Edible Plants Class

On Saturday, I took an edible plants class in Montgomery, TX at Deer Lake Lodge and Spa with Foraging Texas.  First, I had no idea that there was a fancy spa in Montgomery.  It was a beautiful location with lots of nice buildings to relax in. (Deer Lake, if you see this, please consider bringing me to the spa and I will feature you on my blog as part of my bucket list)


 I have wanted to take an edible plants class because one day there might be zombies walking around and we can't get food.  I will be able to live off the land but y'all will be sad.  :) 

The class was from 9AM to 1PM so there was a bit of a chill in the air at the beginning.  We started in a building close to the pool and learned the basics of foraging.  He also showed us several books that he recommends if we want to get serious about foraging. I have his book, the Idiot’s Guide to Foraging but haven’t gotten a chance to read it as much as I wanted to.

This is the one I want next!

Mark taught us four rules of foraging:

• Respect the law-Did you know it is illegal to take anything out of local or state parks?  There is a fine of $500 EACH ITEM you take.  So say you took pecans from a state park, if you get caught you can be fined for each pecan, and that could be hundreds!
• Respect the land-leave it better than you find it.  If you dig a hole, make sure to fill it before you leave.  Take any trash too.
• Respect the plant-Bring sharp tools to remove the section of plant.  If you cut a small section, the plant heals faster than if you tear it going all the way down.  There is lots of fungi just waiting to get into the plants and if there is a big tear, the plant can’t heal as quickly and is more susceptible to disease.
• Respect yourself-Make sure you verify the plant is edible before you eat something.  Look for 5 things that match up to be sure you have identified it correctly. On mushrooms, be sure to identify about 8-10 things to be sure.

We started with the plants along the pathways near the pool and then worked our way to the woods. 

At one point, my A.D.D. got the better of me and I walked away from the group to look at the pond.  I saw some fish while I was close to the pond, but then walked back.  A few minutes later, I went back and noticed a white rock close to the edge. After inspecting it a little closer, it turns out it was an alligator!!!  Oh my.  I ran back to the group and suggested we move.  Everyone was apparently fascinated though and went to take a look.  We think the alligator was either being super still or in a mini hibernation since it was not fully covered with mud and muck.

• We learned that the Crepe Myrtles are like cinnamon in controlling blood sugar levels.

• Turks Cap leaves can be cooked and they taste like spinach.

• Reishi Mushrooms are the best medicinal mushroom and 2 commercial cancer medications use reishi mushrooms in the ingredients. 

• Pine tree leaves (which are everywhere here!) have a ton of Vitamin C and pound for pound they have as much as lemons and oranges.  Vitamin C is essential for the body but the body doesn’t hold on to it so you need a source every day.

• Magnolia tree leaves are made into a tea in China that has cancer fighting properties.  The tea tastes similar to ginseng.

He also talked about Lions Mane Mushroom and Hericium Mushrooms that taste like lobster and help with dementia.  We didn’t see that mushroom, he only told us about it along with a semi-local mushroom farm called Indian Creek Mushroom Farm.

Numbers

I was browsing Reddit the other day and found a link to this article, from Wait but Why.  It talked about how long you have left to live (average person) vs. what you can do in that time based on what you do on average.

Say that the average death year is 80 years old (I'm too lazy to google the actual number) and you are 35 right now.  How many times do you have to do your favorite things?

This can be sort of a morbid way to look at things or it can motivate you to DO MORE with your life.  We aren't guaranteed to make it to 80, so this list can be even shorter!  What if I'm 40 or 50 or 60 or somewhere in between when I go?  This list would be cut drastically.

For example, my favorite place in the entire world is Garner State Park.  I love the trees, the river, the hills, everything.  I go on average about every other year.  So, in theory I only have 22.5 more times to go.  And that is only if I live until that long or don't more too far away to drive up there all the time.

I do an average of 12 bucket list items a year.  (Sometimes more, but I shoot for at least 12)  That means I only have time to do 540 more if I do an average of 12 a year.  So, I can either pick 540 to do or get busy and do MORE!!!  I'm going to choose to get busy.  I have one this weekend and I did one on Monday!  If for some reason I can't hike the Grand Canyon or Machu Picchu one day, I need to prioritize to do that when my knees don't hurt.  Or if it is to go to a certain event or meet a certain celebrity, I need to make sure I do that early on because it could be an instance like meeting Richard Simmons.  I am so glad I did that before he closed his studio and retired.

