Hi, friends!

We got home a lot later tonight than we had anticipated, so I’m going to make this snappy and hit the hay.

Today was yet another bright and early day, starting with a (very) quick workout.  The cardio machines were being used, so I completed one minute of various cardiovascular exercises for 6 minutes and then did a variety of arm workouts with the free weights, with 35 seconds of cardio between each set.  Was that confusing?

Anyway, I showered, got dressed, packed up the room with my dad and headed to breakfast where I once again had oatmeal and lots and lots of coffee!

We checked out and walked out the hotel, and then realized we didn’t exactly have a plan, so we just started walking in the general direction of all the museums.  On the way, we discussed our options and narrowed it down to the Smithsonian Art Museum, Air and Space Museum, or American Indian Museum.  My vote was for the Air and Space Museum, so that was the plan.

On our way, we stopped into the Art Museum and looked at many of the sculptures that were there.  Amazing detail and precision went into making them!  After that quick stop, we headed towards the Air and Space Museum, but took a detour through a sculpture garden.Eventually, we made it to the Air and Space Museum and spent a couple of hours looking at the various exhibits.  We both enjoyed the Wright Brothers exhibit, as well as a short movie about the possibility of life on other planets.  It is impossible for me to wrap my mind around the fact that beyond Earth, there is something that goes on forever.  It makes us seem so small!  The narrator of the movie summed it up well.  She said something along the lines of our existence being no more significant than one breath in a lifetime, or a grain of sand on a beach.

Once it got to the point where I could no longer handle the frigid temperature of the museum, we headed out and walked a few blocks over to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.  We didn’t think we would have much time, so we started with their new exhibit and then split up and saw much of the museum on our own.  They were completely out of tickets for the Permanent Exhibit, which explains the events leading up to the Holocaust, the Holocaust and after the Holocaust.  I just happened to be walking by when a security guard asked if I had seen the exhibit and then gave me the last ticket, so I was able to see everything.Seeing the exhibits leaves me both speechless and emotional.  The fact that something so horrible can happen is beyond me and the only way to prevent something similar from happening, is to remember the past.

Once we got the cue to head back, we made the long trek back to the hotel and met my mom for a quick happy hour before heading home.  We hit a bit of traffic, so we didn’t get home until after 9:00 p.m.  I snacked on a lot of bar mix, so I wasn’t terribly hungry when I got here.  All this eating out has left me craving one thing:

It was exactly what I needed!  I am so excited to go food shopping and fill up on fresh produce.  Call me strange, but I have been looking forward to doing that for weeks!

I’m off to sleep now- exciting day ahead of me tomorrow!  I have to be up at 5:00 a.m.!  Eeeek!