PLAYOFFS!

Guys. This post is really important.

THE NATIONALS ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS.

I'm sure no one is freaking out as much as I am, but it is a big deal.

As of right now, their magic number is 2-a Nats win and Braves loss means they would win the NL East. But, they have already clinched at least a wild card spot. Which is a BIG DEAL.

Did I mention this is a big deal?

About a week ago, G and I went to a game, knowing the Nats could very well clinch a spot to the playoffs that night. Since someone still hasn't moved to the city and had to leave to make his train (ahem), I was by myself the past 2 innings. I didn't care though...the top of the 9th we had a lead and I was jumping up and down like a wild person. Screaming and celebrating with complete strangers and the ushers to our section. AH. I will never forget it. And then on the way back to my car my phone died, haha because I was texting/calling/tweeting all at once. So mom and dad thought I had perished.

!!!!!!

They stopped doing fireworks last year except on the 4th of July, but brought them out for the occasion :)

Love this team.

Ticket to my first Nats game: May 14, 2005 vs. Chicago + ticket to the night they clinched their playoffs: September 20, 2012 vs. LA.

A lot of people thought the team would be good enough to compete in 2013, so we were all a little surprised when the team kept winning, and doing it convincingly. Back in 2005 in the inaugural season, the team kept winning but we know they were overachieving and they finished 81-81 in a competitive division. So. This has been a great season.

And it isn't over!!! That's the best part.

Here is a random collection of Nats photos over the past 7 seasons. I don't have any from '05 on my laptop because I didn't have a digital camera then-so just use your imagination.

I have a tender spot in my heart for RFK Stadium. It is ugly and run down, but I had a lot of great times there.

!!! Opening Day 2007, I got to meet Ryan Zimmerman. (Ew, I look gross. Apologies.)

Dad and I.

Then they moved to this beauty on the Anacostia River

Great views, obviously.

soooo good. even sideways.

Opening Night 2008-I was watching the game on ESPN in my dorm room at BYU. When RZ hit his walkoff HR to win the game, I jumped up and down on our chastity couch, screaming with happiness.

Had to slip in a pic of W, obv. Ceremonial First Pitch, Opening Night 2008.

George.

R.

J9. She is the first person I started going to Nats games with.

Mom!

LRG. lots of good times at Nats Park.

G.

Ignite your Natitude friends, the ride isn't over.

Running.

Some of you may know I am running the Marine Corps Marathon in about five weeks. I am beyond excited. I have been wanting to run this race in honor of my Grandpa Morgan, and this past spring I decided it was the right time and signed myself up. It has been really fun to watch myself get stronger every week and to be at the point where a 15 mile run does not seem daunting. Running really does become addicting. The moments where I have struggled, I think of my grandpa and his fellow Marines from all generations fighting to protect our country. I am running this race to say thank you.

with my sweet grandpa. he is my favorite :)

And lucky for me I am training in one of the most walkable cities in America. The trail I run on goes along side the Potomac River, from Mt. Vernon all the way to downtown DC. I get on the trail near National Airport and take it up across the 14th Street Bridge, past the Jefferson Memorial, and then down the Mall to Lincoln and back up past WWII and Washington, before heading back. I do my long runs on Saturday mornings, and while it has been rough sacrificing my only day of the week to sleep in (since we have church at the horrible hour of 8am), I have really enjoyed the peace and beauty of a quiet Mall.

3.

1.

The view could inspire anyone.

Ward Retreat.

Last weekend was the Colonial 1st ward retreat. We were all looking forward to getting away for the weekend to Maryland and Friday afternoon was the longgggest day at work. It felt like it would never end. Then this happened.

My roommate Britt and I drove up with some of our friends and got there just as the Open Mic Night was starting and then we all had a little dance party by the fire. Kind of blurry, but hey. It was night time. And we had to insta.

Saturday I ran with Jaklyn and Mars and after some field games, Britt and I walked the 15 minutes to our camp site so I could take a shower before going back up for lunch. We started walking back and after 5 minutes, it started pouring. No warning rain shower, nothing. Downpour. Cue rummaging through my bag to get our umbrellas and ponchos that weren't going to do anything at this point. Luckily we have a tender friend who came and picked us up. (so in debt)

We went on a hike with ton of people and even though there was a little lingering rain, it was gorgeous. You can kind of see the waterfall in the background here.

Roommates! Britt. Jaklyn. Me.

