The start of August has arrived! The weekend before the end of my internship, I took a bus to Philly, where my lovely cousin Monica picked me up. We traveled an hour to Frenchtown, NJ where I enJoyed a wonderfully relaxing weekend with my Aunt & Uncle and cousin Monica. On Saturday, we rafted down the Delaware River with no electronics allowed - just the pleasure of one another's company, the Sun, and a few snacks. It was perfect!
While I was in this quaint small town, which happens to also be the home of Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of that well-known book "Eat, Pray, Love" I visited 'Two Buttons', the author's store. Monica and I found some fun items as we perused all the little shops. Towards the end of my time, I met her beloved boyfriend, Brian. We also fit in some time to skype with my parents. Having a nice skype reunion was real fun!
During the last week of my internship, I answered some fun calls, gave my last Capitol tour (oh, how I will miss the freedom to peruse the artistic halls and visit the gallery whenever I please!), attended a luncheon sponsored by the Heritage Foundation (loved the talk about justice & ending sex-slave trade), wrote up a press release and a few evaluations, and enJoyed our "goodbye intern party".
Those last few days were extremely full. I had two more job interviews - one with a temp legal agency and the other with an international investment-banking firm. The interview with the banking firm went extremely well! The second interview with Hugo, the Head of Global Operations is this coming Monday afternoon.
After taking some tests to assess my skills, I will have a follow-up meeting with Sarah & her colleagues from the legal temp agency to visit about some legal secretary or paralegal opportunities. There is always the chance that I might migrate back t the Hill and work for a Representative or a Senator who will gain their seat in January.
God knows the job, plan, and the exact path that He has for me. These last 3-5 weeks, I have learned to lean back in His identity and trust the Lord for clear direction and to provide all my needs every step of the way. There are many times that the Lord has shown His faithfulness to me and He is definitely opening many doors to pave the way to a stable life in DC. Continue to lift me up for clear guidance & continued rest in the peace of Christ's Sovereignty in my life. This is definitely a journey!
The short week I had in Kansas was jam-packed, but grand. The first weekend in August, one of my best friends from college was wed to James Rew at a beautifully intimate outside wedding in Missouri. Spending time with my close girlfriends from college was life giving, precious, and memorable. We are all growing up and heading to our own corners of the world that God is leading us into for this season. Seeing my parents and spending quality time with Rachel & Elaina was truly magnificent. My niece Elaina has changed from a baby to a little girl, and has much to tell all of us! It was nice to be able to work a few serving shifts at my old restaurant and spend some time with a few girlfriends before I headed back to DC. Goodbyes 'for now' are never easy.
Even though some friends stay and some, like myself leave, the connections & friendships continue to grow. I am thankful to have such a full tapestry of loved ones in my life. To see a few members of my KC in Kansas and enJoy a tasty meal with Dave & Linda as they sent me off was a timely end to a few days back.
It seems like my whole family is in transition! My parents are preparing to move to Hutch, as God provided my Dad with a great job. My sister and her family are finishing up the demolition of their new house in the country & soon will bring contractors in to design their family home. It will be a blessing to be Auntie Tina twice in January, when the Stucky's welcome baby #2 into the world.
If you have made it to the close of this post, I thank you for connecting. Feel free to comment or email. Let us continue to build as ONE in Christ. Love extends to you, my dear reader.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Life in July
Hello, hello!
Well, I know I haven't been great about keeping up writing on her during my internship, but her I am with one week left, sharing life with you.
Where do I even begin? Life here in D.C. has not been what I expected, but life never is. I expected to be busy doing lots of tasks for staff, but we've had a lot of down time. In some respects that has been nice. Each day a bulletin comes out that has committee briefings and hearings in it.
From there, you can decide what you'd like to go hear. Usually, you can plan on waiting in line for 30 minutes to an hour to get into the room, and even then you may not make it because seating is limited.
Going to a Child Nutrition hearing on the house side, which was fascinating. The Intern Lecture Series has been fabulous. We've been able to see the Associate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Former General & Secretary of State Colin Powell, the CEO of the Washington Post - Donald Graham, and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.
