April Showers bring May flowers (Cherry Blossoms in particular).

The District of Columbia is farther from my beloved St. George than I thought. In Washington, there are 39.9 inches of precipitation annually. In St. George there are 8.7 inches. I much prefer the latter. Rainy days=cloudy, sunless, and unhappy days--- and they mean that your shoes and socks and pant bottoms get really wet, and then they stay really wet and cold all day. It's very rude, actually.

But the showers bring the flowers, and I'm already seeing the affects.

So I had some adventures this weekend. It was the first time in 3 weeks that I actually was able to get out and do something on the weekend. The three weekends prior I spent all my time grading, planning lessons, and working on the dreaded teacher work sample. But because my student teaching career is quickly coming to an end (yes.), I have a little more time on my hands, and the weather (despite the loads of rain) is getting better (yes! again).

So I'm starting to enjoy myself a little more. The sad part about the new freedoms is that I am suddenly just about out of money. It's too bad I spent it all during the cold, rainy months, when the other thing to buy was consolation food. Consolation food is very, very bad on so many levels. For one, it makes you fatter. For another, it's still makes you fatter. Third, it's actually kind of expensive (Tom and Jerry's. How can they justify selling those tiny cartons for like $5 a piece? It's inhumane. But people like me buy them). Fourth, now I don't have money for the fun stuff, which is stupid. But whatevs. I have less than two weeks (WAHOOOOO) left, and then I'll hopefully be home and have a job. I can't WAIT to make money again.

So anyway, this weekend. It was a blast. Most of the time.

On Saturday morning I slept in (I hate getting up at 6:30 in the morning. I swear, it will be the death of me), and then me, Julie, and Angie went to a National's game!! The season opener was last week. I love baseball games. I should say that again with more enthusiasm, I LOVE BASEBALL GAMES!!! They mean summer and happiness and sunshine and more happiness. And cute boys in baseball uniforms.

So we bought our tickets and found our seats, and it was sunny and lovely and fun and THEN.

In an instant, the weather shifted to a TORNADO. Well, it might have been a hurricane.

One second there was laughter and cheesy music to be heard, and the next: people were screaming. The clouds had shifted instantaneously and let out a down pour of HAIL. Pelting hail and high MPH winds. We cowered in our seats (screaming ourselves), and once we emerged, the field was covered in a giant tarp, and the entire stadium was evacuated. No. Joke. The marquee had a delay message. We went behind the stadium to get out of the awfulness, and then after waiting in the cold and wet for about 20 minutes decided to bail. It was no longer worth it to wait for the game. This is what I'm talking about when I complain about the rain and awful weather in Washington. THIS is what I'm talking about.

The baseball field before the chaos

The baseball field AFTER. Big difference? I think so.

Julie and Angie DURING the chaos.

Who else's mascot is a giant Abe Lincoln head?

So we went to Eastern Market instead, which is one of my very favorite places. Most of the booths and shops were closed because of the weather, but we managed to buy some delicious mini donuts from a guy. And we found lunch at Good Stuff Eatery. Never has a hamburger and fries tasted so good.

That night we made our way to the waterfront between the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. The Cherry Blossom Festival people sponsored a street party thing and fireworks. This evening event combined like 8 of my favorite things. 1) fireworks. 2) boats on the river. 3) glow sticks and festival people. 4) twinkly lights on the boats that were on the river. 5) adventures climbing over fences. 6) attempting to take pictures of said fireworks (I have still never been successful at that. And why do I even try?). 7) ice cream at Thomas Sweet in Georgetown following the firework adventure. 8) well, I still really loved the boats on the river.

These are the perfect seats me and Angie found to watch the fireworks from.

Summary of the evening on the river with the fireworks: it was a dream.

Note to future husband: I would like to be proposed to on a boat. In the middle of a river (or the ocean). During some fireworks. That would be nice.

The next morning I woke up to beautiful sunshine; the likes of which have rarely been seen since last fall. I took advantage of the loveliness and went on a long walk by myself before conference (don't worry, I still slept in until like 9:30. Conference wasn't until noon out here). I rode the metro to Arlington Nat'l Cemetery and then walked across the bridge to the Lincoln Memorial, all the way around the Tidal Basin, and then to L'Enfant Plaza to catch the train back home. I saw the Cherry Blossoms up close for the first time, and note to reader, they do not disappoint. They were gorgeous. There were A LOT of tourists, but I dealt with them-- I walked quickly and jumped out of many a picture. In total the walk was about 3.5 miles, and I loved every second of it. I talked to my mom and Moriah on the phone but mostly I just enjoyed the blossoms. And I am seriously in love with the Jefferson Memorial. I mean, I have been for years, but anyway.

Beautiful Arlington

I stuck my camera through the fence. This is the construction site for the new Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial, to be completed December 2011. (YIP!)

Snow on some random trees? No! They're cherry blossoms!

Hey TJ. I can see you poking out in there.

I loved the combination of Cherry Blossom and Willow. (fyi, see the tourists? They were swarming)

Addendum to the note to future husband above: How about a proposal in the Jefferson Memorial, during some fireworks, after rowing a romantic little boat across the Tidal Basin? And don't forget the twinkling lights.

So I had a good weekend. And this weekend is going to be awesome too. And then the next weekend (drumroll please), I'll be flying home, and saying goodbye to this amazing city for a third time.

It's going to be great.

