Hello dear friends.
A new day. Bright and sunny, fresh and clean. What will it hold? Only God knows.
I do know that each, and every day I am surprised by something. It may be small, it may be big, but nonetheless it happens.
Yesterday, I was talking with a friend, and they said to me, "Just know that you are loved."
Huh. KNOW that you are LOVED. That speaks volumes, doesn't it? I thought so. Even in a friendship sort of way, it was comforting, kind, and lovely.
So, my dear friends, I will say to you what that friend said to me - KNOW that you ARE LoVeD!
Not just by me, but by the King of Kings. He desires to romance each and every one of us...all day, everyday. All we have to do is LET Him.
I was reading "Captivating" on the bus this morning, and in it she said that there is a space in God's heart that only an individual (YOU!) can fill. Did you realize that? Just as much as we need to experience and know to our depths the intimate love of Jesus, He also, needs to know that we desire and want Him.
There's the thought for your day...to strike a chord in your spirit in the middle of the week. Wednesday. enJoy the simple things. Stop. Breathe. Be. Rest in the Lord. Experience Beauty!
Every day that I am alive, I learn more, grow more, and experience more of life. It is a beautiful thing. I am so grateful to be here now. Here in this City, living with two wonderful roommates, in a growing, thriving, life-giving church, and in a job. I mean, I don't love my job by any means, but I am thankful that I have one and that it pays the bills. That is provision for now. And so, I will learn to be content and take one day at a time...moment by moment.
Until we see each other again...
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Middle of January
A new day. A holiday - Martin Luther King Jr. day. Or if you live in Virginia, they celebrate Lee Jackson day. Interesting.
Can you believe we're already into the middle of January? 2011 is in full swing. A brand spanking new year. How is yours going so far? Mine has been full.
Last weekend I celebrated my 24th birthday with friends from here. On Saturday afternoon I went bowling with some friends from church - we had a blast! My top score was 111. Not bad.
In the evening, I went out to eat with my roommates and a friend from Bible Study, we went to Olive Garden and it was delightful. Truly lovely. I am so thankful for friends.
To be honest, I don't quite remember where I was at in my story of life here, so I'm just going to jump into the present. If you have questions or wonder what happened after the previous post, feel free to ask...and I'll fill you in on the scoop.
Well, I'm still working as an admin assistant, and thankfully have stuff to do at work for a nice change. A lot of stuff will be changing here soon; after it occurs, then I'll be able to talk about it. Until then, just know lots of "changes" are in order, which always means that I have to be flexible and breathe. It really doesn't pay to let things get to me, so I try and just let them slide off me like a slimy worm. Some days I succeed, and others I just end up getting frustrated. Ah, well, we all try to be better, right? Each day, brings a new opportunity to be more patient, understanding, and laid back about my workplace and really...life in general.
Last Friday I went ice-skating at the Sculpture Garden in D.C. It was truly lovely. I'd never been ice-skating in the "open air". Quite nice, really. We had a beautiful view of the Archives in front of us and it was surrounded with lights. Ah, how invigorating to skate in the cold, night air under the stars above. Some day I'll purchase a camera charger for my digital one and post some photos...until then, I'm pretty much camera-less.
That's all the inspiration I have to share today. But I will leave you with this thought.
How much differently would you live if you were consciously aware that Jesus is right NEXT to you? Because if you know the Lord, the Holy Spirit lives inside of YOU, which means He's there in every moment, every thought, every action.
Just a thought. And there's something else too - every action you make in this world affects the spiritual realm. Wow. Pretty powerful stuff.
Have a lovely week, all! Until next time...
Can you believe we're already into the middle of January? 2011 is in full swing. A brand spanking new year. How is yours going so far? Mine has been full.
Last weekend I celebrated my 24th birthday with friends from here. On Saturday afternoon I went bowling with some friends from church - we had a blast! My top score was 111. Not bad.
In the evening, I went out to eat with my roommates and a friend from Bible Study, we went to Olive Garden and it was delightful. Truly lovely. I am so thankful for friends.
