1 Way Tickets

me w/ my luggage at BWI

In a way, 1 way tickets say a lot about a person. You can come to one of three conclusions about a person who has a 1 way ticket.
1. He/She isn't very organized and doesn't know when their trip should end.
2. He/She is passionate about the trip and doesn't want to create a deadline for their holiday.
3. They're moving.

Well my 1 way ticket is a combination of all three. I'm passionate about my move to Washington DC, and don't want to slam a deadline on my move there, and I'm not quite sure when my internship ends.
So, here I am, sitting on the couch of my new home for the next 4 months, with no return ticket. I don't mind at all! My roomies are awesome, the house is nice, and our apartment is EXTRA sunny with a view of Stanton Park, and I have an awesome internship starting soon!
My cooking skills are going to improve immensely over this semester. Already, I'm trying out new recipes, making my own up, and getting comfortable with grocery shopping on my own :) I have a pot of hot chocolate on the stove right now!

The flight coming up to DC was great: not too long, not too short, quiet, fairly smooth, and I was able to read the entire time! (huzzah to Alice in Wonderland) We got into Baltimore around 3:30, and got to our hotel around 5, just in time to freshen up and go eat! There was this AWESOME restaurant down the street from our hotel called Georgia Brown's, which specialized in Southern Cuisine. Oh wow I'd never stuffed myself like that in my life! Fried Green Tomatoes, Carolina Gumbo, Virginia Peanut Chicken, MmmmMM!!! :)
I think that Union Station is going to be one of my favorite places EVER! :) The building is BEAUTIFUL, with lots of stores and restaurants inside. There's an AMTRAK station so that I can visit my family and friends near by, and it's only a 5 minute walk from my house! w00t!

a view of the Capitol

pics of my apartment

the view of Stanton Park

my mode of transportation for the next few months

So that's what's up in a nutshell! :)

Back to the Grind!

Speaking of grind...I need to remind myself to get more coffee beans. haha :)

Well, Winter Break has been officially over for Coe, BUT not for me! HA! In two weeks, I am going to be flying out to Washington, DC for the semester to participate in the DC Term. The DC Term is a study abroad program that Coe participates in. However, instead of taking multiple classes, you have an internship at the place of your choice (providing you're accepted). In the past, there have been students interning at State Representative offices, Embassies, etc.
My internship is at the National Archives facility in College Park, MD, where I'll get to archive documents & research materials for the research room. Wait, there are TWO National Archive buildings, you ask? Well, yes! The facility in downtown DC is their most well known one, however the facility further north, in College Park is where most of the offices and stacks (storage areas for books/documents/ etc) are. :D

So, AWAY with homework and classes, dorm rooms and cars! Washington DC is where MY brain and I are!! :)

No Ruby Slippers

There is NO place like home!

No, I'm not Dorothy and no, I'm not in Kansas, but I HAVE been home (as evidenced by my previous post...before Christmas...oops)

Break has been great! I haven't had a whole lot to do aside from playing taxi to my little sisters. My roomie, Joan came to spend Christmas with my family :) That was a WHOLE lot of fun, and for a first time Uno player, she was RUTHLESS! haha :D

My family always plays Uno Christmas Eve. This year we spent the night at my grandma's.
Joan was TOTALLY winning almost everytime. haha!

Me, Phoebe, Lydia, & Joan at my grandma's on Christmas morning.

(notice we have boots instead of stockings...we forgot our stockings at our house. haha)

Me & Joan :)

My grandma has this ridiculous number of birds around her house.

Oh yeah...don't forget the squirrels. They LOVE the "Squirrel Proof" birdfeeder... HAHAHA 

The bird's perch is set with a counterweight that shuts the feeder if something too heavy sits on it...So the squirrels figured out how to eat the seed without the perch. haha greedy squirrels :)

fat bird :)

I love this picture :)

beautiful cardinal!

more fat birds :) haha

Home, sweet, Snowless, Home

Well I don't know how I feel about the "snowless" part, but it IS good to be home!

I'm currently watching "The Sing Off"  finale, which is AMAZING by the way! The Sing Off is NBC network's a cappella singing competition. . . AWESOME!!!! Finally, America can see what REAL singers sound like :) w00t!!

