Easter #2 in DC

Surprise! I'm back.

Many things have occurred over the past month that I have yet again failed to keep you all informed of. My apologies. Here are a few highlights...

*My co-worker and I watched the motorcade travel down our street. We stood apart from the crowds on the corners and waved at Barack like adoring fans at a concert. Unlike my motorcade story from Inauguration weekend, eye contact was made and he even shot us a big grin. After a moment of shock, Elizabeth and I both screamed (adoring fan style) on the steps. This led to the amusement of secret service agents in the vehicles behind Barack's car. We didn't really care! Then we went back inside for a routine day of work in the office down the street from the White House.

*I led my small group a few weeks ago. Only about half of us were there, so it was a little less intimidating. It went well and I continue to enjoy getting together with the girls both on Monday nights and outside of our normal small group meetings. It's good to have a few more good girl friends out here who I know I can lean on if need be. Several of us enjoyed some Cherry Blossom festivities together...mainly the parade and a few live performances on the stage near the Tidal Basin.

*I went to a Cherry Blossom reception on the Hill. Met a few interesting people, including a guy. We hung out several times last week and attended Easter mass at the Basilica together. There were SO many people...I'd say several hundred were standing in the aisles and near the exits. We got extremely lucky and found seats in the second pew from the front, one section over from Newt Gingrich who was proudly sitting front row center. Nathan was a lot more excited about seeing the former Speaker of the House than I was, and he even made me go over and take his picture with Newt. I shook Newt's hand and wished him a Happy Easter, and then we were on our way. Only in DC!

*I made "Easter dinner" for my roommate and I when she got home from Orlando. We decided to go see the movie Hannah Montana after eating. It was definitely a guilty pleasure movie experience, but we laughed about it while there and are still laughing about it whenever we tell our friends that we saw this tween/teen sensation flick. Several of them are secretly jealous they didn't get to come with us. This makes Easter number two for me in DC! Crazy to think that I've been here over a year now, but I continue to enjoy everything this city has to offer. Although I would have loved to spend the holiday with family, my Easter was still a success.

*I met up with a friend from college who's been interning in DC this semester. We went to Union Pub and randomly met two people that attended Iowa State. We exchanged information and are now Facebook friends. Maybe we'll run into each other again, as I am continually reminded exactly how small of a place this city is.

*Yesterday, Elizabeth and I strolled down to Lafayette Park (directly across from the White House & Treasury Building) to check out the DC Tea Party. There were a lot of crazies present, despite the cold and rainy conditions. We couldn't get close enough to hear what was being said over the rain, so we came back to the office and watched the live coverage on CNN. Highlights included a woman referring to the IRS as the Internal Redistribution Service over and over again and a conservative talk radio personality wearing an "America" rain jacket.

*Yesterday was also supposed to be the first day of the new kickball season. The heavy rains prevented us from playing on the Mall, but I did get a chance to meet some of my new teammates last night. They all seem like nice guys, but we'll see where that leads us in the weeks to come. I'll try my best to keep you posted.

xoxo,
~amyjo