To be honest, I don't quite remember where I was at in my story of life here, so I'm just going to jump into the present. If you have questions or wonder what happened after the previous post, feel free to ask...and I'll fill you in on the scoop.
Well, I'm still working as an admin assistant, and thankfully have stuff to do at work for a nice change. A lot of stuff will be changing here soon; after it occurs, then I'll be able to talk about it. Until then, just know lots of "changes" are in order, which always means that I have to be flexible and breathe. It really doesn't pay to let things get to me, so I try and just let them slide off me like a slimy worm. Some days I succeed, and others I just end up getting frustrated. Ah, well, we all try to be better, right? Each day, brings a new opportunity to be more patient, understanding, and laid back about my workplace and really...life in general.
Last Friday I went ice-skating at the Sculpture Garden in D.C. It was truly lovely. I'd never been ice-skating in the "open air". Quite nice, really. We had a beautiful view of the Archives in front of us and it was surrounded with lights. Ah, how invigorating to skate in the cold, night air under the stars above. Some day I'll purchase a camera charger for my digital one and post some photos...until then, I'm pretty much camera-less.
That's all the inspiration I have to share today. But I will leave you with this thought.
How much differently would you live if you were consciously aware that Jesus is right NEXT to you? Because if you know the Lord, the Holy Spirit lives inside of YOU, which means He's there in every moment, every thought, every action.
Just a thought. And there's something else too - every action you make in this world affects the spiritual realm. Wow. Pretty powerful stuff.
Have a lovely week, all! Until next time...
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Hello again...
Hi there!
I have neglected writing on my blog for about hm...5-6 months, now? Oh, life has a way of weaving in and out in such a way that I chose not to publish or broadcast on the net. Thus, I completely avoided this blog - and partly on purpose.
Whenever life becomes a bit crazy in my life - you know things happen that I do not expect or do not see the end in site or the purpose of whatever small crisis I might be going through...or living in, I tend to put my arm up with my hand spread wide communicating - please, I need space. Distance. Time to think and be.
And so, in those times and seasons in my life, I hide. Strange, right? Outgoing, friendly, talkative Tina NOT talking? Well, it's true. For about a month and a half after I came back to DC, life was hard. And I didn't call my close girlfriends or write emails or texts or facebook messages. I just dealt with it, prayed, cried, talked to my parents and the people directly in my space...and eventually came out on the other side.
After I found a place to live, a job, and life fell into a rhythm, I failed to update all of you lovely people who read this during my internship...and for that I am a little bit sorry. ;) Hope you can take this post today as my "hope" to be better at keeping and staying in touch. One of my New Year's Resolutions is to publicly post on my blog here at least once a month, if not twice a month (preferrably once every 2 week).
So - time will tell. :) Okay - now that I've cleared up this little abscence, let me update you on life in the City for me. First of all, I LOVE it here! This IS definitly the place that I will be for...hopefully forever. I want to meet the man whom I will partner with for life, have kids with him, raise a godly family, work and live in the DC Metro area. I want to build a life here and set down roots deeply. :) This is the place and space that God has called me to, and I am ever so much at peace living and working here.
Is it everything I dreamed of in the 4 years that I wanted to move here? No...but life never turns out the way that I plan it or dream it up to be! Because life is not perfect. It's good and messy and lovely and painful all at the same time. I don't think I'd have it any other way. However, I have grown a lot since moving here, definitly feel older, and know the heart of my Lord Jesus much deeper and better than I have ever known Him before. Life is overachingly and generally good.
It ends up the job I thought I "had" when I flew back to Kansas for one of my close college girlfriend's wedding, I did not get. It was a position as an Admin Assistant at an international financial banking firm with a branch office located in NW DC. Thus, when I came back to DC and stayed with about, oh 4 different couples/single people from my church I furiously hunted for a job and a place to live. After the 3rd week, I discovered an Admin Assistant (AA) posting on a Christian church's job forum. I applied to it (among tons of other job postings) and received a call from them. That Thursday that the previous AA called, they asked me to come in for an interview the same day. I met with two of the engineers from the civil engineering firm located in Fairfax, VA. The interview went well, and the pay they discussed was lower than I had wanted for a job while living in the District, but it was a job.
