran through were G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S....the leaves were changing from red to orange to yellow and then they lined the streets. It was beautiful. The last .5 miles was a down hill...it was great. I am so grateful that I go to run in this race....because it is called America's Friendliest Marathon and even better it was the 30th Anniversary. What a celebration! The best part were my supporters at the finish, Carlie and Erin. What a joy to see them. One more down....

Crossing the finish line...3:36:50. Do you see me? Look for the orange shorts to the right of the blue/gray banner, below the finsih line sign

...two seconds after crossing the finish line

I'm done! HALLELUJAH!

You have got to LOVE these before/after shots....

BEFORE....5:30AM

AFTER....11:40AM (YAY!)

Salute to the BLAZING OTTERS

2007-11-10T21:14:00.000-08:00

The Blazing Otter Crew
back row: Mike. Ryan Bessy. Odie. Reed. David. Yinka. Wade. Bryan. David front row: Jeanette. Christina. Kelly. Megan, Me. Jen. Nicki

Ode to the Otters

Look at them go, charging down the field,
There goes Odie passing it to Ryan, look at Yinka and his strides!
They sprint, they sweat, they push, but never slide
See them pass by two defenders, Mike is open to the right

The ball goes loose, the Otters fight,
Usually they go forward but now they must draw back
The other team is fooled, yes they might be petite,
But Jeannette, Megan and Jennie, are all defensive cracks

The Otters recover, Bryan runs to the side,
Reed sees an opening and passes the ball with such class,
Katie is running down the middle, right leg ready to strike
The ball is up in the air, Randy jumps and scores at last

Everyone cheers, Goal, Goal, what a Joy!
As they rush the striker and cover her with hugs,
But Otters be careful, the game is not yet done
There are forty five more minutes of playing to go

The ball kept on rolling and time doesn’t stop,
The game is almost over, only five minutes more
The Otters are tired, David lost the ball,
But Dave was attentive, dove and blocked the shot

The whistle blows, one, two, and one time more
Game finished, the Otters have won
Bright orange jerseys are now darkened by sweat,
But the Otters have done it, they are victorious again

There are smiles in the faces, as the shin guards come off
Christie packs her belongings as she hears the “good job”
We must now return to our homes, the office place, the classroom,
Checking our email anxiously just to read the words:

“Next Monday night, Otters, the team needs you”

-David Olave

My (and the Otters) #1 fan! Erin was a tropper...hot, cold, rainy, windy...she supported every single game!

Captain Odie...the otters gave Odie this thank you gift for a great season!

I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT. NOW CHANGE

2007-11-06T21:08:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to an off-broadway show with Odie (from my soccer team) @ the Bethesda Theatre in Maryland. It was a cute little theatre. I recommend anyone in the area to go to a show here. It was pretty funny..there were a lot of good laughs. There are 4 actors that play little senarios of why people love eachother and what they would like to change about their love lifes. It ranged from 1st dates to newly weds to old farts. There were a couple sketchy parts where I had to just blank out what they were saying and look at my program. It was a little akward during two of the scenes. But for the most part...it was well worth my night.

My favorite sceen was called 'WAITING'..it is the typical guy holding all these shopping bags, complaining about shopping and why he is 'waiting'; another couple has a guy so involved in the football game on tv, he doesn't even pay attention to his wife thats 'waiting'; the other girl is 'waiting' to use the bathroom. The song was hilarious for this scene!

A WEEKEND OF MOVIES & ROOMMATES!

2007-11-06T20:26:00.001-08:00

This was such a relaxing weekend!! HALLELUJAH! We haven't had such a layed back weekend like this since I have been out here. On friday night, Erin, Nichole and I stayed in and watched A Lot Like Love with Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet. It is a chick-flick for sure. Oh yeah...and Erin and I attempted to home make Macaroni and Cheese (like Noodles & Company) but WE FAILED!! I would have taken a picture of it, but it was a catastrophe. Continuing on the Saturday...I woke up and ran a 19 miler for my race next weekend. It felt great, I ran from my house down to the mall and then ran around the mall 3x...kinda repetitive, I know. In the afternoon, Er and I went to Eastern Market and went to the Flea Market. It was kinda pricey, but I got some greeting cards for a steal-of-a-deal and Er got a darling photo book. After the market we were on a search for a new DVD player so we took the metro up to Target and were unsuccessful...(only because we didnt want to spend as much money on them as they wanted.) I was feeling pooped after shopping with a horrible headache...we went home and took a little break from the go-go-go attitude we were having all day. Then we had an idea......

Entering the Market

Look how darling these ribbons are. I almost bought one, but they were 30 smack-a-roos each

At the Flea Market

We were on a MISSION...to rent a movie (VHS style bc of our broken DVD player)! Haha yeah I know....what's new?! We went up to Tenleytown/ AU to the Hollywood video. Something we did not know...was that they were going out of business so all of their movies were for sale. So we were for sure to find some good VHS's because who buys VHS anymore...we do!

Take a look at some of the movies that we picked up...

This is us after our killer deal purchases...10 for $5.76 (They calculated to be 19 cents each, plus a DVD for $1). They threw them all in a trash bag so that we could carry them home. Dang we are good luck when we are together...WE ROCK!

In search for a DVD player up at the Target...we took a walk through the mall close by and look @ this ice cream parlor...its named after me! They even spelled my name right! :) all smiles!

DC United MLS Play-off Soccer Game!! You go boys!

2007-11-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

Mezzanine level...way to work it girls!

Er & I went to the MLS play-off game @ RFK Stadium on Thursday night @ 7:00. We watched DC United VS. Chicago Fire. We scalped tickets for $25 each, we were bummed it was so much but thank goodness for scalpers because tickets were sky high. We sat down in the lower bowl for the 1st half. We met a guy that gave us his $145 tickets to the Mezzanine level. They were so sweet with a kick butt view. Unfortuneately, Chicago scored two goal the first half and then with in the last twenty minutes of the game we scored two. DC was so pumped...and so were their fans. We scored another goal but they did not count it, supposedly it was off sides. WE WERE ROBBED!!! all the celebration for nothing :(. The game ended in a tie and the "lame" Chicago Fire won because it was by goals and they had one on us from the previous game. There is nothing though, like a Major League Soccer Game!! Good luck next year DC United!

THUMBS UP DUDE

Final score

enjoying the game...

HALLOWEEN 10.31.2007

2007-10-31T09:03:00.000-07:00

Bateman. Flapper girl. Greek Goddess. Spiderman

Give me your mean face...

Captain Spider

Captain Bat

The Halloween Crew
Me. Smitty. Nic. Em. Er

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! I love this holiday!
Ghosts, Goblins, Vampires, oh my!!
Talk about the best Halloween ever! I think that I might come back here next year for Halloween. I don't think that anyother Halloween is going to compare. Watch out Halloween...here comes SPIDERMAN (Venom), BATMAN, A GREEK GODDESS, A FLAPPER GIRL! Smitty was teen wolfe, he came and picked us up for the night. We got to hang out with him all night. We went to a house party...at Jeanette's. That was fun, but the best part...GEORGETOWN, along with 1,000's of other people. It was soooo much fun. Just to paint a picture...the sidewalks were blocked off and cars lined up and down the street. Random people were taking pictures of us and filming us. We walked M Street up and down and observed all the costumes. There were creative costumes from Mario & Lugi to Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) to George W and Laura Bush to 80's rockers to prince & princesses to Blades of Glory skaters (they were my fav). The best car was a Mercedez SUV decked in Ghostbusters get-up! Cheers to Halloween '07!
**Bested DRESSED**
Nic. Me. Erin. and the BLADES OF GLORY! They looked awesome!

Batey & Spidey

Bateman.Spiderman.Greek Goddess

BYW: Mine and Erin's costumes were for 10-12 year old little boys. We had to alter the necks, but we squeezed into them and only spent 10 buckaroos each. Good thing I have a Venom Spidey suit if I ever need it again.

What could be better...

2007-10-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

waiting for the girls to arrive

Mom. Me. Brooke..shortly after their arrival

Sisters in the rain...

We're here....@ the National Mall

PEACE.LOVE.USA

Mom & Brooke in front of the National Capital

The girls with Georgie Poorgie

On our tour in the Capital

Mom sportin' her rain boots

cute...look at our rain boots

ohh la la...

Girls in the rain...

==FRIDAY==10/26 (weather-rain-62 degrees)
Imagine not seeing your mom and sister for 2 months... and not being able to sleep because you are so excited to see them. On Thursday night I could hardly sleep. I woke up at 5:15 AM to go surprise Mom and Brooke at the Dulles Airport. I made them a sign that said "WELCOME TO WASHINGTON DC MOM & BROOKE" along with yellow and blue balloons. It seemed so surreal to see them...it felt so good. We rode the 5A bus into DC. It was Brooke's 1st time in DC, but Mom had lived back here when she was my age, so she was refreshing old memories. Unfortunately it was pouring rain, ALL DAY FRIDAY!! We had umbrellas and dressed according to the weather. We went to my apartment and then hurried up to the National Capital where Nichole gave us a tour. Nichole gave a great tour. The National capital is BEAUTIFUL. We visited the Smithsonian Natural Indian Museum. It was a good one, 1 for 1. For dinner we went to the one and only deluctable Cheesecake Factory. We topped our dinner off with a piece of Brownie Sundae Cheesecake. And don't you worry, we ate every bite before we could even take a picture of it. The weather provided us with rain all day long. Where's our rain boots when we need them?? Mom and I made some purchases. We shopped around in a couple retail stores and ended up in the GIANT grocery store. Mom bought me some groceries, thanks mom! We got a Red Box, The Ultimate Gift, it was probably the cheeziest movie ever, but kinda cute! You make the call on that one.

