2010: My first full year out of school, in DC, and so much more!

Oh, hello!

I am terrible about updating this thing (as I have mentioned every few months when I go to update it...). Well! A lot has happened in the past year. My lovey-dovey Jessa Havican did a year-in-review post, and I think I may just follow suit!


January 2010:
Chris had just broken his leg (d'oh!) and there was a terrible blizzard in DC. We spent the entire month, pretty much, trapped in my apartment. We watched a lot of West Wing, though. I also got to fly home and be a bridesmaid in a different lovey-dovey's wedding. Kristen's wedding was wonderful, and I was so happy to be there for her special day!























February 2010:
Chris and I took our first trip to VEGAS! We came back unmarried, with most of our money, and no serious injuries--I'd call it a success.



















March 2010:
Work really started to pick up. In my line of work it's important to have the bulk of your fundraising done by March of the election year so the candidates can actually spend the money. I spent a good deal of time in the office. I had never sat in an office working for 14 hours straight, but I did it!

April 2010 - June 2010:
More fundraising. Work, work, work! Between March and June I didn't take a single day off. Not so exciting. I was averaging 60 hour work weeks (at least). It was exhausting, but I seriously believe that we were made for work and we're happiest when we're doing just that.

However, Chris's leg was better and the blood clot was completely gone by June. That made our lives quite a bit better.















July 2010:
I got to go home for the Fourth of July! Seeing my parents always makes me so happy. I got to just hang out at home with the family (which I hadn't really done in almost a year). I didn't even tell my friends I was in town. It was fantastic. My mom and I drank wine, went shopping, and I got to see my daddy and brother and sister and grandparents. So much love!

Later that month Chris and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary as a couple (our anniversary is actually in August) by taking a long weekend in the Outer Banks. It was glorious. We stayed beachfront, played in the water, ate lots of Southern cookin', and climbed to the top of a lighthouse. We also drank a bottle of champagne at 5AM to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean together (something neither of us had ever done).



August 2010:
I turned 23. Ugh.

September 2010:
Work got even crazier. I would full out take naps at the office afterhours so I could work extra late. I had interviewed a girl I thought would be perfect for the intern position in our office. My bosses agrees so heartily that they hired her as our staff assistant! She made my life so much easier. Thank the Lord for Lida!

October 2010:
Things calmed down a lot. There wasn't a lot more to do work-wise. Chris was out of town for most of the month, which was a serious bummer to me. However, I danced on a bar for the first time on Halloween (WIN!).
























November 2010:
November 2nd. Best. Night. Ever.


















December 2010:
Chris and I took a 2 week trip to Nicaragua where we hiked a volcano, ziplined through the canopy, fed monkeys, ate local cuisine, went horseback riding, and all other sorts of craziness. It was phenomenal. I feel so blessed to have the ability to travel with the man I love all over the world (well, hopefully all over the world--SOON!)




If 2011 can be half as interesting as 2010 I will be happy! I hope to travel more, maybe watch what I eat (gave up on weight--but I eat too much junk), get even better about my finances (thinking about a house...), and celebrate 4 years with my man! Professionally, I think this is going to be a great year for me. I've worked really hard, and I intend to keep it that way!

Election Year!

Well my dearies, I've decided to let you know what's on my mind lately. As most of you know, I do political fundraising (I am assistant to the two guys who own the firm I work for and their sole employee). Because of my job I have interest in quite a few political races. I have a couple that are really interesting, and I think you should take a little peek at just for funsies!

1. Charles Djou--HI-1
Charles is a really impressive guy. He's in the reserves, has been a state legislator, is a city councilman (in HI a city councilman is a higher position than a state legislator based on the size of the constituency--the only state like that...well, maybe RI), is a law professor, a husband, and a father, and he isn't even 40 yet. He's perfect for Pat Saiki's former district. Hawaii has elected Republicans in the past, so it is not as far-fetched as it may seem. Charles is currently in an open, winner-take-all special election against 3 Democrats (and no Republicans). If you're looking to throw some support behind a Republican, I recommend Charles. He is one of my very favorite candidates. Not only is this an interesting race because a Republican can take a currently Democratic seat, it's the congressional district where Barry Obama grew up.
www.djou.com

2. Pat Toomey--PA Senate
Whoa! This race is dramatic at best. Current Senator Arlen Spector betrayed, yes BETRAYED Republicans and switched parties to cover himself during what seemed would be a liberal landslide. Unfortunately, the oh-so-popular president's rating fell faster than my boyfriend walking home drunk in the snow. Pat Toomey, the man who almost beat Spector in the Republican primary almost 6 years ago has stepped up to the plate. He is a great candidate and it really looks like he's going to take this race. This is another race to support!
www.toomeyforsenate.com