About 4 days after my interview and a turbulent weekend, I received a phone call from them offering me the job, and hoping that I could start that week on Friday. I accepted after negotiating some paid commuting benefits, and received my one day of training on that Friday from the previous Admin Assistant. The week between finding out I had a job (Praise God! Yay!), I started calling and setting up appointments with various places in the NOVA (Northern Virginia) area. One of the ladies in my community graciously offered to take me around to the different townhouses and houses to search out these "potential homes" where I would rent and live with other roommates. There was one that stuck out to the both of us located in Annandale, VA. It's a town away from my job - and there are two lovely ladies (both older than I) who both know the Lord that I share the townhouse space.
Whew! There you have it. I'm working as an Admin Assistant in Fairfax at a small civil engineering firm comprised of 5 men. We share an office space with another company - a survey company. I answer the phones for both companies and do a little filing for ASI (Alexandria Surveys International - back office co.) and then do random other projects and copying for the company I am employed by. In total we have 11 people (including me) in the office...both companies combined. Even though, I would rather be working back on Capitol Hill or gaining some insight/experience in a law firm my job is good. For now, I see it as a stepping stone to the desired position, a place to grow, and truly a kind working environment. God knew what I needed. A fairly stress-free workplace where I have a lot of flexibility with time. I do not have to worry about coming into work and having people scream because they are upset at whatever is not going right with business or even with work that I am doing. That is a good thing! There are many more stressful places I could be, but I am not. And for that, I am grateful. Thankful for a supervisor who cares about me, my well-being, and who thinks I am doing a good job at my position. Most of the guys are cordial and professional, so it is good. Coming and going to work has been a process!
When I first started, I discovered that with public transportation (which I use frequently b/c of the absence of a car) it would take me 1.5 hrs going to work and 2 hr coming home. Not to mention switching buses 3 times on the way there and home! I did not realize that when I moved to this place...but see it's only a 20 minute drive, so I figured it wouldn't be too much longer taking buses. Boy, was I ever wrong! That's okay, though. The time commuting is used listening to my ipod, applying makeup (if I woke up a little late), reading books, journaling, talking to God, gazing out the window and watching the sunrise, and occassionally trying to talk to people around me. Trying? Yes. I would say that 85% of the people who ride the buses around this area are either Hispanic, Indian, and Korean. That would mean that only 15% or less speak English. Really? Yes - I thought that most Hispanic people would speak both English & Spanish. Eh, after hearing "No english, only espanole'" ...oh, 5 - 12 times, I kinda gave up trying! I took about 2 years of Spanish back in high school and only remember a few phrases. So, whenever a black or white person boards the bus, I secretly get excited, thinking, "I can TALK to that person!". :) Sometimes I choose not to, but the possibility is there - and that is ever so refreshing!
This post is probably increasingly long by now...so I'll save the rest til next time. Happy 2011, dear friends and thank you for caring enough to pray, call, email, send cards, and just be you! Thank you to all who sent Christmas and birthday cards and/or who took time to have breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, drinks, or just hang out with over the short time I had in Kansas. Now - to all of you who I did not see while visiting over the time I was there from Christmas to New Years - my apologies. It was not intentional...there just was not enough time in the day for me to see more people...truly! Even if we had talked (via the phone) about getting together while I was there...I did not have any free time. For real. So - if you want to "catch up" next time I have a bit of time in Kansas, please let me know in some form (text, call, email, facebook message, etc.) and I will make sure that YOU are one that I DO spend time with (however long or short as time allows) while visiting. Okay? :)
Well - may this be a wonderful year with a bright, fresh, clean start! Dream big. Lives will change. God will show up in our lives in ways we never expected, imagined, anticipated, or dreamed possible. And of course, we'll continue to carry one another in our hearts as we journey through this land.
Until next time...
