Things that have happened since April 2009

I feel as though I have become an official blog slacker. I have not been doing a good job of informing people of what has been happening in my life. A lot has happened since April. I have still been at the International Guest House. I only have 4 days left at the International Guest House. I don't really know how I feel about that. I am leaving the guest house earlier than I expected because I got a job. I will be an ESL Paraprofessional at Wawasee High School. I am excited and nervous about this new opportunity in my life.

Since April, I used both of my weeks of vacation. For one week of vacation, I was a volunteer with the children's convention at the Mennonite Church USA Convention in Columbus, OH. That was a really fun week because I got to see a lot of people that I went to college with and other people that I had met before in different places. Also, it was a fun week because my mom, dad and sister also volunteered with the children's convention. That was something that my family (the four of us) got to do together before Ingrid, my sister got married.

I took my second week of vacation for my sister's wedding. It was good to be together with family during that week. However, it was nerve-racking as I was the maid of honor. I flew home on Tuesday, July 21 and was home until July 28. While I was home I had an eye appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut. I had all of those appointments because I was not going to be coming home until the middle of September. I went shopping with Ingrid and I got some new clothes. The Elkhart County Fair was going on and of course I had to go to it while I was home. :)

On Friday, we had the wedding rehearsal and had dinner at Essenhaus. On Saturday, we had to wake up early to get our hair done so we would be ready to go to the church to get pictures taken. I forget what time we got to the church in the morning, but it seemed that we took pictures the majority of the time until the wedding. I was so nervous during the wedding that I thought I was going to faint, but luckily I didn't faint. Then, we had the reception after the wedding. The beginning of the reception was nerve-racking for me as I had to give the maid of honor speech to Ingrid and Bryan. I was glad when that was over, as I don't like talking in front of large groups. We didn't get home until 6:30 p.m. It was a very long and fun day.

On Sunday, July 26, we went to church. Then, we went down to Syracuse, IN where my aunt, uncle and cousins have a place on the lake. We relaxed and celebrated my uncle's birthday by having cake. We also went on a short boat ride around the lake. It was a nice day for a boat ride.

Another exciting thing happened was when I got to attend The Legg Mason Tennis Tournament that was right across the street at Rock Creek Park. We just had to walk over to the park. We didn't have to worry about driving or public transportation. I got to see different tennis players from different parts of the world. I got to go watch tennis two different nights (Wednesday, August 6 and Thursday, August 7). I went to the games with another volunteer from the guest house. We had a volunteer who stayed at the house and gave us free tickets for Wednesday night. We got tickets for Thursday night from a freelance photographer that also stayed at the guest house. It was pretty exciting to be at the tennis tournament. Among the players that I got to see play tennis were: Juan Martin Del Potro from Argentina, Lleyton Hewitt from Australia, Juan Carlos Ferrero from Spain, Tommy Haas from Germany, Ivo Karlovic from Croatia, Tomas Berdych from Czech Republic, Sam Querrey from USA, John Isner from USA and Andy Roddick from USA. There were some pretty close games when they had to play for a tiebreaker to determine who won the game. The weather was not that hot during the games and cooled off at night. David Gregory, an American television journalist, was watching the tennis games on Wednesday night. I took a lot of pictures and will post some on this post. It was so awesome to be at the tennis games and watch famous players play tennis.

Me before my sister's wedding

John Isner

John Isner vs. Tomas Berdych

Ivo Karlovic vs. Andy Roddick

Andy Roddick serving in a different game

Andy Roddick after winning his 500th game

Sam Querrey vs. Andy Roddick

Andy Roddick

Juan Martin Del Potro drying off his racket

Lleyton Hewitt serving

Juan Carlos Ferrero vs. Tommy Haas

Cherry Blossoms

On April 2 and 3, I went down to the Tidal Basin to see the Cherry Blossoms. There were a lot of people in Washington, D.C. for the Cherry Blossom Festival. April 2 was a cloudy, windy and sort of rainy day. I did get a few pictures of Cherry Blossoms before I went back to the International Guest House to work. April 3 was my day off and I walked around the Tidal Basin with Phyllis (a former volunteer at the IGH). The Tidal Basin has Cherry Trees planted all around it. The weather was beautiful. In the morning it was raining and then the sun came out. It was sunny most of the time and then got somewhat cloudy, but it didn't rain again. The pictures below are a combination of the ones I took April 2 and 3. 

Me with a Cherry Tree

Cherry Trees

A Cherry Tree

The Jefferson Memorial with Cherry Trees

Cherry Trees along the Tidal Basin

A Cherry Blossom

Jefferson Memorial

Cherry Tree

I hope you enjoyed looking at the pictures I took of the Cherry Trees. The Cherry Trees were very beautiful.  Have a Happy Easter!! 

The National Postal Museum and the Zoo

I promised that I would do a post about the National Postal Museum and the National Zoological Park. On a day off in February, I went to the National Postal Museum and the Zoo. I didn't take many pictures at the National Postal Museum or the zoo. The museum was very interesting as you found out the history of mail and other information. At the zoo, I saw many different animals. There were a lot of people there because it was a really nice day. Below are some pictures from the zoo.

