From Washington Back to Wisconsin

Roommate dinner on our last night in Washington

My feelings have been those of sadness as I have left behind the greatest semester of my life. I have really enjoyed spending time with my family and friends since returning home. I haven't been home long since I spent last weekend in Minnesota and the past few days in Chicago. I can finally start unpacking everything! I learned so much this semester about so many different things. While I was honored and privileged to see how our nation’s capital works, I learned many things about myself. I learned how to expand my horizons by meeting new people and exploring new places. I also made many new friends that I will remain friends with for a very long time to come. Most importantly, I had fun. I had the greatest time of my life while I was here. I shared so many great times and many laughs with so many amazing people. This semester was about experiencing new parts of life and new places. I did something new every weekend that I was here. That was my goal when I first came here and I am proud to have succeeded at that goal. This semester has been everything that I wanted it to be and so much more. I have absolutely loved every moment of it. Washington DC will always hold a special place in my heart. Until then….on Wisconsin :)

Final Internship Days

In front of the Wisconsin statue in the U.S. Capitol Building

With another intern on our last day

Wow! That's all I can say when it comes to just how quickly the time has passed here. I completed the last day of my internship on Friday and then headed to my first Nationals baseball game after that at the new stadium. They played the Cubs and won. I spent the weekend doing more sightseeing. I headed to Alexandria for some adventuring and I also went into Old Town. I headed back into the office today to take photos and to give gifts to some of the staff members. I will definitely miss my internship, but I will really miss the people the most. I was able to work with some really great interns and staff while in Washington. I feel very blessed to have worked with the people that I did. I leave Washington on May 7 and I am getting quite sad to leave. I am excited to see people at home, but I will definitely miss many people here. It has been the best semester of my life and I will always look back on it with very fond memories and many new friends.

A Sister Weekend

On Saturday, my older sister flew into Washington from Milwaukee. I was so excited have to her here! On Saturday night we headed to Old Town Alexandria to have dinner with a friend. We had such a great time! I was really happy that she got to see Old Town because it is such a beautiful place. We spent Sunday touring the monuments and exploring the city. We started at the Washington Monument and then went to the World War II Memorial, Reflection Pool, Lincoln Memorial, and ended at the Jefferson Memorial. On our way to the Jefferson Memorial, we came upon a really beautiful tulip garden near the Washington Monument. We then headed downtown to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe. Today we toured the Capitol Building and had lunch at Union Station. We also went to the White House and then I took her back to the airport tonight. I miss her very much and will always remember our fun time together in Washington!

April is Here!

April is here and it came quickly. Once again, the past few weeks have been very busy and very exciting. The cherry blossoms have bloomed in Washington and are absolutely beautiful! I went and saw them last weekend. It was my first trip to the Tidal Basin, Jefferson Memorial, and FDR Memorial while I have been here. I also went to the Milwaukee Bucks basketball game last week with my roommate and the two other interns from our office. The Bucks won against the Washington Wizards! The blossoms were so pretty and I really enjoyed seeing them. I have been to a few neat places lately including National Public Radio (NPR), WTOP Radio, the Supreme Court, and the Washington Post. May will be here soon. I cannot believe that it is my last month here in Washington. I am getting sad to leave, but it will be nice to see everyone back home. On another note, my older sister is flying in on Saturday and is staying until Monday. It will be fun to spend time with her!

Spring Break & Easter Weekend

Wow! The time here is really going by fast. Easter came and went pretty quickly. It was really strange not being at home for Easter. Instead of doing the traditional Easter stuff, I went with a friend to Alexandria to do some sightseeing. We ate lunch there and then walked around the city. It is such a historic and beautiful place to visit. I saw where George Washington went to church and where a few other important people were buried. The weather yesterday was great, but today it is much colder and cloudy. It still beats the cold weather back in Wisconsin!

Spring Break came and went very quickly as well. I stayed here in Washington for break. I interned for three days and then Dustin came to visit me here. We had a great time and saw a lot of neat things in the Washington area. We also spent a day in Norfolk, Virginia. Those few days flew by! The photo posted is from the U.S. Capitol Building. I am standing on the "lucky spot" in the building. Many people put their foot on it for good luck.

I am hoping to stay in DC for the summer, so I am starting to make plans for that. I am so happy that I have gotten to spend a semester in Washington. It has been the best semester of my life. I have made some really great friends that will always be very special to me :)

Spring Ahead

It feels like Spring here in DC! Things have been super busy for me lately. I have been interning three days week (over the past week) and going to class. My time here is flying by so fast. I am actually hoping to stay here for the summer. We have gone on some really neat field trips for my class including a trip to the local ABC station this week. My time here has really taught me a lot about myself. This experience is everything that I wanted it to be and much more. I am so glad that I decided to come out here. I like my internship and I really like all of the amazing people that I have met along the way. Many of my friends here will remain dear to me for a very long time. I will spend this weekend hanging out with friends here and probably doing a little shopping. The weather here has been really nice, usually in the 50's and 60's. Easter will be here soon and it will be my first Easter away from home. I am going to spend that weekend with my friends and roommates. We are going to make a nice brunch on Easter Sunday! My sister is coming to visit me in April, so I have that to look forward to. Soon...the cherry blossoms will be here!

The Start of a New Week

Today was the beginning of another great week here in Washington! Bob Schieffer, host of "Face the Nation" on CBS, spoke to our class today at AU. He was such a great speaker and very down to earth. I really enjoyed hearing him talk and I also had the chance to meet him. This week, we have some more guest speakers and I intern on Thursday and Friday. We are also going to CSPAN for a live taping on Thursday!!