Busy, Busy, Busy...Receptions, Receptions, Receptions

Well this past week and a half have been CRAZY!! There have been so many receptions and events that I have had/wanted to go to it has been crazy. It all starts with the Tech vs. Texas game. Let’s not talk too much about that though. It was fun to go and watch the game with everyone at Molly Malone's, but unfortunately the outcome was bad. It was still crazy intense and all of us wanted to be back at home in Lubbock with the crowds. On Monday, a few of us went to the Astros vs. Nationals baseball game which was a lot of fun and definitely good to get out of the house and in the fresh air. Then we go into the week of receptions. There was a reception almost every night which is great because that means free food!! And that is always a positive for the Tech House. There was one reception during the day that had baby tigers there. Apparently there was a bill passed about conservation of tigers and they brought some in for people to see. It was great they were SOOOO cute! My favorite was the liger = half tiger/ half lion. It was so cute! Also this week I got to meet with the Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. It was an honor to get to meet with him and share a few stories. He met with the 5 Committee on Agriculture interns for about 45 minutes. It was a great meeting! Then we had more receptions and I ended the week with my official tour training of the Capitol. It was very cool because now I can officially give a tour to constituents or family. And it was also pretty cool to learn things about the Capitol that not just everyone knows. Then this last weekend we didn't do much but on Sunday we had a Tech house picnic. This was great because we like to be outside as much as possible on weekends since we don't get out much during the week. We made a ton of food and played Frisbee in the park. Of course no picnic would be a picnic if the boys didn't climb trees, and it was pretty entertaining seeing them climb trees. It is funny how close we have all gotten with living together for a month in a tight area. We are now like brothers and sisters for sure. This week we have more receptions and events, and it is the last week for Congress to be in session until after the elections so it should be a pretty interesting week. I’ll keep you updated. Until next time...

Arlington/ Session started

Well last time I left you it was the middle of the week and we were just getting ready for the weekend and surviving the long week. Well Friday we went to a thing called Jazz in the Park which was at the Smithsonian sculpture garden. It was just a big picnic thing and we just sat around and listened to the jazz music. Saturday, which was also September 11th, a couple of us went to Arlington Cemetery. It was such a beautiful day and it was very inspiring and was the perfect thing to do on 9/11. I couldn't think of anything better to do on that day then pay respect to the troops that have fallen. It was so moving! Then also Saturday was our football game against New Mexico. It was great we went to meet with the alumni and the DC Techsans to watch the game. We won 52-17 so it was a good game. Then Sunday we all just lounged around and caught up on things at home. It was all nasty and rainy outside all day so it was the perfect day to stay in and watch movies. This week has been great so far the Congressman have all come back now and session started tonight with the first vote. Tomorrow is the first day that I have to wear a full suit so I am excited to finally be in session. I am eager to see what is in store for the rest of the week. Also today I went to my first briefing for NCBA which was great and we have 2 receptions tomorrow to go too. It is a busy week ahead and I will try to keep you updated. Till next time…

ANNAPOLIS and Labor Day

Labor day weekend was a great and relaxing weekend. We ended up going to Annapolis for the day on Saturday, and it was so much fun! We had a great day just roaming around town and enjoying the beautiful day, and being outdoors away from the city. It is funny how much you miss the site of trees and grass. It was great we ate amazing seafood, went on a boat tour of the bay, and ended the day with shopping. The naval academy was really an awesome sight to see, the buildings and campus were beautiful! We were so tired by the end of the day we were not sure we were going to make it home, we thought we were going to fall asleep on the metro. Then on Sunday it was game time!!!! The first Tech football game! All the Tech House, alumni and Red Raiders in the area met at a local place and watched the game together. It was great to be around a lot of Red Raiders so far away from home. It made us all a little homesick to not be able to be at the game. It did help that we had somewhere to go to watch it though. Then on Monday (Labor Day) we got the day off from work so we all rested up and a few of us went around town to some of the places we hadn't made it to yet. All in all it was a great weekend full of laughter and fun with the roommates. This week will be pretty slow, but next week Congress is back in session so it will be a lot different next week. We will actually get to break out all our suits and dress clothes next week. This week we are going to Arlington Cemetery and around town I will try to update this weekend. Till next time....

Lights out.. or maybe not

Well the power didn't go out the other night. We were all geared up and prepared to be sitting in the dark all night and we came home from dinner and magically the lights and power were still all working. We haven't had internet or cable for the past few days for some reason so I didn't get to post the blog until late. It has been an adventure with no tv we have been listening to a lot of music and watching a lot of movies. I am still working on getting pictures up sorry it is taking me so long! Work is going great so far my intern coordinator is out this week so me and the other intern have been answering the phones and taking care of the front office, which again is still pretty quiet with the recess of Congress. I have been reading and listening to the news all day every day so I feel very well informed on what is going on in the US. Today, I had one of those moments where you think wow I am really in DC, when you watch the news all day everyday and see what is going on in the White House or on Capitol Hill and I just thought to myself that I am within walking distance of everything that you see on TV. Also, there is a hurricane that is near us right now, but for everyone that is worrying don't worry. The hurricane should sweep right past us. We are all doing great and it was sunny all day today. It is supposed to rain tomorrow but should be good weather the rest of the weekend. (hopefully) We were planning a trip to Annapolis this weekend but that got cancelled because of the weather so we will just be roaming around town this weekend. I will update soon and let you know how the weekend goes. Until next time...

Week one on the Hill

Sorry I haven’t updated in a while it has been a whirlwind. I am really enjoying DC and really enjoying the people I am here with, Tech has some good interns up here. I am so blessed to have this opportunity and am so happy I am doing this. Work has been slow this past week, but I am happy that I got my first week out of the way and am getting adapted to the life on the hill. Congress is in recess till Sept. 14th so it will be pretty uneventful until they get back, but none the less things are still happening. I am manning the front desk with the other intern at work and me and one of my roommates went for a run the other night and went past the Capitol, the Washington Monument, Reflecting Pool, and the White House. It was amazing to be able to see all of the sites after dark, and surprisingly there were still a lot of tourists out there. The buildings are so pretty all lit up. It is also awesome to think that we live within running/walking distance of all of those. We are all trying to plan sometime to go sight seeing after dark to take pictures. Hopefully, I will be able to put some of those up soon. Another thing we do a lot of is watch a ton of movies we probably watch one every night. It is relaxing just to hang out and do nothing with all the roommates on the couch. Tonight, the Tech house will be out of power from 9pm to 6am, they are working on something, so it should be a fun night in the dark. We are hopefully going to at least have some candles, but 17 people with no form of entertainment (besides candles or walking around), no hot showers, and no air-condition could be interesting. I will let you know how that goes!  I miss everyone at home and at Tech but I am having a blast up here in DC. I will try to update more often, but until next time…