A tiger at the zoo

A lion at the zoo (he didn't like the sound of the helicopters)

A toucan at the zoo

Sea lions at the zoo

Snow Day in DC

I know people don't want to hear or think about snow when it is now Spring. March 2 was the day that D.C. got a lot of snow. I was supposed to have that day off, but that didn't happen. The night before I had decided what I was going to do on my day off. I was going to go to the National Postal Museum which is by Union Station. That didn't quite happen!!

The night before (March 1), I kept looking to see if it had started snowing yet. The weather forecast and the newspaper had said that DC was supposed to get a lot of snow on Monday, March 2. We were supposed to get about 5 inches of snow. When I went to bed, there was still no snow and it hadn't started snowing yet. However, when I woke up in the morning, there was about 6 or 7 inches of snow and it was still snowing. I wanted to get out of the house, but I wasn't able to because the roads were bad. The area schools had delays and the government buildings also opened 2 hours later than they normally did. Also, some of our guests didn't leave until the government buildings reopened. 

I bundled up and went outside to walk around and take some pictures. It was hard to walk on the sidewalks because they hadn't been cleared off. Also, some parts of the road hadn't been cleared off. I walked to the entrance of Rock Creek Park and the wind was blowing the snow everywhere. Later, I saw a man cross- country skiing down our street. I wish that I had had snow boots with me because there was a lot of snow on the sidewalks. However, my shoes and socks did not get that wet. I took a lot of pictures and then went back inside. 

After lunch, Ruth decided that she wanted to go outside and make a snowman. Ruth and I started to build a snowman, however we decided to make a snow woman. The snow was hard to pack as it was very fluffy snow. The name that we gave our snow woman that we made was Martha. As you can see in the picture, we used a pot as Martha's hat, tree branches as her arm and mouth, parts of the pine tree as her eyebrows and other flowers and plants as her eyes, necklace and her bouquet. 

Ruth and I with Martha, the snow woman that we made

Me all bundled up

A tree covered in snow on our street

Our street after it had stopped snowing

The entrance to Rock Creek Park

A guy cross-country skiing on our street

The International Guest House after it had stopped snowing

Sorry for the lack of blogging. i think the last post that I posted was on February 2. The guest house has been very busy and other things have happened during that time. We will be getting busier at the International Guest House as the Cherry Blossom Festival approaches. I hope to do another blog soon about my day off when I actually did go to the National Postal Museum and the zoo. I also will post pictures of the Cherry Blossoms when they start to bloom.

The Inauguration and other happenings

I had a goal of writing a blog post before February started. I was planning to write the post either on January 30 of January 31. Well that didn't happen because today is February 3, 2009. A lot of things have happened since I last wrote a blog post on January 4. Here is a summary of the things that happened this past month. I will post some pictures after I tell you what has happened. Sorry if some of the pictures are not good quality. I tried to put the pictures in the right order. 

-Dick and Nancy Yoder (a SOOP (Service Opportunities for Older People) couple) arrived the end of December and stayed until the end of January. They are from Goshen, IN.

-My birthday was on January 17. The guest house had a party for me and I didn't have to work that day.  Hattie made homemade pizza (it was really good) and we also had chips, veggies, applesauce and Texas Sheet Cake for my birthday cake. I don't feel another year older- oh well!! :)

-On January 18, I went to the We Are One Concert which was at the Lincoln Memorial. We were standing on the outskirts of the Washington Monument watching a big screen. It was a good concert, a lot of people were there and it was also cold. It took us awhile to get out of the crowd after the concert was done. 

-On January 20, we left a little after 7 AM to go downtown to get a place to stand for the Inauguration. Some of the guests at the guest house left the house at 4 AM. I had many, many layers on as it was very cold outside!! We ended up securing a spot close to the Washington Monument and close to a big screen. We were also not that far away from a line of Porta-Potties in case we had to go to the bathroom. At first, there were not that many people around us and we could sit down on ground. However, as it got closer to the Inauguration it got very crowded and we had to stand to be able to see the big screen. Then, we didn't get home until a little after 3:00 PM (I think). I watched the Inaugural Parade and then watched President Obama and his wife Michelle dance at the Neighborhood Ball. I think I went to bed early that night. It was a very tiring, but exciting day. I will actually be able to say that I witnessed the Inauguration of the first African-American President.

-The next day was my day off. I went downtown, but then decided to go to Silver Spring. I ate in Silver Spring and then went to Union Station. The Metro was still crowded. It was a bad idea to go to Union Station because everyone was there buying Obama souvenirs and other people were waiting for their trains to travel home. It was a very chaotic place to be the day after the Inauguration. 

-On Tuesday, January 27, the staff had their staff outing. It started snowing this day and I was very excited!! We went to where Lincoln's Cottage was located. We got a tour of Lincoln's Cottage. Lincoln's Cottage is located 3 miles from the White House and is at the Soldiers' Home. The Soldiers' Home is where 1,200 retired veterans live all year round. Also, the Lincoln Cottage is where Abraham Lincoln and his family lived from June to November of 1862, 1863 and 1864. Abraham Lincoln came to this cottage to escape his life at the White House, but sometimes that didn't happen. It was very interesting to learn about the history of President Lincoln's Cottage.

