Hello all! I know it's been awhile, but things have finally started to quiet down a little bit. I've been at home since my time in New England ended and have really enjoyed spending time with my friends and family! My dad and I spent Thanksgiving together while my mom and April were in Kenya visiting my older sister, Christina. It was nice getting to spend time with my dad! I've been back at Showplace working to save up some cash for the internship. I've met a lot of new workers there and have made a lot of new friends as well as catching up with old ones! I had to work Christmas night, but I had plenty of time during the day to hang out with the family! Mom made her amazing breakfast casserole, cheese dip, and roast. Yummy! Life has been pretty awesome, and I'm very thankful!
Today I booked my flight to Washington, D.C. I will be leaving early January 15th. I booked a one-way flight which was definitely a bit scary! Not knowing what my future holds is something new for me. I like to plan things and know whats going on in my life. We received the program options for our internship. They have this great program in the Department of Political Training that I would love to participate in! We would be able to network with top political faculty and make some great connections. I also found interest in the Recruitment program, working to recruit participants for our training program. That would give me some great marketing skills. But, we will see! God will place me where he knows I will work best!
And now...time for the dreaded step of packing. What in the world do I take? It's a lot like when I was packing for my field work...what do I take for 3 months? Granted I won't be traveling as much, so that will make things a little easier. I know that I have to take a lot of business clothes, which I'm excited about! Having an excuse to wear heels everyday is going to be fun. Finally all of my shoes will be put to use! My friend Stephanie and I are going to room together, which is going to be so much fun!! We've been talking about this internship since our training together back in August. I'm so excited to share this experience with her!
Well, time to get ready for work. I'll update you once I find out what program I have been assigned!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Almost the end
Hey all! Wow, I didn't realize how long it has been since I last posted! I apologize! I have been so busy getting groups organized and working on my school work. Not a day goes by when I'm not constantly texting/e-mailing/talking on my Blackberry. It's mostly been the same stuff: going to campuses, talking to students, keeping in touch with those students, etc. As the elections grew closer, it became harder and harder to get students to work with me. Anyone who was interested in getting involved was usually already super involved with the campaigns going on in their area. Now that the elections are over, I'm starting to find more students who are ready to start groups on their campus. In just a week I'll be saying good-bye to New England and this amazing journey!
But don't think that's the end......
I have been offered an internship at the Leadership Institute for the spring semester!!! Isn't that exciting? I can't believe it. I was not confident with my interview at all and was sure that I had blown my chance. However, I received a phone call yesterday and the Intern Coordinator, Emily, offered me the internship! I really can't believe it! I'm not sure what department I will be working in yet, but be sure I will let you know as soon as I find out! This is such an amazing opportunity. I will be working with some brilliant people and there are so many experiences that I will have--more than i can anticipate!! I cannot believe that my dreams are coming true. God is so good!
Once I leave New England, the craziness doesn't stop! I will be flying to Texas to hang out with some of the people that I met in Washington D.C. It is going to be a blast. It will be a sort of reunion for everyone so that we can reflect on the past few months and all of the experiences that we have had. I'm very excited, I miss all of them so much! Once I am back in Indiana, I will be preparing to go to Washington D.C. The internship starts in January, so I have a lot to do to prepare. I have to move out of my apartment in Indianapolis, store all of my things, register for online classes yet again, and pack up everything that I will need while in D.C. Whoo!
Here's a question for everyone: I am considering running for State Representative in Indiana in the 2012 elections. What do you think?
Well, that's all that I have time to write for now. I know it's just a quick update and not much, but I'm pretty sure my history professor will not be too happy if I don't get my paper turned in! :-) Thank you all so much for your prayers and support, I can't tell you how much it has helped me! Just ask my parents!
But don't think that's the end......
