Why I Wouldn't Have Made a Good Pioneer

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of visiting this crazy girl in DC:

She had to work the Friday I was there, so I explored some of the Smithsonian Museums, the Holocaust Museum, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing by my lonesome. No biggy, I kind of enjoyed taking my time at the exhibits I went to without feeling rushed.

I think my favorite monument was the Lincoln Memorial. I mean, come on, look at it! It's amazing! And ginormous.

Although my favorite monument was the Lincoln Memorial, I think the Holocaust Museum left the greatest impact on me. Just walking into the building made me depressed - lately I've read a few books based on WWII and/or about Jews, so I felt a little more connected to the place than I probably would have had I not read them. The museum had so many pictures of Jews literally seconds before their deaths -- I kept looking at their faces, trying to see if there was fear in their eyes since they knew they were about to die. None of them showed emotion. I remember looking at a particular picture of a group of Jewish leaders sitting on the ground, just waiting for their turn to get shot - and none of them showed fear. It made me wonder how I would react if I was in that same situation. What a sad time in history...

Anyways, now that we're all good and depressed, I'll see if I can cheer us up a bit.

On my way to the Lincoln Memorial I came across this beauty:

Isn't that gorgeous?! Possibly the best rat tail I've seen in my life. It grosses me out just thinking about him washing that sucker. A long string of wet nastiness. bahaha

Oh, and in case you guys are wondering, you walk A LOT while you're visiting the DC area. I was told to wear comfortable walking shoes. Which I did. But, the soles on said comfortable shoes were not quite up to snuff when it came to protecting my dainty feet and what-not. So, on day 2 of walking 12 hours straight everyday, both of my poor feet ended up with blisters right below my toes (if you don't like graphic pictures, look away now):

Yeah, pretty gross. And painful. Want to hear a gross analogy? Once again, if you get grossed out easily, look away now... Walking on these blisters felt like walking on big, juicy, potato bugs, ready to pop at any second. bahaha. Hey, I told you guys it was a gross analogy!

My blisters reminded me of the pioneers... especially those Pioneer Children who sang as they walked... and walked... and walked... and walked... walking across the plains. And I decided I wouldn't have made a good pioneer. Two days into the walk across the country I would have thrown my towl in. Said something like "I've been turned into a cow... can I go home now?" (name that movie)

Anyway, my trip to DC was a blast! And thanks go to Kate for being an amazing hostess. And thanks also go to my buddy Cody who kept me company on some legs of my trip. I'd say the weekend was a success.