WE LOVE AMERICA

Hope Diamond...45.52 karats

Waiting for IMAX Lions 3D movie to start...

We've got our stunna shades on..

I introduced Mom & Brooke to Potbelly's...they loved the Italian sub and you can't forget the freshly made ice cream sandwiches!

==SATURDAY==10/27 (weather-AM showers-71 degrees)
I let Mom and Brooke sleep in a little bit, only because I DID!! opps!! They needed their beauty sleep. We started the day out at the National Holocaust Museum. We spent two hours there and Mom could have spent another couple hours there. OK Grandma! (just kidding) But I recommend this museum to everyone, it makes you realize what the Jews went through. Afterwards we went to the National Museum of Natural History. Not only were there animals there and we saw an awesome IMAX Lions 3D movie but the HOPE DIAMOND (45.52 karats) from India is there. It made me dream...about my diamond one day. For dinner I introduced mom and Brooke to Potbelly's. They loved the Italian sub sandwich. This restaurant is great, sandwiches are only $4.19. We headed back to Van Ness to go to the Potbelly's by my house because the Potbelly's where we got dinner was out of cookies. I wanted them to try their famous ice cream sandwiches with freshly baked cookies and homemade ice cream. Pretty much the best thing since sliced bread. We were successful and enjoyed every bite of the sandwiches. That night we went out the Pentagon City Mall. It was such a pretty mall, it was huge. I made a Steve Madden boot/slipper purchase. After the mall we went home and watched the end of the Boston Red Sox vs. Colorado Rockies World Series Game.

Church at Chevy Chase

Art in Hirshorn Smithsonian Museum

Brooke & Mom were mezmorized by the art

Are your eyes trippin' out yet?

This modern art piece is wire hangers hanging all together at certain angles to make a design

Mom and Brooke trying to spot Mars...good luck girls

Which shadow is mine...mom's...brooke's...

I think I can do this..

Houston we're going down

"Yes, sir!"

Brooke + Illinois are like two peas in a pod (if you know what I mean)

Mom and Brooke...this one's for you!

Rocky's boxing gloves

Mom & Abe Lincolns top hat

Me. Mom. Brooke in front on the National Monument

Mom. Brooke. Me @ the top of the National Monument

The White House

WWII Memorial

Tribute to WWII Soldiers

Visiting the Vietnam Memorial

Abe Lincoln Memorial

Korean Memorial

Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial

I dedicate this picture to Brooke and Mom!

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

==SUNDAY==10/28 (weather-mostly sunny-62 degrees)
We went to the Chevy Chase family ward for church and then headed to the National Mall. We started off the day at the Hirshorn Art Smithsonian Museum. It is a modern art museum and was full of creative art pieces. Then we wandered westward to the Air and Space Museum. This museum is one heck of a museum. Very well spent tax dollars :). We had a 3 o'clock appointment to go to the top of the National Monument. We walked over to the White House to view what we could of the Preident's quarters. Then it was on to the west end of the National Mall, we walked around to the WWII Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Theodore Roosevelt's Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial. After all those adventures we topped the night off with a yummy dinner @ Open City.

In the Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Brooke is worth $1,584,400

Mom is worth $1,537,800

I am worth $1,537,800

ART

Mom in the Art Gallery

Dancing Queen

Brooke with Art

Matisse's Cut-Out Art

Another Mom & Art

Mom with the Lioness' @ the National Geographic Museum

Iwo Jima Statue

Visiting the Marine Corp.-Iwo Jima Memorial

Arlington Cemetery

John F. Kennedy Grave--Eternal Flame

Soldier guarding the Unknown Grave

Soldiers

Changing of the guards

==MONDAY==10/29 (weather-sunny-63 degrees)
We were sure to go to the National Mall again today, well at least to the same metro stop. We went to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to see how they make the "notes"(bills, flow, greenback, flow-sha, $MONEY$). This Smithsonian is one of my favorites. Today, Monday October 29, 2007, I had a change of heart for art (whoa that rhymed). We went to the National Art Museums (East(ancient) & West(modern) wings). I am so grateful that Brooke and I gave in to the art museums and let mom show us some quality artists. It was great to be enlightened. We ate lunch at the Potbelly's and coincidentally ran into Er and Chelsea, and ate lunch with them. Afterwards, we went to the National Geographic Museum, which was a disappointment. We got to watch different movies with the Crittercam within a gallery. It got boring, but that was the only disappointment and waste of time the whole trip. Good thing we were there only 30 minutes. We stopped by my internship, Policy Impact. I wanted to show them where I worked and introduce them to my co-workers. We continued on to the Iwo Jima Memorial (US Marine Corp), which was breath-taking, up close. Take a look at the photos. The final tourist site was the Arlington Cemetery which was unbelievable. We saw John F. Kennedy and Jackie's grave with the eternal flame along with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. The tomb was the most amazing part. A quick summary: They have a solider that guards the tomb, back and forth, back and forth. All day, everyday. We witnessed the changing of the guards. Our last and final destination for the day was Georgetown. We shopped and ate dinner at Chipotle and most importantly I showed them where the "Ambercrombie" was located.

Goodbye my loves..

==TUESDAY==10/30
I sacrificed my sleep to direct mom and Brooke to the Rosslyn/Dulles 5A bus. We hugged..said goodbye for another month..and I sent them on there way back to the 84109...Thanks for the fun weekend Mom & Brooke!

BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR BRANDON

2007-10-23T20:57:00.001-07:00

Brandon the Birthday Boy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR BRANDON...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!
My roommates and I hosted a "surprise" birthday party for Brandon. A majority of the interns came. Nichole made him Spice cake (which happened to be his favorite!) with cream cheese frosting along with ice cream, thanks to Kevin and Taylor! We watched THE OFFICE and had a good time!

Lighting of the candles..

SURPRISE

Singing to Brandon

Interns. Guy. Will. Jen. Kevin

Alex & Kyle sand to Brandon in German. It was so cute. (Kyle had to learn German so that he could do it, Alex already knew it!)

Serving the cake(Nic) and ice cream(Kyle)

Hostess' and the Birthday Boy

SVU with Nichole

2007-10-22T19:25:00.001-07:00

The BeAuTiFuL view of Buena Vista

ToEs + FaLl LeAvEs

Me & Nic in the fall leaves

Nichole.Shea.Me @ the family get together. We were Shea's family this weekend because he didn't get the memo it was Parents weekend :)

FRIDAY 10/19
Nichole and I woke up Friday morning and decided to through some clothes in our backpacks. We both went our ways to our internships and met up at the Union Station metro train station. We were out of luck. We thought something was going to work out in our favor...but the two trains to Charlottesville, VA were sold out and we barely missed the Greyhound bus. We had once last chance and we went to our friend Thomas Brown at the Customer Service and somehow he found two tickets for us....the bummer of waiting until the last minute...the ticket total $56/person! UGGG...we went for it. It was our last resort! We hopped on the train and took off for Charlottsvile. We arrived at the station around 9 and Shea picked us up there. We had to drive for about an hour to Buena Vista. Buena Vista is this po-dunk town that had a residency of "6,002 and 3 growchy old men" + the college students (700 people). Isn't that great. Oh and their Main St lasts from 19th Street to 22st Street and is called Magnolia's Street. Holy shmokes!!! we finally arrived...met all the roommates, Shea, Graham, Craig, Ben, Darren, and Kevin.

ALL ABOARD THE UNION STATION TRAIN...my 2nd ime on a train

Nic & I on the train

SATURDAY 10/20
Nic and I woke up and got ready for the BIG game. The boys were all gone for the football game when we woke up. We spent a couple hours reading Twilight...we are obssessed!! We took Shea's car and drove about a 1/2 a mile...I'm telling you. This town is so quaint! It is so small. We went to the tailgate and saw the campus, which was smaller than ever, but beautiful. I loved the feeling of this town. The tailgate felt like all family, and Nichole and I felt like everyone was starring at us. And we met up with Craig there. He has the most AWESOME accent. We drove to the football game, which was at the local high school, Perry McCluer High. It brought me back to High School football games. Graham had an awesome touchdown on offense and Shea had a fabulous turnover pick up touchdown. THE BOYS PLAYED GREAT! We met back up on campus after the game for a get together with family. It was Homecoming weekend for SVU and Parents weekend. Some of the boys had their parents there. We went to dinner at a pizza place and got some sub sandwiches. Haha that sounds funny. We hung out at their house and then headed to the Alexander's Ice Cream Parlor for a little bit. Afterwards, we crashed the HOMECOMING DANCE. It was such a blast. We showed up in our jeans and t-shirts, people were starring, but we didnt give a dang. We partied like it was 1999! And then drove to the LEE-HI resturant, where we hung out and messed around. I ordered a hot chocolate!! It was delish! To top off the night...we went back to the boys house and watched North Shore. It was AWESOME (as Criaig would say!)

