Quantico

Recently I had the opportunity to go on a tour of the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA. It was a fascinating place! I watched them training agents in the famous Hogan's Alley, an urban street built by Hollywood set designers and learned of some of the cool stuff that they are doing to enhance their training (on a very basic unclassified level of course.) We passed by the FBI lab and peeked into the dorms. It's a nifty place. I'm grateful that there are people who are willing and trained to put their lives at risk to help the world be a safer place and go after the bad guys. I wouldn't want that job. I've shot a gun once, at a water bottle filled with sand, and although I hit the target, it wasn't something I enjoyed.

Amidst all the excitement, one thing was the most significant to me. Placed in an otherwise empty courtyard is a Granite monument commemorating September 11th. It was already destined to be something I'd like as that day has a very significant place in my life and heart. I served as a missionary in New York City, and received my assignment to go there the week after it occurred. The base was the Pentagon, the twin towers stood tall in the middle, and an outline of the state of Pennsylvania with a star where flight 93 crashed. In front of it were debris from each of the three catastrophes. It was very well done, created by the Class of 2007. Again, I'm grateful for those who work to make the world a safer place and aid in bringing understanding and resolution when it is not. It was a very enjoyable experience.

A few quotes from the front entrance:

"Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful." Samuel Johnson

"Courage is the resistance to fear, mastery of fear and not the absence of it." Mark Twain

"Prosperity asks for fidelity, adversity exacts it."
Seneca

You Know You Live in Washington When:

1. The traffic report regularly states that the beltway is backed up to the Mormon Temple.
2. When you tell your friend you want to go with her to the mall and ask for directions, she guides you downtown near the capital building instead of to the stores.
3. You get a random paycheck from the United States Senate and it takes you awhile to figure out what you did to earn it.
4. If it snows a few inches the entire town closes down and you can find diplomats sledding with their children in your backyard. Sometimes you can join them too.
5. There are actually more acronyms than can be found at BYU.
6. You can trick-or-treat in many countries just by walking down certain streets. (Embassy Row).
7. Some of what you call work, others would be doing for sightseeing. Yet others would call another some of it sheer boredom and drudgery.
8. Ward cultural events activities include historic sights that most people only read about. i.e. Mount Vernon, Ford's Theater, Shenandoah, etc.
9. You eat lunch with at least one new person a week in entirely different locations.
9.5 You don't have any change for the toll road so your commute time gets doubled because you get lost in the back roads. Then again, a 6 mile stretch can take twenty minutes to traverse sometimes depending on the road.
10. You get to be amongst amazingly bright and talented individuals who make life interesting and thought provoking.

New Year's Resolutions

This is one of mine. My goal is to post at least once a month to stay more in touch with family and friends and share some of my experiences, thoughts, etc. So far, I'm looking forward to a great New Year with some great new ideas to implement. Do stay tuned...