I had a goal of writing a blog post before February started. I was planning to write the post either on January 30 of January 31. Well that didn't happen because today is February 3, 2009. A lot of things have happened since I last wrote a blog post on January 4. Here is a summary of the things that happened this past month. I will post some pictures after I tell you what has happened. Sorry if some of the pictures are not good quality. I tried to put the pictures in the right order.
-Dick and Nancy Yoder (a SOOP (Service Opportunities for Older People) couple) arrived the end of December and stayed until the end of January. They are from Goshen, IN.
-My birthday was on January 17. The guest house had a party for me and I didn't have to work that day. Hattie made homemade pizza (it was really good) and we also had chips, veggies, applesauce and Texas Sheet Cake for my birthday cake. I don't feel another year older- oh well!! :)
-On January 18, I went to the We Are One Concert which was at the Lincoln Memorial. We were standing on the outskirts of the Washington Monument watching a big screen. It was a good concert, a lot of people were there and it was also cold. It took us awhile to get out of the crowd after the concert was done.
-On January 20, we left a little after 7 AM to go downtown to get a place to stand for the Inauguration. Some of the guests at the guest house left the house at 4 AM. I had many, many layers on as it was very cold outside!! We ended up securing a spot close to the Washington Monument and close to a big screen. We were also not that far away from a line of Porta-Potties in case we had to go to the bathroom. At first, there were not that many people around us and we could sit down on ground. However, as it got closer to the Inauguration it got very crowded and we had to stand to be able to see the big screen. Then, we didn't get home until a little after 3:00 PM (I think). I watched the Inaugural Parade and then watched President Obama and his wife Michelle dance at the Neighborhood Ball. I think I went to bed early that night. It was a very tiring, but exciting day. I will actually be able to say that I witnessed the Inauguration of the first African-American President.
-The next day was my day off. I went downtown, but then decided to go to Silver Spring. I ate in Silver Spring and then went to Union Station. The Metro was still crowded. It was a bad idea to go to Union Station because everyone was there buying Obama souvenirs and other people were waiting for their trains to travel home. It was a very chaotic place to be the day after the Inauguration.
-On Tuesday, January 27, the staff had their staff outing. It started snowing this day and I was very excited!! We went to where Lincoln's Cottage was located. We got a tour of Lincoln's Cottage. Lincoln's Cottage is located 3 miles from the White House and is at the Soldiers' Home. The Soldiers' Home is where 1,200 retired veterans live all year round. Also, the Lincoln Cottage is where Abraham Lincoln and his family lived from June to November of 1862, 1863 and 1864. Abraham Lincoln came to this cottage to escape his life at the White House, but sometimes that didn't happen. It was very interesting to learn about the history of President Lincoln's Cottage.
-We then walked across the street and ate lunch at the Hitching Post. We ordered three main entrees and got six sides. The food was Southern Style Cooking and it was very good.
-After lunch, we then went to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It is the Patronal Church of United States Catholics and America's preeminent Marian Shrine. We got a tour of the Basilica and it was very interesting to see the different chapels and sculptures in the church. Dick, Nancy and I went to the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center and looked around there for awhile.
-A new SOOP Couple, Alton and Lois Longenecker, came January 31 and are going to be staying and volunteering at the guest house for two months. They are from Elkhart, IN.
The day of the Inauguration before a lot more people showed up
The International Guest House the day that it snowed
Abraham Lincoln, me and his horse
The Visitor Center for the Lincoln Cottage
The Lincoln Cottage
3 comments:
there's no such thing as too childish
waw I wish I was in DC this past month for the inauguration, so much excitement.
nice entry and pics... i especially like the one of you in front of lincoln's horse. you look like a little kid since the horse is so tall. :)
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