Clips-in & Lake Powell

This past weekend I went with Rachel, Catherine, & others (that I didn't know so well) to Lake Powell. I haven't had a chance to visit since my mission, so as you can imagine I was so excited to go. Even though the weather was a slightly chilly, it was still great to be in Powell and to waterski. I especially enjoyed spending quality time with Catherine and Rachel, we had great conversation the entire time.

As for the picture of the clip-ins...well, I just barely got some clip-in shoes for my road bike. Yesterday I went on a little ride with some friends and I thought that it would be the perfect time to try my clip-in shoes out, I don't even think that "clip-ins" is the right name for the shoes. So I got everything ready, go one foot clipped in and in the process of trying to clip the other shoe in I fell over. This was the first fall, which was proceeded by many other falls. At the end of the night I had fallen twice at 21 & 21, once at the beginning of the ride and once at the end, and four other times. I felt like a fool each time I fell and I laughed at myself. I wish that someone could have been recording me. Hopefully my next bike ride will be a little bit smoother. But I will add, that riding is much easier with these crazy shoes.

let me just end with saying...I love summer!

Happy Birthday Dad!

May 19...today is my DAD's birthday!  My DAD is the best in the entire world.  I have missed his birthday for the last couple of years and I can't wait to celebrate with him.  

Let me tell you why my DAD rocks....

1.  He can fix anything, he could build you a home or a car

2.  He shows love to everyone

3.  He loves the Utes, just as much as I do

4.  He cares about his family more than anything else

5.  He loves to camp and fish

6.  He made the best sack lunches out of anyone I have ever met, when I was little

7.  He taught me how to ski when I was 10

8.  He is one of the hardest workers ever

9.  He is the best DAD

I love you DAD, Happy Birthday!!

(For the picture, I know that it is a little blurry, but the facial expression is so typical of my dad...always happy.)

Did I hear someone say camping?

Since I start my new job on Monday, I thought that it was completely appropriate to go camping this weekend.  On Friday Ash, Caitlin, Caitlin Jayne, and I went to Moab for a little weekend trip. We got to Moab late Friday night, rock climbed early Saturday morning, and went through Arches on Saturday afternoon.  We got home late last night, so that we could celebrate Mother's Day today.  It was fabulous!!

Speaking of Mother's Day, I just want to say how much I love and appreciate my mom.  She is the best!  She is so patient with me and never stop loving me.  Happy Mother's Day Mom!!! 

Graduation!

Graduation for the University of Utah was on Friday and I walked with my class.  Even though I graduated in December of this past year, walking was such a memorable experience.  I guess that I just want to say thanks to everyone that made my college experience amazing.  I owe special thanks to my parents, my grandma's, the rest of my family, my professors, Chi Omega, the Alumni Association, ASUU,the administration, my friends, and the flat members which have all made my experience one that I shall never be able to forget.  I love the University of Utah, I will be a life-time fan.  I can hardly wait to see what comes next!  GO UTES!  Thank you to all!!  (As for the pictures:  (1) I love this picture with my dad, my mom, my step-mom, my brother Chase and me, this is the first time we have all been together in a long time.  (2) This is me clapping for the main speaker, Mario R. Capecchi, who spoke about global warming!!!)

Welcome to Williamsburg!!!!

My days are coming to an end for work, everyday at about 5:15 p.m. I start to go crazy.  I just can't handle sitting in my desk much longer.  There is no window to look out, no CNN to watch; it's just me, my desk, and the other intern-Josh.  We are both like little kids waiting for the school bell to ring, we try to find little projects to keep ourselves occupied for the remaining 45 minutes and tell funny stories to humor ourselves.  And it always seems as if at 5:59 p.m. someone comes around to my side of the room and gives me a new project to be finished before work ends.

I have gained a greater love for D.C. during the month of April.  If every month was April in D.C. I might not ever leave.  This past week one of my best friends was here to visit, Andi!  It was the highlight of my week, mostly we just watched the Jazz play, ate good food, and talked. 

This past week I also watched more sports than usual.  I have become addicted to watching the Jazz games, I feel as if they must win!  I think that this desire for the Jazz to win is my undying love for Utah and the excitement I feel for home.  I also attended a Nationals game, they actually won and I went to a D.C. United Soccer game.  Which was an experience within itself, I have never seen better fans.  At half time, they all rounded up in a circle; they screamed, clapped, and sprayed beer.

