DC, Day Three and Four: We're Alive

A note right off the bat: I apologize to anyone who worried about Shane and my safety because I did not blog yesterday after the horrible metro collision down here in DC. We actually didn't even know about it until fairly late in the evening when we came back to our hotel room and I realized I had a bunch of concerned text messages from various people and a missed call from my dad. The really creepy thing is that we were on the red train earlier that day...we never went through the area where the accident was...but still, it was enough to give me a chill. Needless to say, my thoughts and prayers are with all who were involved and the families of the 6 people that died. Truly horrific.

Other than that we've really enjoyed ourselves the past couple of days. We did go to the zoo and our nice dinner yesterday but we didn't make it to Georgetown Cupcake...yet. We plan on going tomorrow before we hit the road instead.

Today we hit three of the Smithsonian Museums - Air and Space (again), Natural History (again), and American History. We are BEAT. It's been pretty crazy but it's also been really fun. However I may need a vacation to recover from my vacation...

On to the pics!

On Monday morning we had a delicious McDonald's breakfast...mmmmm...it was so good my arteries were clapping.



Then we went over to the zoo.


We saw gazelles...


...zebras...


...a great panda (yes, we saw a real one too...not just this statue)...


...a TON of flamingos...


...some pretty peacocks...



...and many many other animals.

Then we got all fancy and went to dinner at a restaurant called Proof after taking a stroll through the National Portrait Gallery (which was very cool).


It was sooooo good...the wine was delicious and the food was excellent. Couldn't have asked for a nicer night out.

Then this morning we went over to the Air and Space Museum to see a show in the planetarium. It was a lot of fun because it'd been a long time since either of us had been to a planetarium...but I didn't taken any pictures while we were at the museum. We'd already been there so we didn't stay long before heading out.

We started walking to get lunch and took a detour through the sculpture garden next to the National Gallery of Art.





(Believe it those pics of Shane and I separately were not posed. We're just excellent photographers.)

Then after we got lunch we went over to the Museum of Natural History.

Shane next to some creatures that are (or were) actually taller than him...


We also saw the Hope Diamond while we were at this museum but...once again...I didn't take any pictures. It's very big and very sparkly...take my word for it.

After that we went over to the American History Museum which I actually think was my favorite of the three we visited today. I didn't even take any pictures while I was there I was so absorbed! We got to see the original star spangled banner while we were there which was actually an amazing sight. It was in a low light area to prevent any further fading or damage from light and it was HUGE. The original flag was in the neighborhood of 35'x40'...but it's now closer to a square shape because of the tests of time. And they actually flew that huge thing! It's the very flag Francis Scott Key saw in the distance that inspired the song "The Star Spangled Banner." And seeing it in person was truly inspiring. Another favorite part of this museum was the photos of the 2009 inauguration.

I've said it once but I'll say it again...I'm BEAT! Now time for some relaxation and sleep...tomorrow there will be cupcakes, White Castle, and lots and lots of driving.

DC, Day Two: Take Me Out to the Ball Game

First off I have to say that I am incredibly tired right now so the narrative of this particular blog is going to be brief. I apologize if this is upsetting to anyone.

Today was jam-packed with activity. We got up, got a quick breakfast at the hotel and then headed over to the metro to go down to see the Nationals game. Here is Shane waiting for the metro in, what I thought, was a pretty cool looking station. At the very least it was clean...for public transportation.


Then we got to the field...


The stadium was incredibly nice. It's essentially brand new. However, the Nationals have some very odd mascots...


These are "the running Presidents"...I'm not really sure what their point is. The Nationals also have a normal type of mascot...Screech the bald eagle. Why they need these scary President type things as well is beyond me. Shane insisted I have my picture take with Lincoln.


As you can see in the picture I was rather uncomfortable about this. I found him very scary and I did not want him to touch me. Lincoln, that is. Not Shane.

Our seats were incredible...even better than Shane thought they'd be. Here is the view from where we were sitting.


It was around this time that we were both good children and dutifully called our fathers on Fathers' Day. Yes, we remembered.

And then we took the obligatory "at arms length" picture.


Awwww.

A surprise bonus...today's game turned out to be one of those free stuff games. We each walked away with one of these Geico duffel bags.


The game was a lot of fun. As expected, the Nationals lost, but it didn't rain at all even though the sky looked ominous at times and it wasn't oppressively hot either.

This evening we had plans to see Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian in the IMAX at the Air & Space Museum...so after the game we went straight there.


We picked up the tickets at will call and then poked around inside the museum for a bit since the movie wasn't for another couple of hours.

Here is Shane playing in the museum:


Here is me playing in the museum:


Here are the two of us in front of the lunar module:


It was shortly after this that we realized the movie we were seeing was not at the Air & Space IMAX...it was at the Museum of Natural History IMAX. Why the lady who gave us our tickets didn't tell us that is beyond me. We had about 20 minutes to get over to the other museum so we speed-walked across the Mall and managed to make it with plenty of time to spare. It was a very cute movie but we both agreed it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun if we'd seen it anywhere other than in DC...in a Smithsonian museum.

