190 Degrees in the Shade

Nate:
First of all, for those wondering, married life is wonderful. It is great to wake up next to Hope, and to have her RIGHT THERE, as opposed to a half-hour drive away. We got into our hotel at about 11:15 last night, and after some sleep we were ready to tackle our nation's capital. If you are following the news, you know that Washington D.C. is officially the hottest place ever. The heat index today was hovering around 110, and if you ever got out in the sun, it felt like it. The good news was that it was MUCH more tolerable in the shade, and that there was a fairly steady (albeit warm) breeze blowing through the city. We got on a trolley tour that allowed us to take in most of the major monuments. For example, we tackled the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials today. I personally find this sort of thing very powerful, and it was impossible for me not to be moved while reading Lincoln's speeches engraved in the walls. We also took in the Vietnam Memorial, and were treated to the unbelievably tacky sight of someone taking a goofy picture next to one of the statues. We'll hit some more later on (like the Washington monument) but we had our fill of walking today. We wore sunblock, stayed in the shade when we could, and drank lots of water. It was a good first day. As a side note, the DC Metro is nice, but the commute is longer than I had anticipated. It took us about 45 minutes to get to Union station, and we are allowing ourselves an hour tomorrow to get through rush hour to the Capitol for our tour.

Hope:
Yo. Nate and I are pretty much on the same page. I enjoyed the water and the Screwball (icecream) that Nate gave me. My only complaint aside from the heat is that I got a small blister on the top of my rigth foot. There was something in the back of my mind telling me I shouldn't wear my cute, white sandles, but I couldn't pin it down. Now, I remember, they rub when I walk a lot. Tonight we ordered in some Chinese (food, not people). Then, Nate's going to teach me how to play our new game, Jambo. Yes, we couldn't resist bringing 2 of our new games. Hehe. They're both 2-player...perfect for 2 love birds. That's all for now. Love you all. Laters.