Bienvenida a Miami!

So my parents decided to surprise me with a trip this weekend. They were very sneaky about it, not telling me where I was going, just that I needed to take Thursday and Friday off work and something would be happening. Ha I screamed right out loud when they finally told me what was going down… I was flying to Miami on Thursday night to meet up with my parents and my sister!

Needless to say, the week went kind of slow after I found out. Thursday finally came and I was on my way! I felt all grown up and urban on my way… took the Metro to the airport, found my plane, had a layover in Atlanta, and finally made it to Miami. I did a little dance when my parents pulled up in the white Dodge Charger at the airport!

Friday we woke up and went down to the beach. We were staying in Key Largo on a yacht club, so there were huge boats everywhere. I was very cautious about the sunscreen, since Brooklyn had fried herself lobster red the day before. She wrapped herself in a towel and didn’t let the sun touch any part of her haha.

After Brooklyn and I got bored of sitting in the sun, and our fair skin just couldn’t handle anymore, we got ready and drove down to Key West. It is such an interesting place, and has a crazy night life. The cruise ships drop off all their drunk people who then wander the streets. We ate at Hard Rock Café, as per tradition, and then wandered around for a while. 

Family!! 

Me and my lobster sissy :)

Saturday we woke up early and made the 5 hour drive to Orlando. Why did we do this?? THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER!!! Yes, I have been to Hogsmeade, Hogwarts, Zonko’s Joke Shop, Honeydukes, ridden a broomstick with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, had my own mug of Butterbeer, seen Olivander choose someone a wand, and ridden the dragons in the Tri Wizard Tournament. I was just like a little kid, running here and there with my mouth open. The castle is AWESOME and as you wait in line you walk through the dungeons, the Herbology greenhouse, Dumbledore’s office, and the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom… so EPIC! I felt like I had traveled to London and waited for Harry to pop out everywhere I turned. I geeked out the entire time!!

Entering Hogsmeade!

Hogwarts!!

We were so excited!!!

 After our time in Harry Potter land, we hit up the rest of Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. The Incredible Hulk was the sweetest roller coaster any of us had ever been on… it shoots you out the top and you’re immediately turning upside down… loved it! We were lucky enough to be there during the Mardis Gras celebration. There was a parade where we caught beads and saw people on stilts, and afterwards there was a free Kelly Clarkson concert in the streets of Universal Studios. Ha lucky me! I’ve always liked her, and we ended up with a pretty sweet spot to watch from.

Sunday we woke up and went back to Harry Potter land and caught everything we hadn’t the day before. Brooklyn found a wand for herself and I got a chocolate frog. I haven’t opened it yet, but I’m excited to see whose trading card I got!!

After we finished in Harry Potterland it was about time to go. We rode a few more rides in Universal Studios (return of the mummy is awesome!) and then it was time to go. Saddest time of my life, saying goodbye to the magical place, but never fear I will be back!!

Key West

Love mom and dad

Hard Rock!

Hard Rock!

We drove back to Miami and caught our flights out the next morning. I got home around 12:30 and fully planned on taking a nap since I’d woken up at 4 to catch my flight. Ha the joke was on me… my roommate Kelli had planned on going to the Library of Congress and so I went with her. It is a beautiful building! We were allowed to take pictures in the reading room, which only happens twice a year. It was awesome, well worth going. We then made our way down to the mall, to thank Mr. Washington and Mr. Lincoln for the day off. The Lincoln Memorial was beautiful and people had sent flowers to decorate the bottom. It’s one of my favorites, such an awe inspiring building. 

Love the Capitol!

Inside the Library of Congress

The Reading Room!

Me and Kelli on the steps of the Supreme Court

Beautiful Day

 That sums up my favorite weekend since I’ve been here… got to see most of my family, Harry Potter Land, and some sights in DC. I am exhausted, but it was totally worth it!!

Elevators are awkward!

