An Aspiring Native, Day 6

There is a man who sits on the end of the first bench in the Anacostia metro station nearly every morning.  I’ve started calling him Chapstick Man, because he has a large suitcase nearly spilling over with chapstick, and he has two shotgun shell belts slung across each shoulder, classic Rambo-style, filled with “rounds” of chapstick.  He’s a regular there at the station, and people frequently buy from him.

It has rained every day in the morning that I’ve gone to my internship but one or two, prompting me to buy a new umbrella – the pocket-edition just doesn’t cut it, and I end up wearing a darker shade of grey by the time I arrive at the Capitol South stop.  I’ve figured out exactly which metro-car I need to get on to be closest to the escalator at each stop, and I’m getting to where I don’t need to pay attention to where I’m walking on my morning commute.  The routine in that is nice.

Now, a week or two after I wrote those first two paragraphs, Virginia has a job at the Family Research Council.  It hasn’t rained a day on us since she’s gotten a job, making the morning commute that much nicer.  We usually part ways at L’Enfant Plaza, and yesterday, I saw a man get tazed as he tried to graffiti a metro car.  Never a dull moment here in DC.

Today, I literally ran into Marco Rubio and John McCain.  There are “superstars” like them all over the buildings I work in, and I am continually star-struck, regardless of my political affiliation.  The job search is still going for me, but I’ve met tons of interesting people – most of them Chiefs of Staff.  Virginia kids with me all the time that she lounges around look at Facebook on the weekends, while I’m emailing some of the most powerful people in the nation.  But she’s currently the one bringing home the bacon, so I consider this to be a moot point.

During my time here, I have resolved even further that – once I “make it” – I am going to do everything I can to help aspiring “little people.”  Both the people who have been extremely helpful to me and the people who haven’t have shown me the importance of investing in the “up-and-coming.”  And I can’t wait until I’m up high enough on the pecking order to do that.  I’ll start as soon as I can.

Things I’ve been thinking about recently:

1)      I’d love to go to a Nats/DC United game.

2)      Wanna shut down Congress? Start an Interns Union and go on strike. #freelabor

3)      I need to play my trumpet more.

4)      I want to work Senate side.

I’ll write again soon.

J

An Aspiring Native, Day 5

At our new church, Virginia and I have starting noticing that several celebrities, or their stunt-doubles, regularly attend.  So far we have found the following: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeremy Renner (scary how exactly he matches), Christopher Hemsworth, Aaron Eckhart, and Rowan Atkinson.  We've only really met one of these people (he confirmed he wasn't actually Hemsworth), so we may or may not be attending church with famous people.  Ya never know.

To date, the strangest question I've been asked in an interview is "how do you deal with dogs?"  I was taken aback, stumbled over my words for a few seconds, and finally responded, "Uh, fine I guess?"  Turns out, the Congressman likes to keep two large dogs in his office.

Despite my fumblings, I ended up getting an internship with Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri (NOT MissouRUH, although this probably estranges me from the constituency).  I've been working nonstop (and for no pay) writing letters to Missourians, doing research on advocacy groups for "The Boss," answering phones, etc.  To my great shock one day, I answered the phone, and I heard on the other line a gentleman say, "Yes, this is General Thomas Stafford."  Again, I was taken aback, and stumbled over my words.  I transferred him to the proper line, and sat back astounded at what just happened.

Oh, and this is where I work.

Since pictures are worth a thousands words, I'm just gonna put a few right here to sum up the past few weeks, and add a few interesting facts for your enjoyment.

Being Congressional staff means one of the best views of the city from a private balcony in the Capitol.

We went to an event after work and got to see the legendary Budweiser Clydesdales!  Hundreds of people showed up and filled the whole block.

The city is redoing all the sidewalks in our area with brick instead of concrete.  This is the area just in front of our gate.  Looks pretty great!

Virginia and I have been asked several times recently what our hobbies are outside of work.  Ashamedly, we haven't been able to come up with much interesting, so we tried our hand at miniature gardening!  Cheaper than dinner and a movie, and WAY more cathartic.  So we have one hobby now.  ;)  We also took up teacup herb gardening too.  Oh, and we started a hanging garden in our room.  So...I guess you could say our new hobby is unique-gardening.

