Valley Forge and Philadelphia

As part of the Washington Seminar trip we got to go on excursions to Valley Forge, Philadelphia and later Gettysburg. Before going, I had no idea what happened at Valley Forge so it was really interesting. What I got from it was that it was the place where General Washington camped for the first winter of the Revolutionary War. It was a terrible, wet winter and many lives were lost. 

General Washington's bedroom

The next morning we went to Philadelphia. I had been there a few times with my family but it was fun to just want around and explore the city. It is amazing to think of all the amazing things that occurred in that city and it was especially neat to think that it was all inspired and orchestrated by the Lord. There is no way this country could have been founded and established, if not by the hand of God. 

The Liberty Bell

Constitution Hall

Where the Constitution was debated and signed. 

Carter recommended this cheesesteak place and it was delicious! 

Adventures at the Smithsonian

One of my favorite parts about DC are all the museums! But the best part about it all was that you could just stop by and walk through one exhibit and not feel like you have to see the whole thing at once, resulting in museum-itis. Sometimes I would just stop by on my way home from work or spend a Saturday. There was so much to learn and so much to see!

The sun stone from the original Nauvoo temple!

I'm not sure who he is but he looked like he deserved a kiss.

The Harry Potter Robe! 

I don't make a very convincing president. Good thing I'm not going into politics!

DC Eats

I always knew that eating was a social event but I felt like we were always going out to eat in DC. There are so many different places to try and so many types of food. Needless to say that we ate a lot! 

At Good Stuff Eatery (Really good burgers and shakes) and We the Pizza. 

At Lincoln's Waffle Shop. It was right across the street from Ford's Theater and run by a cute Asian family that were a hoot.  

Mononucleosis = Mono = Death by Exhaustion

Right after my trip to Utah, I started feeling super tired. I started falling asleep at work. Once I fell asleep at an Education and Workforce hearing which was pretty bad. I was sitting directly behind the witness so the cameras for CSPAN would stop right on me. It was bad enough that my co-worker told me to get up and get a drink. I would even fall asleep while typing at times. It happened enough that I started documenting some of them...

1. I was making a list of people that had or had not attended a meeting that we hosted. Apparently I was dreaming while typing this one! 

       "No attended the meeting fur have fun while helping children" 

2. This one was actually an email to my boss. What can I say... I have heavy fingers. 

        "I had this in my schedule but just wanted to double check that I can go.       adfsdsdddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff" 

I also started getting a really bad sore throat and my lymph nodes started to swell. It looked and felt like I had a golf ball stuck in my throat. 

After New York I decided that I couldn't take it anymore, so I went into the doctor. I was tired enough that I just grabbed a taxi, which is saying something because it cost a pretty penny. The nurse came in and checked for the flu and strep. After he left, I don't know what came over me but I just started sobbing. Maybe it was because I was so exhausted and nervous that they were going to tell me that I would just have to suck it up, but I just couldn't stop. It was pretty pathetic and really sad all at the same time. Both the tests came back negative. The doctor took one look at my throat and said that I had Mono. She prescribed ibuprofen, some steroids for the swelling, and a week of bed rest. I went home (still crying), packed a bag and caught another taxi to the DC condo where I stayed in isolation for a solid week. 

Under loving parental guidance, I drank a few bottles of water plus 4-5 of these bottles a day. 

I can now say that I have had mono and hope to say that I will never get it again! It was quite the experience. 

 

Stephanie and Emery sent me a care package which helped SO much. It included cards with band-aid men and a stuffed animal to keep me company. I LOVED it!