A Long Awaited Update

It has been along time since I have last written. I was preparing a new blog post a few weeks ago, and then everything changes making it no longer relevant.

Life has been great. I have a new understanding of Spring and why people love this season so much. It is a reward for making it through the daunting and long winter. Winter can be discouraging at times, and I definitely had my challenges, but Spring. Spring made is worth it (almost). I already forgotten many of the issues with winter other than I didn't really like it very much.

With Spring came the famous DC Cherry Blossoms. That appeared one day and were beautiful. They fell off as quickly as they came but they were beautiful while they lasted. I have never seen as many tulips spread out across a city before. They turned up in the most random places and I couldn't help but take a picture almost every time.

Spring has brought thunderstorms and waves of hot weather followed by a week of cold! It consistently unpredictable.

Spring has also been the beginning of my job search. I decided to throw myself into the aupair search. I have had some fun really learning about so many different families and researching potential new cities to live in and places to visit. A few weeks ago, I was offered a job in Switzerland with a great family. They had everything an aupair could ask for. I signed the contract and began making plans! It was so exciting. It was exciting to have a plan. I was planning on going home for about a month to enjoy my family and friends before I left them for an entire year. I was dreaming about Amsterdam in the Spring for the tulips and Germany for Oktoberfest.

It was all coming together, until I learned that Switzerland was placing tight limits on the visas they were giving out. This was quite the curve ball. It was a heartbreaking phone call from the father. I have since been looking for away around this while beginning conversations with new families.

I am confident that I will find a family that is a good match, even if it takes a little longer. I am building a great network in DC and am loving every minute of it. I have a bunch of pictures that I will hopefully get to put up soon!

A Woman's Nation Changes Everything

I had the opportunity to attend a conference put on by the Center for American Progress many months ago about the Shriver Report. Maria Shriver and a team of people created this report which interviewed people across the country about what it is like to be a family member, to be a woman, to be a man, and what needs to be done about it now. Many of the authors spoke at the conference. It was a great experience and one of the many things I did when I found myself unemployed in a new city.

A few of the statistics-

• Women make up 50% of the workforce for the first time ever.
• Women are receiving 57% of college degrees and 50% of master's and doctorates.
• Women are still being paid $0.77 to the dollar for doing the same work as their male counterparts.

Women's empowerment and equality is what I have found I am most passionate about.  I know that my ideal job will surround women's economic empowerment, education, and all together community development.  I have recently been reminded of this passion as I continue to do research regarding graduate school and what I want to do.  I have also watched or read the following articles.  I recommend taking a moment if you have one to look at them.  There are also a few articles about getting married or being single, which I find interesting to think about as well. 

Still Working- Commentary on the road ahead for equal opportunities for men and women.

The End of Men - An article about equality and where we are going. Lots of issues brought up!
Rich White Men Are Doing Just Fine -- It's Men and Women of Color Who Continue to Fall Behind - This is a response article to the article in "The Atlantic." 

Eve Ensler- She wrote the Vagina Monologues which became one my proudest accomplishments at school.  Eve continues to work hard to fight for women everywhere and is always an inspiration to me. This is a great talk about everyone embracing your inner girl. (Ted.com is an awesome website with 15 minute talks about everything you can imagine! It is a quality time waster.)

The first article I have ever read saying something positive about Walmart

White House Council on Women and Girls: One of the first things that President Obama did when he came into office was create the White House Council on Women and Girls. Valerie Jared is in charge of the council and I have really enjoyed listening to her speak over the past year and a half. 

I would recommend everyone read Arianna Huffington's book On Becoming Fearless. It is a FANTASTIC book about looking fear in the face and realizing that it might not have been worth fearing after all. 

Marry Him and On Settling for Mr. Good Enough are thought provoking articles about finding the balance on "settling" and compromise. 

Healthcare Reform..Oh My!

On March 21st, I had a "this is why I live in DC moment." I had the privilege of being in the House Gallery on the Sunday night when Congress voted to pass the Senate Bill. People were cycling in and out of the Gallery every 15 minutes and luckily my group ended up in the room for the vote. We watch the Democrats chant "One more vote" and then cheer once it reached the needed 216. It was an amazing experience to see people reach some sort of deal to provide healthcare to millions. 