Oh, and Virginia is insane crazy about Cocoa Pebbles.  Like, addiction level.  I have deduced this because she says it isn't her favorite cereal, taking Honey Nut Cheerios as her favorite (ew), and yet she talked about having Cocoa pebbles for breakfast constantly...even the night before.

So...there ya go.  Update from the Creasys in DC.  We're doing great, and we're loving our life.  I'm sure Virginia will be wanting to write to you soon.  :D

-J

An Aspiring Native, Day 4.5

Jonathan asked me to do a guest post on Creasy Capers, since I am capering a Creasy, after all. So here are my impressions of our capitol to date.

DC is unique among large cities because of the strict building height requirements. Instead of the slivers of sky among metal and concrete that is typical of metropolitan areas, DC has a wide open sky, horizons glimmering with aspirations. Often Jonathan and I drive over the 11th St SE bridge at sunset, the Anacostia river a lustrous gold inlaid with battleships and bridges.

Another splendid feature of DC is the plethora of museums and galleries, most of which are free.

The Museum of Natural History is among my favorites so far, especially the gems. The vibrancy of colors and patterns that spring from the dark, lowly mines astounds me. Rocks with natural tree-like etchings, minerals with swirls of grass green, translucent towers of crystal, dazzling yellow formations, mysterious opals. These and more fill my mind to overflowing, flashes of some great unfathomable painting.

Humanity's touch beautifies this city too.

The national mall has street drummers and sax players on sunny days, and the music strokes and pulses above the murmur of voices. Laughter is a flickering solo, foreign intonations the harmony. Closer to our little neighborhood here on Pleasant St SE, the sounds of the city are much different. I hear more helicopters than birds, and the ceaseless pitch of police sirens could be likened to the absent hum of crickets.

There is a dizzying array of lines in the metro escalators that fascinates me. The escalator at our local stop almost seems to pitch forward - the vertical cracks of the walls compete with a dozen other angles; gravity itself seems confused - have I fallen down a rabbit hole?

As a wishful artist, I ache at times to portray the wonders I see here. Yet, instinctively, I know that the visions I see are too intricate to be detailed, too universal to be contained on a canvas.

One last sensation: Jonathan and I have agreed that the metro station is an odd place. The air is a bit dank and stuffy, but there is a constant wind from trains whisking by. I am reminded of a quote from my favorite author, “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” The metro hints at our path to yet unknown adventures.

~VA

An Aspiring Native, Day 4

You wouldn't believe the intersections in DC.  I'm sure many places are worse, but when I think intersection, I generally don't think 14 red lights pointing every angle but straight up and straight down.  Yes, this is, in fact, an intersection Virginia and I encountered trying to find our way around the city.  In just two weeks I have become a pro at crossing six lanes of traffic in 150 feet to exit on the opposite side of the highway, and of parallel parking my massive Dodge Charger into places I would have otherwise thought impossible just 16 days ago.  Dad would be proud of that.  In fact, the stress of driving and of shopping in ridiculous grocery stores downtown have made something as simple as shopping in Walmart intensely relaxing.

Oh, what do you do to relax?

Oh, we shop at Walmart.

...

One thing I have unfairly neglected to tell you about thus far is our wonderful new church, Capitol Hill Baptist Church.  At the recommendation of my former pastor, Chris, I did some research on it before moving, and have started attending since we moved.  After our first Sunday there, Virginia and I have been nearly every time the doors have been open.  We *love* it.  Solid teaching, both Sunday morning and night and Wednesday, like-minded couples (we went out to lunch last Sunday and are planning to go out again tomorrow with couples there), and just an all around warm and welcoming atmosphere have led us to attend the membership classes, with a hope of joining.  We have yet to find work, but reader, we have found a church.  And to us that is just as, if not more, important.  I haven't felt so alive and so happy to be a Christian in many years.

