DC Adventure Day 6 (2.16.13)

Let me just say, my parents are better than yours. Period. No contest. I know a lot of people say this, but mine really are. They support me in whatever I do, love me unconditionally, and help me however they can: emotionally, physically, spiritually, financially, etc., etc., etc.

Yesterday they overnighted me a care package. The care package (CPkg) consisted mainly of items that I either did not have room to pack (my hair dryer), or items I did not know I would need (sheets for the bed). There were also some fun items like Christmas lights (I always have a string up in my room), and necessary items like my bathrobe and the bigA AmericanEurocopter umbrella. I had purchased a dinky one from Target, but it was...dinky. And stupid. And pointless...but, I digress. The CPkg arrived today, right on schedule, at 12p. It cost about a million dollars to overnight, but that's what my parents did, because they do whatever it takes. Because they are the best. Ever.

I ventured out to The Container Store after receiving the CPkg, because I realized I needed hooks. Hooks for my cardigans, and hooks for my robe and towels. I also needed a new shower caddy - the one from Target was A WASTE OF MONEY. Kind of like the straightener...Anyways...It was really awesome to get off the escalator from the metro and find that The Container Store is literally next door. As soon as I walked in, I was at home. In case you didn't know this about me, if I ever won the lottery...I would buy a Container Store. I'm not sure if I would keep it running, or just leave it stocked the way it came, but I would walk around in my Container Store and be happy. Always.

I grabbed a cart, and was on my way. While I was walking around, B called, and we talked for the majority of the time I was there. They are currently having an office sale, so I picked up a few trinkets for work (sharing a small desk is difficult), found my hooks, a shower "caddy", and a few other things, and went to check out. The lady at the cash register was very nice, and was surprised at the fact that I was only wearing jeans and a sweatshirt with how cold it was outside. I explained to her how my "heater" works (those of you that know about my "heater" will understand, those who don't get it, well, sorry, but it's a need-to-know thing, and you don't need to know) and she got really tickled. I like knowing that I will talked about over drinks later -it's a thing.

Across the street was a Starbucks, so I went inside and ordered a Caramel Macchiato. I also purchased one of their plastic temporary cups for $1 and now I get $0.10 off every drink I order when I have them make it in my cup. It's very convenient because we have hot chocolate and vanilla "cappuccinos" in the dining hall, and this also means I have a cup for coffee at work.

I got back to TMH and tried to work on some more homework only to realize that the book I needed for the upcoming weeks WAS NOT IN MY POSSESSION! At first I figured I had forgotten it when I packed and just left it in Rockwall, but when I checked my Amazon account it turned out the seller hadn't even sent it to me! So I emailed the seller, told them to forget it, and emailed Dr. Reid to let her know.

I gave up, turned on Netflix, and eventually passed out.

*Until Next Time!*

DC Adventure Day 5 (2.15.13)

First off, let me just say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JARROD! #34! Wooh!

Okay, now back to me. ;)

Today at work I got to organize all of the upper cabinets in the office I share with the senior staff. When Caroline asked, I was super excited - organizing other people's things is one of my favorites! I had to do a lot of up and down, lifting semi-heavy stuff, and it got pretty toasty. I was wearing one of my VS chenille v-neck sweaters with a cami underneath, so it wasn't like I could remove a layer. I toughed it out and got the cabinets organized. It took me most of the last half of the shift but time really flew and now the cabinets look amazing. Duh. :) I did realize, however, that I cracked one of my acyclic nails, and had about 47 hang nails on each finger. The cold weather up here dries you out before you realize it, and messing with a bunch of paper and office supplies doesn't help.

A storm was rolling in, and as I left work I could see it was getting dark very quickly, so I hurried home to do my homework. Dr. Reid had given me an extension which ended today, and I wanted to make sure I had enough time to finish. I took a nap, and woke up ready to get to it. And then, my wifi went to crap.

