I have so many mixed emotions right now! I have only 12 more days left here in D.C. before I leave for Cincinnati and then Portland! I am getting really excited to go home and see friends and family. I am also really excited to get back to regular life. I miss my car, and being able to go grocery shopping when I need to with a car. I miss having space. Not that I don't like people but I am looking forward to having some open space around me. AND I can't wait for less humidity. Although on the other side I am so sad to be leaving! I have loved it here! I love being so close to all these fun places to see. I still love looking out the window while I'm at the gym and seeing the Washington Monument in the distance. Or when we ride the yellow line to work and it crosses the Potomac and you can see the capitol and monuments and everything. I will really miss all of this. I also will miss my kids. I LOVE them. I am not sure how much help I have been able to give them, besides just loving them. I have worked with one kid for the last week with some speech stuff, but other than that it just hasn't been enough time to do a lot of it. So I have had to accept that love is the best thing that I could give them. I just can't say how much I love these kids though. They are so precious and full of love. They are so willing to give love too, I have learned a lot from them and the other people I have worked with.
Well the last two weeks have been pretty good! I didn't do much last weekend besides work on a project for work. It was about 110 degrees last weekend with humidity so we stayed inside most of the time. This last week we realized that we only had a couple weeks left though so we made sure to get out a lot. Thursday we went to Alexandria again. It has been my favorite place so far. Nick, Kiera and I all went in the evening. Kiera and I also brought jars to fill with our favorite things from Alexandria. Haha. We first went to Ben and Jerry's because they have a happy hour ice cream deal. We all got a scoop for a dollar and sat on the pier and ate it. We got a flyer for the deal and put it in our jars. Then we went to the Christmas Attic. I LOVE this shop. It just makes me happy to see all Christmas stuff. I bought an ornament from there as a souvenir. Then we walked around the waterfront. We put sand and driftwood in our jars. Then we walked to the candy shop. We got some chocolate chip cookie taffy and put it in the jar. We also got a small pebble from the cobblestone roads there and put it in our jar. Then we walked past the La Madeline which is delicious. We got a flyer from there and put it in our jars. Then sealed them up! It was really fun.
Friday I went to work to help with graduation. Some of the kids in the older classes were graduating and going to Kindergarten. They needed some extra help so I went to see what I could do. I couldn't help stopping in my classroom to say hi though. They were so surprised to see me in a dress and told me that I looked pretty. I just love being around these kids! Graduation was pretty good. It is hard to sit through any graduation and this wasn't much different but I was glad I could help. Kiera and I then went to DuPont's circle to see what it was. Then we went to the National Gallery of Art. I saw some Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh and Picasso, and more. It was cool to see once. We then went through the sculpture garden and to the American History Museum. We finished the war exhibit. It made me very grateful for all the men and women who have sacrificed everything for the freedom that I take for granted. I had been complaining a couple days before about not feeling appreciated. The administration at my school canceled an event that we had been planning for weeks. It was very inconsiderate and it made us all feel very unappreciated. My roomates and I spent the night talking about how upset and hard it was to deal with. The next morning we got on the metro and a man in a military uniform looked over at us. Very genuinely he turned to us and thanked us for our service. Here was a man who had volunteered to fight for the rest of us and give his life if needed, and he was thanking us for our service. It was a good reminder to me that I have a Heavenly Father who knows me and loves me. I didn't pray for it, but he knew what I needed to hear. I know that He loves me. We thanked the man and told him how much it meant to us, and thanked him for his service. He then gave us a pep talk to encourage us to keep going. It was a really nice.
After this experience and then going through the war exhibit I can't help but feel like it was stupid to feel unappreciated. I am not risking my life to save someone else. I am working with children all day long. That just doesn't seem like much of a sacrifice anymore. I am blessed to work with them and just love them.
This is a really long post, but a lot happened this week. Saturday I went to Gettysburg, Philadelphia, and Valley Forge. We left early in the morning. Nick drove us. We went to Gettysburg first. It was a very pretty place. Obviously a little sobering since so many men had died there. I can't imagine what that would have been like. We then went to Philly. I thought that I had gotten tickets to Independence Hall but apparently it didn't work. So we got to see the outside of it. We did get to see the Liberty bell though. We also saw a Quaker church, Ben Franklin's grave sight, and the town hall which was home to the Supreme court for a while. It was fun to see Philadelphia and some of those things. We then went to Valley Forge. It was pretty cool. I was tired and had seen enough open fields for the day, but it was cool to see Washington's headquarters. I touched the original banister that Washington would have used. We then got some dinner at Boston Market and went home. It was a very full day of driving and sight seeing, but it was enjoyable. It was Michaelann, Kiera, Michelle and Nick. They are all so great that no matter what we do we have fun.
