The Injury

Jason called me from the ice rink on Friday night with bad news--at some point during the hockey game, he had gone one way and his ankle had gone another, he heard a pop, and he was unable to put any weight on his right foot. We did spend almost all of Friday night/the wee hours of Saturday morning in the ER, only to finally hear the doctor tell us that he has a broken ankle. He is officially on the injured list.

He's spent the last two days mastering the art of climbing stairs with crutches, elevating his splinted leg, and carefully rationing his pain medicine. We haven't quite got the showering thing down yet, but all in all he's holding up like a trooper. Today he felt well enough to be bored...which is really bad news for me! We're hoping to get into an orthopedist tomorrow to get a cast on this baby and start the 6-8 weeks of healing...and figure out how we are going to handle the next three or four weeks, during which we have three major trips planned. We both covet your prayers over the next few days. How grateful we are for wonderful friends who didn't even hesitate to take us to the ER at midnight and who are already picking nights that they will come bring dinner and entertain Jason!

Hockey Fans

Last weekend Jason's parents joined us for a hockey game and few days of fabulous weather. They arrived in time for dinner on Friday, then we cheered for Jason at his hockey game.

On Saturday we got up early for pancakes and French toast at Eastern Market. The line was, like, an hour long, even though the market was still setting up when we arrived. As I was walking up to where Jason and his parents were standing, now near the front of the line, I watched a bewildered man look at the long line and ask someone, "Is it really worth it?" "Oh, yes," she said, and a handful of people around nodded in agreement. It really is.


We walked around Eastern Market, then headed to the newly-reopened Newseum. Having never been there, we attempted to do the "two hour tour" but instead ended up spending much of the day there. In particular, I was struck by the display on the 9-11 attacks. They showed a video of the reporting footage from that day, and as the crowd watched the plane hit the second tower, we all gasped in horror, just like we did when we saw it on that day. It is amazing how powerful those images are.

Collapsed radio tower from the top of one of the Towers

We went to the Capitol Steps on Saturday night, then church on Sunday and Lebanese for dinner. And I came away from the weekend with a shiny new screen door on our deck (one that doesn't spank you as you go through it with your hands full of dishes)! Thanks, George! What a great weekend together!

Diving In

Literally. Shaanti convinced Jenny and me to sign up for the Y's mini triathlon (the "Y Not Triathalon"), which is August 6th when I will be in Boise for work. Yes, that's the August 6th that is, um, four weeks away. Yikes!

The race (and we use that word very lightly) is 1/4 mile of swimming, 6 miles of biking, and 2 miles of running, all of which is very doable...except the swimming, which has me totally terrified since I have yet to actually dive in to a pool this summer. Or since college, when my friend Bob and I would go "work out"* at the gym in the mornings. But it's amazing what a little fear of drowning/collapsing on the track will do to motivate you--I even rolled out of bed early to go running before work today (with lots of prodding from the other side of the bed)!

Speaking of which, it's getting late, and if I'm going to hit the pavement at 6:15 tomorrow I'd better hit the sack soon! Unbelievable.

*by "work out," I mean swim two laps and then spend 30 minutes in the hot tub at the Rec Center. Or skip the gym entirely and head to IHOP. No wonder I have gone down a pants size since college.

Passing a Bill

As part of my Fellowship on Capitol Hill, I followed Missy's footsteps to the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives (see bottom left corner of c-span snapshot below) as Members debated and voted on this year's State Department, Foreign Operations appropriations bill. Since February, I have worked with the staff who crafted and moved the bill through the House committee and floor process. As staff and fellows, we were also thanked by the Chairwoman and Members of the Subcommittee on the floor for all of our hard work (recorded in the Congressional record, excerpted below).

It was fascinating to watch democracy in action and gain deep insights into the American legislative process. The experience is also a nice bookend to an internship I had in 1998, when I similarly watched from the floor of the Senate chamber as Senator Mike DeWine delivered a floor statement (on Africa, ironically) that I drafted.

Now we wait for the Senate to finish its version of the bill -- and, if all goes as it should, we will then meet in a House-Senate conference to determine the text of the final bill, prepare it for final passage, send it to both houses of Congress for a final vote, and then it goes off to the President for signature. Viva democracy!

Perfect Fourth

We have definitely figured out how to do the Fourth in DC:

1. First, find a Fourth of July with an outside temperature of somewhere between 83 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Low humidity preferable.

2. If you've managed that nearly impossible task, light some citronella candles, churn up some homemade ice cream, and fire up the grill.

3. Add a great group of friends and one made-from-scratch flag cake. Sit. Talk. Laugh a lot.

4. Decide at the last minute that you do want to see the fireworks, after all. Jump in the car and drive to Steven and Amy's, which is within walking distance of the Air Force Memorial.

5. Listen to the Air Force Band play patriotic songs until the fireworks start shooting up over the Washington Monument, clearly visible a couple of miles in the distance. Decide that you and your friends are "meant to be" because you all think that the "weeping willow" fireworks with sparkles at the end are simply The Best, discover that your hands are clasped together under your chin just like the 5-year old girl next to you, and mention every 30 to 45 seconds how awesome it is to get this view of the show merely 15 minutes after arriving.


6. Feel a little sorry for all those people who have been camping out on the National Mall for the past five hours.

7. Start planning next year's Fourth of July as you walk back to the car.