Once again, I'm going to just post pictures and captions because I'm too lazy to really write. One day I'm going to do a post that involves more than a single line of pictures going down the center of the page. But not today.
Some things I've enjoyed lately:
Doing the Nixon pose everywhere I go.
Lighting up on the mall
*Not really, guys!*
My dad being in D.C. for 24 hours.
Oatmeal. Used to hate the stuff. Now I can't get enough of it.
The jury was out for a little while, but life looks a lot different these days from when I came here twenty days ago. I arrived wide-eyed, overwhelmed and unsure about what the heck I was doing. Three weeks later, I'm wide-eyed, overwhelmed and unsure about what the heck I'm doing. But I'm starting to enter a state of normalcy, and that feels so very good. What a difference new friends, great co-workers, roommates that can cook, the new Hillsong album, and a close Subway (sandwiches) location can make.
Also, sights like this are making me feel right at home:
*Please click on this picture to get the full effect.*
I thought about cropping this. But I just... couldn't... do it.
Go A-murica!
Here's a little taste of what my days are like.
Walk five minutes to work here:
Make my fellow intern take an awkward solo shot of me in front of the capitol:
Console fellow intern when he loses his glasses and has to wear his prescription sunglasses to work:
Try to make fellow intern feel better by wearing my own sunglasses at work:
Make pancakes (eat pancakes):
Hang out at Eastern Market:
Try to look cool and read a book here:
Do touristy stuff with my roommate:
Meet Jenni for the first time, go to church with her, go to small group with her, let her family cook for me, feel like I've known her for ten years, pay her to be my friend, and thank the Lord for providing such a wonderful blessing:
My mom brought a very important milestone to my attention the other day. It was the first day that I had not called her. I think this is a pretty good gauge of my overall emotional well-being. Research (my own) has shown that there is a direct, positive correllation between the number of times I need something and the number of times I call my mother. The results of my study have concluded that things are looking up, and I'm becoming less dependent. Until I need help with the Stouffer's lasagna recipe...
I'm still learning a ton. About everything. Politics, theology, life, how to make friends with the mailroom staff in the basement... you know, everything. But other times I realize that I haven't even touched the surface of all there is to learn. It's humbling, really. But that's another post for another day...
This post is a little late, but that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about writing it. I've actually been a little nervous about how you'll respond. I hope you're ready for it. I trust you've all matured in a week. I think it is finally time. Time to tell you about the birds and the bees.
But first, Meet Mallory...
(and her giant corsage)
I've known Mallory for a very long time. We used to go to church together, and we've been through many-a children's musicals, youth group mission trips, and these days... wedding showers. When we found out Mallory was getting married, my mother and I quickly signed up to host her lingerie shower. You see, Joy (my mom) and I are getting pretty good at this. After throwing three of these in the past, we've become a well-oiled machine in the art of panty parties.
Partner in crime
We were a little surprised that my fourteen-year-old sister came up with the best idea for a lingerie shower theme. But thanks to her brilliant idea, we decided to host go with a "birds and the bees" motif. Good job, Hope. I don't even want to know when you learned about this.
We took the theme pretty literally. I've always been a bit confused about the "birds and the bees."
No, not that.
The actual saying. Here's a link if you're a sheltered nerd like me.
I can't take credit for the beautiful calligraphy on these cake balls. That would be my friend Alison.
She said she only licked one.
Adorable cookies courtesy of Lindsey, sister-of-the-bride.
If you told me I had to make one more tissue-paper ball, I think I would cry.
Real tears.
Lindsey led us all in some great games and entertainment
(which sadly, did not include an interpretive dance to a Marvin Gaye song).
Sisters + some of the loot
I'm so glad we were able to be a part of this exciting time in Mallory's life. And I'm also glad I don't have to make another tissue-paper ball for a while.
Do you have any questions about this post? Wait, nevermind. Better go ask your mom.
There are a few things I have been missing this past week. Among them: my family, Milo's, saying "y'all" without fear of judgement, and my friends. Who threw the best "American-Pride-Themed Going-Away (For Three Months) Party" I've ever attended. Please sit back and enjoy their creative talents...
Cake balls. Fruit dip. Gavel. America.
Those colors don't run.
I've never seen so many unflattering pictures in one slideshow.
Things have been a bit overwhelming since landing in the Baltimore airport last Saturday morning. Between playing basketball with Barack, helping Michelle pick out a new china pattern, and chatting about The View with Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I've been in a little over my head.
I'm kidding, of course. I would never talk about The View with Ruth. We would talk about Stephen Colbert.
The truth is, I've been pretty overwhelmed emotionally, mentally and spiritually this past week. I've been stretched, challenged and broken in ways I never thought possible. There have been a few breakdowns, and even a couple of "Wait... Where am I, and what have I done?" moments. I've kind of felt like this:
Bizarre? Yes. Fitting? Uh huh.
But for every one of these moments, there has been a divinely placed conversation/new friend/stream-in-the-desert that lets me know I am right where I need to be. The past week has been very uncomfortable at times, but also strangely refreshing. Writing a blog entry has been the last thing on my mind, and it seems like a pretty daunting task right now. There is simply so much to share. So I'm going to jump right in...
I had a great time with my parents this past weekend. Saturday we went to eat at Old Ebbitt Grill, one of the most historic restaurants on the Hill. Then we walked to the White House and saw President Obama's motorcade. No seriously, we did.
I took a picture of every single SUV. I just know he's in one of them.
Coolest dad award goes to William H. Todd, Jr.
We spent the rest of the weekend getting re-aquainted with DC, running errands, trying to keep my dad quiet in the hotel room during the Alabama and Auburn games, and spending as much time together before my parents dropped me off at my new home for the next three months.
Love my Mama.
View of the kitchen from the stairs. Skylight= the payoff of living on the fourth floor.
Kitchen and part of my bedroom. Yep, I sleep on the (very comfortable) couch. By choice.
Let's just say I'm not a fan of top bunks.
View from our balcony
Other side of street
I have two wonderful roommates. One is from California and goes to Dartmouth. She is working in the White House. The other is from Scotland and just graduated from St. Andrews. She is working in the Senate. And then there's Brittany. From Alabama. What's up, y'all?! We all come from completely different backgrounds, but we also have a lot in common. They have been extremely welcoming, and I've loved time spent with them.
Work has been great. I only live four blocks from the office, which is located in the shadows of the Supreme Court and the Senate building. I also get a pretty sweet view of the Capitol in my morning stroll. I love the people I work with, and it has been fascinating to see the legislative process in action. I now enjoy trying to work the term "amicus brief" into every conversation.
My first week in DC has flown by. I kept telling my parents before we came that I just wanted to get through the first two weeks, because I knew they would be the hardest. Well... It seems that I was right on target.
This passage in Deuteronomy has been coming to mind lately:
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. (8:2-4)
Last week feels like forty years ago. I have been humbled, I have been tested, and I have been hungry. But He has sustained. My clothes have not worn out, and my feet have not swelled. His manna has come in many forms this week, and His promises have definitely satisfied.
One form of manna: seeing this on a short afternoon walk.
I'll be back soon with more updates on happenings before I left.
Until then, I'm going to be working on a couple of amicus briefs.
