Our camera is cooler than anticipated.

Our camera actually used to be just my camera in the days before I shared everything. Now it is the Frost family camera and, it turns out, the thing is amazing.

I (yes, I, Amanda, not Jason!) took this picture at Union Station today! I spent a while this morning fiddling around with the special effects settings. I guess this is for if you are too lazy to use Photoshop, but I like it anyway.

Jason took the following wonderful photo (check out my coy blushing...okay, my cheeks are just permanently red and the "color accent" feature picked up on it) at the Marriott this morning.

Our Internet, however, is not amazing, which is why I can't finish loading today's pics. (Update: the Internet randomly began to work a little later).

Today was a fantastic day! We met Mom and Dad Frost for the best non-home-cooked breakfast in the world at the Marriott in Bethesda. After breakfast, we went into town on the Metro and went on a tour of the Capitol! We returned to Bethesda and ate at Rock Bottom, the restaurant where we ate with Jake and Dave when they were here over Christmas. Their presence was sorely missed :) Can little smiley faces like that stand in as punctuation? I feel weird writing :)., because then it looks like my little smile--intended to soften sarcasm or wry wit--has a facial deformity. Oh well.

After dinner, we went to see the temple. I imagine I've probably seen the Washington D.C. temple in person before, but I don't remember such an experience. I do remember a picture of it hanging on my bedroom wall when I was little and thinking that it was probably the most beautiful building in the world. As soon as we saw it through the trees tonight, my heart did a little leap; it really is a stunning building!
When I was younger, I thought I might want to get married in the D.C. temple because my parents did. Interestingly, Jason's parents got married there too! What are the odds!

I love the temple.

See (many of) you soon!

Good news & Gettysburg/Harper's Ferry

It's been a long time since we've updated the blog, so here is the exciting news:

JASON IS GOING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY!

Other exciting news:

JASON WAS AWARDED A FELLOWSHIP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY!

This means tuition is going to be cheaper than we thought. Hurray!

Here is the letter awarding him the fellowship.

Pretty darn exciting, huh?

The only noteworthy thing I did today was wake up, take a shower, look at the clock and realize it was 1:00 a.m. and I'd only gotten one hour of sleep, and go back to bed. I'm not sure why I did that. It was pretty bizarre.

In other news, we went to Gettysburg and Harper's Ferry on Saturday with our Washington Seminar group. We left around 6:40 a.m. (too early!). We first went to the visitor's center, where we saw a pretty cool museum exhibit, an explanatory film, and the cyclorama. Yes, cycl-o-rama! It's a giant, 360 degree painting of the battlefield.

Afterward, we went on a tour of the battlefield. This is a field.

This is a giant tower, built in 1890. We climbed all 121 stairs to the top and took some pictures.

Jason looks so tiny next to it!

Here is Jason at the top of the tower overlooking the Gettysburg battlefield. FYI: This battlefield was much cooler than Valley Forge and we didn't have to stay at a crazy America Camp during a snowstorm this time.

The Frosts at the top of the rameumptum...I mean, giant observation tower.

Jason looking pensieve on the battlefield. I tried to take a couple of candid pictures, but he looked sad in all of them.

Me by the Eternal Flame of Peace. You may be interested to know that the natural gas flame was extinguished during the energy crisis of the 1970s.

After our Gettysburg tour, we went to General Pickett's Buffet for lunch. It certainly wasn't Chuck-a-rama, but the macaroni and cheese was half decent.

We drove to West Virginia and stopped at Harper's Ferry, site of John Brown's anti-slavery uprising.

This is a train.

Me overlooking the town and the Shenendoah (or perhaps the Potomac?)

Harper's Ferry is right in the middle of the Appalachian Trail.

The Frosts at Jefferson's Rock. Supposedly Thomas Jefferson visited this rock and spoke highly of its great view when he returned to Washington.

Me on the footbridge next to the train tracks.

This is below the railroad. Jason is quite the photographer.

When we got back, we hurried over to the Jazz vs. Wizards game. The Jazz won by a lot (thirty points or something)!

That's about it for now. I gave a tour to our neighbor's parents today, which was fun. Tomorrow we are having our friend Mitch over for dinner. We'll try to post some pictures from my parents' visit tomorrow!

Tuesday+Wednesday

I am now officially a Capitol Staff Tour-giver.

Look! I got a certificate!
Also, a pin!

I got a flash drive too, which is actually really nifty--leather with the Capitol on it--but didn't take a picture.

In other news, Jason was quoted in a presentation at his office today (the quote was from a report he wrote about the Tarahumara Indians for one of the staff members).

After lunch today I attended the impeachment initiation for a federal judge. Apparently only 15 judges have been impeached, so it was a pretty singular experience. All of the Senators were in attendance, which was really neat (though I wish I recognized more of them). Since it was St. Patrick's Day, most of them were wearing green ties or sweaters, which I thought was nice. If we can rally around St. Patty's Day, why not health care?! :) On my way down the Capitol escalator, I ended up behind John McCain.

Last night and tonight we had delicious curry (another simmer sauce from Trader Joe's because we can't find curry paste here. Otherwise I would definitely make it from scratch...) and jasmine rice.

This evening, we walked from our apartment to the Lincoln Memorial. Thanks to Daylight Savings, we actually have some light after I get home from work, which has already been glorious. The moon was just a sliver tonight, and the Washington Monument was so bright in the reflecting pool. It was absolutely beautiful; we are so lucky to live within walking distance.

