It All Ends Tonight!!
HARRY POTTER TONIGHT!! I am so EXCITED to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 tonight! With this movie, a little bit of my childhood ends. I have grown up with the books and they were a great love when I was younger and even now. There is nothing better than reading a book that has good wining over evil, shows how strong the bonds of friendship can be, and the power of loving friends and family. I have wondered if JK Rowling will write more Harry Potter books. Even if I am 40 and she publishes a new book, I will buy it. The books might not be compared to Shakespeare's plays, but to my generation they are just as important as Shakespeare is. Also, you can hate a woman who got so many children and even adults to read again! And to those people who say that its evil, they zip it. The world has too much war and hate in it, to blame a book for peoples downfalls. Its fiction and it tells a wonderful story. Well, that is enough soapbox time!
So, I could not concentrate at work today so I left a bit early to go home, change, and get ready to pick up my movie buddies! Angela, Mary, and I all pilled into my car and went to the Egyptian Movie Theatre. It was only about 20 minutes away. It’s in a mall that is the exact layout of the Opry Mills mall. Which was awesome, because the movie theatre was HUGE! We got there and there was already a line, but we were hungry so we went in search of food. We ate at Chevy’s Fresh Mex. It was near the movie theatre and it looked good. The plates were GIANT! We got so much food!! But it was yummy and I was able to caffeine up on some Mountain Dew. After eating, we got in line for the first part, which was at nine so we got in line at seven. We found out that some of the people in line had been there since 6am! I am a fan of Harry Potter, but I could not have made it at 6am to watch the movie. Now, if it was in London and the stars were going to be there, then yes, but for just the movie, no. Of course, I made friends with the people around us in line. I mean if you are going to stand in line with these people for and hour, you might as well say hello. They let us in at 8ish. So everyone was sprinting into the theatre. We got good seats together, which was good because I was a little worried that we would have to split up!
Once we were settled, into our seats, Mary and I hit up the concession stand. I needed an over priced coke, plus cokes from fountains always taste better. The concession stand was so cool. You got to get your own food and drinks. Which was epic! I hate ice in my cokes, mostly because they ALWAYS put too much in and then you get water down coke that was 6 bucks! So I got to get an entire cup of coke with no ice!!!! And they had kazoozles, which are like crack, so I had to buy a pack! So, now that I had lots of sugar to keep me up for five hours I was good to go! But lets face it, would I have fallen asleep, probably not because I was too excited. But who can pass up a nice sugar rush!
The costumes were great. I wore my Gryffindor Quidditch shirt, glow in the dark Harry Potter glasses, and my wand. So, I was ready to go, but some people were dress to impress. I kinda wish I had cool robes to wear, but they are expensive! But if I had remembered to bring my college graduation robe, I could have pulled it off!! Rita Skeeter and Luna Lovegoods in our theatre costumes were awesome, I mean they were really cool! They two ladies (Luna was probably my age but not much younger) had taken a lot of time to get their costumes right.
While waiting in line for the movie they passes 3D Harry Potter glasses. How cool is that?!? I was super excited to get them! Won’t be recycling those! We bought the double feature tickets, so we got to watch part one again. I love Part 1! I still cry at the end (I know I am a huge cry baby!). Once part one ended I booked it to the bathroom, because lets face it the girls line is always ten times longer than the boys line. We were so excited about the second part! You could just feel the emotions from everyone in the theatre, as midnight got closer. The lady beside Mary was too funny. She started talking to us, because that’s what you do when you are sitting next to people for long periods of time, and she liked my glow in the dark glasses. She was super funny and she provided good commentary on the people in the theatre. And then FINALLY IT WAS MIDNIGHT!!!!
What can I say about the movie, one word AWESOME. It was amazing! It was epic! I have a feeling that people are going to be critical of the ending and the liberties they take with it, but I really liked what they did with it. Also, it’s a movie, not the book, so you got to get passed that! And the best part was the kept my favorite line in it, which is the line Mrs. Weasley yells to Evil witch Bellatrix Lestrange, it was amazing! I also cried like a baby from the time Snape died to the end. I get to emotional at movies, but its ok. I mean you could hear sniffles around the theatre. Also, love watching movies with Harry Potter people, because they are quite during the movie. Twilight movies are fun, but if I had to listen to the mother in front of my at the New Moon premier scream every time Jacob came on screen I was going to throw my popcorn at her! When the lights came on in the movie theatre, you could see the bloodshot eyes of the criers and the people who had stayed up too late!
I finally got home at 3:15 am. However, I could not fall asleep until 6am. That is the last time I remember looking at my watch. Then my alarm went off at 7:25am. DEAR GOD I WAS SO TIRED! I got up showered and then went to Starbucks. We are having a school group today at the museum in the morning. I need some form of caffeine in my body before I dealt with small children. I am not sure how I functioned at work today. It was all a haze. I do remember talking a lot this morning, which would not be that unusually, but it was more than normal. When I don’t get enough sleep, I just start talking to keep my self-awake. This has not happened since junior year at Converse. When for a period of like three days I got 12 hours of sleep. It was not a good experience. I got in trouble in Dr. Walker’s class and poor Coach Moore did not know what to do with me in volleyball. Therefore, I promised my self I would never do that again. Ooops. Oh well it was for a good cause! I am totally going to bed early tonight.