And look out BB12. I've officially purchased Dani's contract. Save a kitchen cupboard for me, I'm coming home!

Yeah. This happened.

This week, in the DC, I had a little setback.

I had some wrist pain on Saturday... that increased exponentially until Monday morning when I could no longer move my wrist- or fingers- because of the pain. And I actually shed tears.

I went to the doctor and after two hours of waiting, explained my situation to the doctor:
"So, I don't know what happened... my wrist just started hurting. I didn't injure it. The only thing I can think of is that I moved and pulled some heavy suitcases all week last week. Oh, and I broke that wrist when I was 6. And, did I forget to say that it hurts like, really bad?"

The doctor was of very little help. The x-ray said nothing. After my 4-hour visit to the urgent-care clinic that I found online and found a ride to, the doctor sent me home with a brace, a prescription, and no information.

(sidenote: I hate taking medication. I feel like medicine (not antibiotics) doesn't actually make you better, it just makes you feel like you are better until you actually get better. And I don't like it when I feel fake better. I don't like not knowing what it's supposed to actually feel like. I know that's weird.)

So I got home and didn't fill my prescription. I iced my poor wrist, took some ibuprofen, and took a 2-hour nap.

The next day it hurt worse. I didn't sleep that night, you know, because it hurt so bad. And it was dang hard to get ready in the morning. Try putting a ponytail in your hair with one hand. Imagine me, Audrey, using one hand to put my nylons on for my first day of student teaching on Tuesday. Imagine my 5 whole minutes of agony. And then imagine going to some inner-city schools in Washington, D.C. and meeting intimidating administrators who give your broken wrist a firm handshake. Imagine holding in the scream.

It was a rough couple of days. I even called my brother and cried. Sobbed while walking down the street in Foggy Bottom after my first day. I sat on the metro with red puffy eyes and avoided looking at my fellow passengers.

What the heck is wrong with my wrist? What. the. heck. And besides the heck, what the RANDOM, right?

I gave up the no-prescription-medicine-charade on Wednesday afternoon. My happiness has increased dramatically since then. I slept last night. The whole night. No midnight trips to the bathroom for more painkillers or trips to the kitchen for ice bags.

Improvements of today:
1. I buttoned my pants this afternoon with apparent ease.
2. I carried something.
3. I cracked an egg. With both hands.
4. I slowly texted with both of my thumbs. 
5. I'm typing. Right now. With two hands (one in the brace of course)

Tomorrow my goal is to:
1. Apply lotion to my left arm (with my right hand)

So I'm in a positive, stabilized position at this time. But I think it's fake. My wrist feels better because I'm taking a strong pain killer and anti-inflammatory to stop the swelling (see picture below). So I guess I'll keep you updated on that.

Comparison of Audrey's wrists and hands. TOP: normal hand. Bottom: NOT NORMAL. Notice the two missing knuckles on the bottom hand due to swelling. And the lump on the left side of the wrist that is only slightly visible.

My experience in DC round 2 has been... a little rough at times. I am anxious to see how things turn out.

BTdub, I am still terrified of student teaching.

And there were like 5 large hiccups in my placement. Hopefully (and thankfully) they are overcome. It's been a little bit stressful to say the least. And I have been very, very sad, and very, very mad way too many times. I think I'm generally a fairly emotionless person, unless that emotion is happy, excited, or sincerely content but sleepy. It's been a ride. A wild ride. :)

But I love love love my roommates. They are Jetette Super Great. Aimee is my room-roommate. We have some great pillow talk, which I love. And all the girls support my ice cream addiction. Last night, when I was having such a hard time, my girls went down to the convenience store in the basement of our apartment building and bought me a pint of Red Velvet special edition ice cream, and then we sat in a circle and talked it all out.

Times Square on New Years' Eve EXPOSED

Audrey Spainhower tells all in this, the UNTOLD STORY of a great American tradition: the horror, the misery, and the less than 5 seconds of excitement.

Stephanie and I rode a bus from DC to NYC on New Years' Eve. It left at 8:15am. We got to NY around noon and quickly made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge. That was our one chosen touristy thing for the day. After thinking really hard for about fifteen minutes, we figured out the subway system and mapped out our way to the bridge. We finally made it to Brooklyn but then failed to find the pizza place we had been aiming for. So we ate pizza somewhere else, but still Brooklyn thin-crust and lotsa cheese style.

Stephanie, walking across the bridge

By the time we made it back into the City it was almost 4:00pm-- we came out of the subway at 42nd St, right smack in the prime of Times Square. To give you a visual, if you've never been there before, it looks a little bit like the strip in Vegas and a lot like a cartoon. The marquises and posters are larger-than-life and brightly colored.

We were told by a policewoman that the ball was going to drop pretty much right above where we were standing. We were like, "sweet! Let's just stay standing right here!" But then we figured out that the area where we were standing was going to be closed off for emergency people and camera crews when it got a little later. We were instructed to go down the street and pick a different entrance onto 5th Ave. So we walked down to 45th. They wouldn't let us in. They said the block was full of people already. We tried 47th (amid thousands of other people, mind you). Same Story. We tried 49th, now 7 blocks away from the ball. They still wouldn't let us in. We finally joined a cue to get through the barricade at 52nd street (a mere 10 blocks from the ball), and were smashed to oblivion by the hordes of anxious people for about an hour before they finally let us through (and we were some of the last people allowed onto that block). We rushed through security (they searched everyone's person and bags. That's why it took so long) and found ourselves caged into the block between 51st and 52nd in another metal barricade. It felt like we had been corralled. There was a different oval-shaped barricade set up on every block, and hundreds of people were trapped in every one of them. And there was no leaving the barricades, not even if you were going to pee your pants (actually, I saw them let one girl go. And she had to walk down 7 NY blocks by herself before she was let in to a bathroom), because:

1. First, there was no room to move. Too many people smashed together. So it was hard to get out of the barricade even if the policemen would have allowed it.
2. The policemen were watching, and if you left, you could not come back.

