Let Freedom Ring!

What better way to spend my half-way mark than by celebrating Independence Day in our nation's capital?!

I had Friday off from work and decided to spend some time downtown. I went through part of the Holocaust Museum and then met up with some friends on the Mall. There was a Folklife Festival going on with all kinds of booths and music and food from all over the world. My personal favorite was watching a mariachi band perform. We also walked through the Smithsonian Castle and then went to Five Guys for dinner and had amazing burgers and fries!

You have no idea how happy it made me to see that the fries we were eating came from Driggs! A little piece of home right in downtown D.C.! I just had to get a picture.

Laura, me, and Ben at Five Guys.

After dinner, we walked back down to the Capitol lawn where we met up with some other friends and watched the dress rehearsal of the big 4th of July concert. Going into it, I had no idea what to expect or who would be performing. Boy, was I surprised when they announced a line-up including Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow, Natasha Bedingfield, characters from Sesame Street, and the National Symphony Orchestra! It was so awesome and I thoroughly enjoyed it! These famous people I had heard about were right there in front of me! (Well, a couple hundred yards in front of me, but still . . ) They put on a great show and had the audience dancing and singing along. As you can see, the Capitol Building was packed with people there to watch the show. . .

Rhapsody in Blue - only one of my all-time favorite songs!

The Fourth couldn't have started off better. The weather was beautiful and not too humid. I went to a ward activity at my bishop's home where we ate breakfast and played sports. Now, imagine a backyard equipped with a tennis court, a swimming pool (complete with diving board), a small baseball diamond, a volleyball net, and a soccer goal . . . that is my bishop's backyard! It's a backyard that every kid dreams of. We had so much fun! I spent hours out there playing softball and swimming in the pool. (Acquiring even more freckles, and a sunburn on my neck I am sorry to say.)

Following the ward activity, we traveled downtown to join our friends on the Mall who had been saving a spot for the fireworks since 10 a.m.! We laid out on blankets, played cards, and read books until it was time. What followed was the most impressive display of fireworks I had every seen! Definitely worth the six hour wait. :) A glorious day yes, but an exhausting one. After waiting for the majority of the crowd to leave, a tired bunch of young adults grabbed a bite to eat and headed home on the metro.

People on the Mall, waiting for the fireworks. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but the steps of the Lincoln Memorial were packed!

Me and David and Laura on the Mall waiting for the fireworks.

Western Avenue

My church house is located on Western Avenue in a neighborhood called Chevy Chase. For quite some time now, I have wanted to stroll down this street and admire the many homes and churches that line it, and yesterday I finally got my chance! The lighting wasn't the best, and I am no photographer, but hopefully from these pictures you can catch a glimpse of what this quaint little area is like.

This is the LDS church that I attend each week. On the front is engraved Matthew 22:37 which says, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."

Here is a baptist church.

I absolutely adore these old brick homes. There are so many in this particular area, but each one has its own unique character.

Aren't they cute?

I particularly like the blue door on this one.

This next church, I like to refer to as "Sleeping Beauty's Castle." It is definitely my favorite!

L'Orage

On Friday night, some friends and I decided to go downtown and hang out. On the way there, we encountered a terrible storm. Wind, rain, lightning, thunder, you name it. Due to the weather conditions, there was some heavy traffic. What was the specific cause of the traffic? Trees. Trees had fallen everywhere, blocking roads and lanes. It seriously looked like a tornado had blown through. On what was a two-lane highway, people had to merge into one lane because a fallen tree was blocking one side. As our car approached the fallen tree, my friend David decided that they (he and the boys in the back seat) should get out and move the tree, free up the lane, and solve the traffic problem. Good idea right? Well, the tree turned out to be a little bit bigger than they expected. Not to mention it was still attached at the trunk. They pushed and pulled to no avail. Now, all muddy and wet, what were they to do? Get back into the car and admit defeat? No! Other men began pulling off the side of the road to stop and help with the tree removal. I sat in the car and watched as men swarmed to the scene and joined in the effort. (One man even had a leg cast on!) It was quite the spectacle. After the arrival and aid of several men (including the police), the tree was successfully cleared from the road and traffic was able to return to a normal pace. We passed several more fallen trees along the road as we approached the city, but decided that we had had enough fun for one night.

Once we finally arrived in D.C. we found several tree casualties there as well. Here is a sampling:

This particular tree was absolutely beautiful. It made me sad to see that it had fallen. I wondered about the tree's life, its story, how old it was. I felt as though a great historical figure had died. Situated not far from the White House, I wondered how many presidents the tree had witnessed come in and out of office.

Here is Travis in front of the tree, just to give you an idea of how big it was.

Here is David pretending to pull the tree apart with his brute strength.

Para

Para is an employee at Intelsat and comes into the fitness center on a regular basis. He is full of life and energy. He always comes up to the front desk to talk to me during his "workout." (I like to give him a bad time about it and tell him to get back to work.) He also likes to challenge me in the group exercise classes to see who can do the best. I've gotta hand it to him, he puts more spunk and energy into the classes than anyone else I've ever seen. Occasionally you'll even hear a little shout of enthusiasm coming from him during the classes.