I couldn't post any responses or new posts to the discussion thread. Every time I opened a new page, or switched to my Documents app, the wifi would stop working. It still showed the little wifi symbol with full bars on the top of my iPad screen, but nothing would go through. I would have to go to my settings, disconnect my wifi, reconnect my wifi, and go back to whatever I was attempting to use when it stopped working. It was awful. I emailed Dr. Reid to let her know that I wouldn't be finished by midnight, but that I was doing the best that I could. My iPad clock read 12:02a when I emailed her my postings (because I couldn't add them in eCollege), and I started working on the current week's homework.

Ten minutes later, I was ready to throw my iPad across the room. Having to reconnect 19 times in 10 minutes is just absurd. I emailed Dr. Reid to let her know I was giving up...and the wifi disconnected when I hit "send". If the walls in TMH weren't so thin I would have started screaming at the top of my lungs... I reconnected, retyped the email, and sent it.

I got onto Netflix, and fell asleep while watching the West Wing.

*Until Next Time!*

DC Adventures Day 4 (2.14.13)

Oh. Man. Did I get some wicked blisters from walking in my shoes yesterday. Devil Blisters. My hall mates kept shutting their doors hard which caused my door to rattle. They were in and out constantly until about2:45AM. And my next door neighbor was shuffling her flip flopped feet up and down the hall...it got to the point where I wanted to run over and tie her to her bed. Sheesh. I decided to just go ahead and shower so I could sleep as long as possible. When I got back to my room I looked at the blisters, which were under my big toes where the toe connects to the foot, and decided to treat them like every other blister - pull off the dead skin, drain it, and let it air out overnight. Except MY blisters were not like regular blisters. They were so bad that the entire top layer of skin pulled off. The one on my left toe was the worst - I'll post a picture when I get the chance. Ugh. I covered my right toe with Kleenex and let the left one exposed in the hopes that it would dry out and heal overnight...right. I woke up the next morning and could barely walk. My new straightener wouldn't heat up (turned out I had it on the lowest setting - oops), and I had a difficult time trying to figure out how I was going to get to work without losing a foot. I wrapped them both in Kleenex because I didn't have any band aids, put on my coral dress, my tights, purple sock, and brown boots and began my trek to work.

    It was awful. I was able to sort of walk on my right toe, but not my left at all. So, I hobble/limped the entire mile to work. On the way, I passed Paul Ryan and he did a double take at my purple socks. I'm practically famous now. I had to text Leslie to let her know I would be late, and after doing so, looked up to realize that I had walked to the wrong building.

    I'm not sure how much you know about these government buildings, but they are GINORMOUS, meaning I had to hobble all the way around the wrong building in order to hobble back up the side of the correct building. I was almost in tears by the time I walked in, but I made it. Luckily for me and my feet, the Rayburn building has an infirmary. It took me awhile to find it, but when I did, the RN put some antibiotic and band aids on my all but bloody toes.

    When I got back to Mr. Hall's office, I was asked to cover the phones. I took a call from an 82 year old caller who was quite a character. We had some laughs. I also took a call from an upset caller, but it went well. I won't go in to any more detail than that because I'm not going to go blasting callers on my blog. I think it's good to call your congressman/woman when there is an issue you feel passionate about, and your opinon has every right to be heard. We record the calls, and they are ALL reviewed by senior staff because Mr. Hall cares what his constituents think about the issues.

    Later on I was sitting at my makeshift desk with another intern when one of the senior staff members got upset because there was chocolate all over our tiny kitchen and she detests chocolate. I told her I'd take care of it, and ended up cleaning the entire kitchen. It's what I do!

    I walked around the bowels of the buildings to try and learn some more about where everything leads but I'll be lucky if I get it all figured out before I leave. :) I got to ride a special subway to the Capitol. It's special because the walls are plexiglass so you can see everything around you. One wall is lined with flags from every state going in the order of the year they joined. It was pretty schnazzy.

    The Capitol is massive, and the marble, murals, and details are all crazy awesome. I really don't know how else to describe it.

