Lions and Tigers and Lemurs

My first Saturday in the Washington, D.C./Virginia area was an adventure, and therefore, a success. I met a fellow intern at church last Sunday, and we decided to go to the National Zoo while the weather was lovely and cool.

The National Zoo a marvelous place because (1) the animals are easy to see, (2) the exhibit for otters and sea lions is the best I've seen anywhere, and (3) it's free! If all the federal government's un-Constitutional expenditures involved panda bears, no one would mind!

We saw:

• Lions
• Tigers
• Panda bears (one of only three zoos in the U.S.)
• A knowing chameleon
  

After the zoo, we met a few people on the National Mall and then ended up at an Asian Heritage Festival. We chatted with the belly dancers for a bit, and I (with great difficulty!) resisted buying even a single scarf, tunic, wrap skirt, or fluttery dress.

With the goal of finding a restroom open in the evening, we entered the American Indian Museum. As the security guard checked our backpacks, (I'm glad I decided not to bring my Leatherman at the last minute) he said, "You girls are just in time for the concert."
"That's why we're here," I replied, and we spent a happy evening at a concert for hula and Hawaiian music!
My good fortune continued today. The Mt. Vernon Stake of Zion received a visit from Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles! My roommates and I went 1.5 hours early to hear from a prophet. We received counsel to put our affairs in order and remember to be willing to live and serve for as long as we are in this special area, which I felt was especially applicable to me.
However, Elder Ballard devoted roughly two-thirds of his talk to "those young men and women of the stake who are not married." He did not use the exact phrase "call to repentance" or "get married ye fools," but the message was clear.