Weekend Fun!

This weekend, our whole floor hung out a lot. We also got up and did things instead of hanging around the house all day.

Saturday morning, I woke up and there was a ton of snow on the ground. I threw on several layers of clothes, borrowed my roommate’s rain boots, and took off outside. I felt like a little kid that had never seen snow before. Actually, we all acted like that. There was so much snow! It was a little frustrating though because the snow was dry snow that wouldn’t make a snowball. But we still stayed out there for a good hour and a half. Then we went in for lunch and to warm up again. After a little bit of rest, we were back out there! The snow had not stopped and was even deeper. We played for another two hours and then it was getting too dark.

That night, our floor pitched in and bought delivery pizza. Some of the group went out, but most of us just stayed in and had a movie marathon. But before we went to bed, we did something really cool. We made a bucket list of things to do before we leave DC. Yes we were tired and some are silly, but we made a list of twenty things to do. I won’t list all of them because that would take a while, but some would be: doing a street performance and make money, workout in the Smithsonian, meet the President, and a few more silly things. After our list, we all went to bed.

Sunday morning, we woke up and explored the city. We started off going to the American History Museum to see what we missed the first time. When we got out, we found a burger joint called Harry’s. The burgers were pretty good, and it was enjoyable. By the time we were finished eating, we walked around, passed Ford Theater and the house where Lincoln died. We also ran into a few popular stores, and went into H&M. It was amazing!

Now we are home and flipping channels between the Grammys and The Pro Bowl (making the boys and girls equally happy on this floor). Our entire floor shares one TV.

Tomorrow I have work at nine and I am excited about the adventures this week will bring.
Until next time,
madelon

Catching Up on the Week

I am sorry that I have not posted anything on my blog in the last three days. I have been so busy with other things lately! But I will just make up for it by adding a lot of pictures!

Wednesday, Jan 27^th

My morning tasks were usual, but the events that took place that day were not average. I got to work at the usual time. When I get there, people usually come in soon after. That day was a little different. Apparently, traffic was all messed up because the security guards were getting ready for the State of the Union speech that night, and there was a “suspicious package” outside somewhere that the guards had to check out before letting people go through. The package ended up being cleared. The tour I was suppose to give was cancelled because the visitors were having trouble getting parked and in the building.

By afternoon, the day was going by slowly because I was excited about the Texas State Society Annual Salute to Congress Reception. It was the first reception I had the opportunity of going to. But, 6 o’clock finally got here and I was all ready to explore and see! I arrived, and immediately started helping with check-in and raffle ticket disbursement. The picture with the gentleman and the girl with the big purple bow (Juliet) are the people I worked with at the table. Toward the end of my shift, not many people were showing up. The staff workers told us that we could go ahead and mingle inside. Juliet and I went inside and made our way to a few of the other Tech interns, and we tried some of the food too. They had blue bell ice cream! I was really excited about all the food, but I didn’t eat much because I didn’t want to make a mess, nor did I want to have bad breath when I met people.

I ran into Lauren Bean (the girl from Menard that I mentioned previously). We talked about different things in DC, as well as other things in general. I really enjoyed seeing her. The other pictures are with Tech interns that worked or came to the reception.

After the reception, we didn’t leave the Capitol for a bit and walked around, just to see all the commotion for the State of the Union address. It was just crazy how many people there were! With no luck of getting in at all, we went home and watched Obama on TV. When they were showing Obama arriving in his vehicle, we saw him pass by the Tech house!

Thursday, Jan 28^th

Yesterday I gave the tour I was supposed to give the day before. It was a preacher and his wife that were touring the town. They had a daughter coming to Tech in the fall, so we never ran out of things to talk about. After the tour, the day went really smooth with few phone calls, but there was a lot of mail to sort!

After work I was pooped! By the time everyone arrived at the Tech house, no one wanted to move. One intern went to bed at 6:30!! Everyone hung around, and Lori (a Tech intern) ended up bringing home some leftovers from the reception! Everyone cheered for free food and ate some chips and dip. It cracks me up every time there is free food, because no one wants to spend money on expensive food…we are all broke college kids.

Friday, Jan 29^th

Today started off wonderful! One of the women on staff brought her new puppy in the office all morning (as seen in the picture). He is an eight-week old Bernese Mountain dog, named Tex. He is the cutest thing ever! I played with him a lot, and he kept playing with bow on my brown flats-sneaking up on my shoes. It was a great morning.

