i is for igloo

big red suitcase: $37

space bags to cram in all my stuff: $25

checking in two suitcases: $55(thanks dad)

flying out to college: amex points

first grocery shopping trip: $77.75

second grocery run: $91.60

black sharpie to initial all my stuff: $1.15

gym clothes: $22.90

textbooks: $117

two loads of laundry: $2

first semester's rent: $927

night slept in an igloo bonding with my roomates-priceless.

I came home from my english class on friday to find my roomates starting to lay the foundation of an igloo right outside our apartment. brilliant idea. We used our trash bins to make the building bricks of snow to make the enormous igloo. I figure, you might as well enjoy the snow! A few layers were finished by friday night & we made a bunch of bricks to start off with for saturday. On Saturday, around 2, Kiana, Dex, and I started the project up again & worked ALL day. Blasting glee soundtracks, jack johnson, fun, and a few other artists helped keep our energy up. Eventually, we took a lunch break & that revived our determination & it was starting to really come together! 

Making the first arch for the doorway was a bit challenging, but soon enough it became really strong. The hardest part was making the major arch across the two sides across. We tried holding the bricks together & somehow putting in the keystone-instead of packing the snow in first. Disaster. Around this time, numerous people were walking by, being amazed by the huge creation & one of them asked if we needed any help(YES) and he ended up helping us until we finished. After the major arch, the rest was a lot easier. We created the second, big arch going in the other direction and just had to fill in the skylights. By midnight, we had finished the enormous igloo! Perfect time for some hot cocoa & grabbing our snuggies, pillows, and comforters for our first night in the igloo. What an adventure. I'm glad we had the crazy idea to camp out in the ice box, but boy was it chilly! Waking up from a restless sleep didn't feel too great, but thats what naps are for:) 

Next step:create mailbox for our second mini home & get a super long extension cord. Good thing is, it won't melt anytime soon! I have a newfound respect for eskimos and a greater appreciation for mattresses & heat.

feasting & first flight from the nest

My last day of work was Thursday, last lesson with my primary class on Sunday, and my last day in VA was yesterday. Just a few hours after the tasty new years' breakfast, my friend Audrey & I went for breakfast at ihop. delicioso. An hour or so after some packing, and my family & I go out for lunch at Outback. We love that place.

 

My best friends, Maura & Trianne were so kind to come & help me pack up. After awhile of space bagging, my family & I were headed off to a scrumptious dinner at the copans'. We all thought we couldn't be hungry after our outback outing, but boy were we wrong! They always cook such insanely delectable dinners, her rolls are so buttery & melt right in your mouth! 

My selfless amigas came over again & we tackled the job until 1am. It was a bittersweet parting, I'm going to miss these chicas enormously! I sort of accidentally crashed on the couch & two hours later my dad woke me up. Somehow I scrambled & put together the rest of my things and we left for the airport. 6am flights are the best. When we weighed one of my big suitcases to be checked in, it was 18 lbs. over! We frantically started taking out things & somehow after a few attempts, got it to 50.5! Now thats what I call an effective diet! haha what had happened was that by using space bags for all my clothes, I was able to pack more in my suitcase & didn't realize how heavy everything was getting. After we checked in the two big suitcases, we made our way to the terminal. It was the strangest feeling when we got to the point that you had to have a ticket to go further. All of the sudden it hit me that my parents had to go back home without me. We said our last goodbyes, hugs, and kisses, and I uncomfortably headed to the escalator. My mom & I took turns shouting "I love You" just as they became blurry & out of sight. I almost felt like a kid again, like a first day of preschool & you realize mom's not there for snack time. She was so kind to pack me lots of my favorite snacks for the plane & I called as soon as I made it to the gate, waiting to board. We called each other loads that day, especially between every flight. After 3 connecting flights & only getting on the wrong plane once, I made it to Idaho Falls! There shouldn't be two cities so close in name: Twin Falls & Idaho Falls. Who came up with that? 

