"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty"

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty" is one of the many beautiful quotes that I read this week at the Library of Congress. That is a place that I would highly recommend to anyone to visit in their life at least once. Kiera, Michaelann, and I visited the Library on Friday for the first time. We were there at the end of the day, so there weren't many people there. It was so beautiful! It was overwhelming! There are quotes everywhere you look, on the ceilings and walls. There are murals everywhere and even the floors are pretty! It was very cool!
We spent most of the time just wandering trying to take it all in!
I also got to see where National Treasure was filmed! It is in a big "reading room" that you can't go into unless you have a card and something to research. But you can look into it, from a balcony. Next goal is to come up with something to research and go there.





Besides the Library of Congress we also went to the capitol this week. A friend in our ward gives tours so he was able to take us in. It is so incredible to be in a place that has influenced the lives of people all over the world! It was very cool to see where everything happens politically in our country. Every time I go to these new places I am reminded how blessed we are to have this country!








After the tour we went to a Nationals Baseball game! It was the perfect way to finish the day. It was a very warm night, but it didn't matter. We were almost at the top, but there was lots of room because it wasn't very full. They were playing the Mariners, which is funny because I have only been to one other pro baseball game and it was in Seattle. It was fun to cheer them on here though. I added another large free t-shirt to my collection there though! We went with a fun group of friends in our ward too. It was a good night.









The other fun thing we did this week is we went back to my favorite place- Alexandria! We went to the La Madeline, because Laurie told me it was to die for. It is. It is this cute french restaurant, not badly priced, and we ate outside and loved it! It is fun to live in a big city, but I'm starting to miss the smaller city feel. Alexandria is slower paced, and gives us a fresh breath of air, when we start to feel claustrophobic. My roommate Kiera said it perfectly, she wishes she could put it in a jar and open the jar whenever she is sad. Ha!
Other than these adventures, I worked, we finally made some chocolate chip cookies, went to institute and also found the airplane park. It is a park nearby that planes fly right over as they land or take off. Awesome.
Work was slightly better this week. I still have issues with the way the class is run. It is very authoritarian, and I have a hard time with that. I have however started to do things how I would when I can. I have made some progress with some kids, with earning some respect, but there is much to gain still. I also was able to talk to my teacher about speech therapy. I was able to tell her some observations on some kids that I had. She was impressed which gained some respect from her. That was really good. She is also very happy to help me get with the speech therapist, or let me work with individual kids. I was able to find out more about a few kids as well. One, for instance, that I have been worried about, has been suggested to have tests done, but the mother won't allow it. It made me realize that my teacher is aware of her struggles, and there is more to the stories than I see. I have also been observing a boy that doesn't seem to comprehend things very well, and I always had to repeat what I needed him to do multiple times. I found out that he is hard of hearing. Now that I know this I am able to use some of my sign language and speak slower and clearer to him. This has helped a ton! It is fun to use some of the skills that I have learned. I hope that I can talk to the speech therapist soon to get suggestions on how I can implement therapy in the classroom. I am excited to do this!

Navy Seal Challenge and Holy Eucharist.

This has been a very busy, crazy, new, adventurous week!
Monday- A girl in my class told me her mom hit her with a bat. That was the first of many things I heard. It has really peaked my attention and I'm keeping my eye on it, but wow. That is not something you ever want to hear.
Tuesday- I went to work, and then we finished up the rest of the Natural History Museum. We finished seeing the mammals exhibit and the Hope diamond.
Wednesday- After work we adventured over to Georgetown. We walked around for a while. It was a very nice area. It would a fun place to go shopping, get dinner and walk around. We saw the canal there as well. The water is disgusting in the Potomac though.









Thursday- Really GREAT day! We had the pleasure of going on a field trip with our kids! We went to the National Aquarium in Baltimore! First off, Baltimore is going to be visited again, because it was a great place. The bus ride was about an hour long, which was fun , but exhausting for the kids. They were all really excited about riding the bus. One girl when we got there, turned to me and said "that was a fun field trip!" We hadn't even been inside yet! I had two boys in both hands. The rule was that they always had to hold our hands. The kids were so excited to see everything! I loved seeing their faces light up, and watch them jump around like crazy. We got to see jelly fish, fish, turtles, alligators, sharks, stingrays and the best part, DOLPHINS! We watched a dolphin show that was pretty awesome! The kids were clapping and screaming they were so excited watching them jump and everything.
The ride home was fun, I had one of the kids fall asleep on my lap. They were so tired. Although it was fun, it was tiring so once we got home we wanted to relax. Sarah and I got lost for an hour though after getting my TB test checked. That was interesting. The roads here are so confusing! I fell asleep that night at 9:30. I woke up to a massive thunder and lightning storm around midnight though. The weather this whole week has been slightly stormy, but not as hot.

