26.2

this past sunday i ran/walked/limped/laid down and got massages my way through 26.2 miles.

the first 11 miles were amazing - zigzagging around Brooklyn not leaving a hand un-fived.

running into fans in Williamsburg and my first steps in Manhattan brought me to mile 17 before the pain.

Achilles pains troubled me from miles 17-21 - where at miles 17, 19, and 21 i stopped at the medical tents - who knew that you could get a massage every two miles?

after 21, i picked up the pace and ran through the pain.

these photos are from mile 23.5 where Carly caught me smiling and running backwards even as my lower leg was pounding.

as a number, what does 26.2 mean? i don't know.

it meant 5 hours and 20 minutes to me.

next time it will mean 4 hours and 30 minutes.



i ran the NYC marathon as a member of Team Tillman - a group of individuals supporting the Pat Tillman Foundation through raising funds and awareness. we had the opportunity to meet as a team on Saturday before the race and after that meeting take a tour of Ground Zero and Firehouse 10.
in addition to running the marathon this past weekend, i had the opportunity to celebrate Halloween (as an 80's runner with Mandy as Madeliene, Meagan as an aught's runner, and Kara as the Chesire Cat).
and, as always, see some great graffiti. this trip included a stop by a new Os Gemeos mural at Bowery and Houston and a impromptu interview with Shepard Fairey in Times Square. here is the best recap of that interview:
Me: Shepard, let me introduce you to Lyndsey Anderson. Can we get a photo with you?
Shepard: Sure.
Me: (After photos) I did my thesis on graffiti and read a lot about your work and Lyndsey is currently writing her Master's thesis on street art. During my writing, I interviewed a lot of artists and always asked them two questions: 1) Is all graffiti political? and 2) Who is your favorite graffiti artist? So, what are your answers.
Shepard: Sure. Graffiti uses space that is not paid for and the fact that it is taking that space is a political statement. Now, other graffiti has a message...
Me: (interrupting) so the medium is the message. The medium makes it political.
Shepard: Yeah, but it can also have a political message.
Me: This is exactly the point I make in my thesis. So, who's your favorite graffiti artist?
Shepard: Banksy.
Me: Mine's Swoon.
Shepard: Well, of course, I love Swoon. I've known her since...she is great.
Me: But you're right, Banksy is amazing. Well, thanks for taking the time. See you later.

As always, a fun-filled, walking weekend in New York City.

Zach and Jon come to Phoenix

Though I have had many visitors since I first came to Arizona...

Haynes several times (first in February, then back with me in April, then in July, and again at the beginning of August), Mom (she came through with Haynes at the beginning of August), Erin and Camden (they drove out with me in July moving all of my stuff to my new place downtown - Haynes followed in the truck with the stuff the next day), Joe Schafer (boy was that a good surprise - he called me randomly after being here visiting a friend for a few days), and Molly Brunkow (she was technically here for 5 weeks, but the Teach For America Institute she was here for kept her in a bat cave for most of it)...

I have yet to have the opportunity to actually string together the sites and experiences that Phoenix/Tempe and Arizona have to offer.

This chance came when my older brother Zachary and his good friend Jon Hayes decided to take a very extended Labor Day weekend earlier this month. They flew in on Wednesday night, I picked them up from the airport with Carolina's (the best Mexican in south Phoenix) already picked up. A quick stop at the house to eat and drop off the bags and off to my first indoor soccer game in north Phoenix. Zach played with us and we ended up with a 3-3 tie - playing soccer after eating Mexican is not the best idea. And after showering up we stopped in Lost Leaf for a beer.

The next morning, we had Matt's Big Breakfast, and then while I worked, they rode bikes around downtown. Then for lunch it was Cornish Pasty Co. (the best restaurant in Tempe) and then coffee at Cartel (the best coffee in the world). Then back to work while they explored REI and Tempe. After work, I hopped in the car and off we drove to Flagstaff. We stopped in at Alpine Pizza, had a large and a pitcher, and then on to the Grand Canyon where we pulled up at Mather Point and with an almost full moon, had an eerie sight. We set up camp and went to bed, ready for the long hike ahead.

In the morning, after checking in we parked at the Bright Angel Trailhead and took the bus to the South Kaibab Trailhead. Here we began what would be a 17-mile, 10-hour hike. Only Jon's stories can really describe the steps, the sweat, and the cramps. And only Jon's photos (see Facebook) can show the route from the rim, to the river, and back up to the rim - all in 10 hours.

We took breaks, ate energy bars, crossed the river twice, stopped at the river beach, and finally made it out of the canyon as the sunset was ending (actually, more or less after the sun had set). Our minds and eyes were ready for a big meal and some good beer, but our bodies were saying "sleep." So after snacking on some chips, having a beer, and eating my best-made bean and chicken burritos, we were off to bed.

We woke up the next morning after being rained on, cleaned up best we could, packed up, and headed to the east rim to see some of my favorite view points. From Desert View, to Lipan Point, to Moran Point, and then off and out of the park, passing miles of cars heading into the park. It was Saturday and our original plan was to camp that night at Joshua Tree. With our late start, we wouldn't be making it to Joshua Tree until later than expected, and this became even later as we ran into a rainstorm in the middle of the Mojave Desert (which gets 5 inches of percipitation a year, all of which seemed to be coming down right then). Slowed down by flash floods, we eventually made our way through all of them and into the park where we decided we would get dinner in town and head back to Phoenix. So we took the next two hours to find Skull Rock, jump around from rock pile to rock pile, and walk through the Joshua Tree forests. As the sun set, we headed into town to Crossroads Cafe where we had an amazing meal - one of Haynes' hosts from CalArts recommended this place during our first trip through - it was great then and it was great now.

