Tonight me, Ang, & the parents went and saw Yanni in Salt Lake. We got my dad the tickets for Christmas because he has always been a big fan. Every time Yanni is on TV he turns the surround sound on and cranks it. I wasn't super excited but I used to listen to him back in the day... When I was like 13. Anyways, it ended up being a lot of fun! I knew a couple of the songs and Yanni was actually pretty funny. People kept yelling things at him and he would respond, which was funny. Then at the end of one song, a girl yelled, "If dreams come true, can I have a kiss?" And he laughs and says, "That was pretty clever... And it's going to work." So the girl runs up there and he actually had to lay on his stomach on the stage in order to reach her. It was pretty funny. He is almost sixty, but he was in pretty good shape! While he was down there he did a few push-ups...
In other news, I just finished up finals. Hooray! I had two major papers to write, a report and presentation, and three finals. I was so stressed! It is so strange to wake up in the morning and not have a ton to do. In a way, I don't know what to do with myself! It wont last long though because we leave for Europe in two and a half weeks. Me & Ang are going to do the Study Abroad in Northern Ireland. It is about a month long, but we are going ten days early with our parents. It is crazy because I have never been out of the country nor have I ever been gone for more than like ten days. So not only am I finally flying across the ocean, but I'll be gone for like 6 weeks! Plus, I will be in London on my birthday! Crazy talk!
We'll fly into New York, and we will get to spend a little bit of time there. I love New York! I'm so excited to go back! So then we fly from New York to Iceland, where we have a three hour layover, and then we fly to London. We'll be in London for about four days and then we will fly into Ireland. We are going to rent a car, travel along the coast and end up in Dublin. Once in Dublin, me & Ang will meet up with the school and Mom & Dad will head back home.
Well, I honestly can't believe we are going. It still doesn't feel real! I have a lot to do to get ready! Speaking of getting ready, I chopped my hair! I cut off like 9 inches! I want it to be easy to manage while I'm gone and I thought this would be a good way to ensure that! Anyways, I'll keep you posted! I will be taking my laptop and camera, and plan on taking a ton of pictures!
30 April 2011
28 April 2011
Easter 2011
For Easter this year Adam, Sandy, Cassie, Peter, Michael, Emilie, and Lucy all came up to our house. We colored eggs, had an egg hunt, and ate some dinner. It was a lot of fun. This year Lucy got the concept, so she ran around the yard finding eggs. Cassie & Peter were cute because they found more than her, obviously, so they shared them. We didn't even have to ask! We had polenta for dinner and Adam made some brownies for dessert. Well, that's about it. Enjoy!
09 April 2011
Washington D.C. Part 2
I still have not blogged about my adventures in DC! I posted some of my pictures a while back but that's about it. Well, me & Ang picked up Chris (Professor Davey) Wednesday (9 March 2011) at about 7am & headed up to the airport. Chris was on a different flight, so after we checked in we went our separate ways. Me & Ang got to DC at about 5pm, got our luggage, and took a shuttle to our hotel. We stayed at the Dupont Hotel which was located on Dupont Circle. It was super nice & was conveniently located near a metro stop. That first night we didn't do much. Went to dinner at an Italian bistro called La Tomate. It was okay.
The next morning, we woke up, ate breakfast, & took the Metro to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. There we met up with Chris, Brooke, Tyler, & Randi. First we listened to a presentation on the International Tracing Service Archive & then we received a private tour of the museum. Well... The tour started out private but random people kept joining which was amusing but kind of irritating. After the tour (which was amazing) we went to the research center that was located on the top floor. We took a quick tour & then went to the cafeteria for lunch. After lunch, we went to a conference room & met with a variety of people that work for the Museum. They spoke to us about the research they were currently working on, which was very interesting. We also got to meet with a Holocaust survivor. She was adorable & I loved listening to her story. After that we went back and used the research center until closing time.
