DC Chronicles, Installment 2

Here is a very un-finished commentary on a small part of my time here...I wrote it in my notebook the other night to save until I could get on the internet to actually post it.

Day 1, Tuesday
The day began early in the night...2:45 AM. Everyone assembled, waited eagerly for the Starbucks to open (we beat Starbucks to the airport. Now that's early).

Day 3, Thursday (sorry, skipped Wed...not quite sure what happened then)
Ahh....to finally sit down and rest.

When I put on my skirt this morning, the zipper was on the left side. When I took it off tonight, it was the completely other side. Who knows, it might have made three or fourw hole rotations...I probably wouldn't have noticed.

I've had an earpiece in my ear all day, listening to the team's communication. I took it off a while ago, but I can't shake the feeling that it's still there.

So, I can't get internet inmy hotel, but I heard that DC has city-wide free wi-fi that the hotel blocks out. Bummer. What am I supposed to do? Go sit on the sidewalk and check my e-mail? Am I supposed to blog at 6:30 AM before I leave or at 9:00 PM after I get back? Ah, the difficulties...yesterday I used one of the registration computers before stuff started.

I was standing and walking all day and my legs ACHE. I know that if I stretched my shins out of their tension they would hurt a lot worse.

There is a point where I begin to find it slightly ridiculous that men and women spend their entire lives trying to earn respect for how fast they can swim. And yet I am fascinated by watching it over and over and over again. Those people's physical condition is unbelievable.

Day 6, Sunday

We finally got most of the day off! There wasn't much more we could do, since we aren't quite qualified to take apart the stage, so we went on adventures. Sadly, the Library of Congress was closed, so we ventured to the Botanical Gardens instead. One mind-blowingly cool thing about DC is that most of the attractions are free! Weee!

Day 7, Monday

I chose the smart shoes today for once. We are planning on seeing a Smithsonian and the Library of Congress and the National Archives. Yesterday, we tried to go to the Library and climbed the steps only to find that it was closed. Christina did made a valiant effort...we were really tired, and our legs are kinda wobbly at this point.

Did you know it's only a four hour drive to New York and only two to Rhode Island? I've never been to Rhode Island.

I'll update you on the actual day and more details later! Adios!

DC Chronicles

I apologize for not writing sooner. The connection at our hotel is pretty much non-existent in the free areas, and outrageously expensive in the others. I did get online at Corner Bakery (thank you Corner Bakery for your free wi-fi!) but didn't get to blogging in my few minutes before I had to catch my ride back to the Mall.

The Mall! I have to say that it is so crazy just to be here. Everywhere we go, even when we're going because we have to, we pass unbelievably amazing sites. The Call stage is just a lawn down from the steps of the Capitol. So basically I see this and this

everywhere I go. It's pretty cool.

I have an earpiece in my ear. Mine's a pretty normal looking one but there are others that totally make us Call staff look like a band of FBI agents. Watch out.

I have been mostly just fwamming around trying to be useful and trusting that the Lord has a bigger plan for my time here than just what little jobs I can do for TheCall.

The first morning I got up at 2:45 (less than three hours of sleep). We all got here and have had very busy days since. It feels like we've been here a lot longer than three days. The Pre-Call conferences start today, so it's exciting to see what that will be like.

The stage at the Mall is probably about half way set-up, and there are trailers and port-a-potties and fences and everything. The first night we were here we met at the Lincoln Memorial with the interns and people to pray with Lou. It was pretty cool.

I'm gonna sign off. Pray for me, pray for TheCall, pray for our nation!!

Loudness

I've been watching the synchronized diving at the Olympics. I've been having a lot of fun watching the Olympics, actually. I'm enjoying the synchronized diving, and Peter is being more and more pained with each flip.

My favorite moment so far has Michael Phelps' roar last night, seen here:
I don't know if you know the history (I hope you do) but in case you don't, here it is. This picture was taken just after the men's relay. There was a French swimmer who promised to "smash" the Americans... Phelps, apparently, gets pretty fired up when people make comments against him. Our last swimmer was a bit behind the French guy and then just went on super-quadruple speed and caught and passed him, winning by eight hundredths of a second. Phelps went wild and positively roared. Classic. Everybody was swimming their fastest it seems. Even the team that came in fourth beat the existing world record.

Side note, Phelps has been instructed to eat 8,000-10,000 calories a day. That is craziness. As much as I really really wish I could eat more dessert, that many calories would probably be near impossible. He eats like a madman then swims five hours a day. I think he looks like a mer-man because he has huge, huge shoulders and massive muscles but then a tiny, tiny waist and slim legs. Apparently he has flipper feet also, size 14. They say he was made perfectly for swimming.

