I work at the Smithsonian.

It sounds super glamorous, and well, it is. The Smithsonian is very cool, and my museum, is the coolest one. I work on the first floor in the Archives Center, and I really only step on to the museum floor when I go on my lunch break. I kind of wish that I was able to work with the visitors more, because tourists are really hilarious, but I really love the people that I work with.

On my first day I had orientation and was sent over to the security offices a couple of blocks away to get my ID badge. I was SO excited to get my badge. Do you realize what this badge means?? It means that I don't have to wait in security lines in any of the museums!!! I am already SECURE!!! Also, it gives me access to the staff elevator. I made friends with the elevator man. His name is Eddy. It also gives me one free ticket at the IMAX theater in the Air and Space Museum every week. SO, we are going to Night and the Museum (the new one) in that theater when it comes out. Who ever gets to see a movie in the exact place where it was filmed?? No one but me!!! We were going to go to the premiere and see Ben Stiller, but I got the dates confused. I was very mad about that for a whole 2 days. Also, I have a work email address... but I'm not allowed to publicly post that. :)

So anyway, my work is in the Archives of the museum and is concerned with a particular collection of photographs, negatives, and studio records. It's called the Scurlock Collection, and it's very cool. So pretty much, I look at all the negatives all day. I can only touch them with gloves, I have to clean them, label them, and wrap them up in special paper. I am going to be working on this project ALL SUMMER. It takes a very long time. And there is a lot to do. It's quite a daunting task, really. But I like it. I am very good at keeping myself entertained, even while performing the most tedious tasks for hours at a time. I either think funny thoughts, watch movies in my head, have pretend conversations with funny people, sings songs in my head, write letters or essays in my head, or, my favorite, compete with myself for how many negatives I can finish processing in an hour. It's great fun. My processing-speed record is only like 42 per hour, though. IT TAKES FOREVER! I'll get faster, and I'll keep you updated.

The thing that I am excited about, though, is that I am the first summer intern in the office. The other interns are coming in June, so I already know the ropes and everything, and my supervisor has already told me that I am expected to teach and help the other interns. That means that I am kind of the head intern. Isn't that great? I am so in charge!!! Also, she asked me to be the staff photographer. I have to take pictures every week to document the preservation of the Scurlock Collection. That's how big of a deal this thing is. There is even an exhibit on the main floor of the museum about Scurlock and his work. Isn't that cool?!?!!

In summary, my first days were good, but very long. I am very glad that I only have to work 4 days a week. Thank goodness for BYU and classes on Fridays. :)

Things that I am loving about Washington
1) When people think that I am local and they ask me for directions. But the coolest part is that I know where to tell them to go. I was asked directions to the White House the other day (which I only live about 5 blocks from), and I was able to give precise directions. I love being informed!!
2) Realizing that it really is okay to get around a city without a car. I'm still a little freaked out by the idea, but I'm really starting to enjoy walking. I no longer depend on a car, and everything that I need is very close.
3) Living in the Barlow Center. Really, it just feels like I have 40 new best friends and siblings. I love it. I mean, there are some weirdos, but they are fun too.

Gosh, I made my job sound really exciting and awesome, but really, it's Sunday night, and I DON'T want to go to work tomorrow. Work means getting up early and sitting in a chair all day. The best part is my lunch break. I sit out on a bench on the Mall and look at tourists. They are funny with their shorts, tennis shoes, and fanny packs. Also, massive groups of 8th graders are funny.

Philly and the Forge

On the bus when we first left- Adam, Cameron, Me, Genevieve

My darling Moe accused me of neglecting my blog, and I will have none of that. I do not neglect my blog! I simply had to wait for someone to comment on my last post before writing a new one! I know that hasn't been my policy in the past, but I decided that it would be best to let everyone enjoy my blog, one post at a time. Here is a small list of things to look forward to: reports on Valley Forge and Philadelphia, orientation at the Smithsonian, my first days of work, and the Air Show. I have a lot to say, so get buckled in and ready for the next couple days of amazing posts.

First order of business: BEST WEEKEND EVER.

