Spring Break

Ahhhh,
Relaxation. All I can say is that this has been a much needed vacation. I have been on "spring break" since Friday, and let me just tell you. . . I forgot what it was like to relax. I have been here in Washington DC since Friday mid-morning. Ryan came down with me, but he had to leave Monday morning. I have seen pretty much everything there is to see (the big sites anyway) and done some pretty cool stuff. I think that the best thing about this city is that everything is free. . . well the museums that is. . . you seem to make up for the cost with the cost of the subway (between 2-4 bucks a ride)
Friday I rented my first car ever (being that I just turned 25 I now can) and we headed to my great aunt and uncle's place in DC. We went in to town later on and saw the Holocaust museum, a bit of stuff on the mall, and the national archives. It was pretty amazing to see the declaration of independence, and the articles of freedom and all. It made me think about this wonderful country I live in.
Saturday we went to Ryan's cousin's wedding at the DC temple. . . well I went to the temple. . . he went to the wedding. That afternoon we tried to go back into DC. . . unfortunately somehow I ended up on the freeway instead of a parking lot and we didn't actually see anything in town. . . well except the white house from the outside.
Sunday we went to the american history museum, and the natural history museum. We also saw the capitol building and the library of congress from the outside.
Yesterday has to be the best day so far. I woke up super early to get Ryan to the airport and return the car (otherwise it would have been twice the price. . . because we wouldn't have gotten the weekend rate.) I then took the bus in to town (which was outrageously expensive. . . figures. . . public transportation here is sooooo expensive) I got to the mall around 8:45 and was literally the ONLY person there. It was amazing! I got to see everything without the crowds. I walked up to the Washington monument, and got a ticket to go inside later. I then walked down to the WWII memorial, the Lincoln memorial, the Vietnam memorial, and the Jefferson memorial. I hit them all with very few people there. Next, I walked over to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. It was awesome. . . I got to see $272 million dollars in the same room. . . wow. Next I went up the Washington monument, where I got to speak sign language to some people. . . so cool. After that I walked on over to the white house. . . which I am paying rent on and still can't go in :-( After that I went to some little american art museum (it was kinda lame) and then on over to the FBI building (yet another building I am paying for, and not allowed to enter) After that, I walked over to the old post office, where you can go up the 12 story tower. I think the views from there may be better than those from the Washington monument, probably because you aren't looking through glass to see them. Then, I went and sat in the Navy memorial and read a book and got a sun tan. . . ok not much of one, but can I just tell you what 70 degree weather feels like when there is a foot of snow on the ground where you live? So, that was my day. I got back around 4 and took a 3 hour nap. . . and then I had dinner and went to bed.