The afternoon was very calm and nothing big happened in the office. Tonight, I think we might all go watch a movie, and I know that some of the interns are going to an auto show. The weather is supposed to get really bad tonight and I do not want to be caught in it, so we will see. I am definitely excited it is the weekend though! Time to trade in my high heels for tennis shoes and adventure the city!

until next time,

madelon

Becoming a Regular

This week has already started off busy, I only see slower days in the future. I always love having a full day because then it just flies by!

Yesterday I had a usual morning, coffee and sorting mail. For lunch, Texas Tech provided us a Chick-fil-a meal and Bobby Brown, the Chief of Staff for Congressman Burgess, joined us for the meal. Just a fun fact: Lauren Bean (is also a Menard graduate and her mom was my high school teacher for several years) currently works in Burgess' office. Small small world. The lunch was great and Mr. Brown was a great guy to visit with.

As soon as I got back from lunch, I was off to a briefing discussing Century Link's broadcast. The hour flew by, I went back to the office, and then I was off to another briefing. This briefing was really cool because it was the first time I ever went to a briefing on the Senate side. That meant I got to take the Subway to the other site. This subway is actually the only true transportation called the subway in DC. It is only allowed for people with badges (staff, faculty, interns, and Congressmen) and it goes every place on the Hill. The other subway systems in DC are called the metro (just for future reference when I type more blogs).

When I got back to the office, I had only thirty minutes left of work, and then I was done! Lauren Williamson and I went to Target after work and just played around, got a few necessities, then came back to the Tech house and relaxed the rest of the night.

This morning was nothing unusual. I'm getting in a pretty good morning routine-nothing ever changes really. People slowly come in, the coffee needs to be started, paper needs to be on everyone's desk, and then the day begins with the first phone call.

The phone was ringing off the hook today! Four lines were ringing at one time today. It was kind of freaking me out. I was thankful for the 1:30 tour so I could just get away from the phones for a little bit- haha. I gave the tour to a family of five. They were great and were attentive- I love those kind of groups!

When I got back, I stayed busy by going to the post office, going to the supply room, folding and mailing letters, wrapping and mailing packages, filling out information, and sorting email. I enjoy being busy because I feel helpful and I learn a lot when I am working with other staff members.

Tonight, we had a amazing dinner with the VP of Texas Tech. We ate at Jaleo's. It is a tapa place, meaning the meal is served as several little appettizers. It was a great experience! The VP already had our menu picked out. I was happy with that because that meant less time having to choose. There were three courses, and an additional dessert course, each with three different appetizer like foods. I didn't think that the meal would fill me up after seeing the first course, but by the end of round two, I was already getting full!! I stayed strong and made it to the end. Everything was very interesting and I tried things I probably wouldn't try on a regular basis. It made things a lot easier to try when I only got a bite of every food. I still didn't try the muscles though. I just can't do it!

Tomorrow will be a long day, but exciting. I am getting to be a hostess at Texas State Society Reception. There were five of us selected to work the reception. I can't wait to meet people and see what is in store! Hopefully more pictures!?!

until next time,
madelon

ps- A picture taken by my staff assistand on my first day of work. She recently e-mailed it too me and I thought you would enjoy it :)

Found out that I am old today

Today, our floor had a very productive day. But let me first start this blog with yesterday's events.

Yesterday was my first day on the job as the only intern. I had no idea how much went on during the day, until I experienced it all by myself. The day went by soooo fast though! I almost missed lunch because I didn't even really look at the time. All morning, I went to fourteen different offices to get signatures. The rest of the day I did the usual office work, and before I knew it- the day was done! After work, I relaxed for the rest of the evening until I went to bed.

Today was pretty good. Six of us went to the Natural History Smithsonian and the American History Smithsonian. All of the pictures on this blog are from today's trips. The Natural History museum was full of taxidermy animals and bones from the past and present from all around the world. The American History museum had famous things and people that are well known to many people, like Dorothy's ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz, or Serena Williams cat suit that she played tennis in. Both museums were so large that we spent all day just going to two.

While in the American History museum, I found out that I am getting pretty old. People of all ages were going to this one section of the museum. There were four or five different cases with things in it. We saw Dorothy's slippers, a outfit from the Broadway play The Lion King, and one more thing. It was a green frog that many know as Kermit the Frog. Angie and I were walking past Kermit and this kid pops up to the case and says, "Mom, what is this green thing?" What is this green thing?! Really? That was THE THING to watch on TV when I was little! Kids are just so deprived these days haha.