We decided to take the road through the park to cut down to I-10, and on the way through I was pulled over by a park ranger. I was speeding, but he let me go and we kept on toward Phoenix. After stopping for coffee, Zach took over for the last hour and we made it back at 1 a.m.

The next morning, we took it easy, then made our way to LoLo's Chicken and Waffles for lunch. There we ran into Marty Ingram who graduated high school with Zach and Jon. From there we took a tour around Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe, stopping at Four Peaks where we met up with Joel Hufford, then Casey Moore's, and finally back to Phoenix where we got our swimsuits and headed up to the Clarendon where we sat in the hot tub then headed to the roof top to see the sun set over Phoenix. After cleaning up back home, we had our final beer and meal at The Roosevelt.

The next morning I brought Zach and Jon to the airport.

Spreading Joy - Peanut Butter Plan Party Phoenix #1

I'm settling in to Phoenix.

Running 5 to 6 days a week in downtown, commuting 15 minutes back and forth to work, visiting a few local restaurants and bars...

Attending some local services on Sunday morning, pulling the hammock out on some weekends, traveling out of the heat during a few other weekends...

And now throwing my first party - the Peanut Butter Plan Party Phoenix #1 on Tuesday at 6:15 p.m.

We will be making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while having a little fun. In essence, "spreading" joy.

On another note, President Obama is in town so maybe he can recruit some people to the party.

Address(es)

My new home address is:

912 East Pierce Street
Phoenix, AZ 85006

To be safe, you can also use 910 East Pierce Street to mail something to me as that is the downstairs of the house and my landlord tells me that he is only for sure that one of the mail carriers knows there is a 912.

Check out photos of my place here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16921286@N02/sets/72157603170104656/

Photos of the inside start at the 9th photo.


My office address is still:

Pat Tillman Foundation
2121 South Mill Avenue, Suite 214
Tempe, AZ 85282

Find out more about the Pat Tillman Foundation here: www.pattillmanfoundation.org

Or email me at work here: hiriley@pattillmanfoundation.org

Or call me at work here: 480.621.4074

Or fax something to me at work here: 480.621.4075

one week down

i am officially one week into my first real paid position and have to say that work is what it is cut out to be

it is fun, it is grueling, it is rewarding

i've spent the past week reading through over 300 applications for our Tillman Military Scholarships, organizing my mind, and planning for the future of our other two programs

since i'm away from all of the blissful distractions of Arkansas, i have the time to handle this month of readjusting and can focus on the workload

keep the Pat Tillman Foundation on your radar as we have a lot on the horizon

in transit

i'm on my way to Tempe - my first real day of work at the Pat Tillman Foundation (www.pattillmanfoundation.org).

i'm off to the heat of Arizona, wearing my seersucker and hoping that the heat won't overcome me upon arrival.

and a shout out, thanks to the free wireless at the Little Rock airport, i'm able to get all my internet needs right at my fingers.

graduated

i've finished.

on April 25th, I crossed the stage and became a Master of Public Service.

more than a week later, I defended my final Capstone project, and shortly there after finalized my classwork.

after an amazing trip to New Orleans and to the best wedding ever (look for photos in Country Living) outside Savannah, Haynes and I are still traveling (though we have cut out a few stops to spend some quality time back in North Little Rock).

as I fulfill my duties as the Director of Programs at the Pat Tillman Foundation, Haynes has taken over a lot of the driving.

our next stops: Omaha (for a school presentation on our project), NYC (only for me, and for work), the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Devils Tower, Fort Collins, Boulder, and Denver.

it's wedding season, and so before I head out to Arizona, we have our final stop outside Atlanta for another Country Living-worthy wedding.

peace.

work, work, work

i have a lot to do and am getting some done every day, but traveling is not so conducive to doing work on a computer (especially if i need internet)

so wish me luck, say a prayer, and check out haynes' and my other blogs (as haynes has just added new photos)

until tomorrow

finally winter

i love the snow, and thus the winter

and (besides the annual Riley trip to Colorado) i haven't had too much of a winter

but the past week Haynes and i have seen snow in the beautiful Sierra Nevadas

first in the meadows and giant forests of Kings Canyon and Sequoia and now at Lake Tahoe

we are here next to the fire in the house of some friends and did some great skiing together

i love the snow

almost out of Arizona

haynes and i are on our way

we made it here to Page, Arizona, after passing through several national monuments and parks (the most notable one being the Grand Canyon)

see our trip stops and photos at: goldrushof09.blogspot.com

at those stops we have picked up around 5 pounds of trash

see details of the trash pick up at: reducereuserecycleread.blogspot.com

now we're about to cross over Glen Canyon Dam and head into Utah

peace

i'm on my way, don't know where i'm going

i've always loved this paul simon line, and use it a lot or sing it in my mind. though i love to live by this motto, i still like to plan a little. haynes and i have made a list of places we want to see over the next three months plus and have placed those places into a geographically-intelligent timeline. now we will see if we can enjoy every space, nook and cranny.