One of Hunter's former companions from his mission, Ryan, and his sister were so kind to pick me up from the airport. I couldn't help but chuckle at how tiny IDA is. I met up with them & said all I needed to do was find where baggage claim was. I was given a funny look & realized directly to our left was it, the one baggage carousel. For an entire airport! Needless to say, it was a small task finding my luggage. The Allreds are the most humble, loving, generous, and caring family I've ever met! One of the daughters gave her room to me for the night & I immediately felt their kindness & love. I enjoyed a nice dinner with their family & even came along on a few cookie deliveries, which reminded me of my mom so much. We planned how tomorrow morning would go & a good nights' rest hit the spot.

working girl in the city

Today marks my 16th week of working at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. woah has the time flown by! In the middle of August, my friend Audrey asked if I was interested in a Research Assistant position where she worked over the summer. Needless to say, I was, and she forwarded my resume to her supervisor.  The interview went splendidly and I got the job! My supervisor, Karla, briefly told me about the union research I was going to be doing and the logistics of working for the Center of Economic Population. Most people get confused by the two Archives entrances, the Research side is on Pennsylvania Avenue, where I work. And the side that has the Declaration of Independence and many other important documents, is on Constitution Avenue. Also, on display is a rad civil war exhibit that our team checked out. I guess that makes sense, the Constitution exhibit on Constitution. My friends got a little confused when telling them I work at the Archives, so I started calling it "the non-nicolas cage entrance." 

My first day was August 23rd, amidst the humid city weather. Everyday, I have to go through security and show my research card before going upstairs to the main research area. All of the security guards are really friendly and gobble up left over treats we sometimes have. That day, I got issued a research card. Before going upstairs, everything has to be put in a locker right after security-very little is allowed upstairs in the main research area. The elevators have a mind of their own, so I usually take the stairs to the second floor. My card is swiped when I walk in & I head to the back to where our team has reserved two clumps of four desks. 

I was first trained on the scanner, where we carefully scan Surgeon Certificates from each soldiers' pension. After making sure each cert is easily legible, the scans are saved and sent to an office in vienna where the surg certs are entered in the computer. This is what a typical stack of pensions that need their certs to be scanned looks like.  Its always fascinating to stumble upon a really ancient photograph of the soldier, some when he was alive, some of his funeral. One soldier had a checkbook in his pension, its neat to compare that to what we use nowadays. After a few minutes in the research room, you start to notice how FREEZING the room is. It felt refreshing in the summer, but now its just plain mean. After awhile, I got used the constant chill, but not before getting a minor cold a few times. 

A few weeks after I started, we added six new researchers to our CPE staff. I really enjoy everyone I work with. I'm the youngest one by far, the other day we were talking about what we remember from the 90's & I think being born was my biggest event. We laugh, tell stories, eat, and celebrate together. We've celebrated Halloween, Boss' Day, co-workers' Birthdays, and have our Holiday party this Friday. For Halloween, we each dressed as a different decade...

Fahad-1910 newsman

Christine-1970's disco


Donna-1930's


Hannah-1980's


Jared-1860's Civil War Soldier


Rush-1950's


Sarah-1950's housewife


Rachel-1960's 


Stefanie-1940's


Troy-1990's


Joe-1980's


Margaret-1920


Karla-rosie the riveter


Ashley-2010


Shaun-1990's

Yes, I was a flower child & pulled it off quite nicely:) My favorite part of the day is when we put whatever we're doing on hold & grab each other for lunch time. When it wasn't so windy outside, we'd eat either at the Navy Memorial(right across from our building) or at the Sculpture garden. Once we made our way outside it was like my skin was being awakened and started to de-frost. Now that its a bit colder, we take advantage of the "we the people" cafeteria downstairs. I've never once bought lunch, but was treated to my favorite sub at pot belly's on my first day and delight in pizza we order on occasion. 

