Halfway Done!

Time is flying by as swiftly as ever- I am halfway through the summer! The last couple weeks have been good. Last weekend, all the students in the Barlow Center where I live (about 40 of us) had a service project on Saturday at Mary’s Center, which is a clinic for mostly immigrant, minority women and their children. We cleaned up around the center, weeded, and painted a fence and window siding and such. It was a really fun experience; service is such a great opportunity.

(the pics are kinda random this week- this is from Mt Vernon)

After the service, which took all morning until about 1:30 pm, a few of us went kayaking on the Potomac River. It was so beautiful! It was actually really peaceful to just be sitting in the middle of the Lake and able to appreciate the scenery around- from green forests of trees to National monuments such as the Lincoln and Washington Memorials. It made me value again the chance that I have to live here for a summer. (It was also a pretty good workout for my upper body!) After that, a bunch of us also played volleyball at the George Washington gym, which was super fun. I love sports so much! It always makes me happy to play anything :)

(At the baseball game: with Zach)
The next day, Sunday, I met with the Stake President, President Harrison. He lives in Maryland, so the missionaries who are in charge of the Barlow, the Blanchards, drove me there. It was an incredibly beautiful drive through trees and country, right next to a canal. Driving through the green forests here always reminds me of home and makes me a little homesick! It was really good to meet with President Harrison, and I got my mission papers all turned in, so I should find out this or (most likely) next week where I will be spending the next 18 months! It seems a little crazy to me that it is really coming time to go on a mission, but I am really excited for it, and know it is what I am supposed to be doing.
(DC Temple)
This week I discovered two sets of tennis courts nearby, which made me really mad at myself that I had not found them earlier! So I played tennis three times this week, which was a blast. I also bought a new tennis racquet, so I have one for anyone who will play with me. Does that make me desperate?! No…but maybe a little nutty.

On Thursday, it was “IIE Day” at work as we celebrated IIE’s 90th anniversary. We had a conference type thing most of the day, with a catered lunch, a little poster fair of all the programs we run, speakers who had participated in our programs, and a cocktail reception. The food was really good, which made me happy J It was also pretty interesting what all the speakers had to say, and I learned more about IIE, its history, and the programs we run.

On Friday, our ‘lecture’ was actually an activity at the National Defense University, where we spent 8 hours in an exercise making policies and using strategies. The hypothetical scenario included the Mexican and US governments trying to jointly deal with a drug cartel problem. It was a pretty interesting experience, and the day went by faster than I thought it would. (always a good thing, right?)
(Pics from NY- Andrea and I figuring out where to go, and finding cool architecture!)

Saturday was a two-ward combined activity on the mall. We played a game of Ultimate Frisbee and it was SOO fun!! One of the funnest things I’ve done in a while. It drizzled most of the morning, and at one point it was pouring rain and thunder storming, but it just made it that much more fun! I got to score a lot of touch-downs, which always makes it more fun too : P It felt good to get out and be active outside. Yesterday we also went to the National Gallery of Art and spent a couple hours there, which was good. I saw a wing I had not visited yet, so after probably a total of 5 hours there, I have finished one floor and still have to do the lower level! There is so much here to do that it’s impossible to finish it all.