My goal is to travel to one new city and one new country each year.  I didn't go to a new country this year, but I did go to a few new cities, including Washington DC. So, if I continue this way I can only see 45 more of each OR try and double up on my trips.  So, out of all the cities in the USA and all the countries in the World, I only get to go to 45 more.  My personal rule is that if I'm paying for it, I am only going to new places.  My family goes to Honduras a lot, but I have been there so many times.  Don't get me wrong, it's paradise and I love it, but if I have limited time and money, it makes more sense for me to go to new places.

There is a spot in Nacogdoches that as soon as I get there, my body feels "home".  Literally every time I pass it my heart says "I'm home".  It is such a great feeling.  I don't get to Nac as often as I used to now that I don't know too many people there.  I still go back often for Driving Jacks events, but not for SFA events.  I need to make that more of a priority. So if I go back once every other year (not including Driving Jacks events), I have 22.5 more times to be "home". Dude, I got tears when I saw that number.

I read about a book a year, but I honestly want to change that.  Maybe one of my 2017 resolutions will read 1 book a year, but I will be conservative and say 6 books a year (one every other month).  That is 270 books that I can read.  Since I love books (even though I haven't read as many as I could) I need to make a list of the top books I want to read instead of just reading some to read some.

You know, sometimes God grants you things in your heart, sometimes he gives you even more blessings than you can imagine.  I always thought I would be a mom, but now I have decided to stop focusing on the things I can't change and become the World's Best Aunt.  Yep, I am going to spend the rest of my life striving for that trophy because I am a pretty cool aunt. :)  I may or may not be a mom one day, but I have honestly stopped desiring to be one.  If it happens, it happens but I know that I'm running short on time.  So I have 45 more years to get that trophy.  I am going to spend time on the floor playing dolls, hang out in the woods and watch my nephew play in the mud, and be with my nephew while he plays video games (still can't play because I get motion sick).  I want to do things that they want to do, even if I don't feel like it because I won't always be able to do that.

My dad-Keith, sister-Tori, nephew-Cole, niece-Kali.  My other nephew, Hunter, is not pictured. This picture is from their school's fall festival day.

There have been 9 US Presidential elections since I have been on this planet and I only have 10 left.  10 more times to vote for the future of this Nation!  (My math could be wrong on this, FYI. LOL).

WHAT ABOUT YOU?!  WHAT ARE SOME THINGS ON YOUR LIST THAT YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU DO??

Shiner Beer Tour in Shiner, TX

Years ago, when I was running the Texas Independence Relay a few years ago, we passed by the Shiner Brewery in Shiner, TX.  I had heard they had a race that they sponsor (5K and Half Marathon) but I just wanted to take a tour of the facility.  I had some time off this week so I went to the tour on Monday.

Shiner, TX is about 2 hours from Houston and the drive was pretty much straight down I-10 until you get to one spot where you turn left.  The tour starts and ends in the gift shop on the property where you can buy all sorts of fun Shiner merchandise. 

The tour is free and they give you 4 free drink tokens.  They have several varieties of beer you can choose from and even have strawberry lemonade for those who don't drink.  The first round I chose a cream beer and the next time I had the lemonade.  I gave my one token to someone since I wasn't going to use it and also kept one to make an ornament out of for my Christmas tree.

We went on a tour the factory and it was so interesting!  I believe they said they make 500,000 bottles in ONE DAY!!  Crazy.  The factory is 24 hours M-F and everyone is off on the weekends.  The tour guide said it was a great company to work for and they had hardly any turnover because people like it so much. 

They showed us some cool souvenirs and memorabilia that they have received.  This chair was carved from a single tree and given to them as a gift.

In one section they were working on the "Holiday Cheer" blend.  They get orders 1 month in advance and rotate what blends they bottle depending on demand.  The tour guide said that sometimes they do a different blend during the day and evening.

It was a really cool tour and I'm glad I was able to go!  I would highly recommend the tour, even if it's just to get your drink on. :)

Texas State Fair

Since I was already in Dallas for the weekend, I wanted to go to the Texas State Fair!  It's a bucket list item of mind and each year I miss it.  Clarissa offered to go with me and her boyfriend Michael was also supposed to go, but he had to back out at the last minute.