Friday- Since I had gone to bed so early I woke up around 7:30. So I got up and finished watching the movie I had fallen asleep to. Then went to the gym, then layed by the pool. It was a great morning. After eating some lunch we headed to the National Mall to go see the Archives. It is so incredible to learn about the inspired documents our country is founded on. We also finished up the Air and Space Museum. That night Sarah and I went on a walk on the beautiful Mt. Vernon trail. We were looking for a cool park, apparently we have a knack for getting lost, because we never found it.
Saturday- For Jumpstart we volunteered to help at a Navy Seals Challenge. It was Howard University. The challenge included running, swimming, pull ups, push ups, and curl ups. "They were not recruiting" but pretty much they were so all the men were young college guys. I was put on the cheer squad to cheer them on. Not a bad morning. After that we joined up with some friends and went to the National Zoo. It was really muggy outside, but the zoo was really cool. We got to see a lot of different stuff, including a Giant Panda! We then went back and had a pizza party and got shakes at chick-fil-a ( a new favorite a couple blocks away). After being re energized we went to THE mall and walked and sat around the monuments. It was a really relaxing night. I still can't get over the fact that I can do that whenever I want!












Sunday- It was Father's Day! Happy Father's day to my wonderful dad! At 11:15 the National Cathedral holds Holy Eucharist. We decided this could be a pretty cool way to see the cathedral and get a taste for how other people worship. It was incredible! The building is huge, and beautiful! The actual service was very interesting, and very different than what I am used to. It was Trinity Sunday so they focused on the Trinity mostly. That being one thing that I do not agree with, was interesting to learn more about. The man who gave the sermon was a very good speaker. I would love to hear his other sermons. It was obvious that he had studied this for a long time, and that he loved it. He also really emphasized that God loves all of us. It was interesting to see the truths that we both share, and where the fullness of the Gospel has helped fill in gaps and answer questions. I am grateful that I know who God and His Son Jesus Christ are, and that I know that I am His child. I love the gospel. I was really grateful for the experience! I then went to my own ward. I was sustained for a calling with out being given the call, which was kinda funny, but it is nice to be apart of the ward so quickly.

First week on the job...

This week has been interesting. Talk about being out of my element. To paint a picture I work in a part of town where as soon as I get off the metro I am a minority. Never have I been in a situation like this before. It is a great feeling actually. I have never felt threatened, however it is a place I have to keep my bag close and always be watching. I work from 8 am until 4pm Monday through Wednesday and get off at 3pm on Thursdays. I work at a preschool with children from low income families. The hardships that some of these children face, are incredibly challenging to hear. Some kids come from loving parents, but they work a lot in order to put food on the table. Other kids come from homes that the parents don't seem to want them. Some come from abusive homes, either verbal, emotional or physical. The teacher had to interrogate a girl about a big bruise on her cheek this week. The girl wouldn't say anything. I also had a little boy crawl into my lap, put his thumb in his mouth then grab my arms and pull them around him as tight as they could. It broke my heart that this child needed this much love from a complete stranger. To make it worse, he told me things about home, that I don't know if they were true, but no four year old child should know about. I've had some kids swear at me, and talk back to me. I also played a whole different version of "house" than I have ever before. Whenever the phone rings its always the police. Instead of cooing the baby the little girls yell at it to shut up. It is so different. The teachers mostly come from this same culture and use intimidation, yelling, and fear to get the kids to do anything. It goes against everything I know and have been taught, yet it is the culture that they grew up in. It has been challenging.
However on the other side, there is nothing better than spending hours each day with children. Their energy, although exhausting is exciting. They LOVE Jumpstart, and love to spend time with us. There is nothing better in the whole world than a 3-4 year old running up to you and giving a big hug, or holding your hand or just resting their hand on your knee as you sit with them. They are so full of love and so willing to give it away. They are also so desperate for love and attention. Most of the kids love to read. They love to sit down and read books with me. It has been so wonderful for that reason. I have also been able to pin point different speech disorders that I am working on getting addressed, to see what I can do to help. I hope that I can do something to help at least one of the kids. Even if it is just love and support.
Besides work, we have tried to get out and continue our adventures around DC. We went to Alexandria again and found this great deal on Baskin Robbins ice cream. It was a very nice relaxing day. It was also extremely hot this week, so we tried to remain inside as much as possible. On Wednesday we went to the Old Post Office. The view was incredible from the top! You could see all of D.C.! Sarah, Kiera, Nick and I then went to the White House. We just stood outside the gates and looked at it, but it was still really cool! We hope to get a tour inside soon. I just can't believe that I get the opportunity to be here and see things like this on a daily basis!
On Thursday we ended up sitting by the pool and hanging out. On Friday we got up really early and left for North Carolina! We stopped at Williamsburg first and went to the bakery there. It was pretty cool. The best part was after when we went to Virginia Beach. It was like the beaches in movies, much different than the Oregon Coast. It was HOT and people were walking around in swim suits and actually swimming in the ocean! I could hardly contain myself and ran right in as fast as I could. I'm afraid that it washed all my sunscreen off though, because I got pretty burned. The Atlantic ocean was the perfect temperature for the heat and we spent a good time swimming in it. We then went to Chick-fil-a for a "southern" meal and headed on our way. We met up with my aunt Marianne and Uncle Randall and Cecily once we got to Winston-Salem. I spent that night and Saturday with them.
We spent Saturday at an old plantation home, getting the yummiest cupcakes at a bakery called Tizzerts. We then got dinner at Big Daddies Burgers. They were delicious! I tried my first fried pickles there, and they were pretty tasty! The best part of the whole time was spending time with family and seeing Cecily, my new cousin. She is adorable! It was great to see them! Today we got up early and left for home in D.C. It was another 5 hours but we made it home for church. After church we had a new ward member dinner and got to meet people in the ward including the bishop. Then we had a dessert party at another friend in the wards apt.
It was a very busy week, and there is alot here. I want to make sure I get it all in though so that I don't forget! I am buying a journal of some sort tomorrow to start writing everything down, to keep record of it. Anyways it was a great first week of work, and I can't wait for more!

