So long, July.

Maddie meets August.

I wish I could tell you I was on the right.

Pretty sure I heard life plans are overrated, anyways.

Life on L Street

 These are my roommates.

Yep, all of them.

Ok, minus the missionaries & professor+spouse. But they're around a lot too.

I love them.

It (unexpectedly) hit me tonight, during our very entertaining Barlow Center variety show,

that these bright people are my last fellow BYU adventurers.

They'll go on adventuring. I will too. But I'm guessing we won't all live together again.

I had a roommate once that told me she felt like she went through life collecting people.

Every stage/semester/day of life brings you people to meet,

and learn about, 

and love,

and usually miss.

But collecting them is always worth it. 

It's kind of a snowball effect -- you just roll through life getting a bigger heart,

 and a bigger list of people you love,

and a bigger list of people you want to catch up with,

and a bigger list of memories you laugh out loud about...

...I'd roll with these guys any day.

Clubbing.

This weekend the PR girls of the Barlow paid a visit to the National Press Club.

On the left, the club member that put the tour together for us.

Next, Cardell & his wife. He teaches the political science classes at the Barlow this semester.

Then Haley & Janet, my PR friends.

Next to me is Sister Sowby, half of the wonderful missionary couple assigned to the Barlow Center here in DC.

And the far right is Gill, a former president of the press club who gave us the tour.

This is the view from the upper floor of the press club. 

Recognize anything?

Two buildings away is the east side of the White House.

As Gill put it,

"The club is just a stone's throw from the White House. And we provide the stones."

I will forever love the love/hate relationship between media and, well, everything.

On the way home the Sowby's took us to the New York Ave Presbyterian Church,

and we saw an original draft of the Emancipation Proclamation.

It's hard for me to comprehend the reality of pieces of history.

But, you can't lie in church, so this is has to be the real deal.

Guess whose pew we are sitting in...

I'm just going to tell you. Abraham Lincoln's!

That's cool, right? He attended church here and sat on that very bench.

I'm glad Mormons aren't the only people that enjoy consistency in their meeting seating.

Pause.

I love summer adventures. 

D.C. has definitely been just that.

But this particular adventure has been a little tainted by my lack of post-summer plans.

When I packed up my all too familiar life in Provo, 

I didn't really know why I was leaving.

I left this...

and found this...

I guess the loss is written on the wall - confidence.

But you know, as the end of the summer gets closer,

I'm realizing that the only worry going on here is too much freedom.

And there are a lot of people in this world I wouldn't share that complaint with.

***

So in three weeks, my life isn't on a schedule of four-month homes anymore.

No classes, no campus, no clear-cut days.

It sounds like a potential rough patch.

But, it doesn't have to be.

You don't always have to read the writing on the wall.

Sometimes you can just make your own.

Zero to Sixty

I went HERE...

And rode THIS... 

And I'm still happy about it.

That right there is Superman. The people just about to race down that drop are SO happy.

Especially the lucky two sitting in the front row.

I know this, because I was in that seat four times on Saturday. 

Roller coasters and I have come a long way. I used to refuse to go on any ride with an incline past a 50-degree angle, and never even considered a ride that involved going upside down. 

When you turn something upside down, the stuff inside falls out. 

Basic gravity, right?

But then, one fateful day in 8th grade, we took a school trip to Lagoon (it's what fun is!).

I could go on an emotional tangent right now about how much I love Lagoon. 

Let's just remember to talk about that later.

Back to the fateful day.
All my friends headed straight for Colossus long before I was mentally prepared.

I was terrified. Not only does the ride go upside down, but it goes upside down TWICE. 

Who would build such a thing?

Well, whoever it was, they're a genius. 

Thanks to pride and peer pressure, I conquered Colossus that day. 

Then rode it again. And again. And again...

And now I have a constant roller coaster craving.

Six Flags America definitely satisfied it. For at least a week.

Dessert First

Bless you, Twitter.

Every day the delicious bakeries and ice creameries of Georgetown tweet special "code words."

You walk in. You whisper said code word. You receive free deliciousness. You embrace the excess calories.

First stop today: Georgetown cupcakes, of TLC's "DC Cupcakes" fame.

"Chocolate mint crunch," Rachel whispered. Then Sarah. Then Amanda. Then Maddie. Then David.

I don't think businesses around here love the Barlow students too much.

 Next stop: Good old Ben & Jerry's.

Walk in, pass the motion-sensored cow that moos, whisper "milk & cookies," leave with a very summery treat.

Sprinkles cupcakes. Stop #3. Don't judge us.

I'm in love with these cupcakes. True, true love.

It's time to leave DC before I officially turn this into a food blog.

To Do List

West Virginia: #32

Here's what's left people:

That's why Ali and I hit the road when she visited over the fourth of July. 