Morning faces..come on, everyone has them. smile

Tail gate @ SVU

#1 FANS Me.Craig.Nic. He filled us in on everyone on the football team

Gracie (Graham's cute sister) was classic

The Football Players- Shea(2)-Craig(#1 FAN)-Kevin(Team Manager)-Darren(10)-Ben(57). And below: Graham(80)

Wathcing from the stands

Dancing the night away @ SVU homecoming. There is nothin' like a little line dancing!

Chelsea.Me.Shea.Ben.Holly

SUNDAY 10/21
We went to church at their singles ward. It was fun to support Shea, he gave a great talk on missionary work. I give him a golden star for his talk. We left after sacrament and went on a hike to Panther Falls. It was so beautiful. The view was amazing. The highlight was the fall leaves changing. Nichole and I were soaking it all in because Washington DC just isn't seeming to turn red or orange. They are just going green to yellow and then they die. We went back to the boys house on Chestnut Ave. and of course they turned on football. We watched it for a couple hours, and talked throughout the games. We ate some Digiorno Pizza and salad for dinner. It was delicious! So anyone looking for a good frozen pizza...choose Digiorno! Nichole and I took off that evening for Washington DC. We took Shea's car back to DC because his parents were coming into town. So it worked out perf!

Elevation 2325...the highest elevation we've reached on the east coast

Graham. Me. Shea. overlooking the view of Buena Vista

The waterfall we "hiked" (walked) to...

Graham taken a look @ Nic hangin' lose

Panther Falls in the fall

Shea and I hanging out by Panther Falls

Boys will be boys. Graham

Grahma rockin' out & I'm givin' a thumbs up

Nic & I @ Panther Falls

CALLED TO SERVE

2007-10-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

Opening the call...

MY OLDER SISTER BROOKE OPENED HER MISSION CALL LAST NIGHT!!! SHE IS GOING TO PEORIA ILLINIOS. NAVUOO AND CARTHIDGE ARE IN HER MISH, AS WELL AS PARTS OF MISSOURI, IOWA, AND INDIANA. SHE IS SPEAKING ENGLISH AND LEAVES DECEMBER 12th (on my birthday!!). I WISH THAT I COULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO OPEN IT WITH HER AND THE FAM, BUT IS GUESS YOU MISS OUT WHEN YOU ARE CLEAR ACROSS THE COUNTRY. I AM SO HAPPY FOR HER. THE PEOPLE OF ARE JUST GOING TO LOVE HER. WE BELIEVE THAT HER FAREWELL WILL BE ON DECEMBER 9th, SO KEEP YOUR CALENDARS OPEN. CONGRATULATIONS BROOKITA! I LOVE YOU! I AM GOING TO MISS YOU!

A closer look...

A few of Brooke's accomplishments:

The Fam-Damily @ Brooke's Graduation in May.
Tanner. Mom. Dad. Brooke. Spencer. Me

Brooke's 22nd birthday
The CREW....Birthday girl. Tan. Me. Spenc

TWILIGHT

2007-10-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

I was checking out my friend Sarah's blog and she dedicated a blog to TWILIGHT!! I am so happy to know that people out in the world know about the book Twilight. I just thought I would let all my friends know about it too! My best friend Megan, tried to talk me into reading it about six months ago...unfortunately I was in school at the time and I am so sad that I hadn't read this book when she recommended it. She told me that I would love it, but I could not get talked into it. Even after she told me how DREAMY and HANDSOME Edmund, the vampire sounded. Supposedly he is drop dead gorgeous. I didn't have a desire to read it because I had not found a book that I loved, which was a result of me not liking reading. Much to my dismay, Carlie (my co-worker) mentioned it and that I had to read it. So...guess what I read everyday...on the way to the metro, on the metro, walking to work, and at work. I am half way through the book. It is so good...supposedly this book is going to be made into a movie, which provides a problem. Where is the imagination in that...and how on earth are they going to find a boy as beautiful as Edward???
EVERYONE SHOULD READ THE ROMANCE NOVEL, TWILIGHT!

ROOTBEER KEG, ANYONE??

2007-10-13T23:46:00.000-07:00

Me & Erin & the Rootbeer Keg

Er and I rode the Metro out to Alexandria, Virginia to Carlie's (from work). Her and her roommates were throwing a Halloween/Rootbeer Keg party! It was so much fun. There was a rootbeer keg (and of course, ice cream for ice cream floats)! There was of course a dance party with DJ Dan Ricks. And last but not least, yummy treats. We enjoyed ourselves visiting with new people and previously made friends.

Carlie & Me

P.S.- The house where the party was at was darling. There were 4 girls that lived there, and they were all in the Colonial 2nd ward. It is crazy how so many people are from Utah, Salt Lake area. Carlie, my co-worker is from the Bountiful area. I am glad that I got to hang out with her! She is so much fun.

Carlie..Erin..Me

36-MILE BIKE RIDE: Cha-Ching!

2007-10-13T23:17:00.002-07:00

Me & Er infront of Big Wheels Bikes

Erin biking on the trail

Me & Erin just after 18 miles of the bike ride

A darling townhome in Oldtown Alexandria, VA, which was on our way along the Mt. Vernon Trail

Saturday 10/13
If you can believe it or not...this was my 1st weekend in DC since I moved out here 8 weeks ago. It felt weird being in DC, not having somewhere to go...but don't worry we still had plans....
This morning Erin and I woke up to a beautiful DC Fall MORNING! It was gorgeous...sun was shinning, birds were chirping, a there was a crisp chill to the air. It was a perfect day for our bike ride. We went into Georgetown to Big Wheel Bikes and rented bikes for a whopping $20 (for the whole day). We got a steal of a deal (Dan, from Arizona at the shop totally hooked us up)! We even got a free bike lock. We left from the shop towards the Mt. Vernon trail, that spans from Georgetown to Mt. Vernon. It is a 18-mile BIKE RIDE. So, Erin and I are proud to say that we biked 36 miles today. We rode along the paved trail that hugged the Potomic River at some points and was sheltered by the changing leafed fall trees. Needless to say, it was probably the most beautiful bike ride I have ever been on. The trail passed by the Regan Airport and went through the cute town of Oldtown Alexandria. We were so sore by the time we biked out to Mt. Vernon. We arrived at Mt. Vernon and went to the Washington Estate. For those of you who don't know, this is where George Washington's resided and also where he was buried. We unfortunately didn't have as much time out there, as we had wished because we had to get the bike rentals back before they closed. We saw Washington's Mansion along with the breathtaking view from , his grave, and the gardens; pretty mucho the whole estate. ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE MT. VERNON IN THE FALL: BEAUTIFUL! Then we had 18-miles back to Georgetown to look forward too. Thankfully we made it back to the bike rental...the day was approaching sunset. It was perf timing. We were so grateful to be done...because our bottoms were killing us. You can only imagine us walking home to the metro....I'll leave it at that! :)

Funniest Moment of the day: Erin fell over on her bike, while trying to make a turn. Haha she told me that she needs to learn to use her body to turn and not so much the bike. Status of injuries: NONE!

Me in George Washington's Garden

Er in George Washington's Kitchen

Me & Er in the frontyard of the Mansion

Slave quarters--kitchen area

Slave quarters--sleeping area

Me & the sewing room

The Shoemakers Room

Er & I in the backyard of the Mansion

Look @ the view from the Mansion's backyard

George Washington's grave

Me & Erin on the Mt. Vernon Trail with the Potomic River

A walk through the National Mall

2007-10-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

*Danny*Me*Brynn(Nic's friend)*Shay(Nic's friend)*Nichole*Erika (Nic's sis)*Jake(Er's friend)*Er*

A group of us took a walk through the National Mall around 8:00p.m. As you can see from the pic, that it was dark outside. It is crazy how early it gets dark out here. We went to the Lincoln Monument, WWI Monument, Korean War Monument, and WWII Monument. The statues look so cool lit up at night. In this picture we are at the Korean Monument.

Pinback @ 9:30

2007-10-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

Rob Crow and Zach Smith

RECOMMENDATION!!!!!!!
Try listening to this music and you will fall in L-O-V-E!! Erin, Rob, and I went to club 9:30 and watched PINBACK. They are such a good Alternative/Indie band. We were on the first road, screaming our hearts out. I had never heard of the band but Er and Rob love these guys and I was up for a good time. Now I am a fan! They were awesome live. I love this venue. There is no smoking inside and they keep in air conditioned. We were pleased with paying $18 for this concert.

