Well, I made it.

(But I kinda miss my car).

Yes. I sit here in my DC apartment. It's not the greatest, but it'll do. It reminds me of my first college dorm room, except with a kitchen and a bathroom. Makes me feel like I'm in college again (undergrad, I mean. The beauty of getting my master's is that I don't have to live at school). 

I got my school group through DC alright. Except for the moments when playing "Civil War" was more important than getting sleep, the moments when I had all my important things in my hand so I could quickly drop it and jump in to rescue a kid from the tidal basin, and that one time when getting a cup of coffee was more important than making our flight on time, the trip went extremely well. Our recently graduated 8th graders have a great new experience and a plethora of new memories. 

And yes, 14-year-olds drink lots of coffee, apparently. And energy drinks. At midnight.

I have to share the airport story...

We are at the Atlanta airport for a layover. I have 11 boys under my purview, and they take pride in being a little rough-and-tumble. I have them all in one mass text conversation to facilitate communication (theoretically, preventing things like the following from happening):

These two gentlemen, whom I will refer to as Tom and Jerry, went off to look through the terminal. This was OK, as long as they were together and back by 10:15.

           Tom: Is it 10:60?

           Tom: *10:50?

           Me: Yes, 10:50. Be back at 10:15.

At 10:15, I distribute boarding passes to the group. Tom and Jerry have not returned.

It is 10:20. Our plane is boarding. Half our group is already on the plane.

           Me: Get back now.

And then, Tom lays down the precipice of nonchalance: 

          Tom: Be back in 5.

WHAT???!!!!???!?!?!?!

           Me: No. Now. 

Then, the rest of the "Doobsters" chime in.

           Doobster 1: We're boarding.

           Doobster 2: Tom u need to run back.

           Tom: We're trying.

Then I manage to get a hold of Jerry on the phone. By this point, it is 10:25 and we're only waiting for them. I finally see Tom and Jerry at the end of the hall. Jerry answers, and I say one word...

"Run"

and hang up. They run, coffee in hand.

This whole story is funny, because the rest of the weekend, whenever I would give a rendezvous time, Jerry would always ask, "At hh:50, right?"

But, they're smart, and can't help but make me laugh. Here was our text string at the American History Museum:

           Me: Time change. Go through and be at the entrance at 2:45.

           Tom: Is it 3:50?

           Me: Tom, I haven't killed you yet, but I still have 24 hours.

           Tom: 24 hours and 5 minutes. I got to get my coffee.

The kids were great, though. They got to experience:

• Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights
• Sculpture Park
• US Capitol
• White House
• Washington Monument
• Lincoln Memorial
• Vietnam Wall
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
• FDR Memorial
• Jefferson Memorial
• Holocaust Museum
• Air and Space Museum
• American History Museum
• Natural History Museum
• Arlington National Cemetary
• Potomac River
• Air Force Memorial
• Iwo Jima Marine's Memorial
• National Mall

Not bad for 14 year old's. And they're all still alive and, most importantly, so am I. Most of my sanity is intact as well.

But, now the kids are (just about) home, under the trustworthy guidance of our fearless leader. I walked all over DC trying to get my suit pressed, time my walk to Air and Space in the morning (30 minutes), and find some place to shop for food.

And now I'm beat. More later.