I have been offered an internship at the Leadership Institute for the spring semester!!! Isn't that exciting? I can't believe it. I was not confident with my interview at all and was sure that I had blown my chance. However, I received a phone call yesterday and the Intern Coordinator, Emily, offered me the internship! I really can't believe it! I'm not sure what department I will be working in yet, but be sure I will let you know as soon as I find out! This is such an amazing opportunity. I will be working with some brilliant people and there are so many experiences that I will have--more than i can anticipate!! I cannot believe that my dreams are coming true. God is so good!
Once I leave New England, the craziness doesn't stop! I will be flying to Texas to hang out with some of the people that I met in Washington D.C. It is going to be a blast. It will be a sort of reunion for everyone so that we can reflect on the past few months and all of the experiences that we have had. I'm very excited, I miss all of them so much! Once I am back in Indiana, I will be preparing to go to Washington D.C. The internship starts in January, so I have a lot to do to prepare. I have to move out of my apartment in Indianapolis, store all of my things, register for online classes yet again, and pack up everything that I will need while in D.C. Whoo!
Here's a question for everyone: I am considering running for State Representative in Indiana in the 2012 elections. What do you think?
Well, that's all that I have time to write for now. I know it's just a quick update and not much, but I'm pretty sure my history professor will not be too happy if I don't get my paper turned in! :-) Thank you all so much for your prayers and support, I can't tell you how much it has helped me! Just ask my parents!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
GOP Dinner and Dinner With Students
I know it's been a while since I last blogged, but it's been busy! With elections just around the corner, I'm using every spare minute that I have campaigning for a few candidates in Maine. If I can't campaign in Indiana for my fellow conservatives, I might as well do it here! I've been lit. dropping for Paul LePage, Garrett Mason, and Dale Crafts. And talking with Scott D'Amboise about his upcoming campaign in 2012. I actually just attended a dinner with Scott the other night in Androscoggin County. That is definitely in my list of top 5 best nights since I've been out in the field. I was among 100+ conservatives who were coming together to show their support for Maine candidates such as: Paul LePage, Jason Levesque, Dean Scontras, Lois Snowe-Mello, Garrett Mason, Dale Crafts, etc. Some of the big shots who attended would be Senator Snowe, Senator Collins, Former Governor Jock McKernan, Andy Card, and Charlie Webster. I felt so privileged to be surrounded by such great people. Other than the politicians, most of the people in the room were every day people who have been putting all of their support behind getting the RIGHT majority in the state legislature!
My favorite speech of the night was, by far, Andy Card. Card is the former Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush. His speech was centered around his time in the office during the 9/11 attacks. He focused on 9/14/01--the day that President Bush called for the meeting of the War Council. He talked about how President Bush acted as a man, not just as the President, on that day. He told us a story about a woman who approached President Bush during his visit to NYC. She approached him and gave him a badge and said, "I don't care if you forget me, but please don't forget my son." Card told us that President Bush began to cry and told her, "I won't forget."
Tears were building in my eyes during his speech and my heart was racing for several minutes after he finished. Even now, writing this, my heart is pounding. I don't care what anyone says, George W. Bush is a great man--and he's still proving that to this day.
Another awesome dinner that I had was last night with some students from the University of Southern Maine. They recently formed a group called USM College Conservatives. It is a great group of students who are relentless in their support for the conservative movement. They were constantly met with resistance by the College Republicans on their campus, so they rallied together and formed their own group. They are going to be holding a Tea Party Rally on October 29th, and I have been honored to assist them with the planning process. The administration has been giving them difficulty, fellow students have been giving them difficulty, but still they push forward. I say this all the time, but it is so refreshing to see conservative students build a voice on their campus. It proves what I always tell students--one voice is all that it takes. All that it takes is that one voice to speak up and say, "I'm a conservative" and others will follow. Nothing will change on campus, nothing will change in our nation, if conservatives bow down to the liberal bias that surrounds us.
Okay...enough of my little rant. I've been busy here, but I'm still looking to the future. Planning is underway for me to move to Washington D.C. in January. I pray every day that God will lead me, and I keep getting pulled to D.C. Dad-- I know what you're thinking. "It's because that's what YOU want. But is it what GOD wants?" Well, yes, I believe it is. Everything is falling into place, everything is working out the way that it should. And I don't think that God would allow that to happen if that wasn't the path for me. Just like everything worked out for my job as a field representative, everything is working out for me to move to D.C. Well, time to rally the troops! Be looking for my next post!
