It's not a gym...it's a fitness studio!

In Oklahoma we call 'em gyms, at the Bedford Springs Resort, it is
a fitness studio. Notice the perplexed look on my face, I wasn't the only one.

Okay, it was a great weekend at the Resort! Such a beautiful place, I tried to hide from my co-workers when it was time to leave, but unfortunately they found me.

There was a lot of history at Bedford Springs that I was unaware of. For example: President Buchanan was such a frequent guest, that Bedford Springs was actually called the "Summer White House" when he was in office. Also, Ronald Reagan stayed there during his second term as California's governor and Eisenhower stayed there while campaigning for President.

All three interns got to stay in the suite overlooking the golf course.
This was the view at night from our balcony, which was bigger than the entire apartment I stay at in D.C. This is one of my favorite pictures because of the sunset.

The pictures: Can you guess which bed was mine at the resort? Now you understand why I didn't want to leave!

A picture of the front of the resort, what you can't see is the opposite end of the resort(where I stayed). The resort is located in a valley surrounded by mountains or hills depending on where you're from.That's right ladies! Just for you, I got to meet Ty Pennington on Saturday night at the resort. He was a super nice guy, just hanging out with some friends, shooting pool, and watching football.

more to follow

I had another full week in the capitol, no surprise there. The Marine Corps turned 233 on Monday and then Veterans Day on Tuesday was excellent. Thanks to all those who called me, it always feels good to hear.

I could not have thought of a better way to honor the veterans than by going to the war memorials and helping out with a volunteer organization that helps the survivors who have lost a loved one in the military. TAPS(Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors)

http://www.taps.org/

is a great organization that offers services to people who have lost someone serving in the military. I spent the day helping out at their office in D.C., helping them prepare for an upcoming weekend seminar where they provide assistance for the families.

Also, in my last post, I talked about another excellent organization called USA CARES, they do great things for the troops and their families, go to their website at http://www.usacares.org/

and under the volunteer/projects links, you will find some really good projects that help the troops. I am hopeful that I can get some of those projects going at RSU when I return in the spring.

So, right now, I am writing this post from a suite at the Bedford Springs Resort in Pennsylvania. My company brought us here for the weekend to attend the annual post-election conference that they hold for their clients. This place is great! Our balcony is about 100 yards from the golf-course, I just finished swimming in the indoor spring water pool, which was outstanding! Then I decided to go really high class and sport the complimentary terry cloth robe. I'll have a lot more to write about this place after the weekend and I promise to include a lot of pictures. Hey, you work hard and play hard!

I'll always remember...

where I was when Barack Obama was elected President of the United States! Tuesday night was one of the main reasons why I wanted to be in D.C. this semester and it definitely did not disappoint. The atmosphere before and after the election has been one of the most interesting things I have ever experienced.

I started out election night watching the results at The Monacle restaurant, it's on the Senate side of the capitol and a lot of Senators and Representatives like to go there. It's interesting because there was an older autographed picture of John McCain on the wall right by our table. After hanging out at the Monacle, my friend Tere and I decided to go check out some more places. I wanted to experience all D.C. had to offer that night. So, we went to another restaurant called Bullfeathers (I've mentioned this place before) over on the House side of the Capitol. The atmosphere was much more lively and festive there, it was a younger crowd compared to the Monacle so we decided to that we would stay as long as we could before having to take the subway back home, because their service ends at midnight.

It was at Bullfeathers, where I watched the historic moment at around 11 or 11:30 when it was announced that Obama had won. The place went wild. By that time, I think most of the McCain folks had already gone home.

My only regret of the night and I didn't even think about this until I got back to my apartment and it was too late, was that I wish I would have gone to the White House. Outside the White House, is where all the energy and excitement was at. Traditionally, it's not a place where people go, so maybe that is why it didn't occur to me,but for some reason, the street in front of the White House was packed that night. I finished the evening by running on the treadmill for 40 minutes while I listened to President-elect Obama's speech.