On Friday morning, I had to get up SUPER early and be ready by 7:30 to get on the bus with everyone and drive 3.5 hours to Valley Forge! (For all of you who don't know, Valley Forge is the place where George Washington stationed and trained his troops during the winter of 1777. It was a very cold, terrible winter, and the men were very miserable. There was a lot of disease, and many men died. The remarkable thing about the whole affair is that despite the horrors of serving in the continental army, George Washington, with his powerful leadership skills, was able to keep morale up, and even when many of the soldiers' enlistment time ended, they stayed and re-enlisted. Cool, right? Okay, I'm done being a history teacher for the moment). So, anyway, it was a long drive, but we watched a movie about the Constitution.

THEN, we got to Valley Forge!!!! We drove up to this place called the Freedom Foundation. They had three dormitory buildings and then like a center hall complete with classrooms, rec room, and banquet hall. I felt like we were a youth conference or some sort of jazzed up summer camp. Apparently the Freedom Foundation usually runs their program for middle schoolers, so it was kind of odd that we were all in college. We had a guided tour of the park and a Thomas Jefferson impersonator and everything. It was hilarious. And the cook made smiley face cupcakes. :)Part of the gang. This is a bridge in Valley Forge
Our dormitory. It was SO PRETTY there. So green. And lots of trees. Valley Forge was like the epitome of a peaceful place. I wanted to camp-out there for several days.

So, we toured that afternoon, and it was great. So cool to be there. The little history person in me jumped out. That night, after ice cream, we PLAYED NIGHT GAMES. This is one of my favorite pastimes. I love night games. I convinced everyone to play ghost in the graveyard-- the GREATEST night game ever. It was especially perfect to play because we were in Valley Forge, and a lot people actually died there. There were memorials and craps all over the place, so it actually was kind of like a graveyard, and kind of spooky. SO MUCH FUN. We played that, and sardines for several hours, then told ghost stories. Even though we are all over 20, and should act like adults, we figured that since we were at a camp for middle schoolers and were being treated as such, we may as well act the part! I loved being a kid again. :)

The next morning, we drove to Philadelphia. As we rode into the city, I played the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" theme song on my iPod and we all sang along. I'm pretty sure I sang that song 12 times throughout the day. It was quite often that we came upon a ghetto, run-down basketball court that could very well have been the one where Will was beat up and swung around on that one guy's head. We looked for the Fresh Prince and all the people from Boy Meets World all day. It was great. I might have seen Cory once, but I didn't get a picture.

Anyway, we went to the Liberty Bell first, and don't worry, I spackled that baby right up. No more crack (That's what Eric does on BMW). I loved seeing the Bell. I LOVE HISTORY! Next was the Consitution Center. We watched a movie about the Consitution, but I fell asleep. I have the habit of falling asleep EVERYWHERE now. I lead a difficult life. The Constitution Center was really cool. There was a place where you could pretend to be on the Supreme Court, and another room that had a statue for all the signers of the Constitution. I love statues. They are probably one of my favorite things to see. So powerful. I have lots of favorites. I'll post about that some time.

The Liberty Bell!!!

Napoleon?

Me and Sam Adams. I always wanted to meet that guy. He's my all-time fave.

Alexander Hamilton. My other favorite guy.

I don't even know who this is. We'll pretend that it's James Madison, because I love him too.
Me signing the Constitution.

Did you know I'm on the Supreme Court with Genevieve and Tyson?

And THEN, we went to INDEPENDENCE HALL. My favorite place of all. I was super excited about this. My history lover self was GOING CRAZY at this point. I was freaking out. Let me explain. Independence Hall is the place where everything happened. Among others, the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Constitution were signed there, the 1st and 2nd Continental Congress, Consitutional Convention, and George Washington's inauguration ALL happened there. Coolest place ever. I stood in the actual room, and the only thing I could think about was that fact that all of the people who I idolize stood at the very same place that I was standing at some time or another. In Washington, DC, it's different. It's not as old as Philly, and the current buildings didn't house the early American government. I mean, DC was sacked in the War of 1812 and everything had to be rebuilt. But anyway, I loved it.

Independence Hall

The Room where it all took place... In case you didn't notice, this is my "really, really excited about life" face.