My favorite speech of the night was, by far, Andy Card. Card is the former Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush. His speech was centered around his time in the office during the 9/11 attacks. He focused on 9/14/01--the day that President Bush called for the meeting of the War Council. He talked about how President Bush acted as a man, not just as the President, on that day. He told us a story about a woman who approached President Bush during his visit to NYC. She approached him and gave him a badge and said, "I don't care if you forget me, but please don't forget my son." Card told us that President Bush began to cry and told her, "I won't forget."
Tears were building in my eyes during his speech and my heart was racing for several minutes after he finished. Even now, writing this, my heart is pounding. I don't care what anyone says, George W. Bush is a great man--and he's still proving that to this day.
Another awesome dinner that I had was last night with some students from the University of Southern Maine. They recently formed a group called USM College Conservatives. It is a great group of students who are relentless in their support for the conservative movement. They were constantly met with resistance by the College Republicans on their campus, so they rallied together and formed their own group. They are going to be holding a Tea Party Rally on October 29th, and I have been honored to assist them with the planning process. The administration has been giving them difficulty, fellow students have been giving them difficulty, but still they push forward. I say this all the time, but it is so refreshing to see conservative students build a voice on their campus. It proves what I always tell students--one voice is all that it takes. All that it takes is that one voice to speak up and say, "I'm a conservative" and others will follow. Nothing will change on campus, nothing will change in our nation, if conservatives bow down to the liberal bias that surrounds us.
Okay...enough of my little rant. I've been busy here, but I'm still looking to the future. Planning is underway for me to move to Washington D.C. in January. I pray every day that God will lead me, and I keep getting pulled to D.C. Dad-- I know what you're thinking. "It's because that's what YOU want. But is it what GOD wants?" Well, yes, I believe it is. Everything is falling into place, everything is working out the way that it should. And I don't think that God would allow that to happen if that wasn't the path for me. Just like everything worked out for my job as a field representative, everything is working out for me to move to D.C. Well, time to rally the troops! Be looking for my next post!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Prayers
I want to send out a heart-felt thank you to all of you who have been praying for me! This past week has been pretty rough. I feel like not a lot has been accomplished, regardless of my efforts. I find myself trying to fix things myself rather than placing it in God's hands. I am trying to keep my focus on why I'm here, and the fact that God placed me here for a reason!
I have been constantly visiting campuses and talking with students. Unfortunately, my job relies on students responding to my e-mails/phone calls. As we all are in college or have been in college, we know that sometimes it's easier to look past an e-mail rather than respond to it. Our minds are so focused on finishing our school work and going to the next get together with our friends, that we push aside some opportunities. I keep praying that God places it on a certain student's heart to start a group. Some of the students that I come across are conservative but either won't admit it or don't want to get involved. However, sadly, most of the students that I run across have no interest in politics. Many don't recognize the names "Ron Paul", "Mitt Romney", or even "Glenn Beck" (who does not recognize that name--good or bad?). All of them recognize the name Barack Obama. All of them. Yikes!
Recently my strategy to draw students to my table has been a simple poll: "If the 2012 presidential elections were held today and your choices were between Barack Obama, Ron Paul, or Mitt Romney who would you vote for?" The most common answer, of course, is Barack Obama. The reason behind this answer, though, is scary. Probably 7 times out of 10 the reason they answer Barack Obama is because they "don't recognize the other two names." Seriously? These people are strong political leaders and you have no idea who they are? I've even had some answer, "I don't really care about government, I don't care about elections." I just want to shake these kids until some sense is knocked into them. This job is tough. And I'm starting to feel the weight of the responsibility I have up here. Please pray for me.