TUBING..HIKING..CAMPING

2007-10-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

Shenandoah River...look @ the leaves changing color

At the yard sale...Rob? Ace Me Rinnie Rin Rin

Me & My Hommie

:Saturday 10.6.07:
Erin and I borrowed John Pollman's sleeping bags and we packed up our backpacks with camping gear for the weekend excursion. (We also baked some blueberry muffins for breakfast Sunday morning!! Er and I are always prepared! :)) Ace and Rob came to pick us up and we headed out of town about an hour. It was not a bad drive at all. We were on our way to find the buttstubes to go tubing, when before our very eyes we spotted a yard sale. Ace and Rob were not prepared with sleeping bags so we were hoping to find something for them. We drove two miles up this road and saw the classic looking yard sale off the side of the road, located on a dirt driveway. We were successful, the boys got purple and pink sleeping made for 10 year olds along with a free black wig and I found a purse for Erin (haha) for $1. It was so sweet! We headed back to the main highway and went to buttstubes, scheduled an reservation and went to breakfast. It was classic with juke boxes at each table and the seat benches were yellow and orange. It was called Cindy Dee's. We returned to the buttstubes and played volleyball and soccer before taking off. There were about a group of 18 of us that hopped in a small bus and we were taken down by the river. We rode the Shenandoah River for about 2 hours. It was fun, there were a couple small rapids. Nothing like the Snake River up in Wyoming. But I should let you know that the water was low, that was why they were so weak. This river was beautiful because everything surrounding it was green as ever. We headed into Harper's Ferry which is a small town located in the nook of Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. We grabbed some ice cream at the local shop. As we enjoyed our treat we drove to the Walmart and grabbed some granola bars and water for food. We went back to Harper's Ferry to the Appalachian Trail head in that area. It was about 8:00p.m., so it was dark. Thank goodness that Erin bought a flashlight (at the gas station) for us to use, otherwise we would have been helpless. We walked for about 4 or 5 miles I would say and then we decided to stop and camp. We didn't know how much farther to go, so we just decided to stop at the next side trail and see if it took us to a camping area. SUCCESS!! We layed out our bags and layed down started to fall asleep. It was really scary because acorns kept falling off the tree, and it sounded like someone walking, this went on throughout the night. We had been asleep about 5 minutes and then this couple came and decided to sleep about 50 yards from us. All we could do was laugh, because we were not about to tell them to leave. We played a "band" game with the alphabet and then eventually fell back asleep. Bytheway...it was the funniest sight to see Ace and Rob in those little sleeping bags. Erin and I were getting the biggest kick out of it. The top of the bag went to their rib cage. Erin and I were greatful we were prepared.

In Cindy Dee's Diner Er Me Rob Ace

I'm caught

Ace eating his scrumptuous fries and gravy combo for breakfast

What a ROCKSTAR!

Me, Er and the River

Buttstubes ROCKS! Just after tubbing in our vests Me Er Rob Ace

The Boys

:Sunday 10.7.07:
I woke up at about 6:00am and everyone was still asleep, along with the neighbors. Much to my surprise we were really close to the river, about 30 yards. I sat by the river and watched the sunrise. It was picturesque as the sun creeping over the hill and reflected on the river. I spent some good time pondering by the river, listening the squawking geese. I returned to camp and everyone was just waking up. We packed up and headed out. It was so much fun to see how beautiful the trail was that we walked on the night before. The leaves are just barely changing. Some of them were yellow. We returned to Harper's Ferry where we left our car parked and returned to the ice cream shop for breakfast and I also boguht a funnel cake for Rob to try (because he had never had one before!) I had a delicious peanut butter fudge swirl scoop. This was a very adventerous, fun filled weekend!
Appalachian Trail

The clan hiking to find a place to camp...please look at Er?

Robs bag fits good?!?!...enough! :)

Hanging around camp. Ace Me Er Rob

Watching the sunrise

Erin & I @ camp

Sunrise by camp

Erin & I crossing the bridge from the Appalachian Trail to Harper's Ferry

B-E-A-UTIFUL

U of U FOOTBALL- East Coast MUSS

2007-10-08T10:00:00.001-07:00

I want to congratulate the University of Utah on their win against Louisville! Keep it up UTES!! Take us to the Fiesta Bowl again. Boy I sure miss being in the MUSS this season. I try and watch the games whenever they are on TV. This last Friday we went to Summers Grill & Bar and we watched the Louisville game. A bunch of alumni and interns supported our Utah Utes there. Good luck this season!! YEAHHHHH!!!!

COW TALES ANYONE???

2007-10-04T09:48:00.000-07:00

This is a discovery I made on the way to Kings Dominion. We stopped at a po-dunk gas station and I ran inside to get a treat. Much to my surprise I discovered a new COW TALE. It was a carmel apple flavor. I sure hope that I can find them again, so that I can have another. They were delicious, but for don't beat the original flavor. Check them out!! I wish those of you that are searching for them that you find them. YOU'RE MISSING OUT!

Now, for those of you who dont know what a cow tale is you need to...wait let me repeat..NEED to drop what you are doing and go to a gas station, grocery store and you can always depend on a "sev" to have them. I'm sorry that you have been deprived of these if you don't know what they are. You will thank me, in the end.
Meg & Steele, this blog entry is dedicated to you! I thought I would share COW TALE goodness with all my fam and friends

CLUB 9:30~ Matt Pond PA

2007-10-02T11:15:00.002-07:00

Matt Pond live

Er & I- front row fans

Emily, Erin, Rob, Ace, and I rode the Metro to CLUB 9:30. We went to the Matt Pond PA concert. It was such a good concert. Erin and I went right up in front and danced to the music because neither of us knew the lyrics. Its actually really good music...so our $15 entry fee was worth it. We also met Odie and John Pollman there. This is a really cool venue. I think that we will be hanging out here more. There are a lot of bands that my roommates want to see!!!

Matt & the drummer(my boyfriend, I dibbs him! haha...I wish!)

the group. Me.Em.Rin.John.Rob.Odie. and Ace is down in front

KINGS DOMINION

2007-09-30T20:15:00.001-07:00

The Cheesecake Factory @ Friendship Heights

Gotta love the delicious pumpernickle bread @ Cheesecake. We gobbled it right up!

We could hardly wait to eat

...FRIDAY...
Erin and I spent another weekend together. We started it off by going up to the Friendship Heights Metro and went to The Cheesecake Factory. It was delicious. We looked pretty funny, we walk in this nice resturant and had huge backpacks on...just imagine. Wait don't, you'll feel bad! We shared a salad and then bought a deluctable piece of Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake. We were such good friends..got it to go and shared it with friends (a.k.a Rob, Ace-of-base, and Samson). Erin and I took the Metro to Ace and Rob's house. Ace picked us up from the Metro and we grabbed some drinks on the way to their house. When we got to their house (and by the way, their house is AWESOME!! We are hoping to throw our Halloween Party there) we went out on the roof because Rob planned a little rendezvous. Rob's friend Samson also joined us. We had kava...it was quite an interesting drink. Tastes just like dirt and your mouth tingles after drinking it. We chatted on the roof top for a couple hours and then it got chilly so Erin and I had to go inside. That sums up the night!

ROADTRIP...on our way to Kings Dominion

Entrance to Kings Dominion!

Waiting to go on the 1st ride of the day. Whoa....Rand shut that mouth...your Bubbilicious is going to fall out!

Erin & I were obviously more impressed with the ride than the girl sitting behind us

...SATURDAY...
We didn't go to bed until late and woke up at 8 a.m and had Cherrios and Corn Pops for breakfast. We were so grateful to Ace so that we didn't have to buy breakfast. What a sweetheart. We left for Paramount's Kings Dominion Amusement Park. We arrived @ the awesomely sweet looking park around 12. We rode rides from the rocking boat..to..the Volcano..to..the Italian Job crash run..to..Anaconda..to..Flight of Fear..to..the Yell(foreward--Erin nicknamed this one Love-Hate, with a little bit more hate than LOVE, unfortunately)..to the so amazingly fast rollercoaster you think that you are going to die laughing..to..the free-fall..to..the Grizzley. We were at the park for 9 hours and then spent 2 more hours roadtripping it to Virginia Beach to go camp for the night. THANK GOODNESS..we found a SEV and I got a hot chocolate, I was freezing! I am so grateful my two young friends are up for adventure like and are up for whatever. Moral to the story: the camping lots were all full so we found a parking spot on 52nd and Ocean Front.

Love-Hate Ride made Erin and I laugh our heads off

I was holding on for dear life

Ace & I...we are saying our last goodbyes! where's Erin?

Hypersonic Ride...incredible. Its gets going at speeds up to 60-80 mph. Fastest ride I have ever been on

Erin~Ace~I at the pumpkin patch in Kings

Scooby-doo let us borrow his car

2007-09-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Just before bed...Erin Ace and I

Breath taking view...there is nothing like a 6am sunrise

Sleeping on the beach

Overlooking the ocean

Where's Seth Cohen when you need him..?

Erin & I just woke up

BEAUTIFUL Sunrise

Cuddlebug...

