Day 05

A picture of your favorite memory.

Every year the 8th grade U.S. history teacher at our school takes a group of 8th graders to Washington, D.C. the week after school lets out. Anyone can go, it's kind of expensive so they do fundraisers all year long. I went my 8th grade year, and honestly, I loved it. There's about 80 people in my class and about 20 of us went on the trip, a bunch of my close friends included. We got on the charter bus at the middle school and traveled all day and through the night. (Sleeping on a charter bus is NOT fun. At one point I was stretched across two seats. The next thing I know I'm waking up and I'm somehow underneath the seats. I really don't know.) We spend the next three days none stop sight seeing. The White House, all the various memorials, George Washington's plantation, the Smithsonian (only two museums, it would be impossible to see them all), the Holocaust museum (so awe-inspiring, I can't even begin to describe it. If you ever get the chance, go), the Newseum, the Capitol building, Arlington, Congressional Library, and so much more I know I'm leaving out. It's none stop. By the time we got home I was absolutely exhausted.

The main reason this is my favorite memory is because it was kind of my first view into adult life, in a way. There were only two adult chaperones and neither of them were parents. It was also the first trip I had ever taken without my family. When we had finally gotten to the hotel I called my parents. Next thing I know, out of the blue, I'm bawling my eyes out. It totally came out of nowhere. I think I hadn't realized until then just how far I was from my parents. But that was the only part of the trip I had any homesickness. However, it was the first time I had ever cried because I also realized that I wasn't a little kid anymore. I knew that I was starting to grow up and become more adult and mature. (I say more, not completely.) I'll be honest I've cried at other times when something totally catches me off guard and I realize I'm on my own and my parents can't just come in and make everything better. I'll admit that it's scary growing up. At some point in the near-ish future I'll be completely independent and on my own. It's terrifying but also kind of exhilarating.

And I'm getting off topic... I also looove Washington, D.C., probably the most out of any big city I've been to. It astounded me that all those things we've heard about in history class happened here. All the those presidents lived here. It made history more real, not just some story of something that happened a long time ago. Besides all the history it's really pretty there. I love the rush of big cities and something about D.C. just had it for me. I'd really like to see D.C. when all the cherry blossom trees are in bloom. My friend went the December of 2010 and she said it was gorgeous. My family's taking our annual summer vacation there at the beginning of June. I'm so excited. My aunt Patti's going to come to and maybe my aunt Connie, uncle Tom, and cousin Aaron. (To be honest I'm not all that excited to go with the last three. I don't mean to bash them, I love them. But I just don't want to vacation with a bunch of people. Plus Aaron's younger and they'll probably expect Conor and me to babysit. Not happening.) My mom's cousin and her family live around there so we're going to visit them. So around June you can probably expect stories and pictures.

(Not sure what the 30 Day Picture Challenge is?)