A summary of the other sites we saw in Philly: B. Franklin's grave, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of World War 1, the First U.S. Bank (Yeah, it's the one that Alexander Hamilton was in charge of and Andrew Jackson crushed!), Reading Railroad, Christ Church, Elfreth Alley (the oldest continual residential street in the country. It was adorable), the first Philly Cheese Steak drive-up restaurant (It was muy delisioso), City Hall, the Masonic Temple, and I'm sure there were other places that I can't remember.Elfreth Alley. It was ADORABLE!

Ashley, Kate, Me. Yes, Ashley and I are wearing practically the same outfit. That was an accident.

Items of Note:
1) I rode in a taxi for the first time ever!!! I was excited about the first-time ever thing, but it really wasn't that cool or fun.
2) There were some creepers. See the picture below. The guy sitting on the bench followed and circled around us for like 3 blocks. It was kind of scary but mostly hilarious. He had headphones on and was singing, "bad boys, whatcha gonna do when they come for you..." And at one point he pushed up his sleeves. I think it was so he could show us his tattoo. It was really weird, and quite disturbing when he just kept popping up places.3)Philadelphia (at least where we were) is a very dirty city. Like literally, very dirty. Dirty people, streets, everything. The historical sites were picked up and clean, but for the most part, it was just gross, which is really a shame. The founding fathers would not be happy about that. :)
4) The Philly Cheese Steaks were very, very yummy. They made me very happy. But, they were also very greasy. I mean, very, very, very greasy. Yes, that was a triple "very" on purpose. The moment the guy handed me my sandwich, I tilted the paper down, and grease poured onto my pants and shoes. So gross. But no worries. I didn't get any more grease on my clothes. It just went in my body.
5) We are very excited to see, "Up." We talk about it all the time.
6) Kate braided my hair and tied it around the seat on the bus. It was very comical.
I had an amazing weekend, and I have been SO busy doing fun stuff and working that I haven't had time to post, and I am now a week behind. ACK!!! I just want to remember everything because I love it so much, but it's SO HARD!!!!

But I love you all, and I hope you liked the pictures. I thought they were funny.

My consolation Paper Store.

It doesn't really have scrapbook supplies, but it's really close to my apartment, and it has paper and lots of envelopes. It'll have to do.

Also, I am no longer down in the dumps about anything. It is sunny, my cold is going away, and I just spent the weekend in PHILADELPHIA!!!

Down in the Dumps.

So, I've been slightly down in the dumps. I have a cold, the weather is horribly cold and rainy outside (not at all what I was expecting in D.C.- well, not the cold part, anyway), everyone is gone all day at internships except for me (I start next Tuesday), AND I just realized, I am suffering from severe scrapbooking withdrawl. I need to get SCRAPPY! Me and Audrey P. used to say that we just needed to "get our scrap on," and boy, am I feeling it now. And the sad part is that I have only been gone from Pebbles for like 2.5 weeks, and I still have ALL SUMMER ahead of me. It's such a shame. My one regret about this whole D.C. experience is that I didn't bring any scrapbook stuff with me, and I thought that I would be okay without all of it. I'm just SO DUMB sometimes!

So, today, my goal is to find a scrapbook store that I can reach by one of my two sources of transportation- my feet, and the metro. I searched online, and low and behold, I found a craft store called Ipso Crafto in the Southeast quadrant of the city that I could easily reach by metro via the Eastern Market stop (one of my fave stops). The craft store even has fabric, and I have been dying to make myself a new blanket. by hand. You see, I CANNOT stand having only one blanket on my bed. I desperately need a blanket to cuddle with.

For a few brief minutes, I was very, very excited about the idea of going to a craft store, buying scrapbook stuff, and finding fabric to hand-sew a quilt out of. AND THEN, I saw a notice that said, and I quote, "Remember, DECEMBER 14, 2008, THIS SUNDAY, is our last day ever! We’re not moving, not closing for renovation, not taking a holiday. We’re shutting our doors for good." Now, I don't have a picture of my sad face, but imagine one, and insert it right here.......

Now what am I going to do?? Pebbles friends, I hope you understand this problem. All you other friends out there, just try to sympathize, becuase this is a BIG problem.

And don't worry guys. I will keep searching. And also, I miss you, Pebbles in my Pocket.