This is my last full week here. I have some stuff planned, and things to do before I leave so I should be pretty busy. I am looking forward to having life slow down again though.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Harry Potter and Baltimore!
This week marked the end of an era for me! Harry Potter officially came to a close. It was a very weird feeling. It may sound really dramatic, but I grew up with Harry Potter, I was 11 when I read the first book and just continued to grow up with him. The books finished when I was about 17, same as him. The movies kept everything going still until this weekend. It is officially over. The good thing is that you can still read those books and you fall straight back into the world of Hogwarts, and Harry Potter. This movie was fantastic though! Although they changed some things that I liked from the book, the changes still got the same emotions, and story through. I was crying and laughing most of the time. I thought this one was the best as far as getting the emotions of the characters through. They didn't hold back on showing the severity of the situation to make it a kids movie, which I appreciated, even though it made it hard to watch. I loved it though, and I want to go see it again!
The day after was a slow, relaxing day. It was really nice. The weather was also really nice.
Saturday we decided to go to Baltimore. We rented a car for the day and headed up there. It was really fun. We went to the Harbor first. We ate lunch there and enjoyed the view. We then took a free walking tour of Baltimore. It was just Kiera, Michelle, Michaelann and I on the tour so we ended up with a personal tour guide. It was about a mile and a half walk, and the weather was great! We got to see Little Italy, City Hall, the Harbor some more, and learn about the history of Baltimore.
After the tour we went to Fort McHenry. This is the place that the Battle of Baltimore happened in the War of 1812. They were defending Baltimore against the British Navy. All through the night bombs were flying, but they never gave up. The people of Baltimore stood on the rooftops, or looked out their top windows watching. In the morning the bombs stopped. The people waited to see through the morning light, which flag would be raised. The Star Spangled Banner was raised. Francis Scott Key was watching this and was compelled to write the Star Spangled Banner because of the courage, and endurance of the American Spirit that night. It was very cool to see. The flag that flies there is the same size as the original that flew. It is huge! It was also a beautiful view of the Harbor!
We then went to the creepiest cemetery I have ever been. I was so happy when we finally left. It was where Edgar Allan Poe was buried. We then went to find his house. I honestly didn't care that much, but my roommates did. It was in a super sketchy area though so we left.
After that we drove back down to Washington D.C. We went to the temple on our way back. The temple is closed, but we went to the visitor center. I love the temple! It is such a beautiful place, and can fill you with happiness! I enjoyed being there alot. After the temple we decided while we have a car we should go to Target to get groceries. It was a very busy, full day. I was exhausted. The roads are really confusing around here, and it took a lot of concentration and stress trying to figure it all out, and parking and everything. I am glad that the metro gets us most places.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Running through rain, and the Dalai Lama
So this week was actually pretty long. My kids really struggled this week, probably due to the long weekend. I was flipped off by a 4 year old! I didn't even know what that meant at 4, but she deliberately did! I was so shocked I didn't even know what to do! We also went on a field trip this week. Field trips should be fun, this one was extremely stressful. We went to the Dept of Education. They invited a couple schools to read to them, and play games with them. Honestly it seemed more of a publicity stunt. They had Kareem Abdul Jabar there read a book, Miss America as well as the U.S. Secretary of Education and another cabinet member. It was cool as adults to see them, but it went right over the kids' heads. The kids were going crazy and didn't want to sit and listen, when there was a huge room to run in. The games were really hard for the kids to do as well. This made it really stressful and hard to keep track of our kids. Other than that it was okay. They all left with snacks and a free book!
I was definitely done by Thursday though. I was exhausted! Kiera and I decided to go to Target to get some groceries. It is a mile and a half walk to Target, so it is a good workout and a nice walk. We then just hung our that night, and went to bed early.
Friday we got to sleep in. I went to the gym and read. After lunch Kiera and I decided to go to Arlington National Cemetery. We were there for Memorial day but hadn't gone back so we decided to do it again. It is HUGE! We went to Robert E. Lee's home, walked around a little, and then went to the Iwo Jima Memorial. We were kinda tired still. And it started raining. At one point on the way back from the Iwo Jima Memorial, we would stop under trees while it poured and then when it stopped we would run to the next. At one point we were sprinting past these Army men who had umbrellas to get to the metro. It was fun to run in the rain. The Iwo Jima memorial was worth seeing, it is huge and a powerful image. The Arlington House is boring though.