Today, we spent our day finishing up the membership classes at CHBC, and then met our new friends Carla and Jason at Pi (literally, π) Pizzeria - which is our new favorite pizza joint - and then toured Ford's Theatre (saw the actual gun that killed Lincoln), finishing with a stack of 15,000 books all about Lincoln himself:

From there, we headed over to the National Art Gallery, where just inside we got to see the Navy Chorus perform a few songs.  I really wished that my sister Jessica could have seen them - they were immaculate.  To get from one section of the museum from another, you have to go through an underground tunnel, that is really difficult to describe, so I'll just show you another picture:

The lights move in patterns all along the ceiling and down to the left, and we could still hear the haunting lyrics of a song called "Prayer" being sung by the Navy Chorus above as we went through.  It was beautiful and eerie.

Still underground, there is a massive book/art/merch store for the Art Gallery, and there is a coffee shop/food court that, again, I wished my sisters could have seen, as I know they would have enjoyed themselves.  There, we swapped stories with our new friends on how the other met their spouse, got married, etc.  It was so relaxing to have a good and natural conversation with another couple.

I have decided, upon a very brief tour of the Gallery, that it is my favorite museum to date.  The atmosphere is incredible - it is as if I could nearly hear physical manifestations of all my dreams and aspirations as an artist floating about me in the rotundas and corridors that were filled with art.  I fully intend to return soon with a pen, some paper, and perhaps some classical music, and just see where my inspiration takes me.

The weather this entire week has been beautiful.  Virginia and I have been wearing shorts and tshirts, taking walks, enjoying a few of the early cherry blossoms, and making plans to go see outdoor attractions when we can.  Today, however, we awoke to cold temperatures, and discovered that snow is coming - as soon as tomorrow.  Some people are speculating this could have a negative effect on the coming cherry blossoms, but that remains to be seen.

Well, this is where I will leave you.  I had an interview for a position with a congressman last Thursday, but have yet to hear anything.  We have both been applying to many, many jobs, and Virginia has an interview on Monday.  Please be praying that we would get something soon.  I think, despite our many adventures, we are both beginning to get a little stir-crazy.

Here's to hoping your bracket is doing a lot better than mine, and that this post finds you with a smile on your face with the promise of warmer weather soon.

Yours,

J

Something that is completely new to me this week: An ad promoting a tattoo convention April 15th in Baltimore.  No further details were provided.

"Nmmjhm/ ..,.VHN.TYDRM,KERMEKUJMEDMN MN"

Alley would like to inform you that running laps around the room dragging one of Virginia's shoes is his new favorite activity, and that he is considering taking up fashion as a hobby.  I cannot confirm nor deny my endorsement of these activities.

An Aspiring Native, Day 3

If you know anything about the DC area, you would know that the area in which we live, Anacostia, doesn't have the greatest history.  Racial tension, crime, and what have you have been problems, but, in the last 10 years, things have been looking up.  We hadn't had any evidence of these friendlier improvements until recently.

Thursday evening, as Virginia and I were struggling to get the massive amounts of broken down cardboard from our living room to the curbside, up walked a smiling gentleman in a grey suit.  Earl, our neighbor of the brick house on the corner (in my opinion the prettiest house on Pleasant Street), is from Trinidad.  I love his accent, and he loves our house - calling it the Governor's house because of the larger white pillars on our front porch.  Earl has lived in Anacostia for at least 12 years, so he has seen the bad days, and assures us that we picked a lovely street to live on.  He invited us to a big party in June that has apparently gained much acclaim in the area and abroad (he told us he has been invited to a big Caribbean cruise where he will cater food and provide the music).  In June, on a particular night, Earl hosts a party just for native Anacostians where he has steel drum music, everyone wears white, and he provides lots of Caribbean-style food.  I'm pretty excited, as it will be my first "block party" I've ever been to.

When I was in Boy Scouts, one of the many roles I had was to be the troop (and really anyone else's) bugler.  There was a merit badge for bugling where you had to memorize 40 tunes and play them for a Scout Master, and, to my surprise, as sun set on Friday, I heard Retreat being played on a trumpet.  Retreat is the song that is played any time a flag is being lowered - and with the beautiful sunset out our window, the song stirred up feelings of nostalgia and patriotism I haven't felt in quite some time.

