Crucial Conversations

I've just started reading a fascinating book for my City Management class called "Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking when the Stakes are High." I'm only a few chapters in, but I'm already thoroughly enjoying it and learning a lot about ways to effectively communicate when strong emotions, high stakes and opposing opinions take over conversations.

This quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. was shared by the authors at the beginning of the second chapter:

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

I love this. Too often I am silent about things that matter simply because I am scared about being disliked or I feel inadequate on a certain subject. The truth is, being silent can sometimes wear a person down. It's so much easier to have an open dialogue and be honest and open with others. From my experience, doing this causes much less heartache and disappointment down the road. 

So, don't be silent. TALK ABOUT THINGS THAT MATTER. 

I definitely recommend this book. Perhaps we can work on being better communicators together? 

Still Thinking About DC...

Surprise, surprise. I'm still thinking about how awesome my summer was. In fact, if I could turn back time, I would. I am already contemplating how I can save enough money to take a trip back there over spring break (anyone want to join?).

Today, I thought I'd share a blog post that I wrote for the Leavitt Center about my experience. Enjoy. 

Perspectives and Possibilities: What I’ve Learned as a Congressional Intern

I have sat staring at this blank page for weeks now...trying to figure out how to portray this summer in Washington, DC into a few paragraphs. I am currently working my last week as a summer intern in Congressman Jim Matheson’s office (Utah’s 4th District) in Washington, DC. There’s an electrifying atmosphere on The Hill and I’ve loved being a part of it. I have to remind myself every day that “no, Bailey...it’s not a dream, you really do work in the U.S. Capitol Building!” Sometimes I was simply an observer, other times I played a (small)  part, but either way, it was absolutely fascinating to learn about the process, the politics, and the issues.

Looking back, much of what I’ve learned during my internship falls into two areas: Perspectives and Possibilities. I’ll attempt to share a little of both below--

Perspectives:

• People. One of the main duties of my internship was answering all incoming phone calls to the office. This allowed me to talk to many constituents about issues they were concerned about and ensure those concerns or comments were passed along to the congressman. This experience taught me that there are many different perspectives and ideas about how the issues of our nation should be handled, and (even if they’re yelling at you), it’s important for people’s perspectives to be acknowledged.

• Knowledge is power. I set a goal at the beginning of my internship to leave feeling more educated about political issues. Now that I’m almost done, I think the best part of this internship has been the fact that there was always something new  to learn.  Even on a slower day in the office, there were newspapers to read, briefings/hearings to attend, letters to help draft, or co-workers to talk to. I’m definitely leaving with some new perspectives and ideas and a much better education on the issues.

• Politics. Our friends in the Leavitt Center teach us that politics are everywhere and a part of just about everything. They’re right. I’ve heard so many students say “it would be fun to do a congressional internship, but I don’t like politics.” Believe me, you don’t have to like politics to benefit from an internship. For example, my roommate just graduated in elementary education and is headed back to Utah to set up her fifth grade classroom and prepare to teach her students about American History and Government. My co-worker is heading to medical school next year and has spent the summer attending as many briefings about health and medicine as possible. There really is something in DC for everyone interested in an internship (lobbying, non-profits, museums, government agencies, congress, communications, etc.) and when you understand politics, you will have a better perspective for the “real world”.

Possibilities:

• Jobs. Like I said before, there is something for everyone in DC. That means there are more possibilities for jobs than I ever imagined. It’s been fun to observe different roles not only in the house and senate, but throughout the city. It’s helped me expand my horizons and realize there are opportunities out there for what I may want to do in the future.

• Ideas. At SUU, I work in student government (a job I love). Obviously it’s on a MUCH smaller level, but it’s amazing how many great ideas I’ve had for SUUSA from being here in Washington and working here in the House of Representatives. As student leaders, we have to reach out to our constituents in similar ways to how the Congressman reaches out to his. I’m excited to come back and implement some of these ideas!