to keep y'all in touch with our travels and give you the ability to enjoy these places with us (both through words and photos), haynes is going to join me on this history-keeping narrative on another blog (goldrushof09.blogspot.com). we will also keep up with the service aspect of our trip on different site (reducereuserecycleread.blogspot.com) as to provide an online resource for the elementary school children we will be speaking to. both of these can be accessed at your right.

for now, however, here is a highlight of our trip plans.

we will be heading out next wednesday on a formidable trip around the western U.S. and bordering Canadian provinces. i say formidable because of the list of places we want to see, and the only three months that we have to see them (this list has changed more than three times now and even once since i originally started this entry).

i will be based out of Tempe now until December so we have cut some time out of Arizona and southern Utah stops, knowing that we will have time to see those from this base. and we have a two week journey planned for July to head from a wedding in St. Louis to a wedding in Sacramento, a week apart, and then back to Tempe. so we can revisit or see anew some of the planned stops. with those possibilities and the restrictions of a few of haynes' grad school interviews and my graduation and two weddings in Georgia, we have planned to start on wednesday heading up to Prescott, Sedona, Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.

from there to Zion and over to L.A. for haynes' first interview. then zigzagging over to Las Vegas, up through Death Valley and to Kings Canyon/Sequoia and back down to L.A. for haynes to fly out to Detroit. Then straight up the California, Oregon, and Washington coasts to Vancouver (with a couple more stops along the way, zig zagging to Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and other national parks, ski resorts, and cities along the way). Then to Whistler and Banff and down to visit friends in Montana and Grand Tetons in Wyoming before heading to a few more stops in southern Utah and back to Tempe for Pat's Run on April 18. And then across New Mexico and Texas to be back in time for graduation on April 25.

our next leg starts with some of the Mississippi delta to New Orleans and out to Savannah for a wedding. next to the Rockies front range in Colorado and up to Devil's Tower, Mount Rushmore, etc. and family and friends in Omaha, Kansas City, etc. and finally back to Georgia for a wedding outside of Atlanta.

all of this will have to be done by June 2 when i have to be back in Tempe for my job at the Pat Tillman Foundation. and that ends the trip (for the most part).

now a call for "hitchhikers" and additional volunteers - we have extra room in the car and will be doing some service along the way and so could always use the extra set of hands. we have committed to picking up 300 pounds of trash and talking to 15 elementary school classes along the way. i tell you all of this because if you are somewhere along the way, find haynes and i in our big white truck or noticeable red tent with an orange fly and join us for the journey.

haynes is here

haynes just arrived this evening after driving the Celica the rest of the way back to Arkansas and hopping in the truck for the long haul over.

soon we will start our extended travels but for now i have to finish the work i am doing in Tempe. we are actually about to head over to suzanne's for dinner and then to hang out with katie and eric for the night, then this weekend will probably do some camping outside of Tucson. and then back to Tempe to finish up my work, speak to the Tillman Community on Tuesday night, and buy any necessities for the trip.

over the weekend we will be discussing the trip plans and will have something available for those who are interested soon. we have already changed the trip several times because of certain engagements, but have kept it in an itinerary to travel more efficiently. the best way to keep up will be to just check this site (or maybe another one which will be determined later) and look for our next stops.

peace.

pay it forward, gift giving, and the forgotten surprise

i promised corissa, one of my coworkers (see 'c and s' under 'cocodrilos') that i would post this (and it is the only way that a handmade gift comes my way as well). so read below and pay it forward.

this is how it works...the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a gift from me during this year. when and what will be a surprise. BUT, in order for you to receive the gift, you have to pass this message on to others first (through a blog, E-mail, conversations, etc.). so, you have to pay it forward. Understood? now let's see who will receive a gift from me.


it is ironic that i am posting this. not necessarily ironic, but hypocritical? maybe dichotomous? i don't know the word i am searching for, but my family will understand. i am not always the most gracious gift receiver. don't get me wrong, i love gifts, but i don't like holidays that "force" people to give you gifts. on top of this, i like spending a lot of time researching before i buy something - in short, i am not an impulse buyer. and so when i receive a gift i seem to always find something to comment on or find a way to reason why i don't need it or that i didn't want the giver to spend the money on it. i should trust that when people give gifts that they have put the time and thought into what they are giving, but i know from my experience that it is hard to work on a deadline to give a gift (without having to just ask that person what they want and ruining part of the special nature of gift giving in the first place).

which brings me to my next second point - surprises. i like for gifts to be surprises. and i am not good at keeping surprises or letting surprises happen. so if there is any hint that i am getting a surprise, i usually ask so many questions about it that i ruin it. and, vice versa, i easily crack and give details about a surprise when people ask. and so to be a surprise, there should be no mention beforehand about that surprise. but holidays which include gift giving take away part of this surprise, because you know you will be receiving something. just another reason why "forced" gift giving is hard for me to accept.

one way to address this, though, is one of the best types of gifts/surprises - the forgotten kind. so a mention of something (like the handmade gift that corissa will be giving me) and forgetting about that "promise" and receiving it later having forgotten that something was coming. it makes for all the better because in forgetting you have lost any hope that you did have after first hearing (accidentally or purposefully) about the gift/surprise, and so when finally receiving it your hope is restored which makes the gift more meaningful.

a final point is on types of gifts. gifts you can buy are great, especially if they are unique, handmade and specifically meaningful to the gift receiver (or to the gift receiver and giver alike). even better are handmade gifts by the giver. and equally as great are written words that either come with the gift or are the gift itself and are expressed on any sort of medium from the giver to the receiver. an all time great gift is just showing up to express these things in person. also on that all time great list is a gift that is a surprise to both the giver and receiver.

in closing, my ideal for gift giving and receiving is this: i like running upon something and that something reminding me of a certain person and then getting that something for that certain person and giving it to that certain person at an uncertain time.

returning the Celica across treacherousTexas

As work on my Capstone comes to an end and as Haynes' and I's trip around the West gets closer, it is hard to take another five days away from Tempe.

