Good Morning Beautiful People!

This past weekend,  I had the chance to visit Washington D.C. for the first time! A couple of former college teammates (Colin and Cameron) had planned a weekend birthday celebration for another teammate (Josh) that was in our close-knit group. Josh didn’t know that Cameron had talked a bunch of friends into coming to D.C. and surprise him! When Josh got to his hotel Friday evening, another teammate (Jon) and I were waiting for him in his room to surprise him. Josh about fainted when he opened his room door and we all were on the floor laughing!

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Not sure what was going on….

 

On Saturday morning, we had a Big brunch at this Mexican restaurant called Mission and watched our Duke Blue Devils play Louisville in basketball. After watching the Blue Devils get back on track with a great win, Jon and I began our tourist journey to National Mall to see monuments and hopefully some museums. Our long 2.5+ hour walk around was much needed after all that food!

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NOM NOM NOM….

 

We did not have much daylight when we started so we didn’t get to see everything we wanted because when the sun went it down, so did the temperature, dramatically! We passed by and saw the White House, then the Washington Monument, The World War II Memorial, The Reflecting Pool, The Lincoln Memorial, The Korean War Memorial, and lastly The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

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Atlantic Side of WWII Memorial

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WHITE HOUSE!

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Washington Monument

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The Reflecting Pool

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Stairs heading up to the Lincoln Memorial

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Abraham Lincoln

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Gettysburg Address

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think it’s ironic that I got to spend the weekend before Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Washington D.C. with some of my former teammates but they are more importantly known as some of my best friends. There was a mixture of us friends spending time together and that was made possible by people like Martin Luther King Jr., who stood strong and stood tirelessly for something that he knew was right. He wanted all men and women to be treated equally in our nation. I was able to walk up and stand between the pillars of the Lincoln Memorial where Dr. King Jr. gave his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech. One of the most famous quotes from his speech that resonates with me is:

‘…..little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers….’

As Jon and I were observing the monuments, we discussed how blessed we were. We have a long way to go as a society, but look how far we’ve come. I got on a flight with people from different backgrounds and cultures and all of us were able to sit wherever we wanted to. I flew to Washington D.C. to see a bunch of my friends, who were from different backgrounds and cultures. I walked the streets of D.C. with my friend Jon (who happens to be white) to observe and enjoy historical monuments. I did ALL OF THIS without a second thought.

None of us said, ‘Man, I can’t wait to see my black friends. Oh my white friends are coming as well!’ NO. We thought, ‘Man, I can’t wait to see my BROTHERS!’ That’s what we are. Brothers and Sisters. We must continue to make strides to learn from each other, work together, appreciate each other, and learn to live with each other in harmony, despite our differences.

May God Bless You and Keep You!

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