We took the train down to the fair and were able to get in immediately since we bought tickets online.  We got a package for two tickets plus 100 ride/food coupons but still ended up buying an additional 40 tickets.  

They had this cool map that you could add a dot to show where you were from.  Look at all those dots!

After the shooting in Vegas, I was hesitant to go in a big crowd again, but there was a ton of security presence at the fair.  Even on the rooftops!

We were hungry when we got there and decided to try different things but split them so we could each try more.  I got a shrimp on a stick for 14 tickets that was NOT worth it.  It was three tiny shrimp covered in a sauce (the sauce was good) but not worth the equivalent of $7.  Clarissa got fried waffle covered strawberries that were delicious!  It was a strawberry covered in chocolate, dipped in waffle batter and then fried.  YUM!

Next we walked around and I entered a few contests that I hope I win. LOL.  Someone's has to win, why can't it be me?!?!  We tried Maple Bacon Margaritas that were basically a regular margaritas with bacon bits on top.  So far I wasn't too impressed by the eatin' at this fair.  

I even saw Big Tex!

We went shopping next and then ate some more.  I mean, come on, you have to eat at a fair!  Our last and final food was a Funnel Cake Bacon Queso Burger and Fried Deviled Eggs.  Those two were awesome!  The deviled eggs fell apart but were still delicious!!  They were more of a chicken fried steak type of batter, rather than a funnel cake type batter.  The burger was a perfect blend of sweet and salty.  Props to the creators of those items.

We walked around some more and I was honestly looking for one of those throw a ping pong ball into a jar to win a gold fish game, but apparently those aren't a thing anymore.  So I had to ride at least one ride so I slide down the giant slide.  It was faaaaaar up and I got kind of scared of heights.  It was fun though.

  

Kemah Lighthouse Maze

I have wanted to go to the Kemah Lighthouse Maze ever since I did the Toughest 10K Kemah run last year.  Several people wanted to go, but our schedules just couldn’t match up and time went on.  I had mentioned it to my church small group as an activity too, and they planned it as a teen outing instead and asked me to be a chaperone.  Yay!! I finally get to go to this thing!!!

I had my niece that week so she was able to go too.  She wanted to “beat everyone” because she is “so fast”. LOL. 

Since I wasn’t sure how long an almost 4 year old would last at a maze plus concert afterward (every Thursday during the summer the Kemah Boardwalk has a concert), I decided that I would drive separately and meet them there.  We left around 2 PM to beat the traffic but stopped at a special place first.

My sister had told me about this place called Brain Freeze in Pasadena off of Preston that had amazing frozen treats.  I showed the FB page to Kali and she of course wanted to go there. We got there and I wanted to get a smaller version of the drink but Kali wanted to “beautiful one like the picture” from earlier.  OK then.  I can’t say no to that little face. LOL. I’m a push over.

Brain Freeze only takes cash so be aware of that.  We waited around for about 30+ minutes before it was ready and there was no one else in line.  I mean, the creations are HUGE and take a little while to make, but the wait time is looooooooong.  It seems even longer with a four year old. 

When this came out Kali’s face was like “whoa!”  Kali is allergic to strawberry (artificial or natural) so they had to alter it a bit.  Normally this one is full of strawberry candy and is even more colorful, but they were able to work around her allergy.  Just ask them!  They are super accommodating.  We ate a little bit, but there is only so much you can eat before you had to stop.  Luckily they have some to-go containers where I was able to take some of the candy home. 

We headed to Kemah afterwards to meet up with the group. They split us up into two teams and everyone got their own punch card to go through the maze.  I thought it was just a maze but it turns out that you have to find five letters throughout the maze and get your card punched.  Kali was so cute running through the maze like a mad woman looking for the blocks.  She was SO excited when we found a letter. 

The last letter was difficult to find but we finally made it out of there.  We got a small toy when we finished for “beating” everyone.  We were actually about 5 minutes slower than the fastest team, but she doesn’t know that. LOL.  We were waiting for the rest of the group when she asked to do it again.  I asked if we can just walk through again and they said sure. I just pretended to punch a card since it was mainly to keep her busy while waiting.  The rest of the week she kept asking to go back there.  I think she liked it.