    We stayed until 6, I was shown a quicker way to get to my exit, and I headed home. My feet were feeling much better by this time, and it was warm enough that I was able to walk back without wearing my winter coat. Nom called me on the way, and we talked for awhile until I realized I couldn't find my building! Silly Verizon doesn't allow you to search the web (or use maps) while you're on a phone call unless you are in an area with wifi. So I hung up with Nom, checked the maps, headed in the right direction, and called her back. While we were talking, B called and I knew he had a limited time to talk, so I told Nom I'd call her back and I clicked over.     I talked with B, finally figured out where I was and how I'd ended up in the wrong place, and got to TMH. I changed and headed to the dining hall for dinner. I got a noodle concoction that ended up being rubbery (I got there about 20min before they closed down) but all was well because they have a pretty decent salad bar.

    I still haven't reached out to meet anyone, so I'm still pretty lonely when I'm at TMH. I like that it's separate from work, but I'm lonely. I made it to my room before I started crying, and it only lasted a few minutes, but I was just exhausted, and it was stupid-dumb Valentine's day - my first to be single on in, crap, 10 years, so it was all a bit overwhelming.

    I started watching Chicago Fire on Hulu, but the wifi was being dumb because there are so many girls on it at once, but it ended up working out because Nom called me back and we ended up talking for almost an hour and a half. That made me feel better, so I finished Chicago Fire. I still couldn't sleep because the girls were being loud again (surprise), so I watched The Neighbors, finished it, started The West Wing, set my alarms to make sure I texted Jarrod at midnight because his birthday is the 15th, and eventually fell asleep. I texted Jarrod both times, and fell asleep for the rest of the night.

*Until next time!*

DC Adventure Day 3 (2.13.13)

Today it was supposed to rain. I bought rain boots last night at Target, but as it turns out, I bought 6's that I thought were 9's. It wasn't raining this morning so I decided to just chance it and try to get a ride home from work if it did rain.
   The walk from TMH to the Rayburn building is phenomenal. Right past the Library of Congress, Supreme Court, and one of the State Senate Houses. Oh yeah, and THE CAPITOL. Which is gorgeous. Be jealous.
   When I got to the Rayburn building, I realized that I had no clue as to where I was going. I texted Leslie and she told me the floor number but as I got closer to getting inside I realized that would only be about 1/6 of the equation. That building is MASSIVE. I went through security, wandered around, went up an elevator, down an elevator, then finally back to security to ask them where I needed to go. She told me to go back up the elevator I just came down. So off I went...again. I finally found the office (thank goodness) and got started on my paperwork. Thank goodness for Leslie - she told me everything I needed to do. We had issues with getting info from my bank (nobody had mentioned bringing a blank check for direct deposits) but I think we finally got it figured out. Tomorrow I should get my official intern badge. Woohoo!
   I got my official intern binder from Caroline and we sat in Mr. Hall's office while she gave me the run down on how everything works. For the most part, the office is pretty chill. Everyone is really nice so far, and I get my own desk. I sat in with Janet, the head honcho today because they hadn't gotten my desk and computer set up. Caroline had me folding letters and stuffing envelopes, Spencer (another intern) took me through the bowels of the buildings (I'll still get lost if I go by myself), and I was able to find the caf' by myself at lunch time. Tomorrow there is a scheduled tour of the Capitol, and I will be shadowing Spencer on that to learn the ropes. I'm really excited about doing tours.
   When it was time to go home it was raining and nobody offered me a ride, so I didn't ask. I opened my crappy Target umbrella, put on my gloves and earmuffs with the earbuds, and talked to my B (my "Bestie" Josh) all the way back to TMH. When I got to my room we talked some more as I dried off all of my things (seriously, crappy umbrella) and then I decided to venture to the dining hall to eat dinner. It was scary and intimidating, but other girls were sitting alone so I got my salad from the salad bar and sat at my own table and ate it. I know that's not a good way to meet people, but it's hard when you're exhausted and overwhelmed (in good ways but still!). I did talk about pudding to one girl and then said "Sorry?" when I didn't hear what she said and she responded with, "Oh, sorry, I thought YOU had said something!" I said, "Haha, nope!" and that was the end of that encounter. So see? I guess I DID talk to someone! I had a stuffed pepper and spinach for dinner. The spinach was alright but the stuffed pepper was really good. It was some kind of cheesy, chicken, wild rice mix in a green bell pepper. Yum.
   Now, I'm in my typing this so I can be caught up on blogging. Hopefully the internet will be working quickly enough to email it to my phone so I can upload it to blogger that way. For whatever reason the iPad won't let me. It's probably because I haven't updated it in over a year. I keep trying but it just won't do it! Don't judge me.
   I think I'll end the night with some Hulu and/or Netflix. Wooh!