And so ended a busy day. We've got the zoo, Georgetown Cupcake (hurray!), and our nice dinner tomorrow. It may be a small miracle if I actually manage to blog tomorrow night.

DC, Day One: Accepting That We Are Tourists

Shane and I are at the end of a very very long day one here in DC. The drive down was relatively uneventful aside from the fact that we almost didn't find our way out of New Jersey along with the occasional torrential downpour...but by the time we actually got into the city the weather was warm and beautiful, albeit a bit humid. Here are some of today's highlights...

On the way down we planned a stop at the ever illusive Sonic. There are commercials for this mysterious fast food chain in the CT area but there aren't any that are actually close by so we were determined to partake in what we've only heard was incredibly good, quick eats while we could.

Here is the drive-up menu. When you're ready to order you push the little red button that can be seen at the bottom left of this picture. Someone eventually takes your order in a similar fashion to a drive-THRU.

BUT instead of driving up to a window and taking your food away, someone actually comes out to your car and brings you your food. What a novel idea! However, much to our disappointment, we only saw one server on roller skates.

The food was alright...Shane got a chili cheese "coney" (a.k.a. hot dog) and some popcorn chicken and I got a grilled chicken sandwich and some tater tots. I think he enjoyed his food a lot but mine was really only on par with McDonald's...although the tots were very good. We also each got a cherry limeade which was, in my opinion, the highlight of the meal. Mmmm...


This is a picture that Shane took of the people in the car next to us. He was attempting to get a picture of the guy in the driver's seat eating his hot dog.


Here is me with my tots.


Shortly after eating we switched drivers (I drove for the first part of the trip). Here is Shane driving my car...


Before long we were in our nation's capitol and driving around trying to find a place to park. While driving around Shane kept grumbling about the tourists crossing the road at inconvenient times (mainly when we needed to quickly make a turn) and I kept reminding him that we are, in fact, tourists ourselves. This is something that I don't think really settled well with either of us. I mean...who really WANTS to come across as a tourist. Not us, that's for sure.

Which is why the sign we discovered on our hotel was particularly humorous...


You can't really tell in this pic but it says "Hotel Harrington: Washington's Tourist Hotel."

Uh oh...they're on to us.

We were both pretty tired and achy from being in the car for 6+ hours so we collapsed in the room for a little while as we tried to figure out what to do for dinner.


And I forced Shane to take the first of many "at arms length" portraits of the two of us.


Not bad...not bad at all. We finally decided to go to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner which happened to be about one block down from the hotel...I had requested we go there purely for nostalgia's sake because it's one of the few things I remember from my first DC trip around the time I was 10 (if my family is reading this I have only one thing to say to you...boy scouts).


Then we started our walk over to "the mall" to see the White House, Washington Monument, etc. On the way over there we caught a glimpse of the Capitol Building in the distance.


And then we saw Barack's house.


And then we took pictures in front of the Washington Monument...which is so much bigger than these pictures suggest. Also for some reason Shane looks normal size in his picture and I look like a miniature version of myself. I'm not actually half Shane's height. The pictures are a bit dark in the foreground...oops...



Then we headed down toward the Lincoln Memorial alongside the reflecting pool which was actually in pretty sad shape, as you can see in the picture below. The water was oddly low and dirty looking.


The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is right next to the reflecting pool so we took a quick detour over there. This memorial is really very striking in person. There are so many names on that wall it's staggering...


Finally we arrived at the Lincoln Memorial and ascended the steps to see our 16th president.


And I got to stand where Martin Luther King, Jr. stood when he made his "I have a dream" speech.


Here is a picture of me with Mr. Lincoln...


And then the second of the forced pictures...



Before heading back towards the hotel to get some ice cream and turn in we stopped by the Korean War Memorial...which I'd never seen before.


The looks on the statues faces were truly haunting.

And now, my friends, I am completely exhausted. I've probably made lots of grammatical errors but in the interest of going to bed, I am not proof reading. Baseball and IMAX tomorrow...goodnight!

Babies, Cheesecake, and Love

SO I decided to delete my last post. I've never done that before but I decided it was just negative blah-di-blah-blah about a whole lot of nothing so away it went. Onward and upward!

This weekend has been truly great. It started off Friday night when Shane and I went on a triple date The Cheesecake Factory with my friends Kathy, Brandt, Carrye and Jeff.

The one pictured above is not the one we went to but I wanted to include a visual to make things more interesting. The funny thing about this triple date in particular is that the other two couples were both married...and having babies. Now before I say anything else I should say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. I'm very happy for both of them and it was a joy to spend the evening with them. But in such circumstances one can't help but make note of it.