Change of subject, this is one of my favorite pictures because Dennis Miller was so cool when I met him. He's the national spokesperson for USA cares, a really good organization that does amazing things for the troops and their families.

couple gallons of coffee and I'll be fine

Today is the day! It's going to be a long one, actually I think today and tomorrow will just blend into one very long day.

Things are tense right now in D.C. I saw a lot of anxious and concerned faces on the subway this morning. The past 2 years have funneled into today and I could not think of a better time to be in our nation's capitol. There is no question that this has been the most exciting/controversial Presidential election of my generation, but I think everyone is just ready for it to be over with.

My firm is hosting a private watch party tonight for our clients and associates at a restaurant down the street from our office.

So, change of subject, I thought I should add some new pics. The "I have a dream" pic is actually an old one from my 2nd day in D.C. It's pretty cool because that day was the 45th anniversary of the famous speech.

There are actually two residences in the White House picture. If you look in between the 2 yellow signs, you'll see a make shift tent where this lady has lived since the 80's.

Also, if you look in the left corner of the pic, you can see the top of the Washington Monument.

It's gone by too fast!

It's not that I don't miss the folks back home or the good home cooking, but the time has gone by way too fast out here and unfortunately, there is not a magic button you can push to slow things down. To tell the truth, it does not take long to adjust to the high speed lifestyle when living here. So, I am trying real hard to get the most out of my time left in D.C.

I ran in the Marine Corps 10k this past Sunday, it was the first 10k race I have ever run. I was a little disappointed with my run time, but out of 5,000 runners, I finished 128th. I feel like I could have easily finished in the top 100, but these things happen. Some days you're just not as fast as you would be on other days. So, I have 2 weeks to train for my next race, the Veteran's Day 10k on November 9th. Hopefully, I can crack the top 100.

On Tuesday, I was able to go on my first tour of the White House with my TWC group. It was a self guided tour that takes you through about 5 rooms with a lot of history in each room. I was disappointed because I didn't get to hang out in the oval office with the President(my friends informed me that I set my expectations a little too high!). Nevertheless, it was the White House and it is definitely worth seeing.
In the State Dining Room, this inscription was carved into the mantel by John Adams on his 2nd night in the White House, it reads:

I pray Heaven to Bestow the Best of Blessings on THIS HOUSE and on All that shall hereafter Inhabit it. May none but honest and Wise Men ever rule under this roof.

Whoever the next President may be, I hope he will take the time to read those words because it will take both honesty and wisdom to lead the country over the next 4 years.

Now that's how you start your day!

You wake up at 6 am on Sunday morning when all of your roommates are still sleeping off last nights festivities. You go out in the cold and run in the inaugural 5k for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and post one of your best times since before having 2 knee surgeries.

Then once you've finished the run and your cooling down, sipping water, you learn that out of 400 plus runners in the race, you finish 30th. And out of 40 runners in your age division, you come in third(I realize that some of my friends will remind me that I was the second loser)! But, let me also give a shout out to the top 6 overall finishers who were all over 40 years of age! The winner was 41 and he finished in 15:45!

Yes. It was a great way to start my day and my week for that matter. I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I had lost 7 pounds since coming to D.C., and now I'm pretty sure it's due to all of the running that I've been doing. Even though my days and weeks are always busy, I have still found the time and made the effort to continue exercising and this morning it paid off for me.

And by the way, when I got back to my apartment at 11 am, all of roommates were still sleeping.

Last minute trip

After meeting General Petraeus and winning some $$$ in Atlantic City, I decided to go see Baltimore for the day on Sunday. It was a last minute decision, so I bought a round trip ticket for about $35 and took off. Baltimore is the home of Edgar Allan Poe, one of my all time favorite storytellers. Babe Ruth was also born and raised there. So I have some pics from the day and I also got to take a tour of Camden Yards, where the Orioles play baseball. Baltimore is a very old city, but there is a lot of great history there and I'm pretty sure I will be going back soon!