July 14, 2011/ July 15, 2011

Getting ready for the movie!

American Visionary Art Museum Photo booth

Mom and I went to the AVAM when she was moving me into Baltimore. It is a neat museum. They had a photo booth for people to take their picture at. So of course we had to try it out!

This is mom's picture

I may have taken more than one... who cant resist a photo booth! i put mine together though.

A Little Late, but the grand adventures in the BIG city of DC

July 8 2010

     Today I went to DC on the Marc Train. Laura Miles, a great friend from Converse and a fellow troublemaker was in DC for the weekend, apartment hunting. I parked at Penn Station and then took the train into Union Station in DC. I LOVE TRAINS!! They might be my favorite transportation. On the train, I rode next to this group of Germans. I was tempted to say something in German, but I did not want to be rude, plus I was not sure if they were German or Dutch. I had time to kill before meeting Laura, so I walked from Union Station to the National Gallery of Art. It was EPIC! My mind was blown at all the cool art that I got to see. There was so much, there are two separate buildings! Cool fact they are linked by underground a tunnel.

I got to see a Raphael, Metsu, Monet, Degas, Leonardo da Vinci, three Vermeer, and so much more! I was in heaven. In the Metsu exhibit, there was a painting on loan from the Queen of England, how cool is that. Mostly I want to be Queen so I can have awesome art hanging around my home. I love looking at paintings and trying to picture how the people lived that were being painted. Was the woman in the painting having a good day when she was painted? Was this a painting for a husband or lover? Did that general really think putting his hand on his hip made him look super masculine. The stories that painting can tell are amazing. Moreover, if you think about it, we wont have a representation of our time. I mean no one but the rich are their portraits painted any more and painters don’t really paint people doing things, because you can capture that with film. However, film won’t last. So, what will future generations think of our society. I believe that they will think that we like lines and random stuff thrown together and that only stuffy looking people had their portraits painted. It’s interesting to think about. I want to go back before the summer is over. I am pretty sure I could spend all day there. I know that DC is a big city and has its problems, but I could totally live in the burbs, if it meant I could go see free art any time I wanted. I would love to work there one day. I met up with Laura at the National Gallery and we were hungry so we headed out for lunch.     

     Since we did not have a lot of time, we opted for something faster. We had lunch at Au bon pair. It was yummy, I had chicken salad. It’s kind of like Panera Bread, except better and a tab bit more money. It was nice to sit and catch up. Laura will be going to graduate school in DC (So excited for her!!!) in the fall, so she was there looking at apartments. I am jealous that she gets to live in a neat city, but not too much, because she said I can come visit!! I am glad that I was able to become friends with her at Converse. She will do great things with art therapy. Also, I don’t know if I could have made it through volleyball with out her!

     After, lunch we headed over to the Folk Life Festival, its put on by the Smithsonian. It takes up a huge chunk of the mall. The festival was cool. We only got to see the Peace Core area, because it the started to pour, before we could continue to the other areas. We ducked into the festival market shop, so much cool stuff to buy. I almost bought this cute Indian dress, but I decided to save my money, but Laura got a really cute one. It was still raining so we went the National Museum of Natural History.