...SUNDAY...
This morning I woke up to the most BEAUTIFUL sunrise. It was blue and orange when I first awoke. I got up around 6a.m and took some pictures. I had made some choc. chip muffins at home before we came and we ate those for breakfast and then we pack up and went and changed at the local Burger King and brushed our teeth! Th bathroom said: Have it our way...brush your teeth, change your clothes, wash your face. We thought that was funny. We found a parker and then went to walk the boardwalk to find the Neptune Festival. We were so excited, there were tents lining the boardwalk of little shops and food tents. Other events that went on throughout the day were...a surf competition (which some of the boys were so hot! and they surfed so that made them even hotter.), a volleyball tournament, mini local concerts playing throughout the day, and the most impressive part of the day were the sand castles that people in the major leagues, spent building for 3 days. They were so impressive. You will have to check out the pictures and see the details. They had such talent. Thank goodness for people with the talent to build sand castles. Where would we be without them?! After observing the castles we went and swam in the ocean. We got some nice sun and yes...of course I had to get my favorite soft serve ice cream! Guess what...they didn't have the cinnamon flavor so I had to sub it for chocolate. Not as good as a combo with peanut butter but it was still worth the $4 a cone!!!

-Neptune Statue-Me..Ace..Erin

ME & RIN observing the sandcastles

The sandcastle that got 1st place. It was a man driving a shoe with a plow knocking down a sandcastle. Very original

Random sandcastle

Random sandcastle

My favorite sand castle--called Meet the In-Laws. Dad, you would have loved this one

Erin..Ace..Me with our FUNNEL CAKE! It was delish!

Funnel Stand
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Hanging on the beach..erin..me..ace. We were standing by the pump that was pumping water to the sand castle contestants. They had the system down.

HOTTIE BOOM BALOTTIE SURFERS

Watching the surfer boys

Me & that darn good ice cream..flavor: chocolate peanut butter

Nationals Baseball Game

2007-09-30T20:14:00.001-07:00

Relaxing....watching the Nats beat the Mets..Ace.Er.Me.Robert Jr.

Me & Er

Ace : Me: Erin: Rob w/ Thomas Jefferson: Abe Lincoln: Teddy Roosvelt: George Washington

Erin, Ace, Rob and I went to the Washington DC Nationals game on September 25th vs. the New York Mets. We had such a good time! It was a great game of baseball. In the 9th inning, bases loaded for the Mets (they were down by one or two), 2 strikes....the pitcher throws the ball, and the batter swings. MISS!!!! the Nats won! yahoo! They were so close but yet so far away.

Me: Ace: Er: Rob

Sexy #28...what a good number!!

Er & I in the stands of the RFK Stadium

Back to New York

2007-09-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

Statue of Liberty

~Friday 9.21~
Erin invited me to join with her at New York this weekend. She was going up to see a high school friend, Charity Eyre. We rode the Chinatown bus once again. Our friend, Ace rode the bus up to NYC with us because he was going to see a friend. We talked the whole time on the bus. It was very unfortunate, but the bus did not make a pit stop on the way there. We were dying. We arrived in New York around 11 p.m and rode the subway to 86th street where we met Charity. We walked to her brother Noah's house. He is married to Christy and they have a son, McKay. They live in a quaint apartment, that is the smallest apartment I have ever been in. I don't know how long I could last living there. We stayed up until 1 a.m talking along with her other brother, Tallmidge and Sara. Christy and Noah were telling us their engagement story. It is the cutest, most sentimental story....ask me if you want to hear about it.
Empire State Building

Flat Iron Building

~Saturdy 9.22~
We woke up around 8 to go meet Tallmidge at Chelsea Piers. Chelsea Piers was really cool, it is where a lot of movies have been filmed. Like Serendipity, on the triple-decker goal course. We wanted to ride bicycles around the city to see all the sights. We walked around but could not find any bikes, so we just wandered around. Er and I split from Charity and her brother and we went out on the Staton Island Ferry. We bought delicious hot chocolate while waiting for the ferry. It was deluctable and so hot that we burned our tounges. We rode the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. It was fun to see it in real life and up close as we could get from the ferry. We went to Ground Zero and I couldnt help but start to cry when I saw the flower wreaths and candles and pictures and memorials of those that passed away on 9/11. I cannot imagine being in NY on that dreadful day. We also saw the BULL and Wallstreet. All of the sudden it started POURING RAIN on Erin and I. We took cover every once and a while. It was a warm rain though, because of the humidity. I loved it. Erin and I were running down the street without an umbrella and everyone thought that we were crazy. We bought I heart NY and NYPD shirts to keep us warm. We met back up with Charity and went to SOHO. We stopped at a little cafe and much to my surprise I discovered half way through the meal a $20 bill on the ground. So we got a free lunch!! We must be living right. We discovered a PinkBerry and Magnolias down Bleeker Street. MMM....MMM. Pinkberry is undescribably delicious ice cream and Magnolias cupcakes are undescribably delicious X10. Magnolia's Bakery has a 30 minute line wait. They can only have 10 customers in there store at a time, so they are a cupcake store that makes bank because they are so yummy and plus they are decorated so stinkin' cute. This place was so unbelievably popular! There was also a fleet market down bleecker so we spent some time walking by the shops. We walked to Times Square and put our names in a drawing for the Broadway show, WICKED. "CHARITY EYRE you are a winner!"...Charity won and gave the tickets to Erin and I. We were so excited! We payed $25 each...you have to understand that people pay $100s of dollars for this show. We were definately living right today. We went to dinner at a deli on Broadway and then headed back to WICKED. We not only won, but we sat 1st row and center!! yippee!! The play was amazing. Everyone in the world should see this play. I definately recommend to any one that goes to NY...put your name in raffles for broadway...ENTER your name, you might get LuCkY! Afterwards, Erin and I couldnt have been more happy. We loved it. We met up with Charity and went to Little Italy, but unfortunately it was closing as we arrived. We headed home for the night. On our way home, we witnessed a fight between a lady with a cane joined by another girl vs. a guy. There were about 10 in the group but the controversy was only between like 3 people. The cops had to break them up...I mean we couldnt go to NYC side streets and not see a fight. That would be kosher.
Chelsea Piers

Harbour

Catching a cab Me. Er. Char

The girls...Er. Liberty. Me. Charity

Staten Island Ferry

Statue of Liberty & City

WICKED stage

Inside the theathre..front and center. We couldn't wait!

I secretly took some pics during the performance

#1 WICKED FANS

Erin and I hangin' with the officers

Proud fan of NYPD. He was a hot cop we found in Little Italy.

~Sunday 9.23~
Charity, Erin, and I woke up and walked through Central Park before church. This park is beautiful. Being in the middle of the park and not being able to see the buildings, you feel like you are not even in New York. Some parts of it you honestly feel like you are in East Mill Creek and other times in Sugar House. Church was a treat...I saw friends that I made last time we came to this ward. That was fun to see them. After church, we just stayed for sacrament and then went to 5th Ave and walked through all the really expensive shops. For example, Tiffany's & Co. had an engagement ring for $100,000 and Louis Vuitton shirts for $945 smack-a-roos! We went to Rockafeller Square and then headed back to Noah's house for Sunday dinner. It was the first home cooked meal I had had since I had moved back here. We had a cucumber oil salad, potatoes, carrots, rolls...the goods! We felt bad because we had to hurry so that we could catch our ride home on the Chinatown bus. Thankfully Ace was there and he saved us seats, so that we were not split apart. The best part about the ride home, was the stop we made at the pit-stop...I got a delisioso cinnamon rolls with nuts from Cinnabon. MUY BUENO! We arrived for the Metro at midnight and made it home safely from there.

Garden in Central Park

Central Park

Charity, Er and I at the top of a castle in C.P.

NYC Temple!! Church is actually held in that same building

Outside Tiffany's & Co. Char, Me and Er

NYC Candids

2007-09-30T20:13:00.001-07:00

The Night LIFE

Taxi Traffic

Flowers for sale

Housing in New York City

Fav. Chick Flick

Shopping on Broadway

MAGNOLIA'S BAKERY

2007-09-28T12:56:00.000-07:00

IF YOU ARE INTO DESSERTS LIKE ME...THEN YOU HAVE TO GO TO MAGNOLIA'S WHEN YOU VISIT NEW YORK NEXT TIME! IT IS A CUTE LITTLE BAKERY ON A CORNER LOCATED ON BLEEKER STREET. THEY ARE SO DELICIOUS. MY FAVORITE CUPCAKE IS THE VANILLA-VANILLA. ALTHOUGH I AM A SUCKER FOR CHOCOLATE, THE VANILLA JUST HITS THE SPOT FOR ME. I HOPE THAT EVERYONE GETS THE CHANCE IN THEIR LIFETIME TO EAT SUCH A DELICIOUS TREAT!
Magnolia Cakes

Colorful Magnolia cupcakes

Yummy Chocolate-Vanilla cupcakers

How couldn't you...?

2007-09-18T13:30:00.003-07:00

How couldnt you just LOVE these girls. We have such a good time together!!

DC METRO

2007-09-18T13:30:00.001-07:00

WMATA...ride the metro..it saves you money and time

Riding in the Metro.
Becca . Smooter . Nichole . Me . Erin Elizabeth

My two cute roommates Em & Er @ our metro stop

We ride the metro everywhere we go! It is conveniently close to our apartment. Everymorning it is so much fun...there is so much hustle and bustle because everyone is in a hurry to get to work. People are handing out papers every week day morning or selling flowers.

. Nichole . Me . Em .

Oh yeah and we learned fast that you stand on the right side on the escalator and let those who want to pass, on the left. The peeps here are always in such a hurry to get everywhere.