• DC Life. I LOVE WASHINGTON, DC. Really. I absolutely love it. There is so much to do and see and it never gets old. Some of my favorites have been: riding bikes around the monuments, the American History Museum, Arlington Cemetery, the myriad of cupcake shops (confession: I think I tried 7 different places while I was here...I love cupcakes. A lot.), the 4th of July (the best fireworks I’ve ever seen)...and the list goes on forever.  

If you’ve thought about doing an internship through the Leavitt Center, DO IT. The perspectives I’ve gained and the possibilities my eyes have been opened to in DC have made this experience one I won’t soon forget.

Fun Friday Night

Friday nights are the perfect time to get out and explore DC and last night was no exception. This time, some girlfriends and I went back to a tried and true favorite--Georgetown--to have a cupcake sampling extravaganza. But obviously, while we were there, we had to get a Good Stuff burger! (BEST BURGER EVER).

We then went to Georgetown Cupcake and Baked and Wired and bought some different cupcakes to sample:

I must say...Baked and Wired has beat out all other cupcakes I've sampled (so far) in DC. They were so yummy and had delicious, unique flavors. Like Morning Flapjack for example (yes, it's the one with bacon on the top), literally tastes just like pancakes and bacon breakfast! My personal favorite was the lemon raspberry cupcake.

                      

 

We ate our cupcakes at this beautiful area by the canal that I absolutely loved.

                      

 

After a fun evening in Georgetown, I thought it might be fun to walk down to the Lincoln Memorial because it's only about a mile away from the metro station we were headed to. (And after the amount of walking I do in DC a mile seems like nothing!) 

The mall is BEAUTIFUL at night, and it was perfect because it wasn't too hot or humid. We sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, looking out over the reflecting pool, Washington Monument and Capitol chatting and laughing for an hour or so before we headed home.

Friends+Cupcakes+Good Stuff Burgers+Georgetown+Lincoln Memorial= FUN FRIDAY NIGHT!

Will Someone Pinch Me?!

 > I work here <

One Month In & What I've Learned

I am one month in to my wonderful Washington, DC adventure. I can't believe it! It doesn't feel like it's been that long, but it has. One thing I love about it here is that each day is different, and there is ALWAYS something new to learn.

Here is a small sample of the long list of things I've learned:

I LOVE trying local food places. Okay, that's not really new. But I definitely should have saved a lot more money before I came out in order to fuel that hobby. I have now made a rule that I can only eat out on the weekends. The struggle to follow that self-imposed rule is real. It's is literally a daily temptation for me...do I make that PB&J again or walk down the street to that seafood restaurant I've been wanting to try? "Not until Saturday, Bailey," is what I tell myself.

Museums are an all day thing. First of all, WOW the museums are incredible here. I remember on our first day here, my roommate and I set off to see a few of the museums. First up, the Air and Space Museum! 5 hours later...we finished at the Air and Space and decided that was probably enough for one day. Now we're much more prepared and try and tackle just one at a time.

This past weekend we went to the Newseum. I absolutely loved it! Any museum all about news is right up my alley! I also learned that literally anything can end up on display at a museum. Mom, you know that phone in the toy box you let the granddaughters play with? It's twin is on display at the Newseum. I'm pretty sure I remember Dad having the one next to it. Who would have thought?

Always be prepared for rain. The heat makes it hard to judge when it might rain, because thanks to the humidity, it always feels like it's going to rain even when it's clear outside. We've had some pretty wicked rainstorms over the past few weeks (and when I say rainstorms, it's more like torrential downpours!) For example, my beautiful afternoon walk to Target (about 2 miles away) turned into a sprint home in a crazy thunderstorm...by the time I got home, I was soaked. It legitimately looked like I had just jumped into the swimming pool with my groceries! I have video evidence, but blogger isn't letting me upload so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Stand Right, Walk Left. That is the DC rule for escalators and it SHALL NOT BE BROKEN! You can tell if someone's from out of town when they don't know to follow that rule. Glad I had people to warn me of that before I left!