Tina Lou
I have neglected writing on my blog for about hm...5-6 months, now? Oh, life has a way of weaving in and out in such a way that I chose not to publish or broadcast on the net. Thus, I completely avoided this blog - and partly on purpose.
Whenever life becomes a bit crazy in my life - you know things happen that I do not expect or do not see the end in site or the purpose of whatever small crisis I might be going through...or living in, I tend to put my arm up with my hand spread wide communicating - please, I need space. Distance. Time to think and be.
And so, in those times and seasons in my life, I hide. Strange, right? Outgoing, friendly, talkative Tina NOT talking? Well, it's true. For about a month and a half after I came back to DC, life was hard. And I didn't call my close girlfriends or write emails or texts or facebook messages. I just dealt with it, prayed, cried, talked to my parents and the people directly in my space...and eventually came out on the other side.
After I found a place to live, a job, and life fell into a rhythm, I failed to update all of you lovely people who read this during my internship...and for that I am a little bit sorry. ;) Hope you can take this post today as my "hope" to be better at keeping and staying in touch. One of my New Year's Resolutions is to publicly post on my blog here at least once a month, if not twice a month (preferrably once every 2 week).
So - time will tell. :) Okay - now that I've cleared up this little abscence, let me update you on life in the City for me. First of all, I LOVE it here! This IS definitly the place that I will be for...hopefully forever. I want to meet the man whom I will partner with for life, have kids with him, raise a godly family, work and live in the DC Metro area. I want to build a life here and set down roots deeply. :) This is the place and space that God has called me to, and I am ever so much at peace living and working here.
Is it everything I dreamed of in the 4 years that I wanted to move here? No...but life never turns out the way that I plan it or dream it up to be! Because life is not perfect. It's good and messy and lovely and painful all at the same time. I don't think I'd have it any other way. However, I have grown a lot since moving here, definitly feel older, and know the heart of my Lord Jesus much deeper and better than I have ever known Him before. Life is overachingly and generally good.
It ends up the job I thought I "had" when I flew back to Kansas for one of my close college girlfriend's wedding, I did not get. It was a position as an Admin Assistant at an international financial banking firm with a branch office located in NW DC. Thus, when I came back to DC and stayed with about, oh 4 different couples/single people from my church I furiously hunted for a job and a place to live. After the 3rd week, I discovered an Admin Assistant (AA) posting on a Christian church's job forum. I applied to it (among tons of other job postings) and received a call from them. That Thursday that the previous AA called, they asked me to come in for an interview the same day. I met with two of the engineers from the civil engineering firm located in Fairfax, VA. The interview went well, and the pay they discussed was lower than I had wanted for a job while living in the District, but it was a job.
About 4 days after my interview and a turbulent weekend, I received a phone call from them offering me the job, and hoping that I could start that week on Friday. I accepted after negotiating some paid commuting benefits, and received my one day of training on that Friday from the previous Admin Assistant. The week between finding out I had a job (Praise God! Yay!), I started calling and setting up appointments with various places in the NOVA (Northern Virginia) area. One of the ladies in my community graciously offered to take me around to the different townhouses and houses to search out these "potential homes" where I would rent and live with other roommates. There was one that stuck out to the both of us located in Annandale, VA. It's a town away from my job - and there are two lovely ladies (both older than I) who both know the Lord that I share the townhouse space.
Whew! There you have it. I'm working as an Admin Assistant in Fairfax at a small civil engineering firm comprised of 5 men. We share an office space with another company - a survey company. I answer the phones for both companies and do a little filing for ASI (Alexandria Surveys International - back office co.) and then do random other projects and copying for the company I am employed by. In total we have 11 people (including me) in the office...both companies combined. Even though, I would rather be working back on Capitol Hill or gaining some insight/experience in a law firm my job is good. For now, I see it as a stepping stone to the desired position, a place to grow, and truly a kind working environment. God knew what I needed. A fairly stress-free workplace where I have a lot of flexibility with time. I do not have to worry about coming into work and having people scream because they are upset at whatever is not going right with business or even with work that I am doing. That is a good thing! There are many more stressful places I could be, but I am not. And for that, I am grateful. Thankful for a supervisor who cares about me, my well-being, and who thinks I am doing a good job at my position. Most of the guys are cordial and professional, so it is good. Coming and going to work has been a process!