Once we were settled into the barricade it was a little after 5:00pm, and the long wait began. We looked ahead to 7 hours of standing in the corral. So we thought of numerous ways to pass the time:

1. Make friends with the people around you who share in your 7-hour wait misery. We met some girls next to us who were from Georgia and were just adorable. They helped Steph and I be excited because they were excited. We also made friends with a guy who was by himself. He had been separated from his friend earlier (in the crowds) and they couldn't find each other again until they were both corralled into separate blocks. So, he just stuck with us through it all and we talked to him for just about the entire 7 hours. He was an unusual character to say the least. Well, really, the most unusual thing about him was that he refused to tell anyone his name. He didn't make an issue about it, he just smoothly changed the subject anytime anyone asked him for it. And he was asked several times. When I first asked him, I thought he said his name was Eldar, but when I was like, "what?," he changed the subject. So Stephanie and I refer to him as Eldar, Oldar, Elgar, Oldvar, and any other variation of that. To paint a picture of this man, he was almost my exact same age, 6'6", moderately built, from Connecticutt (which he claimed is populated only by "old, rich people who own a lot of land"), is a student at UCONN, wants to be a neurobiologist, went on vacation to Florida once for 4 days and spend $3,000 ("but it's not about the money, it's about having fun."), travels to Europe quite frequently, and has a nice car ("I have to borrow someone else's car when I come to NY. I would NEVER drive my car to my cousin's house in Manhattan."). Notice that the inserted quotes are from Elgar. Last, there was a group of people directly in front of us that we talked about a lot, but we didn't talk TO them. They were from Colorado (fellow westerners), and there were about 5 girls and one man. The girls all wore matching giant T-shirts over their coats that said "CO" on them, and winter hats with animal ears on them. They also wore variations of glasses with flashing lights. The man was obviously dating one of the girls (they practically made-out every hour and Oldar complained about the PDA constantly), but he looked to be about twice her age, and we were all very disturbed. To add to the absurdity, the man pulled out a FLASK from his coat after midnight, drank some, and then passed it to his sweetheart who looked barely over-age. AHEM, Mr., public drinking is illegal in this city. Anyway.

2. We marched in place to keep warm, to stretch our atrophied muscles, and to take up time.

me, sitting down, giving my legs and feet some relief.

3. We sat on the ground a couple of times, for short stints only-- it didn't take long for the asphalt to freeze our butts.

4. We played dumb games with Eldar. Like movie quote or character games. None of them worked very well or for very long because we hadn't seen the same movies. He's a non-Mormon boy and likes the movies that one would predict he does. Those movies do not even fall into my vocabulary.

5. We listened to my iPod. Out loud. We only got through a couple of songs, though, before I realized that having a full iPod battery on the way back to DC that night was muy importante.

6. About every hour someone would say, "well, I guess we could take another picture." So that took up about a total of 30 seconds.

And that's about it. That's as far as the creativity goes. It was really long and cold and boring and miserable. And have you ever tried standing in the same place for 7 hours? I can't even describe the pain in my legs and feet. The bottom of my feet are BRUISED. First from walking all day and then from standing on the damage.

Reference point: you see the shadow of someone's head in the middle of screen? above that head is a pillar of lights. Above that pillar is a teeny little orb of light. That's the ball.

And to top it all off, we were literally 10 blocks from the dumb New Years' Eve ball. And about 7 from the stage where all sorts of people performed that I would have loved to see, namely, Ke$ha, Taio Cruz, and the Backstreet Boys. Yes, my BSB were right down the street and I couldn't so much as hear a teensy note from a song. The ball look to be about the size of a pinhead in front of us, and we could see a tiny little screen below it with things moving around on it, but that's about it.

A really, really, really zoomed in shot.

But I was there. I stood in Times Square on New Years' Eve 2010, and that's something. I've come to a level of acceptance where I'm glad that we went, but only just barely. I still kind of wish we had just stayed in DC and rang in the new year by ourselves, standing on my balcony. But alas, the deed is done.

Anyway, as midnight drew near, there was still only a slight feeling of excitement in the air. Everyone around us just wanted midnight to pass so that we could go home. The countdown started and I held up my camera to film it. I watched the ball drop through my camera, totally missing the real thing. By the time I had realized what I was doing I was too late. The ball the gone, it was 2011, and the fireworks started.

Taken right after midnight.

Stephanie and I found our way out of the barricade and down the street-- we had to walk a total of 18 blocks to our bus. And that's when we started seeing the drunk people, slowly emerging from bars, not to mention the literally ONE MILLION people rushing out of Times Square. One guy threw up directly in front of us. We just held our breath and moved past really fast.

While we were walking to the bus, Stephanie commented, "I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Not even the people I don't like." I agreed.