After the maze we went to the concert area (the Boardwalk) and walked around.  4 year olds don’t really like to sit still and watch concerts so we walked around and found the train.  We waved to everyone like we were princesses. :)

She promptly fell asleep on the way home. 

One Life

There are two parts to this blog post.  One is a lot heavier than the other.  It’s your choice if you don’t want to read the other half.   I just had to get it off my chest because it hurts and I’m tired.  I have a few more blog posts coming up that are MUCH lighter in the next few days, so I will return to writing about my ONE LIFE tomorrow.

One Life-Part one

I believe we all get one shot at this thing called Life.  That’s it.  One.  I believe that once we are done there is one of two places that we go and we don’t get a 2^nd chance.  So why aren’t we running at the things we dream of?  Doing the things we dream of seeing?  Loving the people we dream of loving?  Eating what we wish to eat? Taking risks and chances?   Chasing dreams?

I always try to write about my bucket list experiences that I complete, big or small.  (I will admit some do take a while to be written. Haha #badblogger) It always makes me so sad to hear of a young person who died or even someone in their 50’s who died. 

Chances are the old person is waiting on retirement, but what happens if you get to retirement and your knees won’t get you to the top of that mountain you have dreamed of climbing?  What happens if your finances are wiped out?  What happens if the person you want to retire with isn’t around?  What happens if you aren’t around?

Chances are they didn’t do everything on their bucket list, or chances are greater that they didn’t have a list at all, just a couple of sentences that were spoken of “one day”. 

One day is TODAY!!  Don’t wait until you are retired to go anywhere.  Plan them for THIS YEAR.  Big or small, something that you have wanted to do is not too expensive that you can do this month (or sooner!).

Yeah, yeah, but….I’ve got bills…Work is too busy…My kids are too young…My kids need me…My work needs me…I don’t have anyone to go with…It’s too expensive…I’m too old…I’m too young…My husband/wife doesn’t want to go….

NO!  No buts.  Do something that you will remember years from now.  Life is way too short to wait. 

When I turned 29 I realized that I was full of a lot of “buts”.  I hadn’t really done much in my life.  I made my 30 under 30 list and did them! And then I made a bucket list afterwards.  I am slowly but surely checking them off, one by one.  I hope to finish all of them, but only God knows which ones I will complete before I am taken to Heaven.  As I get older, I am holding mortality in a much higher regard. 

If you need help with your list, look at mine.  I would LOVE to help you do some of them! :)

*Note, I’m not encouraging going into tons of debt to pay for that dream vacation!  I’m just saying to chase your dreams.

On Addictions-Part Two

I don’t talk about this situation much because it makes me so sad.  My real dad is an addict and has relapsed once again.  I have been dealing with it the past 35 years and I’m tired.  For 35 years I have had to watch him struggle to get his demons in control, and watch him hurt the people I love.  Don’t get me wrong, his demons are very real and they are painful. He had a very rough childhood.  I only know a short number of his memories and I can see why they are real and painful.    I know he is the hardest on himself though.

Any day now I wouldn’t be surprised to hear my dad had a heart attack due to his meth use (oh wait, he already did that) or hurt someone (did that many times), went off on someone (ditto), over dosed (thankfully, not yet), etc.  He was recently in an accident while on meth and broke both of his feet, and shattered one of them.  When you deal with someone you love having a major addiction for 35 years, you become numb to hearing it all. 

I can cry and stress about it, but until he controls it for himself, it won’t do you any good to try to help. HE has to make the decision to change.

You also have to realize that you aren’t just hurting yourself, you are hurting the ones you love.  My earliest memory is being pushed against a wall and being screamed at because I did something (don’t remember what).  I rolled my head to the side to look at my mom and sister, just holding hands because they couldn’t do anything.  That is my very first memory.  No child should have to deal with that.

My pretend used to be cutting lines of cocaine and snorting them.  True story.  I was less than 4. 

We all have our demons and addictions.  I am clearly addicted to food.  It is something I can control.  Being a child of an addict, you don’t have much control (actually, being a child, you don’t have much control).  Luckily, I had my awesome mother to snap out of it and get us out. I have to make the decision to change myself.  My life is my life. I am in control of my decisions and heart breaks.  You have to want to take control, you kids for darn sure can’t make you want to change.