Knowing me, you'd probably expect that I would be taking notes at just about everything that I attend. I haven't quite decided what I will do with these notes and discoveries, but at least I have them.
Some of the highlights so far have been hearings, time with the boss, going to a Subcommittee Briefing on Title IV-Eon waivers within the Child Welfare System (taking notes - 12 pages, mind you) & putting it all into a binder for staff.
Enough about work! I have spent a lot of time with amazing people from my community. The first Sunday we hung out after church together, we watched the World Cup - I wore my red cotton dress & cheered for Spain. The next Sunday was gBanga's birthday, so he invited everyone to his house & prepared traditional Nigerian food - it was delicious! And we all took time singing karaoke, while everyone in the room sang along! :) Good times. We've had prayer meetings each Wednesday, which has been a good time to pray & declare truth & fellowship with each other.
As far as sights go, I really haven't seen a lot. Right after I graduated from high school, I went on a 10 day trip to D.C. with a few classmates, led by my AP Government teacher, Rick Reed. At that time, we saw a TON! Pretty much every monument you can think of that was around 5 years ago, we saw - absolutely brilliant. Also, at the time we went to the office where I work now. Thankfully, I have been to one interview and have a few lined up for next week, so that's promising. Hopefully, when God opens some doors in this area, I'll have a start date by this coming Friday. If that IS the case - then I'll come back to DC to work and hopefully "officially move" soon. Time will tell. Thanks for your prayers, support, and following this lengthy blog.. ;)
I know that I struggle with condensing my language, but here you have it! If you made it to the end of this entry, kudoos to you. Much love, dear Kansans and other friends!
Always,
Tina Lou
Well, I know I haven't been great about keeping up writing on her during my internship, but her I am with one week left, sharing life with you.
Where do I even begin? Life here in D.C. has not been what I expected, but life never is. I expected to be busy doing lots of tasks for staff, but we've had a lot of down time. In some respects that has been nice. Each day a bulletin comes out that has committee briefings and hearings in it.
From there, you can decide what you'd like to go hear. Usually, you can plan on waiting in line for 30 minutes to an hour to get into the room, and even then you may not make it because seating is limited.
Going to a Child Nutrition hearing on the house side, which was fascinating. The Intern Lecture Series has been fabulous. We've been able to see the Associate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Former General & Secretary of State Colin Powell, the CEO of the Washington Post - Donald Graham, and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.
Knowing me, you'd probably expect that I would be taking notes at just about everything that I attend. I haven't quite decided what I will do with these notes and discoveries, but at least I have them.
Some of the highlights so far have been hearings, time with the boss, going to a Subcommittee Briefing on Title IV-Eon waivers within the Child Welfare System (taking notes - 12 pages, mind you) & putting it all into a binder for staff.
Enough about work! I have spent a lot of time with amazing people from my community. The first Sunday we hung out after church together, we watched the World Cup - I wore my red cotton dress & cheered for Spain. The next Sunday was gBanga's birthday, so he invited everyone to his house & prepared traditional Nigerian food - it was delicious! And we all took time singing karaoke, while everyone in the room sang along! :) Good times. We've had prayer meetings each Wednesday, which has been a good time to pray & declare truth & fellowship with each other.
As far as sights go, I really haven't seen a lot. Right after I graduated from high school, I went on a 10 day trip to D.C. with a few classmates, led by my AP Government teacher, Rick Reed. At that time, we saw a TON! Pretty much every monument you can think of that was around 5 years ago, we saw - absolutely brilliant. Also, at the time we went to the office where I work now. Thankfully, I have been to one interview and have a few lined up for next week, so that's promising. Hopefully, when God opens some doors in this area, I'll have a start date by this coming Friday. If that IS the case - then I'll come back to DC to work and hopefully "officially move" soon. Time will tell. Thanks for your prayers, support, and following this lengthy blog.. ;)
I know that I struggle with condensing my language, but here you have it! If you made it to the end of this entry, kudoos to you. Much love, dear Kansans and other friends!
Always,
Tina Lou
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