In a nutshell, we collect the field data of union soldiers from the civil war that gets used in a huge project. We're just a small piece of it, the University of Chicago uses our data and compiles awesome power points. We imput information about soldiers, e.g. his wife/widows' name, childrens' date of birth and names, death date & cause, and his pension rulings. Of what we do, is similar to an assembly line. First we work on the regimental books that were kept during the war, that are listed by company. The reggie books will indicate where the soldier was from and his previous occupation. My favorite to read is "gentleman at large" or "teamster." Next, those names are put on a list separated by their company. We index those soldiers using foot note, but also sometimes have to use old school micro film. We write out three layer carbon copy pension request slips that include the Invalid/Widow/Minor/Father/Mother's application and certificate numbers. From filling this out, we can tell what type of pension it is and if they received it. Many soldiers had an Invalid pension for themselves, and when they passed away, their wife would apply for a Widow's pension. When we receive the pension, a researcher will input the data unto a program that has multiple screens, or pages, that have fields for different residential addresses, battle names that the soldier fought in, and much more. The researcher will tab off all the surgeon certificates to be scanned. Once scanned, the pension gets returned. This information is sent to specific offices that optimizes our data collected.

I love working downtown. I love all the sights, smells, and sounds of the city and soaking it all up everyday. I love when the seasons change & how beautiful it looks for Christmas. I love how seeing Obama's huge motorcade zoom by our building isn't a novelty anymore. I love that Transformers 3 filmed just blocks away. I love the bulky sneakers with the business suits. I love commuting with my dad and how we do a fist bump as he walks in his building and I hurry along for three more blocks. We get lots of bonding time, while walking the mile from where we park to the metro. The train ride isn't too shabby, 35 minutes I enjoy whatever captivating book I'm reading-all while listening to marvelous music. I love getting to know everyone at my dad's job while hangin' in his office, before we head home. I love how flexible my job is & how we jokingly fire each other.

But, most of all, I love this man.

mi computadora

Three months ago today, Labor Day, I bought myself my very own mac book pro. Man I'm in love. I was able to enjoy the student educational discount, and the back to school event, in which I got an itouch. I set an entire morning aside to venture to the Apple store and pick out my baby. I was even more excited waking up on that morning than I am on Christmas morning, I was that psyched. I picked out the model I wanted and for a bit more mulah, a 32gb itouch ipod. The store didn't have the printer I wanted, free after rebate, so I ordered it online.

I was in awe the moment I pressed the power button. The welcome screen itself was so marvelous, I only wish I knew I could've re-played it. I read the owner's manual, customized everything under system preferences, and became slightly obsessed. I just love that I learn something new every day & how easy everything is-especially iphoto. I was concerned about how long it held a full charge & made an appointment at the genius bar. It felt strangely similar to the two week check-up appointments, like my little brother's I remember going to at the Pediatricians' with all the immunization shots and tears. Everything was hunky dory, I was relieved it was a healthy, virus-free mac. I've put it to great use and its been very helpful to my family as well. I love all the applications, and even have made two birthday picture slideshow dvds with imovie. 

There's just something about buying such an electronic solely on months & months of saving that makes me appreciate it so. Happy 3 month anniversary!  

climbing up the ladder

Upon turning eighteen, I was anxious to wrap up my Personal Progress that I've been working on since I entered the wonderful Young Women program. There are eight values, for which each six experiences and one big 10 hour project needs to be completed. Quite a bit of time, 80 hours to complete the projects alone, in addition to the required experiences. For the projects, I was able to use things I was already doing, from participating in my school's DECA chapter, helping out at the polls last year, completing my college applications, and being co-president of my school's Environmental club. For the experiences, I chose to do things like serving a member of my family for a month, planning my family's menus, shopping and helping to prepare meals for two weeks, and much more. It was a huge accomplishment finishing the program that I've been working on since I turned twelve. I wear my new medallion with pride and appreciate all the work it symbolizes.

