Last week was so busy, I didn't get a chance to sit down and reflect until today. It's hard to know where to start. I've learned and experienced a lot over the past week. At times, I was overwhelmed with my school work and looking after two poodles (escape artists). I felt as though I'd never make it through the week but here I am, by the grace of God, able to reflect on all that's happened.
My partner went to Florida on vacation with her parents Saturday morning of last week. I volunteered to watch her parent's dogs while they were away. I'm actually surprised I didn't any complaints from our neighbors. It's not that they are bad dogs, they're just a little bit spoiled. Add that to the separation anxiety of being dropped off at an apartment and left by their humans, eh, it was a hard week. We managed to get by with only three escapes (because they saw another dog) and few sessions of me throwing a tantrum. It's amazing to me that you can scream, yell, and act like a child but those darn dogs keep coming back asking (with their eyes) to cuddle them. Talk about loyalty!
I realized a few days before I was to get the dogs that my best friend from Phoenix would be in Northern Virginia on business and he asked if I'd come up to explore D.C. with him. Thankfully, Sara was able to find a dog sitter on short notice to stay with them so I could leave on Friday afternoon. I was a little reluctant to leave but all worked out in the end.
I left for Dulles airport a little after I should have on Friday but even with traffic, I made it just in time to pick up my buddy. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Dulles is pretty organized when it comes to picking people up on the curb. As we struggled with my GPS to give us directions to the hotel, my friend Jeff looked up and said, "Look! A rainbow!" It was beautiful. We could see every color. Then I hear, "Look! A double rainbow!" Jeff forgot about the GPS and grab his cell phone to get a picture. In the rush, he accidentally took video but that works, too. Hehe.. After a minute or so, we were looking at the end of the rainbow and driving through the base of it. Seriously, the coolest thing ever! This was a great sign to start our weekend.
During our ride to the hotel, Jeff decided to name my GPS. Since I have an English male voice on it, he named him Ian. Now when I mention Ian, you'll know who I'm speaking of. So, Ian got us to hotel and we got all situated in a nice little suite complete with a small kitchen, one bedroom, and pull-out sofa bed. We decided to grab some dinner and just relax so we'd be ready to go in the morning. We located a restaurant within walking distance of our hotel, but Ian didn't bother mentioning this until we pulled out of the parking garage and onto the main street. It was literally around the corner. My trust in Ian was vanishing. When we got to Grevey's (owned by Kevin Grevey of the 1978-79 NBA Champs, Washington Bullets), we sat down to a great meal and great beer. We even met Kevin Grevey!
Saturday morning, after a complimentary breakfast at the hotel, we set out (on foot this time) to find the closest train station. We decided to stop in a gas station to ask for directions and the clerk told us it was about a mile ahead. Jeff figured it wasn't all THAT far so we could walk it. Well, it really wasn't that bad but I don't think he realized how much more we'd walk in D.C. We made it to the train station in one piece but slightly out of breath. Jeff was taking pictures like crazy since he'd never been in a train station before. I was the same way my first time to D.C. so it was pretty cool to experience this event with him. The tracks were being worked on and we had to get off the train at the next station to get on a shuttle that would take us to the next station that would take us to the city. Ugh! That was exhausting just typing all that. Anyway, we got to our destination and stepped out of the tunnel to see the amazing sight of The Mall. Oh, and a homeless guy that "gave" us a map for a donation of $5. I must say the map did come in handy.
Our first stop was the National Monument (The Pencil). Unfortunately, it's still closed for repairs from the earthquake last year. At least the bathrooms were open. Jeff and I decided to walk at a slower pace than most people in the city so we didn't kill ourselves trying to look at everything. Haha.. The slower pace helped but we still walked A LOT! Along our journey, we stopped at the Korean War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Wall. These were all awesome. We took plenty of pictures...of the trees. Don't worry, we got the monuments as well. You have to realize that we're both from Phoenix so seeing the colors of Fall blows our minds. The majority of our photos were of leaves and other Fall like scenery...and of course a squirrel (long story).