God has blessed you with kids or other people in your life, don’t you want to change to see them hit their dreams and goals?  If you are an addict (whatever addiction), would you want your kids to have the same addiction as you?  Probably not, so why do it to yourself? 

The thing is, my dad is the coolest person.  Everyone LOVES him the second you meet him...that is when he's not on Meth.  He's an angry, controlling, paranoid person when he does drugs.  I only bring people around when he's not using because no one should be exposed to that.

When I was in college I hardly partied, ever.  I realized a few years ago that it was because I like being in control.  I don’t want to get messed up and not remember what I did.  That makes me so scared and doesn’t sound fun at all.  Even to this day I hardly drink and haven’t touched drugs.  I know I have an addictive personality that could easily spiral out of control if I go down that road.  People still ask me why I don’t drink, but I rarely say why.

Take control of YOUR life today.  Get a handle on those addictions like smoking, drinking, drugs, sex, porn, gambling, Pokemon (IDK), or other addictions that are holding you back.  It’s not easy.  I get it, but you don’t want to be dying from a meth overdose and look back at your life you messed up because of your addictions.  People are counting on you.

You get ONE LIFE.  Just one.  Don’t waste it on "some day's" and addictions.  I am begging you.

Make Origami Animals

I have wanted to learn Origami for awhile now so I decided to look for a class.  I found one at The Path of Tea every Thursday at 2 PM for only $10.  I have been trying to go for a few weeks now, but things kept coming up and I couldn't make it.  My schedule is flexible so I can go during the day.

I got there and ordered some strawberry green tea.  'Twas delicious!  I don't really like hot drinks but they were able to brew it hot and then put it over ice.

We started simply with plain origami paper.  I had no idea there was even such thing as origami paper, but apparently there's a lot of options.  Deborah (the teacher) said sometimes it's hard to find your folds on the fancier papers, so you need to start with simple, plain paper while you learn.

There were some great mobiles all over the tea room and I wanted one!  I almost got one in Africa a few years ago, but I didn't have much space in my luggage.  There is a world-wide mercantile place in Galveston on the Strand that I saw them at, but I did not buy it.  So, I've been looking for it for awhile now.  I will just have to make one now that I'm an "expert" at origami.  Ha!

We ended up folding a bird two different ways.  It was basically the same except the way the tail went.

Let me tell you, it's not as easy as folding paper. I mean, I guess it is that simple, but it is NOT EASY!  There were flips and turns and oh my.  My brain had a hard time, but at least I can say I did a bucket list item and tried it!

We also folded a dollar bill into a heart!  Wouldn't it be cool to have a dollar bill mobile?  Or $100 bill mobile! Haha.  Maybe....


Will I go again.  Maybe but probably not, I wasn't that interested.  I do want a mobile though!

Washington DC Day 2

Here's another recap of D.C.  It was another loooooooong day. :)

We were up and about early on Wednesday to finish our to-do list.  Our feet were aching but we had to make the best of our time in the city since we only had two short days there.  We were dropped off at the train station again and were in DC at about 9 AM.

Our first stop was the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument and were one of the first to enter the doors.  One of my favorite movies is Iron Jawed Angels and it is based on the Women's Suffrage Movement and tells about Alice Paul and other women who helped earn the vote for women.  Since it is one of my favorite movies, naturally I wanted to see the museum. It turns out that the museum was an old house that they used during the "fight" for the Equal Rights Amendment.  How cool is that?!  Alice Paul actually lived there at one time!

I loved this museum and wish I had more time to spend there.  There were old artifacts, newspaper cartoons, old furniture (even an old desk that I think was Alice Paul's and Susan B. Anthony's!!!), quotes, old banners, etc. that were used during that time.  I liked that it wasn't all Suffrage stuff (even though I loved that), it had Equal Rights Amendment era stuff too.  Please go there when you visit the DC area.  This place was a highlight of my trip.

 After the Women's Museum we headed down to the Smithsonian Zoo.  Normally I am not a zoo kind of person, but there are only two places (that I have found at least) that have a flamingo carousel, and one of them is in DC at the zoo so of course I had to go!  (The other is in Detroit and I'm never going there if I can possibly help it. LOL). Bucket list, check!

Apparently there are some "famous" panda bears or something at the zoo but they weren't out when we were there.  I wasn't too impressed by this zoo (I might have just gone on a slow day), except for the apes that went above your head on a wire from enclosure to enclosure.  One of them even has a blanket (it might be a shirt) that he carries everywhere and had it with him.  They said that he likes to show off in front of a crowd and usually only uses the enclosure during busy days.

After the zoo we headed to Arlington National Cemetery via the subway system.  We decided just to walk by ourselves everywhere instead of taking a formal tour. I was amazed at how big Arlington National Cemetery is! I had tears in my eyes as I saw row after row of tombs.

We were there long enough to see the changing of the guard ceremony too.  We were inside looking at the museum area when everyone rushed outside.  We peaked out and realized what was happening and watched it.  I didn't take video of that because I just wanted to focus on it and soak up the moment instead of always paying attention to my phone.  I'm working on getting better at being present to the moment.

We were leaving but we decided to stop by the Marine Corps Memorial, Ima Jima.  Let me tell you, that thing is massive!  It was so cool viewing it from all sides.  One of my favorite pictures is the fire fighters recreating it on 9/11, so the original memorial was pretty cool to see.

We saw the Lincoln Memorial and stood in the spot MLK did the famous "I have a dream" speech.  This monument was beautiful!

The Franklin D. Roosevelt monument was probably my favorite.  So, a bad sign for my public school education (LOL) was that I had no idea that FDR was elected to four terms!  For some reason I didn't know that any president had ever served for more than 2 terms.  Duh!  I was either out that day or not paying attention in class (you decide which it was).  Anyway,  it was my favorite because it encompassed things about him but also the era that he was President.  Each of the four sections (one for each term) was something new about him or what was going on during the term.

One of my family members (Mom's side-my grandpa's nephew) died in Vietnam and his name is on the memorial wall. I didn't know you could bring flowers or some token for the section of your loved one, but if/when I go back, I will be sure to bring something.  I liked how there is a book (several actually, they look like phone books and are in alphabetical order) that you can look for your loved ones name and find what section they are in, instead of looking at the wall itself.  I found him easily and walked over to take a picture.

The Jefferson Memorial was alllllll the way around the other side of the tidal basin.  I decided I really want to ride in a swan boat the next time I'm there because I kept seeing them while walking towards the monument.

We headed to the White House on the other side this time and it looked just like I was picturing.  You could get closer this time but there were still barricades.  We took pictures and talked to a really nice Secret Service agent for a few minutes.

After that we headed back towards the train to go back to the hotel.  We crashed early that night because we had a 5 AM flight!


There were a few things that we didn't get to while we were there.  2 days is NOT enough to see the city.  Plan at least 3-4 days to see everything you want to see.  Washington is spread out and we were bookin' it to each item.  I saw a lot of things but here are some things I still want to see: Declaration of Independence and the Constitution (at the Archives), tour the inside of the White House (since it was a last minute trip we couldn't request to go in), see the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon, ride in a swan boat in the Tidal Basin, see the Cherry Blossoms bloom in the Spring, have a Georgetown Cupcake.


For more pictures go HERE and click on the Washington DC Link.

Washington DC Day 1

Backstory:  So back in January I almost spent $900 on a flight to DC for the inauguration, but I just couldn't pull the trigger.  I did end up buying a $200 flight for a few months later but ended up cancelling because I have to go to Vegas for a bachelorette party in September.  I was sad but I knew I would get there one day, just not when originally planned.

My uncle (my aunt's husband) is from England and still has family there.  His niece was in town and since my aunt couldn't walk (she had knee surgery), I was asked to show Zoe around Houston.  We went to the HMNS and were talking about other places in the USA that she would want to visit  and she mentioned San Francisco.  We go back and were talking about other places and my uncle goes "I think we can arrange that".  Yes!!!!  Free trip to San Fran.  But alas, no tickets were available for the days we could go so we tried other cities like Seattle and New Orleans.  Nope.  DC was pretty much the only option that both of us would actually want to go.  That's OK though because I was sad that I couldn't make it to DC.  Trip booked.  We flew into Baltimore, stayed at a hotel near there and road the train each day for $7 each way.  Since they were paying for the flight and hotel, all we had to pay for was train rides, food and anything we wanted to do.  Good news:  almost everything to do in DC (museums/monument wise) is free!  I think I spent about $100 for the entire trip.

