SUMMER FINALE

Alas, it has come. My epic first summer in DC is at an end; the next 2 summers will be full of grad school. I did a lot of things I wanted to do but there are still alot of things on my list for fall, and the rest of my DC experience :)

Oh, and it was my birthday! (Aug 21) My birthday lands on an awkward transitional time and this was the first birthday in years that I didn't have to pack, drive/fly across states, or move apartments!!

But I did go to work, and my coworkers surprised me with this cute card and gorgeous flowers :)

Then my awesome boss took me out for frozen yogurt at Sweetgreen :)

Then I got a haircut I love (finally!) and went to Institute, where my devious roommates (love them) got Sam to stand on a chair and announce to over 100 people it was my birthday and lead them in singing "Happy Birthday" while I stood self-consciously in the middle of the room. That was a 1st. Then I said goodbye to Sam, whose internship in DC has ended :(

Thanks to all my friends and family who called/texted/Facebooked me for my birthday - I LOVED catching up with you all!

More special to me than my birthday day was my REbirthday! I got baptized 6 years ago on my 18th birthday (the earliest I could do so without parental consent; my parents have since accepted my LDS membership), which was the best decision I have ever made!!! (Read my conversion story here) Finding the gospel and joining the LDS Church has blessed my life in every single way, given me vast opportunities, and helped me progress towards my divine potential. I know it can do the same for anyone who is seeking the truth, earnestly learns about the Church and prays about its truthfullness. Check it out! :) www.mormon.org

Wednesday - This is the first end-of-summer that I am not volunteering for New Student Orientation or some other program to mentor college freshmen, and I miss it like crazy. So I got the idea to invite some friends over to celebrate my birthday by playing some of the icebreaker games I've learned from those programs :) We started with the "Human Knot" (*disclaimer: links to the games are variations of what I played)

I divided them into 2 groups of 8, which was apparently too many people because we gave up before either group could untangle themselves lol.

But I think it served the purpose of helping people become more comfortable with each other. Then we played "Electricity", which is probably my favorite game because it's competitive, but team-building, and has an end (doesn't go on forever). I learned it at Deaf Game Night in high school while I was taking ASL :)

It got super competitive and was a close win! Then I tried a game I'd never played before but created from another game. Basically, people had to ask each other yes/no questions to guess the person's name taped on their back.

It didn't go as smoothly as I'd imagined but I think people enjoyed getting to know each other.

Then I led everyone through the "Chair Sit", which is basically just a fun group balance game in a circle.

I did it at BYU NSO with hundreds of students...

I think it's actually harder with fewer people - and some people thought it was really weird haha - but I think most people enjoyed it

My 1st party in DC (and only the 4th one I've ever planned/hosted) was a success! Everyone had a lot of fun and the clean up was a cinch! But, boy, did I pay for it. Both my roommates and I became ill the rest of the week. I had to miss work, getting my birthday salsa dance (where lots of guys take turns dancing with the birthday girl), my ward water balloon activity (I LOVE water balloons!!), and ALL my grad school orientation activities and welcome ceremony - so bummed.

But I had already bought tickets for 2 concerts weeks ago and I absolutely refused to spend the end of my summer in bed! So I slept/rested as much as I could to get rid of the nausea/headache/fatigue long enough to go...

Friday - the much anticipated Jason Mraz concert!!! Whitney and I drove out to the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland for my 1st contemporary pop artist concert! Turns out Jason grew up in the DC area!

I've gone to tons of jazz/classical/ethnic concerts, but never someone as famous (or as expensive) as Jason Mraz, whose music I adore. Yes, now I've lived a little more ;) We were far from the stage, but enjoyed the picnic experience. Ate the best pizza I've had in months!

Christina Perry opened with about 10 songs. I was not a big fan of hers but decided she sounds much better in person. Didn't get any pics of her tho. Finally, after her and a long intermission, Jason came on!!!

I was very grateful for the awesome big screens and great camera work

They had cool background effects throughout

I loved all the many instruments that were used. Yes, I made a list: violin, flute, harmonica, accordion, upright bass, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, mandolin, chimes, organ, tambourine, a variety of rattles, and of course...piano, drums, guitar. My favorite was the brass section - such flare!

He sang his most famous songs, like "Lucky" with one of his backup singers, not Colbie Caillat

...and "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)"...

...my favorite, "Make It Mine"...

...and ended with my current obsession, "I Won't Give Up"! I was a happy happy camper.

Whitney and I had stood & danced most of the concert - such a wonderful experience!

Saturday - woke up nauseous and stayed home all day to rest so I could meet up with Melanie to go to a concert by Akua Allrich, a DC native who was doing a tribute to Miriam Makeba (a fantastic South African singer who used her music to bring awareness to the suffering of her people under apartheid) and Nina Simone (also a political jazz singer). It was at this super cool jazz club called Bohemian Caverns, one of the oldest jazz clubs still standing in the world!!

We had to go through an exotic side door...

That led us down a dark corridor... (this place used to be a speakeasy in the 1920s!)

...that took us to the intimate cave-like underbelly of the club. We got pretty good table seats!

We were both starving and were enticed by the menu to order a delectable Southern feast! Lobster mac'n'cheese, fried catfish, sauteed spinach, sweet potato fries, and ginger lemonade. Yummmmm.

Everything was perfectly cooked and the service was fast. We ate everything except 5 fries haha. Give me good music and good food and I am deliriously happy. All that was missing was dancing!

Melanie and I actually got up and danced to the last song, "Pata Pata", an infectious cha cha that first introduced me to Miriam Makeba's incredible talents.

It brought back great memories of SOAR (where I first heard it) and ballroom team (when my coach choreographed a routine to it!!). Anyway, we got to meet Akua afterwards and she was super sweet. She said "Oh I love pictures!"

Unfortunately the concert was really short and Melanie and I left the club with still a lot of excitement about the super cool neighborhood. The nightlife was thriving and we felt safe enough to do some exploring. Then we came upon one of the plaques on the Heritage Trail commemorating historic DC places and found out we were in the middle of Black Broadway!!!

If you really know me, you know I love African American history/culture (i.e. jazz). So imagine my giddiness when I saw the Lincoln Theatre, where many jazz greats performed regularly during its golden era (1920s-50s). There were a couple places named after Duke Ellington, one of the greatest jazz musicians ever and a DC native.

There was beautiful colorful folk art everywhere

And shops with punny names along U Street - "U Scream, Ice Scream", we all scream for ice cream!

And so ends my first summer in DC. It's been more than I imagined or could have asked for. I'm so grateful to Heavenly Father for bringing me here and guiding me through the next phase of my life. Fall semester at GW starts tomorrow and my life will drastically change...Stay tuned