Today Para came in to a special breakfast we had at the fitness center and ended up staying and talking for quite some time. His mouth can run 100 mph, but I enjoy every moment of it. He started talking about happiness, family, time, and certain philosophies he has about life. He said that he lives life so that he is happy in every moment. He makes the most of every moment. He doesn't worry about the future. He said that you just have to do the best you can in the moment you're in and not worry about the rest. I have a tendency to think that once something happens, then I'll be happy. I'll be happy after I lose 10 lbs. I'll be happy after I get married. But the truth is, I have to be happy right now or else I won't ever be. We can't keep waiting around for something to happen that will make us happy. We never know how much time we have left. What if we keep waiting for that one thing that will make us happy, but before we know it, our life has ended and we have wasted the opportunity to be happy because that one thing never came?

Earlier this week, there was a metro crash in D.C. It was the deadliest crash in the metro's 33 years of operation, killing 9 people and wounding dozens of others. I ride the metro to and from work everyday and depend entirely upon it for transportation. It could have easily been my train that crashed that day, but it wasn't. I have been watched over and protected, and I feel that I should make sure to live the rest of my life as fully as I can; to always be happy and to share that happiness with others, to serve them. This is going to take a lot of work and deliberate effort, but I know that it will be worth it.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “Happiness is the object and design of our existence." There is so much in this life that we have to be happy about. Para, for example, takes a break from work for a few seconds each day to gaze out his window and watch a nest with a family of birds. It's simple, but it is powerful to take a moment and look around you and enjoy the simple beauties and wonders of life; to find happiness in these things. I am thankful for Para and his example. I am thankful that he has reminded me of these important truths.

Originally from Sri Lanka, Para's family now lives in the UK. He is leaving soon to visit them for an extended period of time. I will miss him. I will miss seeing his cheerful face, but I am glad that he will be returning before I leave so I can see him again.



“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.”
- - Aristotle

3 Things . . .

When people ask me what I think of D.C., one of the first words you'll hear coming out of my mouth is "humidity." It was the first thing I noticed coming off the plane, and it has been my constant companion for the past almost-four weeks. Apparently it's really not that humid here compared to places like Florida or Thailand, but as far as I'm concerned I'm living in a sauna. It's all relative. When you come from a place like Idaho where you have not only no humidity, but "negative humidity" as I like to call it, it seems pretty intense.



The Good

The good thing about the humidity, well I guess there are two good things about it - Number one: everything is green and lush; beautiful; my favorite color. Number two: I can get away with applying lotion only once each day! It's amazing, and it saves me money because I won't have to buy lotion while I am out here. This is so nice after growing up in an area that makes your skin as dry as toast. It seems I was constantly applying lotion, but it was just never enough.



The Bad

I have one word for you: sweat. For some reason the humidity just makes it that much worse. I don't know very many people who sweat as much as I do. Back home I would attend aerobics classes on campus. Mirrors line the whole front wall of the room so you can always see yourself along with everybody else in the class. I remember always looking around and wondering Why is nobody else sweating like I am? When raising our arms, nobody would have a hint of sweat in their armpits. Nobody except me that is. Wallyball is another good example. It's pretty sad when you sweat three times as much as your boyfriend, but I just say that there is something wrong with Britton and not me. It's not that I am sweating too much, he just doesn't sweat enough. :) It's true, sweating is a sign of good fitness; and I'm not making this up. I learned in my Exercise Physiology class that those in better shape sweat earlier on in their workout, and they sweat more. The body is accustomed to that type of stress placed on it and knows how to adapt accordingly in order to release heat. My body is so good that it starts sweating while I am walking into the fitness class just because it knows what's coming. (Ha. Not really, but the sweating part is true.)



The Ugly

Yet another bad thing about the humidity is what it does to my hair. My hair is naturally pretty wavy, but I prefer it straight. I use a straightener every morning to try and tame my poofs and waves, but straightened hair and humidity do not mix. My hair looks great for maybe an hour after I fix it and then it's a hopeless cause. A few hours outside and what does it do? My bangs go straight and hang down in front of my eyes. The rest of my hair curls, my layers flipping out and under in all different directions, and going wavy at the crown of my head. Lovely. Good thing I work in a fitness center and it's ok to wear your hair in a ponytail.

From what I have heard, the humidity is only going to get worse as we approach the blessed month of August. I have simply resigned myself to the fact that I am going to be a sweaty girl with a bad hairdo for the next seven weeks. (sigh)

Mount Vernon, Iwo Jima, and Arlington

Last Saturday, 16 people from two local single's wards got together and went to visit Mount Vernon - George Washington's home. If you ever travel to D.C./Virginia, I highly recommend you pay a visit! It was awesome, and so beautiful. It's no wonder why Washington longed for home while commanding on the battlefield or serving as president.

Our whole group in front of the Potomac River.

This is the view from Washington's backyard.

Me in back of the Mount Vernon mansion.

Down by the wharf.

After Mount Vernon, we went to the Iwo Jima Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. We got to see the changing of the guard in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the eternal flame at Kennedy's gravesite.

Iwo Jima

Tomb of Robert Todd Lincoln, son of President Abraham Lincoln.

Cheetahs and hippos and bears, Oh my!

One thing that I love about D.C. is the limitless activities and sites to see. After work, it's just a matter of deciding what I would like to do that day. Want to go to a museum? Ok. Art gallery? Sure. Want to visit a memorial? Done. Want to go to a concert or see a live performance? You can do that too.

And the best part is that almost all of it is FREE!

Monday after work, I decided to visit the zoo:



This is Cricket, the zoo's toucan.



They wouldn't let me get a picture with the real gorillas, so I settled for this statue of one instead.



A flock of flamingos.



And the cute, furry sloth bear.

Unfortunately, my camera battery was dying and also, due to the extreme heat, many of the animals were hiding in the shade and I didn't get to see them. I will have to go back again some other time.