We found our way back to the bus and boarded at around 1:30am. We sat in our seats and fell promptly asleep. The bus left at 2am, and I was able to sleep until about 4am. Then I just started getting miserable. My throat hurt and I was exhausted but fidgety. But I survived, and the bus finally pulled into Dupont Circle in Washington at 6:40am. We got back to my apartment in Arlington at 8:00am and immediately got in bed.

And that is the end of our trip to Times Square for New Years' Eve.

I reiterate Stephanie's comment, I would not recommend the experience to anyone. But I add some qualifiers. If you can book a hotel close to Times Square and don't have to ride the bus home after, your experience will improve dramatically. If you are able to arrive in Times Square at like 9am day of and can wait outside all day and don't mind the standing, you will love the night time hours before midnight because you will be in a spot to see the show, hear the music and announcers, and get all the free hats and noisemakers. On those conditions, I recommend the experience. Or if you like doing things that make you hate being alive, then go right ahead and follow my lead.

But even still, I'm grateful for the opportunity. It really is cool. And not too many people I know can say that they have been in Times Square for New Years' Eve. I mean, it's worth something. I glad I was able to do it... I just won't ever do it again.


:) note: please don't interpret this dramatic representation of the experience as more than it is. I like to sound ridiculous and to make things either seem more awful or way cooler than they actually are. In this case, it actually was really awful, but it was still a cool/good experience!

I'm here I'm here I'm here!

I have lots to say. And like zero time.

First of all, I don't have internet in my apartment yet. So I'm in the little internet zone in the lobby of my apartments.

Speaking of apartments, I'm stoked about this one.

I have a 12th floor balcony that looks out at the city of Arlington, VA.
I have a doorman who helps people carry up their things.
I have a business center where printing is FREE.
I have a gym on the top floor with big big windows.
I live about a block from the metro and a giant super fun mall.
All the bedrooms have giant walk-in closets and huge mirrors in the bathrooms.

I'm still the only person here-- there will eventually be eleven of us. I think someone else is coming tomorrow. We will have two apartments between us, and I think I'm going to be in the one that I'm not in right now. The second one isn't available until next week. So, the 12th floor thing might change, unfortunately. But I'll still have a balcony. And maybe an even bigger apartment! (because it's the 3-bedroom rather than the 2!)

Last night and today I roamed around the district and fondly remembered my old stomping grounds. I have already covered Foggy Bottom, Georgetown, Capitol Hill, Penn Quarter, and a lot of Crystal City. The Mall is next on the list (it would have been first, but I have to follow Stephanie's plans because she is only here for a couple of days. She flew out with me, btw). I love it too much. I'm so happy to be here!

ALSO, tomorrow I am going to NYC for NYE. Yay Times Square. Look for updates on THAT!

Rain, rain, it finally went away.

Until today, it rained in like the whole state of Utah EVERYDAY. And gosh, I hate rain. I don't know how I'm going to survive Washington, DC. Eek.

1. I feel like the weather, though, reflected my own inner turmoil as I finished my finals and packed up to leave Provo for the foreseeable future. I don't have specific plans to go back... which means that I no longer live in Provo and am done with BYU. It's a depressing thought, really.  I have loved my time there more than I can possibly say, and it just breaks my heart to imagine never going back to that life. But I have come to terms with it. I'm excited to see what happens next-- I know that I will love the next stage of my life just as much as I loved my years at Brigham Young University. (look ahead to a post about BYU and why I love it so much. It may not come until April, though, when I actually graduate). I packed and cleaned, said good bye to A LOT of people that I love, and admittedly cried about the whole ordeal kind of a lot. It was hard. I didn't want to leave.

2. Meghan Newby and Lorina Binning are back from their missions!!! I had the privilege and honor to visit Meghan in the Salt Lake airport during her layover there last Thursday. And I cried like a baby when I saw her. It was embarrassing. I tried to explain that I was just emotional because of all the crazy things of that week, but really it was just good to see her. I was happy to have been able to see her because she'll be back at BYU, but I'll be in DC and won't see her or Lorina at all. The airport was my one chance. But I'm excited to be able to talk to them and catch them up on everything.

2. Anyway, it rained on Saturday. Rachelle's wedding day. And despite the poor weather, the day was beautiful. The temple was lovely (even though everyone's hair was all messed up in pictures), the luncheon was perfect, and the reception was charming. The wedding, like the packing and moving in the days before it, was an emotional, draining experience (as was reflected in the rain). I have had many best friends get married. This was actually my 5th time as a bridesmaid. But I do have to say that it was one of my most meaningful experiences as a bridesmaid. Rachelle and I have been through a lot together. We've been friends for a long time. It was painful to lose her. I have to admit that I panicked a couple of times in the process of her courtship and engagement to Brad and some tears were shed. But I am so happy for her, and I can't wait to see where life takes her. I just hope against all hope that we can maintain some of the closeness that I love about our friendship. I just love that girl.

3. On Sunday morning my family drove up to Ogden for some family stuff. It rained the whole way. The whole way for real. That night we had our family Christmas party, and I was struck by the fact that my family is extremely understanding and accepting of everyone. My extended family (on my dad's side) is a hodge podge of people, many half-related or not even officially married-into our family. It can get very confusing. But everyone is loved and welcome. I'm so grateful for that. We all love each other. And our once-a-year get-together is very well attended. Everyone comes. And it still surprises me when a cousin who is never heard from except on the day of that party every year, shows up with new children and/or a new significant other. And everyone is welcome. I love it.

