DC volunteering

I had a volunteer weekend. :) On saturday i volunteered with some other Air force people to join in the 17,000 people on the annual potomac river cleanup. It was disgusting! Our site was on the maryland side, directly across from Mt.Vernon! Though it was sunny, the wind was extreme and i have never seen so much garbage and random disgustingness in my life. Growing up with the pristine waters of Lake superior sure spoiled me! All in all it was a great experience, and i got my hands (and feet) dirty for a good cause :)

Today i did something a little more exciting. I volunteered as a nurse/medical volunteer at the annual cherry blossom festival. It was so much fun! I only got a few hours of sleep because i had to take the metro at 5 a.m. to the washington monument. It was oddly peaceful and quiet to see the city sleep, and i was the only one on the yellow line train for a few stops! :) It was an incredibly gorgeous day, sunny and warm, and it was amazing to see thousands of people from all 50 states run the 10 mile course. Because i volunteered, i get a guaranteed spot next year (a bonus as the race fills up in the first two hours of sign-up every year). It was really interesting to see people of all shapes and sizes finish the race. There were some old men, and some big mamas hoofing their way through that course...wow..it made me feel lazy! :) It was also fun to use my basic nursing skills and triage people, clean up some weird wounds, etc. The best part of this whole experience was the course. i know i keep talking about the cherry blossoms but i really wish my camera hadn't died because the sight was stunning this morning. There are so many amazing running trails and soooooo many beautiful sights. I can't wait to start running more. I'm also really glad i volunteered this year because i may be deployed next year at this time! Here are a few pictures...though they really don't do justice at all.