Writing to your congressman is always a good idea. Being an informed citizen and exercising your right to speak up about issues you care about is a good idea. But, sending 20 faxes in a row about the same issue to your congressman...probably not the best idea.

Stay Informed. Read the Newspaper. Contribute. Work hard. All things I'm learning while working in the office every day.

I'm loving my DC intern experience and I can't wait for what the next month will bring!

Old Town, Cupcakes and Return Trips

Just two metro stops away from my apartment, Old Town Alexandria is quickly becoming my new favorite place in DC (or Virginia). It is so quaint and beautiful and I love all of the unique and boutique-y shops!

Last weekend, a group of friends and I decided to check out Old Town King Street, mostly just for something to do on a Friday night, but we ended up staying there for several hours. It was such a fun place to explore. When we got there, many of the shops were closed, so I vowed to make it back here eventually. You see, the problem is that there are SO many places and things to see this summer, that I'm getting worried I won't actually get to go back to the places I really love, because I want to experience everything! I guess you could say it's a blessing and a curse.

Anyway, back to Old Town, we walked all the way down King Street until you hit the waterfront, another beautiful sight to see! The pictures don't do it justice. We also ate at THE most delicious Italian restaurant. They had all sorts of different wood-fired dishes, so we all ordered something and shared it, That was perfect, because then I got to try a little of everything. I'm such a foodie, all of these quaint restaurants out here are killing me! They also had hot, homemade rolls with an incredible dipping sauce. Definitely some place I'll have to try out again. :)

 

Needless to say, I love it there. On Saturday, we went to Georgetown; also a very fun place to hang out, shop and explore. I bought a new book at a little bookshop: Presidential Campaigns: From Washington to Bush. And yes, if you're wondering, the only souvenirs I've bought so far have been books. I think I have a problem. Books and food. 

Which leads me to cupcakes. There is a famous cupcake shop in Georgetown that we wanted to go try out called Georgetown Cupcakes. It is the bakery in the show "DC Cupcakes" on TLC. When we made it there, the line was literally halfway up the street, so we decided not to wait and ended up going to eat the best burgers in town instead (which was totally fine by me). When I got home, I looked up DC Cupcakes to see what all the fuss is about and watched a few episodes. PROBLEM: Don't watch DC Cupcakes when you're in DC because then all you'll want to do is go there and eat more cupcakes. I looked up cupcakes on my UrbanSpoon app and found that there are many different cupcake places around my area. Hence, my summer cupcake tour of 2014 began. First stop, a return trip to my newfound favorite place, Alexandria. 

So, today, on my day off, I took the metro two stops away back to King Street. This time I walked through a few of the shops that were closed Friday night, including an awesome consignment store with really good clothes and a bookstore that Mom would love. I was getting a little hungry, so I decided to try out a little sandwich shop/deli on the corner. I ordered a very tasty sandwich--

Sourdough Bread
Pesto Mayo
Dijon Mustard
Roast Turkey
Brie Cheese
Tomato
and Lettuce.

Delicious.










And what do you know? Right next door?

Alexandria Cupcakes. So convenient.

              

 

They had two flavors I was deciding between...vanilla bean or vanilla bean with raspberry frosting. I asked the lady at the counter what her favorite was, and she said the vanilla, so I went with that. She also said to come back and try the raspberry again because they make it 3 times a week (don't mind if I do!)

It was SO delicious and I was not disappointed. 

And of course, just like it does every Tuesday I've been here, it decided to rain. So I took the trolley back to the metro station and travelled two stops back to my apartment. 

I'd say it was a good day. 

Snapshots from DC

***DISCLAIMER: Sorry that the pictures got super jumbled...I don't know how to fix it! I need blogging lessons!***

So, I made it...and I love it! (no surprise there).

I couldn't be more thrilled to be spending the summer working in Washington, DC. It has already been quite the adventure!

