NICOOL

WASHINGTON DC

SO I just made this blog... I think it will be cooler than facebook. so yeah, umm lets see... my mommy wanted me to write about my trip to WA DC.

I went with 11 other seniors from my High school to join other students from places like Nebraska (where my roommates where from... the coolest roommates ever!), Minnesota "Wiscawnson", North Dakota, and California. I had a blast, thanks so much to everyone who bought tickets from me to help me go.

My trip started Saturday. I went to prom, was crowned prom queen. (I was the only girl there who wore a modest dress) I danced the night away, and at 2:00am we all met at the high school to catch the 3 hour bus ride to the Spokane international airport where our plane left at 7:00am.

(I had taken all of the bobby pins out of my hair in the bus, so that i could sleep, but two of the girls who didn't, got stopped through security :)

Throughout the week the highlights were seeing Obama drive by in his entourage, watching the senators vote, (I saw McCain, and John Kerry in real life person!!!), Meeting Mt's house reps, and senators. seeing all of the awesome memorials, I love LINCOLN! and Jefferson! and I really liked china town.

I didn't get to see Obama in person, although I did miss a lunch one day because I was waiting for him to arrive at the capitol building. ( he entered on the senate side of the building, and I was on the House side) The security guards with their big guns were annoyed with all of the people gathered around (" what are yall doin here!? he's already inside.....!!!) It was pretty funny when some people walked by and asked the security "who is coming" and he obviously didn't want to tell them who was coming so instead of saying President Obama he said " The Head of State is coming"... as they walked away I heard them say "Oh, who is the head of state?"

It was refreshing to be able to get out of Libby for a little bit. China town actually scared me a little bit, because we were all told to get in groups of four, they then kicked us out of the bus and told us to be back at a certain time. what if we got jumped... don't worry we didn't.

We had to ask people on the street if they liked the old ghetto china town, or the new rejuvenated china town. I stayed in a little bit bigger group with 2 really tall football player type guys so I felt safer. We tried to talk to some Chinese in china town, but they didn't understand what Rejuvenated meant, they just ran away saying "I don't know, I don't know!"

and then I asked a shoe shiner guy on the street what he thought. He talked to us for 5 minutes, it was sorta hard to follow, but my buddy from "wiscawnson", as he says it, filled me in that this guy used to hide his pot in his little tin cans, so the police wouldn't catch him dealing. He said new china town was way better because all of the crime and gangs, and shootings, the gays and the lesbians on the street, are now gone. He told us how its better now, because he had to stay out on the street, and he used to have to

"stay out in the 30 degree weather.... 20 degree weather, 10 degree, 0 degree, 5 be-lo, ten be-lo... FIF TEEN!!!! be-lo!!!!!!!"

I wonder if it even gets that cold in DC... I don't know.:) I'm not really sure where he was gettin at either, then he told us that he found God, and then asked if we had any spare change to give him for his sermon .... he was pretty funny....

Senator Nicole in the Committee on Finance ... don't talk into the microphones, or they might kick you out...

I also got into a "senator's only" elevator!!!! Rachel had to "go" so bad, and the janitors were cleaning like every bathroom except for the one on the 4th floor. (we couldnt take the stairs... and after pushing the button alot of times we didnt need a key to get onto the elevator) Pretty cool!

I love the Lincoln Memorial... and the Jefferson Memorial, those were the best memorials, just being in there, and reading the quotes, you could feel that these men were inspired from God, but it also seemed like when I walked through other parts of DC, that the capitol of the US is not the most uncorrupt place. If that makes any sense. "corruption sown in uncorruption" is what it felt like or something like that... made me think of Mosiah 29:26-27

Jefferson Memorial

Lincoln memorial

In the Library of congress...

We also went to the pentagon because one of the guys from my school has a cousin with connections, so we got to tour there. that was pretty cool, we saw the secretary of defense's office, and went in the briefing room that you see on TV. We also saw the part of the pentagon that got hit by the plane... ( shhh... I actually didn't know that on 9/11 the pentagon was hit too.. i had always thought that the twin towers were the only thing that got hit-and got confused when the pentagon was sometimes two huge towers, and other times shaped like a pentagon... and I'm just glad i finally got that got straightened out)

If you look at this side of the pentagon, this is where the plane hit, you can see where it hit because there is a difference in color between the old brick, and the new brick.

One of the guys in our group took a picture as we were waiting in line by security, even though there were "no photography signs all over"... he got pulled into room, and had to delete the picture.

Riding the metro was pretty fun. I got so tired by the end of the week though, and my feet hurt pretty bad, and the long days got me so tired, that it was better if you didn't talk to me during the last few days because I thought I might strangle someone. As we were riding on the metro one day I tried to stay away from my group because I was getting so annoyed with them, and then these 3 big scary black guys all got on at the same time and squished around me, separating me from the rest of the group...this little white girl got so scared riding, I wanted my group back real bad real fast.

Well to sum it up, DC was so much fun for me. Especially since it goes right along with what I am learning in my Senior Government class. I loved being around DC and actually knowing what was going on, the law making process, and actually knowing who Head of State is. :)

So awesome.