4. On Tuesday night my family went to the basketball game between BYU and Weber @ Weber. We are a Weber family. My parents went there. My grandpa has worked there for like 60 years. He is actually in the Weber State Athletic Hall of Fame because he announced all the athletic events for like 30 years. He was "The Voice of the Wildcats." And while we were at the game and I had dozens of aunts, uncles, cousins (and even siblings and parents) rooting for Weber, I held true to my own school. (The Beach Boys song, "Be True to Your School" comes to mind). I yelled for my Cougars. It was the last time I'll see our BYU boys play (live) this season, because of my silly decision to move out of state. I really am upset about this. And if I hadn't been so excited about the game and our win, I maybe would have shed a tear out of pure nostalgia for the game of basketball and the joy that our boy Jimmer has brought me. :)

this'll be me again soon.

And today, the rain is gone. The sun came out, and the mourning I have felt for my past life is over. I am cleansed and ready to move on, seriously. I am extremely anxious for Washington. Cause, you know, it doesn't even feel like it's an exciting thing that is about to happen. Or like I'm doing anything unusual. It just feels normal. So meant to be. Like, of course I would do my student teaching in Washington. Living in DC feels normal. And good. And I'm anxious to fly out there and begin it all. To re-live the fairy tale, but in a different way.

Announcements, announcements, ANNOUUUNNNCEEEMEENTS!

I, Audrey Spainhower, will be doing my student teaching in Washington, D.C., our nation's capital, next semester. I'm not sure what school, subject, or grade, but it's officially happening.

After the aforementioned student teaching, I will fly back to Utah to walk in the commencement services at Brigham Young University, where they will hand me my diploma. It will be an end to happiness and joy and a beginning to the absolutely unknown.

I love both the Backstreet Boys and Michael Jackson. Lucky for me, there are exciting things for both of these artists (despite the non-living condition of one party) on the horizon.

First, the BSB are launching a tour in 2011 with New Kids on the Block. Yes, you read that right. I just watched the official announcement on Oprah.

Second, By the end of this year I will own the new "Michael Jackson Vision" DVDs that contain ALL music videos and short films, some of which are very rare. AND, I will also own A NEW MICHAEL JACKSON ALBUM, titled, Michael. It is a compilation of songs recorded before his death that were never made into an album. It officially goes on sale on December 14. That is 40 days away. I almost shed a tear when michaeljackson.com sent me the news a mere 10 minutes ago.

the new album cover. It reminds me of Dangerous. 

Last, the new Cirque Du Soleil show is Michael Jackson themed, and it is going to tour the United States. It's coming to Utah on November 29, 2011 (I think). I have to go. 

Hold your breath ladies and gentleman. This is all just going to be way too much fun.

The healthiest place to be

health.usnews.com reports that the Provo-Orem, Utah area is ranked number 1 as most sober and most smoke free in the United States. It is ranked #2, after Boulder, Colorado, as "The most fit." More than 64% of citizens in the Provo and Orem exercise regularly.

I think I live in the healthiest place in the United States.

On the flip side, Washington, D.C. ranks #1 in "smartest state," and #2 in most literate. I'm pretty sure that's the place to be if you want to be smart.

Both of my favorite places (besides St. George, of course), BYU and Washington, are amazingly ranked as places in the United States to live. I think I have some sort of innate wisdom to love these places. Or maybe that's why I like them. Because they are the best.

Here is a link to the webites with all the stats.

That's all.

Heaven in Beach Form

I mentioned in the last post that I had the plague. Well, really, I was just very sick for a few days. I seriously don't ever remember feeling sicker in my whole life. It was really bad. I missed work on Thursday, missed class on Friday, went to the beach on Saturday, missed church on Sunday, and then missed work on Monday. It was a long, horrible drawn out process, with a little dash of paradise in the middle called: THE BEACH.

We rented a car that Saturday morning and left for Ocean City, Maryland at around 8am. It was about a 4 hour drive to the beach, so we arrived around noon. Ocean City is kind of like an island (I'm not actually sure if it is or not), and it has one side of beautiful, white, sandy beach, and a boardwalk with fun shops, food places, arcades, and game areas, and then the rest of is filled with houses and businesses. But it was lovely. It was the perfect day for the beach- it was actually sunny. Rain didn't even threaten. And it was warm, and the waves were good, and the colorful umbrellas were so pretty in the sand! The only hitch was my plague. I actually felt really good that day comparatively. The problem was that somehow I had spread my disease to Cameron, and he was miserable, and I felt really bad because I KNOW what it is like to have that plague! It's really bad!!! He was in the second day of the illness, and I was in the third. It was actually kind of funny throughout our misery, because he followed my symptoms exactly a day behind. So, everyday he would ask me how I felt so that he would know what to expect the next morning! Side note: The next day, his roommate, Adam, got sick too. He didn't follow our pattern exactly, but we turned our horrible plague into a comedic thing and we sort of became lepers of the Barlow Center. The others referred to us as the trio of death. We said we were three musketeers or amigos or something that sounded less morbid, but it was the trio of death that stuck, and we were practically quarantined. It was sad, but funny.

