Welcome to Washington D.C.

Well I thought time was flying before - little did I know! I moved to D.C. last week and it's been crazy. Definitely a different world in these parts. Big city, fast paced, lots of people, not a lot of room, crazy drivers, metro - the whole nine yards. It's hard to believe that this time last week I was in Bloomington packing. That seems like forever ago. I left on Tuesday to drive to D.C. Brad flew in that afternoon and I picked him up in Indianapolis to make the trip with me. We had a wonderful road trip - very laid back - we stopped at random things along the way, just because we could (Wright Brothers Birthplace/Museum, Rose Garden, Arboretum, Visitor's Centers for all the states we drove through). We split the distance over 2 days, which was much more manageable and made for a nice drive. The weather was beautiful, we had fun stops, sat outside to eat, listened to great music, had a great trip. We made it in to D.C. at 4:45 PM and navigated rush hour traffic to get to the building to pick up my apartment keys before 5:00 PM. Here's a glimpse at the next 24 hours:

• The women at the desk can't find my keys. Another woman comes out and tells me they've been sent out (to where? No idea). Anyway - they are going to have them couriered back to the office, I can wait here. I go downstairs and park the car (PS - Parking in the city is ridiculous). Brad & I both go back up to the office.
• Less than 5 minutes later the leasing manager calls the desk of the office and asks to speak to me. Turns out they can't get the keys until tomorrow. Tells me to get a hotel and they'll reimburse me. She'll call me in the morning to get the keys.
• We google Hilton (yes, the verb, to google), find a hotel, make a reservation. (SIDEBAR: My Blackberry and his iPhone were both crucial to surviving the weekend - GPS, Google, great stuff).
• Get to the hotel we booked only to find it is under $140M of renovation and the place is a disaster - detoured entrance, half of it shut down. Unfortunately our room was not one of the ones that had already been remodeled. Quality.
• Next morning - get up, have breakfast. 10:00 AM - I call the office, no answer. 11:00 AM - I call, they'll meet me at the apartment in 45 minutes.
• We find the apartment, find a metered parking spot (PS - Did I mention that parking in the city is ridiculous?), wait for her to show up.
• 15 minutes after she's supposed to be there (and she's not) I call the office to get her cell. Call her cell - she's 2 blocks away and will be there in 5 minutes.
• 15 minutes later she's still not there - call her cell again - no answer. Shock. All the while Brad keeps going back and forth to add money to the meter.
• 15 minutes later she shows up. Lovely. She tries all the keys in her little bag, none of them work. She says she has to go back to the office and she'll be back in 15 minutes. I ask - really 15 minutes? or what?
• She actually got back exactly 15 minutes later! Turns out although my address is 1723, I enter through the door that says 1725 - which has a magnetic lock. It's a good 5 minutes before she understands that it isn't opened with a key. Finally get in.
• She doesn't have a mailbox key - she'll have to get it to me later. She'll send me information about the Internet. She'll make sure someone comes to check the lock on the door that's falling apart. Right. I'll hold my breath for it.

So that was that. Welcome to Washington D.C. We got moved in, got my apartment put together in no time at all (it's not that big). It's obscene that they can charge what they do for an apartment that is furnished entirely by IKEA products. I guess it really is location, location, location! I'm close to where I will work though and my car is parked in a garage a block away so everything turned out great with that. We spent the past few days getting stuff for my apartment, visiting the White House (getting shooed away by the cops only to see the Presidential helicopter fly over 30 minutes later), seeing the Washington Monument, Lincoln, a couple Smithsonian museums, US Botanical Gardens and even the D.C. Temple. Witnessed the Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally this afternoon - must have been hundreds of thousands of motorcycles around the Capitol (see website for more information - pretty neat). Good times. All in all a wonderful trip that went WAY too fast! A day off tomorrow then work on Tuesday. Here goes nothing!

