D.C. and Gettysburg and Emmitsburg and Lunch

On Sunday, we decided to go to D.C. Maryann, Theresa, and I drove two hours from Lincoln University to the city around 11 AM. The drive was nice, but apparently traffic going in and out of D.C. is brutal during the week. We walked from the Capital Building to the Washington Monument. It was a pretty long hike, but there was a lot to see. The long, straight path with grassy areas reminded me of Paris. The monument is on a hill, so we saw the White House and a few of the Smithsonian Museums. We spent some time in the American History Museum, but left early to catch a 4:30 mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It was a beautiful and sparkly church. When we got back to Maryann's, we found Steve standing in the driveway holding flashlights. Apparently, a bad storm had come through and the power went out. While we were getting out of the car, the neighbor came over and talked to us for an hour in the driveway. In that hour, she managed to insult much of my being. Luckily, I have an ungodly amount of patience for old people. She hates Italians and wants to get rid of them all (awwwwkward), she's not a fan of the gays, and Catholics can suck it too. Yikes. We went to bed early because of the lack of power and Maryann having to get up early the next morning. I woke up at 5:30 AM to say bye to Maryann and take a shower (because the power came back on). Around 8:45, we packed up the car and took off towards MD. We made a stop in Frederick and walked through the tiny, old town. The area reminded me of the little towns up north... only older. We grabbed some candy from a little chocolate store and drove to Gettysburg. Gettysburg is ginormous so we picked a few spots to visit. We saw the Eternal Flame, climbed to the top of the observatory, and visited the round tops. To get to the top of big round top, we had to hike up a beautful path. It was another long trek, but one of my favorite things that we've done during this trip. We headed to Theresa's family's house after Gerttysburg. We ended up talking and hanging out with them for the rest of the night.

Today, we drove out to Boyd's. It's a pretty big deal if you like teddy bears. Boyd's is a huge three level teddy bear emporium. While we were there, we ran into five priests and some church staff that Theresa's family knew. We ended up going to lunch with the whole group. I saw next to a 90 something year old priest who was a riot. Having lunch with five priests was definitely a first. Now, I'm attempting to study as much as I can before my midterm tomorrow.

Philly Land

Hi Philly! Today we woke up early and took off towards Philly at 9 AM. We ended up parking near the East Falls train station and taking the ten minute ride, instead of attempting to find decent parking in the city. The city was interesting. There was such a huge blend of people in the area aka prime people watching. We walked around for an hour then took a lunch break at a really nice Italian restaurant. We continued walking around for a few more hours. There is a lot to see in the city. Historical landmarks are everywhere. It was about 90 degrees with 50% humidity so we were worn out after a few hours of city walking. We stopped at the LOVE statue and took a picture, looked at the Rocky steps from a distance, and took off towards the train station. We rode back, jumped in the car and drove to the King of Prussia mall... which is ginormous. We walked to each side of the mall, which apparently spans a mile (?). We overheard a group discussing the length from one side to the other... after walking to each side and wondering why it had taken us a solid 15 minutes. After the mall, we drove back to Maryann's home away from home and stopped to talk to Steve about the downfall of America. Interesting. Anyway, we're all exhausted now... which is expected after these kinds of adventures :)

P.S. I skipped about 95% of the details (like how we almost thought the train station didn't exist and the low rider caddy with the hugeeee rims or the street vendors that we bought MJ memorial t-shirts from or the horse and buggies that drive next to the cars and our fear that a horse could get hit by a car) but I'll fill them eventually.

Pikes and Turns

After a series of big girl months, thoughts, and decisions, I set out on my first big girl road trip with my best friend. We made some ambitious plans that involved a 6 AM takeoff, but after a long night of packing, 8 o’clock seemed close enough. We ended up driving through the Ohio and Pennsylvania Turnpikes. The scenery changed from fields and fields to rolling hills, cutout mountainsides, and wide rivers. It was beautiful. I was so happy. As it turns out, a nine-hour car ride is the secret to a clearer mind. I was so content. We drove through Amish country on the way to Lincoln University. We were looking out for buggies, but only found one. It was amazing though because it was outside of the gun store. Apparently, the Amish are big hunters… or murderers.

I hope you understand that I’m catching on. I get it a lot more than I used to. Everyday I learn something new. You’ve been really patient and I appreciate it. I really appreciate it. Your support is unmatched and brilliant. I hope this turns out to be something right. <3