When I first started, I discovered that with public transportation (which I use frequently b/c of the absence of a car) it would take me 1.5 hrs going to work and 2 hr coming home. Not to mention switching buses 3 times on the way there and home! I did not realize that when I moved to this place...but see it's only a 20 minute drive, so I figured it wouldn't be too much longer taking buses. Boy, was I ever wrong! That's okay, though. The time commuting is used listening to my ipod, applying makeup (if I woke up a little late), reading books, journaling, talking to God, gazing out the window and watching the sunrise, and occassionally trying to talk to people around me. Trying? Yes. I would say that 85% of the people who ride the buses around this area are either Hispanic, Indian, and Korean. That would mean that only 15% or less speak English. Really? Yes - I thought that most Hispanic people would speak both English & Spanish. Eh, after hearing "No english, only espanole'" ...oh, 5 - 12 times, I kinda gave up trying! I took about 2 years of Spanish back in high school and only remember a few phrases. So, whenever a black or white person boards the bus, I secretly get excited, thinking, "I can TALK to that person!". :) Sometimes I choose not to, but the possibility is there - and that is ever so refreshing!
This post is probably increasingly long by now...so I'll save the rest til next time. Happy 2011, dear friends and thank you for caring enough to pray, call, email, send cards, and just be you! Thank you to all who sent Christmas and birthday cards and/or who took time to have breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, drinks, or just hang out with over the short time I had in Kansas. Now - to all of you who I did not see while visiting over the time I was there from Christmas to New Years - my apologies. It was not intentional...there just was not enough time in the day for me to see more people...truly! Even if we had talked (via the phone) about getting together while I was there...I did not have any free time. For real. So - if you want to "catch up" next time I have a bit of time in Kansas, please let me know in some form (text, call, email, facebook message, etc.) and I will make sure that YOU are one that I DO spend time with (however long or short as time allows) while visiting. Okay? :)
Well - may this be a wonderful year with a bright, fresh, clean start! Dream big. Lives will change. God will show up in our lives in ways we never expected, imagined, anticipated, or dreamed possible. And of course, we'll continue to carry one another in our hearts as we journey through this land.
Until next time...
Tina Lou
Friday, August 13, 2010
End of Seasons bring New Adventures
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.
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.
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
Monday, July 12, 2010
New Adventures after week 1 in DC
Hello there!
Well, one full week is gone and passed here in the big city of DC. I'm starting to feel settled in at my cute little apartment with my roomie, Kelsey. She's also interning at the same place I am - we are working for the government. Here's little peak into my place:
This is the living room. You can see his nice TV (the guy we're subletting from), the front windows that let in beautiful light. Do you see the comical mini bar? It's right by the TV at the edge of the living room as it fades into the kitchen area. Yeah, this opera singer has quite the taste.
Here's a view from our front door, the kitchen is on the left.
And the hallway to the bathroom & the master bedroom where my roommate stays.
The bathroom - isn't funny there's a sign on the door "Pipi Room"
Here's my bedroom, it's located right off the hallway, first door on the right. It's a bit small, but nice in the morning with the curtains open. There were all these strange old photos of boy's sports teams on the wall in between the 2 windows, so I took all but one down and put up a few of my things.
A beautiful view of our cute little patio with a plethera of plants to water. We've enJoyed a meal out on the patio, taking in the evening air.
So there you have it! Our cute little place.
Here are a few photos of myself around the city - a few with Kelsey, some of the 4th of July celebration, and some with friends from the church I go to here - we watched the World Cup together, I wore my red dress in support of Spain, who FInAlLy pulled it off in the second overtime!