Well, I'm off to meet with Scott D'Amboise. He's running as a U.S. Senate candidate for Maine in the 2012 elections. I met him a a Tea Party rally a few weeks back. I'm so excited to discuss his campaign with him! Until next time!
I have been constantly visiting campuses and talking with students. Unfortunately, my job relies on students responding to my e-mails/phone calls. As we all are in college or have been in college, we know that sometimes it's easier to look past an e-mail rather than respond to it. Our minds are so focused on finishing our school work and going to the next get together with our friends, that we push aside some opportunities. I keep praying that God places it on a certain student's heart to start a group. Some of the students that I come across are conservative but either won't admit it or don't want to get involved. However, sadly, most of the students that I run across have no interest in politics. Many don't recognize the names "Ron Paul", "Mitt Romney", or even "Glenn Beck" (who does not recognize that name--good or bad?). All of them recognize the name Barack Obama. All of them. Yikes!
Recently my strategy to draw students to my table has been a simple poll: "If the 2012 presidential elections were held today and your choices were between Barack Obama, Ron Paul, or Mitt Romney who would you vote for?" The most common answer, of course, is Barack Obama. The reason behind this answer, though, is scary. Probably 7 times out of 10 the reason they answer Barack Obama is because they "don't recognize the other two names." Seriously? These people are strong political leaders and you have no idea who they are? I've even had some answer, "I don't really care about government, I don't care about elections." I just want to shake these kids until some sense is knocked into them. This job is tough. And I'm starting to feel the weight of the responsibility I have up here. Please pray for me.
Well, I'm off to meet with Scott D'Amboise. He's running as a U.S. Senate candidate for Maine in the 2012 elections. I met him a a Tea Party rally a few weeks back. I'm so excited to discuss his campaign with him! Until next time!
Monday, September 27, 2010
And the traveling continues...
Hey all! I apologize so much for not posting the past few weeks! It has been pretty chaotic and this job is definitely not easy! Between field work and trying to keep up with my online classes, I’m averaging 16-18 hour days. Basically the past few weeks have consisted of tabling and canvassing campuses during the day, and e-mailing and calling those students interested in the evenings. A typical day goes like this: table on campus between the morning and early afternoon (and try not to get kicked off campus), use the list of signatures gained throughout the day to e-mail/call students, then research the next campus on the list and e-mail potential contacts, and finally do homework and go to bed. Probably the hardest thing about everything is finding students who are motivated enough to take that first step and start a group. There are plenty of conservative students up here— the only problem is that none of them want to voice their opinions. With most college campuses already having a liberal bias, you can imagine how strong the bias is on the campuses up here (New England). Though this doesn’t apply to all of the campuses, it definitely applies to a majority.
Oh, probably the best story that I have is about the group that I started in Orono, Maine. They changed their name recently to Young Americans for Liberty, as they have decided to join teams with that organization as well as the Leadership Institute! They are an amazing and very successful group, I'm expecting good things from them! I recently received an e-mail from my boss regarding an e-mail that the president of that YAL chapter had sent to him. In the e-mail, the president of the group thanked LI for sending me out to their campus and helping them start their group. He went on to compliment me on how much I helped them, and how I was a great representative for the organization. To be honest, I'm not sure I deserved all of the praise that he gave me! However, I am very grateful! I did not realize how much of an impact I had been on them, but according to him, the group would have failed without my help. It was great to see that my work out here has already been a success. I hope that I can continue to do that throughout the next few months.
I spent the last 3 weeks in Maine and now I’m in New Hampshire. These states are beautiful, especially now that the leaves are starting to change. I’m in Manchester right now and then I’ll head a little bit further south before I head into Vermont probably in another couple of weeks. Traveling has definitely been interesting, but God has provided for me and shown his power and mercy in so many ways. I stayed with a family, the Gerry’s, the past week or so. What an amazing family! God blessed me by providing me with a good, Christian, conservative home to stay in. They gave me an entire room along with a home-cooked meal every night. They invited me to participate in family outings, and Pam (the mother) and I even attended a Tea Party rally together. Pam is running for State Rep in Maine, and is a strong conservative/libertarian. She is a very passionate and honest woman who has a lot of great ideas for the state! I pray that God allows her and her fellow conservatives to take office in the state legislature. I miss the family, I really do! They are definitely people that I will never forget.
