a new day dawns, and i am practicing my purpose once again

The snow is melting, birds are chirping, tourists crowd the Metro, and I'm finally getting back in the swing of things in the capital. I'm hesitant to say spring is arriving, but it got up to 50 on Sunday and that was good enough for me! A few months ago, I listed Boston as a potential place to live after graduation. After (barely) surviving Snowmageddon, it's safe to say that this little bird is ready to fly back south...forever.

Last week I attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which is an annual gathering of over 10,000 conservatives, think tanks, and leaders. It was, to say the least, interesting. On one hand, it was a great opportunity to learn about issues, meet new people, and get excited about midterm elections. On the flip side, there were definitely some crazies. My personal favorite was the Tea Party rep who dressed up in a different pre-Revolutionary War outfit each day and waved his "Don't Tread on Me" flag from the balcony.

I got the chance to hear a lot of great speakers - Lynne Cheney, Dick Cheney (right before his heart attack!), Scott Brown, Newt Gingrich, Jim DeMint, Ann Coulter (speaker? comedian? who knows), and Mitt Romney. I'm sure I'm forgetting someone. Even if I didn't agree with everything they said, it was interesting to hear the opinions of people who really know what they're talking about.

Romney was definitely my favorite. For starters, he was the only one who really touched on reforming the education system, which I thought was great. He's a great speaker and has an excellent economic record, which is more than I can say about our sitting president. Gingrich was pretty good too, and he stayed away from the divise language that some of the other speakers used. He really hit home with his comments about the importance of bipartisanship during a bad economy, and he's gotten a proven record of successfully working across party lines.

In the epic battle of Hillary vs. Machine, it is currently Hillary, 0, Machine, a bazillion. The camcorder Mac told me to buy was not compatible with the software on my Mac computer, and the new software Mac sold me was not compatible with my Mac operating system. Luckily, I used the skills of persuasion I picked up from watching my mom sweet talk her way out of so many speeding tickets to talk my was past a two hour wait at the Mac store and into some new programming. Thanks, Mom.

this is the part where you find out who you are

Not much to say about the last week, except SNOW. I used to like snow. I used to like having work and class cancelled. There are drifts taller than me outside my apartment (okay, so I am short, but that is still a lot of snow). Round 2 hit yesterday and there were 50 mph gusts. I managed to make it out to see the Duke-UNC game (go Devils) but that was about it!

Today, Sarah and I tried to go for a run, which mostly consisted of us scurrying around slush puddles and black ice. The streets have gotten cleared out a bit so we're going to work tomorrow, which I'm actually excited about.

The good thing about being stuck inside for the past week is I've managed to get caught up on a lot of homework, applications, and such. I actually sewed up some pants and cleaned the kitchen. I think you know it's a bad sign when I'm mad that someone else got to unloading the dishes before me.

I tried to work on my independent study project during Round 1, but my software wasn't up-to-date, so I had to order a new set from Mac. Of course, the post hasn't run all week, so I haven't gotten it yet. All I've been able to do is read up on the new software and play with what I have. It's kind of a frustrating waste of time.

I realized that I haven't talked about my classes yet. I'm taking three - Theories of Constitutional Interpretation, an internship seminar, and Economics and Public Policy. I've never liked econ, but I've always wanted to. I think that economics and education are the best way to solve social issues, which I suppose is another tangent. Anyway, my economics professor has given us some pretty interesting readings that are real world applications of economic theory and I'm actually really enjoying it.

Last weekend, Brittany and I ventured out in the snow to go try out a church. The pastor gave a great sermon about vision and timing - it's funny how everything seems to come back to the same message sometimes. I've had a lot of free time this week to think about how close I'm getting to graduating, and it's been neat to see how some things just seem to be falling into place.

more than fine, more than bent on getting by

So, best weekend ever, I woke up on Saturday morning, walked outside for breakfast (in yoga pants and ballet flats, no less!), and it was SNOWING! There was just something so beautiful and fresh and clean about the snow, a chance for cleansing and a new start.

We're starting to get to know the neighborhood a little better. Friday night we went and grabbed Chinese across the street and then a few of us headed up to American University. The more schools I visit and see their social life (or lack of - ha!), the more and more I like being at Alabama.

Saturday was, of course, our snow day. Brittany, who's from Arizona, and I convinced my Pittsburgh roommate to go play in the snow with us. By the time we got to the Capitol, Brittany and I were absolutely freezing and whining about getting frostbite. Julie was a trooper and ran errands, but we went home. It actually snowed again last night, so I woke up to more beautiful-ness this morning. My office runs on the Federal government's schedule, but seeing as this isn't Charlotte, we were still open today.



Sunday and Monday we stayed in and "studied", aka watched the Grammy's. I think I actually worked out both days though, so that's an accomplishment.

At work I'm mainly focusing on this upcoming event. I finalized the guest lists this week and I got to do some mockups for a dinner invitation. My favorite part was looking at resorts for a big conference that's coming up in a few years. They're in the preliminary stage, which basically means I get to look at pictures of pretty hotels.

I really love this city, being around all the people, the train, the hustle, all of it. My roommates and I spend almost every night just sitting the in kitchen, listening to music and doing homework and talking. I miss Tuscaloosa, but it's amazing how quickly we've formed a family up here.

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14