Holiday Time! I know what you’re thinking- I’m a few weeks early. However, there were a slew of holidays this weekend: Yom Kippur, Canadian Thanksgiving and Columbus Day. While the latter isn’t exactly an awesome reason to celebrate, each of these days gave me a chance to see friends and family that would be otherwise engaged by work or school. Lucky me! Plus, if the Canadians are giving thanks, shouldn’t we all?

Early on in the weekend I got to meet up with my good friend, Mere. We ventured to Shop House the new tasty, yet cheap, eatery from the owners of Chipotle. This new restaurant features Vietnamese food which, I’m happy to say, was as filling and delicious as a Chipotle burrito. Unfortunately, this is the first and only location. I’m hoping they bring one out West soon.

Saturday evening I got to meet up with, Nellie, another former classmate. We marveled at how fast time has flown.

On Monday Mere and I toured the monuments. Luckily we were able to see the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in West Potomac Park. The memorial’s construction began in December 2009 and was recently completed and opened on August 28th. Two walls featuring MLK Jr.’s most notable quotes converge to meet an embossed relief of MLK Jr. (Pictured Below). It’s wonderful that a man so dedicated to civil rights finally has a tribute; a sign of universal thanks and public gratitude. Those responsible for the memorial have even created a $1,000,000 scholarship fund for D.C. area high school students who plan on pursing post- secondary education.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It had been a while since I’d sincerely taken time to visit The National Mall. We got the chance to see the Korean War, Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials. Mere mentioned that the best time to visit the Korean War Memorial is during the evening. Even in the daylight the statues were breathtaking. We looked on in awe of the Vietnam Memorial, simply due to the sheer quantity of names. I wondered how many family members still visit. Per usual Mere and I stood in front of the massive Lincoln statue and contemplated ways we could climb up and sit in his lap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finished up my evening with a three mile walk to my friend Scottie and her boyfriend Dave’s apartment. Upon my arrival I was greeted with a warm welcome and the fragrance of freshly baked chicken pot pies. Apparently I stopped by on a good day because Dave was cooking! It was wonderful catching up and hearing about Scottie and Dave’s new adventures! Scottie recently began teaching at a school in the DC area. I’m not sure I realized how much work teachers put in to lesson plans, no matter the age of their students. Teaching is a huge responsibility, one which Scottie seems to be taking on very well!

Now I’m returning to California. But in the spirit of Canadian Thanksgiving here’s a list of things I give thanks to after the weekend…

Those who unselfishly fight for our freedoms, family, friends, teachers, good food, good company, memories, running shoes, exercise, nice weather, email, long walks, public transportation, good books, dreams, macs, Adele and Spotify.

Have a good Tuesday everyone!

B