I am now staying in a hotel in Manchester for a few nights, I have a few people working some contacts of theirs to help me find a place to stay for the next week or so. I’ve also looked at couchsurfing.com again for some people in this area. So far, no luck. But, I know that God will provide for me! We'll just have to wait and see!
Today I visited Saint Anselm College. I had a good time there! I met a lot of great students who are interested in getting more politically involved both on and off of their campus! I will be speaking at the College Republicans meeting tonight to see if they would like to work with the Leadership Institute. Pray that God gives me the right words to say! I know that He will! God put all of these students right in front of me, He led them right to me! I really am loving this job! Traveling and meeting all of these new and amazing people has been so much fun! And everyone is so willing to hear what I have to say and learn about what it is that I'm doing (for the most part, at least!).
Prayer request: Please pray that God opens the hearts and minds of the students here. They find it very difficult to stand up and speak out against the issues that truly concern them. With the exception of a few campuses, conservative students rarely speak up. I always tell students when I talk with them, "the conservative movement will never be successful as long as we sit on our rears complaining. We have to stand up and speak out and actually do something about it."
Anyway, I will try and post sooner next time. But, like I said, this job definitely keeps me busy! I love and miss you all so much!
Oh, probably the best story that I have is about the group that I started in Orono, Maine. They changed their name recently to Young Americans for Liberty, as they have decided to join teams with that organization as well as the Leadership Institute! They are an amazing and very successful group, I'm expecting good things from them! I recently received an e-mail from my boss regarding an e-mail that the president of that YAL chapter had sent to him. In the e-mail, the president of the group thanked LI for sending me out to their campus and helping them start their group. He went on to compliment me on how much I helped them, and how I was a great representative for the organization. To be honest, I'm not sure I deserved all of the praise that he gave me! However, I am very grateful! I did not realize how much of an impact I had been on them, but according to him, the group would have failed without my help. It was great to see that my work out here has already been a success. I hope that I can continue to do that throughout the next few months.
I spent the last 3 weeks in Maine and now I’m in New Hampshire. These states are beautiful, especially now that the leaves are starting to change. I’m in Manchester right now and then I’ll head a little bit further south before I head into Vermont probably in another couple of weeks. Traveling has definitely been interesting, but God has provided for me and shown his power and mercy in so many ways. I stayed with a family, the Gerry’s, the past week or so. What an amazing family! God blessed me by providing me with a good, Christian, conservative home to stay in. They gave me an entire room along with a home-cooked meal every night. They invited me to participate in family outings, and Pam (the mother) and I even attended a Tea Party rally together. Pam is running for State Rep in Maine, and is a strong conservative/libertarian. She is a very passionate and honest woman who has a lot of great ideas for the state! I pray that God allows her and her fellow conservatives to take office in the state legislature. I miss the family, I really do! They are definitely people that I will never forget.
I am now staying in a hotel in Manchester for a few nights, I have a few people working some contacts of theirs to help me find a place to stay for the next week or so. I’ve also looked at couchsurfing.com again for some people in this area. So far, no luck. But, I know that God will provide for me! We'll just have to wait and see!
Today I visited Saint Anselm College. I had a good time there! I met a lot of great students who are interested in getting more politically involved both on and off of their campus! I will be speaking at the College Republicans meeting tonight to see if they would like to work with the Leadership Institute. Pray that God gives me the right words to say! I know that He will! God put all of these students right in front of me, He led them right to me! I really am loving this job! Traveling and meeting all of these new and amazing people has been so much fun! And everyone is so willing to hear what I have to say and learn about what it is that I'm doing (for the most part, at least!).