*Until Next Time!*

DC Adventures Day 2 (2.12.13)

I woke up feeling like a dump truck had run over my face. Stuffed up, snotty, swollen face, coughing, sneezing, hacking - basically the definition of sexy. I was supposed to meet Leslie in the office at 11 in order to fill out my paperwork. I'll be honest - I wasn't looking forward to it - I felt like death. We had also heard back from Thompson Markward Hall saying that they didn't have any available rooms but sent me a list of suggestions of other places I could stay temporarily. I started looking them up and started to feel even more sick. They were mostly hostels that would require me to share a room with at least 3 other girls (others were upwards of 9 other girls), and the rest were bed and breakfasts that might as well have been a million dollars a night. I'm not opposed to sharing a room per se, however, with the sickness swirling in my head I knew I'd probably end up murdered the first night simply because I would keep everyone else awake. To top it off, I got a call from WISH (Washington Intern Student Housing), letting me know that they wouldn't have a room available until March 15th, and it would be about $800 to stay through the end of March. SIXTEEN DAYS! That's like, $200 a night! Riggght.

And then something amazing happened. Leslie called me to let me know that Thompson Markward Hall (TMH) had received a cancellation and could take me that day. I called and talked to Precyous and we set up my check-in for 12p, and Leslie offered to come pick me up and drop me off, which gave me an extra, much needed hour to get ready. A double blessing if I've ever seen one. I took some Sudafed and a hot shower, dried my hair, and was ready to go...and then I checked their website. TMH accepts checks, cash, or money orders. Guess what I had NONE of?? Checks, cash, or money orders. So I called my dad, freaking out. He told me that I should be able to go into a bank and get a cash advance, but that if that didn't work to just pay for another night in the hotel. This calmed me down significantly, because the last thing I wanted was to have to move all of my stuff, share a room with murderously tired women, all while being sick.

Leslie picked me up, ran me to Bank of America, and I GOT THE CASH ADVANCE, NO PROBLEM. Phew!

As soon as I got to TMH I knew I was going to love it. The building is set back from the street, and doesn't even look like an apartment building. You have to be buzzed in through the front and no men or booze are allowed. Well, men are allowed in the lobby area, but not upstairs in the rooms or downstairs in the basement. This means I don't have to worry about any odd sounds from next door or any drunk girls knocking on my door at all hours of the night. I met Precyous, filled out my paperwork, paid, and followed her to the elevator. And let me just say that when I saw the elevator, it was all I could do to not yell out in excitement. It's an old building which means an old elevator. I have to pull open the door AND the fence thingy in order to get in. I can't tell you how many times already that I've stood either in front of the door or behind it inside waiting for it to open. It makes me giggle everytime.

I dropped my stuff off in the room, and hopped back in the car with Leslie. We decided that I would start on Wednesday, and that the paperwork could wait until then. She ran me to the nearest CVS so I could get a hair dryer and a straightener. Well, the CVS was in a shady area, and had neither. I grabbed some snacks and drinks, and made my way back to TMH. I'm pretty sure it was 2 miles away, but I made it, all by myself - like a big girl. Boom.

Let me tell you a little bit about my room at TMH. My door is second closest to the end on the "first" floor (1 floor above the lobby), and it's ORANGE. Go Rockwall. :) My room is 5x18...yes, 5x18. I have a twin sized bed, a nighstand with a lamp, a desk and 2 chairs, and a big dresser with a mirror. It was all set up terribly, so I fixed it, first thing. I got my stuff out of the vacuum bags (my body pillow popped right up!) and decided I needed to go to Target to get some stuff I wasn't able to pack. I figured out the route to take on the metro and headed out.