The days of the week are starting to blur together. Wake up at 7, out the door by 8, walk into work at 9, stay until 6, get home at 7… repeat repeat repeat. I have a hard time remembering what day it is… unless it’s Friday. On Fridays I remember all day what day of the week it is.

Emily and I were discussing how awkward elevators are when we got out of one in the Senate building. Tons of people who have no connection with each other shoved into a small box that is moving between floors. Everyone faces a different direction and no one talks to each other. No elevator flirting here!

On Tuesday, my boss Hayden asked me to a meeting and a hearing for her. It was really cool… a day in the life of someone who really works in my office. There were doughnuts at the meeting and there was a full lunch provided at the hearing. Hayden must have liked my notes, because she asked me to go to another hearing for her on Wednesday morning. The hearings are usually lobbyists or special interest groups that are asking our bosses to support their cause. The most interesting thing I’ve learned is how the government really works behind the scenes. 

Sweet Pegasus on the side of the Rayburn House Building

Utah State holds a weekly seminar that we have to go to. Attendance is required if you are a student or if you live in Utah State’s housing. That means all of my roommates but 1 have to come (E is an exception, we don’t know why she doesn’t have to come?) Needless to say, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of staying after listening to someone after a 9 hour work day. However, it turned out really cool. This Wednesday’s seminar was hosted by Rob Bishop, the congressional representative from Northern Utah. There are about 15 of us in the group, and we all sat down in Mr. Bishop’s personal office. He had a nice chat with us about upcoming legislation he is pushing and we were able to ask questions. It was cool to sit in a room and just chat with my representative.

Yesterday Emily and I woke up early and went to the Eastern Market for breakfast. It was delicious! There is a breakfast bar inside the small building that is famous around the hill. I had a plate of French Toast and Emily had blueberry pancakes (mine was better J). $6 for the most filling breakfast I have ever had, plus it was delicious. We wandered around the Eastern Market in the cold for as long as we could stand it. We got fresh apples from an apple stand and tried smoked salmon from Baltimore. When it was too cold to stand anymore, we headed for the Pentagon City Mall. 4 stories high stacked with everyone’s favorite shops. I was lucky and found a steal of a deal at Hollister, and spent the last of my Christmas money on a cardigan.

Em's blueberry pancakes and my french toast... AMAZING!

Other than that, it’s been a fairly quiet week. I need to get back out there and see the sights on the weekends and stop being so lazy all the time!! I am excited for the next weekend, make sure you check the blog for my next adventure!

1 month down… 2 ½ to go!

This week was full of firsts… I got to watch the Senate argue in person from the gallery, I spotted tons of famous Senators, I found my way through the Senate buildings to all of the Republican offices, and I hung out with a new group of friends!

View from inside the Visitors Center (underground)

 The Boss was supposed to deliver a speech on the floor around 5 on Thursday. My fellow interns and I headed over to the Capitol and up into the staffer gallery. Although we didn’t get to see the boss give his speech, we did get to see all of the Senators there for a roll call vote. It was super interesting… all of these people are the decision makers in our country. They were all a lot older than I assumed they would be, but they hold the power!! It was fun for us to pick out the famous people that we knew… John McCain, John Kerry, Rand Paul… Famous people all around us!

View from the Capitol at night

 On Friday I had to deliver letters to all the Republican Senators offices in the Russell Building, the oldest Senate building. It is a beautiful building, marble floors and pillars, and fancy elevators with chandeliers. It’s much fancier than the other Senate buildings, and I geeked out imagining who had walked in the same halls.

Friday night I met up with girls from work and we went out to dinner at the Shake Shack. Man, the one positive thing I can say about Washington D.C. is they sure know how to make a hamburger! The entire meal was delicious…the cheese fries and the Washington MonuMint Shake… and the burger… I could gain a million pounds out here, the food is delicious! 

 

Today my roomies and I are just taking it easy, we’re going to watch the Superbowl downstairs with the other people that live in our building. It should be interesting… 

My honorary roommate Trevor... he's always entertaining us with something.

Week 3!