Here's a few photos from the exploring I've been doing...

Smithsonian American History Museum

First Ladies Exhibit was AMAZING.

Laura Bush Inaugural Gown

Roommates/Friends

The Capitol Building is incredible.

Appropriations committee room

Does this look familiar?

Library of Congress

Sorry there's not a whole lot of detail here, but I thought my blog desperately deserved an update and maybe some of my followers out there might want to see a few pictures.

More to come! It's shaping up to be an epic memorial day weekend with many more "touristy" things on the docket.

I'm GRADUATING.

Well, I almost made it. 

"Made what?" You might be asking yourself.

I almost made it four years without participating in that quintessential college experience everyone says is bound to happen at least once. 

I almost proved that idea wrong. 

Until yesterday. 

My capstone paper was due today at 5pm. After a rough past week of late nights and slaving away all weekend (yes, I know I should have been slaving away all semester...kind of the point of a senior capstone paper...#procrastinationproblems), I felt confident I would have plenty of time to finish it up this weekend.

But, roughly five panic attacks and 1900 articles about Laura Bush later...

I finally pulled my first ever all-nighter. I'm lucky to have an office at the school--but being the only person in the student center at night can get a little long...

By the way, I would not recommend an all nighter to ANYONE. I don't know how people do it, I really don't. I'm exhausted. Physically and mentally. 

But, 

I MADE IT!

Now, here I am sitting in my bed at 10:30 at night, after the longest day of my life, but I just can't seem to fall asleep, because now that I'm not completely stressing over my paper, I'm now just coming to the realization that I GRADUATE IN 11 DAYS. 

Just like my good friend James Taylor tells us, the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time. So, now it's time to sit back and enjoy the ride. 

A Quote (For Dad)

I was talking to my parents tonight and my Dad suggested I should post an inspirational quote on my blog to help keep me motivated through these last few CRAZY weeks of school and to share with my three blog followers (thanks Brynn, Brytt and Mom). My guess is that he probably just wanted me to post. (since I've obviously been pretty inconsistent when it comes to blogging...) Either way, it's always a good thing.

Here's the quote I chose:

It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.-Ernest Hemingway

My interpretation: 

Happiness and success are really about focusing on the lessons learned in the process, not in the end result. This is something I'm working on remembering--to find joy in the journey.

Friendship : The Series

It's probably because I'm in denial, but I'm just getting around to realizing that in less than six weeks I'll be done with my senior year at SUU.

What does that mean?

It means I graduate.

What does that mean?

It means that my life and future plans have definitely worked out differently than I expected them to.

What does that mean?

It means I'm beginning a master's degree at SUU next year.

What does that mean?

ALL (okay, not all, but a lot) OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE LEAVING ME.

Argh.

I'll try to steer clear of the cheesy sentimental posts, (I make no promises, sometimes they just happen) and stick to telling you all simply, why I love my friends. Seeing as how my blogging has been very sparse lately, I would like to officially introduce FRIENDSHIP: The Series to help motivate me to share some fun (and often very random) memories//good times//funny moments I've had with my SUU friends.

Episode One : SPOTIFY & Friends

My friends understand when the others may be feeling stressed and send them inspirational songs through none other than Spotify. Sometimes they're really random, like sound effects or full album of the sound of rain, but that just adds to the fun. During the darkest of times (finals week), hilarious conversations using only song titles to express our feelings ensue.

Just to give you a taste, I'll let the following screenshots speak for themselves:

Yeah, we're weird. But there's some fun memories attached to these songs/conversations/study sessions.

Peace & Blessings, until next time.

SUUSA 2014-2015

What a crazy week of campaigning! So excited for the opportunity to serve as VP of Academics again. I kept telling my team all week that I wanted to take a million pictures for memories so yesterday we took A LOT! Hopefully I can put a few more up here when I get them off other people's cameras.

The Academic Senate. (Fantastic group!)