On Saturday we continued to check off places from our To See in DC bucket list, with a tour of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.  We brought a packed lunch with us so we could complete our tour of the Museum of Natural History (as we were rushed last week with my family), but I couldn't remember if we were allowed to bring food inside.  We successfully hid our lunch behind a construction barrier near one of the entrances - it was still there when we came back - but we found out shortly after entering the museum that you can indeed keep packed lunches with you, as long as they are securely packed.  Still, we felt pretty cool that no one found our stash.

A hilarious thing I almost forgot to mention: while we were in the Gem and Mineral section of the Natural History Museum, were heard a kid in front of us scream "DAD I FOUND LAPIS."  Apparently he thought the blue gemstone to our left was lapis lazuli - an item found in the gam Minecraft.

Well that's all I have for you so far.  I went to visit Congressman Duncan today for advice for my job hunt, as we have a history together (he came to my Eagle Ceremony, and I've interviewed him before for school) - the meeting was uneventful, but I wasn't super surprised.  I went mostly just to pay my respects now that I'm a "DC native."  I have an interview with a Congressman for a temporary job this Thursday though.  I'll keep you posted.

Until next time!

-J

"Cvgfnsxgbn" - Levi says he's been looking for Alley for his installment of the blog post, but can't find him.  He suspects the puppy/kitty is eluding his chase yet again.

Inspiring quote from a friend: "If ever you look up at the Capitol building lit up at night, and you aren't reminded why you moved to DC, filled with an overwhelming sense of patriotism, and encouraged in your mission, maybe you've stayed here too long."

Despite taking an hour to cover about 17 minutes of driving, our goodwill trip paid off.  I think DC looks pretty good on us.

An Aspiring Native, Day 2

As most of you know if you've read any of this blog, I am a sucker for anything Germany/Austrian.  In fact, I keep an eye out for anything that would remind me of my time there a few summers ago, and as I was compiling my Things to See in DC list, I came across the Biergarten Haus on H Street.  Elated, I decided to pay it a visit that very night, as Virginia and I had done little but unpack and attempt to organize since I wrote you last.  As it turns out, the inside of the building (and the garden in the back) looked just like the Hofbrauhaus Hawkins and I visited in Munich.  While fare there is a bit pricey, I would highly recommend it to anyone fond of German food/drink/culture.  Everything is imported - thus the price.  We also decided we would love to live in that area one day, as the houses all look something like this:

Both Virginia and I have been job hunting the last few days (she has a virtual job, but is virtually exhausted of not seeing people on a daily basis, and that's a downright shame in DC), and one job she stumbled across searching for museum jobs was "cheetah care."  Yes, as it turns out, the Smithsonian is currently looking for someone to handle their cheetah preservation, and, based on the exhibit we visited today, Virginia would only occasionally be targeted for food, based on her height, weight, etc.  Who knew?  (For those of wondering, she was going to begin the application process, if only just to say she's applied for a job so...unique...but as it turns out you have to have worked a particular federal paygrade previously to be considered.  Go figure.) 

That job opening inspired us to take a trip down to the Smithsonian Zoo, as it is free, and we had to move our car off the street in front of our house for the weekly street cleaning (which, as it turns out, didn't happen.  Apparently it's a hit-or-miss type thing with a $200 penalty if you get caught with your car on the street during cleaning time, which is every Wednesday from 9:30-11:30).  We got to see almost every section of the zoo minus the Amazon section and the petting zoo (which was mostly goats...suffice it to say neither Virginia nor I have any desire to pet a goat any time soon), which included giant pandas, giant tortoises, lions, tigers, and (sloth) bears, oh my!, zebras, all kinds of reptiles, monkeys, gorillas, lemurs, *gasp for air* and really every other kind of creature you can think of.  It's a great zoo, and I can't wait to visit again.  I've included some pictures at the end of the post so you can see a few of the highlights.