So anyway, BEACH! It was perfect. I laid out in the sun, which is one of my all-time favorite things to do, swam in the waves, at ice cream, buried Adam in the sand, relaxed, recuperated, got rid of my farmer's tan, etc. It was just wonderful to be in the sun. Sure, we have sun in D.C., but it is too often hidden by clouds and rain and nasty humidity that I hate. And I love the sun. That's why I love St. George. Because I love hot and I love sun.

SO PICTURES!!!

Me and Eric on the boardwalk with our ice cream cones. YUMMY!!
Me and Amanda

The master sculptors with their work of art... So, it actually took a little convincing to get Adam to let us bury him in the sand, but I think he was glad he did. We made him look AWESOME!! Well, the awesomeness was Erik's part. He was the artist. He sculpted the fine muscles. Genevieve contributed the power belt, and Amanda, Kate, and I worked on the fin. Mostly Kate and me dug the hole, and that took A LOT of energy. Especially for someone just getting over the plague! But we did it, and it was SO FUNNY!!

Okay, last funny thing, and then I'm done. So, at one point, I went out into the water, but before I left, I pawned my sunglasses off onto Ryan. He put them on and wore them the rest of the day. I didn't want to take them back, because he looked so good in them! Some people said he looked like Tom Cruise in some movie, but I went more in the direction of a young JFK. Tell me what you think. I know it's a teensy bit creepy, but he and I are good friends, so I don't think that he would mind that I zoomed in on him in a picture and posted it on my blog. I just thought it was so funny!!! And even funnier, he went out and bought a pair just like them! Now we are sunglasses twinners, but he looks way better in them.

I was very tired by the end of the day, and I slept the majority of the ride home. So nice. Going to the beach probably extended my illness a bit because I wore myself out, but it was so worth it!! The End!!

China and Italy

The last day. I'm sick of being stuck on this New York trip posting thing. I'm ready to move on to other very exciting things!!

SO, anyway, we rode the train back in to New York City from Morristown at 9:00 in the morning, and when we got to the City, rode the subway straight to Chinatown. The place was CRAZY! There were all sorts of little Asian women running around with funny hats on, lots of fruit stands with exotic fruits, and TONS of jewelry and handbag shops. The little Asian women stood on the corners and sidewalks and called to people when they walked past: "You want Gucci? Prada? Versace? Come with me!" They held little pieces of paper that sampled their black market merchandise. Other women had long sleeved button-up shirts on, with the cuffs unbuttoned on the sleeves so that they were easily pull-up-able. They would pull up their sleeves and expose lots of jewelry that they were illegally selling. It was really quite a spectacle. I think that a good word to describe it with is chaotic. There were way too many people all crammed together, yelling, bargaining, trying to find each other, sell things, etc. Incredible madness that was really very stressful. S0mehow, while we were looking at all of this stuff, me and Tanier got separated from the boys. I think it was because we were taking too long trying on rings and stuff while Adam and Cameron were on a search for watches. Adam was trying to find a solid gold watch. Cameron wanted on with a face the size of his wrist. Needless to say, Cameron was successful, Adam was not. :)

So while Tanier and I were walking around, we happened to pass a woman who yanked up her shirt sleeve as we walked past. As she held up her arm, she yelled, "You want Tiffany's??" MAGIC WORDS. "Why, yes," I said to her, "I really would like some Tiffany's." She whipped off a bracelet and threw it around my wrist. My was this lady a good saleswoman. All she had to do was say Tiffany's and flash some silver in my face and I was sold! I obviously knew that it wasn't real, but it was SO PRETTY! So I bought the bracelet. And I have worn it a TON since. I swear, it looks real. Tiffany and Co. is etched on the side of the heart charm that is attached and there is a number on it and everything. So I pretend that it is real. :) I also bought a diamond-studded heart-shaped ring from one of the shops. I saw the ring in the first shop we went in, and I just kept thinking about that same ring when we walked into every other store. By the end of our visit to Chinatown I realized that the ring from the first shop had to be mine! So we went back, and I bought it for $10. I was very happy. Rachelle, you have converted me to the ways of rings. I obsess over them a little bit. And I talk about diamonds a little too much.

This is the old lady we followed to look at purses...Chinatown!!!

So, Chinatown was absolutely charming and I loved it. Me and Tanier had our share of adventures... all of which should not be recorded... But, right next to Chinatown is Little Italy. And as many shops as there were in Chinatown, there were just as many restaurants in Little Italy. We found the boys and a cheap little pizza place to have lunch. And I am going to bluntly state that the pizza we bought at this tiny pizza cafe-like place was THE BEST PIZZA I HAVE EVER HAD. I don't really understand it. I might have been way too hungry, so it just tasted extra amazing, I don't know. But it was delicious. To top off the amazing piece of pizza, I got some spumoni-flavored gelato from a cart with two Italian men gushing over my beauty. Haha. He gave me an extra scoop of the pistaschio flavored part. YES. I love that part the best!

Little Italy!! See how everything is green and red?

So then, we walked over to the Financial Disctrict, namely, Wall Street. The first place we noticed there was Trinity Church. That's the church with the underground graveyard and really cool stair/elevator system that lead to a TREASURE in National Treasure. So, we went inside to look for treasure. We didn't find any, but that's only because the secret passageways and such were roped off and and we are good BYU kids who don't go past things that are roped off. It was really pretty, though. The grounds were awesome, and some of the graves were SO OLD! Trinity Church is on Wall and Broadway--- a pretty famous intersection, don't you think?