From DOWNUNDER...inside the underground Metro System

Washington DC Temple

2007-09-18T13:16:00.001-07:00

Look how beautiful this temple is....every one knows that, "that is the LDS temple with the gold spires". I took this pic from the freeway...crazy huh?! It butts right up to the a freeway in DC

El FUTBOL

2007-09-18T13:12:00.002-07:00

Prepping before the game...shh, dont tell the ref I dont have shinguards on (I left them in SLC)

#1 FANS..Emily and Erin with me trying to be a tough girl

Blazing Otters Gang. Team Orange

Cheerleading squad! clockwise (from far left): Rob, Dave, Alaska, Ruston, Erin, Em, Ace

THE BLAZING OTTERS!!!!
I joined a CO-ED soccer team! Yahoo....
We had our first game on Monday night and the team we played was unbelievable. They were droppin' swear words left and right, like it wasn't anyones business! NOT COOL! The games weather totally took me back to the good ol soccer days. It was pouring rain and very physical. Let me repeat myself: IT WAS POURING RAIN! We were all drenched! Emily was my #1 fan! She sat through the rain and cheered us on! You go girl! She was one of the few cheerleaders on the side line. The only tough one, enough to stay in the rain! Unfortunately the game was canceled half way through the 2nd half due to lightning. I can't wait for next Monday! GO TEAM!

Struttin' my stuff

Smooter.mu-ah!.Rinnie Rin Rin

From Gettysburg to Hershey to Lancaster to Philidelphia, Pennslyvania

2007-09-18T13:12:00.001-07:00

Our trip was full of adventure. This was the most relaxing weekend I have had on the East Coast yet. Those involved were two of the boy interns Spencer Daw and Taylor Morgan. We rented a bright red Grand Pria. She was a beauty. We headed out to Baltimore after our internships on Friday night. This is what our weekend consisted of:
*Baltimore*
We drove to Baltimore, MD and stopped at a really fun strip mall of resturants with a concert going on outside. The concert was so sweet. It was a coverband and they were playing a great assortment of songs. We ate the mexican resturant. Not to be negative or anything...but I ordered their Mexican soup and it was the most disgusting soup I had ever eaten. It was way to thick, almost like tomato paste. We had to make a pit stop at the Baltimore Baseball Stadium and then we were off the
Philly.

My pictures of Balitmore include...
In front of Oriole Park at Camden Yards (baseball field) in Baltimore
Me & Babe Ruth
...Salt & Pepper...
Holy $#@% take a look at that rim. Spenc, I want to see you put some of those on Dad's machines(the back hoe) on the job

Philidephia

2007-09-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Philly on friday night. We stayed at my cousins house, Meredith. She lives there with her husband, Berkley and son, Tanner. Tanner is so darling. He is about 6 months old and just some much fun to play with. Berkley is going to Dental school. They have a darling house on Anne St. and have remodeled it, very nicely. Saturday morning we went into the heart of Phildelphia. We started the day out by going to breakfast at Benny's (short for Ben Franklin). Afterwards we went on a tour of Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Besty Ross' house, Benjamin Franklins grave, the Real World house (Philidelphia), Elfreth's Alley (the oldest operating street), LOVE park, the "ROCKY" steps, Valley Forge and the famous "GENO's" Philly Chessesteak subs. After our adventures of the day, we returned to the home of my cousin and watched the U vs. UCLA game. It was really hard for my cousins to watch because they are Y fans. :) But then our boys sacrificed after and watched the Y game while the girls played Phase 10. Then we went to beddy-bye...

Real World House, Pennslyvania
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Ethrath's Alley Quartet
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Ethraths Alley- The oldest operating street in the country
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Look how cute...
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I loved this street!

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Ben Franklin's grave

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Me . Master & Commander . Erin

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The Betsy Ross of our day!

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The "CRACK"

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Me & the "Crack"

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Independence Hall

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The best tour guide/ranger...She was a hoot!

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What a stud!!

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Me.Tanner.Meredith in her home

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Lancaster

2007-09-18T13:10:00.005-07:00

Look how beautiful the clouds were that day

This morning was Sunday morning and before we left towards home, Meredith made us pancakes. They were delicioso. We were so grateful that my cousin let us crash at her house. We drove to Lancaster, PA a.k.a Amish towns. The Amish religion is so amazing to me. The fact that they make their lives simple and dont use technology PERIOD! They use buggies and horses for transportation, we saw a family going to church. That was a fun town to drive through.

Amish Lancaster, Pennslyvania Farms
More Amish Farms...
Intercourse...it truely is a name of a town in Pennslyvania!

Hershey

2007-09-18T13:10:00.003-07:00

Erin and I @ the Hershey's Chocolate World Enterance

This was mine and Erin's favorite stop!!! The boys hated it because it reminded them of Disneyland. It is the city of Hershey, PA where the Hershey Chocolate Factories are. We went on a ride, to teach you how they make to chocolate and bought some memorabilia. The light posts' covers over the lights are candy kisses and the town even smelled like chocolate (just kidding, that was a myth that we believed! We just pretended).

Reese's are the best!
Look how cute the lamp posts are
Erin and I were taking these pics and people drove by making fun of us...all we could do was just laugh. I''m sure we looked like idiots
Me & Er @ Choc. World

Gettysberg

2007-09-18T13:10:00.001-07:00

This war was amazing! Gettysburg gave me the chills when I saw the size of the battlefield. Gettysburg is pretty much a graveyard. Because so many people died they didnt get all the remains. This war was fought between the North and South and you were pretty much fighting their family. I can only imagine and be grateful for those fighting. Leaving town we ate at the Gettysburg PUB. Erin and I shared a delicious pizza. We had an hour and a half drive home from Gettsyburg... and then back to work the next day!

Enjoying the nights of Georgetown

2007-09-18T13:09:00.002-07:00

Shops @ Georgetown

The Waterfront

Me Erin & Chels

Erin, Chelsea and I had a night on the town! Georgetown that is!
We rode the bus from Dupont Circle to Georgetown and "did the mess around".
One of my favorite parts of Georgetown is the WATERFRONT.
It is an area along the Patomic River with expensive resturants, a waterfountain, bars and an ice cream parlor. It has such a fun atmosphere. There are docks all along the boardwalk for boats to pull up and party!

Chels Erin & I @ the Waterfront

Check out the cute houses that surround Georgetown :)

Ohhh......wouldn't it be so much fun to live in one of these?

Can you guess who is who???

2007-09-18T13:09:00.001-07:00

Ben & Jerry's on M Street in Georgetown

Abercrombie & Fitch

2007-09-18T13:07:00.001-07:00

I decided that I needed a side job for a little extra play money. I got a job at the Abercrombie & Fitch in Georgetown. I have met a lot of fun people through working there. I actually work with a darling girl from Policy Impact, Carlie. I started on September 11th and only have to work a couple nights a week. Not bad! I will keep you updated on my status at Abercrombular!

MTV VMA's TRIBUTES

2007-09-18T13:06:00.001-07:00

My two favorite celebrities kicked some B*U*T*T at the MTV VMA's (Video Music Awards) on Sunday.
My tributes go to JT and Rihanna, I dedicate this to Erin Elizabeth.

*JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE*
JT is my #1! He is so sexy! Timberlake won Male Artist of the Year, Quadruple Threat of the Year and Best Choreography. Way to go Jusin

Unfortunately, when I went to New York over Labor Day he had a concert (that I didnt know about), so his picture was up ALL OVER NYC! AHHH....

*Rihanna*
If you were in my apartment you would hear Erin singing Rihanna's Umbrella song over and over. And it never gets old! What a doll! Can you believe she is only 18?! What a roll model for aspiring singers! A little sidenote: Rihanna came out with her own line of Umbrella's due to the success of her song.
Rihanna won awards for her Umbrella song. She won Monster Single of the Year and Video of the Year. Way to go Rihanna

Virginia Beach Roadtrip

2007-09-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

The Pier

DC to Virginia Beach

Roadtrip?! with the funnest girls ever

Earlier this week, Erin (my roommate) and I decided that we wanted to go to Virginia Beach. Emily was going to be in SLC, so Erin and I asked Chelsea (intern from Louisiana) if she wanted to join us. We rented a car @ Reagan Airport from Thrifty. We rented a Dodge Caliver, it was sweeeeeet........Erin was the driver and I was the navigator with the map. On our way out to the beach, we had a little pit stop at the dental students (friends we met @ church in NYC) in Richmond, Virginia. We drove another hour and a half and finally go to the B-E-A-UTIFUL Virginia Beach. The weather was perf...just like Ocean City. The only difference between the two beaches though is that the water was warmer at Virginia Beach. Erin & I spent some quality time in the water, dodging the waves and trying to ride them in. Our little secret: we were checking out the surfer's that surrounded us. I mean what's hotter than a boy that surfs!? We also spent some time laying out, relaxing and taking naps. It was actually hard to sleep, because home-boy that was laying out next to us was smokin' his Marlboro's and jammin' to his boom box. He was a classic beach bum! I wish I would have gotten a picture of him.

beach bum

What do you think this bottom sign is saying?