I got to Union Station just fine. But let me tell you something. That Union Station? It's huge! I couldn't find the metro, I tried buying a bus ticket (on accident - luckily it wouldn't take my card), and finally decided to slip into Jamba Juice and get something to eat. After doing that, I meandered around until I remembered that the metro is UNDERground which meant I should probably go DOWNstairs. So I did. And lo and behold - I found a sign that said <--- METRO.

I bought a 7 day pass, scanned my card, and then spent 15 min on my phone, trying to figure out where the heck I needed to be. It took me awhile, but I finally caught on, and boarded my first DC subway on the Red line. I figured out where I needed to transfer to get to the Green and made the transfer seamlessly. When I got off the subway, the escalator I needed to go up was SUPER tall, and NOT RUNNING. I made the mistake about a third of the way up to start jogging. As I reached the top my legs started to give out and I caught my boot on the very last step - the one that was only an inch or so high. Luckily, no one saw me (at least I don't THINK anyone did).

Target was Target, except it's two stories, so they have a CART ESCALATOR!! You push your cart onto it and it goes up right beside you! I was terrified to try it but after waiting (unsuccessfully) for somebody else to go, I just went for it and it went smoothly. I didn't want to be out too late, so I wrapped up my trip and ending up forgetting a lot of things. Luckily, my parents are going to send me a care package to help with things I need that didn't fit in my bags or things I forgot at Target. I ended up combining my purchases into one huge bag (filled almost to the top) and headed for the subway...and they had switched the escalators. This time, I had to go DOWN the massive escalator that wasn't working. Yeesh.

I made it to Union Station, found my way out, and started heading home...in the wrong direction. Figured that out, and carried on...with this massive bag. About halfway home I came up to a group of about 15 secret service officers waiting to unload their person from a big suv. They eyed me and my big Target bag of goodness only knows what, so I just looked straight ahead and walked right through them. I figured it would be pretty funny if I got taken down by the SS on my second day, but alas, nothing so entertaining.

I got back to TMH, got my stuff to my room, totally drenched and my entire upper body red from overexerting myself for so many miles. I organized the new stuff into the room, including Febreezing the whole place because the room has some old funky smell. I have to do it every time I come in because it never seems to take. I got the same Febreeze smell in a car thing you either hook on your visor or put in the air vents. I decided to put this on the a/c vent to the room but the a/c vent isn't working currently, so we'll see how that goes.

I watched some Bones, talked to Nom and KNicole, and PASSED OUT. I woke up around 4:30, ventured to the bathrooms for the first time - they were actually pretty nice - and yes, they're communal. Got some water, took some more Sudafed, and went back to sleep!

DC Adventure Day 1

Good gracious. The adventure is definitely under way...just not necessarily how any of us expected. Last night I was up until 3am packing. Thank goodness Jarrod has insomnia because it meant he was able to stay up and help me. I was vacuuming bags with body pillows in them and let me just say, those suckers are AWESOME. My big VS bag was packed to the hilt with random paraphernalia to help me survive 7 weeks in a totally new place. I think it's important to mention here that I am NOTa real "girl" - I can pack clothes for a weekend trip in one large tote. I do not pack half of my life for an over nighter - it's just not my style. That being said, I am going away for SEVEN WEEKS, and to a COLD place, which means big, bulky clothes that require additional layering. Gracious. 

 

My true fans will be proud to know that I only packed THREE pairs of sweatpants. That's right. T.H.R.E.E. I'm trying my best to not think about it too much so let's move on, shall we?

I fall asleep around 3:30a (watching The West Wing), and am abruptly woken up at 6:30 by my father, who wants to TALK. Not just say goodbye and give me a hug and kiss..but TALK. "You're going to have a great time....Keep your political views to yourself...You will be representing Congressman Hall..." to which I replied.."I know, I will, but I don't have to for at least another 2 hours so LOVE YOU!" And five minutes later he finally left for work. <br> <br>

I never got back to sleep. <br> <br>

Nom came in and gave me some scrilla, we said our goodbyes and then she left for work.