     The new mammal exhibit was awesome. There were so many animals to see. It was cool. We also got to see the new evolution exhibit. It was so neat. I wish I had more time to look at it, but there was so much to see and it was getting late. I think my anthropology professor at Wofford would have loved this exhibit. It was awesome! We went upstairs to see the Hope Diamond too. I love looking at all the jewelry, so sparkly. The Hope Diamond is in a new setting for a limited time for some reason, but I don’t really care for it. I like its original setting. I also love that the woman who owned it in the 20s used to hide it under her couch cushions.

     It was getting late so I had to head back to the train station. I was so glad that I got to see Laura! I had an awesome day! I was super tired, but it was well worth the three plus miles I walked today! 

The Capital

Ducks in the reflecting pool in front of the Grant Statue. 

Monet

 Vermeer (LOVE HIM)

I just loved this woman's dress.

From the 1400s! 

Picasso 

Degas! He is my favorite artist! 

Mammal exhibit

So cool

T Rex. I should point out the the hot guys that are not in the picture we laughing. I am not sure at me or with me, but I am going to go with me, because who would not want a picture like this! 

Worn by napoleon's second wife Marie Louise. I would like this for my birthday please!

Look at how it sparkles! 

Happy Birthday USA

JULY 4, 2011

     Today, Mary and I went to Annapolis. It was a nice drive up, pretty short. Our first stop was the visitor center. We started talking to the lady who gives out information to tourist. She told us about the trolley tour and where FREE parking was! So we signed up for the trolley tour and went to parked the car. You cannot beat free parking on the Fourth of July! We saw a Starbucks in the basement of this old hotel and went in to get a coffee. I hate the price of Starbucks coffee, but nothing beats their fraps! We went and met up with the trolley tour.

     The tour of the city was awesome! The guide was super knowledgeable and funny as hell. We saw the old church, state house, oldest house, and many neat houses. I really like old houses, and Annapolis has plenty. Our tour guide told us this while looking around, “The historic preservation society controls everything down to your door knobs. All except what you paint your house. Some people get creative others get even.” There were pink, purple, yellow, gold, blue, and other bright colored homes around Annapolis. The trolley took us to the WWII memorial to look down on the harbor. It was a nice view. We drove back and saw more of the city and learned a lot more history of the city. It was fun, I know total history nerd. After tour went across the street to eat at the Rams Head Tavern, which was on all the top things to do list that I looked up. It was so yummy! I got the beer sampler (6 shots of beer), mini burgers, and lobster hush puppies. It was very good. After getting full on good food, we decided to look around the city.

     First, we walked to the United States Navel Academy. We went to the visitor center and saw the exhibit. Getting in was fun. When you want to go onto the grounds you have to go though security. Well we knew that there was a museum or exhibit at the USNA, because the trolley guide told us. So I asked the guard, where the museum was. The guard looked at me as if I was completely weird for asking where the museum was. It was so funny. I think he must have thought I was trying to find my future husband and was trying to do so by asking about the museum. Well we walked around and went inside the visitor center. It was nice.

     Them, we went to the inner harbor and got ice cream. It was so hot and there is nothing better than ice cream on a hot day. However, I got soft serve chocolate ice cream, bad life choice. It MELTED SO FAST! I was covered in melted ice cream. We did get free water from a local church as we sat and ate our ice cream, which was nice because it was super hot! We still had some time to kill before the parade so we decided to go back to my car. My phone needed to be charged, because my phone battery sucks. I got a new one before I left Nashville at Battery Plus and it crashed two weeks into Baltimore. I was so mad. Anyways we went back to my car that was in a covered garage so it was kinda cool and relaxed for a few minutes.

     We headed back to Main Street for the parade. I love parades. They are the best places to people watch. Since it is the Fourth of July, everyone was decked out in red, white, and blue. Some people brought patriotism to a new level with their clothes. There were these kids down from us who had a Ziploc bag of poppers and were throwing them in the street. I wanted some so bad! I love poppers! I went to find a drink and found poppers instead! It was fun to thrown them in the street! Yup, I am 5 years old. Before the parade started these two little girls asked if they could sit next to me to watch their brother in the parade. I said sure. The littlest one became my new friend. Her name was Nadia and she was probably about 3 years old.