What else? Well, on my first day it took us 45 minutes to get there with a delay from the metro and leaving our last stop the wrong direction, which equaled more walking. We arrived right on the button and listened to policies & procedures from our Intern Coordinator. She took us around and showed us where some important offices were in the buildings and then took us to the Capitol where the Capitol Visitor's Center has just recently been built. It's amazing! All underground, it's the largest addition to the Capitol - and from outside, you can't even tell - so the aesthetics of the Capitol are just the same as before - stunning. On Wednesday, we went through a whole day of training on the Capitol; there's quite a bit of history to know with all the statues and in the rooms. The VERY next day, myself and another intern gave our first tour to Kansas constituents. It went fairly well, and I'll be eager to give a second tour this week sometime. The rest of the week, we went to various trainings and met a few more staff members. Sadly, our intern coordinator is ill and might be gone for a week or so - but the Press Secretary who is now overseeing us is quite kind and informative. They say it'll become busier this week because Senate is now in session.
Actually, today we went into the Senate gallery and listened for a while. They were discussing the surprising move of Obama in appointing Dr. Berwick as the head of CMS without allowing a congressional hearing. There was no vote, no discussion, no opportunity to ask the head of this organization, who will implement the new health care reform bill questions about his ideas and methods. Just an appointment! The Republicans are outraged, and the democrats seem to halfway support the move of the Administration, but they wanted to in a sense "interview" him too. Later this week, a Senator from Kansas will speak on the Boeing dilemma - whether the Air Force will hire them to make the fuel tankers or outsource to Airbus. I'm looking forward to hearing this debate.
So far, life here has been good. I've spent time getting to know some of the great people at the church I attend - it's called EC Embassy. We visited Old Town (as you can see in a few photos), and saw Despicable Me. Last weekend, we went to the Smithsonian Folklife festival, which was enJoyable and Kels and I saw the National Gallery of Art - one of my favorites. The fourth of July itself was quite fun. It started with awakening at Gina's house (one of the girls at the church) - we had a sleepover and went to church together. Afterwards, a few of us went to Georgetown and ate at a cute little pita place. We took our yummy take out food to the river and sat on the edge, enJoying our meal. It was lovely! Then we had a chance to go to the parade on Constitutional for a while - that was pretty neat. I took some photos on my phone, but I'll have to figure out how to put them on my computer and here! ;) Let's see, one of the guys we were with drove me back and then I got ready for the 4th of July party. Kelsey's mom was here visiting; so all cute in our dresses, we embarked to meet Olivia. We ate a nice meal in Georgetown and then headed to the Law Firm where her dad's lawyer friend invited us for an evening of refreshments and fireworks. It was beautiful! From the 10th floor we could see the White House, Washington Monument - and the mall stacked with people, and then the stunning fireworks at eye level. Since the metros were crammed with people headed back home, we walked back to our place - 1.68 miles. Thankfully, we broke it up with a stop at a hip bar. Overall, it was a great way to celebrate Independence Day in the Nation's Capitol...just kinda strange not to light off any fireworks of my own.
Well, I have a very early morning tomorrow, so I'd better wrap this up! I'm going to see a chiropractor in Fairfax, and the commute is an hour and 15 there and then an hour to work. Thanks for your prayers - God is proving Himself faithful here and I'm definitely learning a lot.
Well, one full week is gone and passed here in the big city of DC. I'm starting to feel settled in at my cute little apartment with my roomie, Kelsey. She's also interning at the same place I am - we are working for the government. Here's little peak into my place:
This is the living room. You can see his nice TV (the guy we're subletting from), the front windows that let in beautiful light. Do you see the comical mini bar? It's right by the TV at the edge of the living room as it fades into the kitchen area. Yeah, this opera singer has quite the taste.
Here's a view from our front door, the kitchen is on the left.
And the hallway to the bathroom & the master bedroom where my roommate stays.
The bathroom - isn't funny there's a sign on the door "Pipi Room"
Here's my bedroom, it's located right off the hallway, first door on the right. It's a bit small, but nice in the morning with the curtains open. There were all these strange old photos of boy's sports teams on the wall in between the 2 windows, so I took all but one down and put up a few of my things.
A beautiful view of our cute little patio with a plethera of plants to water. We've enJoyed a meal out on the patio, taking in the evening air.