Life in DC is going pretty well so far.  Job hunting is exhausting, and all I have to speak for up to this point is one job rejection - which I applied for over a month ago when I was still in TN.  Virginia had her first metro experience today, which we loved, but we are still getting used to the walk from our house to the Anacostia station.  Lots of loiters, which we aren't used to.
Any and all prayers would be welcome, as we are doing our best to fit in, be productive, and pursue what is we were meant to.  I really like the sound of that.

I'll write again soon!  I hope you are well.

J

Interesting people in the metro:

1) Catholic cowboy, sighted in the Gallery Place Metro.  Wearing 10 gallon, black cowboy hat, and a matching black priest's collar.
2) Girl with two large buns in her hair with roses peeking out of the tops.
3) Random teen guy who got the number of another random teen girl within 5 minutes flat.  Props, bro.  Hawkins would be proud.

P.S. nbbgv jjhn - Alley says he is attempting to get a tan at the window, but is seeing no progress.  Updates to follow.

Being a panda is rough work.

Caught this vulture pre flight.

Virginia's cheetah.

Green tree snake.

One of my favorite poison frogs.

VA and the Cassowary.

I'm a big fan of flamingos.

An Aspiring Native, Day 1

Well, I am writing to you from our new house in Anacostia, Washington DC.  What a ride it has been getting here.  We got up around 6am on Friday morning and hit the road with our car, the family van, and a Budget moving truck crammed full of our belongings.  The drive was a crazy one - the temperature when we left was around 32 degrees, a few hours later it had risen to around 52, and by the time we arrived it was back down around freezing again.  It took us nearly 12 hours of driving to get here (my dad is a truck driving master though, so nothing was damaged and everyone arrived safely), and once we arrived it took us several more hours to get everything piled in the house.

We spent our Saturday sightseeing with the family, as Jennifer has never been to DC, and Mom hasn't been for quite some time (Dad and the kids having come for youth summer camp).  Our first stop was the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, being one of my favorites.  Due to lack of time we did a quick tour, but Virginia and I have plans to go back soon and take our time with it.  It's still mind-boggling to me that we live so close and can get in for free whenever we want!

From there we started the long trek to the Washington Monument, and then continued even further down to the Lincoln Memorial (I most enjoy the view from the steps).  Completing our giant circuit, we headed back to the van and made a food-stop at District Taco (our housemates Jacob and Alyssa took us there on our last visit and we loved it...think a better version of Chipotle with more food than you can handle), and then a quick stop by the Peregrine Espresso shop.  Upon a little further research (and the Google query "best coffee shops in DC"), I found out that we had stumbled upon one of the best shops the city has to offer: and it's locally owned!

Sunday saw everyone minus me, Virginia, and Jacob (my brother, not to be confused with my new roommate) heading to Capitol Hill Baptist Church.  Virginia was sick that day, but it is the church we intend to attend regularly starting this week.  I'll be sure to update you once we visit.  We said our goodbyes later that afternoon in the parking lot of a Walmart (the parents had to pick Jacob back up, as he had spend both nights with us in our new house.  As a side note, Costco was a mad house when we went...there were more people crammed in the aisles than I thought humanly possible, and the check out line went well over halfway through the store.  Talk about an adventure...), and my family headed back to dear old Tennessee, leaving Virginia and I to open a new chapter of our life.  It wasn't easy to say goodbye to my family (even though they may think otherwise sometimes), because they have been my closest friends since I graduated last May.  And now here we are, in our nation's capitol, hoping to change our little slice of the world in some way or another, not knowing anyone or having any friends waiting to meet us.  It's quite a change!

Yes, we are terrified.  But a new friend of mine told me that if you aren't terrified to begin with, you aren't doing it right.  So...let's just assume we're doing it right.

Currently I am emailing connections for possible job openings, looking online for job openings, writing to you, and compiling a list of places that we would like to see.  Our goal is to use the weekends to explore as much as possible - museums, restaurants, coffeeshops, pubs, whatever.  Speaking of which, if you have any suggestions for places let me know; I would be super interested.

So here I am, an Aspiring Native of Washington DC.  Any tips, hints, or suggestions are welcome.  I'll write to you again soon!

-J

Brand new things this week:
1) A police helicopter shining a search light in your bedroom window.
2) Moving to a new state.
3) Grocery lines half the length of the store.

