The Capital

Last Friday morning I started a two day trip with four legs of flying, and ending up in Burbank. After our third leg we had a couple hours in San Francisco, so I went into the terminal to grab some lunch. I walked past the shoe shine place, where the guys are usually bumping their music while they wait for customers. I saw several men wearing suits and taking pictures of each other there... They looked like a team of some kind, and I had the feeling that they were Pacific Islanders... I wondered if they were from PNG, but thought that was probably just wishful thinking. I caught the eye of one guy who was getting his shoes shined, so decided to go and talk to him. I asked where he was from, and he asked me, "what do you think?" Before allowing me to guess, he proceeded to tell me that he was from a small country called Papua New Guinea, at which point I busted out the Pidgin! Wantoks!!! I was so excited. So were they, when they found a white girl in SFO who could speak their language. =) I talked with them for awhile and found out that they had just flown in from Sydney and were on their way to Chicago for the Boxing World Championships! It made my day to meet them, and of course, we had to take some pictures together. =) Wanbel stap!

That night we had an overnight in Burbank. Rosie and Eisley came and met me for dinner!! As always, it was great to catch up with an old friend and classmate from high school, and Rosie was an encouragement to me. The next morning we only flew two legs, and got back to Tucson just after 11:00am. At 1:00pm I got on a flight to ATL and then eventually Washington DC! It was funny, because when I thought about going to DC, I mainly thought about who I was going to see. I hadn't seen anyone for more than ten years. As I was flying in, I thought about where I was actually going and what there would be to see there. =)

I stayed with Brady, who had come to PNG in 1995 and lived with our family for about a year. Sunday morning we woke up early and went to meet Mr. Evan Paki, the Papua New Guinea Ambassador to America, for breakfast. It was our only chance to get together with him, as hewas flying to Boston at 11:00am. Definitely a privilege for us that he would take the time with his busy schedule!

After breakfast, Brady and I went to church, and then spent the rest of the day walking around Washington DC and looking at many of the different monuments and memorials...

Brady and I at the Lincoln Memorial

Sitting in front of the Capitol

Washington Monument
The WWII Memorial... they named all the places where the war was fought
Vietnam War Memorial
Lincoln Memorial

On Monday I took the metro and met up with Carol Madison, an amazing woman of God! We spent the afternoon together and it was just refreshing! We have known the Madisons for many years and they have been great family friends of ours. I didn't think I would be able to see her husband, George, because he was out of town and wasn't supposed to get in until later that evening, but he ended up catching an earlier flight in! It was crazy to see Zach and Hannah too... I can't believe how big they are!! (You have no idea how old that makes me feel to say that... ) =)

Dad, sometime we will have to go to DC together so you can teach me more about the history of our country... I can't wait!!