Day 20

A marathon driving day was planned today as we would be navigating our way from Louisville, KY to Washington D.C. After a delicious breakfast made by Mrs. Ben Dixen, we were on our way. The drive took us from Kentucky, through the green hills of West Virginia, and into Virginia. We stopped only for gas, food, and to empty our bladders. 10 hours later we arrived at Tim and Chum's house in a D.C suburb in Virginia. I went to college with Tim and Chum and was excited to see them for the first time in a couple years! It was also the first time I was able to meet their adorable son, Lucas. Lucas was just waking up from a nap so he was not very sociable at first. But he perked up after awhile and showed off his "post office" in the living room. Tim and Chum also recently got a new puppy so, although cute, it was a handful! We spent some time playing with the puppy, Sadie, admiring the smarts of Lucas, and catching up a bit before heading out for dinner. We went to a Greek restaurant which was a welcome change after our limited food selection on the drive from Louisville. I enjoyed a delicious dish of the Greek version of baked Mac and Cheese (the name escapes me). It was great to watch Tim and Chum interact with Lucas. They seemed to have found a great balance of discipline and fun in the way they raise him. He was saying "please" and he is not even 2!

We spent the rest of the evening watching the Olympics which consisted of Phelps winning more medals and the men's team gymnastics competition. We enjoyed watching the men overachieve and win the bronze. But we found it quite tasteless the way they were pounding their chests, constantly yelling into the camera, and letting everyone know they were awesome. It seemed like unusual behavior for gymnastics and in my view everyone will know they are good by their performances and not their camera-hogging antics!