Tomorrow is D-day. I am getting picked up at 3:15 tomorrow morning. (Actually, that's the middle of the night, not morning) I will try to keep you updated as well as I can, but who I knows, I might be too busy meeting the President for dinner. Every night.

I killed a spider today that was up on the wallk, and it fell down the shoe and onto my hand. Eww. Ewww ewww ewww.

The packing for tomorrow has yet to be done. I realized that I don't actually have any usable flip-flops. I usually borrow Lizzie's, and the one pair I do have I ruined by using with Glorie in the pool. What am I going to do?!

I started my Excellencies of Christ class today...and my mind is already blown. It's so awesome. From the teaching today, all of a sudden Genesis 2 isn't just the creation story, but the craziest picture of the way God designed us. I love it. Love it, love it.


Well, it is 7:53 at the moment. (Actually, now it's 8:14). I need to get things together. Bye.

A River

I am dead tired. Let me tell you why.

One bright afternoon a few moons ago (maybe just one ago), Elizabeth proposed to me a plan. She would pay me (which, in my situation is quite a valuable beginning to most sorts of plans) if I would clean her bathroom. Clean as in scrub. First let us interject that she was willing to pay me to do it because the tasked seemed to her much too daunting to even consider beginning. The last time she did it, she was trying to make herself go into labor with Glorie. (Let me tell you, this side of the job, I have absolutely no idea how she managed to clean the bathroom being that pregnant).

Today the task needed to finally be done. I leave for DC on Tuesday, so the time was running short. I began counting up my minutes, strapped on my iPod, and looked over all the assembled chemicals just waiting to eat my brains cells all up. (If I don't get into any sort of college, blame it on the bathroom)

I began. I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. With a toothbrush. I scrubbed the shower, I scrubbed the floor. I scrubbed the little teeny grout cracks that go between the many, many tiny tiles that make up the (white) floor. I scrubbed under the table and around the toilet.

I sprayed bleach. I sprayed Mr. Clean. Then I ran downstairs, afraid that the funny smell I whiffed was the deadly mix of bleach and supposedly unknowin ammonia in the Mr. Clean trying to come and eat my lungs up. Don't worry, I'm still alive.

I jammed, I sang. (And Liz closed the door. I can't stand how you always sing off-key when you have earphones on...always!)

A few breaks were had. A bit of rest here and there. Some texting and tweeting.... Water started seeping through to the kitchen and we still don't quite know where it came from.

And then I was dusting. And the shelf wasn't as secure as I wish it could have been. And I knocked over a perfume bottle, sending it's glass lid crashing to the floor. And it crashed. And broke. I tried to get one or two steps over to where the broom was and as I put my foot down, JAB, a fat piece goes right into the ball of my right foot. I yelp and then check out the damage. It seems okay...maybe it wasn't actually that bad. Wait, I saw a piece of glass with blood on it. Oh wait, now there's a river of blood gushing from the spot. And now there's a lake of blood in my curled up toes.

I yell for Liz. That I'm cut. Peter yells from downstairs asking how bad...I say bad. And I run (hop) over and hold my foot under the shower, having dropped big splats of blood along the (newly cleaned) floor as I go. They come with wet cloths and I sit down and press on the cut as Liz sweeps up the glass...

It was kinda a sad story, to have the day of triumphal cleaning turn out that way. But I have to admit, blood is slightly interesting to me (in a non-vampire, medical sort of way), so it didn't ruin my day or anything. We comforted ourselves with the fact that Wendy our doctor friend was slated to come over for dinner and Liz wondered whether I would need stitches.

I didn't need stitches and it hardly hurt through the whole thing. It did lead to me bleaching the floor one final time (this time to clean blood instead of dirt), and we had a lovely night of dinner (Wendy made Thai curry) and friends. My one pain is my arm. Literally. All that scrubbing must have worked my poor little muscles so much that I'm feeling like I need to go to bed just so I'm asleep and not feeling my arm hurting. It was worth it, though. I made some money that I can use in DC, so I'm satisfied. And it's an interesting story.

Oh, and I tried to dry my ear out with a blow-dryer. The water from swimming last night (exercise swimming -- I've decided I need to add it to my exercise routine because I am sadly out-of-shape with it) is still residing down in my ear somewhere, and Wendy suggested either a mix of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar (neither of which we have) or a blow dryer. So I blow-dried my ear.

Interesting night indeed.

Quotes from the McDowell House

Ariel: But why did Jesus make the whales like that?
Annie: I dunno! You could ask Him.
Ariel: (looking up to the ceiling and in the sweetest voice ever) Why did you make them that way, Lord?