She talked and talked to me the whole parade. She was so cute! She kept asking me questions about the things in the parade. I cough her candy and a Frisbee for her. She was so entertaining. She asked me why the fire truck had a really long ladder. I told it was to help people get out of tall buildings. She said, “oh I bet they use them to get people out of castles.” I said have you ever been to a real castle? “No.” Well I have been to one in Germany. “How did you get down? Did a ladder get you out?” Well I used the stairs. “How did you do that? How did you know where to go?” Um well, a prince showed me the way. “Oh that is nice.” She was too funny. In the parade were some awesome things. There was the Colonial Society who rode segways made up to look like horses. One WWII vet went down the parade route. It was so touching to see everyone stand and cheer him on. He looked so happy. There were Mayan dancers. In addition, the Republic Party had an old fire truck with a man dressed as Santa passing out candy. I did not know that Santa was a Republican, sad day. Also next to Mary and me were there these little girls yelling “Happy 4^th! Happy July!”

  

These are some bronze statues that are in a neighborhood park. They had to bolt them to the ground because the local teens kept talking them and putting them in people's yards, which I thought was too funny!

Oldest House in Annapolis

WWII memorial

Beer time

I got the sampler to try all the house beers! 

And done!

I really liked this house. I loved the colors! 

I wanted to take a picture with my boat...

Mrs. K Hepburn spent the night in this house. It was her uncle's home.

Getting ready for the parade.

POPPERS!! 

Main Street

Happy Fourth! 

WWII Vet

Colonial Society 

Colonial Band, did I mention this town loves their Colonial History?!?

Dogs in the parade! How cute is this dog!!

Santa is a Republican, nooooo

This random band in the parade, but they were really good. 

The governor of Maryland.

Mayan dancers 

The colors were awesome

First Firework

Beautiful 

Lovely 

Pretty (I played with the colors on my computer)

An intern reflection

This Fourth of July week has been an action packed week. Monday, Mary (a fellow intern) and I hit the big city of Annapolis. We took at trolley tour of the city to learn about its history. We also stayed for the parade and the big fireworks show at the harbor. It was a great day! I really enjoyed looking out at the streets trying to imagine what it must have been like to be in the city in 1785 after the war has ended. It made me also think of how I like to stand outside of the JMM and try to picture the bustling of Lombard Street. The people selling chickens and veggies and the children running around getting food or playing games, what a sight it must have been. Thinking of the quotes in the Voices of Lombard Street, you can really picture the street in the early twentieth century. I really have enjoyed taking groups through the exhibit. Seeing kids faces as they look at the outhouse and discover what it was, is priceless.
Leading and helping with school groups has also been one of my favorite things to do at the museum. Tuesday, we had the Super campers come to visit. They are a great group of kids. I helped with the Synagogue Speaks activities. The kids seem to really enjoy the activities. It was very interesting to hear what the kids were going to paint for their favorite thing painting. This corresponds to the murals that were once on the ceiling of the Lloyd Street Synagogue of the Holy Land. A lot of kids will draw their favorite place to eat or their favorite sports team; it is the ones that paint something close to them that is truly touching. One child painted him and his brother playing football outside. There was something so sweet in this simple painting, to him that was the most special place in the world. I think this is why I like working with children so much. They have a different outlook on life and the world. There is this thirst for knowledge and the understanding of the world that I think adults loose as they age. I know that many adults never lose that appetite for learning, but there is something different about children and their quest for knowledge. I used to babysit and during story time, my little buddy would ask ten questions per page about everything regardless of the story being read. At first it was kind of annoying to have to stop and answer the questions. But then I realized that to him these were questions that were important and interesting to him. I learned to look forward to his questions. The same way I look forward to the questions that the school groups ask us at the museum. To a child knowing why the bathroom was outside or why they had to keep fish the tub are relevant and important to them. Their questions are something I look forward to when they come.
This internship as really shown me that working with children in a museum is something that I want to do. Yes, they are loud and sometimes crazy, but children are the people I relate to the most. Some may say it’s because I can talk to a fence post, but I think to think that it is because I understand their motivations for asking questions. Learning is something that I hope I never get to old to do. I also ask a lot of questions, just ask my mentor. There is nothing better than seeing something and then going to look up the history on it. I love the feeling of finding out something new.
Well that is enough seriousness for one blog! I would like to end on the fun things I learned this week. First, I learned the homes in Annapolis are controlled by the historical council in all aspects but outside paint. Therefore, people take liberties with the paint colors of their homes, as I tour guide put it, “they are either being really creative or getting their revenge.” I also learned that fireworks and parades are more fun when surrounded by people wearing the most red, white, and blue that they possibly can. Lastly, I learned that arts and crafts as a grad student maybe be more fun now than it was when I was a kid. Everyone should come out tonight and check out Brews and Schmooze and get their picture taken with the JMM collage that the West Wing interns worked hard on!

