more pictures of brotherly love.

annique is a sweetheart and just started playing these kids.

me, kailey, natalie and jeff in front of Constitution hall.

i messed around with Peter's camera a little.

ryan and emily are the best married couple. i want them to adopt me.

our professor's girls.

me and natalie

my lovely roommate natalie took lovely pictures of philly. i thought i would share some of them.

oil spill(s).

photos by boston.com

the 49-day-and-counting oil spill has most likely invoked in you the same reaction as me. it's making all of us sick. the amount of oil spilled is certainly alarming. i read (via mongabay.com) a statistic today that on May 31,

the federal government says that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has currently released approximately 504,000 to 798,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf based on forty one days of leaking: about 2-4 percent of the United States' one day consumption.

2-4%.

photo

and a co-worker of mine also led me to some reports that while we make a huge fuss over the Gulf spill, people in the Nigerian Delta are used to it. read the guardian to learn more, but what I understand is that oil spills take place multiple times a year off the Nigerian coast in much higher amounts than the Gulf spill.

In fact, more oil is spilled from the delta's network of terminals, pipes, pumping stations and oil platforms every year than has been lost in the Gulf of Mexico, the site of a major ecological catastrophe caused by oil that has poured from a leak triggered by the explosion that wrecked BP's Deepwater Horizon rig last month.

That disaster, which claimed the lives of 11 rig workers, has made headlines round the world. By contrast, little information has emerged about the damage inflicted on the Niger delta. Yet the destruction there provides us with a far more accurate picture of the price we have to pay for drilling oil today.

A spokesman for the Stakeholder Democracy Network in Lagos, which works to empower those in communities affected by the oil companies' activities, said: "The response to the spill in the United States should serve as a stiff reminder as to how far spill management in Nigeria has drifted from standards across the world."

national cathedral.

the national cathedral is so amazing. i know i keep saying things are my favorite, but this is one of the coolest things i've been to in dc. i feel like Catholic masses are part of my heritage, and something about them makes me feel like home. it especially makes me miss my mother.

Nats' game.

me, becky, hannah.

andrea, natalie.

andrew, seth, talyn. so typical.

go Nationals!

me at the u.s. capitol.

press conference.

Nancy Pelosi's office.

a few weeks ago, one of our briefers was Kay King (read her awesome BYU Marriot school commencement speech here) who works with Nancy Pelosi on the Council of Foreign Affairs. in addition to speaking with us, she allowed us to hang out in Speaker Pelosi's office and balcony for a while. it was incredible! definitely one of the coolest things i've done in d.c.

the view from the speaker's desk.

these fresh flowers were everywhere. doesn't she have great taste?

this amazed me. this is a birthday present from President Obama. it is the original manuscript of a hearing for a bill that Speaker Pelosi's father sponsored in 1940, and that Eleanore Roosevelt testified at. isn't that the most thoughtful gift?

another thoughtful birthday gift.

did you know Nancy Pelosi has five children, who she raised at home until they were all grown, after which she became the 60th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives? so incredible.

on the balcony.

bike ride to mount vernon.

on May 14, a bunch of us BYU interns rented bikes in Virginia and rode them to Mount Vernon. I can't say I really appreciated Mount Vernon until I visited it, but George Washington's former estate is beautiful.

the path there was absolutely beautiful. it made me feel like home again.

me and becky en route.

i loved these fields all over the estate. i had to wonder if George and Martha every had a Saturday afternoon picnic there.

or tea out on their back porch,

looking at this view.

i loved this tree in their backyard.

the mansion

General Washington planted this tree. couldn't believe it.

in the museum they asked, "how many cities and counties are named after Pres. Washington?" of course, i knew of one...

the tomb of George and Martha Washington.

I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet he shall live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. john 11:25-26

i saw these boys several times throughout the day at Mount Vernon and sort of fell in love with them. this is them down at the wharf.

my view of the white house.

the white house. this is the familiar view, though it's actually the back. who knew?

beehives. who knew?

michelle's gardens. I knew my mom would love this because she has a greeeeeeen thumb.

back in May when my days weren't occupied by an internship full-time, I toured around town like crazy. on one day, I visited some friends whose internship takes place just near the White House. this was my first time seeing la casa blanca. it was great. it is, actually, kind of anti-climactic but still enjoyable for me.

beautiful photos.

All photos by Kiera Haddock of Peace and Pandemonium





Ariel and Steve got their engagement photos taken, and they turned out so beautiful. the combination of Ariel's perfect taste, her gorgeous face and skinny little body with Steve's charm and good looks, make any photos of them look good. but I think the photographer did an outstanding job. oh I just can't wait for this wedding.