Washington DC

     Ben and I were planning on retaking this photo from last time we were in DC.

     Unfortunately, the capital building was under construction, it was raining, and everything looked nasty so we didn't.
     I had the opportunity to visit several of the Smithsonian museums. My favorite by far was the Museum of Air and Space. There was so much on the history of flight. Seeing the Wright brothers' flyer and knowing that that was where flying began really was amazing.
     My second favorite was the Museum of American History. If you know me well, you could probably guess I spent most of my time in the exhibit about the wars. American conflicts have always interested me.

We visited the Arlington National Cemetery. My parents have a friend buried there and we found him after we visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. All I have to say about that is wow. The respect and military precision in the changing of the guards ceremony is absolutely impeccable.

Travel

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." - St. Augustine

Only two more weeks till I board a plane headed to Japan! I'm getting so excited. We've pretty much packed everything already because we won't need our winter clothes until we get back anyway. Ben and I were looking at some old pictures he found from two trips ago. (We're cleaning out the closet that has all of the picture CD's because my grandparents are moving in.) We also found pictures from when we went to Washington D.C. in 2003. It's amazing how much those pictures and videos mean ten years later. There's a seven second long video of Ben and me rolling down a hill with the Lincoln Memorial and reflecting pool in the background. It's short, but somehow it brings back memories. We had Skittles in our pockets because Daddy bought some for us. We raced across the lawn to the Washington Monument. I now know he was trying to tire us out. It worked too. :)

 I'm really looking forward to this trip though, because I will be able to remember more. Unfortunately, this will probably be the last time Mommy, Ben, and I go together, and the last time my grandparents will be like they are now.

Two weeks. Fourteen days... By the way, the 30th, besides being our departure date, also happens to be Talk Like Jane Austen Day. It will be the 202nd anniversary of the publishing of Sense and Sensibility. You can bet I'll have a lot of fun with that. I will have Ben video me bumping into someone and saying with a British accent, "Oh, forgive me!" (from the 2007 adaptation of Persuasion). Maybe I'll act very emotional and then say, "I will be calm. I will be mistress of myself." (Sense and Sensibility, chapter 48). And when someone asks my opinion of something, I shall say, "It is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me." (Pride and Prejudice, chapter 3).

:D Leigha