Mulberry Street

Good things about our field trip today include: stopping to buy rain boots from the thrift store, bringing enough umbrellas and zero crowds.  Also, there was a day camp there with low attendance so they shared their pizza and juice boxes with my kids.  Super generous leaders and I am grateful for their kindness. Some not so good things about our field trip today include: the rain, leaky umbrellas, and falling in the mud.  I also learned how difficult it is to hold an umbrella with one hand and shoot photographs with the other hand. It was raining hard enough that I didn't ever put the umbrella down, just attempted to pin it between my head and shoulder if I needed to use my other hand to get a shot. C'est la vie they say. The kids earned Junior Ranger badges and I managed to get a few good shots which almost makes all the whining worth it.  Next time, I wouldn't mind visiting the aquatic gardens on a sunny day, alone.  

Difficult Run Supreme Court US Capitol Marine Corps War Memorial

Participating in today's march for women meant a great deal to me. I won't be complicit nor complacent while people face real social problems. I will not allow my children to fear their Mexican heritage. I will not let my little girl grow up in a world where "locker room talk" is acceptable. As a mother, I feel the responsibility to teach my children that: "It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences." — Audre Lorde My family and I have a role to play in this important work.

We went downtown to support Eric while he ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler.  This year the blossoms peaked on the same weekend as the race, so we gladly woke up at 5:30am to snag a good parking spot, watch the sunrise, and enjoy the scenery.  The morning was NOT a disappointment.  There are many places to see the trees, but my favorite is at the tidal basin.  It helps that the Jefferson Memorial is my favorite. Unfortunately, we only saw Eric run by once, at the very beginning (see terrible shot below).  The course was shortened by about a mile at the last minute, so my usual strategy to see him along the course fell through.  The kids and I made the best of it, however, and played on this tree and sat under the cherry blossoms.  It was actually relaxing. Eric ran with/against Owen to "defend" the "title belt" made from a WWF looking belt with a taped picture on the front.  Eric loves a good practical joke. ...

Deanne and I ran the "Urban Dare" a scavenger hunt around Washington D.C. where you have a list of clues and have to complete tasks along the way (think Amazing Race).  We covered about 8 miles on foot while searching for the 20 different locations.  To prove we'd been to all the destinations on our clue list, we took a picture.  We had a great time. 10/25