We then went back and went to the store to get some stuff for a Harry Potter party! On our way to the store an old little Asian lady came up and asked if I could help escort her across the road. Of course I would help. She then proceeded to tell me how crazy cars are here, and I was starting to sense a little crazy in her. She was looking for the Foreign Currency Exchange. We told her that it was in the mall and that we could take her there. She was very concerned about the address, and didn't believe that she was in the right place. I started to get a little concerned. I thought some small talk would be good so I asked her where she was from. "Asia". Ok well I got that much. She couldn't speak English super well, but well enough, and looked Asian. So I asked her where in Asia, since it is a very large area. She then whispered, " Can you keep a secret?" I just decided not to go there. Haha, we eventually found what she was looking for and continued on. It was pretty funny.
Then we had our Harry Potter party. Nick came over to join us. We attempted to make butter beer but it didn't work. So instead we had Licorice wands, jelly beans, "chocolate snitches" (oreo truffles) and "chocolate frogs" (Hershey kisses with cards Kiera made). It was really fun!
Saturday was an early morning. We got up early to go see the Dalai Lama speak on the Capitol lawn. He was here doing a World Peace Talk. Whoopi Goldberg was also there to ask him questions. It was very interesting. It was a very "hippyish" event. I was happy that I sorta fit in with my Chaco sandals but I wished I had been wearing my tie dye shirt. It was very hot outside, and I had a hard time understanding him which made it hard to focus. I was able to hear a few things that I liked though. The first was that he said that "Everyone is born with the right to be happy." I like that a lot. Because being happy is a choice, and sometimes it is harder to be happier than other times, but you can always be happy if you choose to be. It is our right as human beings. The other thing that he said is that in order to have world peace we all need to have inner peace. He said that if you have inner peace than you will be able to pass it on, and it will ripple out. "Real beauty is inner beauty". He spoke very informally which came across as choppy, but other than that it was very nice.
We then went to the Holocaust Museum. I had heard it was emotionally and spiritually exhausting and was very worried I wouldn't be able to handle it. They have you take an ID card when you get on the elevator. They then take you up to the top floor and you work your way down. You start by getting off looking at a picture an American soldier took of the horrors they encountered. It was a horrifying picture, none that I hadn't seen already from the Holocaust, but I figured it was going to hard, if that's how it started. It however wasn't anything I hadn't seen already in school. I purposefully did not watch any of the videos that said "viewer discretion advised" though. I could get the same message out of reading about it. I didn't need an image engrained in my mind too. It took us 4 hours to go through the whole thing. It was full of information and was very interesting. I came out of it in awe at how human beings could allow it to have happened. I just can't understand how so many soldiers willingly shot an innocent child, or mother, or father. It was horrifying to think about. The sad thing though is that it still went on. There is still genocide in Africa and Bosnia. Americans even years after this, still didn't understand and treated Black's horribly. How have we all not learned? I even see it in my class. Other children finding reason to put other children below them. For whatever reason. It is horrible. I wish people could see that every time we discriminate against another person, for whatever reason, even though we are not killing them, discrimination is where it all starts.
On that happy note, there are things we can do. We can start with inner peace and love for our God, ourselves, and our neighbors. If we can see everyone as God sees them, then we will have a happy, peaceful world.
I was definitely done by Thursday though. I was exhausted! Kiera and I decided to go to Target to get some groceries. It is a mile and a half walk to Target, so it is a good workout and a nice walk. We then just hung our that night, and went to bed early.
Friday we got to sleep in. I went to the gym and read. After lunch Kiera and I decided to go to Arlington National Cemetery. We were there for Memorial day but hadn't gone back so we decided to do it again. It is HUGE! We went to Robert E. Lee's home, walked around a little, and then went to the Iwo Jima Memorial. We were kinda tired still. And it started raining. At one point on the way back from the Iwo Jima Memorial, we would stop under trees while it poured and then when it stopped we would run to the next. At one point we were sprinting past these Army men who had umbrellas to get to the metro. It was fun to run in the rain. The Iwo Jima memorial was worth seeing, it is huge and a powerful image. The Arlington House is boring though.
We then went back and went to the store to get some stuff for a Harry Potter party! On our way to the store an old little Asian lady came up and asked if I could help escort her across the road. Of course I would help. She then proceeded to tell me how crazy cars are here, and I was starting to sense a little crazy in her. She was looking for the Foreign Currency Exchange. We told her that it was in the mall and that we could take her there. She was very concerned about the address, and didn't believe that she was in the right place. I started to get a little concerned. I thought some small talk would be good so I asked her where she was from. "Asia". Ok well I got that much. She couldn't speak English super well, but well enough, and looked Asian. So I asked her where in Asia, since it is a very large area. She then whispered, " Can you keep a secret?" I just decided not to go there. Haha, we eventually found what she was looking for and continued on. It was pretty funny.