My group and I headed outside to watch Representatives leave the Capitol building. We cheered them as they left and said thank you. It was a moment I will cherish for a long time to come.

I spent the day on the Hill that day and tensions were high. I spoke with pro-reformers and people who really did think the world was going to end if this bill passed.  People were exhausted. I met Representative Lewis. He was very kind and informed us that they had the votes and we did not need to worry about the bill not becoming law. We spoke with some staffers who had had horrible experiences the day before with people storming offices and not leaving. 


No one will tell you this bill is perfect. Most on the left will say it doesn't go far enough and many on the right will say they want the government out of their healthcare. It raising taxes on many people and on services (such as tanning beds). There is no public option and our government just mandated 32 million new customers to private insurers. Fortunately, the sky is not falling, and instead people will hopefully have access to healthcare. This is something that has not been the case ever before. 


The battle was ugly and has only gotten uglier once it was passed and became a law. I have struggled with what I wanted to happen with this bill. I am disappointed with the unnecessary arguments about aborting funding and disappointed that we have an unnecessary and unconstitutional Executive Order to limit a woman's right to choose. I am not sure that this is the best thing that we could have gotten. Democrats gave up a lot and got nothing in return from the Republicans. I still do not know if we could have done better and I am settling, which is not something I am fond of doing. I do believe it is a GIANT step in the right direction. 


However, Congress did it! Now, we have officially signed Healthcare Reform into law. We need to take a minute to celebrate. This opens up opportunities for so many people with chronic disorders or any pre-existing condition. I have the ability to get back on my parent's insurance because my employer doesn't offer me anything. This opens up choices for so many young people around the country. 


We need to take a moment to celebrate because starting this year no one will have a lifetime cap and starting in a few years, there will be no more annual caps. These are battles that people have been fighting for a long time.


The bill is not perfect and the implementation process is vital to ensuring that people get what they should get out of this bill. My hope is that it is a step toward a public option and more competition. It is my hope that it will lessen discrimination and it will give people more choices in their life.  I have been a part of some debates online over the last few weeks. They have been interesting and I do understand people's frustration with the process and with the bill. I have found through my many hours of reading about the bill and listening to people talk about the bill that it will have many positive impacts on our healthcare system.  States are already being hit hard by the passage of the bill. 


I also want to take a moment to give President Obama some credit. Some still argue that his rhetoric needs to end and action is needed. it seems like people are ignoring the fact that his rhetoric is different than any president we have ever seen. He is willing to say things that aren't always politically popular but are necessary. I admire his passion and compassion. Our President is taking on some of the biggest issues our country faces. Financial Reform and Immigration Reform is next. I may not agree with everything he is doing, but he moving our country forward and creating the debate on things most shy away from. 


It is with optimism that we continue to progress towards a better society. I am trying to epitomize the realistic idealist.   

Everything's Just Wonderful

I am still trudging through the snow but life continues.  My life is full of big decisions and small decisions.  Work is making some changes to its structure which might benefit me.  More state policy and maybe even some traveling might be in future. At the same time, I am looking into becoming an AuPair. I am currently speaking with families in Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and Ireland. All of the families seem wonderful and would give me the opportunity to travel around Europe, learn a language, and spend every other day playing with kids!

I can feel Spring around the corner as pitchers and catcher reported this week for baseball. The snow is melting VERY VERY slowly but it is in fact melting. Janille (another friend from Chapman) is moving to DC for work! Alisha is coming to visit in just a few weeks.  Then I am off to New York for to be reunited with a great group of Chapman alumni followed by a week of Amy in DC!

I got the picture of the dress that I will be wearing for wedding number 2 in July (the colors will be berry and champagne for the ribbon). I am so excited and honored to be part of Casey's wedding. I know that I am going to have so much fun through the whole process!

I have am so excited and absolutely terrified to make these decisions but so grateful to have the opportunities to make these decisions!!!!

