First Day at Work

Today was my first day at work! It was amazing; I work in an incredible office building on Capitol Hill. I was able to meet everyone in my office and find out my duties as a Congressional Policy Intern.

This photo is the inside rotunda in the front where you walk in. It almost takes your breath away when you are down inside it and look up.

The day was busy and very exciting. I know this is going to be a great semester and I will learn so so much! Remember, I will be giving personal Congressional Capitol Tours up here as part of my duties – so if you are anyone you know needs a fantastic capitol tour, shoot me an email!

Two More SITES to SEE!

The National Museum of the American Indian

I was able to visit the National Museum of the American Indian. It was nice, but not as extensive as I had thought. My roommates and I were slightly disappointed. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of artifacts and lots of information, but it wasn't as extensive as we had hoped.

The Washington Monument

When we were able to view the Washington Monument, I was very excited. I did not know that we could take the elevator to the top and get a view through the lookout.

I went with my roommate Joseph, and we loved it! The views were intense to say the least - we could see everything! It was amazing! We could see all the famous landmarks, the Whitehouse, the Lincoln Memorial, and much more! If you came to Washington D.C. and you only had a day, the Washington Memorial is a must. It lets you see, from a distance, so much our Nation’s Capitol.

Some Serious Biking

Arlington National Cemetery and Mount Vernon

Thankfully, the weather has been nice and I have been able to ride my bike. The biking around this area is so incredible because of the diverse and unending surroundings.

The first bike trip I made was to Arlington National Cemetery. Though you cannot take your bike within the cemetery, you can ride the perimeter – which gives you some spectacular views!

The second bike trip I made was, so far, the longest – and also the best! I did a 32 mile round-trip ride to Mt. Vernon. This ride was amazing because of the perfect bike trails and the scenery. The trails consist of a paved double lane for people on bikes or runners/walkers. These trails are ideal because they have so many access points, don’t interfere with highway traffic, and are located along the Potomac River and other scenic areas.

When I arrived at Mt. Vernon, I took a break and walked around the grounds of George

Washington’s Estate. It was beautiful! Mt. Vernon is a must see spot for anyone who is traveling

through this area.

After walking around and checking things out, I set off for home. The ride back was much nicer because it was mostly downhill and I made significant gains in speed. Overall it was a perfect workout, a beautiful ride, and a great way to see the sites!

Checking out the Area

The last couple of days have been fantastic, and because the weather has predominately been so agreeable, my fellow interns and I have taken advantage of it. We have seen so many wonderful, amazing, and historic sites and even met and read about some incredible and fascinating people. So I am listing where I have traveled and what I did:

The National Mall: For those of you who might not know, the National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington D.C. which includes some of the most incredible historical sites in the world. On my first full day in D.C. two fellow interns and I myself ventured out to visit the National Archives and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. I actually was able to view the original Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and even more… It was amazing to see the paper and the signatures of the brave men who wrote our founding documents. I was literally in awe at the power of what they wrote, its meaning, and how brilliant our founders truly were. When we had finished viewing the national archives, we ventured into the Natural History Museum. We were able to see the Hope Diamond – it took my breath away –

Afterwards, we sat down for lunch at a tasty café next to the National Mall and right next to the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. It was an amazingly warm day, so we ate outside – a great way to enjoy our lunch…

Finally, we set out for home. We were all starting to get tired and headed back to the Metro. However, before we arrived, we passed by the United States Botanical Gardens, and just had to peep inside.

and…

WOW – BY FAR, it is definitely one of my top favorites! The greenhouses, brilliant colors, plants, waterfalls, smells, the sights – ALL OF IT – it was truly eye opening and I really admired the work, effort, care, and design that went into it. I hope one day to be able to plant my gardens so well…

I am definately planning to return to the Botanical Gardens for some serious rest, relaxation, and reflection.

The Drive

The drive up was not so bad…until the end. I started in La Grange, and left approximately at 8:30 a.m. I picked up Austin in Fort Worth and we drove to Texarkana, TX. In Texarkana, we ate our last tasty Texas Steak, at none other than The Texas Roadhouse – oh so good… and oh how I miss Texas!