I only have the Republican side (as that is the only side I care about--GO SCOTT BROWN). There are certain blogs/sites that are fantastic to watch as well. I usually don't go straight to the pollsters, because blogs will give you the outcome of many polls at once (and I don't have time to search through everyone's sites).

www.swingstateproject.com (my FAVORITE--huge lib, but he does a good job analyzying polls)
www.realclearpolitics.com

Also, and this is really important, don't get all your information from FoxNews, CNN, Huffington, or anything of the like.

Now you can see what's going on in my brain.

BROWN WINS MASSACHUSETTS!

Sorry, guys. It is my civic duty to get excited! Also, as someone who's living revolves around whether or not Republican candidates win seats this is very exciting news for me!

Let me know if you're interested in politics at all. I love to discuss, especially with those who usually don't have such an outlet. I am a wealth of information, especially if you want to get involved. I am happy to help anyone (even dirty Democrats...just kidding! y'all aren't all dirty) get involved. This is a representative democracy, so I think we need to make sure the right people are representing us!

Again:

BROWN WINS THE LATE SENATOR TED KENNEDY'S SEAT IN THE SENATE!!!

Staying Positive

Sometimes to stay positive you have to list the good that's going on in life. Here are a few lists of reasons I love certain things:

Reasons I love my job:
1. All politics, all the time. Instead of looking at me like I'm a crazy person when I talk about different elections, I am educated on races I didn't know much about.
2. I can listen to Lady Gaga while I do busy work.
3. I can snack on popcorn.
4. My bosses crack me up and never cease to surprise me.
5. I got my first raise!
6. I get the occasional free meal.

Reasons I love the beef:
1. He has a goofy side that is just for me--though sometimes it comes out other times, it's mostly just for me.
2. He can't dance and it's adorable.
3. He bought me the Lady Gaga cd I listen to at work (well one of them--his sister got me the other).
4. He's as snobby as I am and likes how high maintenance I am.
5. He is definitely the smartest boy I've ever dated.

Reasons I love my DC friends:
1. They will play Jersey Shore dress up with me.
2. They will steal balloons with me.
3. They are as domestic as I am (not at all!).
4. We're all political.


Reasons I love my Fresno friends:
1. We can still dance around like kiddies.
2. They are always there for me.
3. They are some of the most accepting people I know.

Reasons I love DC:
1. It's the center of the world...well, right after NYC.
2. It looks beautiful covered in snow (though I HATE the cold).

Reasons I love Fresno:
1. My mom lives there.

My life is pretty great. I love that it is NEVER boring. I feel like when I look back I will have plenty of interesting stories, and I think that's important.

Transitioning Into Grown-Updom: Loving the Life I Have

I've been reading through my past posts. One such post (which you can find here) discusses my hate of Arlen Spector and has a list of things I'd like to do instead of becoming and adult. Now that I am an adult, I thought I'd make a list of things I'd rather be doing than being an adult. The grass is always greener on the otherside of the...college degree... Then I rethought and decided to make a list of things I like about being an adult. I need to be a little more positive.

As a side note, I currently work for a company that has been hired by Pat Toomey, the man who will either run against Spector or Sestak (the person in a primary against Spector).

Things I like about being an adult:
10. Taylor Lautner has to turn 18 sometime.
9. On Halloween instead of trick-or-treating, you just get to Caroline it up!
8. Talking about the current elections or the 2010 elections is just normal conversation; I don't sound pretentious.
7. I have a job that allows me to wear high heels everyday. If I want.
6. Trivia nights.
5. I can see Harry Potter at midnight without asking my mom. Now I just have to ask my significant other.
4. No homework.
3. Vodka Tonic.
2. Starting my own board game collection (weirdly exciting).
1. A paycheck.

Fabulous. Oh lord. I am still at work for three hours. It is election day. Tonight will hopefully be a good night for the GOP. This McDonnell race looks really promising, which is great considering the last 2 governors of VA were Dems. Creigh Deeds is just an awful candidate--it worked out for us. NY-23 should go to the GOP, as well, but we're going to have trouble with such a right wing conservative in that seat. Moderate is not the devil, people. Moderate is a good thing in a lot of places. There are others, but I won't go on a political rant.

I love you, friends! Come visit your DC!