Saturday, November 24, 2012

The Last Day of our Lives


I waited in line for 3 hours to vote on Election Day this year. I went down an hour before I normally leave for work (my apartment building was my polling place). I read almost the entire time and nearly finished my book. I started it while I was in line. It’s The Walk by Robert Evans. I got it from The Book Thing in Baltimore when I was there visiting Laura. I really enjoyed the book. The characters are so down–to-earth. I haven’t enjoyed a book that much in a long while. It was my second one since I’ve lived out here that I finished cover to cover (Hunger Games was the first) and that has become a rarity since I was in middle school. It’s amazing how enjoyable reading can be when it’s not assigned homework.
Anyway, this is not about reading, it’s about the election. I voted for Romney for president. It seems like everyone in NoVa is a Democrat. Everyone at work the day after the election was rejoicing that we get to keep Obama as president. 
I think everyone is taking elections way too seriously. The world won’t end whether Obama lost or Romney lost, but a lot of people acted like it. It’s not a big deal to me because they’re both good men who are capable of leading. It all boils down to we all want the same thing, Republicans and Democrats. The difference is in how we get it, the processes. I suppose some of our definitions vary, but neither side will cause the ultimate corruption and end of our world. The media and the people will take care of that on there own. 
I don’t think there’s that much ONE man can do in a THREE-branch government in which he’s only given 4-8 years to influence. I am concerned about the direction that Obama can aim our country, laying foundation for future policy. I’m worried about this. I feel he'll give our people what we want, but are we really sure about what we want, what's good for us? Our country is increasingly focused on social issues. These issues are being reflected from historical perspective (i.e. civil rights movements and women’s suffrage). A majority of people seem to be excited about gay marriage and abortion movement and the media plays it up that way, but it’s not a movement. These issues are not about rights, they are about morals. I suppose the people back in the early 20th Century thought voting rights were a moral issues too, whether or not these people should count (women and African Americans). It will be interesting to see where our values as a country take us in the coming years.

Sisters on the Field


A couple of weekends ago, me and my roommates went to a pancake breakfast and flag football with the Relief Society sisters in our ward. It was all of us except Madie. We had so much fun. Despite the fact that all 3 Relief Society's were invited, the breakfast group was fairly small. Maybe only 25 of us were there. The flag football group was even smaller, as I'm sure you can imagine. We played 6 on 6. It was perfect because everyone got to really get into the game and be involved. I don’t usually like flag football, but that was a lot of fun with all girls. Boys are a little too serious about it most of the time so I've never enjoyed playing it before. For us, it was completely about fun, with a little good-natured competition, of course. We were all so proud of ourselves because we were running plays and they were actually working. haha! Good times. :D

Adventures in Chinatown



We went out to Chinatown for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Well, it was my first time. I went with Keenan, Brent, Ky, and Val to get Sushi. We went to Urban Outfitters on our way back. It was way different from Chinatown in San Francisco, but it was fun. It’s a big night scene for single adults. There are a lot of restaurants, shops, and a movie theater there. 

Brent and I got our sushi served on the same plate. His is the Alaskan roll with the fish eggs on top. I don't remember what mine was, something with avacado and shrimp or crab and tuna or something. I've never seen prettier sushi. SO tasty :D

Zombie Apocalypse!!!!....oh, just Halloween.

Cheap, last-minute Halloween costume= torn up clothes and make up
PERFECT!!!

My mom is such a sweetie! She loves to make holidays special for our family. She's always doing such nice things for us. This year, she sent me a little treat bag filled with our traditional Halloween caramel corn and some fun-size candy bars. 


 There was a DC area YSA Halloween dance the Friday before Halloween. I was talking with my friend from church, Karen, asking what she was going as. This was on a Tuesday, after Institute class. It was so funny because she said her and Vanessa (her roommate, my other friend) were going as zombies. She invited me to do the same and go with them. The funny thing is, that I was talking about it with Vanessa just a few moments later when I ran into her, and she said she didn't know what they were going to be yet. We planned for zombies, though I knew Vanessa wasn't too into it, but it was simple and cheap for me, so I was fine with it. Friday night, about an hour before I was supposed to meet at there apartment, Vanessa texts me and said they decided to go as Two-Face from Batman. Of course, I'd been excited all week about going as a zombie all, and I'd already ripped up one of my only T-shirts I had out here, so there was no way I was backing out on the zombie apocalypse. Dani came with us, and it was just a good time. We all looked great!