This week was a whole new experience. Congress is back in session so “the BOSS” is back… I haven’t seen him in person yet, but I’ve seen a lot of C-SPAN coverage of him on the floor arguing about budget problems. My staffer Hayden was also back and we have been very busy trying to get things put together. It was nice to be busy and have things to do. I think I’ve settled into my schedule, and I finally know what I’m doing. It is exciting to be involved in the hustle of the hill! This week there was a HUGE demonstration marking the anniversary of Roe v Wade and there were around 15,000 people marching around. It was CRAZY!

I’ve gotten to know the Capitol Building like the back of my hand, at least the parts I’m allowed to wander around in. I helped on my first tour, and I think I did pretty dang good. I know a lot about every room in the building, and it’s hard to edit what I know in order to fit the tour into the allotted time schedule. I even have some favorite statues at this point!

Ronald Reagan in the Rotunda..my favorite!

The weekend couldn’t come fast enough… the work week wears me out. We decided to go out to the Holocaust Museum on Saturday… SO SAD! It was depressing and deep, the fact that people did that to each other blows my mind! I went with my roommates that I love, so it was still a good experience. I would recommend everyone going there once in their lives. I don’t feel like I ever need to go back again.  We went out to dinner at what is quickly becoming my favorite place for a hamburger (besides my dads!)... Burgers Taps and Shakes!

Such a sad place

Me Kelli and Lauren

SO GOOD!

Today me, Lauren and Sadie went and checked out the Chinese New Year in Chinatown to help ring in the year of the Dragon! As I am a dragon, this year should be super good for me! It was crazy, there were so many people and firecrackers and noise!! It was super cool, there are so many different cultures out here. I love learning new things about them. Happy Sunday Everyone.  

Chinatown!

Year of the Dragon!

Romney for President!

I had one of the coolest experiences I've had in my whole life this weekend! I drove down to South Carolina with a super fun group of people and we worked on Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. We were supposed to leave D.C. by 4:30 on Thursday so we didn't get there too late... Columbia South Carolina is an 8 hour drive away. We had a few hold ups in renting the van and getting out of here, so we ended up leaving at 6:30. The drive honestly wasn't too bad tho, even though we were driving through the night. Boyd was a champion and drove the whole 8 hours. We were given subsidized rooms in the Courtyard Marriott in Columbia. A donor to the Romney Campaign paid for most of the cost...super awesome! We got there around 2am and went straight to bed. The next morning, after being treated to a delicious southern style breakfast, we made our way to campaign headquarters to find out what they needed us to do.

Campaign Headquarters

 As soon as we got there, they got us loaded up with stickers and signs and sent us to a nearby Christmas tree farm where there was a rally in about a half hour. I was blown away... my first day in South Carolina and I might get to meet Mitt Romney?! I was so excited! I have liked Mitt Romney since the Olympics in Salt Lake City and have wanted to meet him ever since. My Grandpa Brent was also a huge fan and I wanted to meet Romney for my grampsy as well. We pulled up and there were already quite a few people there, and tons of press cameras. Boyd and I weaseled our way into the front and were literally 3 people back from the stage. I was so excited, we were bouncing up and down and chanting "Romney!" The old ladies around us really liked Boyd and were hitting on him while we were waiting, it was very entertaining.

The site of the rally

All the people lined up waiting

All of a sudden we heard the people behind us getting excited. I looked up, and there was Mitt Romney himself standing on a stage literally 10 feet in front of me. Nikki Haley, the governor of South Carolina, was also there with him. She gave a short introduction, and then handed the microphone to Mitt. He was so relaxed and seemed so genuine just talking to all of us in the pouring rain. I couldn't make up my mind between snapping pictures and focusing on what he had to say. It was pretty much surreal. 2 weeks ago, I never would have imagined I would be this close to a man who could be the next President of the United States!