Prayer request: Please pray that God opens the hearts and minds of the students here. They find it very difficult to stand up and speak out against the issues that truly concern them. With the exception of a few campuses, conservative students rarely speak up. I always tell students when I talk with them, "the conservative movement will never be successful as long as we sit on our rears complaining. We have to stand up and speak out and actually do something about it."
Anyway, I will try and post sooner next time. But, like I said, this job definitely keeps me busy! I love and miss you all so much!
Friday, September 10, 2010
My First
Hey all! Well...that big 2-1 is tomorrow. I'll be turning 21 on September 11. Someone asked me if I ever feel bad...celebrating on a day that should be set aside to remember all of the people who died on that day, and who are still putting their lives on the line because of that day. I simply tell them "no". We should be celebrating! We should be celebrating the lives that those people lived. We should be celebrating the fact that our country untied and rallied together to show that we will not tolerate such terrorism. We should celebrate the fact that people love our country so much that they are willing to put their lives on the line to protect it. We should celebrate, because no matter what happens, we are still the United States of America.....and the fact that I'm finally legal. :-)
Anyway, now that I have that tangent off my chest...what have I been up to the last few days? Well, I spent the rest of the week tabling at the University of Maine. I was pretty down on myself Wednesday. Not much happened, people were curious, asked questions, but no one was interested. And finally yesterday, just as I was about to pack up, a couple of guys came up to me and bluntly asked, "you can help us start a group?" My heart jumped inside of me. I told them all about the Leadership Institute, the things that we could provide them, and the great opportunities their group would have if they wanted to start a group today. The more I talked, the more excited they got! By the end of our conversation, we had a game plan. They had an event already planned, a mission statement in the works, and they were busy contacting their friends to join the group. I am so excited for them! They called their group "UMaine College Conservatives for Liberty". I love that name because it includes everyone on the right: anyone who believes in small government and our freedom. I can't wait to see what these guys do!
Well, that was my big moment. I have continued to stay in contact with them working out the last few details so that they can become an active group! Business aside, I have had a great time traveling with mom! We have been able to see some absolutely beautiful scenery! Yesterday we drove to Bar Harbor from Orono and we took the Coastal Route. It. Was. Gorgeous. The trees and hills were beautiful and once we got closer to Bar Harbor we were traveling along the coast. My favorite part of the drive is when we got to the top of a hill and looked back--the scene was breath-taking. Once we arrived in Bar Harbor we ate at this restaurant called "Chart Room: Fine Family Dining". I had my first taste of real, Maine mussels. Interesting. The best part of the whole dining experience was the view. The restaurant was right on the water, with a deck taking you out to the ocean and everything. After dinner we headed to our next destination.
I was told about this website called couchsurfing.com. It's a website that people can go to and either offer their couches for people to stay on, or search for a couch to sleep on. Yes, I know it sounds dangerous, but they take every precaution to do identity checks, etc. I found this very sweet lady named Robin. She lives close to Bar Harbor and is an amazing hostess! Her house is beautiful, and her dog, Delilah, is my new best friend! (Just to prove that, Delilah is curled up right next to me as I am writing all of this!) The minute we were in the house Robin was showing us to our room and making tea and putting out cookies for us to munch on. We sat and talked for about an hour, but you could tell we were all so tired. We said our goodnights and then I spent about 3 hours doing homework. Yay for online classes!
Today is going to be filled with more traveling. We are heading to Boston for my birthday and will be meeting up with my friend Alex. I met Alex at the Leadership Institute and he has graciously offered to show us around the Boston area. Since he is a native, he knows all of the great historical sites to see as well as the hot spots for celebrating. Nothing too crazy, though. I'm here on business! I'll tell you all about that in my next blog!
Anyway, now that I have that tangent off my chest...what have I been up to the last few days? Well, I spent the rest of the week tabling at the University of Maine. I was pretty down on myself Wednesday. Not much happened, people were curious, asked questions, but no one was interested. And finally yesterday, just as I was about to pack up, a couple of guys came up to me and bluntly asked, "you can help us start a group?" My heart jumped inside of me. I told them all about the Leadership Institute, the things that we could provide them, and the great opportunities their group would have if they wanted to start a group today. The more I talked, the more excited they got! By the end of our conversation, we had a game plan. They had an event already planned, a mission statement in the works, and they were busy contacting their friends to join the group. I am so excited for them! They called their group "UMaine College Conservatives for Liberty". I love that name because it includes everyone on the right: anyone who believes in small government and our freedom. I can't wait to see what these guys do!