Yesterday I went to Williamsburg with Megan and her Mom.  It was a nice little road trip, we walked around the old city of Williamsburg, which is located right next to Jamestown, and heard old ghost stories.  You can't drive around the city of Williamsburg, you have to take a bus there and the city of full of tourists and locals dressed up as 18th century citizens.  The locals really get into their parts, it's rather humorous and inspiring.

Tonight I met with my book club, which is Kimball and Liz, Bobby came along.  I am sad to leave them.  It's funny that we call it a book club, because we never finished the first book we started but more than anything my D.C. experience has been fabulous because of these people. 

(The first picture is in front of the Courthouse in Williamsburg and the second picture is with my friend Lindsey from work; we shot M-16's in the bottom of the Capitol.)

Bitter-Sweet

My time in Washington D.C. is quickly coming to an end and usually when I end an experience, I have what one may say as a bitter-sweet feeling inside of me, but not this time. For the first time in a long time, I am ready for home. I am ready to stay in Utah for a little while, even though my time may only be one short month, I can hardly wait. I feel like I haven't been home for years and I am ready to come home and figure a few things out.

The best and worst part about coming home is graduation. Yes, I did already graduate in December 2007 when I handed in my 30 page thesis about the role of religion in Lithuania during the Communist era. At that moment, as I pushed my paper under Professor Judkin's door, I felt nothing but pure excitement, it was an end of an era. But I knew that I had D.C. waiting for me. Now as my D.C. experience comes to an end, I have no idea what lies for me in the future. I believe that the possibilities are endless. Each week I have a new plan, however this plan seems to only last days and I have changed my mind again. Here are a few of my ideas: Law School, Business School, PhD in Political Science, Investment Banker, flight attendant, a gardener, joining the Peace Corp, a professional reader (I wish), a financial representative for the state of Utah, working on the advance team for the administration, a letter writer, a staff assistant, a national forest employee, or working for the AIDS Foundation. As you can tell, I have lots of ideas, and not a single clue of what in the world I am going to do. So if any of you have ideas, please let me know. At this moment in time, I am really ready for just about anything.

Back to graduation, what exactly am I going to be celebrating? I was in college, but I feel as if my college years or the best of my college years were before my mission when I slept for just a few hours a night, was involved in every single association on campus, was in love with the U and still managed to pull-off decent grades. I was the most involved in school before my mission and since the end of my mission I was just in school. I was the normal commuter student involved only with the Alumni Association. So, I guess on Friday, May 2nd I will be celebrating the fact that I finished or maybe I should celebrate the fact that I don't have a real job yet. Don't worry Mom and Dad I will find a job I promise. Maybe I should celebrate that it's all over and it's time to move onto something new, scary, and exciting.

Since being in D.C. I have learned a lot about politics, but more than that I have learned that it will all work out eventually. I just have to keep on putting myself out there, keep on looking for something new, and keep on finding things to fall in love with and I will be happy. I have fallen in love with D.C. I love the Jefferson at night, I love the canal in Georgetown, I love the row boats on the Tidal Basin, I love the Metro when it goes to Virginia and the first thing you see is the city of D.C.-which stands for freedom, I love the National Cathedral, I love it when it rains and I wake-up to thunder, I love carrot cupcakes from Baked & Wired, I love Kramer's bookstore, I love running to the Mall past every single monument, I love that I saw a group of 100 protesters and 300 cops on Saturday, I love giving a tour at the Capitol and talking about Martin Luther King, Jr., I love the old man Ken that works in the basement of the Capitol, and I love so much more.

Since I got home from my mission, I have been living my life in four-month increments...four months of summer, fours months of school, four months of D.C. and now I am back just to where I started, four months of summer. I am excited to see what these next four months hold, it is like a big mystery and only time will tell. Life, what an adventure.

(As for the picture, this is a picture of the Nazi Protest I saw on Saturday in front of the Capitol celebrating Hitler's birthday. The craziest part was that there were Nazi protesters and anti-Nazi protesters and a million cops!)

Baseball and Fireworks!

Fireworks and Baseball!! This past Friday I went to a Nationals baseball game and had a fabulous time.  They lost to the Atlanta Braves, but there were fireworks after the game.  As my friends and I were walking back to the metro it started to rain, just like the rain in Lithuania, hard and long.  All the people tried to cram into the metro stop; babies were crying, rain was poring and everyone else was laughing.  

Saturday morning Megan and I ran down to the Mall to watch the Cherry Blossom's parade, just as we arrived we saw Timpview High School play, it was just wonderful.  After I went with my friend Lindsay to Georgetown and to the Japanese street festival.  Overall, I had an amazing weekend in D.C.