I'm Here, I'm There, I'm Everywhere!

I was there! I saw that!

I’m currently in North Carolina visiting my best friend, Katie.  It may seem that this trip is all fun, but there is actually some serious business involved.  Not only have we been traveling plenty (Florida, the beach, and Washington DC), I have also had the opportunity to tour colleges (they left me more confused than ever).

Firstly, I would like to note, that the wonderful thing about having a best friend is that despite being apart for two years, when you finally see each other it is as if you parted just yesterday.  Katie and I picked up right where we left off, and from the second we saw each other we were laughing and crying like it was 2008.  Now to somebody who has had friends for 20+ years, this may seem like a small number.  But friendships that last through elementary and high school operate in dog years.  Katie and I have been friends since the 5th grade, and we truly are inseparable.  There is nothing like rolling on the floor, dying from a fit of laughter with your good, old pal.  My uncle once said that old friends are better than new ones.  I think he might have been on to something.  I am fortunate enough to have one best friend, and that is more than my fair share in this lifetime.

So being as close as Katie and I are, you can image how much fun it was watching the 4th of July fireworks in St. Augustine, strolling down a North Carolina beach, and walking by the White House in Washington with my best friend.

Our latest trip was to Washington DC.  It was HOT (104 degrees), but I felt so fortunate when after many walks in the dreadful heat, I got to watch the Senate and House in session.  The coolest part, however, was seeing Senator John McCain (a former presidential candidate) speak, and seeing Vice President Joe Biden walk in and out of the room.  Katie and I stalked the young interns, who seemed to be sprawling all over DC, because we thought it was so neat that they were young and in business suits.  Then somebody told us, “If they’re wearing heels, they’re trying to look like someone important, even though they’re not.”  After that, I felt somewhat deflated.  What’s wrong with wearing heels?  Mostly, I just pictured myself hopping around Washington DC as an intern in 6 inch heels, pretending that I’m the president of the United States of America.  Then I felt slightly embarrassed.

Side note — maps lie to you.  It may look like a five minute walk, but it is actually a forty-five minute walk.  I learned that lesson the hard way.

We visited the Holocaust museum, something I had been looking forward to doing since I read Anne Frank’s diary in the 4th grade.  I won’t say much, except that I cried.  It was, in one word, heartbreaking.

We ended our three-day road trip by stopping to take pictures in front of the white house.

That’s me in front of the White House! A dream come true!

Good times.  I have one more week left with my dear friend, and I will relish every minute of it.  And then I’ll take the sweet memories to Russia with me.  But before that, our last stop — Atlanta, Georgia!  We just need to take a few days to rest first…

 

Much Love,