P.S. lcllcvklixcjvpf;cx - Alley says he misses you.

We Are Moving to DC!

Yes, you read right, Virginia and I are moving to Anacostia, DC.  WHAT?! you say.  So soon?  Let me e'splain.


For quite some time now I have wanted to pursue a career in policy research.  Through many God-sent connections we didn't even know we had, we got lots of solid advice for pursuing a career in Washington, and Virginia and I decided to pursue moving as soon as we found a house.  On Saturday the 6th of this month, we trekked up there to scope out a house, and to meet our new housemates, Jacob and Alyssa (housing is so expensive there that it's most practical to share those expenses if at all possible!).  The trip up was about a 7.5 hour drive, but it's an easy one - straight through the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.  The house we picked was built in 1905, is extremely quaint and recently renovated, and is only 3 blocks from a metro-station (and you can see the Capitol Building from our road!).  Once I get up there I'll have a meeting with a Congressman and a gentleman who worked for the FBI during the Clinton and Bush administrations, as well as with a few of our newly met friends who have been giving us advice.  Virginia will be continuing to work a virtual job as a marketing director for a real estate company, which will help us a ton during the moving process.


As I think about where my/our life has gone over the past little while, I am overwhelmed.  The love we have been shown by friends and family has been dearly needed, and the doors that have both opened and closed have led us to a place where we are fairly confident we are doing what we are meant to do.  And that is a very, very good feeling.  All my life I have wanted to write (and I just recently published my first book!) and since highschool I have wanted to influence the political world in any way I can.  And I am finally getting the chance.  Virginia has always had a passion for nonprofit work (her parents guided her and helped grow her in that direction when she was young), and she has a heart for the developing young professional.  What better place to cultivate these loves than in our nation's capitol!

Of course, we are both extremely excited to be around such rich history and art - I am sure you will see many pictures and blog posts from both of us over the next few months in this regard.  I fully intent to update you on our life and travels here, as well as keep you updated on my inspiration from time-to-time on my Scarlequain blog.

If you would, please pray for us.  The closest family we will have once we move will be some cousins of Virginia's, but they will be at least 3 hours away, and we don't really have any solid friends there yet.  Be we are eagerly anticipating making many new friends once we arrive!  Further, pray that the Lord will continue to guide and protect us, particularly with me solidifying the first new steps of my career.  Pray that the people we leave behind here in TN will trust that we are doing the right thing, and that God knows what is best for us.

Thank you so much for your involvement in our life, if only through the reading of this blog.  To all my wonderful friends in Tennessee - you always have my heart.  I will always bleed orange, and I will always be a connection and friend to you in the ways I have been in the past.  Virginia and I love each and every one of you, and we will continue to pray that the Lord directs you like He has directed us.

Keep an eye on this blog!  I'll write again once we are moved in.

All the best,

Jonathan

DC Day 3

Today, I am writing you from the lobby of the hotel I'm staying in right outside the metro station in Arlington, Virginia.  Much to my chagrin, I have a cup of Starbucks coffee sitting next to my computer because, as I found out when I checked in, you have to pay for the wifi in your room.  I found this a little absurd, as even mediocre hotels have wifi, and I figured if I had to condescend to using a public place to do my writing for today, I was going to use somewhere other than the hotel lobby.  I bought my coffee, sat myself in the corner of the small building, and pulled out my laptop, wondering how I would begin today's post, and what I saw astounded me.  The Arlington Starbucks near my hotel didn't have wifi.  WHAT?!

Slightly ticked, I made the short walk back to the faux leather adorned lobby, grumpily pulled out my laptop, and started writing.  Things could be a lot worse, to be sure.  I finally got the chance to talk to my parents and tell them about all the amazing things I've learned this weekend, and I'm watching Costa Rica give Uruguay a shellacking they'll never forget.  And hey, I'm in DC.  Life is pretty good at the moment.