Snowmagedden to Snowverkill

I have not written in nearly two months.  I have been trapped in my house since Sunday night.  There are at least 2 feet of snow on the ground. Saturday I went out side to enjoy the snow! Now, if someone told me there were two feet snow I wouldn't know what that means. So let me up that in perspective for you:

1. It passed my knees when I stood in my backyard.
2. A child around the age of 3 would be buried alive if she sat outside without moving while the snow fell.
3. Your couch is probably about two feet off the ground. 
4. The seat of a bench..your average picnic bench...can you see it in your head? Well the snow is level with the seat of the bench. 

The snow was too light so I was unable to make a snowman so I reverted back to my San Diego roots and dug a whole as I would have done on the beach! Unfortunately, a hole in the snow is not as much fun as a hole in sand. =(

I believe that I work at the one restaurant that was open all weekend. Public transit has basically shut down over the course of the last 7 days.   I didn't go into the office Monday through Wednesday.  As predicted, the snow began again on Tuesday night. This resulted in blizzard conditions on Wednesday.  For my friends in California, who still think that winter consists of 40 degree mornings and a little bit of rain, let me tell you what a blizzard is. It means that the snow comes down quickly.  It means that you might not be able to see a foot in front of you.  It means you don't, under ANY circumstances, leave your house.  No matter how long you have been sitting inside.  You think you are out of food...nope, that can of soup you thought you would never eat and the random vegetables in the back of the fridge suddenly make the most delicious dinner you have ever eaten!

Many may be saying to themselves, "Michelle is so dramatic. People deal with blizzards all the the time. It can't be that bad."

You are half right. Yes, people live in cold climates all the time and I am being dramatic. On the other hand, there are millions who are being duped into thinking that winter lasts for four or five months. There are people who think that there should be snow on the ground from November to March.  What they haven't realized yet is that it doesn't have to be that way.  Some people, like myself, define winter as 45 degree mornings and a little bit of rain.  That is what winter should be!

Not to worry everyone! It takes about 2 feet of snow to shut down our nation's capital.  This is going to many more days to recover from. The public transportation that many depend on throughout Virgina and Maryland cannot get into the city.  The House has been closed for the week because Reagan National is still closed.  There are few sidewalks and where they are they usually consist of about 4-5 inches of tightly packed snow to walk on. Nonetheless, DC will recover (in a couple of weeks), the snow piles are taller than most cars, and will be here for many weeks to come.

So let me tell you the lessons I have learned since last week:

1. The grocery story before a storm is a place to avoid. It looks like the world is going to end and the milk and bread is gone quickly.  It will take about an hours to get through the line.
2. Patience is necessary. Everything takes longer. It takes longer to walk places. It takes longer to get food or get a train. 
3. People are friendlier.  Saturday was a ridiculous day, but people realized they just needed to go with it. There is nothing we can do and because of that people waiting in the hour long line at the grocery store or for a train can't help but laugh at the situation. (Note: This is definitely not true for everyone, but most).
4. Snow days exist. I have never had a snow day before, now I am on number 3. I am ready to go back to work but snow days can be enjoyable. 
5. Not all snow is created equal. There is snow that is good for snowman and some that is good for snowboarding.  Snow can also change into snow that is good to build a snowman. I am still determined to make myself a snowman. It is going to happen. 
6.  The recovery is the worst part. After trekking to work and back today with groceries, the lack of sidewalk was not pleasant. You have to take a risk if you want to walk on the sidewalk because at any point there may be an un-shoveled portion, but the street is also a risk of a mean driver splashing water all over you. Public transportation is still limited and SLOW!
7. The Names of the situation are phenomenal. Here are the ones that I have heard
1. Snowmageden
2. Snotorious B.I.G.
3. Sno-pocalypse 
4. Snoverkill (this was the name for the second storm and my personal favorite)

I signed up for a mild DC winter.  A little rain, some cold weather, and a few inches of snow throughout the winter. Instead, I have had record lows and about 55 inches of snow throughout the winter.  Fear not, I am resilient.  I am coping with it. I dislike the groundhog that told me 6 more weeks of winter but I know I will have many more winters over my lifetime to deal with and this one is preparing me for the worst.  Spring better be worth it! Although, DC has had to cut (pun intended) into its grass cutting budget to pay for the snow removal, so it may not be the perfect Spring I have in my head. 

Here are a few more pictures! Enjoy =) 

The piles of snow are indeed taller than that truck...