Well, that was my big moment. I have continued to stay in contact with them working out the last few details so that they can become an active group! Business aside, I have had a great time traveling with mom! We have been able to see some absolutely beautiful scenery! Yesterday we drove to Bar Harbor from Orono and we took the Coastal Route. It. Was. Gorgeous. The trees and hills were beautiful and once we got closer to Bar Harbor we were traveling along the coast. My favorite part of the drive is when we got to the top of a hill and looked back--the scene was breath-taking. Once we arrived in Bar Harbor we ate at this restaurant called "Chart Room: Fine Family Dining". I had my first taste of real, Maine mussels. Interesting. The best part of the whole dining experience was the view. The restaurant was right on the water, with a deck taking you out to the ocean and everything. After dinner we headed to our next destination.
I was told about this website called couchsurfing.com. It's a website that people can go to and either offer their couches for people to stay on, or search for a couch to sleep on. Yes, I know it sounds dangerous, but they take every precaution to do identity checks, etc. I found this very sweet lady named Robin. She lives close to Bar Harbor and is an amazing hostess! Her house is beautiful, and her dog, Delilah, is my new best friend! (Just to prove that, Delilah is curled up right next to me as I am writing all of this!) The minute we were in the house Robin was showing us to our room and making tea and putting out cookies for us to munch on. We sat and talked for about an hour, but you could tell we were all so tired. We said our goodnights and then I spent about 3 hours doing homework. Yay for online classes!
Today is going to be filled with more traveling. We are heading to Boston for my birthday and will be meeting up with my friend Alex. I met Alex at the Leadership Institute and he has graciously offered to show us around the Boston area. Since he is a native, he knows all of the great historical sites to see as well as the hot spots for celebrating. Nothing too crazy, though. I'm here on business! I'll tell you all about that in my next blog!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Preparing for the Job
The last time I posted I was getting ready to go out to lunch at the Capitol Hill Club. It was awesome! It was intimidating, but awesome. After lunch we hailed a cab and headed to the airport. I was not ready to leave Washington D.C. and head back to Indy, and having my phone stolen while I was at the airport was icing on the cake. After an amazing 10 days, they basically had to drag me onto the airplane by my hair. It was a little bit easier leaving considering I had to get home to replace my phone and have my other one turned off. With my job, having e-mail and Facebook access is sort of a must. Yes, it's terrible, I know!
I spent the rest of the week (Wednesday-Friday) visiting friends and unpacking and repacking to leave for my 3 month journey. I also got a nice surprise from my mom as she offered to drive with me to Maine and then fly back after my birthday. It will be nice to have my mom here to spend my 21st birthday with me! We're planning on going to Boston for my birthday(which is only about 45 minutes from Southern Maine) and visit all of the historical sites. I'm so excited!
Now...what have I been up to since I left Indiana? Well, mom and I left Saturday morning and drove 12 hours to East Syracuse, New York. We stayed overnight there and then drove another 10 hours to Orono. This place is absolutely gorgeous--and the leaves haven't quite started to change yet! There is so much scenery, and the water is beautiful! Probably my favorite part of the drive is when we first entered Erie, Pennsylvania and we could see Lake Erie right next to us. We had the lake on one side and vineyards on the other. Absolutely amazing! God's creation never ceases to amaze me! And I'm so happy that I was able to share all of this with my mom!