However, this past week/weekend was a great one and the adventure was just another addition to the life of a Riley.

I left last Wednesday at noon after getting the oil changed on the Celica, calling about my stolen bicycle (I got a lead that the Austin police arrested a thief and found a stockpile of high-end bikes), and finalizing the agreement with CGI U. I drove 11 and 1/2 hours, stopping twice for gas (once at an eerie station) and finally reached a rest stop outside of Big Spring, Texas, around 12:30 a.m. to stay the night. I slept well and woke up to an amazing sunrise and headed to my first stop in Anson, Texas, right north of Abilene.There I did a whirlwind tour of the town and found the local breakfast hot spot - Mi Familia. I had contacted Rory Fanning, who is walking across the U.S. to raise funds for the Pat Tillman Foundation, about meeting him on his walk. This took me a little out of my way but was well worth it. I got two coffees and four breakfast burritos and headed on highway 180 to Albany where I met Rory at the intersection of highway 6. He hopped in the front seat and we chatted about the Pat Tillman Foundation, his life, my life, his walk, my planned travels, and his visit through Arkansas. If you haven't yet, check out his blog and read insights of an amazing journey (www.walkforpat.org). After an hour, I left Rory to the road and headed to Dallas to pick up Haynes and meet Wesley out for a happy hour drink.After showering at the Bradshaws' apartment and doing some quick work, I headed to north Dallas with Haynes. We took over an hour trying to find the meeting place because of botched directions, Wesley's dead phone, and mostly because of Haynes' and I's impatience with each other. But when we finally arrived we got a beer and some nachos and enjoyed our time with a "gold" or "dear" friend.* And later that night we spent some quality time with Wesley and his wonderful wife, Holly. They (mostly Holly) prepared another great meal (I had another great meal with the Bradshaws last fall, so that makes it two for two). Eventually we left and headed to Waco to spend the night with Kelsey. We arrived around midnight to a house full of newly initiated Chi Omegas, watched an episode of the Office and caught some shut-eye.

I woke up in the morning to bring Kelsey to class and head to Austin to pick up Erin and Marie from the airport. While waiting for them I ran into James McKinney, a friend of the Clinton School and student at the University of Chicago - it was nice seeing James and we got to hang out some over the weekend. When Erin and Marie arrived, I dropped them off at their hotels and went to meet the Clinton School students in Austin. After a quick minute with them, I headed to lunch with Marie, Shawn, and Tillman Scholars Nikki Lewis and Christien Crynes. We had a Texas meal at Stubb's Barbeque before leaving the Scholars and heading to meet with a potential Foundation supporter. This meeting was extremely successful and set the tone for a very successful weekend. That evening we attended the opening session of the Clinton Global Initiative University conference and social reception before heading out for a brief night on the town with Molly Brunkow and Berto Noensie. The first event held at the University of Texas' Gregory gym is where I captured this photo of Shawn, Berto, Nikki, Christien, Erin, and Kelsey.The morning came early and we all got to the Convention Center just in time for the opening session. This was a great panel and afterward Marie, Shawn, and I went backstage to meet with some of the panel members. This day went by fast and I was able to perform both my role as a Clinton School student and as Program Coordinator for the Pat Tillman Foundation. We met with and approached many potential partners for Foundation initiatives, I ran into many friends from Arkansas (including 15 Clinton School students and many Clinton School staff) and new acquaintances from Arizona, and I even ran into friends from last year's conference and other events (including Dani from California, Anya from Minneapolis, Stephanie from Minneapolis who was at Slate 60, and the Winkelman sisters). This day ended during the night with a few bar drop-bys (a great one with Carly's friend Lyric), a dying phone, and an exciting pick-up in a crammed Celica with Sonic.

We were up again early with some pan dulce from Christien's mother and on our way to east Austin for a service project at Rosewood Park and Community Center. I spent the day collecting trash and large pieces of metal - two shopping carts, two large metal light poles - from the creek with a group of other students. At lunch I was able to meet a few more conference attendees and have some great conversations before dropping Shawn and the Tillman Scholars off at the airport. This was an exciting morning with some notable volunteers in attendance.With the conference over, I met my family members at REI and then parted ways with my sisters for the evening. Haynes and I got some barbeque at Stubb's and went to the Winkelman's house for an immediate redirect to restorative yoga with Eli and her mother. An hour of sleep-inducing positions and we headed to Frankie and Angie's for some pizza with the rest of the family. Then back to the house for some amazing tea and eventually out of Austin to Waco for another night at Kelsey's.

In the morning, we left and brought Erin directly to the airport, had lunch with Wesley and said goodbye until April, and pulled over for a motorcycle cop. After a disappointing speed trap ticket, Haynes dropped me off at the airport 6 hours early where I slept and woke up to Clinton's interview from the day before on CNN and then I began "hangin' with Mr. Cooper."

I finally made it back to Phoenix and Stephen, my roommate, picked me up.

Haynes will be here soon. Our trip around the West is about to begin. I need to tie up all of my loose ends here first though.