----------------------------------------
Judah: (after we finished our prayer before dinner) I want to pray again!
OJ: You want to pray again, buddy? What do you want to pray about?
Judah: goats!
OJ: Okay. Dear Jesus
Judah: Dear Jesus
OJ: Thank you for goats.
Judah: Thank you for goats
OJ: I like them.
Judah: I wike them.
OJ: Please let me have one.
Judah: Pwease let me haf one.
OJ: For Christmas.
Judah: Fwo Chwistmas.
And we ate.

They seriously need a quote board, because the things said in that family are just too classic not to be remembered.

The Songs They Know

Newly Edited Photos

This is totally my new hobby...

(Ummm... L.O.L. on that last one)

Fizzy

Drinking seltzer water for fun is a new phenomenon for me. I always used to like sips of Mom and Dad's and then would go pour myself a whole huge glass like theirs and never be able to have more than a few sips of my own.

Recently, however I have begun to enjoy it (as does Glorie tremendously). A staple in the Herder household, it's constantly around and I like it! I especially enjoy this stuff, known as Talking Rain...available at a Costco near you.

And, I know believe that Talking Rain should cut me some profits for this advertisement. After all, anybody who's somebody reads this blog. If their sales increase at all next month, I need to get at least a little credit, I think.

Song of the Week; Installment 3

This week's Song of the Week is one that I like to dance to with Glorie and listen to many times over. It makes me happy inside. :)

After Your Heart by Phil Wickham

The Little One Pig and Big One Accent

Today I trekked to FSM to register for the Excellencies of Christ class. That lady who sits at the front desk has seen me way too many times before this. The first time, I thought I would register but then it was a different price than I was expecting, and then the second time I was sweaty and red-faced after working out but just had to run in as I passed the school to ask if classes were canceled for TheCall or not.

After handing in my forms at FSM I had to go the base to pay my fee. On the way, the "Traveling Preacher" handed me a slip of paper through my open window that delineated for me the ways that a good man will give up sin, etc. My sister just picked up the paper and I described where it came from and she said "The guy with the beard?" He must be a quasi-celebrity around here. He did have a beard and what looks to me in my memory like a safari hat. This (sort of) brings me to my next point.

It is 104 degrees here. 104 degrees, people. And I was driving with my windows open. I have this strange resistance to air conditioning. I am usually perfectly happy with just windows. Today I drove like that for the first two legs of my drive. By the third I realized that I was, in fact, very hot and the A/C went into action.

I am eight sleeps away from going to DC. That is exciting. I'm excited.

Here are a few more pictures. There has been a shocking lack of pictures on this blog lately, hasn't there? Blog whacks to me.



I am currently sitting with Glorie and Judah watching Babe. Judah is telling me how "The big duck flied!!!" and imitating the rooster "Cock-a-doo-doo" with that tone of voice that has a smile in it. This little boy has what is basically a Brooklyn accident. "AHHH Da's Pewfect" "Oh da's bad. da's TEWWIBLE" Also, we often here "But WHYYYY?" You're right!! It is the cutest thing ever. How did you know?

Cuteness Defined

Suz and the kids are here and searching for a new house. There is the seemingly perfect one, which we are waiting to see.

These pictures are examples of how I have discovered the fun of playing with pictures and their color. You can get such vibrancy! It is unbelievably satisfying. :)

I am nine days away from leaving for DC! I am so pumped. I'm getting a clearer picture of what I will be doing while I'm there, and I am so, so excited...

More blogs coming -- I'm sorry for the delay! It's harder to write when your days are full of
the cutest kiddos ever. (Which doesn't help the fact that I haven't even started college essays. argh argh argh.) For now, I am going to watch Ben-Hur with Suzy and eat my strawberry ice cream (with chocolate caramel sauce and Christmas sprinkles on top).

Good Plan

So, this morning I wasn't totally ready to get up because I've been sharing my bed with Ariel the last few nights and honestly haven't been sleeping that well; tonight we will try a different arrangement. But the rest of today has been marvelous!

Suzy told me to "take the morning off" so I had an incredible time going to the prayer room and working out. Today, after three miles on the elliptical (I'm pretty satisfied with myself...I've taken a break for a while) I tried doing sit-ups on the ball. Like this:

I didn't really know what I was doing, so I just guessed and tried it. (Side note: I am usually slightly intimidated by the thought of looking silly at the gym...purely because of my ignorance on how to do....most things exercise related) It was so good. It burned. Which is good. I thought it would be good for my back. It helps one's back to strengthen one's core, and I figured the support of the ball would be good for my back as I strengthened my core. Suffice it to say, it felt quite successful.

I could still use a nice raspberry white mocha or vanilla chai latte. But, this is a good day. :)