Happy 1 year anniversary of turning 21 to ME!

Yes friends, Today is my Birthday! I was born July 24, 1987 at South Miami Hospital. According to my birth date…today I am 22 years old. But since I enjoy being 21 so much, I decided that I am turning 21 again today. My friends keep on telling me that I am 22, but I rather not believe them. HAHA. I know it is stupid to be bothered by turning 22, but after turning 21…what do you look forward to? Nothing. Ok, ok… I will shut up now, and I will get excited for my birthday.

Birthday cupcake from my coworkers

This is the first year that I am not home for my birthday, and I do miss my friends. But I have a really great group of friends here in D.C. that I know will make my birthday really special. They haven’t let me forget that I turned 22 today. Yes, I am talking to Kaite Bonneville, Molly Burke and Jorden Beatty. Thanks guys! Also, my mami came up from Miami to spend the weekend with me, and I am really happy she came. So, what are the plans you may ask…

Well, as much as I LOVE Washington, D.C, my heart lives in New York City. I truly believe someone upstairs (god) messed up and placed me in Miami instead of NYC (thanks, god!). So my annoying but great friends, my mom, my cousin and I are spending the weekend in NYC. We are leaving tomorrow (or lateeeee tonight) at 3:30 am!!!! on the Chinatown bus to get to NYC tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. Yes, sleep will be overrated this weekend, but we will be in The City That Never Sleeps!

Leli’s Recommendation for the week: Sushi Go Round. I will be eating lunch there today. Cheap and great sushi! Yummy. Located at the Verzion Center in Chinatown.

Until next time. Ciao!

Take me out to the...FIELD!

Front Gate at National’s Park

Have I told you how much I love my internship? Well, I LOVE MY INTERNSHIP! Let’s take a refresher course on what I do. I work for Book Hill Partners, which is a PR firm, and my special project is The Taylor Hooton Foundation. The THF is a non-profit organization which fights steroid use within children and teens. The foundation was started by Don Hooton, who lost his son Taylor to steroid use. Their main outreach program is called Hoot’s Chalk Talks. Don Hooton has partnered with MLB to go around the Nation visiting teams and talking to kids about the dangers of steroid use at the ballparks. My job consists of getting the media to the ballparks to cover the event. I use social networking to drive traffic to the program...You know...Facebook, Myspace, Twitter...etc. I write letters and make calls to pitch the event to the media. Well, my hard work finally paid off!

Don talking to the kids

On July 22, Hoot’s Chalk Talk came to the Nation’s Capital! The other interns and I were invited to the event at National’s Park. OMG! I was so excited! I had already been to the stadium for a game, but I had never been on the field of a MLB team. The event started at 10 a.m., and I finally got to meet Don in person. He is just as nice in person as on the phone. We were taken down to the field where we saw some people dressed in National’s gear waiting for us. Two of the men were the head athletic trainers for the team, and the two other were National’s players. Pitcher Garrett Mock and outfielder Willy Harris took the time to spend their day with the kids. They opened the gate for us and let us onto the field. Yes, I did feel like a kid at a candy shop! I think I was more excited to be on the field than some of the 10-year-olds who were part of the program.

On the field!

National’s trainer and players

Don gave a speech about the dangers of steroids and shared his personally story about his son to the kids and parents. The kids were then divided into three different groups: drills, health, and sports talk. One of the trainers showed the kids different drills and skills they can use to get better and quicker. The other talked to them about eating the right food and exercising. And the players talked to the kids about life as a professional baseball player and making the right choices in life. After the talks…it was time for the Home Run Derby! We all walked to right field (Man, these outfielders cover so much land..Holy Moly) where they set up a home plate and a pitcher’s mound. Each kid was given five outs to “hit the ball out of the park.” Harris pitched to all of them and a few were able to hit the ball out. The kids had a great time trying to catch the other balls. Personally, I wanted to go hit also…but I was in a skirt. It was a great day, and I will never forget it. Oh, and I am sure the kids won’t forget it either.

The Whole Group

Leli’s recommendation for the week: Get your butts of the couch and play catch outside.

Until next time..Ciao

Work Hard…Play Harder

Such a good title…right? We all talk about it, but do we walk the walk? I know after a week of class, lectures, tours and work you just want to die in bed and not get up until Monday comes around. But we are in the Nation’s Capital for just over two months- and the first month is already gone. What have you done? I know that if I would stay home all weekend and then start work again on Monday- I will go insane. Yes, I do love sleep…but there is time to sleep when we get back home and start school again. Also, there is so much to see in DC, we really do not have enough time! Besides going to the Smithsonians and the monuments, there are some other places to consider.

Chocolate World!

If you have a car…Hershey Park in Hershey, PA

Rollercoasters + Chocolate= HEAVEN! Hershey Park is the home of Hershey’s Chocolate..duh. My cousin and two of her friends got us tickets to spend the day at the park. We miscalculated the distance, and we left a little late. It’s a nice three hour drive to Hershey Park, but if you have the time, it’s a great place. Hershey Park features over 60 rides, entertainment, and fun for the whole family. I am a rollercoaster junkie. I love the speed, the drops, the turns and the flips. The faster, the better. We spent the day at the park. With 11 rollercoasters and 14 water rides, I was in heaven. My cousin was too scared to ride the rollercoasters, so I rode with her two friends. I did not appreciate having to ride solo in the two-seater rides, but it was so much fun. After a day of riding, we were ready for the main event- Chocolate World. We took a tour of the Hershey chocolate factory. It was one of those rides that you sit and it takes you on the tour. At the end of the ride- they give you free chocolate! By far the best part!

We love Kisses!

As you already know, sports run my life. So when my program advisor said she got the Media and Comm. students tickets for a Nationals game, I was very excited. One of my life goals is to visit every ballpark in the U.S. We went to the Washington Nationals vs. Toronto Blue Jays at Nationals Park. I was quite upset, because my family went to the Marlins vs. Yankees game in Miami. I had tickets to the game, but I couldn’t make home, so I had to sell my ticket. Not that I wasn’t excited about the Nationals, but come on, it’s the Yankees! They are my favorite it (NO, I am not a bandwagon fan!). And they hadn’t been to Miami since the 2003 World Series.

Fellow interns enjoying the game

Ok, ok, back to the Nationals. The game started at 6:30pm, so there was no way that I would be able to go home change and get back in time. A few friends decided- hey, it’s Friday, let’s go to Happy Hour. So we found a place that is walking distance to the ballpark and has a good happy hour. The Ugly Mug-Yes, that’s the name- it’s cute and has a great casual atmosphere. It is very well known for its great happy hour, all-American food and 24 beers on tap. I highly recommend the pub if you like a laid-back mood. One tip- their happy hour food portions are huge, so share. Anyways, the stadium is new and there really isn’t a “bad” seat. For $10 you can sit in the 200 level. Nice seats. It was a great experience, and I recommend it to anyone that is sick of museums. Come on, its America’s National Pastime in the nation’s capital- can’t get any better. Closest Metro is the Navy Yard-Green Line.

Kaite and me at the ballgame

Leli’s recommendation of the week: The Ugly Mug- 24 beers on tap-enough said. Enjoy a few beers there, because you do not want to pay for a beer at the ballpark!

Location: 723 8th Street SE Washington, DC 20003

Until next time, Ciao!