So, even though Kanas City is snowless...it's still Christmas, which summons numerous practices and rehearsals at church for the Cantata! This year, my sister was Mary, and my parents were Simeon and Sarah, the Innkeeper and the Innkeeper's wife of the inn and stable Mary and Joseph stayed at the night Jesus was born. It was an amazing play, called "One Bethlehem Night." I was the lights and "keyboard button presser" haha (yes, that was my real title. lol)
I wasn't able to get pics of the actual show since I was behind stage, but I took a pic of the cast afterwards, in all of their robed glory! haha

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink

why is there nothing to drink? Because all of the water is SNOW!!!! Coe now has about 16 inches of snow!!! The beautiful, sparkling, diamond-like snow has covered EVERYTHING!!
Unfortunately, said snow is not the ideal snowball packing snow...but here at Coe College, we make due. Why get your hands cold and wet by making a snowball when you could just throw your friend/victim INTO the snow? They get covered, and while they're trying to stand up, you make your get-away into the nearest building...or behind the nearest friend. haha :D

I haven't yet made it outside with my camera, but soon I will have pictures of this Winter Wonderland!

A Picture is worth...well, a lot

All right! I promised pics as soon as they'd let me upload, so here they are!!

The American Century: A Joke in One Act takes place in 1945.

Director: Melissa TouVelle

Stage Manager: Ashley Garst

Stranger: Tyler Heisel

Man: Joe Sorensen

Woman: Emily Crouch

Tom's (The Man) homecoming after 4 years of being away at war.

Tom and Margaret trying to figure out what to do with the Stranger that showed up in the kitchen

What can I say? My character's curious...but the stranger claims he's our son come back from the future.

Trying to figure out if men really DID land on the moon

Making the stranger, Tommy, eat his crust...haha I got to be a mom. lol

Now for some Thanksgiving pics :)

The Plaza Lights testing!! Usually, the Plaza Lighting Ceremony takes place after Thanksgiving, with like, a bajillion people, but we found out that the technicians turn on the lights at 2 am the tuesday before Thanksgiving!!!

...so there I was with my family...in 20 degree weather...at 2 am waiting for lights to come on...yes I know, genius. lol

my mom, sisters, the Brauninger family, and Aaron.

my cousin, Eliana...a terror to technology...that's my phone she's eating.

we celebrate Grandma's birthday at Thanksgiving too :)

visiting my cousin Adrian and his family the day after Thanksgiving.

 Ailia :)
 the new baby, Acacia! :)

The KU/MU Border Wars game at Arrowhead Stadium

 our seats were on the 50 yard line, 21st row :)

dad, Uncle John, and Steve

 Alexander is my hero :) He scored the first 2 touchdowns by outrunning the ENTIRE field. I mean, he was yards ahead of EVERYONE!!

 this was THE most intense football game I'd ever been to!!!

FINAL SCORE: Mizzou 41 KU 39!!

Mizzou scored a fieldgoal in the last 5 seconds of the game!!!

 CELEBRATE!!! YEEAH

  me and my sisters :) After the game, we went home and decorated the Christmas tree :)

 Dad and Phoebe

 Sissy dog :) always faithful

 gaaaahh sissy!!!!

 oh dad. haha

 me and my best friend, Brianna before I head back to school

So that was Thanksgiving break in a nutshell! :)

BACK TO STUDYING!!!!!

ONWARD!!!

 

...

help me

Snow! Snow! Snow-de-snowsnow!!!w00t

YEssss!!!! First snowfall of the year!!!

I threw the first snowball of the season at my roomie Michala :) heehee...yes I regretted that later.

But today, THE snow fell. Not just a dusting, or a frosting, but a DUMPING of snow. It's still coming down actually! We're on a blizzard watch, I believe. So, in honor of this beautiful snowfall, we - Brittany, Carmen, Allie, Jordan & I-, like mature, scholarly students of higher education went and played in the snow :) YAY  It was amazing...and freezing as heck. haha I realized that I need to practice my snowball making if I am going to survive the winter with my family. (The lack of snowball making skills at my house is certain death by slush ball)
However, the downpour of snow was ill timed. Tomorrow is "Reading Day" which is the day right before finals when all classes are over so the students have a free day before tests. What a waste of valuable snow that could have canceled classes... *sigh*

Words aren't coming easily today. I believe the upcoming finals have fogged my brain. . . which is understandable. Right now, I'm studying for Irish Lit and editing a history paper. ...joy...haha
I have to say, I will be QUITE happy when finals are over. :) However, that also means that I won't be back at Coe for another year because of my Washington DC term in the spring (SO EXCITED) :)

Well, I'd better get back to devoting my undivided attention to studying...whoo...