The Beach

Although the beach was amazing, the HIGHLIGHT of this trip was the treat at the end. We walked the boardwalk looking for pizza and were successful after we found Zero's Restaurant. KOHR BROS FROZEN CUSTARD WAS THE MAGNIFICENT SPRINKLE ICE CREAM CONE with the most remarkable frozen yogurt ever. I got two kinds; PEANUT BUTTER (of course!) and CINNAMON! Ask me if I nearly ate the whole thing? Why dont you take a look at these pictures to give you an idea. We enjoyed every bit that we took. I was near the throw-up stage when I was trying to finish, but I could not. Honestly, I tried!

ICE CREAM EXTRAVEGANZA
The best ice cream ever

Chels is scopin' out Erin's cone..Erins ready for the pic, so that she can take care of her ice cream later..and me, Im makin' sure I get every lick of ice cream I can off my hand

Before we devour...

In return to our car...we saw a "glowing" white note on the windshield of our car! Our meter ran out of minutes! BUMMER DUDE! So we had to pay $12 for a ticket unfortunately :(...but it didn't end there. Sweet little Erin Elizabeth was our designated driver and she had the peddle to the metal because we were so anxious to get home. Much to our dismay, a little PO-PO was pulling out behind us as we slammed on our brakes from 90 mph down to 65 mph. There's nothing like your heart pounding because you have those cop lights flashing on you. Erin luckily got off the hook and he dropped it from 90 to 80 so it was not wreckless driving. Afterwards I showed Erin how to do cruise control and we put it on 65 mph. EVERYONE was passing us, but we were not going to take the risk. We dropped off the car and back to the good 'ol metro.....

bummer...dude! The meter ran out but it was only $12

Miss. I'm used to getting tickets... so what??

The COPPER WHOPPER

Tour of the Nation's Capital

2007-09-18T12:56:00.001-07:00

ME & the CAPITAL

Danny.Me.Brian on the tour of the Capital

Look @ this beautiful chandelier...they dont have records of where this is from. They think it might have been found in a pirates ship. Thats the myth.

Danny.Nichole.Me w/ Brigham Young

Our tour guide, Miss. Nichole (works for a Utah Congressman, so she gives tours all the time) took Bryan, Danny (boys from the ward), and I on a tour of the Nation's Capital. It was so cool! The old furniture, beautiful paintings, 2 statues from every state throughout the capital, and all of the facts that our tour guide taught us.

My two favorite things I learned while on the tour:
1. There is a spot in the middle of the capital that is the EXACT center of Washington DC (and I stood on it!)
2. In the old Library of Congress (where they tried to pass laws), John Adams desk was positioned at the perfect spot where the people conversing about passing the laws. They would be whispering and the way that the architecture on the ceiling was shaped, he could hear what they were saying. (I tried it! It really works!) I'm just going to stop because its hard to explain...you should just come to the nations capital and try it out.

THE NATIONS CAPITAL

Me standing in the very center of the District of Columbia

The CONTESTANTS

2007-09-18T12:54:00.001-07:00

Better watch out girlies...

I'm not listening...

I'm going to win..that's the bottom line

SCATTERGORIES CHALLENGE

2007-09-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

Scattergories ANYONE??

Chels is rockin' out for Erin

Erin and I went over the Chelsea's (intern w/ Erin) apartment, which is right across the street from our place. We can actually see eachothers apartments from our balconies. Her apartment is so darling (She shares her apartment with Megan, an intern from Texas). It is a million times nicer than ours, but I am not complaining. We went down to the social room in their building to play Scattergories. Chelsea is so good at this game. She wins everytime that we play. We made HOT CHOCOLATE (my fav), ate pop corn and watched The Hills on MTV. OH MY GOSH... LC is so drama, Jason's back, Heidi is a backstabber, and Spencer is totally what makes the Hills, "The Hills". JUST KIDDING, I am just getting into this tv show. I hardly know anyones name! I think that The Hills is going to take the place of The OC for my fall tv show. I miss Ryan, Marissa, Summer, and Seth though! Anyways, my advice to those dating and looking for something fun to play: Scattergories is a really fun game! Give it a chance!

What were we thinking...she's so cute

Sippin on COCOA

The MAGICAL NYC

2007-09-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

On our way into the city

Chinatown bus ride::Nic and I

Boy...4 hours in that hog
Em..Me..Nichole

Partick(friend Em met on the bus)..Em..I after the bus ride

1st time in NYC

Em, can you believe we're here?! Is this what NYC is like? YES RANDALL

There is nothing like the New York Subway with..rats..bums..breakdancers..trash..no AC

Welcome to New York City....

**SATURDAY**
Emily, Nichole and I hopped on board the Chinatown bus to spend our Labor Day weekend in the Big Green Apple! We spent $35 on a bus ride for 4 and 1/2 hours. The drive was beautiful and entering the city was like a DREAM COME TRUE. This was my first time in New York City. It was just as I had imagined. My feelings were problably pretty similar to a little girl walking into Disneyland. Got the idea... I was in awe of the huge office buildings and all the hustle and bustle and the subway and Times Square. We ate lunch @ the Sbarro and had some delicious pizza. And I made sure to visit the M&M store and Hershey's Store. At the Hershey's store we bought the most amazing kisses, they were filled with PEANUT BUTTER! Nichole's parents were in town on business, so she hung out with them a majority of the time. Em and I went to the Les Miserables box office to get tickets to a broadway show. We got standing tickets for a steal of a deal... $26.00! We went shopping @ some shops before Les Mis. Em and I were planning on bumming it that night. We had no where to stay! Along with shopping, we checked out the stores/restaurants that were 24 hour. We went to Les Miserables and then Nichole came and met us to hang out. We went to Chevy's Mexican Grill. We hung out there for a couple hours and then gave in to stay at Nichole's parents hotel room. We really wanted to prove to ourselves that we could do it. I think that we could have! We went to bed at 3:00 a.m.
We're in NYC. Oh my goodness....

New York City a far

Em & I on Broadway @ Les Miserables

JUST LIKE HEAVEN

Would you have the patience to count all the M&M's in a tube for $50??

**SUNDAY**
Em and I woke up at 7 a.m. and got out of the hotel room before anyone awoke. We really felt bad that we had to stay there. We left to go check-in our FANTABULOUS king suite at the Millenium Broadway Hotel on 44th and Broadway. Unfortunately the room was not going to be ready for a couple hours. We spent almost 2 hours crashing on the couch in the lounge. At 9:30 we got the key to our room and we went up and got ready for church. Our suite was on the 42nd of 52 floors. We felt like HIGH ROLLERS! We actually stayed in a $400 room and stayed there for $200. Em and I walked up broadway to church. It was right across the street from Central Park. Church started @ 10:30a.m. and we met Nichole there. It was fast sunday, my favorite sunday of the month! It was a very fun, spiritual ward. I had the feeling that I was in the right place at the right time. Let me just say there were some fly guys @ this NY ward, I won't be bashful, we were scopin' them out. We met some cool peeps (a majority were dental students) that were visiting that ward too, they were rad! After church we walked through the beautiful green Central Park. Emily and I made a pit stop on the way home @ Serendipity. OH MY GOODNESS...I could not believe that I was actually there. For you boys reading this: Seredipity is a chick flick and it is mine and my sisters favorite. We wanted to grab a dessert there but it was an hour and a half wait.....let me just say, it was PACKED! We hurried home to change because Blake (from church) invited us to go walk across the Brooklyn Bridge @ sunset and eat @ the famous pizza restuarant and ice cream parlor. Let me just paint you a picture: The line for pizza was 2 hours long and ice cream line was just over an hour. That just gives the idea of how good the food is. Everyone waits in line, no matter how long they are. The pizza was deliciously, mouth-watering good. It was New York thin crust and cooked to perfection. We ate in a little park and then bought some ice cream. I got chocolate chocolate chunk. MUY BUENO! Then we spent some quality time walking back and to the subway. Jason @ one point thought that he lost his wallet and a cop also caught me sneaking in the meto with Rob and Megan. We got busted...but apologized and got let go. We went to Ryans (from the NYC ward) and watched Americas Funniest Home Videos..Em and I didnt get back to our apartments until 3:30AM and didnt get to bed until close to 5:00AM(ish)..uhggggg!
NYC on Broadway in Times Square...oh yeah baby

Millennium Hotel..42nd floor

Em sleeping in the Millenium Hotel Lounge

Hotel Suite Pad

Serendipity Resturant...I wish you were here Brooke

Central Park

Central Park Carnival

Walking through Central Park

SCRUMDIDILYUMPCIOUS CUPCAKES...All sorts of kinds.

Dylan's Candy Shop

**MONDAY**
We woke up at 10:00 a.m. I had not slept in that long, since I can remember. I actually dont think that I have ever slept in that long. But you do have to take into consideration that we were up until 4:00 a.m.!! Em and I went shopping with Megan and Shelly. We went to H&M and Zarra. I got some cute clothes. Don't worry Mom and Dad, I got good deals! Em and I headed to Chinatown to work our magic. Emily is really good @ working deals with the Chinese. I got a couple purses, jewelry, sunglasses, and some other goodies! We headed down Canal Street in Chinatown, thinking that we were headed in the right direction for the Chinatown bus, when we were walking the opposite way. By the end of Chinatown, we were about to kill ourselves. All of the sellers were starting to get mean, and not treating us very nice. Em even had a moment of weakness towards one of the sellers. We had a lot of good laughs, especially when one of the guys told Em that a purse was $180. She thought it was because she was blonde and she thought, he thought she was stupid. I was most amuzed by Em, because she would say to the seller, MUY GUACHO, which means you're crazy, when they would give us an unbelievable price. She cracks me up! Anyways, we finally made it to the bus and got back to DC in time for the last metro bus, right before midnight.
!ADIOS!

