Oh Groundhog, you little f***er.

Thank you for seeing your shadow and continuing winter for another six weeks, please realize that I only want you to extend winter when I live in California, thank you...until next year.

And on that note, the weather has been ridiculous to say the least, I don't particularly care for this pattern of every two days it changes from 30s to 40s to 50s to 60 to 40 to 30s to 20s....WTF IS THAT?!? It's stupid, that's what.

Anyway the internship is going great, Tuesdays as I have said before I go to the Koch Foundation and this past Tuesday we all went out to a bar afterwards for appetizers and drinks (non-alcoholic of course due to the legalities behind it even if you are 21). It was really nice to go out with the other interns from Koch because they are just great people to be around and talk to all the time. Overall I am finding I enjoy them more than the people in my program, because I don't really hang out with the people in my program much besides my roommates and Reshai and occassionally watch LOST with a girl down the hall. Don't get me wrong I hang out with them but I just don't want to drink and I don't have access to them as easily like on a CLU Campus. It is very much an adult life where we just work and get tired and go to bed, but needless to say I am excited to start exploring by myself and connecting with a few interns that live in the area a little closer to hang out with on the weekends.

This weekend I am planning on doing the whole Smithsonian's thing. Starting tomorrow with Reshai and my roommate Aulden. I also need to open a bank account here as well. that was just me making my list ofthings to do real quick haha. I am really excited though because I leave on Thursday for Boston and I get to see Megan and Jessica and others from CLU and be in boston for four days!!! :) YAYAYAYAY!! I LOOOVE BOSTON. The flight was pretty cheap too so that was nice. My birthday is in 22 days :) My sister and mom will be here in 19 days and we are going to go to New York.

I'm okay with the fact that I am not as social here as I thought I would be...I am realizing that I am here for a professional experience and learning the world of politics and all that DC has to offer. I'm realizing what a great city it is with many possibilities and it really is about who you know. I'm glad that I have the opportunity to network and understand that its true, you really gotta know the right people and thats all I hear around here. I am finding that I may want to go to Law School out here and if I start working my ass off my chances of getting into GWU are very good, possibly with a slight scholarship, it would be just perfect to be out here for Law School.

I love getting packages from people at school or from friends at home, I think it's awesome. I always wished I was an out of state student so I could get packages like all my friends at CLU. Now that I do it just makes me sooo happy. I have gotten packages from Jessica Kolstad, Megan, and Jessica DeSalva. I got cookies and other random stuff and then socks that were my christmas present a little late but still awesome and then the ultimate...NEW MOON, the second book in the Twilight Series for those of you that don't know. I am staring at it right now trying to not grab it and run away to my room to read, because I will definitely not talk for a while until I am done.

I have found a new love for reading an educating myself on topics thanks to the Koch Foundation. I have like 15 books and two of them are a collaboration of readings they bounded together for us. It's just amazing. I recently just read The Law by Bastiat, basically just this crazy libertarian who thinks the Law is corrupt and what not and how we abuse it and talked about natural rights, which I have come to love and talk about a lot. There is this one annoying law student that is an intern and asks dumb questions that just piss people off because we don't know if he is actually curious or just trying to start a debate...and I hate that.

Well I am sorry that this is longer than usual and I hope you enjoy my ramblings...if you would like to send me a birthday package ;) hahaha... my address is at the bottom of the page I think?? If not text me haha :) Anyway, I will be sending postcards soon!!

Love,
Ashley

P.S - Kimmy and Emily I am pretty sure you are the only people who read this but whatever! Haha!