Christ Church

The charming ancient graveyard. :)

After walking through the church, we walked up Wall Street. I'm not really a finance-oriented kind of person. I don't really get the whole Wall Street/stock market thing, so, I wasn't super excited about this. There was statue of George Washington, though, and after Cameron finished taking a picture of me by it, he said, "Um, I just saw something down the street that is going to make you VERY happy!" So, I looked down the street, and I saw it: The Mothership. Tiffany's. I have to preface this with the fact that the WHOLE time we were in New York, I was on the look-out for a Tiffany's. I kept saying, "Okay, guys, the only thing that's on my list of priorities (besides Ellis Island) is Tiffany's. I HAVE to go there." So after we saw it, Cameron and I made a beeline for the store. Excitement was mounting. Alert! Diamonds ahead! My heart beat faster. I saw sparkly things in the back of my mind. I quicked my pace. And then.... The door was locked. It was closed for Memorial Day. And I was crestfallen. Poor, poor Audrey. Cameron took pictures of me looking sad, and then we moved on. :(When we caught up with the rest of the group- Tyson, Adam, and Tanier, we decided that we had enough time to go to the pier and look at some cool boats, but that was about it. So, we walked down there. And, there were some cool boats! I love nautical things. That means I love boats and anchors and navy blue, and most of all, sailors. (Did I mention before that there were navy sailors swarming all over New York City for the holiday weekend? Best weekend ever. They were so adorable in their white suits and blue neckerchiefs!)

And when our time at the pier was over, we rode the subway back to the train station, and caught the bus that was headed for home. And by home I mean Washington, D.C. The bus ride was like the saddest thing ever because the bus was really full, so none of us could sit by each other. I was more than a little T.O.ed. I had to sit by this random lady who talked on the phone the whole time, and my phone was DEAD. Oh, the anger. AND, I was muy muy muy exhausted, and I couldn't sleep because bus seats are very uncomfortable, and I had nothing to lean on so everytime I almost fell asleep, I fell over and jerked awake. I was very excited for the bus ride to be over.

I have to admit that I was actually very anxious to get home. D.C. is like slow-paced compared to NYC. I was excited to be normal again. New York stressed me out a smidgen. And I was suddenly very grateful for the metro system that we have in D.C. The one in NYC was GRODY.

We got home around 9pm, I unpacked and went to bed. It was an amazing trip. I loved almost every minute of it, and I'm so glad I was able to go. I get to do so many cool things, I have to pinch myself every couple minutes or so. :) I love being here. When every day ends it makes me sad that I have one less day to spend in Washington, D.C. It really is a great place to be. And Meghan, I really am so jealous of myself right now!

P.S. Even though I love it here, I could so totally do without the rain. It has rained nonstop for like 2 weeks. SO SICK OF IT.

Adventures at the Base.

Jefferson Memorial. My all-time fave.

I am way behind. This blog post in informally titled "Catch-Up Post." I have LOADS to talk about, namely, NYC!!! But I have to talk about this first, so we'll get to that later. :( I might have to write about it in installments.

So, I'm going to start with last weekend. This was actually before the "Going Private Fiasco" involving The Museum that Must Not Be Named. So, May 17-19. And here ya go:

On Friday, after class, we went to Johnny Rockets (a really cute 50's diner with a juke box and a checkerboard floor and everything) for lunch, and then to some museums. "We" means me, Genevieve, Cameron, Adam, and Tyson. The Air and Space Museum is AWESOME. I love it. I secretly want to be an astronaut.This is me and Tyson and a statue sculpted by a guy from St. George. So me and my St. George buddy took a picture with it.

That night, we went to the Pentagon. I had never been there before, so I was excited. We walked over to the September 11th Memorial. It was really, really cool, and I would recommend it to anyone. By this time Genevieve had ditched us, so it was just me, Tyson, Cameron, and Adam. All of the benched represent a person who was killed in the attack at the Pentagon, and the direction that each bench is facing tells whether the person was in the plane or in the building. There was water running under and in between all the benches, so they were all connected and it was all very symbolic. I love symbolic things.

On Saturday we went to the Eastern Market for breakfast again (my favorite thing ever), and then to the air show at Andrew's Air Force Base. It was a REALLY bright day, and I forgot my sunglasses, so I was kind of grumpy. But it was really cool to go in all the old planes and walk around in the giant hangars and hold ginormous guns. And then, the air show was really awesome. The jets did all sorts of cool tricks. We sat on the grass and watched. There were probably about nine of us, and we each had our own umbrella (we had thought that it would rain. It didn't). So, because it was so bright, we set up our umbrellas and lay under them. It was beautiful. The sky was blue, and the clouds were fluffy!This is Cameron's giant umbrella. When you hold it up, you can fit like five people under it. And when it's closed, it's like 3 feet tall. Hilar.

