4 States and a District in 4 weeks...

Ok, so I have had quite the month. Philly is great for a lot of things...being close to a lot of cool cities is one of them. The day after my parents left, Amanda and I headed out to Ocean City, NJ to meet up with Kara and spend a nice relaxing day at the beach. Certainly not the ocean in Cabarete, DR but we made it work. Below is a picture of the boardwalk. It was so funny seeing it 10 yrs later. Perspective of "so cool" is much different now, but I still loved re-living it none-the-less.

The next weekend, my old neighbor growing up and good friend Kevin came for a visit. We made our way to New York City for $20 via huge, air conditioned charter buses. It was so nice to just watch as we drove in and see things and not pay the tolls and fight traffic...which was unreal. I was dying to see a real broadway show actually on Broadway Ave. After much sadness about our first show being canceled, our second choice going up in price, our third ended up being...

I heard it was good, but I wasn't prepared for the amazement of this show! I was wondering how they were going to pull off scenes from the movie, but they were so clever in the delivery. Also, the costumes were fantastic...especially the giraffes, which I think are an amazingly beautiful animal anyway. When we got off the metro and saw the bright lights of Broadway I was all alive with excitement...for about two seconds. There was a show "Broadway on Broadway" going on in Times Square, so there were mass amounts of people trying to get around, mass amounts of swearing, mass amounts of trash, and pretty much mass chaos. I decided "I don't like this city" and once we got into the theatre, we were able to see what the hold up was...

Thankfully, once our show was over, so was the one outside and we were able to take a picture in Times Square.

And you can't go to NYC without going up the Empire State Building...

So we did. We were super pressed for time so we were only up there for about 6 minutes so we could get back and catch the bus back to Philly. Once we get to Penn Station to catch it we find out they double booked the bus and we ended up leaving on another bus 45 minutes later...all that basically to say, that was the most expensive 6 minutes I think I've ever spent. It was cool and worth it though.

Kevin had never been to Philly so here we are in front of Independence Hall. We did all the other touristy things too. Including the Franklin Institute, where I flew a plane. Not really, but I did get in.


The next weekend I flew down to Florida to visit my BEAUTIFUL niece Emma. We went on walks, played on the swings, went to the beach and chased each other around the house. All in all, we had a wonderful time and it was great to spend time not only with her but Zach and Jordan as well. =)


Today I went to Washington DC. What an incredible place. Kristin, another travel nurse, and I decided to spend the day there. We took the train in and had a very full day. Lots of laughing, good conversation, and appreciation were shared. This place deserves a post all its own. We saw all the major things we wanted to see. The monuments are overwhelming and a sight to behold. More on that later when I have had some sleep... Here's the White House

Next came Arlington Cemetary in Virginia. Wow. We didn't get to spend a ton of time there and we only got a quick glimpse, but it was enough to make me choke up and once again just be so thankful that there have been so many men and women willing to fight for what I have the honor of enjoying.

Being in DC is like being hit constantly with a political bat. I get pretty fired up about politics and had to bite my tongue on more than one occasion. This only brings to my mind that I need to be in prayer for this nation. How comforting it is that God already knows the outcome of the election and ultimately is in control. He is above man and rules all. He is sovereign and wise!

We the people...

I think every American should have appreciation and respect for the radical decisions and actions our founding fathers took in order for us to enjoy the freedom that we have today. History makes my heart all aflutter and I can easily get lost thinking about what it was like back then, how life would be different and whatnot. I've always loved history and this is an amazing city full of it. To walk the same streets, to be in the same room, and to eat at the same place as George Washington, John Adams, Ben Franklin and the like is just cool. I felt the same way in Rome. It's just incredible to experience it. Our stops included The Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Christ's Church, Ben Franklin's grave, Besty Ross's house, Military Hall, Carpenter's Hall, Washington Square with the unknown soldier (along with 11,000 other bodies who died in the revolution, from yellow fever, or other random life altering events)The Constitution Center, and the Franklin Institute. Below is Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Constitution was created and where congress met.

We took a "Ride the Ducks" tour. People at work said it was fun and even though your not a kid, you recieve a "quacker" and make duck noises with it. The kids were the least of my worries...mom and dad and every other couple found them incredibly entertaining and were worse than a 3 yr old. Thankfully once the tour gets going you start listening to the history and paying attention to what's around you...including passing the home of Larry of the three stooges, singing "south street" and boys II men. Also saw the condo Will Smith bought for his Dad. And since it is a true DUKW, we drove on land and went into the river. Below is Delancey Street. This street was long considered the most beautiful street in America and people traveled from all over just to see it.


Among seeing all the historic sites, we decided it would be fun to take a tour through Eastern State Penitentiary. This was America's first prison created by the Quakers who believed that inward reflection and complete isolation would correct your mind, you would turn from your evil ways and return to society as a good citizen. Great thought...creepy place. It opened in the 1800's and was used until 1971. However, it was one of the most interesting places I have visited here. The audio tour used voices of actual inmates and guards which adds to the experience. This is a picture of a cell with the same furniture that was left there from 1971. After walking through that place, it's about the last place I would ever want to live.

A view of a two story cell block. The second story had to be added due to the number of growing inmates.

This is a picture of Al Capone's cell...apparently since he "gave generously" he was allowed the comfort of a sitting chair, desk and radio that he used to listen to the waltz. In my opinion...he was still a prisoner, participated in illegal activities and overall didn't contribute anything good to society, therefore he should have been held responsible and treated as such...too bad money talks.

This was our reaction...ok not really, but I think it's a funny picture.

Of course, how can you come to Philly and not run the Rocky Steps? Dad and I went up the 72 steps and took a few pictures. Below is a picture of Rocky and I...I had to act overcome. I've never actually seen any Rocky movie...and I'm ok with that. "Yo Adrian!", you can have him! =)

Mom and Dad left today and made it back to Dayton in one piece. Tomorrow I head to Ocean City, NJ. I haven't been back since going there on a mission's trip when I was in 7th grade. My friend Amanda should be joining me and we may meet with with Kara...should be fun!