Shamrock On!

I doubt anyone is even checking this lil thing anymore! I know it's been a while but now I have another event to recap. My half marathon!

It went so great. It was soo much fun. For anyone who doesn't know, it was in Virginia Beach which is technically just about a 3.5 hour drive from Arlington. I say technically as traffic will often get in the way, just as it did on our trip home after the run. Anyway...

I am so happy I did this! My roommates basically dragged me into it at first. After all, I had never been much of a runner. I don't think I had ever run much farther than a mile before this whole thing started. Then my training began in January and BAM before you know it I'm running a half marathon :)

It was a beautiful day on the beach. Veryyyy cold but that was to be expect

ed. It ended up perfect because we woke up at 5:30 (the picture on the right is me, Mindy, and Becca right when we woke up in our hotel room), and by the time we were running at 7 it felt just warm enough to not be miserable. Then by the end the sun was out, my face was burning, and the cold wind was my best friend. That run was probably one of the top 3 most physically challenging things I've ever had to do but that makes me feel so much better to say I finished! My time was 2:20, just over 10 minute miles. I couldn't have asked for better! All I wanted was to run the entire time, never stop. And I definitely accomplished that! I even jogged slowly in place when stopping at the water stations. I just did not want to stop at all. What a rush! Finishing the race was such a blur I couldn't believe it was over. Then we got back into the car almost immediately for what ended up to be the longest car ride of the century. 6 hours to get home! Usually it would be ok, but my muscles were not happy. I've been super sore for almost the entire week after because of that car trip! Can't be super positive for my body but it's alright. Here's a picture of us at the end...

Anyway the race was amazing! So much fun and a great experience. I might even do another one day :) And I will definitely, after a much needed break, keep running. I've decided that I love it!

very much delayed...

I know I had promised everyone multiple inauguration week posts and I did have my heart in the right place! I just...somehow let that slide for a while. But here it is for all those interested!

Inauguration, as most have already heard, was full of surprises. Some good, some amazing, some bad, some downright depressing. Of course 

Kevin and I fell victim to the widely publicized "purple tunnel of doom." We were basically stuffed in there with thousands of people only to be released hours later with no where to go. Purple section fell through..but we didn't lose hope! Through a painful and almost exhausting series of events Kevin and I may have experienced every bit of the ceremony that we could: crowds, crying, excitement, sharing of emotions with strangers we will never see again. It is everything I could have asked for. Here is a picture of just how many people there were in the streets celebrating and that's the wee bitty Capitol building in the background..

That night was the Youth Ball where Kevin and I met Rosario Dawson!! She was beautiful and so nice. She basically loves us. I met Usher and Kid Rock, saw Kanye West perform, got a sliver of my face onto MTV (or so you guys all tell me) and of COURSE the one the only Barack and Michelle. I guess the two the only. They were adorable, humble, inspiring. Everything you would hope and expect. What a rush! Here is Kevin and I with our BFF Rosario...

The next night was definitely, by FAR, the highlight of the week. The staff ball started off obviously better than the other one, as it was much more organized with actual smar

t, competent, and friendly people working there. Once we were in, we sighed a huge breath of relief and enjoyed the night to the fullest!! It was great. Open beer and wine bar for one, which helped with the success of the evening. And not only did the Obamas make a lengthy appearance, but the Bidens did as well! Gotta love them with all your heart. And as a last minute amazing surprise to us, Jay-Z came for an incredible performance (see picture below). Everyone was so excited and it was SO much fun! It is a night I will never ever forget. Actually,

make that a week I will NEVER forget!! With the concert on Sunday (incredible), the actual inauguration day, the youth ball, the staff ball..I was so lucky. In great part I owe Kevin basically a life of gratitude for all that. Or at least a meal or something =)

Sorry this came so late yall probably won't even see it...at least for a while. Haha. Looking forward to Isaac's big day coming up in about a month! As well as Dad's big 5-0! Maybe I shouldn't broadcast that on the internet...I love you ALL!! Thanks for reading =)

we are one!