Then KNicole comes in...with Charlie. She says her goodbyes and when I asked for a hug she says, "But I'm holding CHARLIE1" (this is what I have to deal with, people)...so I told her to put him down (politely, of course) and got a hug.

I was able to give pG a bath before I left, Jarrod helped dry her, and we left for Ralph's. He lives at the top of Sunset Hill...I had Jarrod driving up North Hill...then Haven Hills...we could SEE his house on the hill, but couldn't GET to it. Because I'm a goober. So I called the Congressman, realized my mistake, and we pulled up to his house...to learn it wasn't his house. His house was the OTHER house on the hill with a circle drive. Sheesh.

Tom showed Jarrod where to load my bags, we said our goodbyes, and I followed Tom into the house. I guess something was lost, and Ralph couldn't find it...Tom leaned over to me and whispered, "Quick...let's go load up!" Eventually Congressman Hall joined us...and I realized I had left my coat at home. My coat that had my gloves, earmuffs, and scarf in it. So we hauled it there, I ran inside, grabbed the coat, and we were off.

The Congressman was sifting through his mail as we drove to the airport, and as we approached Cheisa and 66, the light turned yellow, and Tom slammed on the breaks, sending mail flying. <br> <br>

People familiar with the area will know exactly why he didn't attempt to make it through the intersection - if you're not familiar with the area, just ask my mom. She can tell you why you don't chance it. :)

Ralph accused Tom of doing it on purpose - he told me Tom's always slamming on the breaks when he's trying to work. Those two are out of control.

We get to the airport and I had my bag to check...well, we were there too late to check the bags so the American Airlines bag-checking guy took us up top to see if they could figure it out. Brenda helped us get both bags checked and we headed through security and to our gate. Apparently the DC office had tried to get my ticket upgraded to 1st class, but to no avail. After talking to the people at the gate, Ralph decided to go to the Admiral's Club to see if we could get it upgraded there. Nope. But he did get to tell a lot of silly stories and make the ladies giggle. While we waited for our plane (which was delayed due to mechanical problems) I decided to go get myself a drink. I chose coffee, and when I sat back down, Mr. Hall asked if I got what I wanted and when I replied with a yes, he asked if that meant I'd gotten a scotch and water. Ornery old toot.

We finally boarded some time after 11 (original departure time was 10:30am) and the plane was PACKED. Because we couldn't get my ticket upgraded, Mr. Hall insisted on switching seats with him. I told him I didn't mind flying coach, but he wouldn't have it. When I told him thank you because it would be my first time in coach, he replied with, "Well, YOU'RE first class!" It was really sweet. <br><br>

After everyone FINALLY got situated on the plane, the pilot came over the speaker and told us we wouldn't be leaving for at least an hour, and they wanted us to get our stuff and de-plane. Nobody was really sure what was going on so only two or three people got off the plane, and the flight attendants started taking drink orders until the pilot came out and told everyone to get off the plane. I had Mr. Hall's bag under my seat, so I waited for him to come to the front. Thank goodness for that. Because, just as about 3/4th of the plane had exited, the flight attendants got baffled looks on their faces, and told everyone to return to their seats. Apparently, the tower decided to let us go. So then we had to wait another 45min before everyone returned so we could leave.

1st class is SCHMANCY1 Hot towels, warm mixed-nuts, big cookies (I said no!), and the choice of BBQ chicken salad or Roast Beef Wrap. My seat-mate and I both asked for the salad, and the flight attendant came back to tell us that they only had ONE salad left. The married, middle aged MAN that was my seat mate sat there in silence, so I agreed to take the wrap. And I'm glad I did. Because it was DELICIOUS. I got some reading done, almost passed out for a few minutes, but then got really uncomfortable because, being the last row, our seats didn't recline. (First world problems, I know). I figured out how to pay for wifi just in time to hear the announcement to shut down electronics for landing...luckily I hadn't paid yet.

