I love TJ and Abe.

I am super far behind. I have gotten SO BUSY, and time flies too fast. This is my attempt to catch up. I am going to post in fairly quick sequence to get all of you, my fans, up to speed.

So, 2 weekends ago, we didn't have class on Friday. Instead, it was cultural enrichment day, and we were simply required to spend the day doing something that had to do with history or art or something similar. My vote was to ride bikes 12 miles to Mount Vernon and spend the day. I was outvoted by, well, everyone. Tyson was excited by my idea, but Adam convinced him that renting a car and driving to Monticello was a more valuable use of our time. I agreed, but was bitter. In the end, me, Tyson, Adam, Ryan, Jeff, and Amanda went to Monticello.

Now, a little bit of preface. Thomas Jefferson is my hero. He has always been my favorite. AND, I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Monticello. It has always been a priority. I remember that sometime in Elementary school we learned about TJ and my teacher told us about some of the cool inventions and things in his house. It seemed like a distant fairly tale-ish kind of a place- not anywhere that I could ever actually go. I know this sounds silly, but that's how I always felt about it. The place in engraved on the back of every nickle for crying out loud! It's like a palace of America, besides the white house, of course. So anyway, I was very excited. And I love day-trips, and I love riding in real cars instead of trains and buses. :)

Adam got the car early Friday morning, and we drove to Monticello. It's just a couple hours in to Virginia. Virginia, by the way, it gorgeous. So green and hilly and beautiful. I loved the scenery. It was much more exciting than good ole I-15 between Provo and St.G!

We spent about 3 hours in Monticello. There was a movie to watch at the visitor's center, a small museum about Jefferson, and a shuttle that went to the house. When we got up there, we had some time before our tour, so we walked around the plantation, looking at the gardens, Jefferson's grave, and some of the slave huts. It was really cool. And really pretty. I really love the scenery in Utah, but there really is something to be said for green-ness!

Our tour of the house went through the main level- the front entry way (with the cool clock that is based on a weight system that falls through holes in the floor), the parlor, kitchens, TJ's bedroom and office, etc. The bedroom/office was my favorite part. Jefferson designed the house, so he built his room and office to perfectly suit his needs. He was all about inventing things that made everyday tasks more efficient. His bed was in an alcove that had two openings instead of one. When he got up in the morning he could choose to get out of bed on the office side, or on the bedroom side. Above is bed alcove was a closet for his out-of-season clothes. The little stairs that led up there were located at the head of the bed alcove. It was really cool! And his office had all sorts of gadgets that made reading easier and such. I loved it.

We walked around the stables and skill shops after the tour, then headed home.

We drove back a different way we came and went through Fredricksburg, the home of a civil war battle, and Montpelier, James Madison's house. We weren't going to drive through Montpelier, but Ryan secretly convinced Tyson (who was navigating) to give Adam (who was driving) wrong directions so we could end up there. I had really wanted to go, but everyone else was against the idea, so that was nice of Ryan. :) I'm glad we got to go through that little town, and I'm glad that the boys I hang out with are so considerate of me. :)

I got home around 7, ate dinner, then went to the Air and Space Museum to see Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian!!! I was excited to see a movie in the place where it was filmed, but honestly, the movie wasn't that great. I didn't love it. It was funny, I just don't think I would want to watch it again. But I'm glad I went, and Tyson and I enjoyed making fun of the cheesy parts. Right when the movie was over, I rushed home to write the paper that was due by midnight, that I hadn't started on.

It was a research proposal for our semester projects. It was very dumb of me to wait until the very last minute to write it. I was kind of freaking out a little bit while I was trying to write it, but I chose spend money and have fun instead of work on it. Most would say that writing a reserach proposal in less than two hours, right before it is due, and turn it in without proof-reading is a very bad idea. And in theory, it is. But somehow, it worked out for me. I got it back yesterday, and everything is jolly good, :) This is actually a very bad thing. I wish I would have done horrible. Then, maybe, I would learn my lesson and work harder in the future. But when I still do okay without really trying, why would I ever start trying??!! This is a new, very bad attitude about school. I have zero motivation for anything related to schoolwork. And I have papers due every week! I have yet to write one more than a couple hours before it is due. Hopefully I'll get the laziness bugs out of me before next semester, and I can be a good student again. :*

On Saturday, we woke up super early to go to the White House. My friend Brett had arranged for us to go on a tour. It really was a special privilege because white house tour tickets are getting harder and harder to come by, and as a general rule, you have to request them like 3 months in advance. We arranged our tour the week prior. :) That's what you get when you have friends who work on Capitol Hill! I love it.