And now for some other orders of business:
1) American Idol is over. I don't know what I will do with my life. And, my finale celebration party was ruined. This is what happened: I had a briefing for my Seminar class on Wednesday night, and my Professor PROMISED me that it would be over in time for the show. I was very concerned. I COULD NOT miss the finale, of all episodes. So, when the briefing ended a little before 9, I ran and changed from my business clothes, then down to the TV in the game room. And GUESS WHAT?? All those stupid people who like to watch playoff basketball games were already hogging the TV. And so I said, "Um, huloo!!!! I am supposed to be watching the American Idol FINALE right now!!" They didn't care. So, I went to the other known TV in the building. It is in one of the institute classrooms. On the TV cabinet I found a sign that said, "PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH. Love, Elder Blanchard" (He is the elderly missionary that runs the place with his wife.) I set out to find Elder Blanchard to get special permission to use the TV, but he was down in the lobby with everyone else still, and I would have just gone down there in my pajamas, but my professor was still there, along with the United States Representative who had just given our briefing. It would have been muy embarrassing to walk in and not be appropriately dressed. :( And to add to all that, I forgot my room key, so I couldn't even go back up and change. By the time I got Genevieve's attention from the hall way, got her key, got into my room, changed back in to business clothes, found Elder Blanchard, asked permission to use the TV, and got the TV to the right channel, there was a half an hour left in the show. You can imagine that I was just a little bit T.O.ed. Grrrr. I was mad at the basketball boys more than anything. It was that one stupid married guy. Anyway, I watched the last half-hour by myself, sat in shock by myself when Adam lost, and then went in to mourning by myself. The season was over, Kris won, I missed the first hour and a half of the episode, and I didn't get to have a finale party like usual. Sad day. But I got over it.
2) One of my favorite things about life is eating lunch on the National Mall and calling friends and family while I do it. When the weather is nice, there is hardly anything greater in the world. I love it.
3) I love my job. My supervisor made me project manager of the Scurlock collection, which is a really big deal. When the other interns come, I will be in charge of them and what they do everyday. That is super cool. I said in the other post that I was kind of the unoffical head intern, well, spoken from my supervisors mouth, I AM the head intern!!! YAY! AND, I am supposed to take pictures and make a scrapbook of the processing. And we all know that I love to scrapbook.
4) A downside. I have to write a MASSIVE research paper by the end of the summer. Sometimes I feel like crying when I think about it.
5) I love summer and warm weather and wearing shorts. It rained today. No me gusta.

The End. Stay tuned for New York, and make sure you check out the post below this one. It is Muy Importante.

Welcome to Audrey's Life as a Private Person.

So... I went private. Why, you ask??? Because the Museum That Must Not Be Named is spying on me.

This is what happened. On Monday, May 18, 2009, I got an email from one Suzanne McLaughlin, Internship Coordinator for You-Know-What-Museum. She wanted to see me in her office before I went home for the day. So, I packed up my stuff a little bit early to drop in and talk to her. I figured that she just wanted to discuss my first week of work, you know, see how I was doing.

I went up the elevator, said hi to Eddy the Elevator Man, then proceeded to her office.

This is how it went:
"Hi, Suzanne! How are you?" I sat down.
"I'm fine. Audrey, I have something that needs to be brought to your attention."
"Okay..." I was very hesitant in my okay. I sat down.
"Here at the [Museum that Must Not Be Named], we like to see what people are saying about us. We have advanced searching technology to find every time the [Museum that Must Not Be Named] is mentioned online. This morning I was notified that your blog was found."
"Oh."
"Now, there was nothing super inappropriate on there, but you probably should not have pictures of your ID badge online, or your email address." Super inappropriate?? That actually is a direct quote, and translated it means, you are in trouble. You have inappropriate things on your blog. Take them off within the next two minutes."
And then my line, "Oh my gosh, I had no idea. Wow, that does seem like a dumb idea to put my ID badge on there. I didn't even think about security. I'm so sorry. I understand completely. I'll take it down right away. Thanks for letting me know. I really appreciate it." Blah Blah Blah.

I walked out of that office feeling many things:
1) Very much in trouble. She did not get mad at me, she was just concerned and needed to let me know. BUT, I don't get even slightly in trouble, EVER, for ANYTHING. I remember the 3 specific times in Elementary School when I got in trouble. It just has not ever happen besides those three random incidences (that were extraordinarily unjust by the way. I still say that I did nothing wrong). People don't get mad at Audrey Sweetheart, because I never do anything wrong. The end.
2) Watched. Monitored. Censored. Spied On. Violated. Seen. Attacked. My first amendment rights had been infringed upon. What the dementor happened to freedom of Speech?
3) Very nervous and worried. I had mentioned some co-workers in that first, unedited post. I didn't say mean things, but they were things that could have been taken as offensive. I was mortified by the fact that someone from the Archives Center may or may have already seen my blog. I was SCARED TO DEATH that my internship would be ruined over a stupid blog issue.

I marched right home, and my blog was edited within a half an hour of talking to Suzanne McLaughlin, Internship Coordinator. And then, before I went to bed that night, I made the difficult decision to go private. I did not want to be censored, and I did not want to deal with this issue in the future. I figured that this was better, anyway, because it creeps me out when random people from China read my blog and leave comments. I want none of that. So, I am private and secure, and You-Know-What-Museum is now relateable to You-Know-Who, Voldemort. Let me explain why:

1) I am scared to use the name on my blog because I don't want to be found again.
2) The Museum That Must Not Be Named is very powerful.
3) The Taboo. With a single mention, You-Know-What-Museum finds the source, just like old Voldy traces those who use his name. (Exhibit A: HP 7 when Fenrir Greyback finds Harry, Ron, and Hermione and takes them to Malfoy Manor. Tragic Consequences.)
4) Voldemort causes fright and pain.

And so, my friends. I have a private blog, and I am very unhappy about it. But I feel secure, and that's worth something.

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.