After the Smithsonians, a big group of us all went to Tortilla Coast (the closest thing to Tex-Mex DC has) and ate a ton of chips, hot sauce, and queso.

We haven't decided what to do tomorrow, but whatever it is, I know it will be fun.

until next time,
madelon

Fact:: Yogurt can blow up in tote bag while walking to work.

Hello everyone!

These last two days have been quite random. Little surprises in life do always keep us alert, right?

Wed. January 20th
Yesterday, work consisted of printing my first batch of mail, folding the mail, and sealing the envelopes needing to be sent out. Mail just never stops in Conaway's office!

During lunch break, I had one of my usual meals: Velveeta mac and cheese, microwaveable bowls. But this week I am in the back office intern desk because we switch spots every week. I was told that it smelled and I couldn't have it in the back office anymore! I didn't really know that mac and cheese smelled so strong. That is the end of mac and cheese in the back office!

The main talk in the office, was Haiti. I know everyone is probably talking about it, and I feel so sorry for all the people who are suffering from that earthquake. We discussed adoption issues, supplies and food for the people, and about how sad the whole event was.

After work, some of us decided to go for a run. Lori and I ended up running all the way from the Tech House to the Washington Monument and back. The run was amazing, filled with great scenery, lovely weather, and just a few hills (not near as big as Menard's). I am not sure how far we ran, but it felt good getting out and enjoying our community. The places where we ran were covered with cops at the end of every block, and several cars driving around. It felt like we were being escorted on our run! haha. It made all of us feel much more comfortable running. The picture I added was three of us after the run. We were still very energetic after the run! I took off my shoes as soon as I got back, I didn't run barefoot. :)

Thur. January 20th

Today, I was close to being late to work today. I had to eat breakfast at work! But I managed to pack my lunch in my tote before I left the house. I packed soup, wheat thins, yogurt, peanut butter crackers, and mentos (weird combo, but I take what I can). When I got into the office, I quickly took off my coat, put my things by my desk and started the coffee and sorting the morning mail before everyone arrived. When I got back to my desk to put some of my food in the office fridge, I saw a huge accident. All of my yogurt somehow got all over the inside my bag! Huge mess?! I think so!! But nothing was permanently damaged, besides a few papers that needed to be thrown away anyway. But that took up a majority of my morning.

At 11:30, I went to a USDA briefing that didn't last long. The other picture I added today is the room where the briefing was held. The room was absolutely amazing! When I got back, I found out that the other intern, Ethan accepted a position as an LA in another office. He got a full time job! So now I will be the only intern in the office. It will be interesting to see if I can handle all of the work by myself...we will see!!! Our staff assistant took a picture of us since it was his last day on the job. That is the third picture on this blog- Ethan and me in Conaway's office.

Another random comment- I messed up my right foot today. I don't know if it was my feet telling me that I can't handle heels that many days in a row, or if my feet were telling me to slow the heck down when I was walking. I was in the basement dropping off something in a office. On the way back to my office, I stopped myself from twisting my ankle when I was walking. By doing that, I messed up the bottom part of my right foot. It is really bruised and I have no idea what damage I did. Too bad that the doctor's office below us is a dentist instead of a podiatrist haha. But luckily we all got to leave at five today. No running for me tonight! I think I might start reading my assignment for my online class instead. Tomorrow we are out of session and I will be able to wear flats- thank goodness!! That also means that I will be working from 9-5.

until next time,
madelon

PS- I think Valentine's weekend I might be going to New York with Angie's family! We will see what happens!

"Only 3 Weeks?!"

It has only been three weeks since I have arrived in DC, and it already feels like we have all been here for a very long time. I have the office routine down, can give tours with an ease, and know all of the other interns. I can hardly image what it will feel like in two months. Time just flies!!

I didn't write yesterday because we weren't a very active group again. We had to take advantage of all the free time we could. We ate lunch at Wok n' Roll, a Chinese food place. I think Jackey's was much better, but we thought we just might give another restaurant a try. After lunch, we went over to an outlet type store that all the tech interns were raving about. It reminded me of a giant ROSS store. Unfortunately, I did not find anything. Angie and I decided to go check out Gold's Gym later that afternoon. We found out that it was $109 for a three month contract. We got a free trial for coming in that day, and since we were already in workout gear we decided to workout and then tell them we didn't want to become members. So I had a nice little workout.

