Tyson's thoughts on the move

So I am coming up on the end real quick. I will be completely finished with school and finals on April 28. I then graduate May 17. With UT being in our near future, I have been doing a lot of thinking.

First off, I am very excited to get back to Utah. I am really excited to live near the family and be able to go to family events once again. I am also excited to rekindle old friendships. I am especially happy that Laura is going to have a great support group while I study for the bar and establish myself at my work. I cannot wait to attend the home Utah games. However, there are so many things I am going to miss about DC.

1 -- I am going to miss our friends here. We have had such interactive friends that are always up for doing something fun or just hanging out. In addition, the friends are extremely supportive whenever anyone is going through rough times.

2 -- I am going to miss the ease and convenience of the Metro. Now, I will be the first to complain because it is always having delays. However, it has sure been nice to have the metro within a 5 min walk from our front door. In addition, almost everything you want to get to in DC is within a short walk of a metro stop. The convenience is great. I am not sure what I am going to do when I have to drive EVERYWHERE again.

3 -- I am going to miss all the sights of DC. It is so weird to drive/walk down the road and look off to your side and see the Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington, Capitol, and the White House. Within walking distance of all of those Presidents are other memorials such as the WWII, Iwo Jima, Vietnam, Navy, etc. It is also fun to go watch tourists roam the monuments.

4 -- I am going to miss all the history. As most people know, I love history. There are so many things near here. All the battlefields and historical cities are near here. It is amazing because our whole country was formed and molded by the events that happened near DC.

5 -- I am going to miss the accessibility of DC. We can be to SO many great cities from here. NYC is only 4 hours away. Philadelphia is only 2.5 hours away. Baltimore is an hour (with a great crab restaurant). Virginia Beach is only 3 hours away. It is so nice to be so close to so many places.

6 -- It is going to be tough to match the restaurants that are here in DC. There is a place called Ray's the Steaks that is some of the best steaks I have had; it is also fairly affordable. There is a place called The Carlyle that is the consensus favorite of so many of us. The have ribs that have a honey base (my favorite), a hanger steak that is great, and really good crab fritters. Then in Adams Morgan there is Tryst Coffee House with awesome chocolate chip waffles and a lot of hippies chilling out. Then best of all (and only on Saturday morning early) is Eastern Market breakfast. You show up and no matter what have to wait in line to order. The food is amazing - I love their french toast and bacon with the natural maple syrup. Now I got to find great places in Utah.

7 -- I am going to miss all the free activities. Whenever you are bored there is always something free you can do whether it be an event in DC, playing on the National Mall (they do outdoor movies in the summer) or just going to see a museum.

If anyone is even considering visiting DC, I HIGHLY recommend it. The two times of the year I recommend most are the 4th of July or the Cherry Blossom Festival. The 4th of July is AWESOME. There are so many people here and the city is just full of excitement. There is no better way to celebrate our nation's birthday than to sit on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and watch the fireworks explode over the Washington Monument. As far as the Cherry Blossom Festival, it is one of the prettiest things to see. When all the trees are in full bloom around the Tidal Basin and near the Jefferson Memorial, there are not many better views. Both of these are MUST sees.