WWI Memorial

I love Monday

Well, at least this past Monday in DC. What am I doing here, you ask? For those of you who don't know, I am currently working for the U.S. Senate office doing constituent services, meaning I help citizens who are having problems with federal agencies. It's a fun job, and I LOVE being so closely involved in politics. I got to come out to DC for some training on how to do my job better, as well as to get acquainted with DC's political and tourist workings so I can explain it to constituents back home.

Staring out the work week was Monday, which was AMAZING! Since the actual training didn't start until Tuesday, I had the day to meet my DC coworkers, get my Senate ID (which, PS, gives me access to some pretty cool places!), and get a taste of how the whole DC scene works. We had a little time in the morning, so we got to go to the Library of Congress and see some really neat things, there, including an original copy of the Book of Mormon!

Later in the afternoon, I was lucky enough to go to a hearing that my boss was participating in about some current controversial legislation. Not only was it fun to see how the hearing process works and see a number of prominent Senators speaking, but...wait for it...I was on C-SPAN! *See the arrow in the picture below, pointing to me sitting down.* Now to the average everyday person that may not mean much, but for a political nerd like me it's pretty darn cool! Click here if you want to see the whole video - I can be seen at 27:27, 37:33, and 1:10:28. :)

After that we came back to the office, and not to much later we rushed with my boss over to the Senate floor in the Capitol for a role call vote - again, very cool! We got to see even more Senators there, including leadership from both parties (Senators Reid, Kennedy, and McConnell to name a few). It was so interesting to see how they actually vote and observe the comradery between the Members, even those of different parties.

Now it may not seem like much, but Monday really was one of, if not the the best work day of my life (this was another cool day)! Since that time, I have done other fun things, like eat in the Senator's Dining Room and say hello to Senator McCain, but Monday has been the most fulfilling and exciting day by far. It's fun to ride the Metro into work, all dressed up in my business clothes. And I love walking around the Capitol amongst the folks who make such big, far reaching decisions that affect our country. I really love being a part of the process and seeing up close, firsthand how it all works!

the view

from the balcony of my hotel room in Rosslyn.

More happy details on my AWEOME, AWEOME Monday to come!

greetings from dc!

Greetings from our nation's capital! I am here all this week for training - yipee! I am excited to do not only touristy things, but fun Senate things, too - like attending a committee hearing (yes, I am a political nerd). Hopefully I'll have have more pictures up this week to share...

a little late...

but I just wanted to mention Pi Day, one of my favorite days of the year (I posted about it here last year). As always, we celebrated with yummy pies, although a Saturday evening activity prompted us to move the festivities to Pi Day Eve (aka March 13). The classics returned (key lime, chocolate, and asphalt [aka mint chip ice cream and oreo]), and a delicious Raspberry Custard Pie, like the one pictured above, made its Pi Day debut. The one I made was definitely not as pretty, but tasty none the less. You can get the recipe here (note: I used a Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust instead of the Pate Brisee).

Do you celebrate Pi Day?

Picture from Martha

little birdies told him

A little late, but here is a picture of the card I made Jeff for Valentine's day. How can you not love cute, little, blue birdies?

practice makes perfect

Speaking of my new camera, one of the fun new things I've been experimenting with is portrait photography. Last weekend I took this picture (and about 10 million more) of my sister in-law for her sister who is building her cosmetology portfolio. It was fun to pose creative shots and try to get an idea across in a single picture. I still have a lot to learn - and a lot of practice to go!

So...if you're in the Boise area, please let me know if you, your children, family, etc. are interested in having some portraits done by yours truly. I have been considering offering my photography services at no cost except the time to take the pictures to enable me to get some experience with portraits. You get a CD with the pictures - I get the practice. Let me know if you're interested...

my camera

Finally - an update on my new camera! After saving up for months, I finally got my birthday, anniversary, and Christmas gift in November (I needed it in time for our trip back east) - my Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi. Despite my impatience and occasional whining to Jeff about having to save up for it, I'm so glad I did - hard work does pay off! The camera is amazing and I would definitely recommend it as a great starter DSLR. I also highly recommend B&H Photo - they are AWESOME to work with!

So, now that I had a new camera, I needed something to carry it in (besides the bag that came with it that just screams, "There is an expensive camera in here - steal me!"). This is the messenger bag I made so that I had something to tote both of my cameras in around Philly and DC. What do you think?