Mitt Romney

He talked to us for about 10 minutes, encouraging people to get out and vote for him and mostly taking shots at Obama. My favorite part was when he responded personally to Boyd. Boyd was yelling "I love you Mitt!" and right in the middle of his speech Mitt turned to Boyd and said "Now, that's only okay for Ann to say!" It was really funny. As soon as he was done speaking, Boyd and I ran over to the press lineup in front of Mitt's tour bus. We squeezed our way to the front and waited very patiently for him to come our way. I was so excited... I was hopefully going to shake his hand!! The first person down the line was Governor Haley. I smiled at her, but I was looking down the line and just waiting for Mr. Romney. Next thing I know, he is right in front of me, looking directly into my eyes and shaking my hand. My mind went completely blank and all I could say was "Hi!" Hahahaha just like in the movies... but it was real. He smiled and said "Thank you for coming" and moved on to the next person. I was still just thinking... OMG! I just shook his hand... and all I said was hi?! There are millions more eloquent things I could have said, some clever little thing, and all I had was hi! Ha needless to say, I was awestruck.

Governor Nikki Haley

Right after I shook his hand!!

After we all got over the initial shock of meeting the man himself, we piled back into the van and headed off to lunch. We ate at a little hole in the wall BBQ joint, and it was honestly some of the best pork sandwiches I have ever had. It looked a little scary, but it was delicious.

Pulled pork and mac n cheese

After we all ate and got full, we headed off to go and knock doors. We were given the names and addresses of registered Republicans in the neighborhoods around Columbia. We had a list of questions to ask them and some signs and fliers to hand out. I was worried they were going to hate us and be mad for disturbing them... we don't answer door to door people at my house... but the people were so nice! Southern hospitality is alive and well, and it was amazing to see. No one was rude to us, and everyone talked to us about who they felt was the best candidate. I had to bite my tongue when they said they were voting for Newt.... but other than that it was good.

Me, Maren, Brooke, Bryan and Emily

Out knocking doors

I totally understand what my brother does on his mission every day now. Approaching people with something you're passionate about is scary, but when people are receptive it is totally worth it. After a long day of knocking, we were exhausted. We fell into bed and went straight to sleep around 10. The next morning we woke up and headed back to headquarters. We were assigned to the phones, and spent our morning calling people and reminding them to vote. A lot of people were super unhappy, apparently their phones have been blowing up all week long. It reminded me of my telemarketing days... ha not my favorite. It was for a good cause tho, and we tried to have fun with it.

After lunch at Bo*Jangles (Boberry Biscuits are AMAZING!), we were asked to go outside and hold huge signs that said "Mitt Romney for President". Funny thing... it was pouring rain. The heavens were open and they were dumping water, with thunder crashing and lightning flashing. Ha but we were there to help Mitt win, so we went without complaint. Boyd and I ended up standing directly in front of the South Carolina Capitol Building, and a statue of a Confederate Soldier. It was actually really fun... Boyd was singing and dancing like a crazy man. Cars were honking, some were smiling and giving us thumbs up, others were flying the bird and yelling. It was definitely an adventure. We also had some Ron Paul supporters come and try to one up us with their numbers. Our signs were WAY bigger than theirs were... and they weren't very nice. We just ignored them and tried to get people to pay more attention to us.

Capitol of South Carolina

Boyd was so entertaining!

When it was dark and there was only an hour left in the primaries, we sloshed our way back to the campaign headquarters. I was soaked to the bone...my hair was a disaster... and we were off to the Victory Party. Unfortunately we found out soon after arriving that despite our hard work, it wasn't going to be a victory party after all. Ha that didn't make it any less cool though! I ended up standing directly behind Mitt Romney... I thought I would be hidden from view. Nope, I am very clearly visible standing right over his shoulder throughout most of the concession speech. If you want a good laugh... go watch the speech on youtube. Ha I obviously had no idea you could see me that well.

You can totally see me taking this picture with my phone if you watch the video of the speech... ha. Overall, it was an amazing experience, once in a lifetime. We left right after the speech and got home around 4:30 in the morning. I am exhausted, but happy. Its not everyday that you get to make great friends, travel around the East Coast, and meet the possible future President of the United States. Romney for President!