"The sky is my roof "

With the first week of DC done with, I am finally starting to settle in. The week has been crazy! The transition wasn't too bad but I am still exhausted from all that is going on. 

Work is still relatively new to me but we have most of the procedures and timing down. Security checks are being a pain and taking forever so we can't really do much around the building when we don't have our badges. DC is beautiful! I am loving every single minute of this city. Everyone is so polite and the metro is so accessible and easy to use.

NDU has a nice office and I love going to work. John, my co-worker, is such a gentlemen and {haha} really tries to take care of me. This is the main building at Fort McNair. This is where I spend most of my days.
In a later post, I'll tell ya all about the area in which I am interning for. It is pretty intense!

Even though I have to wake up {SUPPPPER early} DC is so pretty even at 6 in the morning! This is what I see every day while I commute to work :) Aren't all the buildings just so pretty?

One night as I was heading home from work, I got to see Obama traveling back to the White House. If every time I moved from one location to another and it involved a helicopter circling above, ten or more motorcyles,  two ambulances, ten secret service vehicles, and hundreds of police officers blocking traffic...well I just wouldn't go anywhere! But that is what happened. I was standing several feet away from his car and it was probably the closest I will ever get to President Obama!

After we got out of class on Friday a group of us went exploring. We were able to go to the top of Washington Monument and visit the Smithsonian. After dinner we went to this little cupcake shop called Baked and Wired {pretty clever huh} and it was soooo cute! Everything is reasonably priced {for being in Georgetown} and there was live music and poetry reading. The cupcakes were also divine. 

After sleeping in {I woke up at 10...It is shocking that I can call that "sleeping in"} I got ready to go to the Eastern Market. 

Next to BYU and Saint-Emilion {France}, the Eastern Market is right there on the list of my favorite places in the world. It is this retro and cute little farmers market with a small flea market section. There is fresh produce and handcrafted gifts for sale. 

I bought a Cuban sandwich {delicious, I highly recommend it!} for lunch while I sat and listened to a group of locals play jazz music. Little kids played in the square while joggers ran past with their dogs. The shops were all locally operated and owned. We met a wonderful Turk who shared with us his life story. He was born in Turkey but went to school in Scranton. He has four daughters and now owns a rug selling shop in DC. He loves to travel and has been to over 77 countries. When we asked him what his favorite place is he replied, "I am a nomad. I go where God wills me; the sky is my roof."  

After purchasing an Indian scarf and some freshly made kettle corn, we gathered in this cozy coffee shop with our peppermint tea and hot chocolate to chat. It was absolutely wonderful; a group of friends just snacking on popcorn and sipping on warm drinks while discussing politics. 

We made a quick trip to a nearby mall to meet up with some friends and also do some {ahem} shopping. I went back to the apartment to meet up with my roommate, Alexis, to grab dinner. We tried out a local Vietnamese restaurant and had pho. I love pho and this restaurant was very reasonably priced. We strolled around Georgetown and ran into some friends. We stopped by Baked and Wired again {I am becoming a regular there..} and headed home.

A group of us changed into pajamas and got comfy to watch Inception.

The next morning we woke up early to get ready for church. My singles ward is located at the Chevy Chase chapel. The building has this high vaulted ceiling with large windows in the Sacrament room so natural light fills the area during the day. Everyone in the ward was very nice and welcoming.  

Also, I discovered the gym at the GW {Gdub...George W....George Washington...call it what you want} University and have become a gym rat. I have gone every night except Saturday because they close early. It is crazy because I have become so addicted! It has all the gym equipment you can hope for with a nice locker area and swimming pool. Free weights room if you are interested in that kind of stuff and tennis/badminton courts too!

Overall, it was an amazing weekend in DC. I wake up every morning excited because I am absolutely head over heels in love with this city and it has only been the FIRST WEEK!