Okay, first thing's first

Prior to our very eventful trip to Colorado, I spent some time in Virginia and D.C. on a press trip. I'm a little brain dead after our 22 hour roadtrip yesterday. Yes, we drove straight through. Rolled into Birmingham this morning at 5:30 a.m. So I am pretty zonked. Prepare for photos with extended captions and not a lot of flavor.

The lighting was perfect for our early morning train ride into D.C. The VRE is a commuter train that runs during the week and ends at Union Station. I was on this press trip back in April so am something of an old pro at navigating my way through the mass transit system. I was able to lead my group of journalists on a 20 minute walk to the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of American History (or some rearrangement of those words.) Granddaddy always did call me "Elizabeth the Navigator."

I love this girl. I really do. Natalie is from Haleyville (pronounced HEY-la-ville), Alabama and I could just listen to her stories in her sweet southern drawl all day long and I'm not exagerating. I ADORE staffing trips with this cutie patootie. Here we are demonstrating some of our superior cheerleading skills on the National Mall.

What a wonderful treat to be able to spend Elaine's birthday with her! We celebrated in true damen fashion, with lots of chocolate and pizza, too. Oh, and some full moons.

I have a couple of life goals: to see a bald eagle in the wild, and to see some dinosaur bones. We had some time after our lunch at the Castle so I booked it across the mall, dodged my way through the PETA demonstrators, and ran through the dinosaur exhibit at the Museum of Natural History with my jaw dropped open. It was pretty impressive. I think that our nation's capital is a place that everyone should visit at some point in their lives. But wait 'til your kids are a little older (if you have them) so they can truly appreciate and take pride in the history surrounding them.

While waiting for a journalist to arrive at Baltimore Washington International Airport, I had some time to walk along Baltimore's Inner Harbour area. I've been a little afraid of Baltimore after watching HBO's The Wire, but the drug deals and the gangster violence must not be happening downtown because I felt completely safe walking along this scenic area. I wish I'd had more time to check out the jellyfish exhibit at the aquarium, though.

The Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian was awesome. So much to learn and with amazing architecture and displays. I'm pretty much intrigued with American Indian folklore and history now. Anyone have any good book suggestions?

More to come, dear blogger friends!