New Executive Council. (3 women this time around!)

The whole group with Pres. Wyatt

Happy President's Day!

I've been watching some West Wing to celebrate. 

today.

today i'm grateful for:
1. my wonderful parents
2. relief society
3. amazing, supportive, funny, positive friends

most of today was spent watching the olympics...

i sit down to watch one event, and before i know it, i'm hooked! i think that's going to become a problem over the next few weeks. my productivity is going to be thrown out the window.

i love watching all of the different events and incredible athletes. today, i especially loved the biathlon. shooting and skiing? pretty random...but also extremely fun to watch. the endurance of these olympic athletes is amazing to me! I mean, I can barely handle 30 minutes at the gym and they're out there cross country skiing uphill in freezing temperatures for 18km or downhill skiing at 80mph, or figure skating for 10 minutes at a time. impressive.

The gold medalist right after she finished the biathlon race.
I would probably be on a stretcher long before this point.

what olympic events are you loving so far?

21 Days Happiness Challenge

Today in Summit (SUUSA Leadership Class), our advisor taught us about the importance of being happy. It's easy to get so caught up in everything that we need to do that we forget to take time enjoy the ride and actually be happy. 

He then challenged all of us to make the following 5 things a habit in our lives for the next 21 days, paying attention to the way it influences our life for good:

1. Write down 3 things you are grateful for.
2. Write in a journal. 
3. Exercise & take time for yourself. 
4. Meditate.
5. Perform random acts of kindness.

So tonight I started this 21 day challenge. I invite any of my (very few) blog followers to join in with me. Some days I will try journal or write the things I'm grateful for on this blog to keep me accountable. 

We'll start here--

Tonight I am grateful for:

1. The gift of the Holy Ghost

2. THE BEST, most supportive family

3. A warm bed 

Well, there you have it. 1 day down, 21 to go. 

BE HAPPY. 

I love this.

The Good Stuff.

HAPPY NATIONAL POPCORN DAY! (If there's anyone reading that might be doubting why NPD (national popcorn day) is worth a blog post, let me preface by saying that popcorn is my favorite food, so this holiday is kind of a big deal). To celebrate this fantastic day full of butter, salt and delicious kernels, I am re-posting a something I wrote on my Popcorn Thursday blog last year. Enjoy!

as i’ve mentioned before, my love of popcorn runs in the family. when i was young, every sunday afternoon we would go visit my grammy and grandpa at their house. and every sunday afternoon, my grammy made a big batch of homemade, buttery, salty popcorn. that was one of the best parts about going to grammy’s! ever since those days popcorn has become a weekly tradition. my sister bought me my own air popper for high school graduation so i could still have the “good stuff” when i got to college. see, i take this stuff pretty seriously.

i realized that all of my posts have included making popcorn in them. so, if you want the BEST way to make popcorn, here are my grammy’s famous techniques:

-pop one giant bowl of popcorn with your air popper

-then gage how much butter you feel like using. if you have a really big bowl, it’s probably going to take a whole stick although usually 6-7 tablespoons coats a good sized batch of popcorn. (hey, no one said this was going to be healthy…) melt the butter in the microwave.

-pour the melted butter carefully over the popcorn and mix the popcorn around to make sure it all gets coated.

-shake a few good shakes of salt on top (my mom does about 2, grammy does about 5) to taste. then carefully shake popcorn in the bowl up and down until the butter and salt are incorporated.

and that’s it! making popcorn is not rocket science, but making GOOD popcorn (none of this sticking a bag in the microwave stuff–my family affectionately calls that the “fake popcorn”) only takes a little extra time with an air popper, a stick of butter, and a bit of salt.

popcorn is great for movie nights, game nights, snacks, and good conversations. i’ve even known some people in my family (who shall remain nameless) to sneak this delicious “grammy” popcorn into the movie theater in an over-sized purse.

so, if you haven’t had the “real stuff” before, give these grammy techniques a try!