About 2 hours before we reached Orono we were very hungry and decided to stop in Kittery, Maine. It couldn't have been a better choice! We found this cute little (or so we thought) seafood place that was right on the water. We had the best clam chowder ever. We also had lots of fresh shrimp with what I dare say is the best cocktail sauce on this planet!! (mom doesn't like lobster so I decided to save that for another day!) The restaurant looked small from the outside, but when we got inside it was huge; it probably sat 200+ people! It was called Warren's Seafood restaurant. Check it out if you're ever in the area!
We got into Orono pretty late, so I took my Geology quiz online and then went to bed! This morning we went onto the University of Maine's campus and looked around, searching for the Student Union and any other places on the campus that had the potential to have a lot of foot traffic. We found the Student Union, or what they call Memorial Union, easily enough. I took the liberty to walk around and ask students about their political involvement and interest in starting student groups. Out of the 30 plus students that I spoke with, 3 said that they were conservative. Tomorrow is going to be fun. Tonight mom and I went into Bangor, which is about 10 minutes from Orono and visited Husson University to get the layout of that campus as well. We then went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant called Margaritas and had a nice dinner. We walked around for a little bit and I was very excited to see a house around the corner that had a "Don't Tread on Me" flag--there are other conservatives here! Yes! After dinner we came back to the hotel and worked on creating posters for tomorrow. The posters say things like "Annoy a Liberal, Start a Conservative Group Today!", "Concealed Carry is your Right!", and "Take back your Liberty!". We'll see what kind of responses those get tomorrow! That's pretty much all that I have for now, but definitely check back soon because I'm hoping to have lots of awesome stories for you!
I spent the rest of the week (Wednesday-Friday) visiting friends and unpacking and repacking to leave for my 3 month journey. I also got a nice surprise from my mom as she offered to drive with me to Maine and then fly back after my birthday. It will be nice to have my mom here to spend my 21st birthday with me! We're planning on going to Boston for my birthday(which is only about 45 minutes from Southern Maine) and visit all of the historical sites. I'm so excited!
Now...what have I been up to since I left Indiana? Well, mom and I left Saturday morning and drove 12 hours to East Syracuse, New York. We stayed overnight there and then drove another 10 hours to Orono. This place is absolutely gorgeous--and the leaves haven't quite started to change yet! There is so much scenery, and the water is beautiful! Probably my favorite part of the drive is when we first entered Erie, Pennsylvania and we could see Lake Erie right next to us. We had the lake on one side and vineyards on the other. Absolutely amazing! God's creation never ceases to amaze me! And I'm so happy that I was able to share all of this with my mom!
About 2 hours before we reached Orono we were very hungry and decided to stop in Kittery, Maine. It couldn't have been a better choice! We found this cute little (or so we thought) seafood place that was right on the water. We had the best clam chowder ever. We also had lots of fresh shrimp with what I dare say is the best cocktail sauce on this planet!! (mom doesn't like lobster so I decided to save that for another day!) The restaurant looked small from the outside, but when we got inside it was huge; it probably sat 200+ people! It was called Warren's Seafood restaurant. Check it out if you're ever in the area!
We got into Orono pretty late, so I took my Geology quiz online and then went to bed! This morning we went onto the University of Maine's campus and looked around, searching for the Student Union and any other places on the campus that had the potential to have a lot of foot traffic. We found the Student Union, or what they call Memorial Union, easily enough. I took the liberty to walk around and ask students about their political involvement and interest in starting student groups. Out of the 30 plus students that I spoke with, 3 said that they were conservative. Tomorrow is going to be fun. Tonight mom and I went into Bangor, which is about 10 minutes from Orono and visited Husson University to get the layout of that campus as well. We then went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant called Margaritas and had a nice dinner. We walked around for a little bit and I was very excited to see a house around the corner that had a "Don't Tread on Me" flag--there are other conservatives here! Yes! After dinner we came back to the hotel and worked on creating posters for tomorrow. The posters say things like "Annoy a Liberal, Start a Conservative Group Today!", "Concealed Carry is your Right!", and "Take back your Liberty!". We'll see what kind of responses those get tomorrow! That's pretty much all that I have for now, but definitely check back soon because I'm hoping to have lots of awesome stories for you!
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