Jumpstart and George Washington

Well folks, it was a crazy week! I barely have time to rest or sleep! It has been really great though! Thursday I got to go to the Preschool that I will work at all summer. It was a decent place, but the kids were so cute! I will work with 16 four year olds! They are so cute. The place that I work is in an area that is more inner city, and all of the kids come from low income families. Most are black, with a couple hispanic or mixed races. I'm working with one of my roommates in one classroom. As soon as we walked in the room we were being hugged. All the kids wanted to give us a hug or hold our hands. We sat down and joined in their circle time. I had kids fighting to sit on my lap, or hold my hand. These kids are so starved for positive attention. I can't believe I get to work with them for the next couple months! I have so much to learn from them. I start officially tomorrow.
Training lasted all week, but is finally done. I met some fun people from Howard University however so training wasn't as bad the last few days. We were invited to go to parties on U St. or to their dorm parties from a few of the guys haha. Too bad that isn't our scene. U Street by the way was the only street that blacks could go to restaurants, movie theaters etc. It has a lot of historical value. The parties however are different than at BYU.
Thursday night we joined up with some friends and went to the National History Museum. We saw many different things there, such as
We then journeyed over to the Jefferson Memorial. It took us almost an hour to find it. It was a long walk, but very pretty and definitely worth it! I loved the quotes that are there. They are on my facebook album if you want to see them. :) I loved them though because they mentioned God. It is incredible to me how much all the founding fathers and early leaders of the USA all turned to God, knew his power and influence and loved him. I love hearing their thoughts on it. I wish everyone could be reminded as to where we should be turning, just as they did. Our wonderful country would be in a much better position.
Friday night we went to Old Town Alexandria. It was AMAZING!!! I loved every moment we were there. We rode a street trolley through the town to the water front. We then went to a Christmas shop that was super cute! Then we found cobble street roads! They were the original streets and were lined with old colonial townhomes. It was perfect. We enjoyed walking along the water front. We then walked back along King street not wanting to be out too late. That's when we had a terrifying moment. It doesn't sound as scary, but it was. We were on the Metro heading back, there were only a few of us on the train. One man however was not happy with us for whatever reason. He sat there glaring at us. The face he was giving us was a look that I have never seen anyone give me before. It was pure hate. He flipped us off for a good couple minutes as well, never looking away. We didn't feel safe and needed to leave. The next stop was not ours but we decided to get off anyway. He was right by the door so we had to run. He called after us but never got off. We ran as fast as we could towards the metro kiosk. The man working was out as fast as he could to make sure we were okay, which was very nice. I'm sure we were all white in the face, and kept looking behind us. We got on the next train and hurried home. It scared us all pretty bad. I couldn't stop seeing his face all night. We were kept protected though, and I don't know what his issue was, but I'm glad that we didn't find out.
On Saturday I got up, went to the gym, then layed by the pool. It was great. We then went to Mt. Vernon. It was a perfect day as far as the weather, so it was great to be out in the sun. Mt. Vernon was really interesting. I think George Washington was inspired, and born at that time to lead our country. There are very few men who hold all the characteristics that he did. We had a lot of fun!
I am thoroughly enjoying every moment in D.C. It has been a great adventure so far, and I can't wait for the rest!

Picture Proof!

I finally got all my pics on my computer! Here they are!