After leaving, Chris mentioned he was going to head to Ray's Hell Burger for dinner and we all decided to tag along. Luckily for me & Ang they made some pretty delicious grilled cheese sandwiches. Afterward we once again tagged along with Chris to the Jefferson Memorial. We hit the Metro and then took the world's longest walk to get there. Perhaps I am exaggerating, but it was pretty long! Partially because when we came across a fence blocking off the trail by the water, we decided to hop it. I think that was Tyler's fault, but its hard to say. So then it starting pouring rain and when we finally got close to the Memorial, we were blocked by a construction fence (one we couldn't hop). We could either back track or cut across a field.. We chose the field, and since it was raining it was pretty muddy... We finally got to the Memorial and it was definitely worth it. It was gorgeous! I took some pictures, wandered around, waited for it to stop raining... And then the fire alarm went off and the police made us all leave. Haha. At the time it was a bit miserable as we were all sopping wet and tired, but now looking back it is pretty funny. Hit the metro again, and we all got off at various stops. The stop me, Ang, & Chris got off on had a broken escalator. And it isn't just a normal, one-story escalator, it is the world's longest escalator. I thought I was going to die. Luckily that never happened again!
The next day, we all met up at a Starbucks to meet with David Smith. He is from the National Educational Outreach Office at the United States Institute of Peace. He spoke to us about what the Institute does, what our opportunities were there, and about the possible budget cut being considered by Congress. It was great meeting with him and learning more about the Institute. After that, we headed back the Holocaust Museum to do research for a couple of hours, ate lunch at the cafe again, and then we went and toured the American Indian Museum. It was okay... It ended up being different then we anticipated so it didn't really fit with the rest of our stops. At the end of the tour we headed to the Save Darfur office. We were able to meet with a couple of employees that spoke to us about the current situation in Darfur, what they are currently doing, and student opportunities. It was amazing to meet with an organization that is actually working to stop genocides. We learn about genocide in class, but it was so fascinating to see people that worked in that field. It made me realize that there really are opportunities to work with an organization to stop genocides.
After we left the Save Darfur Coalition we hit the Metro and headed to Adams Morgan. It is just a little area that had a ton of restaurants all in one place. Randi wanted to get crawfish but the rest of us passed. We went down the street to an Indian restaurant called Taste of India. I was a bit hesitant because I am a picky eater and had never had Indian food, but I gave it. I figured it would be an adventure! I got lentils, and I have to admit they were pretty good! After eating, we met back up with Randi and went to Baskin Robbins. I was freezing so I didn't get any ice cream but everybody else did. That was the end of our last day together, which was a little sad! We hit the Metro and all went our separate ways.
The next day, Saturday, me & Ang took the Metro down to Union Station and got tickets for the double-decker bus tour. It runs basically all day on a continuous two hour loop around the city. It had a ton of stops, so you could hop on & off as you pleased. It was a great option for us because we could see practically everything. The only problem was it was freezing! Sitting up top didn't help because it was windy! We actually ended up getting off at the stop by our hotel so I could put a long sleeve shirt on under my hoodie. That day we went to Arlington, the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, WWII Memorial, & the White House. We also saw the National Cathedral, Georgetown, & the Capital. At the end of the day we ended up back at Union Station and ate at Pizzeria Uno. It was pretty delicious. I sure do love cheese pizza!
On Sunday, our last day, we did some shopping in the morning and then took the Metro over to the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Capital. The Supreme Court was amazing! I did a presentation a few semesters back about a Supreme Court case and now I was actually there! It was such a beautiful building. Really all of the building in DC are gorgeous. From there we walked to Union Station where we did a bit of souvenir shopping, hit the Metro, and went back to the hotel to wait for our shuttle. It was sad to leave, but in a way I was ready to go home. Got to the airport, ate a bagel from Einsteins, & flew home.
I am so glad I had the opportunity to take this trip. It was not only interesting but super fun. It was great getting to know those we traveled with and going to a new city. Thanks Chris for setting up such an amazing trip! Thanks Randi, Brooke, & Tyler for making the trip even better! And of course, thanks Ang for being my travel buddy. Until next time!
The next morning, we woke up, ate breakfast, & took the Metro to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. There we met up with Chris, Brooke, Tyler, & Randi. First we listened to a presentation on the International Tracing Service Archive & then we received a private tour of the museum. Well... The tour started out private but random people kept joining which was amusing but kind of irritating. After the tour (which was amazing) we went to the research center that was located on the top floor. We took a quick tour & then went to the cafeteria for lunch. After lunch, we went to a conference room & met with a variety of people that work for the Museum. They spoke to us about the research they were currently working on, which was very interesting. We also got to meet with a Holocaust survivor. She was adorable & I loved listening to her story. After that we went back and used the research center until closing time.