Today I was surprised with a few things. When I arrived in the office I found out that the other intern working in the office forgot his office badge and he had a tour today. The rules in the capitol are no badge-no tour. I ended up having to give the tour for him. I did not mind at all because I enjoy giving tours, I just wished I would have packed more comfortable shoes for all the tour walking. Now I have two blisters on my feet; but it was worth it because the two couples really enjoyed it, and that's what matters.

I was also surprised by other duties requested for me to do. I did research about Conaway in regards to some of the mail we received. I also got to update our office roster for the LA's (Legislative Assistants) names and emails in other offices.

The day seemed to go by fast, and before I knew it, I was going with Angie to CVS (the closest store within walking distance) to get a few things.

The day went so fast and I don't even know what made it go by so quickly! Tomorrow our office is in session and the Congressman is in the office, so I will be at work from 8:30-6:30. I can't wait for something exciting to happen! Maybe I will be able to talk to Conaway a little bit more tomorrow, if he ever gets a chance to sit down! lol.

until next time,
madelon
(PS: Sorry I don't have any photos up. I haven't been able to find anything picture worthy yet....hopefully I will soon!)

Friday, Saturday, and some of Sunday

It is Sunday and our group has been worthless all weekend. The long week of work has killed us all, and we are trying to rested up for another long week. I cannot wait for my body to get in a routine so I will not be tired all the time. After the Cowboys game, we are planning on going to this enormous store that is like a a ton of outlet stores all in one. I am pretty excited about that trip.

On Friday, I found out that facebook is not always good to people. When I got to work, a Tech alum and I were talking about the Leach rally that took place the day before. We looked at pictures on the internet of the rally and discussed the team. Next thing I knew, emails were sent out to the entire office staff. Guess what they were of?....ME!!! One of the staff members took the picture of me with my Champion ewe lamb and another one of me with my Champion pig at the Menard County Stockshow from my senior year. When I tried to ask questions throughout the day, the office would joke with me talking about how to hold the lamb correctly, or how to show them. I mean, it could have been a lot worse, but getting oinked and bahhhed at like animals was not cool either haha.

I also gave my first tour Friday. It was a family of seven and they were very excited about being in D.C. The tour took an hour (which is normal) and I only missed up once on my tour! I started to take them down the wrong set of stairs and made them turn around about halfway in the walk. I was very happy, and thankful, that I only had one mess up that was noticeable. What the tourists didn't know was that I missed two places. I forgot how to get there. But everything worked out because no one really noticed. The capitol is soooo confusing! I was just estactic about making it back and everyone was still with me. After two or three more tours, I know that I will have it down.....hopefully.

To finish up my big day at work on Friday, we got to leave early. It was an office member's birthday and everyone left at 1:00, and they told me they would not be back. So after my tour, I came back to the office, shut down everything, locked up, and went home. (the picture of me is waiting patiently for my tour group to arrive.)

That night, all of the tech interns went to a tech alum's house. There were several tech graduates there, some had been DC interns too. We ate pizza and mingled, learning the "ways of the Hill." When the dinner was over, a few of us decided to come home and just watch movies and relax. This is when our laziness began.

On Saturday, no one was moving. We all just sat and laid around the house, not wanting to be productive. It felt great! In D.C., you just can't go out in sweats and a messy bun. You have to dress decent, and fix your hair and face up. No one could get in that going mode. After a week of getting up early, putting make-up on, fixing hair, putting nice business clothes on, working from 9-5, then exploring the town after work can really wear you down. We definitely will have to slow down, none of our bodies can handle it!

Washington, D.C. is having a restaurant week promotion this week. This is a promotion that really expensive restaurants do. You can have an appetizer, entree, and dessert for $30. A regular meal like this can run well over $80. But with this great promotion, we were able to experience fine dining. I have only eaten out once since I been here, so three of us decided to splurge and eat an amazing meal. Boy was that meal wonderful!!!

We returned home, played cards and other games with the rest of the floor. In all, it was a well-needed relaxing day.

Now it is Sunday and we still can't get out of lazy mode, and the rain outside is not helping any. I am determined to do something productive today. I can't have two days in a row like this. I need to get out and play basketball, run, or do something active. Hopefully my floor will wake up soon.

until next time,
madelon

Oh Thursday!