With graduating the Laurel class (oldest group of Young Women), I was kindly welcomed into Relief Society. At first, it seemed a bit overwhelming as all the women are a bit older, but everyone is so friendly and there are plenty of fun activities. I was happy to sit next to a college gal closer to my age for my first RL lesson, since my mom's helping out in Nursery. We went to a delicious pre-Thanksgiving dinner where they taught us how to prepare tasty appetizers, the best part was sampling them right after they were demonstrated. It was a great night with my mom, its always great learning new things together. My favorite part of RS is the Visiting Teaching program. Each month, a friend and I take turns giving the lesson to a wonderful woman who is such a delight to chat with. I've loved getting to know her really well & am so thrilled for the little peanut to arrive!! Also once a month, I am visit taught by a good friend of mine, she's such an excellent example to me & I love how much we just talk and talk.

Within a few weeks of entering RS, I got asked to be a Primary teacher for the CTR 4/5 class. There's eight wonderful kiddos in my class and I love teaching them every week. They say the cutest things & are also really smart. Last week, with talking about Thanksgiving and family living further away-they started talking about Skype, most of the kids aren't even six years old! I love getting to know them more and more every week and the little snippets of their lives they talk about. I'm trying to think of a nice Christmas gift I can put together for their parents, but a little more unique than a homemade popsicle stick frame picture ornament...pictures to come:) Can't believe how soon Navidad is!!

dieciocho

On one of those crazy hot summer days that makes ice cream melt & provides for a perfect opportunity for a water balloon fight, my friends and I celebrated my birthday. I was psyched to turn the big 18. I could finally...

-become a legal adult

-have my own checking account with a debit card

-exercise my nineteenth amendment right

-order wonderful inventions off TV infomercials

-become an independent taxpayer..whoo!

...and a handful of other things.

Although I'm a "grown-up" I still..

-go to a pediatrics office &usually sit next to a five-year-old in the waiting room...the Batman stickers keep me coming.

-call my parents "mommy" & "daddy"

-snooze with a stuffed animal, a giraffe named Georgie

-watch Saturday morning cartoons, while munching on froot loops.

-order off the kid menu at ihop-the happy face pancake is delicious!

Anyway, the big day was first celebrated while we were in FL. We went to the beach for the day & woah was jet skiing fun! Being an August baby can be sometimes a bummer, most of my friends are usually out of town, but I gotta say being on vacation & being able to enjoy the waves and not having to go to school is a pretty good trade off.

A few days after we got home from Florida, I had an 18th fiesta which was quite a splendid leap into adulthood...which really meant a water balloon fight, BBQ, sparklers, dance party, princess cake, trampoline fun, and s'mores. Throwing this partay together really showed me how supportive, loving, and helping my familia can be. Padre helped me shop for everything we needed for the fiesta. Madre helped everything run smoothly and think of everything I didn't. The hermanos worked the grill, soaked the guests with the water balloons and water bottles, and provided dance and music entertainment. It was such a BLAST! It was so wonderful to spend time with close friends I hadn't seen in awhile & say a last goodbye to some heading out to universidad. I've made so many great friendships throughout HS, especially senior year. Its been hard saying goodbye and not being able to see everyone as often. The fiesta was a perfect close to the perfect summer.

miss this crazy bunch:(

Another delight, my friend Emily planned a wonderful Birthday dinner for a few of our other friends & I since we all had bdays within a few weeks in the summer. I was so excited for the five of us to get together for some delicious pasta, bruschetta, salad, and a yummy dessert. Little did I know, in her basement was a whole crowd of our friends hidden behind hawaiian luau decorations. After dinner, Em asked us if we wanted to hang out downstairs & I got really confused when I saw all the decorations, I thought maybe it was leftover from something they had earlier that week. All of the sudden familiar faces pop out from their hidden nooks & crannies & yelled "SURPRISE!" I certainly was & was so impressed how Emily kept it a secret from us, or at least me. The four of us birthday gals enjoyed a delicious brownie & ice cream sundae-she always has something tasty up her sleeve! I love when the whole gang gets together for a marvelous celebration and dance party. Truly the best birthday ever!!!