Dani was a 50's chick


Karen and Vanessa's roommate, Victoria, went as Kim Kardashian and got her friend to go with her as Kanye West. haha! She totally looks like a Kardashian. She could pass for an Armenian any day, and it's funny because she just got back in June from serving her mission there. Everyone thought she was a local.

Me and Vanessa at their apartment, Crystal Towers, before the dance

So the dance was actually up in Bethesda, Maryland. We all accidentally parted ways once we got there, and I didn't see Karen and Vanessa the whole night. I ran into Sam, and I just met a bunch of his friends and we all talked and hung out the whole time. Dani kept coming and asking me to go dance with her, but I didn't want to. I felt bad because she had wanted so badly to maximize her dance time. We left almost an hour later than I told her we would to go to the dance, and she wasn't having much fun and ended up leaving the dance about an hour after we got there. She caught a ride with some people from our ward. 

I met a lot of fun people that night. One of Sam's friends, Melanie Mitchell, is into dancing, and I’ve stayed in touch with her. We’ve gone out dancing at a place called The Salsa Room, and she’s cut my hair. That’s what she does for a living, cuts hair. I went with her to a waffle party up in Chinatown a couple of Sundays ago. She’s a great girl, and I’m so glad we’re friends. She reminds me a lot of Joan Staheli, one of my mom’s close friends back home. She looks so much like her; could easily pass for her daughter. I’m excited to go dancing with her sometime in Utah when she comes to visit home. We have black light Zumba plans here when she gets back from Thanksgiving in Utah. Can't wait!

Oh, so since I hadn't seen my girls all night, when the dance was over, and they still hadn't materialized despite my efforts to locate them multiple times, I was convinced they'd left me. haha! Come to find out after we'd been united that Karen had been up since 5am and had gone out to her car to sleep, and Vanessa was in the middle of the dance floor most of the time so I never saw her on my strolls about the perimeter, and it was too loud for her to realize I'd called. 

It was a great Halloween! :D

Monday, October 29, 2012

Marine Corps Marathon


30,000 runners registered. Mile marker 23 for the marathon was right out front of my apartment. Though Val and I had no problem crossing the street on our way to church just before 8am, I had to make a break for it to cut across them on my way back around noon. I caught a ride with my visiting teacher after we met, and she just had to drop me on Jefferson Davis since the one-way Clark street that runs alongside it, where the turnoff for my apartment building is, was filled with runners, not to mention blocked off. ;D  I hopped out of her car and onto the sidewalk where a couple of people were cheering. I started visiting with them. They’d been there a half hour. I stood with them for about 15 minutes before there was a slight clearing. I felt as though I’d get ran over. :S Betsy and Val spent 2 hours down there cheering. What troopers! I just sat in our apartment and watched the last 4 episodes of Prison Break season one.



Jefferson Memorial



The Jefferson Memorial is my favorite place in all of D.C. Oddly, I had not yet been there since moving here until Saturday. After the Navy Yard, even though it was getting late, Sam and I went over to the Jefferson. It's kind of a hike from the metro, but it really is worth it. It's outstanding, secluded from the rest of the bustle of the National Mall with all the other monuments, and right on the river. It's so serene and inspirational. We got there just after sunset.
                                      

U.S.S. Barry


Saturday we, Sam and I, went to the Navy Yard to meet up with a few of my friends from my ward. It’s over by the Nats stadium. Sam and I got super lost, so we missed the museum we were supposed to meet up at. When we finally caught up with them, we were able to tour the U.S. S. Barry all together. It was pretty cool. The guys were in heaven. Haha!
U.S.S. Barry

Sam and I finally making our way over to the ship.


Sam wanted a picture with the boat. Such a guy! ;D

The Nats Stadium. I love all the baseballs lining the outside. Creative.
Didn't make it to a game this season :/