*Our mom has always told us this true sentiment, and I believe it is a good guide to relationships: "Make new friends and keep the old, one is silver, the other gold." Likewise, my friend Carly tells me that she refers to friends from a long ways past or of gold status as "dear friends."

happy birthday to my brother Haynes

this is a special post and shout out to my twin brother haynes, who through his ear for music, creativity, street wise, and straight talk provides great guidance in lifeand who through his faith, curiosity, loyalty, and honest outlook on life is a great partner in adventurethese are two of my favorite photos with haynes - the first of us at RFK stadium before senior year for a concert and the second of us in Savannah with one of my favorite (and of course, now lost) hats and my belly relaxed (much to haynes' disapproval)

happy birthday haynes!

cheers to Arizona and a career?

I'll make this entry short, but it should break down my next year.

As I'm reaching 25, I at least have some clarity as to what I want to pursue for a career - working internationally (or for a U.S.-based internationally-focused institution) for either a government or non-governmental organization. My first focus will be the state department.

But that will have to wait...for now. As my last trip came to a close and I was finishing my application for the Foreign Service Officer Test, I received an E-mail stating that the February testing window had been filled worldwide, almost two weeks before the deadline. This was a knock to my plans, but after having all day on Tuesday (because the plane left without me) to think about it, everything worked out.

The Pat Tillman Foundation and its staff have been great. My time here has been productive and educational. And they have shown that they feel the same way towards me. So, when I returned to work on Wednesday I proposed to my boss coming back after graduation to help see through the initiatives I have been guiding. She totally agreed, and now here I am.

I will still go travel with Haynes in March and April and some of May (and with the encouragement of my boss) and will be in touch with the Foundation and kept in the loop throughout this time. Then in June I will come back to start full time, working on a contractual basis until December. I will still be focusing on the FSOT (also, with the encouragement of my boss) and will take that test in June. This all works out perfectly - it is times like these that God shows his direction for your life.

Now, I'm off to root for the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.

So cheers to Arizona, and to the semi-start of my journey into the real world!

Celebrating the Creed of our Constitution and other adventures

I'm on a flight as long as one crossing the Atlantic, so have had the time to write this before transcribing my thoughts through the keys.

My most recent trip was amazing for several reasons - one being able to see family and friends, another having the experience of a business trip and successfully fulfilling its purpose, and a final reason being the food, fun, frigid cold, and fancy beers.

It all started after I ran (and walked some after the 7.5 mile mark) my fastest 1/2 marathon ever, enjoyed the Cardinals' win at the Ringler's house, and then relaxed until taking a red-eye to BWI via Charlotte. Stepping off the plane and out of the bus to enter the metro, I faced a flurry of flakes that didn't bode well for my already stiff and aching knees. But I made it to the Eastern Market metro and the smiling faces of Haynes and Erin just in time. After relaxing and eating at Erin's new place - an awesome "English basement" - we met up with my Clinton School colleagues at RFK Stadium to participate in a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service event to package care boxes for our troops.After two hours of enjoying the company of friends, seeing the excitement in the pre-inaugural air, and writing some thoughtful letters, we returned to Erin's where I took a much needed nap. When I woke up we made our way to Carly's place to party the night away in preparation for a long day on Tuesday. This was good fun with good people.

In the morning I woke up early, dressed in my best, and headed out with mistaken confidence of finding Marie. Already late for coffee (as planned ahead of time), I couldn't get anywhere fast within five blocks of the Capitol building. It was crazy and when I tried to find the Silver Gate where our tickets were for I just ran into lines for other gates and ended up packed like a sardine for an hour and a half. The only benefit to this concert-like atmosphere was that it was keeping me warm. After making it out and making a wide U-turn to get to where the gate was on the invitation, I found that the Silver Gate was not accessible from the north and that I was on the wrong side of the mall from Marie. I did see comedian George Wallace however. Finally, I made my way through the 3rd street tunnel and to the line for entrance into the Silver area where Marie was waiting on the steps with a solemn look. Immediately we assessed the situation and realized that we wouldn't have much luck in getting in and so we just walked down the mall and ended up watching the inauguration from the WWII Memorial on a big screen.It was still amazing - to just be there and experience the moment made the trip worth it. During the ceremony I felt like a newscaster, accurately stating that after the botched swearing-in that President Obama would probably have to do it over and then pointing out the two mistakes in his speech (one being that there have only been 43 presidents with Grover Cleveland serving twice and the other being that there have only been 43 transitions because George Washington didn't transition from anyone - the President said 44 for both of these). After this speech, Marie and I started walking to meet Erin and Haynes and on the way Tom Hanks walked right in front of me. I patted him on the shoulder and said, "Hi, Tom", to which he gave me a salute and a thumbs-up. We also passed by the gate through which we were supposed to enter.Back at Erin's we relaxed before preparing food for the party. After cleaning the grill, cooking the steaks and burgers, and preparing other things, only Chance and Molly showed up to join Erin, Haynes, Marie and me. Eventually Carly showed up after marching in the inaugural parade, but that left a ton of food. As the evening came to a close, Haynes and I spent over 10 minutes backing the truck up out of the alley behind Erin's place to get it ready to bring Marie out to meet a friend across town. Haynes showed off his taxi-like city driving skills as we zig-zagged around balls and ball-goers and avoided cops who probably didn't have time to pull us over for running red lights. After dropping Marie off and making it back home, Carly arrived. We all talked while watching the President and First Lady dance to "At Last" at countless balls and listening to the commentary on the First Lady's dress and the couple's sexuality and love and finally headed to bed.