So there you have it! Our cute little place.
Here are a few photos of myself around the city - a few with Kelsey, some of the 4th of July celebration, and some with friends from the church I go to here - we watched the World Cup together, I wore my red dress in support of Spain, who FInAlLy pulled it off in the second overtime!
What else? Well, on my first day it took us 45 minutes to get there with a delay from the metro and leaving our last stop the wrong direction, which equaled more walking. We arrived right on the button and listened to policies & procedures from our Intern Coordinator. She took us around and showed us where some important offices were in the buildings and then took us to the Capitol where the Capitol Visitor's Center has just recently been built. It's amazing! All underground, it's the largest addition to the Capitol - and from outside, you can't even tell - so the aesthetics of the Capitol are just the same as before - stunning. On Wednesday, we went through a whole day of training on the Capitol; there's quite a bit of history to know with all the statues and in the rooms. The VERY next day, myself and another intern gave our first tour to Kansas constituents. It went fairly well, and I'll be eager to give a second tour this week sometime. The rest of the week, we went to various trainings and met a few more staff members. Sadly, our intern coordinator is ill and might be gone for a week or so - but the Press Secretary who is now overseeing us is quite kind and informative. They say it'll become busier this week because Senate is now in session.
Actually, today we went into the Senate gallery and listened for a while. They were discussing the surprising move of Obama in appointing Dr. Berwick as the head of CMS without allowing a congressional hearing. There was no vote, no discussion, no opportunity to ask the head of this organization, who will implement the new health care reform bill questions about his ideas and methods. Just an appointment! The Republicans are outraged, and the democrats seem to halfway support the move of the Administration, but they wanted to in a sense "interview" him too. Later this week, a Senator from Kansas will speak on the Boeing dilemma - whether the Air Force will hire them to make the fuel tankers or outsource to Airbus. I'm looking forward to hearing this debate.
So far, life here has been good. I've spent time getting to know some of the great people at the church I attend - it's called EC Embassy. We visited Old Town (as you can see in a few photos), and saw Despicable Me. Last weekend, we went to the Smithsonian Folklife festival, which was enJoyable and Kels and I saw the National Gallery of Art - one of my favorites. The fourth of July itself was quite fun. It started with awakening at Gina's house (one of the girls at the church) - we had a sleepover and went to church together. Afterwards, a few of us went to Georgetown and ate at a cute little pita place. We took our yummy take out food to the river and sat on the edge, enJoying our meal. It was lovely! Then we had a chance to go to the parade on Constitutional for a while - that was pretty neat. I took some photos on my phone, but I'll have to figure out how to put them on my computer and here! ;) Let's see, one of the guys we were with drove me back and then I got ready for the 4th of July party. Kelsey's mom was here visiting; so all cute in our dresses, we embarked to meet Olivia. We ate a nice meal in Georgetown and then headed to the Law Firm where her dad's lawyer friend invited us for an evening of refreshments and fireworks. It was beautiful! From the 10th floor we could see the White House, Washington Monument - and the mall stacked with people, and then the stunning fireworks at eye level. Since the metros were crammed with people headed back home, we walked back to our place - 1.68 miles. Thankfully, we broke it up with a stop at a hip bar. Overall, it was a great way to celebrate Independence Day in the Nation's Capitol...just kinda strange not to light off any fireworks of my own.
Well, I have a very early morning tomorrow, so I'd better wrap this up! I'm going to see a chiropractor in Fairfax, and the commute is an hour and 15 there and then an hour to work. Thanks for your prayers - God is proving Himself faithful here and I'm definitely learning a lot.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
I leave in the morning! D.C. here I come!
Hello there fellow friends and family!
Well, tonight is officially my last night in Kansas. Bizarre.
Tonight I was working out with my parents at the Y here in Topeka and listening to my ipod and it hit me - this IS ACTUALLY happening! I am flying to D.C. and going to live there for FIVE whole weeks! OMG! Wow.
