State of the Union

This past week was most excellent. 

Here are a few reasons why: 

1) My friend, Mikey, happened to be in DC! He had a bunch of school stuff/conference and was in DC for a couple of days. I didn't realize that he was coming so soon in the semester so I was pleasantly surprised to find out he was only several blocks from where I was staying. 

2) I got a calling. I am now Family Home Evening Coordinator. I was an FHE mom my freshmen year at BYU and it is probably one of my favorite callings so I am excited! 

3) Church on Sunday was great. DC is warming up {when I say warming up I really mean that it isn't below freezing...} so the short walk to the chapel was enjoyable. Everyone is so intelligent which makes lessons and talks very interesting and insightful. 

4) State of the Union Address. Obviously it is geared to the public audience and re-election is the underlying goal of the entire speech but I enjoyed watching it in the capitol of America. Plus, living with so many Political Science/International Relations/American Studies/Economic majors the debates and discussions are always a spectator sport...

5) BYU 71 SDSU 59. It was worth staying up til one. Everyone got decked out in BYU gear and gathered to watch the game. It made me homesick to see the crowd of students at the Marriott Center; it was one of the rare nights where I wished I was in Provo. The basketball did an amazing job and really stepped it up. So proud of my cougars! 

6) I accomplished my goal of waking up early and getting to work on time! It is quite the feat, I assure you. 

7) Due to some snow storms {there was maybe 2 in of snow in DC} we got off work several hours early and was allowed to go to work late the next morning. Sleeping in for another hour or so makes a huge difference. 

8) Classes. Homework has officially started and classes are getting longer and longer. I actually fell asleep throughout an entire lecture and was taunted by my classmates sitting around me for it. The positive thing is that I am learning lots. Most of it is pretty overwhelming though. We discuss/address a lot of the current issues in government right now and most of the solutions/options seem to be between a rock and a hard place. Today we discussed some issues that made me feel so helpless because there just didn't seem like a reasonable solution that will satisfy everyone. So I decided, for a split second, that I was going to live under a rock in rural Mongolia. I'll come out when everyone is done arguing and things are back to normal kay?

9) Asian jokes. The boys at the apartment have slowly warmed up to the idea that Asian jokes are very funny. However, height jokes are not as plentiful here.....such a pity. {not}
On the bright side, I had my first palm reading from a fortune teller today! It was...interesting. Jessica, the fortune teller, was odd. { and that is putting it in the nicest way} 
It was fun. Most of the statements were general but some of the things she said hit pretty close to home...it was sorta creepy.  Jessica said that I will die when I am 80 due to old age. I have no disease or illness that will take my life before then. I was disappointed; I do not want to live that long!

10) SAN FRANCISCO! I leave in two days. I have never been to that part of California so I am pretty stoked to see it. This is a business trip so I will be doing "work". Work consists of but is not limited to:

-meetings. Mostly presentations by businesses and politicians. 

- A tour of Google. This is what I am most excited for. How often do people get to meet with GOOGLE? 

- Stanford/Hoover Institute. We will be touring campus and meeting with the VP of Stanford. Condo Rice teaches there. I want to sit in on a lecture SO badly. 

-   A tour of Silicon Valley. I guess this is where they make a lot of the high tech stuff we use...should be interesting right? 

- Early morning Fun Run of Golden Gate Runners Club. It is 1.7 miles. Good thing I have been obsessed with the gym...

- US Navy Memorial Site

- Trione Family Winery. 

- Redwood Forest.

- Alcatraz Island/prison. 

I will fill all of you in on my trip when I return and with, of course, pictures!