Birthday Week

Ok, so again it's been a while since I updated this thing. Let me back up to 2 weeks ago (the week of March 18-24:

On Wednesday evening, Mercedes and I went to a reception after work (our second day in a row to go get a free dinner). This one was hosted by former Congressman Kent Hance, Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System, and the president of the universities and medical schools in the Tech system. There were a lot of Texas Tech interns and alumni there to mingle with, as well as several Congressmen from Texas. I got to meet Chancellor Hance and found him to be a nice, funny man with an obvious passion for Texas Tech. He speaks very highly of his faculty and students and loves his job. Since Texas Tech was one of the schools I was considering for law school this fall, I was grateful for the opportunity to introduce myself and speak with him for a few minutes. I also enjoyed getting to talk to some of the students and alumni about their experience in Lubbock. Additionally, I got my second free dinner in a row!

On Thursday, I was asked by our Education LA to sit in on a meeting with some representatives from Baylor University, including President Ken Starr. This was kind of a strange, yet exciting circumstance, considering that Baylor was the other university I was considering for law school. Having gotten to meet Chancellor Hance the previous evening, I was glad to be able to meet Judge Starr and speak with him about Baylor. He too, was a very positive and humorous man with an enthusiasm for Baylor. He provided us with an update on how Baylor University is doing, the projects they are currently working on (including a new football stadium), and their goals for the upcoming year. After Michelle told the delegation that I had been accepted to Baylor Law, they were all excited to hear whether I would be attending. I told them that they had a great school and I was considering them, but was also looking at one of their rivals, Texas Tech. Upon hearing this, Judge Starr informed me that Tech had a great law school, but quickly added that they also had a lot of dust, wind, and tumbleweeds. He assured me that I would be happier at Baylor. As they were leaving, I gave the delegation three copies of the Washington Times that we had in the office. Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III had made the front page of the Times because of his pro day workout the previous day and the interest that the Washington Redskins have in acquiring him in this year’s draft. They Baylor people were very excited to see this and appreciated the gesture of the free papers, even joking that I might have earned myself a scholarship with that move. After they left, Michelle told me that was smart to think of the papers and thanked me for giving them as a parting gift.

On Friday, I attended another luncheon briefing. This one was done by a healthcare advocacy organization and was about chronic disease (such as diabetes) in the US and what we can do to combat it. I found the information on wellness programs and disease prevention to be interesting and enjoyed another free meal (my third in one week). Then Friday afternoon I helped gather the last few signatures for a letter that the entire Texas Congressional delegation had signed onto, protesting the Air Force’s plan to move a squadron of Air National Guard C-130’s out of Texas and send them to Montana. To pick up the letter, I had to go to the home of an Army Lieutenant Colonel, who is the National Guard’s liaison to the Texas delegation. While waiting on his colleague to return to his house with the letter, I got to sit and visit with the Colonel for a little while and hear about some of his experiences in the Army. He is an intelligence officer currently assigned to Congress as the Texas National Guard Liaison. I’m always grateful for the opportunity to meet military officers and hear their advice, so I really enjoyed our conversation.

 Saturday was my 22^nd birthday and I had a great day! I slept in on Saturday, although my mom did wake me up with her traditional birthday phone call. Then I made breakfast and watched some of my favorite shows on Netflix. Saturday afternoon, the other UNT interns and I, along with one of the other interns from Senator Cornyn’s office, went to see The Hunger Games at the movie theater, then went to Hill Country Barbecue for dinner afterwards. I really liked the movie (though it wasn’t quite as good as the book) and had a great time hanging out with the interns to celebrate my birthday. The weekend included numerous phone calls, text messages, cards in the mail, and of course, facebook posts, so I got to hear from a lot of people back home. This was actually my first birthday spent outside of Texas, so far from my family and friends, but I have to say that I had a great time and really enjoyed the day.