My parents arrive tomorrow, but I don't think we will actually get to see them until Friday. Too bad.

Tomorrow is my office capitol tour-giving test. While the Capitol Visitor's Center believes I am qualified to lead around tour groups of up to fifteen individuals, my office requires that we pass a test first. Hopefully it will go well--I have been studying the leadership for the two houses of Congress and now know that Utah's first two Senators were Frank Cannon and Arthur Brown.

Rubbing Shoulders with Utah's Elite

We went to a reception this evening for Governor Herbert. He's in town for a governors conference, so Utahans in the D.C. area got together for a little soiree.

First of all, the party was in the Kennedy Caucus Room in the Russell building and it was just beautiful. We tried to get some good pictures, but they do not do justice to the room. It's stunning.

Governor Herbert said a few words and introduced Utah's Cherry Blossom Festival Princess. Who knew we even had a Cherry Blossom Princess?! Not me. I guess every state selects one, who then represents the state at the festival in April.

Here we are with Governor Herbert. After his remarks, we went up and talked to him for a few minutes. He was very nice; he asked about where we were from and how our internships were going. When he heard I was from Utah, he asked what my maiden name was. It turns out he knows my Uncle Derek!

Jason Chaffetz also spoke and we were able to talk with him afterward. He was also very friendly. I was very impressed with both of them.

The party was really really nice. There were servers walking around with trays of hors d'oeuvres (which were mighty tasty), a table of self-serve food, and a drink-pourer. Most of the servers were from Bolivia, so Jason got to speak to them in Spanish for a few minutes.

This picture is pretty blurry, but the guy at the podium is Governor Herbert and the guy with black hair and a blue tie is Jason Chaffetz. The only female: the Cherry Blossom Princess.

Here's the ceiling of the room. It's really high (Jason estimates thirty feet, and I agree) and is held up with gorgeous pillars. The Senate sure knows how to decorate.Here's what I get to see every night on my walk home. The picture makes the Capitol feel a little far away, but when you're there, it feels incredibly close. In real life, it's more blue than the picture makes it look; I love how the yellow light stands out against the night sky.
This is by the Russell building rotunda. When you see Senators being interviewed on the news, they are usually standing in this rotunda. It's very pretty.
Here's another view of the Russell rotunda.
Jason took this picture, which I think is awesome.

I can't figure out how to make this picture flip around (even though I already flipped it in iPhoto). Anyway, it is the glorious Gummy Tummies Penguins that Jason bought for me the other day. Yum! I think the penguins on the package are funny.

We aren't quite sure what we're up to tomorrow. I think we'll go to the Capitol with our neighbors so yours truly can practice Capitol tour-giving skills. We may hit a museum or two afterward. Adios!

Déjà vu!

Today I went on a tour of the Capitol. Again. This would be tour #3. I kind of feel like I'm going for a record or something. It really is a fantastic building, though. I recommend it to anyone.

Jason has been writing a paper about a project his office funded back in 1986 and it is really interesting! A group in Colombia noticed that the mentally ill in Bogota were pretty disenfranchised and suggested opening up two stores (a laundromat and bakery) and a halfway house to help rehabilitate and reintegrate the homeless/mentally ill. I'm really not doing the project justice, but it is fascinating. It sounds like his office does really important/interesting/good work!

Today the interns in my office (the "Hatchlings," so-called) were assigned to our official departments. I am working with the chief of staff, scheduler, legislative director, and administrative director. I'm not 100% sure of what exactly I'll be doing yet, but today I got to use Excel and my Outlook account.

My gloves arrived from Utah yesterday, so my hands have been toasty warm all day. Thanks Mom!

Frosts: We ate some of the soup you brought us and it was very tasty!

One more worthwhile piece of Capitol trivia: Each state is allotted two statues for display in the Capitol (37 of which are in Statuary Hall, with others scattered about in hallways, the crypt, the visitor's center...basically anywhere they can squeeze them in). Utah's two statues are of Brigham Young and Philo T. Farnsworth (although the Idahoans claim he was actually from up north instead of the Beehive State). Connecticut is represented by John Trumbull (painter) and Roger Sherman (signer of the Constitution).

Dad: Guess who represents Nevada. Sarah Winnemucca. I smiled when I saw that.

Just another manic Monday

Today I took part in Ethics training at the Senate. Hurray! The almost-two-hour training could have potentially been condensed into two key concepts:

1. Don't accept gifts from anyone.

2. Don't talk to lobbyists.

I guess that's not really fair; some of the information would have been very pertinent to Senators or senior staff, but since no one has asked me to sit on a board or accept an honorary doctorate or accompany them on an all-expenses-paid trip to Bermuda lately, I think my two concepts would have sufficed. If anyone has any questions about what you can and can't do in the Senate, I'm your girl :)

I also got to go on my second tour of the capitol today. Last time, we skipped the Brumidi Corridor, but not this time! The murals are so beautiful.

I remember going on a Capitol tour with my family when I was probably eight years old, but I do not remember anything except the "whisper spot" in the old House Chamber (where the acoustics are such that you can whisper from one side of the room and be heard on the other side) and that Adam was in a cumbersome stroller. It is exciting to get to spend so much time at the Capitol!!

Jason also had a good day at work. I should make him post something sometime.