And so the inaugural festivities begin!!

Obama, of course, is sworn into office tomorrow as you all surely know and this city is CRAZY! There are just so many tourists and so many people in general! And I haven't even gotten to the big event yet so that's just how crazy this all is! 

Yesterday Becca and I braved the early morning and river-freezing weather (the Potomac river outside our place is frozen over!) to attend the free public We Are One inauguration kick-off concert at the Lincoln Memorial. Yes, we arrived at 9:30 AM and the concert didn't start until 2:30. Yes, it was about 30 degrees and 20 with the wind chill factor. Yes, there were moments when we wondered what the hell we were doing there but it was SO worth it!! I know Mom and Dad watched the concert, but did anyone else? It was incredible. Famous actors and artists were there for speaking parts (all these really inspiring words and quotes from past presidents, as well as Obama) and musical performances. It was a truly star-studded event and it was totally free to the public! And of course the Obama family attended =) Here's a pic of Becca and me there:

The best part really was just how incredible the turn-out was. Hundreds of thousands of people all huddled together for warmth celebrating around the reflection pool. At one point Becca and I escaped the crowd to watch the rest of the concert on top of a hill nearby and looking at the crowd was awesome. Everyone was in such amazing spirits despite the temperature and hours spent standing. It made me even more excited for the actual inauguration because that will be similar but on an even bigger scale! Incredible. 

I feel so blessed to be a part of this whole thing. I can't believe I am here in DC for one of the most inspiring moments in American history! Very cheesy but couldn't be more true. I know a lot of people that didn't go to the concert because of the weather and just stayed in to watch it on TV. I will tell you I'm not missing one single moment of this!! Even if it means thawing out frozen limbs all next week. 

and here we go again...

Andddd I'm back! It's good to be back here. Nice to see everyone, nice to have my bed and room and apartment back...minus the fact that we went all day/night yesterday with no running water! Oh the joy of ancient apartment buildings. Pipes bursting, toilets refusing to flush, and the quaint and terrifying quirky sounds rattling through our echoey home throughout the night. Only slightly unsettling when you're home ALONE! My "Strangers" fears always seem to come back to me at the least opportune times...

School hasn't picked up too much yet but what I can tell you all about are my new clinical sites which I am fairly excited about! I had my first clinical this morning at INOVA Fairfax Hospital, which is obviously in Fairfax Virginia. This place is a freakin' palace compared to Georgetown Hospital!! They have a brand new fantastic cardiac center building and it looks Lilis times 12 or something (insider knowledge for the Ducks I guess...). And its huge and clean and nice and SO impressive! We got to tour the hospital and one place that was really fun, sad and inspiring to see was the Children's ER center. We get to pick our clinical site for our senior year and I'm definitely adding that to my list of considerations! Children's ER, Neonatology, and ? Lots of options and very little time to decide! Anyway I'm excited to be in a new site, but the unit will probably be similar to the old one with not a whole lot of exciting things going on. Mostly just caring for patients and making sure they're comfortable during a considerably long, medication-filled stay at the hospital. 

My OTHER clinical site is Holy Cross Hospital for my Women's Health location. I don't know too much about that one yet because it doesn't start until next Tuesday but what I DO know is that I will be seeing LOTS of babies being born. My clinical instructor (who is also the class professor which is REALLY good for me...and my other clinical instructor is the professor of the other class as well!) told me and my friend Jenny to come prepared because we will see births on the very first day of clinical. So I have a feeling that this rotation, if anything, will NOT be boring! 

And so starts a new semester for me! I know it will be rough and a test to my endurance, just like last semester, but hopefully my break refreshed me enough for another go at it all. Thanks everyone for such an amazing break I love you ALL and I loved seeing you all! I'm happy to be back but I will definitely be missing many people back in Oregon. 

Oh. And countdown to the social event of the decade, aka the inauguration, has begun and I cannot WAIT!