After leaving, Chris mentioned he was going to head to Ray's Hell Burger for dinner and we all decided to tag along. Luckily for me & Ang they made some pretty delicious grilled cheese sandwiches. Afterward we once again tagged along with Chris to the Jefferson Memorial. We hit the Metro and then took the world's longest walk to get there. Perhaps I am exaggerating, but it was pretty long! Partially because when we came across a fence blocking off the trail by the water, we decided to hop it. I think that was Tyler's fault, but its hard to say. So then it starting pouring rain and when we finally got close to the Memorial, we were blocked by a construction fence (one we couldn't hop). We could either back track or cut across a field.. We chose the field, and since it was raining it was pretty muddy... We finally got to the Memorial and it was definitely worth it. It was gorgeous! I took some pictures, wandered around, waited for it to stop raining... And then the fire alarm went off and the police made us all leave. Haha. At the time it was a bit miserable as we were all sopping wet and tired, but now looking back it is pretty funny. Hit the metro again, and we all got off at various stops. The stop me, Ang, & Chris got off on had a broken escalator. And it isn't just a normal, one-story escalator, it is the world's longest escalator. I thought I was going to die. Luckily that never happened again!
The next day, we all met up at a Starbucks to meet with David Smith. He is from the National Educational Outreach Office at the United States Institute of Peace. He spoke to us about what the Institute does, what our opportunities were there, and about the possible budget cut being considered by Congress. It was great meeting with him and learning more about the Institute. After that, we headed back the Holocaust Museum to do research for a couple of hours, ate lunch at the cafe again, and then we went and toured the American Indian Museum. It was okay... It ended up being different then we anticipated so it didn't really fit with the rest of our stops. At the end of the tour we headed to the Save Darfur office. We were able to meet with a couple of employees that spoke to us about the current situation in Darfur, what they are currently doing, and student opportunities. It was amazing to meet with an organization that is actually working to stop genocides. We learn about genocide in class, but it was so fascinating to see people that worked in that field. It made me realize that there really are opportunities to work with an organization to stop genocides.
After we left the Save Darfur Coalition we hit the Metro and headed to Adams Morgan. It is just a little area that had a ton of restaurants all in one place. Randi wanted to get crawfish but the rest of us passed. We went down the street to an Indian restaurant called Taste of India. I was a bit hesitant because I am a picky eater and had never had Indian food, but I gave it. I figured it would be an adventure! I got lentils, and I have to admit they were pretty good! After eating, we met back up with Randi and went to Baskin Robbins. I was freezing so I didn't get any ice cream but everybody else did. That was the end of our last day together, which was a little sad! We hit the Metro and all went our separate ways.
The next day, Saturday, me & Ang took the Metro down to Union Station and got tickets for the double-decker bus tour. It runs basically all day on a continuous two hour loop around the city. It had a ton of stops, so you could hop on & off as you pleased. It was a great option for us because we could see practically everything. The only problem was it was freezing! Sitting up top didn't help because it was windy! We actually ended up getting off at the stop by our hotel so I could put a long sleeve shirt on under my hoodie. That day we went to Arlington, the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, WWII Memorial, & the White House. We also saw the National Cathedral, Georgetown, & the Capital. At the end of the day we ended up back at Union Station and ate at Pizzeria Uno. It was pretty delicious. I sure do love cheese pizza!
On Sunday, our last day, we did some shopping in the morning and then took the Metro over to the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Capital. The Supreme Court was amazing! I did a presentation a few semesters back about a Supreme Court case and now I was actually there! It was such a beautiful building. Really all of the building in DC are gorgeous. From there we walked to Union Station where we did a bit of souvenir shopping, hit the Metro, and went back to the hotel to wait for our shuttle. It was sad to leave, but in a way I was ready to go home. Got to the airport, ate a bagel from Einsteins, & flew home.
I am so glad I had the opportunity to take this trip. It was not only interesting but super fun. It was great getting to know those we traveled with and going to a new city. Thanks Chris for setting up such an amazing trip! Thanks Randi, Brooke, & Tyler for making the trip even better! And of course, thanks Ang for being my travel buddy. Until next time!
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