Potomac Fever

Last Friday was an incredible day. First, it was 70 degrees and gorgeous. Second, I diagnosed myself and several of my Barlow buddies with the ailment that many D.C. newcomers experience after being in the city for several weeks. This is going to sound super picturesque, but this is honestly what it was like. As a bunch of us sat on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial, staring across the Potomac River at the Washington Monument and the White House, with a full moon rising and gentle music playing in the background, it dawned on us that we were getting infected with a strain of Potomac Fever. According to dictionary.infoplease.com, Potomac Fever is "the determination or fervor to share in the power and prestige of the U.S. government in Washington, D.C." This isn't exactly what we're experiencing. I enjoy my internship, but it's the city itself that's becoming addicting! 

After class on Friday afternoon, a few of us ended up going outside to enjoy the sunshine, and we literally just sat on a wall on the west side of the Capitol for a glorious hour. We chose to sit on the wall because I accidentally exposed my fear of squirrels after six successful weeks of keeping it a secret. As we made our way towards a bench on the Capitol grounds, I saw movement on a nearby tree trunk. Squirrel! I froze, and when someone asked me what was wrong, the best thing I could say was, "Oh, there are too many branches on that tree." Yes, I know. Pathetic Kels. And guess what? My friends saw the squirrel too and right through the ridiculous lie. It's okay though- I'm actually getting so much better with overcoming my fear. By the time I leave, I will love the evil little creatures.

For dinner that night, we ended up eating overly-priced, but delicious Obama Burgers. To work off the grease, we decided to walk two miles down to the Jefferson Memorial, and that was probably the best decision we could have made. If you ever come to D.C. you WILL go to Jefferson. It sits right on the bank of the river and is set outside of the city, so it's extremely peaceful and has a fantastic view! On the way back to the Barlow Center, we took a route that leads past the FDR memorial and the Lincoln memorial, and I've decided that this path is my favorite place in the city, hands down! Warm weather, a full moon, glowing monuments, and great company led to an awesome start to our Presidents' Day Weekend.

On the wall in front of the Capitol- Look! No Coats!
Left to right: Me, Hannah, Rachel, Nate, Megan, Alison, Peter

We're facing the Jefferson Memorial (WA Monument behind us)
Left to right: Alison's head, Wade, Josh, Megan, Rachel, DJ, Hannah, Nate, John, Me, Jesse

Jefferson Memorial view from my favorite path

On Saturday I experienced a different kind of fever...not an actual fever I guess, but I was kind of sick- mainly fatigue and headaches. So, the only thing I did that day was go to Eastern Market for the first time. Eastern Market is kind of like a small flea market with a lot of little stands set up everywhere. There were several produce stands there that had samples of apples, strawberries, tomatoes, berries, cucumbers, cantolope, and watermelon, and everything was delicious! Despite being sick, I did one of the most impractical things I could have done on Saturday night, meaning I stayed up super late with my Barlow friends, watching Star Wars and then talking and laughing for hours after that. I think I had a renewed sense of energy because that afternoon, Kim, one of my wonderful roommates from last semester, called to tell me that she was engaged! According to my friend Josh, I exhibited the "essence of a woman" because my enthusiastic response to Kim's announcement was heard throughout the entire Barlow Center. Oops. Since I love engagement stories, especially when they happen to my friends and roommates, I felt hyper and happy, and I was suddenly good to go! Luckily, by Sunday afternoon, I was completely back to normal health-wise, which was great because that day ended up being extremely busy.

At this point, I would like to introduce the Sowby's. They are an LDS missionary couple responsible for running the Barlow Center, and they just arrived last week from... (you'll never guess)... Utah! :) Last Thursday, I had gone over to help them clean their apartment, and on Sunday afternoon they invited me and a few other Barlow friends over for a delicious dinner. When we were about to leave, Elder Sowby asked if we wanted to go with them to the D.C. Temple Visitor Center for a "Why I Believe" fireside. My friends, Chris and Alison, and I jumped at the opportunity to go since there are no good public transportation options for us to go on our own. The Sowby's took us in their van (it was so weird to be in a car again!) and we got to see the outside of the beautiful temple and hear some incredible speakers at the fireside. (For my non-LDS friends, firesides are basically supplementary church meetings for those interested in going, and here is a basic explanation about temples if you're curious: http://lds.org/church/temples/frequently-asked-questions?lang=eng.) Many of the speakers were new converts, and it was a great reminder for those of us who were there as to why we really believe what we believe, why I'm spending an hour and a half on the bus every Sunday to go to church, etc...It was awesome, and I actually ran into a guy from Puyallup, Kevin Danner, who is a missionary out here. Craziness!

Washington D.C. Temple

Me and Alison in front of the Christus statue in the Temple Visitor Center

Presidents' Day was great this year because I actually did something presidential. My friends and I have had our eyes on Mount Vernon for a while, and we were overjoyed when we discovered that the only day of the year when admission is free was a day we had off from work! So, at 11:30 a.m., we gathered in our typical meeting place (the lobby on the guy's floor), and then embarked on our metro/bus journey to Alexandria, Virginia. Mount Vernon is huge and beautiful, and we spent hours walking around the grounds and going through George Washington's mansion. We also saw the tomb where Washington lies. There was an incredible sense of reverence at that spot, I'm not even kidding! 

In front of Washington's mansion at Mount Vernon
Left to right: Me, Wade, Alison, Chris, Heather, Sarah, Megan

Outside of George and Martha Washington's tomb

That's my weekend in a rather large nutshell. As much fun as it is out here, there are also so many serious things going on in the world that I've become very aware of through my internship. The continuing resolution that just went through the House and is now up for debate in the Senate is a big deal, no matter how you feel about it. And the protests in the Middle East are turning a lot of heads in that direction. Luckily, I have a lot of "happy places" I can go to now, when things get crazy. Sometimes I still can't believe I'm here- I just love D.C., which is apparently my personal symptom of Potomac Fever.