Well, if you can't tell, I am just a little excited for this Holiday Season! Christmas is the best time of year and I can't wait to celebrate it with my family. Being away from them for this long definitely makes me realize how much they do for me and how important they are to me. I love you guys!! I really wouldn't make it in this world if it weren't for my family. This time spent in Washington D.C. has been amazing to say the least. I have had so many wonderful opportunities that I will never ever forget about. I am learning sooooo much about the way our government works and the crazy things that come with it. Being out in this big city has made me realize that I miss the mountains and the wide open spaces that Idaho has to offer. Whenever I ride the metro I feel like a herd of cows being pushed along onto the trains. I still can't believe that I am here experiencing these things. I have been trying to take everything in, see all that I can see, do all that I can do, but with the lack of money and time, it makes it a little difficult. So, that is why I am now working at Chili's! It is just a block away from my apartments and being able to transfer made it really easy to start working. Now I will be rollin in the dough right!! Ha ha, if only. Pictures will be coming soon though. I still have many things to show everybody, and many more to come! Y'all ready for this... (OK, stop singing now!)

Another fun weekend trip in DC!! This last weekend was probably the the most fun I have had out here in D.C. Me and Alba decided to go on a real adventure! We rented bikes and biked the Mount Vernon Trail to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. We biked about 25 miles through gorgeous trees and landscape. It was beautiful with all the leaves changing colors and falling all over the place. It was an all day adventure that wore us both out! It was totally worth it though. Mt. Vernon was full of fun. We got a buggy ride, roasted apples over the fire (YUM!!), and even made dolls! Here are some of the pictures that we took throughout the day...

Me and Alba getting ready to head out! The bikes were so comfortable, for the first 3 minutes!!

We finally made it to Mt. Vernon. I couldn't feel my fingers (or nose) because it was a little chilly! I don't know if we were supposed to ride over the lawn, but it wouldn't be the first illegal thing I have done!

This is George Washington's Mansion. It was beautiful inside and almost everything was still the original from that time. This tree was planted by George Washington himself! It is the oldest tree on his whole estate.

This is the National Cathedral. It was probably the most beautiful building I have seen yet on my adventures in Washington DC. It was so pretty!

This is Alba, my good friend that goes on all of these adventures with me. She is a live-in nanny here, but is from Idaho! Yeah! She is so fun and we to see a lot of the sites around here.

We went to Johnny Rockets the other night because we were really feeling like a good greasy burger, fries, and milk shake! Oh man, it was delicious!!!

The Old Stone House is the oldest house in Washington DC. It is right in the middle of Georgetown, where I love to go shopping!!

Mike Simpson's Office

So, Mom has been bugging me to take pictures of Mike Simpson's office, so the other day when I was in there all alone, I finally did it. This sign is right outside his door along with the American Flag and the Idaho Flag.

This is Kaylyn's desk (the scheduler and pretty much everything in the office), but when she is gone, I am in charge! Ha ha, if only!Yes, my own desk! It's not much, but this is where I spend most of my time in the office (unless I am running around Capitol Hill running errands for everyone!). Yep, I snuck into Simpson's office! A typical Idahoan room right! I love all of the dead animals everywhere. While I was in there, I actually sat in his chair, don't tell.

I had the opportunity to attend an Opera on Sunday. I have never been to an opera before so it was a good experience. I only was there for about 30 minutes due to my ride, but it was just the right amount of time for me! I heard, I saw, and I experienced a formal opera. It was great and I sat on the front row! I saw the orchestra and that was probably the coolest part! Don't worry, I made it back for Conference!!!

It was at the Kennedy Center, which is beautiful! I started to take pictures, but then some lady yelled at me because it was against the rules!! Opps, I snuck in a few more though, ha ha!

Poor Brian spent the day with 4 beautiful girls! We went to the Book Fair and walked around The Mall (no, not a real mall. That's what I thought we were doing! Ha ha, the area in DC with all the museums is called The Mall)
Chelsey, Sarah, Jessica, Brian, and Andrea at an art museum. Me and Sarah was a little wet because it was pouring outside and we were looking for a hot dog stand... never found one!

So I bought this awesome umbrella the other day. It is huge! I took out a guy walking down the street! I will be dry though, along with the other 5 people that are under it with me!!