I woke up early again, walked Erin to the metro, and met Marie for coffee to discuss the start of our exciting two days of meetings. Our first meeting was with Amanda Meredith of the minority office of the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and we got some good information. Then we went to the office of Senator John McCain, next to lunch with Erin in Gallery Place near her work and then to the Capitol building where we watched a video, joined an eccentric tour and walked passed Larry King and Congressman Dennis Kucinich. After visiting Senator Pryor's office for the tour and making our way to Congressman Snyder's office for a meeting, Marie saw how truly small Arkansas is - I ran into three people I knew (two randomly, and the other who I knew would be there). Later that afternoon we met with Congressman Filner's office and then got coffee while waiting to meet up with Haynes and Erin. When we finally met them I received a call from the Department of Veteran Affairs explaining that they had just received our letter of request with the Secretary and that they were sorry that they were just now contacting us but that they had just started work (which was true - it was just one day after the new administration got to start). We set up a meeting for the next day and then stopped at Erin's before meeting two Tillman Scholars in the D.C. area for dinner. Per Chance's suggestion, we met Katie Munsch and Matt Cicinelli at Granville Moore's - this was an amazing restaurant both for the atmosphere and the awesome mussels, dips and beers. After a long dinner and some good talk, Katie dropped the Riley's back off to head to sleep.Again, waking up early to meet Marie for coffee, we started the day off in Representative Harry Mitchell's office - he is the congressman for the Tempe district - and then on to a meeting with Congressman Boozman of Northwest Arkansas. This was a good meeting with Boozman having a lot of good information and then getting a photo taken with us.After the photo, one of his staff members walked us to the street and Marie and I got lunch at Good Stuff Eatery (run by Top Chef competitor, Spike) where we ate some good food and had a good shake. Then on to meet with Patrick Campbell of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the minority office for the House Committee on Veteran Affairs, and finally our last meeting of the trip with the Department of Veteran Affairs where we were escorted up to the office of the chief of staff for the Secretary. After all of this I walked Marie back to where she was staying, said goodbye, and walked to meet Haynes before Erin's event at the National Portrait Gallery - and along the way took photos of some great Shepard Fairey wheatpastes.Haynes and I met Carly at the National Portrait Gallery and attended the Face-to-Face program before eating dinner with Erin's friends Clark and Leonardo and our childhood friend, Joanna Swirszcz (who now works for Vic Snyder) down the street from the gallery. After dinner, when the non-North Little Rockians left, we met up with Quinten at a bar across the street and had good times with a hometown crowd. Then we all caught the subway together and scattered off on our ways home.I slept in on Friday as best I could but had to wake up eventually because Erin's friends from Michigan drove overnight to get to D.C. and Haynes and Erin were bustling around to move their car. We spent the day walking the national mall and made our way around the Tidal Basin which presented a great view of the D.C. skyline in its frozen state. I got to see my two favorite monuments/memorials - the Jefferson and Albert Einstein - before ending the day with a late late lunch in Georgetown before Haynes and I had to head out to New York City. Before we made our way entirely out of the beltway though, we met up with Katie (my friend from Tempe) and her college friend in Silver Spring, Maryland, for a brief dinner. We eventually made it back to Haynes' apartment in Stuyvesant town at 1 a.m.We woke up and were ready at 10 a.m. to start moving Clarissa to her new place in Brooklyn. This lasted until 3 p.m. and then we got a large load of Meagan's stuff to her new place. During all of this, Haynes' friend Scott Reinhard got to town and helped out. In Brooklyn we climbed to the roof and celebrated quickly with a couple beers. Later, Meagan brought us all out to dinner for the help and we all ended up back at the Manhattan apartment for some late night cookies and talk to be eventually joined by Meagan's friend Joe (who she knew from San Francisco) and Haynes' friend Halligan (who was in town from Philly and whose engagement photos are the most amazing I've ever seen).The next day Haynes and I attended the Graffiti Baptist Church, arriving late, but spending enough time there for Haynes to say his goodbyes and for me to meet this family of Christians in the Lower East Side for the first time. When we left we went straight back to the duties as moving machines and got Kara and Meagan on their way. Haynes stayed with them on the tail end of the trip while Scott and I took the bikes over the Manhattan Bridge all the way to the Brooklyn Museum. There we enjoyed the exhibits (my favorite piece probably being the plastic Indian) and rode over to my friend Amanda's place until Haynes and Cam were able to pick us up.From there we dropped off Cam and headed to Katz's Deli (this is where Harry met Sally) where we met my friends, Drew and Danis, and Haynes' friends, Nina and Michelle.After a great meal we went to Max Fisch's, a nearby bar, and then to my favorite, McSorley's, where they always remind you to "Be Good or Be Gone." Before ending the night we hopped over to another Irish pub where music is played every Sunday evening. This was a great end to the night and a good reminder of Haynes' and my adventure in Galway.Monday morning was another early one, waking up to head up the Hudson to Beacon, New York. We made our way out of the city and to Sleepy Hollow where we stopped for photos and a few good bagels. Then we made a stop with an awesome outlook over the Hudson (somewhere near to where West Point is).We drove through the hometown of my classmate Carly and eventually made it to the Dia: Beacon. This unexpected treasure is one of the coolest museums I have ever been to and was only bettered by the building in which it is located - a former Nabisco cookie box factory located right off the Hudson. The windows and display spaces and building design all made for a great atmosphere to view so many amazing large pieces of modern art. The most notable pieces belonged to Richard Serra and Haynes stole a few clicks with his iPhone.After a few hours there we drove the same route back home, proving to be late for the meeting I had already postponed, and then getting pizza at Two Boots before dropping Scott of at LaGuardia. Then we moved a final load of Meagan's stuff and again her and Kara treated us to dinner at a Mexican place near to their new home.

