January 2

We arose early(ish) this morning and hit the road for our day in Washington DC.

Traffic was Sunday light and it was surprisingly easy to find (free! Woohoo!) parking along the street near the National Archives and the FBI Building. And then we were off for some fleet-footed sightseeing in near-balmy 60-degree temps.

We walked along the National Mall which afforded numerous different vantage points of the National Monument. We also stopped at the World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam War Memorial before swinging by the White House and the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence Memorial (which I didn't even know was a thing until today) and taking a gander at the National Christmas tree.

We finished our DC time with a stroll through the National Museum of American History, where highlights included a bare-chested sculpture of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln's hat, the Ruby Slippers from "The Wizard of Oz," an interactive Price is Right game, and an exhibit about Route 66.

So here I am, post-Red Robin dinner, post glass of prosecco, mid-Sunday Night Football game, sitting with my brother, my daughter, and my nephew, half-listening to the din of their conversation about the Pants Gnome's pants as I type. I have more than 23,000 steps on my Fitbit and just about everything below my waist aches, but I'm content. And that's a blessing.