In West Philadelphia, Born and Raised...

We went to Valley Forge and stayed with the Freedom Foundation...not really sure what they do, but they had these dorm-like buildings where they have groups of students and tourists come stay, and they have tours and such for them. The rooms were all named after people of olden time...and they smelled and creaked like they still had the same stuff in them from the days of the Revolutionary War. Here is our glam shot in our not-so-glam room...




The grounds were really pretty, though--they had 52 acres of land, with a monument to each of the 50 states and two for the District of Columbia and for Puerto Rico. I went on a run through the woods, nearly getting lost along the paths, and found myself in a green meadow with wildflowers. The mist set in, and I spotted a buck just a short way off. We sat there and stared at each other. With the rain misting on me and the mystique of the place, I felt like I was in some sort of Secret Garden fairytale or something. I kept running and went through the woods, over little footbridges and down muddy paths. It was raining and I got all wet, but dusk was starting to set in and it was just so fun. I loved it.


Enduring the rain as we toured Valley Forge...this was before it started pouring...



George Washington?


Beautiful chapel built in memory of General Washington.





Jimmy Stuart meets Singin' in the Rain


We had a memorable night at Valley Forge playing frisbee in the dark in a misty field. Hard to see, but soo fun.


At the new visitor's center in Philadelphia, surrounded by Founders, of course.


Justices Staib and Morton.


That's the very same chair George Washington sat in during the Constitutional Convention in Independence Hall in 1787...notice the sun on the back of it (if you can see it?).


In front of Independence Hall...from left to right: Ashley, Sara (my roomie), Paige, and me.


Paige and I at Liberty Bell.

National Treasure: stealing the Declaration of Independence (I know, I know...I'm not even at the Archives...)


I just really like the contrasting styles of architecture in this picture.





Window of Christ Chapel (below), where many of the Founders rented booths each year to sit in during church. They have each pew labeled, and I sat in George Washington and William Penn's booths.


Another view of Independence Hall...historic meets modern architecture.

We had a lot of fun in Philadelphia, and ate lots of good food and amazing pizza. Good trip.


I have been called as a Ward Missionary. That means leaving at 8:30 for 11:00 church on Sundays, because we have meetings with the missionaries. There was a baptism after church today that I attended, which was really neat. This week, a bunch of us went to a movie out on the grass in a park on Monday night, and I think we are going to go again tomorrow. OH! And on September 11^th last week, I got to go to a dedication of a new memorial for those killed at the Pentagon. There was a Navy band playing, and a movie about those killed. Really cool to be here right now.

This week, Senator Lugar (R-IN) met with all of his interns in the personal office, as well as us Foreign Relations Committee interns. He spent over an hour talking with us and answering questions we had for him. In the end, he had to leave for hearings, etc., but promised us it wouldn't be the last time we'd meet with him this semester, which is so thoughtful.

Life in DC is great. I'm loving each and every day. Some random highlights of life since I've been here:

• Going running in the mornings to the Lincoln Memorial and watching the sky turn from deep blue to pink as the sun rises behind the Capitol and Washington Monument.
• Running down past the White House yesterday and just getting lost in the city (well..not really lost)
• Walking along Embassy row
• Eating lunch every day either at a sidewalk café, or on the steps of the Library of Congress. I can't believe I am seriously living here!
• Last night we got off the Metro a few stops early and walked past the Washington Monument, WWII memorial and Lincoln memorial at night. Such a beautiful night!
• Going to hearings every day in the Senate and House office buildings. I am learning soo much about foreign policy and international relations, firsthand. LOVE IT!
• Doing baptisms for the dead in the DC temple on Thursday night.
  
• Friday night was, perhaps, the coolest thing I've done since I got here. My friend, Kyle, works at the Spanish Embassy, and gets to go to cool things like Euro Night at the Embassy of France. Basically, each EU country set up a table in the embassy with food and wine native to their country, as well as fliers about their country and little free things like pens and pins and lanyards and flags. They also had a live band and folk dancers performing outside. It was a formal-dress event, so we got to dress up a bit. Kyle's and my job was--ironically--to pour the wine for people coming by the Spain table, while a chef from a nearby Spanish restaurant cooked fresh paella! There were 1,000 tickets that sold out the event, so it was packed. We tried tons of great new food, schmoozed and met some new people working at different embassies, and even saw a familiar face--the Ambassador of France to the US, who came to speak at BYU earlier this year. It was fun to see the mix of people that came, and a really great peek at the richness of cultures represented in DC.
  

Life here is just going swimmingly. I love love LOVE it, and I'm going to have to be dragged home in December, kicking and screaming.