Time flew by today at work. This morning I went to a Forest Conservation briefing. I had the honor of meeting two ambassadors today: the Ambassador of Peru and the Ambassador of the District of Republico of Congo. I was mesmerized by their accents and hung on every word. The briefing was much more interesting than yesterday's, and they had cupcakes!!

For the rest of the day I visited with the employees in the office, completed fixing all the emails I deleted, and started sorting letters that were sent to Conaway. After having the long day yesterday, today was a breeze!

After work, eight of us decided to go to Target for a few things, and we went to an authentic Chinese restaurant in Chinatown that Angie's staff assistant recommended. It was a very cheap meal and the food looked amazing. Unfortunately, I already ate so I didn't experience the wonderful looking food. We will definitely have to go again. You can get a combo meal which includes an entree, rice, a spring roll, and soft drink all for $8! And that is great deal in DC! We also had to take a few detours on our way to the restaurant because it was located in a basement of a building (shady I know-don't go alone), so we took a few pictures everywhere. Chinatown is just so different than the rest of DC! It is very lively!

Tomorrow I have to give my first tour- I am EXTREMELY NERVOUS! I only got one run through and I am not sure I will be able to get my tour group to and from the office. I will definitely be studying about the capitol until they arrive. I didn't know I had homework as an intern! Good thing I can talk about anything, that will definitely be a plus for tomorrow. Wish me luck! :)

until next time,
madelon

First Full Day and Fun Adventures in The Hill

Today was a 10 hour day at work for me. Even though the day seemed long, it was great. I feel comfortable working with emails, answering and transferring phone calls, and sorting mail. Today felt like I was a true member of the office, and I felt like I wasn't just an intern.

With such a long day, I was able to run several errands and experience many things. The first big trip was an errand I had in the capitol. This was probably my favorite story of the day. I was told where to go and I thought I knew where she was talking about. After asking three police officers, I finally found the room. Guess why I could not find it? It was because there was a sign in front of the big hallway that said, "Authorized Personnel Only." Silly me- I don't consider myself authorized personnel....but for some weird and crazy reason- I AM! The policeman just laughed when I realized that, then asked, "How long have you been working?" I guess my beginner level still shows. I really need to get rid of that!

To make things better, I also got lost on my way back to the office. When I head to the capitol, there are signs pointing everywhere. But when I head back to the office, all the doors were shut and there are no signs anywhere. Something needs to be done about that...but then again only authorized personnel go that way - haha.

I also got to experience a briefing for the first time, too. I was asked to go to a health care briefing, and I was happy to go. When I got there, I took notes and listened to everyone say what they believe in, and why they want the bill fixed. It was sooo official and it was sooo real. I loved experiencing it. They even made me feel important by serving me cookies and beverages.

The rest of the day was pretty normal. When I got home, I had several packages waiting for me- that was very thrilling! I love getting mail! I got more clothes and food from my parents; a surprise care package from my aunt, Holly; a gift from Merilee (one of my great friends and sorority sister from Tech); and some bedding and supplies from my house at tech from Cullen. It felt like Christmas all over again!

After today, I got really excited about everything I will be doing for the rest of the semester. I have truly been blessed with this internship, and I am thankful for everything I am experiencing.

I felt the need to add a picture so all of you wouldn't just be reading, so I added the picture of what I wore today (compliments of Angie while in bed- I made her).

Tomorrow is 9-5 and we are out of session, so tomorrow will feel like I'm barely there. I hope all of you are enjoying your spring semester and everything is going well!

until next time,
madelon

First Accident at Work & First day of being In Session

Hello all!

I am sorry I haven't blogged in a while. Being in front of a computer all day really makes it hard for me to get on my laptop when I get back to the Tech House; but I am getting tons of good stories from work and I want to share them with you!