Tuesday was the earliest morning of all, waking up at 6 a.m. to make it to the rescheduled 7:30 a.m. meeting with CGI U. I got breakfast at our meeting place, Lou's Cafe, a coffee and had a good discussion. Then Haynes picked me up at 8:30 a.m. and started to bring me to LaGuardia until I realized that my 10 a.m. flight was actually out of Newark. Haynes used his amazing, yet scary, driving skills again to try to get me to the terminal in time but I only made it 20 minutes before the flight and thus had to settle for checking in for the next one at 4:40 p.m. So I missed the Tillman Tunnel event that night in Tempe and had a lot of time to think and return phone calls, and also think about life after my Capstone - the topic of my next post. But after an exciting and exhausting trip filled with celebration, work, and other adventures, I was ready to head back to any form of consistency and rest and say goodbye to our nation's capital and the city.

tired and excited

i'm tired.

since i last posted, i have been most focused on studying for the foreign service exam, completing my capstone and "training" for the half marathon i just finished.

all has been smooth, for the most part.

i finished the half marathon (the p.f. chang's rock n' roll arizona), in my fastest time yet (in four tries) and felt relatively decent, especially since afterward i watched the cardinals beat the eagles to go to the super bowl. in training, i did well except for the fact that i did limited stretching which i think led to my lower back muscles getting hurt during a soccer match. after taking it easy the past week and getting a massage and sitting in the hot tub a couple nights, it felt fine during the race - it was my right knee that had the problems.

as for my capstone, i have taken on a lot of responsibility and have a lot of work to do. i know that what i provide to the foundation will be beneficial and as shawn told me the other day, i will leave my mark on all areas of the foundation's programs. it has been fun working here in tempe, and easy, because, as marie told me the other day, "i trust you," which makes all the difference in the work i am doing.

and as for the foreign service exam, i am ready but i still have some reading and preparation left. i need all of your prayers, support, and thoughts as i enter the test in mid-february.

besides all of this, i have still found some time for fun - i attended the fiesta bowl and saw an amazing texas win (and from a nice seat in a box), i've been playing some soccer, i hung out with katie and eric some, and a couple nights i did some reading.

i'm excited.

because now i'm on my way to d.c. to see my little sister's place and enjoy the inauguration - did i mention i got tickets? part of what i'm doing with the foundation is helping them with their new programming, one of which is to fund scholarships for veterans and their families and so i proposed speaking to veterans affairs' stakeholders and thus the d.c. trip. marie and i have several meetings on the days following the inauguration so it will be a busy and exciting time. and after that i will be heading to the city to help haynes' roommates move out and to enjoy my final visit while haynes is there. i might also have meeting with cgiu about another foundation initiative.

see you on the east coast.

skiing, gambling, climbing, and driving my way through the New Year

Three weeks just flew by. Starting my car for the drive to Las Vegas, I realized I had packed for basically four trips - one for Denver, one for the mountains, one for Las Vegas, and one for the climbing and camping at Red Rocks. With coffee, koolaid, and sunflower seeds in hand, I was on my way.

Right as I was leaving the Phoenix metropolitan area I saw the huge University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.My next great sight came at the Arizona Joshua Tree Scenic Highway...then I found the snow,...and crossed the border into Nevada and the Pacific Time Zone across the Hoover Dam...and finally to Las Vegas where I puttered around before catching the bus to the airport, leaving my car behind at UNLV, and flying to Denver.
In Denver, my cousin Roy picked me up and I stayed at his place for the night. In the morning I road his mountain bike to get some amazing breakfast burritos and then got ready to head into the city on the light rail for an afternoon interview with one of the Tillman Scholars. After that I walked around town, running into the bear at the convention center...visiting the State Capitol...and then to the Denver Art Museum.After a nice day walking around, Paul (Chance' friend) picked me up to go out and party. We made a stop at his house to make an ugly sweater for the party, grabbed some pizza, bought some beer and then spent hours in a basement with one of the most intricately designed "ugly" sweaters I have ever seen - a felt nativity scene with Rudolph flying Baby Jesus down to his cradle.
After some great days in Denver, my family finally arrived and we headed up the mountain for seven days in a row of skiing with a couple cool nights out - one at the new Tabernash Tavern (located in the old Tabernash furniture making studio) where I had Quilmes for the first time since Argentina and the other while dropping Nick off at El Rancho restaurant (supposedly the only restaurant in the nation to have a highway exit named after it).

For Christmas I got a replacement for my broken camera and one of the first shots was of Zachary and Haynes kissing my favorite present of the season - a necklace from my mom and dad (for all of the boys) that is a replica of the one my mom gave my dad 19 years ago of a cross with the inscription "i love you 12/25/08" on the back.We couldn't have asked for better snow at Winter Park and we would have skied eight days had the weather on the seventh day not been so cold and my knees not so worn from some of the hardest skiing I've ever done. So after a relaxing last day, Zachary, Haynes, and I drove down the mountain and dropped Zachary off at the airport. Then Haynes and I spent the night hanging out with Chance and his friends Margie and Jason and eventually Ashley Davis of the new Clinton School class (also a Colorado native). We drove from bar to bar and spent a great night out, eventually ending up at Chance's mom's apartment next to a space heater for the night. In the morning I moved my stuff to Chance's car, dropped Haynes off at the airport, and then met my family and Chance back down at REI where I said goodbye and headed off for an educational day in the city.

