“What is that feeling when you're driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? - it's the too-huge world vaulting us, and it's good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.”

I found this quote the day before I was leaving DC and it was so applicable. Although I am very sad to not be in DC anymore, I am looking forward to the "next crazy adventure." I still can't believe that the semester went by so quickly!

My last few days of DC were incredible!

• Shakespeare theater. My boss won tickets to go see Coriolianus at the Shakespeare Theater but could not attend, so she gave the tickets to me. Although Chelsea and I accidentally showed up late (the tickets had the wrong time), it was a really sweet experience! I absolutely loved it. Since it was opening night, they also had free appetizers at Zaytinya, which was the restaurant I was supposed to eat at when I got the flu. We talked to some pretty impressive people and it was just one of those nights that could pretty much only happen in DC. 
• Night walk around the memorials. Chels is graduating so she had to work on her portfolio. However, around 9 on Wednesday I convinced her to walk around the monuments/memorials at night. We saw the Lincoln, WWII and the Washington Monument on our walk. We walked all the way to the Smithsonian and then headed up for our last time of getting Oreo Good Stuff Shakes. It was great! The monuments/memorials have obviously been a favorite of mine. 
• Friday night, the other Chelsea in our group (not my roommate) invited us to her parent's apartment which was legit! We ate delicious food and then went up to the roof where we had a gorgeous view of the Capitol and the Washington Monument. It was a great final night full of reminiscing AND we went to Paul for our last delicious french snacks. It was perfect because I got to say goodbye to one of my favorite places in DC: outside the Archives. The view there is just so beautiful. 
• My last morning was spent walking to the Lincoln memorial, blasting "Good Life" by OneRepublic while reading Condoleeza Rice's autobiography. Could it get any better? No. I always got to say goodbye to my future employer- the State Department. It turns out that the Borgias (one of the married couples in the program) were on my flight home, so it was really fun to chat with them and not feel awkward on the plane. They are fantastic! 
• Cherry blossoms! The cherry blossoms finally came out and I had the opportunity to see them both with Chelsea and Candace. They are soooo pretty!

I'm getting sad just looking at these pictures:

Lanae, me and Candace pose with our first official Boss Women Unite Logo! 

Lincoln at night!

Last day in DC!

My supervisor, Denise, and I on my last day!

Cherry blossoms!

Tidal basin!

I love this shot with the Jefferson memorial!

Alyse and I! Love this girl!

Chels and I!

#purplepower #bosswomenunite

Since I've been home, I went on a walk with Cassie, started my portfolio and loved the mountains. Sometimes I cannot believe I even left home! I definitely missed it. I also met with the director of DU's MA in Conflict Resolution and it was fantastic!!!! Not only would I be in the same school that Condi went to ( the Josef Korbel School of International Studies), but the program only accepts 15 people, so it's highly competitive. The director asked me to tell her my story. The second I mentioned I was studying at BYU, she was so excited. She (randomly!) taught two classes there (although she isn't a member) and absolutely loved her experience there with the students. She's been wanting a BYU student for a long time, so hopefully I will be able to get into the program. If I get into both Georgetown and DU, I'm not sure where I will decide to go because I loved both of them! Anyways, life has been good back in the 80127. I am going to lunch with one of my high school/middle school friends, Katie and then am headed up to my grandparent's house, so it'll be a good weekend. 

I felt like I should sum up exactly what I learned in DC, but that turned out to be way too complicated, so I made a short list:

1. Every city has a story. Treat it as such. You can be a "tourist" even in cities you've lived your whole life. 

2. Politicians, Democrat or Republican, are doing what they think is best for the country. Even if you don't agree with the other side, never assume that they are doing something to screw the country over.

3. Be assertive. If you don't speak your mind, your opinion doesn't get heard.

4. Take chances. Throw caution to the wind sometimes.  

5 I am proud to be an American. It's the best country to live in regardless of what happens politically. We are so blessed to live in this country! 

6. Eat at new places, they often turn out to be new favorites. 

7. Bloom where you're planted, even if you're only there for a few months. 

 8. History is alive through our actions. You need to know where you've been to now where you're headed. 

9. You can make a difference. The power of one exists!

10. Be flexible. Plans change, and people change. 

11. I understand now everybody has quirks and that's what makes us great! 

12. When you say yes to others, make sure you're not saying no to yourself. 

13. Be friends with your co-workers. 

14. Say hello or good morning to people in the hallway. 

15. Even if you fall in love with a city, you'll still be homesick. 

16.  You should go to a city where no one knows you at least once. You find out so much about yourself because there aren't people there telling you who you are/were. 

17. Things will always work out.

18. Always go the extra mile in every aspect of your life. It is always worth it. 

19. Find a mentor. My supervisor taught me invaluable information. 

20.  Collect moments. 

Anyways, it's impossible to encapsulate all that I learned during my time in DC. I am sooo thankful for the opportunity to intern where I did, have the best boss, meet incredible people, and fall in love with an unfamiliar city.I had the opportunity to see Hillary Clinton, Maya Angelou,the Supreme Court Justices, and Madeleine Albright all speak in person. How often does that happen?!  I hope to at least visit in the future, but hopefully live there. This was a life-changing experience and I cannot believe I had the opportunity to do it. LOVED IT! But now it's onto my next adventure: returning to my fabulous job in Provo, making new friends and blaring this fantastic new song of JT's: