Anyways, yesterday I started the journey to the East Coast (aka Baltimore). I was sort of excited about this, as I had never driven east past Columbus, so I had no idea what was in store. I left Dayton about 15 minutes behind schedule (at around 9:15am). This common occurrence just shows how little I care about self-imposed deadlines with no implications- this is both good and bad in life!
Anyways, drove east on I-70 for most of the day. Going from Dayton to Columbus is a rather boring - just lots of flatlands and farms. Eastern Ohio is rather picturesque, as there are some rolling hills and trees that continue into Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland. The ride didn't have any mountain passes so that was nice! I went through some nice looking towns - Zanesville, Ohio, Washington, PA, and Morganstown, WV (the home of the University of West Viriginia - go Mountaineers!).
What the ride did have, however, was ridiculous weather. Dayton when I left was hot, humid, and overcast - I think I was already sticky and sweaty just from my walk to the car. That weather continued for the whole day. When I got to Hagerstown, Pennsylvania, I also got rain and lightning and thunder. The rain was coming down in sheets, and all I could see for about 10 minutes was the car's hazards lights in front of me (Mom, it reminded me of that ride back from LA that we had when I was 13). There was thunder and lightning that I kept driving closer to, until at one point the thunder and lightning were at the same time and my car shook a little. Needless to say this freaked me out and I drove a little bit faster to get to Baltimore. (Maryland drivers are also crazy, so this is not just a Midwest thing).
I finally got to Pat's apt at around 6:30pm. Pat is a good friend from grad school who got his Master's in Theological Studies and now works at Loyola Maryland as a Campus Minister. After I got to Baltimore, we hung out a bit and caught up, then went and got some dinner at Pei Wei, this sort of Asian diner. Delicious!
Then we drove down to Washington, DC and went to a party that one of Pat's friends was having that night. While at first I wasn't thrilled about this idea, it did turn out to be really fun. I know no one at the party except for Pat, and I really shine in those social situations - I can say whatever I want and will never see those people again! Also, many of them were involved in social work/ministry work, and I am amazed at the small circles that occur and how much people know each other. Plus, the party was on the roof of an apartment in Georgetown which provided amazing views of the school and the National Cathedral. Afterwards we got a little lost in Georgetown which was fun to see all the ridiculous houses.
All in all, a long but good day! Gotta go and stop using Pat's computer - almost time for church!
Oooo, fun! I think I'd like Pat and all of his friends! Haha :)
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