The Unthinkable Has Happened...

This will likely come as a major shock to all reading. In fact, I can't believe I'm even going to say it! It's something I never imagined happening. But... upon reading the Twilight series for the umpteenth-thousandth time, I have come to the surprising and unthinkable realization that my heart has shifted. I didn't think it was possible. Heck, I didn't even KNOW it was possible. But I can't deny it. I am hopelessly, deliriously, and unquestionably switching my devotion to Jacob!!!! I know I know. Don't ask me. I don't know how it happened... but alas, it has. And I can't deny it!!!!

Of course I'm kidding. In fact, this isn't even Kristen!! Ha Ha... It's Colby!!! I'll bet I had at least a few of you going for a second.

No no, the REAL "unthinkable" event is that I'm doing my very own first blog post!!! I've been in DC for almost a month now, so I thought I'd give everyone an update on how things are going.

The past week and a half has been a rollercoaster of fun times and good news. It all started a week ago Sunday when I got to church drenched in a pool of my own sweat due to DC's punishing heat and humidity (ick, I know). I was sitting in Sacrament, looking at all the happy families and kids, feeling a tad sorry for myself for being so far away from Kristen & Emma, when I thought I'd check the Utah Bar website to see if they had any updates on when bar results would be announced. Low and behold, the results were up! Nervously, I checked my applicant number, and half closing my eyes, anxious to see the result but terrified at the same time. Eventually, I scrolled to my number and....... I saw the most glorious 4 letters I have ever seen in my entire life: PASS. I couldn't believe it. I probably checked that number 200 hundred times that day (and an extra 100 times the next day just to make sure there hadn't been a mistake), but every time I checked, it still said the same thing, so I finally let it (and total elation) set in. I think Emma best summed up my feelings on the matter: "Thank you God, Happy Day!" My sentiments exactly!!

The next day, I had the unique opportunity to attend the White House welcoming ceremony for President John Kufuor of Ghana and his wife, held on the South Lawn of the White House.

About 30 seconds after that picture was taken, this guy walks over and announces that anyone who wants to be up close next to the podium should follow him. Not too many people took him seriously, but a few of us did, and here's where we ended up:

The ceremony itself was nothing short of amazing. First, an Armed Forces band played patriotic songs while a full color guard and about 30-50 members of each branch of the military marched onto the lawn.

Then, another group of soldiers lined the White House steps with American flags and the flags of all 50 states:

In the middle of this next picture is Sec. of State Condi Rice and Vice President Cheney:

Then the band started playing "Hail to the Chief" and out came President & Mrs. Bush alongside President & Mrs. Kufuor. Now I don't care what party you belong to, or what you may personally think of President Bush, but when you hear a military band play "Hail to the Chief" as you watch the President of the United States walk out of a flag-adorned White House, IT'S JUST COOL!!! That's just all there is to it. It goes beyond party. It transcends politics. It's just cool!! Period.

After the Ceremony, I had the chance to walk around the South Lawn and get a few more pictures:

God Bless America, indeed!!

I spent the rest of the week up in Richmond, Virginia for our Agency's Regional Director's meeting. One of the fun things we did was visit St. John's Church, where we were treated to a professional reenactment of Patrick Henry's famous "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech, which was given at the church in 1775. The speech was given during the Second Virginia Convention, where Patrick Henry, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson convinced the Convention’s delegates to form a militia in preparation for the impending war with England.

When I returned to DC, I decided to catch the Padres v. Nationals game at brand new Nationals Park. At first, it was kinda weird being there on my own, but I eventually made friends with those around me and ended up having a great time. What’s really cool is that every night, the outfield bleacher seats are just $5 a ticket.

Even better than that is that after Saturday night games, you get treated to a family movie on the HUGE state-of-the-art HD scoreboard. So after the Pads killed the Nats (Go SD!!!), I stayed and watched Field of Dreams. All in all, a pretty fun night.

"If you build it, he will come..."

Even after all this excitement, the very, very BEST part of these past few weeks is that as of tonight, it’s only 2 more sleeps until Kristen & Emma come to visit. I have to say that passing the Bar, getting up close and personal with George at the White House, visiting historical landmarks, and watching a baseball movie in an actual baseball stadium all PALE in comparison to how deliriously excited I am to see them. Even though coming to DC has been a great experience overall, I miss them terribly. Video-chats and emails just don’t cut it!! (Scott, if you could crackin' on that transporter you said you were going to invent, I'd really appcreiate it!!)

Anyway, I apologize for the super long post. If you’re still reading, wow, I am so sorry!! But don’t worry, Kristen will be back handling our primary blogging duties soon ;)

Until then... Cheers from DC!!

-Colby