I throw my Latkes in the air sometimes…..

           Anyone that knows me knows that I like to eat. So, I was pretty excited to come to the JMM and learn that there was going to be a food exhibit opening in September. The museum is collecting food stories as part of the exhibit. That got me to thinking about food and my experiences with food here in Baltimore.

            When I moved to Baltimore for the summer, I was excited to try the new food around me. Everyone whom I told I was going to Baltimore for the summer said, “you have to get a crab cake.” Challenge accepted! The second day I was here, I went to eat with my mom and I had my very first Baltimore Crab Cake. It was quite good! Now that I had that covered, I was ready to take on the rest of Baltimore’s food choices. Working at the JMM there are several delis near by. Ryan and I decided to check out Attman’s during our second week. What an experience. The line, the long counter, the staff yelling your order, it was great. I also started to talk to the lady behind me and she told me about Attman’s and her childhood. She remembers the people outside Attman’s selling chickens and slaughtering them for you. She also told me that I should get the hot dog and the corn beef. She said, “You eat the hog dog first, so your stomach is prepared for the corn beef sandwich. But its bad for you, so only get it once a week!” Truer word of wisdom I have never heard. I did not get the hot dog, but I did get the corn beef Ruben. It was delicious!

            Working at the JMM I spend a great deal of time working on food related projects. One of these is the JMM Brews and Schmooze First Thursday programs. We had been talking about the December program, which will feature the amazing Esther cooking her famous Latkes. That day we listened to Candlelight by the Maccabeats in the West Wing several times. After work, I went to Giant to get some groceries. I passed by some latkes mix. Well I had to try it, I still had “throw my Latkes in the air sometimes.” stuck in my head. I went home and made the mix. They turned out pretty good. The next day I told the West Wing and a few others at lunch that, I had made latkes last night out of a box. They looked at me as if I had just made the biggest faux pas in the world.  It was funny. I was told, that was no way to eat latkes and that I had to make them from starch. The things you learn during an internship, one is never touch anything with white gloves and the other is never make latkes out of a box.

            Old Bay is something that I was not that familiar with. I live in a landlocked state so we don’t have the need to put Old Bay on everything. Upon hearing that I had never had Old Bay, Ryan about died. I was informed that in order to have the true Baltimore experience I was going to have to get some Old Bay. This got me to thinking about the empty space that we had in the August Brews and Schmooze calendar. It was then that Oy Bay was created! This was going to be a program that showcased that favorite spice that Baltimoreans put on everything. I never thought I would work this hard on researching a spice. But it has been interesting. The story of Old Bays creation to why people put seasoning on crabs was something that was very cool to learn about. I am excited to put on this program! 

            To end with I wanted to say a little bit about food and my family. Food and family are a big concept in the Chosen Food exhibit. After reading some of the stories from the exhibit about food, memories it made me think about my own memories. I have just acquired some new food memories in Baltimore, which I am looking forward to telling my family about, but I wondered about all the memories with my family and friends.  Being a southerner food is a big part of my life. We eat a lot. Growing up holidays was always a time for gathering around my grandmother’s table and sitting down to eat. Its funny how something that is so repetitive like eating at a family members house every holiday can bring back some of the best memories, some that you have to think about to really remember the details. My favorite food memory is the time my Beagle, Digger, ate the blackberry cobbler. I was about ten and I came in from watching the Fourth of July fireworks outside to see Digger with his head in the blackberry cobbler (it was in the middle of the dinning room table, I might add). The memory that goofy dog and the laughing adults will always be with me. No one was mad a the loss of a good dessert, but rather enjoyed the picture of Digger covered in cobbler. You will always remember where you were the day something big happens. But I believe that it will be the conversations, hugs, and good ole Chess Pie that I will remember the most. Food is something that transcends borders and nationalities. 