Slow Down Everyone, You're Moving Too Fast

The past few weeks have been flying by! School finally ended (thank goodness!) and a couple days later I was back in Dallas with my family. I am so grateful for the time I got to spend at home and the people I was able to see. A dear friend of our family passed away the day I flew in and fortunately I was able to be there for the funeral. It was bittersweet knowing he will be greatly missed by all who knew him, but knowing that he is in a far better place without the pain and suffering he was experiencing. Definitely a time of serious reflection and gratitude for the life I have. I promised myself to try to not be so concerned with what is coming next that I miss what I'm actually experiencing at that moment. I tend to always be looking ahead, which is a good thing, but I think some times it keeps me from "living in the moment". The week at home went by too quickly and before I knew it I was on a plane heading back to Indiana. I wish I could have lived in that moment a little longer! Being there makes me realize how much I miss my family and friends and the people in my life that really make it wonderful. Thanks to each and every one of you who shared your time with me while I was there - it made all the difference. Too bad I have to be in Bloomington until next May instead of December!

I woke up this morning with that "where am I?" feeling. It took a second to realize that I was in my apartment, not my room back home. I have approximately a day and a half to get my entire apartment packed up - with boxes going to DC, boxes going to back to Dallas at the end of the summer and boxes staying in Bloomington for next year. I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed and wish the clock would tick just a few seconds slower. I'll leave on Tuesday to drive halfway to DC, make an overnight stop in Ohio and finish the trip on Wednesday. I have the rest of the week to get everything together before starting my internship next Tuesday. I'm looking forward to the time I'll get to spend in DC and the work I'll be able to do. I think it will be a great experience. Any suggestions of "must see" or "must do" while I'm there are greatly appreciated!

Success!

I finished the Indy Mini Marathon on Saturday! Woohoo! All things considered*, I don't think I did that bad. [All things considered includes: the longest run I had was 8 miles - 3 or 4 weeks before the race, I only ran a total of an hour in the 2 weeks leading up to the race, my finals are this week and I've had no time to dedicate to training, my pre-race dinner the night before was 2 pieces of bread, a salad and some fried German food, and the morning of the race I forgot any and all energy boosters (powergel and these cool new electrolyte strips, similar to Listerine strips). I set out only with the intention to finish, regardless of time, but again, all things considered, for my first race, my 2:45:27 (12:38 pace) was good enough for me!

About the race:
What a spectacle - the largest mini-marathon in the nation! Between the mini-marathon, the 5K, and the wheelchair race, there were over 50,000 participants. People, people everywhere! I can't imagine everything that goes into making such an event (For a glimpse: http://www.500festival.com/marathon/FunFacts.asp). Actually running it was amazing. I was proud of myself for the accomplishment, but even within the first 3 miles (and definitely through all 13.1) I was truly inspired. Mile 2 of the race was along the same street as Mile 10/11 to finish the race - so not only did we get to see the Kenyan's who had started about an hour before and were finishing (literally...the 1st place male finished in 1:03. Less than 5:00 pace, no big deal), but I also saw one of the wheelchair participants. From what I could tell, the man had no legs but was racing with his all. Amazing. I saw an apparent father-son pair, with the father leading his blind son along the route. An old man (70+), nearly completely hunched over, being held on either side by family, helping him walk the distance. There was a group of firemen, dressed in full gear, masks and all, but running shoes instead of boots, walking their way. Plenty of cute old men and women, couples, young kids with their parents, groups of friends. What an amazing thing to see. People were racing for a variety of reasons. People living along the route literally came out and sat on their porch with their cowbells to cheer. There was entertainment all the way - singers, bands, preachers, posters, families, friends. There was also entertainment among the runners - one shirt: "Heavily medicated for your protection", funny hats (Dog ears: "We run for rescued dogs", candle sticks like a birthday cake, tiaras) - the whole 9 yards. It was truly incredible. Additionally, it was very patriotic, with soldiers overseas providing the countdown to start.

It was a great experience, regardless of the fact I was literally waddling back to the hotel afterward. I am so grateful Brad was able to be there to support and to spend the weekend. We had a fun time seeing Indianapolis, relaxing, shopping and eating at local restaurants (lots of good food!). All in all I would say the weekend was a success!