We left right after I got off work and got there about midnight.  We didn't have much time to sleep though because we only had two full days to sight see an entire city that is jam packed with touristy things.  Go!

We stopped by Congress and got a private tour of the building with an intern from my Congressman's office and then went to his office.  Congress was not in session so I wasn't able to meet him, but his staff members were very welcoming to us.

We stopped by the United States Botantical Garden and WOW, it was so awesome.  It is basically a huge green house (but a really nice one) that has different rooms with different types of plants.  There was a fruit tree section, cacti section, Jurassic era plants, roses, etc.  It was great!  It might sound weird, but it is a cool get away from the sun.

We took pictures by the reflection pool and then went in search of lunch.  We ate at a section with lots of food trucks that is two blocks away from the mall area.

After that we headed to the Smithsonian to see the Hope Diamond.  The Smithsonian is actually several locations so be sure to look online to see which one you would be more interested in.  At 45.52 carots, the Hope Diamond is HUGE and I would say that I want it, but I don't want to be cursed and I'm not that fancy to where wearing that makes sense.  I don't have anywhere to wear it but I guess if you are rich enough to own that diamond, you are rich enough to attend fancy parties.

After we saw the Hope Diamond we walked around the rest of the museum, and spent some time in the natural gem area.

We saw Dorothy's ruby slippers and even Burt and Ernie!

 

My favorite item we saw was Alice Paul's women's suffrage 13 state charm bracelet from her personal collection that her estate donated to the museum.  Oh, I want one so bad!

We waited in line to get tickets to the butterfly area where live butterflies are flying all over a room and will even land on you!  None of them landed on me, but one did land on Zoe.  It was a really cool (and free the day we went) experience.

We saw a replica of the Statue of Liberty made from Legos!

My favorite part (I guess I didn't get any pictures) was the first lady part of the museum.  (I think we were in the American history museum).  It had old gowns that former first ladies wore on inauguration balls and other galas.  It had a lot of the fine china that was used to serve guests at private dinners.  It was a really cool part of the museum.

And the Star Spangled Banner-the actual one!  I had no idea that it still existed but it is in the Smithsonian (I forget which one) right when you walk in behind this metal wall.  You can't take pictures of it and it's behind glass.  There is a film you can watch about it and I actually teared up looking at it.  Our nation is going through so much right now and I think back on what the pioneers of our country went through.  Did they know there would be so much corruption and hate?  Anyway, the flag itself is worn and torn but it is AMAZING! I felt so patriotic just looking at it.  It is more precious than the Hope Diamond (even though I would totally take the HD if asked)

We saw the Washington Monument but could not go inside do an earthquake that happened awhile ago and the structure has not been made safe yet....so they say.  Where's Nicolas Cage when you need him?

We headed to the White House since it was getting late. I wasn't able to take a tour because it was a last minute trip, but when I had originally requested a tour but cancelled the request when I cancelled my trip.  We got to it and were hanging out just looking at it.  There were barricades and it was so far from from the gate and us.  I recognized it but I thought it looked different.  Turns out, it was the back!  I didn't realize it until someone mentioned the other side and I was like DUH!  It had been a long day, ok?! :)

We had been there for about 5-10 minutes when cops came and rushed us out.  Literally, they were moving us out and wouldn't say why.  "We don't have time to say why".  I was halfway scared and halfway wanting to see what was happening.  I'm very nosey.  We stayed in the general area and kept hearing and seeing sirens from fire trucks and other official looking vehicles.  About 20 minute later I saw one of the cops and asked him what was happening and if we should stick around.

He said "I can't answer that."
Me:  "Hmm.  Well, if you were me, would you stick around?"
Him:  "I would"
Me:  "Cool, if you were me, where would you stand?"
Him:  "Over there in that field with those other people."
Me:  "Gotcha, thanks!"


I wasn't totally sure what was happening but by the time I got to the field I figured Trump might be driving in or something.  Well, nope he was driving in, his helicopter was flying overhead!  You can view the video here.  There are snipers on the tops of buildings so anyone that tries to mess with him is out!

After that, we headed back to the hotel to turn in.  My feet hurt sooooooo bad but it was a super fun day. Part two tomorrow!