Yesterday, Monday, I learned that I had another intern working in the office with me this semester. His name is Ethan. He recently graduated from Texas A&M, and is wanting to get a job somewhere on The Hill full-time. Having two interns in the same office has its ups and downs- things do get done a lot faster, but also the errands that are dreaded each day are hard to get done- always hoping for the other one to do it. Since I was a day ahead of Ethan on learning the ways of Conaway's office, I had to take part in the training. This is when my first accident occurred. You see, it wasn't all my fault. I was showing Ethan how to get rid of spam and advertisements in the e-mail. It sounds very innocent, but I did not know all of the emails in the inbox were checked. So I continued through the process, all the way to the end where the message gets deleted from the mailbox.....yes, it's true......I DELETED ALL OF THE MESSAGES IN THE INBOX OF THE OFFICE'S EMAILS!!! I felt aweful! Deleted messaged in the office don't just go to a deleted file bin. They go to a black hole in cyberspace that is really creepy and things are never seen again. I really thought my life was over then. Some of the staff laughed a little, Rae-Lynn (my boss and the Staff Assistant for the office) called the technician and he got back all the messages, plus like 100 more, and life was good again.

The rest of Monday flew by and I was pooped - that is the reason for no blogging.

Today was a different day. Because Congress was in session, I had to stay until 6:30. It really didn't seem longer, just outside was darker when I left. I worked on the "deleted emails" all day. I sent a total of 68 emails today in a total of 9 hours of work. During lunch today, at about 1:30, some people in the office took me to lunch. We went to a burger joint called Tune Inn. The burgers and fries ARE AMAZINGGGG! I ate the whole plate! But then again it was 1:30 haha- girls like me can't wait that long for food!

By the time work was over, I finally got to meet Congressman Conaway. He was happy to hear I went to Tech and I cannot wait to visit more with him and hear his stories!

I also found an excellent way to work out while working in the House of Representitives- by working on the fifth floor of "The House," I can walk all the way up on my tip-toes and get an excellent calf-raise workout! Maybe I can buy some 10 lb weights and workout my arms while climbing up the stairs! - just kidding. I wouldn't do that......well I would, but not in the House of Representatives.

Tomorrow is my first full day of work. When I say this, it means that the congressman is in the office all day and he is voting . This also means that I will be working from 8:30 am- 6:30 pm, and I will be wearing business clothes. You see, we have three different types of work days:
- out of session: this is when the congressman is not in the office at all; work hours are 9-5; dress is casual (but still cute, modest, and professional looking, i.e. dark jeans and a nice top)
-in session: this is when the congressman is in The House, but is not really in the office much because he is voting; work hours are 9-6:30; dress is business casual
- in session and serious (that is what I call it to myself): this is when the congressman is in the office all day, with little voting; work hours are 8:30-6:30; dress is business

Eventually I will get the clothes schedule down. I am extremely fortunate to have a great family, and I am very grateful that my mom and grandma helped with my intern clothes over Christmas break. Without those two I would not have the right clothes, nor would all my pants be the right length ;)

Well tomorrow is a big day. I will try to take a few pics, just to add more life to my blogs again. Wish me luck on not messing up! Ecspecially in front of the big man himself!

until next time,
madelon

Touring and eating

My goal today was not to let the daylight fly by, and to do as much as I can. I got up at 9:15 and ran with Lori, another DC intern. At 11:00, we had a mandatory tech house meeting with the "House Mom." As soon as the meeting was over, everyone got ready, ate, and we were off!

I was so excited because I was told we were going to this market. I was really excited because I thought we were going to a strip of stores with really cheap things. No, that was not it at all- for the third time in a row, we went to a food market. It was the best store yet, and it was the cheapest, but I was wanting a real store....oh well, I have another four months for that. Our whole floor pitched in at the market so we could have spaghetti, bread, and salad. Angie was the cook tonight.

There was still light outside when we got back from the market and unloaded, so we all decided to go site seeing. We went to the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and the Washington Monument. Angie and I even stood in the Washington Monument Reflecting Pool!! We were such rebels, but it was frozen over (as seen in picture). It was extremely windy and cold, but I have the best group to hang out with and we made the most of it. We had snowball fights while walking, made up raps, and sang songs, just trying not to think about the cold weather. We took pictures, and walked A LOT!!

Angie started up the spaghetti when we returned, and ate queso and chips while we waited. The food was amazing and was ready just as the Dallas Cowboys game started. I think we will play spades or some kind of card game after the game- just relaxing and having a good time. We will see what happens tomorrow!

until next time,
madelon

yesterday's trip- to Target!