ANYWAY one highlight of the evening was that I got to actually FEEL Charlotte...my friend Carrye's baby. She's due in about a month so, as you can imagine, there are a lot of people asking to touch her belly (or sometimes not asking, from what I hear). I didn't want to impose so I didn't ask, but I also said I wouldn't mind it. So a little while after that she grabbed my hand and put it right on the left side of her belly. A few moments later I felt one of the coolest things I've ever felt in my entire life...it felt like a little round wave against the palm of my hand. My heart couldn't help but swoon. I can't wait to meet the little one face to face! And I was happy to be able to spend time with my friends before their babies are outside of their bodies...I plan on packing as much of that in as possible because I'm well aware that scheduling can become very tricky once babies are involved.

Then on Saturday I went to see Epoch Arts' production of the orignal play, Love.

The play was wonderful but I have to admit my favorite part was seeing everyone there...it had been way too long. I hadn't even seen my own sister in weeks! This is obviously something I need to work on...

Then today I managed to be a productive human being! After I went on a walk with my mom and her three dogs I mowed the lawn and did some laundry. Exciting, right?

BUT next week you'll all be in store for some true excitement. Shane and I are making a road trip down to Washington DC to spend a few days there and I plan on doing some photo-journaling like I did in London. I know...try hard to contain your enthusiasm.

Alright Already!

So I've received numerous complaints about the fact that I have not posted any blog entries since I returned from London over a month ago. In the words of the ever articulate Steve Martin: "Well excuuuuuse meeee!!!" But in all honesty I feel very loved and flattered. I'm glad so many people really enjoyed reading my blogs and now miss them.

In response I am, as you can see, writing a blog. However I want to apologize in advance for a lack of pictures, which is really want has been preventing me from blogging. I like to include pictures whenever possible and I was 1) feeling lazy about taking and downloading some relevant ones and 2) a certain Shane Beatty has abducted my camera and refuses to return it. SO I am going to do my best to locate some pics available on the internets and include those. Here we go...a summary of the notable, blog-worthy events that have occured within the last month+:

I surrvied the trip back from London.

If you know me, you know this is huge. How I survived two 6-7 hour flights is beyond me. I think it must have been the lovely screens in the back of each seat that provided endless entertainment to distract me in-flight. I love you Virgin Airlines.

I was in YPCCA's production of High School Musical.

Aw. Yeah. It was actually a lot of fun and I got to work with some very talented and fun teenagers. Yes, the words "talented," "fun," and "teenagers" can be used in the same sentence without the word "not." Man, was it great to be on stage again. There's nothing like the rush of the curtain call. Walking out onto that stage and hearing the applause. The last show was particularly amazing. It was like I had my own personal fan club in the audience. The minute I walked on stage for the first time, before even say ANYTHING, there was an erruption of applause and cheering. Does wonders for a girl's ego.

I went and saw Shane's friend Jerry at Foxwoods.

So much fun! Seriously...what a great evening. Shane got to play Blackjack AND he even won enough money to cover our outrageously expensive steak dinner at Prime! And, of course, Jerry was wonderful. I laughed so wonderfully hard. I need to give Shane a special shout-out now because one of the best parts of this evening is that I did not pay a dime for any of it. And it wasn't even my birthday! Isn't he sweet? A group "awwwwww" would be appropriate now. :)

I went to see Spring Awakening in Boston with Amanda.

Indeed, this show was shocking to say the least, but I actually really enjoyed it. It had this great sort of "f-you authority" feel to it that gets the inner rebel in me going. Yes, I have an inner rebel. Shut up. For those of you who have seen it I particularly enjoyed the character Moritz. For those of you who haven't seen it, he's the kid with the crazy hair in all of the ads (on the lower right of the above picture). He made me laugh and he made me cry. So good. AND on top of it all I got to hang out with Amanda. Always a good time.

I went to see Coldplay with Hillary.

This was easily one of the best concerts I have ever been to. I can't even really explain it...the music was amazing, the performance itself was great, the energy was intense, and the visuals were unbelievable. If you like Coldplay and haven't seen them in concert before I would HIGHLY recommend it. This is the second time I've seen them and this time was even better than the first. A special shout-out to Hillary now because she purchased my ticket for me as a VERY early birthday present. For this, among many other reasons, Hillary rocks.

In summary:

April and May 2009 were possibly two of the best months of my entire life. Really, 2009 so far has been one of the best years of my entire life. I feel so incredibly fortunate to be experiencing the things I'm experiencing and, on top of that, to have such generous and loving people in my life that make it possible for me to experience it all. The gratitude and happiness I feel is absolutely immeasurable. I could not ask for more. <3

So, after a long respite, I believe I have provided a bang-up entry for you all to read. And if you are indeed reading this, comment will you?! I'm more motivated to post if I know people are reading and commenting is one of the best ways to let me know you'd like me to write more. You know who you are. ;)