That night we had a Battle of the Sexes game, which was pretty hilarious. Our ward is becoming a little infamous as a young single adults ward, due to the amount of people we have and the high ratio there is of women. And everyone is wonderful, talented, ambitious, blah blah blah. So the game ended up real entertaining.

Church was awesome the next morning. We were all kind of exhausted, but being in the woods always seems to invite the spirit more. The speakers were all given an assignment to speak on the Atonement and our individual relationships with the Savior.  The girl who spoke said something that stuck with me...

He sees things we can not.

It is comforting to know that when I am struggling through things and start to question "Why is this happening?", the Lord can see my future. He knows what I should be preparing for-that everything will fall into place if we have faith in Him. I needed this reminder.

A great weekend with great people. Till next time, Camp Greentop...

The First One.

I have been pretty adamant for several years about not having a blog because I felt my life was not really that exciting (it wasn't-I was single and living in Provo). I'm also not the most eloquent person in the world, and if you know me you know I struggle sometimes with saying what I really mean to say...But since I graduated last April and moved back to DC I have realized that I actually do a lot of fun things and should probably document them.

So here I am.

Mostly I will be sharing fun things my friends and I do in DC. When my parents and I moved to NoVA in 2000, I was really mad. I loved Virginia Beach and wanted to go to middle school with my friends. Gradually, I warmed to DC and it has become home. I wouldn't be who I am if I hadn't moved here and ever since I was in high school I had a dream of moving back to DC after graduation and having fun as a young adult. Since I'm still single, I got to do just that and it has been really fun so far.

The key to understanding me is understanding my love with the following three things. They will be making frequent appearances, so become familiar.



1) My Nephews.

Noah (11), Ryan (14).

Daniel and Joseph (4), Gavyn (1).

Yes, it is true. I have 5 nephews and no nieces. But they are my world, and I have come to realize I love little boys...which probably also means that I'll probably give birth to 10 girls or something ridiculous like that. Ryan and Noah live in Mesa with my sister. Daniel, Joseph, and Gavyn live in Mission Viejo with my brother and his wife. So they are not in DC but let's be honest, I will probably talk about them a lot on this blog.

2) The Washington Nationals.

Nationals Park.

I have been in love with this team since September 29, 2004 when it was announced the Montreal Expos would move to DC. I was already a huge baseball fan at this point and was cheering for the Yankees (and still do-haters, continue hating). So knowing baseball would be back in the Nation's Capitol was beyond exciting for me. I bought one of the very first editions of Nats' hats and proudly wore it on the plane to Utah for Christmas that year. The inaugural season of 2005 was the best summer of my life and I have been a die-hard fan ever since. Yes, even during 2008 and 2009 when we only won 59 games out of 162. I went and cheered loud and knew that one day we would compete. I honestly didn't think it would be this soon though (world series 2012 anyone? it could happen). If you want to make me happy, take me to Nats Park. It is my happy place.

3) American History/The Presidency.

South Lawn of The White House.

People ask me frequently when I began being obsessed with the US Presidents. It traces back to my love of American History, which developed from where I have grown up. There are a lot of wonderful, beautiful states in the nation...South Carolina is my heritage, California is where I was born and where I consider home as well, and we all know how Texans feel about their state. But Virginia is the very best. It is where it all began. Jamestown, Williamsburg, Yorktown, Manassas, Fredericksburg, Richmond, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison...some of the greatest events and greatest minds our country will ever have happened in and came from Virginia. Not to mention eight U.S. Presidents. I have been lucky enough to live in Virginia since I was 7 years old, and know that is where my love and fascination with U.S. History comes from. I had a wonderful education and always said that "Social Studies" was my favorite subject. My math skills deteriorated rapidly by about 10th grade (my brother Ben says this is common in our family because none of us think that way) and I have never been great in science. But history came naturally.

When I got to BYU, I majored in Political Science. I liked it, but you had to take some econ classes, which would be dangerous for my GPA and future. So I switched my major to International Relations. The following summer (2008) I volunteered at The White House for the Bush Administration, and knew that history was where my heart was. 

In the Greetings section of the Correspondence Office.

So when I got back to BYU, I switched my major for a 2nd time to History and started becoming really interested in learning about the US Presidents and The White House. I wrote my final capstone paper on The Role of First Ladies in Restoring The White House and in 2011, I made a goal to read a biography of every former US President. There was a lot of cramming, but I finished on New Years Eve. 

Before you ask, my three favorite presidents are George Washington, Harry Truman, and George W. Bush. 

Also, my favorite show is "The West Wing". Weird.

 

 Follow along for updates from DC :)