I forgot to blog yesterday, mainly because it was pretty uneventful, but I am catching up today. Sorry about that! :)

Yesterday, there were three of us on my floor that did not have to work. We did not start moving until 12:00. This made the day go by very quickly. The three of us decided to follow my boss's directions and try to find the Target by metro. Surprisingly enough- WE NEVER GOT LOST!!! My first successful trip on the metro!! whoo hoo! haha

The main item on my shopping list was a coffee mug. I really needed something to drink out of while commuting to work in the mornings. After I looked all around the store for a simple coffee mug, I finally gave up and asked a lady that worked there. I asked her where the coffee mugs would be located. She told me that they were on the second floor in the kitchen area. I instantly replied, "The second floor?!?" She just looked at me like I was stupid. When I told Angie that, we instantly saw the escalators. But there was one thing that made these escalators extra special..... they had an escalator for your shopping cart!!! We acted like little kids in a candy shop with no spending limit. We kept watching each cart make it's way up and down. It was so amazing how the carts would ride and never tip over.

Later that evening, all of the Tech interns went to Bull Feathers.

The next day is much better because it is the first weekend as an intern in Washington, D.C.

until next time,
madelon

first day of work

At 9 am I walked into my new office for the semester. I felt very important wearing business clothes (the picture is me heading to work for the first time-to the right is the building I work in) and tried to play the part as "a usual." I don't know how hot that was because when I went through security, my belt made the metal detector go off, I tried to explain that is was my belt, and quickly learned that you don't go through more than once- the sensor goes off, you go straight to the metal detector wand. There is no time in the House of Representitives for re-walking.

When I arrived at the office I was greeted with several "Good Mornings" and "Hellos", as well as many happy faces. I knew instantly that I would enjoy this office. Rae-Lynn, the Staff Assistant, is my main helper (I like to call her my life saver) around the office, building, hill, and Washington, D.C. in all! I already owe her a bunch for everything she has done for me. Because of Rae-Lynn, I now know how to get to the nearby Target (the only store I am familiar with).

I spent the day learning daily duties in the office. I learned what bell rings mean (which are a big deal we the congress is in session); I learned how to handle phone calls, make coffee, sort mail, and the places I need to go for errands. Though the tasks I learned were not very hard, it was a lot to cram in my head in one day. It is so exciting to see how the office works!

Once everything starts to become second nature, hopefully I will be a very efficicent intern. To add on the information, I am being trained to give tours around the hill on Monday, and my first real tour is that Friday- can someone say hectic?! haha. But I think I will enjoy giving tours, and showing younger students, future college students, the things that made me want to intern and do what I am doing now.

Tomorrow I am off because our office is on a retreat, so if the snow is not too deep a group of us are going to continue sight-seeing. Smithsonian? I think so!!!

until next time,
madelon

Touring the Town

Today I was a tourist who dressed and tried to act like I knew what I was doing.

Angie and I found out that we are only a floor away from each other at work, and that it only takes six minutes to get there from the Tech House- made my day!

For lunch, I went to a well recommended burger joint called "Good Eats Eatery." I had to pay $10 for a lunch special! I thought to myself, "If I paid ten dollars for a meal, it better be an enormous serving, and I better eat it all." I get the meal and the burger is the size of my fist! To add to that- the meat was incredibly red. I was surprised it wasn't breathing haha. But I was a big girl and ate the whole thing. Angie didn't make it.

While walking we took a few pictures and tried to familiarize ourselves with our surroundings. We also discovered this gym during our walk. We decided to go in and see the monthly prices. As we were filling out our "visitor card," employees kept greeting us. One lady came up, Angie said, "Hi-how are you?" the woman and answered, "I'm peaches." Thinking she was meaning to say "I'm peachy," I continued the conversation by saying, "Oh that's good." But immediately she responded, "and your name is?" HER NAME WAS PEACHEZ! WITH A Z! I was so embarrassed by doing that, and Angie was holding in a loud laugh.

The last great adventure of the day was getting groceries, and house supplies. There is not a close supermarket or grocery store to the Tech House. The closest place we found was a Safeway that was a 32 minute walk. Eight of us decided to go together on the metro, thinking it would be a much safer and faster way of getting there. We took our rolling suitcases and took off. 2 1/2 hours later we made it back to the house with all our groceries in hand. We all decided after the long journey that we are just going to order our groceries online next time together and get them delivered....it would be worth it.

Today is done, and tomorrow I begin work at 9 am. I am excited because two other girls have work at the same time and their building is right beside me. I can't wait to share my first day as a true intern with all of you!

until next time,
madelon