Once we finally got around the block (longest block ever) to see the White House, we decided to grab some lunch. Finding ourselves at The Laughing Man, a sports bar, we got some over-priced entrees and a chance to sit. The problem with sitting after walking for about five hours is trying to get up. I couldn't believe how sore my hips were already. Instead of a walk, it was more like a shuffle after that.
At this point, we probably should have found a train to take us back to the hotel, BUT we decided to WALK to China-Town. It was worth the walk. I've never seen anything like it. I even saw roasted ducks hanging in a restaurant window (photo op!). We stopped in a little shop so Jeff could look for souvenirs and the lady behind the counter asked, "He your boyfrien'?" Really, she asked me twice and him once. I thought it was hilarious. More pictures of funny signs in China-Town and we finally stumbled upon a train station.
Again, we probably should have gone to the hotel BUT we wanted to check out DuPont Circle. After we got to our destination, we found ourselves in the land of confusion. This is a OCD person's worst nightmare! We had no idea where to go...so we found a sports bar...with a great beer selection. If all else's fails...find beer! The only drawback to this was sitting down and then trying to get back up. My shuffle was turning into a crawl. BUT...we kept on going. We walked through some fabulous neighborhoods and dreamed of being able to own a place like a quaint little brown-stone one day. Meanwhile, Jeff's GPS (not named yet but I have a few choice suggestions) on his phone, got us totally lost. We ended up very far away from where we started. It was time to sit down before our feet burned off of our ankles. Guess what? Yep, we found an Irish bar this time. Life got much better. We sat outside to enjoy the cool weather and really rest our bodies. And, of course, have a few beers. By the end of the third round, we thought it would be wise to get a cab to take us to our train station. Thankfully, the cab driver knew exactly where he was going. After a long train ride to our station, we thought it wise to get another cab to drive us instead of rolling down the hill to the hotel.
Sunday, after a short slumber, we got our things together, checked out of the hotel, and made our way to breakfast. We needed to fuel up before attempting Arlington National Cemetery. Nope, I'm not kidding. I guess we figured there wouldn't be THAT much walking involved. Wrong again! I won't bore all of you with the "Ian GPS" mishaps but I will say I wanted to run over that stupid piece of...stuff a few times. He apparently doesn't do well with circular roads. Grrr!! So a 20 minute drive turned into a 45 minute drive but we got there.
I don't have a lot of words to describe Arlington. The only one that comes to mind is "whoa". I was completely overcome. I was humbled. I was shocked. I was incredibly saddened by the sight of all those gravestones. The Pentagon Memorial touched me most. I think it was because I remember everything about that day and I can't get the images out of my head. As we walked, talked, and took pictures, Jeff and I reflected on all the wars that killed many of those buried at Arlington. It was definitely a somber mood. We arrived at the Tomb of the Unknowns and witnessed the changing of the guard ceremony. Again, I was in awe. What an amazing experience to witness.
Our time was over but I knew it would never be forgotten, as I dropped Jeff off at his new hotel for the start of his work week. We both treasured our time together of sharing this journey through America's history. I hope we'll get to do it again soon (with better walking shoes and an updated GPS).
As I close this blog, you may be wondering why I chose the song, "Every Time I Breathe". It really says what I was feeling this past week. I had a rough time dealing with the responsibilities of caring for the dogs and finding time for myself to do homework. I didn't think I could take much more by the week's end. But at the end of every day, I knew God was there and I knew He'd get me through. I saw God this weekend, in the Veterans that we met in Washington, D.C., in the beautiful Fall leaves, and in my best friend.
"Every time I breathe You seem a little bit closer. I never want to leave, I want to stay in Your warm embrace, oh, basking in the glory shining from Your face. And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart I realize it's true, that You are so marvelous God, and I am so in love with You." -Big Daddy Weave
No comments:
Post a Comment