We continued on through the rest of the night…we only stopped for gas, drinks, and to use the bathroom. To save money, and to get to D.C. faster, we alternated driving. I drove a couple hours, while he rested, and then we switched – he drove a couple hours while I rested. It worked out great in the beginning…but towards the end, while we were driving through Virginia, it was very hard. We were both so tried, and had all the coffee we could handle; however, we manned-up and drove on!

Though driving the last stretch was hard (we were so close yet so far away) I must tell you how incredible the landscape of Virginia was. The mountains were so magnificent and never-ending. We saw some of the most awe-inspiring sites of nature at its best, and it was even more amazing when we drove through the Shenandoah National Park. So yes, Virginia is definitely one my top favorite states – but still way below TEXAS!
As the slow Tuesday sun rose above the mountains, we drove on and on towards Arlington, VA. When we neared our final destination, Austin and I suddenly had a “fifth wind” and were very excited. We took the highway right into the heart of Arlington where we saw the Pentagon (which looked like a fortress), the Washington Monument (that jutted right out of the ground), the banks of the Potomac river, and so much more. In a few minutes we had arrived at our new home – The Buchanan. We had driven 1603 miles, our moving average was 65.9 miles/hour, and our total time moving was 24 hours 18 minutes and 52 seconds.

Leaving Texas and Saying Goodbye

On Monday, January 7, 2008, I had the car loaded down, gassed up, and ready to roll for the long trip to Washington D.C. Dad had done a full check on the car to make sure everything was safe and ready for the long journey. I had said my goodbyes to the family, and had just finished a tasty breakfast at Frank’s Place in La Grange with my sister – it was delicious, I was energize, and ready to go!

I had previously posted on the Aggies in D.C. Listserve (a listserve for our small group that would be working in D.C.) that if anyone needed a ride up to Washington, I would be able to take one person and their luggage…I got a call from one of my roommates, Austin.

He wasn’t locked-in for a plane ticket, and I didn’t want to dive alone by myself – so, I drove to Fort Worth, TX and picked him up. Needless to say, that little car was packed as full as I could get, but when I arrived at Austin’s house, he, his dad, his mom, and I filled the car even more full. To make more room for space, we stuck a bike rack on the back trunk and loaded our bikes up…this gave us more room inside the car – which we greatly needed…and then we started driving…

...and driving

...

Getting set to leave for D.C. - and the things I will miss...

All my papers, projects, and finals have been completed. It was a GREAT and memorable semester. In short, the hard work and the long hours of reading and studying have paid off. It was probably my most difficult semester; so much to do, so little rest, and the constant drumbeat of “work, work, work, and work some more,” still echoes in my mind! Don’t get me wrong I am not complaining, but you should know it was tough, but totally worth it.

In fact, one of the highlights of the semester was that a colleague and I were allowed to teach a lecture for an undergraduate class. It was my first time to ever do this – and I loved it! It took a lot of research, preparation, and time for us to organize our lecture. I never knew so much was involved with just a single lesson plan. It gave me, as well as all my colleagues, a greater appreciation for the work involved with education. I definitely wouldn’t mind teaching again in the future.

These last couple of days I have been steadily working on getting things together for the long drive up to D.C. Almost everything is packed, the car is ready to roll, and we are all saying our goodbyes.

I sat down today and really thought hard about all the people and things I will miss, and in many cases there is so much I am already missing.

Thus, I will take this moment to list some of these things:

My family and friends – yes that means YOU; Gypsy – my beautiful and loyal Brittany Spaniel and all our other animals; TEXAS in all her glory; College Station; Working in my garden; Our family farm and ranch where I’ve spent countless hours in the outdoors - hiking the deep woods, fishing and kayaking in Rabbs creek, hunting in the bottom-land, and enjoying the serenity of the Texas landscape; Blue Bell Ice Cream – they tell me it isn’t up north… yet; Weikel’s Bakery; the many Texas Dance Halls we all know so well, and my John Deere.