So finally I’m back! Sorry I’ve been MIA the past couple days but have I done a lot in the meantime! I’ve helped run a successful Taste of the Nation in Washington, DC!!, packed up 75% of my life in DC to make the move back home, traveled to Penn State to sit on a Q&A panel for the College of Liberal Arts in hopes of wooing them to Happy Valley, and officially moved back home. YIKES!! That’s a lot of stuff, which means a lot of blog updating!
I want to do a separate post altogether for TOTN so I can officially overwhelm you with pictures and details. That post will most likely be later today, so look for it J
On to the other stuff…
The day after TOTN was spent sleeping in with a mild, but not so bad, hangover and heading straight to the gym upon waking up. I knew that since it was before 9 am, I still lacked the majority of my decision-making abilities so I best get to the gym now or else there could be a pretty bad mind battle later in the day. No running though, elliptical, easy lifting, and some necessary core strengthening is what my workout consisted of. And after returning home, I felt 100% better than I did before I left. I don’t know if the term “sweating it out” is even a real thing after a night of drinking, but I did feel more awake, energetic, and clear minded – so I guess it was a win-win!
It was a pouring in DC on Tuesday and the temps were legit 20 degrees colder than the day before! I just hate days like that, especially when you’re not expecting it. I was literally chilled to the bone when my mom and I headed outside to make our trip to the Newseum.
Now the Newseum is not a museum I had any interest in visiting when I moved to DC, but I have just heard so many amazing things about it, that even though it is NOT free like the majority of the museums in DC, I did put it on my “to see” list. And I must say that 3 hours later, I was thoroughly impressed. I did not take any pictures because I was really enjoying all the exhibits in the moment, but I’ll give you a brief run-down of what I saw.
First stop was the news clips (newspapers, radio, and TV), full history, and pictures of the Berlin Wall, not to mention the ACTUAL Wall itself! I was able to see and touch pieces of the actual Wall that divided East & West Berlin, it was sooooooooo AMAZING. Next was a Sport Illustrated Cover exhibit done by a famous sports photographer names Iooss (?). I never heard of him before, but I definitely recognized some of his pics. Last on the exhibit floor was “100 Years in the FBI.” This exhibit hosted a lot of newspaper about the FBI’s, mainly Edgar Hoover’s, relationship with a lot of Mafia gangsters and organized crime families. The Godfather is one of my favorite movies, so I thought this exhibit was pretty interesting. They had evidence from the Lindberg kidnapping on display, which was slightly spooky. Creepiest by far though was the actual cabin live in by the Unabomber. The entire cabin was smaller than my bedroom, literally just floors and a ceiling…If someone wasn’t crazy before living in something like that in the middle of nowhere, then they surely would by the time they left.
The rest of the museum was really interesting also. It was filled with all kinds of interesting information and memorabilia from a ton of famous events. What I found most striking was the radio tower on top of the World Trade Center that was recovered and put on display there. They constantly play a movie highlighting the tremendously brave things our police, firefighters, and journalists did during the events of 9/11 to keep us all as safe as possible in that scary time. I, like many of the visitors, shed some tears while reliving that terrifying time.
I can really say that going to the Newseum gave me a new view on what news is and what it does, and a completely new respect and appreciation for everyone who is involved in bringing the news to us. So all and all, a Thumbs-up and official recommendation for the Newseum!
After our little field trip out of my apt, it was back to packing and cleaning (not to mention a lot of throwing away/donating). I can proudly say that by 10 pm Tue, I had the majority of my things packed away with only a short list of things to get done in the morning. I was able to sleep a little more soundly with everything finally in order, and my list of everything that still needed to be done next to me while I slept-I’m so neurotic!
Wed I was able to wake up and be out the door for a morning, pre-move run at 8.30, which was still about 45 min later than I wanted. The air was still a bit cooler than what I have been used to, but I just kept telling myself to suck it up and, as someone famous said, “it’ll put some hair on my chest..” I did a solid hour outside and was proud of myself for sticking it out in the chilliness-It’s honestly always worth it.
When I got home, I immediately started making stove top oats for my very first try at the famous oats in a jar. I knew I had just enough PB left in the jar that once melted down and mixed with my oats, it could quite possible be the best breakfast of my life. And I can say it DID NOT disappoint. I threw in oats, a banana, a truvia packet, and cinnamon in the pot before pouring the mixture into my jar of peanut butter. Have you ever seen anything more perfect in you life? I had my oats with a truvia sweetened home-brewed iced tea. Great combo! I obvi ate the entire thing, and still found myself scraping the sides of the jar to get every morsel of PB out of it….I sometimes have to ask what is wrong with me?! I may have a PB addiction; do we think that’s possible? 🙂
I want to leave you with a couple quotes I read at the Newseum, which really helped bring home my newfound appreciation for everything that the news is and does. I hope you like!
“Before its history, it’s news”
“During catastrophe, when everyone is running away, there are three groups of people running towards danger: firefighters, police officers, and news reporters.”
What are some of the best museums you have been to? Any museums disappoint?
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