This will be posted on the Jewish Museum of Maryland's blog too. I thought I would share here too. 

Interns taking on DC

Thursday 23

     Today is the JMM field trip to the big city of Washington DC. We had to be at the museum at 7:50 so I had to get up at 6:30. I am not a morning person, but Mary picked me up and we headed to the JMM. We all piled into two cars to ride to the Greenbelt Metro station. Mary drove, I navigated in the front and Ryan and Emily held down the backseats. When we got to the station we tried to get day passes but because we got there thirty minutes before they sold them, we could not get them. So, we had to pay prime rates to get on the metro. BOO. By the end of the day I had to pay $15.10 to ride the metro, it sucked. You would think that they would make it cheaper so people would go green and ride it. But that’s the government. I do love riding on subways and trains so it was not a bad trip.

     After everyone had bought their tickets, we were given our scavenger hunt packets to do in our free time. Inside was the scavenger hunt and our paper pal to take pictures with. I got a vampire, which I found kind of funny. But was even funnier was that my fellow Ravenclaw got the other vampire, these were given out at random! The scavenger hunt today will give us house points to go towards the house cup. I am super competitive so this should be fun! I mean if Ravenclaw does not win, I am going to be mad. I hate loosing (just ask anyone who has played a board game with me). The subway was nice. It was crowed, but I like to people watch. When we emerged from the subway, we all split to go do things. We had about 30 minutes till all the museums opened. So, the first things first, we needed to find a Starbucks. Mary, Codi, and I found the closest one and got some much needed caffeine. I got my new favorite Mocha Coconut frap!    

Dexter Tristan Randolf III is ready for the day.

COFFEE TIME!

     Our first stop was Museum of American Indians. When we got inside, we found out that it was Choctaw Week. They were having dances, story telling, and music throughout the day. Mary, Codi, and I went inside and looked around. We looked at the tables that were set up in the lobby. There was a group of ladies giving out little pouches of corn to take home and cook. I asked what you were to cook with it and one of the ladies started to talk to me. She had a very Southern accent. When we walked away, she said goodbye and I said good-bye ya’ll. I thought Mary was going to pass out she was laughing so hard. I had not really spoken that Southern at the museum and she found it funny that my twang came out when I was talking to someone else with a southern accent. It was funny, I guess. They were doing the dances at 10:45 and we did not have to be at the American History Museum till 11:30. We went outside to wait for them to begin. The lady beside me started to talk to me. She was a  Choctaw and had come to see the festivities at the museum. She had actually lived in Tennessee for several years. I love meeting new people. The Choctaw dancers did one dance and then their second one was called the Partner switch. They went around and grabbed people to come dance with them. After this dance, they said that anyone that wanted to dance with them could come up. Well I figured that I was never going to see any of these people again and when was the next time I would be able to dance with Native Americans. SO, I got up and went to dance! It was so much fun! We had to walk/hop around in the circle holding onto the person’s elbow in front of you. There was a little girl behind me and the woman who was helping with the dances told me to hold onto her so she would not go flying when we sped up. That poor kid, I clung onto her arm, there was no way I was going to have that girl fly off and get hurt! That was all I needed to explain to my mentor at the museum. The dance was fun! We started out in a circle and the lead person goes around in a spiral line and twist and gets everyone to move as if a snake is winding its self up. You get tighter and faster as the song goes on. It was great! It will be something that I will remember for a long time.

Posing in front of the American Indian Museum.

The dancers getting ready for the dance.

Waiting for the dance.

Outside the museum. It is supposed to look like flowing water.

Dancing feet

Me getting ready to preform the Snake Dance.

Getting my dance on.

Almost done!

We are excited about finishing the dance! 