We were instructed to bring nothing with us except our ID. I couldn't even take a camera! or a cell phone! Security is very tight around that place. Who knew?! You can actually see snipers in the trees and on the roof. :) The tour was really cool, though. My favorite room was the blue room. It in the middle of the rounded part that you can see on the front outside of the building. It had really cool blue furniture that was designed by some president in the mid-1800s. Then, when Jackie O. was the ruler of the place, she moved all that furniture out becuase she didn't like it. It was all sold at public auction, but recently, the pieces were all gathered together again to re-create the original room, and it was gorgeous! I had a good time talking to the secret service guys about what goes on in each room. They don't tell you much. They are very good at keeping secrets. We asked one guy if Obama was going to speak at the Lincoln Memorial rededication that was later that afternoon. He said, "I cannot comment on what the president will or will not do." Very strategic. We got no information.

After the tour, we went to the White House visitor's center, and then to Chipotle for lunch. I had never been there before, I just know that Chipotle is Spencer and Kyle's favorite place ever. I had high expectations for the place... and I'm not sure that my expectations were met... but it was still really good!!! I actually would really love to go back. :) It was delicious. I don't understand how they can like it better than Cafe Rio, though. That whole idea is completely foreign to me. In comprehensible.

So, the plan for the rest of the day was to attend the Lincoln Memorial re-dedication on the mall, and hopefully get to see Obama and hear him speak (his presence at the event was a pervasive online rumor). But, we still had several hours before the event, and we already had a crew on the mall staking out spots for us to sit in (in the shade, of course). Chipotle is near Chinatown, so the walk back included a stroll past the National Archives. IDEA! Why don't we spend our extra time studying the real Declaration of Independence, and hope to find treasure?? So we did. Well, not exactly. We went in the checked out the exhibits on the upper floors, but when we made our way down to the rotunda where all the cool stuff is, Amanda (leader of the mall crew) called me and said that we needed to get to the Lincoln Memorial because if we got tickets, we could get an actual seat and the event! We rushed to the Lincoln (about a mile from where we were), found a park service guy dressed in brown who was handing out tickets, and stood in the massive line for chairs.

The rededication is something that I am glad that I went to, but also something that was very miserable to sit through. It was VERY hot, the sun was in my eyes (and I didn't have sunglasses), and I was very, very tired. As you read about earlier, the day prior was a big day, I was up late, and I had to get up really early for the white house tour. And last, it was miserable because THE PRESIDENT DIDN'T EVEN SHOW UP! I promise, I will see that guy in person before I leave Washington. I have to. That is the whole point, dag nabbit! I've walked through his house, for crying out loud! And I can walk past it whenever I want! Everyday if I have to! So yeah, I'm glad we went because it was still a cool thing, but kind of disappointing at the same time.

I don't want anyone to think that I am an Obama fan. I don't want to see/hear him speak so bad because of the person he is, but because he is the president. No matter who it is, there have still only been 44 of these guys in the history of America. You can not get more high profile than being Obama right now. He is currently the epitome of famousness. Hands down, the most famous person in the world right now. Sure, there are select celebrity that emit massive amounts of star power and what not, but seriously, Obama is the premier famous person world-wide. You know it's true. And might I add that people in D.C. are OBSESSED with him. There are gift shops all around that sell only Obama things. There is a store in Georgetown, amid other stores like Urban Outfitters, Banana Republic, and J. Crew, that is called "The Inauguration Shop" and it sells Obama-related apparel. I'm actually dead set on purchasing some button-up collared pajamas with Obama heads all over them. How hilarious is that??!! And I didn't see it there, but I bet that they carry the Obama Chia Pet that I advertised on my blog a couple of months ago. :)

So anyway, after the rededication I was completely worn out, and I just went home and showered/took a nap until late, when we watched a movie with the projecter. That's what we do when it's late. Watch movies and huddle inside the B-low Center and its air conditioned rooms. :)

Until next time...