Then we had our Harry Potter party. Nick came over to join us. We attempted to make butter beer but it didn't work. So instead we had Licorice wands, jelly beans, "chocolate snitches" (oreo truffles) and "chocolate frogs" (Hershey kisses with cards Kiera made). It was really fun!
Saturday was an early morning. We got up early to go see the Dalai Lama speak on the Capitol lawn. He was here doing a World Peace Talk. Whoopi Goldberg was also there to ask him questions. It was very interesting. It was a very "hippyish" event. I was happy that I sorta fit in with my Chaco sandals but I wished I had been wearing my tie dye shirt. It was very hot outside, and I had a hard time understanding him which made it hard to focus. I was able to hear a few things that I liked though. The first was that he said that "Everyone is born with the right to be happy." I like that a lot. Because being happy is a choice, and sometimes it is harder to be happier than other times, but you can always be happy if you choose to be. It is our right as human beings. The other thing that he said is that in order to have world peace we all need to have inner peace. He said that if you have inner peace than you will be able to pass it on, and it will ripple out. "Real beauty is inner beauty". He spoke very informally which came across as choppy, but other than that it was very nice.
We then went to the Holocaust Museum. I had heard it was emotionally and spiritually exhausting and was very worried I wouldn't be able to handle it. They have you take an ID card when you get on the elevator. They then take you up to the top floor and you work your way down. You start by getting off looking at a picture an American soldier took of the horrors they encountered. It was a horrifying picture, none that I hadn't seen already from the Holocaust, but I figured it was going to hard, if that's how it started. It however wasn't anything I hadn't seen already in school. I purposefully did not watch any of the videos that said "viewer discretion advised" though. I could get the same message out of reading about it. I didn't need an image engrained in my mind too. It took us 4 hours to go through the whole thing. It was full of information and was very interesting. I came out of it in awe at how human beings could allow it to have happened. I just can't understand how so many soldiers willingly shot an innocent child, or mother, or father. It was horrifying to think about. The sad thing though is that it still went on. There is still genocide in Africa and Bosnia. Americans even years after this, still didn't understand and treated Black's horribly. How have we all not learned? I even see it in my class. Other children finding reason to put other children below them. For whatever reason. It is horrible. I wish people could see that every time we discriminate against another person, for whatever reason, even though we are not killing them, discrimination is where it all starts.
On that happy note, there are things we can do. We can start with inner peace and love for our God, ourselves, and our neighbors. If we can see everyone as God sees them, then we will have a happy, peaceful world.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Happy Birthday America!
This last week was great. So I got sick, one of the pleasures of working with children, but I worked really hard at getting better and I did. By Friday I was up to doing everything! We started on Friday by getting up early to get tickets to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. You have to get tickets early in the morning for the rest of the day, so Kiera and I got up early to get tickets. Michaelann joined us later. After getting lost a bit, we finally got the tickets for later in the morning. This gave us time to walk along the waterfront, which was very nice in the morning. It also gave us the great idea of paddleboating in the Tidal Basin of the Potomac. Greatest idea ever. We went to the Bureau first, but its boring. About exciting as the Tillamook cheese factory, except you get free cheese there. After finishing that up, we got into a lovely paddleboat and set out into the river! It was a fun hour of going in circles, taking pictures, talking about first kisses, and awkward dates.
After our wonderful ride in the murky water, we went to the Supreme Court building. It is a gorgeous building. We were sad that its not in session so we can't sit in for a oral argument. Oh well.
Saturday we got up early again to get tickets for Ford's theater. After getting tickets for later that morning we went to Eastern Market. It was a really fun market place. It slightly reminded me of home. The reason we went was to get the famous "BlueBuck" pancakes. They are blueberry buckwheat pancakes from Market Lunch. It is a local favorite. They were very good, although I wouldn't say the line was worth it. We waited for at least 45 minutes.
It took so long we had to run back to Ford's theater. We barely made it. Abraham Lincoln is an incredible American hero. It was fun to learn more about him. The museum was interesting to me. The actual theater was cool, except the experience was odd. They had a storyteller come on. This guy told us we were Linchnians from this made up country, and he was Leo Tolstoy telling them stories about the great American here. "The Lincoln". He always referred to him as that. The stories he told were cool, except some were random, and I get distracted trying to keep track of Leo Tolstoy, and the Linchnians. Other than that, it was cool.