I'm saddened that my weekend in DC is almost over.  I'm flying home tomorrow on Father's Day (my flight should arrive back in Knoxville around 9:34...so my precise ticket says), but I learned SO MUCH between yesterday and today.  I tweeted a lot during the conference, and several of my tweets we favorited and retweeted by astute analysts and politicians, and Tyler, one of the young men in charge of the event, complimented me on a few like the following:

"@MQ_McShane: solid ed reform views and amazing hair. #vc2014 @ValuesAndCap"

Or this one:

"Integrating solid economics and hilarious comedy. @MichaelRStrain ladies and gentlemen. @ValuesAndCap #vc2014"

(My Twitter handle is @Scarlet_Snow, by the way.)

After saying goodbye to my new and good friends, I hopped on the metro (which runs a lot slower on Saturdays), and arrived here at my hotel around 2ish.  I'm planning to go to Carlyle Grand Cafe tonight (if it isn't too far of a walk...the Library of Congress closed early today, to my disappointment, so I'm staying in Arlington), and since I won't have any interwebs on my laptop in my room, I figured I'd go ahead and post this now.  If I have any fabulous adventures tonight, I'll write you tomorrow or just update on my phone or something.

Hoping for a smooth evening and an even smoother flight home tomorrow!

DC Day 2

This morning I wasn't up quite so early I as was the previous day, but what with the AC breaking in our hotel room last night (my luck...the same thing happened in CO Springs), and with the War Horse (that's what we've nicknamed my roommate...a friend and freshman from Bryan) snoring, sleep was off and on last night.  But that was totally okay, because today was a fire-hose of wonderful information.

Here at the Values and Capitalism Conference at AEI, I've already made so many new friends, and appreciated plenty of new theological insights surrounding my faith and politics, my future career, finding a church in DC, etc.  A theme that came up twice today (neither speaker meant for this to happen, so we're saying it's a God-thing), and that was quoting The Chariots of Fire when Eric L. said "When I run, I feel God's pleasure."  Both Hart and Hendricks (two speakers for the day) said, "You need to ask yourself what is that you can say 'when I ______, I feel God's pleasure.'  And you might need to branch out of your comfort zone.  You might need to move somewhere completely new.  You might have to work long hours.  But you'll be feeling God's pleasure."

There were so many new connections and suggestions for jobs and internships and new perspectives on life and work that I had never considered.  I have told several people that just today, I have found out more about myself and more about the field in which I am interested than I have in the last three years.  It's been overwhelming to say the least, and sessions went from 8am this morning all the way to 7ish tonight.  But I loved every second.

I wish I had time to tell you all the amazing and revolutionary ideas I was exposed to today.  There was so much.  I am confident that this conference was a direct God-send for me.  I really needed to hear everything that the people at AEI have graciously taken their time to tell me.

Tonight after the sessions, I set off with a group of 9 people (only 3 of whom I really knew...but we're all so like-minded that I felt like I've already known all of them for a while), and walked from the AEI building all the way to the Mall, to see the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the WWII Memorial, the Korean Memorial, and the Washington Monument.  They were all so...awe-inspiring to me.  I can't believe how much history and culture so many people live around here in DC.  I wish I were here to soak it all in.

In the morning I hit AEI again nice and strong at 8am, and finish at 1.  I'll do some sight-seeing after checking in to my new hotel, and maybe find a good restaurant with one of my new friends.  I'm sure you'll hear from me sometime tomorrow evening!

Hopefully; expectantly,

-J

DC Day 1

This morning saw me awake before the sun, nervously donning my "business casual" shirt, tie, and slacks, grabbing my rolling carry-on and briefcase, and heading to the Knoxville airport for the first flight of my life.  Mom drove me to the airport where Dad had just gotten off the mid, and they saw me through security, and watched from the window as my plane took off.  And now here I am, thousands of feet in the air, listening to Pink Martini tango music, and watching God's beautiful creation sail lazily by below me.  This sight certainly goes on the top the top ten most beautiful things I've seen.

I think it's safe to say that I'm already hooked on flying.  I feel as if I grew up all at once this morning.  I have scheduled interviews with Russian Foreign Specialists and Congressmen, I have planned my metro routes, and I have reservations at hotels.  Life moves quickly sometimes, and today I feel as if it's moving faster than ever before.