Love, Audrey

The Ring

I'm posting this now, just so you all know. This is my dream engagement ring. The band will be thinner, though.
Just to avoid confusion in the comments: this is for when I get married, very, very, very far in the future.

The Clique.

We are officially the cool kids at the Barlow Center. Check us out!



Our little clique consists of Me, Genevieve, Ashley, Kate, Cameron, Tyson, and Adam. I don't really know how it worked out, and it's been kind of fascinating to watch the social structure around here form so fast. Nobody in the Barlow Center really knew anyone else, so we all started from scratch, and this little clique is how it has worked out for us, at least. It's weird, because we are a tangible group, but there's no reason why. Me and Genevieve discussed this in great length last night (well, until about 3 in the morning). It's like, this morning, without having made plans, we all randomly showed up in the lobby at precisely the same time to walk to church, so we walked together (and shared umbrellas because it was POURING outside. And so cold. Whoever said that bringing warm clothes out here was a bad idea, was much mistaken. I wish I had sweaters and warm fuzzy socks).
This picture perfectly describes the personality of the group. Let me explain. Tyson is the map king. He figures out where we need to go, and how long it'll take us to get there. Kate is the loud, but glamorous one, Cameron is the comic relief, Ashley is the photographer (and comedian), Adam is the tough guy, Genevieve is the one that lags behind cause she is looking at everything, and I am the one that smiles all the time (especially when I know that there is a camera out).

So yesterday, me, Genevieve, Cameron, and Tyson went to the Eastern Market for breakfast. Rachelle's sister, Andrea, showed me the spot last summer when I was in D.C. And it was the BEST BREAKFAST EVER. So I convinced my little clan that breakfast at the market was an excellent idea. I got French toast with pecans again, and it was SO WORTH the 7 bucks.

Anyway, after breakfast, we rode the metro back to Dupont Circle to catch a shuttle to the embassies! Yesterday was the annual embassy open house. Most, but not all, of the embassies opened their doors to the public and offered free food, cultural art, music, dancing, costumes, and so on. It was so great! Here is a list of the places we went (cause technically, when you're in an embassy, you are on that country's soil! I am now a world traveler!): The Bahamas, Bangladesh (where the best food was), Benin, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Serbia, Zambia, and Ghana. It was awesome!! There was a lot of African stuff going on! Lots of cool music. :) The open house closed at around 4, and we ended up just walking back to the Barlow Center. It was a long day of walking and expending energy. By the time we got home, it was about 5:30, and we were EXHAUSTED! So, we ordered pizza (one large each for all the boys, and one for every two girls), and watched Kung Fu Panda. We were still worn out after the first movie, so we decided to watch "Charade," with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. Unfortunately, the TV was stolen by people who wanted to watch the Bulls/Celtics game. BUT, never fear, we found a solution. We stole the projecter out of the conference room, tacked up a sheet in the boys' living room, and watched the movie there! It was super awesome, and I loved it.

Here are some more pictures from my day at the embassies!

The cool band in NigeriaFood from Nigeria. I actually ate most of it. Surprise surprise.The dancers in Thailand.

Anyway, it was a good weekend.

Diamonds and Upside down.

I'm too tired to summarize. I am just going to post pictures with their captions. :) But wait, here is a list of today: class until 3:00pm, The Natural History Museum, Chinatown for dinner, and a walk down the Mall to see the monuments AGAIN. I really need to branch out, but the group promised we would finally walk all the way to the Jefferson Memorial. But then, when we got there, nobody actually wanted to go, and we ended up just going home. LAME. I was mad. So, thanks, Rachelle, for making the hike out with me last year. Apparently it's like this huge sacrifice. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow.

Me and Genevieve and the Hope Diamond
Me and Tyson and the Utah dirt! (We're the two St. Georgies in the program)
Me laying on the bench looking up at the Washington Monument. You can kind of see it in the background.
Me and Genevieve, both being upside down. :)

Adios Amigos!

Edit: I forgot to add a moment of silence for Matt G's dismissal from American Idol. Ready, go, uuuuuummmmmmmmm. Okay. So now I'm switching sides, and I will be an ardent Adam supporter. GO ADAM! He totally deserves it. But I'm still sad about Matt, and I still love his rendition of "Let's Get It On." :)