     We had to get to the American history museum for our tour and talk with one of the employees. As we were walking across the mall, we met up with Mary D and Emilie. I stopped to take a picture of the capital with my paper pal (his name is Dexter Tristan Randolf III, but his friends call him Humuhumunukunukuapua'aAHM and waited for our tour guide to come. Our guide had to get us these nifty orange badges in order to go to the boardroom to talk to us. She was in charge of education and programming. Ryan and I were interested in her talk because its what we want to do. I felt bad for all the collection interns because I am sure they were board. After talking to us, she took us to see the American Flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the battle during the War of 1812. It was cool. I was a little disappointed about our tour. I was hoping for a backstage look at the Smithsonian, but all we saw was the flag. I mean what is the point of getting this bright orange badge and not being able to go down into the bottom of the museum and see where they keep the stuff. I thought about seeing how far my badge would get me but I did not want to see what the inside of a federal prison looked like. Mary, Codi, and I did go and see the First Ladies dresses. 

Flowers in the garden. 

Thinking rabbit

Trying to cool off

Making a wish

OMG ITS A BUFFALO! 

         We had about an hour and a half before we had to meet at the castle. Mary and Codi wanted to go see the National Archives. Inside the National Archives are the Bill of Rights, US Constitution, and The Declaration of Independence, and the Manga Carta. YES! As a history nerd, these were some papers I needed to see. But as it was lunchtime, I wanted some food. Mary and Codi were not hungry so I grabbed a hot dog and water at a stand outside the AHM. Was it safe to eat?? Yup, it was good, salty, but pretty tasty. We walked to the archives; it was a short walk down. When you first get into the Rotunda, you pass the Magna Carta. I stopped to look at it. SO NEAT! It was written by Edward I in 1297. I mean think of all the people who have seen it? The power that it held. It was awesome! As we waited in line to see the three big American papers, the dad from the family beside me started to talk to me. He and his two daughters were from St. Louis and were visiting DC. We had a good conversation about St. Louis and DC. They were really nice and the dad was funny. We finally got to see the papers. As we were waiting in line to see the Constitution, I started to talk to the guard (me talking to a stranger in line, never). She told us all the things that were interesting about the document. There were several places were words had been inserted. The bottom of the first article has also been removed. I said that that was the part saying that women were the supreme beings. That made the guard laugh. Also, fun fact a man and his son (between 13-16) were the ones to copy the Constitution. They were paid $35.00 dollars at the time. That is about $40,000 dollars, WOW! Before I could stop my self I said, I bet the son was like “OH BOY now I can buy that buggy I want!” I had everyone laughing. I also pretended to be Canadian, because I was trying to get closer and I w said eh, which made Mary ask if I was Canadian. I was tempted to pretend to be British looking trying to get points for my house. But I thought that might get me arrested. After seeing the documents, we headed over to the castle to meet up with our group.

The National Archives

Little Robot man I found on the back of a street sign.

Pretty Flower

     On the way to the castle, we went through the Hirshhorn statue garden and another small garden beside it. The statues were interesting, but again I don’t really get modern art. The small garden was pretty. I really liked the flowers. We then met at the castle to go to the metro to head to the armory. We were meeting the women in charge of the National Guard Museum at the Armory. In front of the Armory there was this really, cool set of buildings. They were different shapes and different bold colors. We don’t know what they were for, but they were cool! Once inside the Armory, our guide talked to us about her job. She had been hired to completely redo the entire museum and create a new one. She also talked about how after coming to the museum she realized how bad of shape the museum collections were in. But that is one thing that you have to deal with when working with museums. The collection had not been worked with for several years. But they are working one cataloguing the collection and trying to restore some of the objects. It was neat. But it was sad to see the state of the collection. We did get to go down to the basement to see the cars and the cannon.  We saw the old staff car from the 1940s and we got to look inside a brand new Humvee.  

Standing up with the Humvee

The interesting building near the Armory.

     It was now time to go back to Baltimore. We got on the metro and headed back to the Greenbelt. It was a long day! So tiring. I was supposed to go to Fluid Movement practice, but we did not get back to Baltimore till 7:10 and practice was over at 7:30. I made dinner and chilled out. I was exhausted. I finished watching Merlin season 1. I really like that show. It’s goofy, but so addicting! Off to right again!