We drove 800 miles during two days of her four-day trip.

Had to check off North Carolina and West V! Both beautiful.

I'm addicted to road trips, and I'm not afraid to admit it.

This is called an Atlas. People used them before the GPS fad hit.

Ok, more than a fad.

And ok, sometimes we used a GPS. But not too much!

This picture would be a lot cooler if I wasn't cursed to miss every "Welcome to (insert state)" sign that we pass.

It's a problem. 

But I have 18 more chances to fix it!

Well, ok, 17...I don't plan on road tripping to Hawaii.

My LAST Field Trip. Ever.

Isn't that the saddest blog post title you have ever read?

The truth hit me hard when I started this post.

Our trip out to Harper's Ferry and Gettysburg last week really was my last field trip.

Ever.

Ok, as a student.

You get to go with your kids on fun field trips, right?

Enough sad stuff, look how much fun we had!

Harper's Ferry is beautiful. AND it's in West Virginia. State #32, people!

I recently learned that I need to hit all 50 before I turn 25,
because Ali is trying to hit 50 in the next 3 years.

I don't want to be left behind.

Just 18 to go...

Look how much fun they're having! We were incredibly jealous.

They're just tubing down the Potomac, then meeting up with the Shenandoah. 

West Virginia is SO beautiful. I could live there.

We were wishing for our swimsuits...but this was almost as good.

Except for Jon and Sean. They needed the full experience.

This was right before they both surrendered and just got completely wet.

We made friends with a guy that was hanging out on a little island in the middle.

When I told him I was from Utah, he said, "Are you guys Mormons? 

I mean...I can definitely tell those two out there are Mormons, but are the rest of you too?"

Then we laughed at Jon and Sean a little more.

I love how green it is, but is it worth the humidity?

Still deciding.

I like trains.

Miss Jacqui Bird! This is the Gettysburg Battlefield, full of monuments and history. 

This picture is very appropriate because Jacqui's smart pretty head is also full of history. 

And someday she will teach it.

Red barns. 

On my church history trip last fall they taught me that red barns are red because they were painted with ox blood.

That was the cheapest color of paint to make. You painted yellow barns if you were rich.

I kind of wish I never learned that?

Blood is gross.

We climbed a tower. And this is what we saw.

I love mountains, don't get me wrong...but I love it here too.

This is Sean shooting a Canon. On a cannon.

And this. This is David Sentman's focused, focused face. Notice that he is about to finish that nugget.

One of forty that he finished that day.

Alex, on the left, challenged David to a nugget-eating contest.

David won.

I am still amazed.

And that, my friends, was my very last field trip.

Didn't even cross my mind during the day. It was too much fun.

I know I'll miss being a student in the fall when 92% of my friends are back on campus with backpacks and books and class schedules and...other student-ish things I won't have anymore.

But I'm excited for my next chapter. Whatever it is :)

Independence.

America's birthday. In America's birthplace. WITH a sister.

Perfect, yes?

Two years ago we spent July 4th together in Boston. We kicked the day off by hearing a reading of the Declaration of Independence downtown.

Boston 2009 / DC 2011 

So this year...we did it again! This time at the National Archives.

Then we hit up the parade down Constitution Ave, consisting of all things American.

It was pretty great. It was no Delta parade though -- nobody threw any candy?

 Boston 2009 / DC 2011

Burgers on the 4th, definitely a must.

Last time, by the Charles River. This year, at the Chevy Chase chapel.

We walked around the International Folk Festival on the Mall for a while,

then staked out a spot for the fireworks show at the base of the Washington Monument.

Jo Dee Messina even sang to us while we played cards and waited for fireworks.

We thought we didn't know any of her songs. But then we knew them all.

Thank you, CMT.

Ali told me not to just smile for this picture. 

Then we both automatically assumed this Washington-Monumental position and facial expression with no vocal communication.

I love having a sister.

DC 2009 / DC 2011

Sure do miss the rest of our family! It's been too long since I've had a Utah summer.

I'd be ok with a burger from Delta next year, I think.

The fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. I'm really grateful I spent this one in the nation's capital and experienced the patriotism that's overflowing here.

Proud to be an American.

Midmorning Joy

Soon I will tell you about my very patriotic Fourth of July,
complete with a sisterly visit and 800-mile weekend road trip.

Yeah, 800.

But right now, I just want you to know how much I love this:

That right there is 4.6 oz of pleasure.

Is it bad that I need a snack every 90-ish minutes at work?

This one usually gets the 11 a.m. slot. And I always sincerely look forward to it.

Georgetown Beauty

I could live here.

And be very happy.

I think there is a direct correlation with your life satisfaction and the color of your door.

I'm looking into it.