The Whole ShA-bAnG

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

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

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

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

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...

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