We finished up the afternoon at the Portrait Gallery and American art museum. It was pretty neat. I found Joseph Smith and Brigham Young in it! After that we went to the store an got stuff for a BBQ. We were very excited about it. We grilled hot dogs and corn. It was delicious! AND we did it without boys!
THE FOURTH OF JULY
Monday was awesome. It was just amazing to be in Washington D.C. for the fourth of July. We got up early again to make a pancake breakfast and get going. We went to the parade first. It goes down Constitution Ave. It was actually pretty lame. I was disappointed. But it was still cool to see once. It was pretty warm however so we went to the American History museum for a bit to cool down. We then walked to the Lincoln Memorial to meet up with some friends. They staked out a spot to watch the fireworks and brought blankets and food and everything. It was very fun. We did get bored waiting though and decided to walk down the mall. There was a lot going on. Concerts, festivals, and lots of people watching. It's a long walk though. We got back right before the fireworks started. The fireworks lasted about 20 minutes, and were the coolest fireworks ever. It was worth waiting forever for. They played music and we all sat and watched. After that we decided instead of fighting the crowds for the metro we would walk. We thought it wasn't far. It isn't too bad, but after we had already walked about 5 miles back and forth all day along the mall, it was a long walk. Eric a new friend in the ward walked back with us, so we had a man with us. It was slightly scary at times. It was very enjoyable though. Overall, I calculated it, we walked just under 10 miles the whole day. It was a perfect ending to the weekend, and holiday. It was hard to get back to work today. Although once I was there I was reminded how much I love my kids in the class! I am using a lot more of my ASL with a boy who is hard of hearing. It has added another form of communication and has helped. It is really fun!
We also thought we were really cool and would coordinate our nail polish :)
After our wonderful ride in the murky water, we went to the Supreme Court building. It is a gorgeous building. We were sad that its not in session so we can't sit in for a oral argument. Oh well.
Saturday we got up early again to get tickets for Ford's theater. After getting tickets for later that morning we went to Eastern Market. It was a really fun market place. It slightly reminded me of home. The reason we went was to get the famous "BlueBuck" pancakes. They are blueberry buckwheat pancakes from Market Lunch. It is a local favorite. They were very good, although I wouldn't say the line was worth it. We waited for at least 45 minutes.
It took so long we had to run back to Ford's theater. We barely made it. Abraham Lincoln is an incredible American hero. It was fun to learn more about him. The museum was interesting to me. The actual theater was cool, except the experience was odd. They had a storyteller come on. This guy told us we were Linchnians from this made up country, and he was Leo Tolstoy telling them stories about the great American here. "The Lincoln". He always referred to him as that. The stories he told were cool, except some were random, and I get distracted trying to keep track of Leo Tolstoy, and the Linchnians. Other than that, it was cool.
We finished up the afternoon at the Portrait Gallery and American art museum. It was pretty neat. I found Joseph Smith and Brigham Young in it! After that we went to the store an got stuff for a BBQ. We were very excited about it. We grilled hot dogs and corn. It was delicious! AND we did it without boys!
THE FOURTH OF JULY
Monday was awesome. It was just amazing to be in Washington D.C. for the fourth of July. We got up early again to make a pancake breakfast and get going. We went to the parade first. It goes down Constitution Ave. It was actually pretty lame. I was disappointed. But it was still cool to see once. It was pretty warm however so we went to the American History museum for a bit to cool down. We then walked to the Lincoln Memorial to meet up with some friends. They staked out a spot to watch the fireworks and brought blankets and food and everything. It was very fun. We did get bored waiting though and decided to walk down the mall. There was a lot going on. Concerts, festivals, and lots of people watching. It's a long walk though. We got back right before the fireworks started. The fireworks lasted about 20 minutes, and were the coolest fireworks ever. It was worth waiting forever for. They played music and we all sat and watched. After that we decided instead of fighting the crowds for the metro we would walk. We thought it wasn't far. It isn't too bad, but after we had already walked about 5 miles back and forth all day along the mall, it was a long walk. Eric a new friend in the ward walked back with us, so we had a man with us. It was slightly scary at times. It was very enjoyable though. Overall, I calculated it, we walked just under 10 miles the whole day. It was a perfect ending to the weekend, and holiday. It was hard to get back to work today. Although once I was there I was reminded how much I love my kids in the class! I am using a lot more of my ASL with a boy who is hard of hearing. It has added another form of communication and has helped. It is really fun!
We also thought we were really cool and would coordinate our nail polish :)
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