Conveniently, I am required to wrote journal entries about this weekend for school, so my little habit of blogging my travels is going to come in handy.  I don't have my hilarious siblings along for the ride this time, but I have a feeling that this Creasy's capers are still going to be interesting.  It isn't every day you sit across the aisle from a man who drinks iced tomato juice.

Being back in DC in my business casual, I am no longer viewed as a young tourist.  The tie and the brief case give me a rite of passage almost; a several tourists even stopped and asked me for directions.  I love traveling metro, and ready feel right at home.  Next stop: Capitol South, and Congressman Duncan!

Finding the Congressman's office from the metro station wasn't difficult, and upon approaching his door and seeing my state's flag outside, I felt a huge sense of pride that I'm from Tennessee.

The interview with Congressman Duncan went spectacular (I may add some notes from the meeting later), and I found my way to the Holiday Inn in which I am staying two nights (before going to another hotel Saturday night).  The lady at the front desk spoke with a heavy Jamaican accent, and hearing myself referred to as "Mista Creesy" was slightly odd.

Wouldn't you know it, my phone has picked this weekend to completely freak out.  The battery is dying within an hour, the screen freezes up and won't let me use it, and Google maps is practically nonexistent.  First world pains, right?  But when you've stored most of your necessary info on your phone (addresses, phone numbers, schedules), it's kinda annoying.  Thank the good Lord for paper.

After a quick interview with the research assistant of a Russian Specialist (I got a crash course on how to get any job in the Russian field, and felt like I was flowing a debate round again, she spoke so quickly), I moseyed down the road to find a place to eat (not having eaten anything all day...and it's getting on 2pm).  I settled on a little mom & pop place called the Sunrise Cafe - owned by a super-friendly little Mexican woman who spoke 900 mph, and had my food out in 6.3 minutes.  The steak and cheese sandwich was fantastic.  I even got it with grilled onions just for my Dad.  I'm sure he'd be proud.

Just across the road is a small coffee shop named Peet's Coffee and Tea.  Apparently established in Berkeley, CA in 1966 (so it says on my cup), the mochas are good, and the environment crowded enough to be private.  My phone is plugged up next to me, and I'm working on researching the "Boren Scholarship" that I found out about in my interview.  The lady I spoke with sounded fairly confident that I was looking for internships/jobs at the right time, as the market is aching for Russian specialists.

I'm really enjoying myself thus far.  I'm sure I could work here and love it, but I'd have to have a quieter home not right smack-dab in the middle of the city.  The noise is the only things that gets to me after a while.  Noise is everywhere.

Today I had 3 Cokes, a mocha, and one black coffee.  Talk about caffeine overload.  But you know what I did with my 1.5 hr break between interviews and registration?  I came back to the hotel and slept.  I don't even know how that's possible.

The conference itself has been amazing thus far.  Our keynote speaker was Robert Doar, who I at first thought was a liberal speaking at a conservative conferences (AEI is a Christian, conservative think-tank, for those of you who don't know) as he was in favor or work-supported welfare, but he confused me when he was extremely conservative on minimum wage issues.  I plan to discuss this more in a paper I have to write for the Federal Seminar class this conference is counting as, so I won't bore you with details.

The intellectualism in the conference room itself is palpable.  I feel as if I'm in a room with world-shakers, and I love it.  I never thought I would seriously consider trying to work for a time in a think-tank, but AEI is tempting me.

I'm looking forward to one thing right now: sleep.  It's only 9:34, but I am *wiped out,* and devotionals start at 8am in the morning.  Nonetheless, I can't wait to hear more speakers.  Free market economics, capitalism, and entrepreneurship, here we come!

P.S. As my time to write this blog is rather limited, I won't be putting up a lot of pictures here.  If your'e interested, my Instagram is @Scarlet_Snow.

Also, for any of you who are familiar with my other blog (scarlequain.blogspot.com), I wrote this poem in the plane somewhere above Virginia, as well as I can figure.

Until tomorrow! 

Sea of faces,

Cliffs of spaces,
A kingdom of air,
God's personal stair:
Above the Clouds.