And then, something I didn't expect happened, I freaked out and thought, is it too late to back out? Yes, Tina it is. Seriously? Why did I get scared all the sudden. I do not know...but a few seconds later, I was okay. Breathing hard from the workout and realizing that this will be the adventure of my life and probably a turning point for me too. A good one at that. I'm ready for a change. I'm SURE it will take time for me to fully adjust, it always does, but that's okay. One of my dear friends assured me that this is normal. Good.
I'm all packed up, 2 suitcases, a laptop, a carryon, and my purse. Oh - and I shipped a bunch of boxes at FedEx today and spent more that I thought possible on shipping! Ugh. Oh well, my Pampered Chef stuff, my printer, and some more clothes will all happily arrive at my apartment in D.C. around Wednesday next week. Good enough for me.
I've spoken with my new roommate, Kelsey a few times and am real excited to meet her in person tomorrow at our place. Her mom is going with her tomorrow, they'll be there around noon - so before me, which is just fine. I'm kinda glad her mom is going to be there to help us get all settled in and ready to go. I spoke with another intern, Olivia this afternoon. She sounds lovely! And she invited all of us interns to go with her to some get together at a lawyer's house her dad knows with supposedly the best view of the fireworks display in D.C.! How cool is that?! I'm pretty excited. :D Oh, goodness - lots of good times will be had quite soon.
Yes, I am still extremely nervous - but equally excited. I still have a few last minute things to finish up here at the folks house tonight, but soon...I'll be off to D.C., the land where things happen! Right? :) Things happen everywhere, it just seems like the decisions made on the Hill affect the rest of the population. Pretty amazing if you think about it. Well, I should go and try and get some rest! Love to all, and soon I'll post photos of my new place and life there. enJoy the 4th - be sure to say a prayer for the troops around the world fighting for our freedom. They are pretty amazing and we are blessed to live in a 'free' land.
Signing off,
Tina Lou
Well, tonight is officially my last night in Kansas. Bizarre.
Tonight I was working out with my parents at the Y here in Topeka and listening to my ipod and it hit me - this IS ACTUALLY happening! I am flying to D.C. and going to live there for FIVE whole weeks! OMG! Wow.
And then, something I didn't expect happened, I freaked out and thought, is it too late to back out? Yes, Tina it is. Seriously? Why did I get scared all the sudden. I do not know...but a few seconds later, I was okay. Breathing hard from the workout and realizing that this will be the adventure of my life and probably a turning point for me too. A good one at that. I'm ready for a change. I'm SURE it will take time for me to fully adjust, it always does, but that's okay. One of my dear friends assured me that this is normal. Good.
I'm all packed up, 2 suitcases, a laptop, a carryon, and my purse. Oh - and I shipped a bunch of boxes at FedEx today and spent more that I thought possible on shipping! Ugh. Oh well, my Pampered Chef stuff, my printer, and some more clothes will all happily arrive at my apartment in D.C. around Wednesday next week. Good enough for me.
I've spoken with my new roommate, Kelsey a few times and am real excited to meet her in person tomorrow at our place. Her mom is going with her tomorrow, they'll be there around noon - so before me, which is just fine. I'm kinda glad her mom is going to be there to help us get all settled in and ready to go. I spoke with another intern, Olivia this afternoon. She sounds lovely! And she invited all of us interns to go with her to some get together at a lawyer's house her dad knows with supposedly the best view of the fireworks display in D.C.! How cool is that?! I'm pretty excited. :D Oh, goodness - lots of good times will be had quite soon.
Yes, I am still extremely nervous - but equally excited. I still have a few last minute things to finish up here at the folks house tonight, but soon...I'll be off to D.C., the land where things happen! Right? :) Things happen everywhere, it just seems like the decisions made on the Hill affect the rest of the population. Pretty amazing if you think about it. Well, I should go and try and get some rest! Love to all, and soon I'll post photos of my new place and life there. enJoy the 4th - be sure to say a prayer for the troops around the world fighting for our freedom. They are pretty amazing and we are blessed to live in a 'free' land.
Signing off,
Tina Lou
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)