Landing was uneventful, I was able to get my bags from baggage claim easily because PRIORITY means they pull your bags for you as soon as they come down the chute. Heck yeah! <br><br>

We get to the car and who gets out to help load my bags but LESLIE COPPLER? For those of you that don't know, Leslie and I went to HS together. I knew she was working up here, but I didn't realize she was still working directly with Mr. Hall. Seeing a familiar face was nice.

And then we went to the Capitol...well, the Rayburn Building...but it's right next to it so it's still really awesome. Mr. Hall calls all his girls "babe" and kisses their hands when he greets them. Everyone loves him here, just like they do in Rockwall.

I got to meet the staff, and Leslie helped me try and find a place to live (last minute much?) but hey, it's all a part of the adventure. Because nowhere was available for tonight, I'm staying in The Capitol Hill Hotel...literally three blocks down from the Rayburn Building. I go in tomorrow at 11am to get my paperwork filled out with Leslie.

Mr. Hall took me to dinner at the Tune Inn - we split fried okra and I had a blackened salmon caesar salad. It was fantastic. When the waitress asked Mr. Hall what he wanted on his burger he told her lettuce and mayo, then looked at me and said, "So I guess there's no chance of you coming home with me tonight, right?" Not missing a beat I looked him straight in the eye and said, "That would be correct, Sir" so he looked at the waitress and said, "I guess in that case, I'll have onions on it as well." !!!! This man is gonna be a hoot and a half to work for. It's all harmless (he's 89) which is why it's so funny. And he knows it.

My allergies spiked last night and my nose started SQUEAKING while I was in the office, and by dinner, it was really out of control. I've been keeping up with my Sudafed (THANK YOU JARROD), so my ears are good, but my nose? Super runny/stuffed. After dinner, Mr. Hall brought me back to the hotel where I am now tucked in, watching The Following. I took my meds plus a Zyrtec, and I'm feeling a bit better...fingers crossed it stays good.
That is all for now. Sweet dreams from DC!

*Until next time!*

KGC Day 3 (6.24.12)

KGC Day 3

"WHY is there an American in the Trash?!"

Today they switched the schedule up a bit and majors were in the morning right after breakfast...it allowed me to get in bed earlier last night (no shower - shh, don't tell) but today was back stroke and my poor kiddos had the morning sun directly in their eyes. I started by having the kids swim laps working on their straight leg kicking. It went well; however, many of the kick boards were broken and unusable. We worked around it and chugged on through. Bailey and Don brought the basketball team to one side of the pool and had the kids do push ups on the edge. It was pretty entertaining because they had to yell out the count while their faces were in the water. Surprisingly enough only one of my kids got distracted by it but even she asked if she could go talk to her friend instead of just swimming off. Practice went extremely smooth until the last 15 min. A few of the kids refused to do what I said so we all had to get out and sit on the side of the pool with our feet in the water for five minutes. RIGHT at the end of the five minutes one of the boys pushed another boy into the water adding another five minutes to the clock. By the time that five minutes was up we had to start getting ready to head on to the next thing. It was upsetting but rules are rules and we take our discipline as a team.

I had plenty of time to shower before refereeing the girl's dodgeball game so that was nice. I made sure to really lather up with the sunscreen today - I did pigtails with a criss-cross part so I had Payton use a q-tip to put the sunscreen on it - I did  NOT need THAT sunburn on my scalp!

I knew today was going to be very trying because everything was back to back and during the hottest part of the day. It's hard enough to keep a cool head while being surrounded by a bunch of exhausted kids & today was no exception. 

...fill in later...

KGC Day 2 (6.23.12)

I will expand later but I wanted to get caught up so I can start my DC blogging!

KGC CAMP DAY 2

-eggs & bread

-pictures

-capture the flag

-sweaty shirts

-dodge ball

-slots (boys)

-lunch (all the rice on the plate/gross green poop stuff)

-slots (girls/Ryan/Payton)

-majors (kick boards/kicking/front crawl/breath holding game/47 drinks)

-dinner (inside/cholula/bieber riot)

-Golden Ball (exhausting/long/Carpet Toss)

-Meeting

-Internet cafe (phone/wrong number/SKYPE!!)

-My toilet paper has no home!!!