Random-Eddy Pics in the New Yorker

2007-09-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

WHOOOAAA.....

em & I on the bridge

Chinatown Marketplace

NYC @ Sunset

JT is bringing sexy back

Me & the city of NYC from the Brooklyn Pier

The Brooklyn Bridge Gang
Jason.Shelley.Blake.Em.Me.Megan.Rob.Jordan

Captain Jordan enjoying his pizza

Grimaldi's tomato, feta, spinach pizza

I caught Em in the act...

Me & Em should start modeling

Blake & I waiting anxiously @ Grimaldi's pizzeria

The boys--Blake-Jason-Jordan

Our pizza being made and then it was cooked in a brick oven

The crazy long line of people..we left the pier @ 9p.m and there was still a line as long as this. It's amazing what people will do for food.

I wish I had a sail boat!

:::On the PIER:::
top: Rob.Shelly.Megan.Blake.Brandon.Em.Kyle(?)
bottom:Austin.Me.(?)

Em Me & Blake on the Brooklyn Pier

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge @ Sunset

West Side Story @ Wolf Trap

2007-09-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

Me & Nichole

Maria.... Maria.... Maria....
Bryan Gauch (a friend from the Colonial 1st ward) invited Nichole and I to go to the musical West Side Story Musical. West Side Story is one of my favorite musicals. The Wolf Trap Ampitheatre was a beautiful facility. It reminded me of an upscale USANA (an ampitheatre in SLC). Bryan had VIP tickets and we were within the first 15 rows. We had great seats. He was a stud for taking us to this musical. At intermission, we got to go to a VIP drink party. They had hot chocolate (my favorite) and pretzels and water and chips. It was a nice little hang out. We felt pretty special being involved with the VIP's! After the show, we went and had a dance party out of Bryan's Mustang in the parking lot, so that all the traffic would die down. We danced so long that we got kicked out of the parking lot. Good times...Good times...

JETS VS. SHARKS

Me Bryan & Nichole
Bryan & Nichole

Can I say TOURIST???

2007-09-09T16:20:00.001-07:00

Washington Monument

During my week off I traveled...traveled...traveled the NATIONS CAPTIAL!! It was so much fun to yonder from here to there looking at the monuments and statues and Smithsonian buildings. I was very impressed with my self. I would wake up every morning and be out the door by 9 a.m. the latest was 10 a.m., but I wanted to take in as much as I could and get a lot of the sight seeing done. Then I would stay out until about 4 or 5. By the end of each day I was wishing that I could have had more time. Take a look at everything that I went to.....

Abe Lincoln Monument

From the top of the Washington Monument...

2007-09-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

-National Mall towards Abe Lincoln, including the WWII Memorial

-National Mall towards the National Capital

Potomic River

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

..to the Korean War Memorial..

2007-09-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

..to the Vietnam Memorial..

2007-09-09T15:53:00.001-07:00

..to the World War II Memorial..

2007-09-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

Ocean City Roadtrip

2007-09-09T06:49:00.000-07:00

Our first weekend here, my girlfriends and I rented a car to drive to Ocean City, Maryland which is about 3 hours from DC. We took the metro to the Reagan Airport to pick up our car at the Avis Car Rental. We all were running on like no sleep, so we all stayed awake to keep the driver awake. We got to the beach about 11 a.m. I seriously have a soft place in my heart for the beach. It was kind of a po-dunk town but it had a boardwalk, carnival, funnel cakes, the works... We rode the waves, layed out, and walked the boardwalk for some yummy ice cream. This day I spent a whopping $5 on ice cream. I was so bummed as I was paying for it. But it was worth every bit of it...only because it was peanut butter icecream! The best ice cream ever invented! And bytheway, the beach weather was perf!! It was in the 90's with a little breeze and the water temp was to die for!

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Nichole and I spotted a 90210 lifeguard look-a-like! He was so hot!!! Every once in a while he would run by us, and he looked so fine! Nichole and I were going to fake drowning so that he could rescue us but then we thought he might not be cool with that. So as we were going to get ice cream, I spotted this dreamy lifeguard again. And I said "Who dares me to go talk to him?". Everyone was like, DO IT DO IT. Erin said, I double-dog dare you. Of course I had to, I couldnt let my friends down. (Sidenote: Even if they said no dont do it I was going to do it anyways) So I went and talked to him. I could hardly get my words out when I was talking to him. He had a sexy accent and nice bod. We chatted like old time friends and then I had to go (because my friends were dying that I acutally went up to him) so I told him to have a good day, gave him a little wink, and then ran off.
What a day at the good old East Coast OC (Ocean City)

Where's 90210??? Can you see him?

THE INTERNSHIP

2007-09-09T06:08:00.000-07:00

I am participating in an internship for a company called Policy Impact Communications. They are a government and public relations firm that deals with FORTUNE FIVE HUNDRED COMPANIES (Companies with the big bucks $$). Two of our main clients are T-Mobile Communications and FranklinCovey. Some of our main business comes from Kongsberg/Force Protection. They sell ginormous equipment to the army. Pretty much a yellow toy tonka truck X500, to give you an estimated size on the machines. Another cool thing that Kongsberg sells is a high-tech device to put out the top of the machines that can be operated below so they can't be shot by a sniper. Few........no sweat off our backs. They only cost $$$$$$$$$$ (sorry I can't disclose that information)!
Policy Impact is in the heart of downtown DC. I take the metro to work everyday and listen to the IPOD walking to work. We work on the 6th Floor of this really nice office building. I am the receptionist. So I answer phones, schedule appointments, clean, water the plants, update the website (the Daily Digest part), and then I do anything that is asked of me :). I am really enjoying my job. I work with really nice people. My firm is LDS which was quite a shock to me when I started but, is has been great. I have loved working with everyone. The peeps in the office are; the boss, Bill (Stake President of his stake :)....), Carlie, John, Kelly, Craig, Jeff and Drew.
My work schedule is Monday through Friday 9-5 and on Friday's we usually get off early. The best part about my internship is that my second week working I had the week off!!! That meant that I got to travel the city and get familiar with it. All of the other interns were so jealous. The reason for being closed for a week was due to the slow business that happens every year at this time. All of the residents go on vacation because it is the week before school starts and just a lot of businesses take it off. I love being the recptionist because I get to listen to the FOX News ALL DAY LONG. It keeps me updated on current events. It is information that is good conversation starters. All-In-All this world is becoming corrupt!! That has been my conclusion from all of the horrible stories that I hear on the news. What a disappointment! Here are some pic's at work:

The GIRLIES...

2007-09-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

My roommates are all from the University of Utah. We are having such a fun time together. We have traveled the streets of magical Georgetown and been crazy on the metro and walked Chinatown @ mid-night and went to the Woodley Park Zoo. My roommates are Erin Anderson, Emily Smoot, Nichole Hatch, and Rebecca Valverde.

Nichole.Erin.Me.Becca.Emily @ the homemade ice cream shop

Nichole.Erin.Emily.Becca.Me on the first day of our internships

Me.Erin.Becca.Jen (another intern) @ the Woodley Park Zoo

Me.Erin in Chinatown

The Consulate Apartments

2007-09-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

My goodness you know when you have expectations and you get there and it is completely different than you imagine...and its the worst when it is worse than you imagined. Let me just say that the pictures on the internet looked modern and up to date. Well, come to find out my roommates and I got the good 'ol apartment that boys had previously resided in. Which equals dirty! (No offense boys). Now when I say dirty, I mean dirty laundry left in the rooms....shoe marks on the ceiling and wall...my roommates and I had to fix the tv (it wasnt even hooked up)...and you can't forget the alcohol in the fridge. They were the summer interns that threw huge parties. But two advantages are that we have a nice balcony and big bedrooms. Can't complain! I share a room with Erin and Emily. We have a walk-in closet and bathroom connected. I love our room! My other two roommates share a room, Nichole and Rebecca. And they share a bathroom. We are trying to make the best of it.....GO TEAM!

Apartment Building..Kitchen..TV Room..My Side of the Closet..My Bedroom

The Arrival

2007-09-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

On the morning of August 15, 2007, I flew to the Nation's Capital, Washington DC. YIPPITY DOODAH!!! It was quite the scene when I was gathering my bags from the baggage claim. I had a carry-on, my purse, and not 1...not 2...but 3 suitcases that weighed 50 lbs. each. I'm sure I looked like a goof ball. I struggled to get to the Super Shuttle, but I made it and then he took me to the Consulate Apartments.
Confession: I felt so horrible, I had the cash in my hand to tip the nice driver and I totally spaced handing it to him. So I didn't tip him! Opps....

Saying my goodbyes @ the Salt Lake Airport to Brooke & Tanner

Mom & Me