Chance's first stop for me was Louicelle's Creole Cafe where we had a filling brunch only bettered by the shrimp-adorned bloody mary. Then to Five Points where Chance allowed me to visit his past - this area is where his grandfather, Leroy Smith, became an influential entrepreneur, radio host, and all-around civic actor back in the early days of the civil rights movement in Denver.We stopped by Leroy's old bar (The Voter's Club) and sports and music store and then to the area library which has an entire exhibit dedicated to Leroy (and other influential African American leaders from the city) with his old radio shows playing in the background and some hilarious letters (especially one written to Cassius Clay) up on the walls. It is amazing to see how connected Chance is to that city and I was just glad to see a part of it.

Next we went to one of Chance's favorite coffee shops where I conducted another interview with a former Tillman Scholar. While walking around, as always, I shot photos of graffiti. After finishing our coffee we headed out to west Denver to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for a tour - this is where Jason works. He brought us around from building to building showing us how his research on solar energy ink jet panel printing works - some high tech and deeply scientific stuff. I just wanted a photo to look like I knew what I was doing with my official (misspelled as Hunmter) name tag and lab goggles.After this, Chance and I headed to his favorite record store where we listened to some albums and then next door to one of his favorite book stores where I bought a couple books. As the time grew near for me to catch my flight to Vegas, Chance and I picked up Paul and went to the nearby hot dog shop before heading to the airport.

And...then to the American City of Lights where after retrieving my bags I eventually met up with Molly and her friend, Christine, took a shower at their room and went walking around from casino to casino and buying us each $12 drinks (what a rip off!) at the Luxor. In the morning I picked Chance up at the airport, met Molly and Christine and got brunch, dropped off stuff at the hotel, and then headed out to Red Rocks.Here we ran into Emily, Tristan, and the gang and I got to tag along on some climbing in the Black Corridor (Emily says that Red Rocks is one of the top five climbing destinations) with some ever so small climbing shoes. I completed my first outdoor 5.10A and had a blast and felt my muscles.As the sun set, we drove back into the city with two extra passengers - Emily and Sarah Razar - and got to the hotel where everyone else was waiting. After a quick shower, I had Molly cut off my hair and Chance and Ryan help with the new look (notice the mohawk, racing stripes on my left side and in the left eyebrow, and the mustache).Then out to "old" Vegas where I was sleepy from the start but tried to stay awake through good pizza, a nasty whiskey shot, some good dancing, the warm fires and $1 PBRs of the Griffin, and some $5 black jack at O'Shea's.Here is where I was falling asleep surrounded by Clinton School friends Chance, Carlyn, Emily, Molly, and Ryan - they tried hard to keep me awake but I shutdown only sparking my energy back up when interacting with my favorite "bum" of all time (he was full of information and fun).After a morning's rest, Ryan, Christine, Emily and I went shopping for everyone for some food and a little booze. Back at the hotel we relaxed some before a New Year's Eve out on the town. We started at an old diner where I tried out a martini and a chicken fried steak. I had to stop myself from finishing it because I didn't want the night to end like New Year's 2005 (or was that 2004 or 2006). Then we hit the strip, walking in and out of casinos and finally seeing the kind-of anticlimactic fireworks. Shortly after we walked around some more and eventually I went with the early group back to the hotel.

The next day I was up and helping make some brunch that E and T brilliantly put together. After eating I went to the hot tub and then back to the room where I showered and walked around to the Wynn before heading back to Harrah's to catch the bus to the Rio for the buffet. After waiting in line for an hour and a half we grabbed an entirely too-disgusting to think about mixture of food, but as Emily said, well worth the $25 for the experience. After finishing and watching the awkwardly solo dance of a thonged young lady, we caught the bus to Harrah's and went to watch the Bellagio fountains - this was the most spectacular sight in Vegas.After watching this for about 45 minutes and losing our combined $50 on roulette (we would have won a lot had they just let me gamble and stay at the original table - Ryan saw it) I headed back to the hotel. Each night I was part of the early group but wished I could have stayed up and found more time to do a little more gambling - I only lost $40. But I stayed at least a little bit rested for the coming days of climbing.

After saying goodbyes, Emily and I drove out to Red Rocks where we pitched my tent and then met most of the others to do some bouldering. As it got colder we finally went back to camp where we prepared dinner and waited on Tristan and Stuart to come back from their multi-pitch climb. When they finally arrived the steaks were thrown on the grill and we enjoyed a good dinner thanks to Tristan's friends Josh and Christina and their shopping. The next day was so cold and had a chance of rain so instead of doing some sport climbing we stuck to bouldering. I followed the girls on their routes and then watched as the experienced guys made some awesome moves. Later in the day I stayed in the car to do some reading and then we all went into town to get some pizza.

The next morning we were up again to cold weather, so we packed up, grabbed some coffee and breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts and then made our way to Hoover Dam where I said my goodbyes to my fellow Arkansans and headed back to Tempe for a day of reentrance to the real world.