     -We then walked across the street and ate lunch at the Hitching Post. We ordered three main entrees and got six sides. The food was Southern Style Cooking and it was very good.

     -After lunch, we then went to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It is the Patronal Church of United States Catholics and America's preeminent Marian Shrine. We got a tour of the Basilica and it was very interesting to see the different chapels and sculptures in the church. Dick, Nancy and I went to the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center and looked around there for awhile. 

-A new SOOP Couple, Alton and Lois Longenecker, came January 31 and are going to be staying and volunteering at the guest house for two months. They are from Elkhart, IN.

Me with my birthday cake

Me on my 23rd Birthday- I think the hat is a little too childish 

Dick, Nancy and Hattie at my 23rd Birthday Party

How it looked after the Inauguration (looking towards The White House)

President Obama getting sworn in

Showing the crowds in front of the Capitol 

The closest I got to President Obama

The line of Porta-Potties

The day of the Inauguration- Me all bundled up

The day of the Inauguration before a lot more people showed up

The International Guest House the day that it snowed

Abraham Lincoln, me and his horse

The Visitor Center for the Lincoln Cottage

The Lincoln Cottage

Many exciting adventures

Okay, okay. I know what all of you have been thinking. Why doesn't Megan update her blog every week or in some cases everyday. Let me tell you that I have been busy doing my job at the International Guest House (IGH), relaxing, traveling and doing other things. I have not updated my blog since November 9, 2008 and a lot has happened since that time. It has almost been two months since I last blogged. I will give you a summary of some of the things that have happened during the past month. I will post some pictures after I give you a summary of what happened. 

-In the middle of November, I met some famous people. It was really awesome to meet them. Did you actually think that I really did meet famous people? If you did- you are wrong. Gotcha! I actually went to Madame Tussuad's Wax Museum with the other staff on a staff outing. It was interesting to see all the wax figures. 

-On a day off, I went to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. It was really interesting, but at the same time depressing to see the display of what happened during this time. 

-Malinda, a friend I met while I studied in Ecuador, came to D.C. to visit me for a day. We spent the day at the American History Museum. 

-On another day off, I went to the Natural History Museum. I explored the new Ocean Hall that they opened during the Fall of 2008.

-On yet another day off, I went to look at the National Christmas Tree and other Christmas trees (in front of The White House), the Ice Skating Rink and the Christmas Display at the U.S. Botanic Garden. On that same day I think I saw Barney (a Scottish Terrier), the President's dog. I was in the park behind The White House and this lady and a dog (a Scottish Terrier) started walking towards me. Before this, I had seen a lot of people exiting The White House because they were done with their tour. When the lady and dog walked by me, some people that come out of The White House said "There goes Barney", or something like that. I swear that it was the President's dog. I did get a picture of the dog, but from far, far away. I didn't want to be paparazzi and take a picture when they were very close to me. Oh well!!

-On Christmas Day, I left Washington, D.C. and took the train to Ohio to be with my family. I arrived in Ohio at 1:30 Friday morning. Friday morning my family (my dad, mom, my sister and I) had Christmas together. Friday was the annual Snyder Family Get Together. On Saturday, we had another Christmas, then we went shopping. It was good to see family and spend some time with them. 

-On Sunday, December 28, Mom and Dad drove me back to Washington, D.C. Mom and Dad stayed until Tuesday morning. Since I had the day off on Monday, December 29, Mom, Dad and I visited many of the sites in D.C. We went to the U.S. Botanic Garden, walked around The Capitol, went to Arlington National Cemetery, walked around the Washington Monument, saw the National Christmas Tree and The White House, went to the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and the FDR Memorial. We were all very tired afterwards because we walked a lot and saw many different things. Then, we ate dinner at Macaroni Grill, which is a very nice restaurant in Silver Spring, MD. 

-That night at tea time (each night the IGH has tea time at 9 p.m.), I met a man named Guillermo Aguilar from Chile. I got to talk Spanish with him and he asked me  a couple of questions when he didn't know certain words in English. Guillermo is going to be in the United States for two months while he is studying English. In some instances, I acted as a translator for Guillermo when he didn't know what people were saying in English. I was very happy that I got to use my Spanish and talk with him.

President elect Barack Obama and I

George Clooney and I

Julia Roberts and I

Franklin D. Roosevelt and I

American History Museum

Julia Child's Kitchen at the American History Museum

Oscar the Grouch at the American History Museum

The Ocean Hall at the Natural History Museum

Some poinsettias at the U.S. Botanic Garden

A Christmas Tree at the U.S. Botanic Garden

The Indiana Christmas Tree

From afar: A lady walking Barney, (the President's dog), in between two posts

The National Christmas Tree in front of The White House

A close up view of the National Christmas Tree

Guillermo y yo