So I am back home! After a long plane flight I am happy to be back in my house and getting ready to sleep in my bed. But it was a wonderful trip that I am grateful to have been able to go on.

Here’s how the second half went down!

On Monday I went with my sister Madeline to the Smithsonian American History Museum. This was always one of my favorite museums when I lived in Maryland in high school. It’s got fun pop culture moments plus actual history like the original flag used when the Star Spangled Banner was written.

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Later that night my nieces and I watched Moana and that was a real treat. They have been listening to the soundtrack all the time so it was fun to experience the movie with them and it was the first time Anna and Madeline watched it (they loved it. Of course!).

On Tuesday I went with my sister Megan to see the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. This was very interesting to me because I had just done a podcast on a movie called The Right Stuff, which is all about the pilots that broke the Sound Barrier and founded the Mercury Space Program.

I got to see Chuck Yeager and Scott Crossfield’s record breaking planes which was awesome. They also had exhibits on WWI and WWII that were very interesting. And they even had the Starship Enterprise on display!

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That was really fun and then Megan and I went and got yummy Italian subs at this amazing deli for lunch. Later in the evening Madeline and Anna came over to my hotel and we went swimming, hot-tubbing and had the funniest mixup over strudel with the room service. It was a lot of fun especially because they are both planning on living abroad for a while so I don’t know when I will get to see them again.

This morning was my day for visiting the monuments and Megan was kind enough to drive me around and drop me off at the various landmarks. There is a special spirit about these memorials and monuments I really enjoyed and I am glad I was able to work them into my schedule. Thanks Meg!

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Then before you know it was time to leave and head home. It ended up being a really fun trip! I got to do a nice mixture of relaxation, family time and touristy stuff. Nothing was too exhausting or overwhelming. It was just a lot of fun. Thanks to everyone for driving me around and being such great hosts! I miss my nieces already.  Luckily I will get to see my sister Megan next week as she just happens to be coming to Utah then. Ha!

So, another trip has come and gone. My other traveling for the year will happen in July at D23 but hopefully this will tide me over until then.