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| Darrylann's Graduation from High School |
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| Me and Darrylann in Washington D.C. |
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| At the Lincoln Monument |
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| At the Lincoln Monument Looking out at the Washington Monument |
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| At the MLK monument |
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| Darrylann's Prom in March |
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| John at his Prom in March |
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| Visiting Shaw University |
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| Visiting Bennett College |
The next day, Darrylann and I left for a college visit tour to the east coast. We visited Shaw University in Raleigh North Carolina where she has been accepted and Bennett College in Greensboro where she has applied. Both schools are HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and University's), Shaw is located in an urban setting and Bennett is one of two HBCU which is for women. Bennett is located on a beautiful campus in Greensboro, North Carolina and is not far from North Carolina A&T University. I really hope that Darrylann decides to attend Bennett but it really has to be her choice. Her father is definitely against Shaw as it has a dismal graduation rate but I hope that she will decide to attend Bennett rather than going to Contra Costa College (CCC) which is a two year community college. Despite it being a small college, I believe she would grow and mature in ways that she wouldn't have the opportunity to at CCC.
We stayed at a hotel by the airport for two days and then took a train into Washington D.C. I have flea bits on my legs which I believe came from the train. Darrylann thinks they came from visiting Boydton, Virginia where we have property.
After visiting the schools we drove the hour and a half to visit my grandmother's property in Boydton, Virginia. My mother had recently sold the largest piece of property but there were still two pieces for sale. One has a cemetery of my great-grandfather and the other is just along the road. I wandered into the woods and took a few pictures. Stopped to ask a man if he knew where the property was and generally had a great time.
I really enjoyed the train ride and drive through the South as we could see all the small towns and wooded areas. I didn't reserve the 8:45 a.m.train ticket in advance although I had been looking at them online prior to the trip. The night before, I found out they were sold out. I managed to get a ticket on the next train to Washington D.C. which was at 10:45 a.m. I purchased Business Class tickets which I recommend. We had free WiFi, free soft drinks and free pillows. The seats were also roomy and the train car was not crowded. Darrylann and I were able to sit together. The coach car looked very crowded.
I planned the trip in less than two weeks. I used the app TripCase to help manage the trip and keep all my reservations in one place.
I stayed at Hyatt Place in Raleigh Durham Airport. It was centrally located to the airport and the freeways to Raleigh and Greensboro. The hotel room was clean and large. I reserved a room on a high floor with two queen beds for my daughter and I. There was a nice breakfast each morning and friendly staff in the lobby.
In Washington D.C., I stayed at the Hyatt Place on N St. I reserved a high floor and received a room on the 8th floor which is not a high floor. I didn't mention anything until check out and received a $50 credit. There were floor to ceiling windows in the room and the window shades didn't work. There was construction across the street and you could hear it through the windows. I could also hear playing in the pool which was several floors below. This hotel is in an up and coming area. It is within walking distance of the Red Line Metro station which my daughter and I used to take to Union Station where we picked up our tour bus. The room was not cheap at $300 a night plus tax. I think if we had had a higher floor, then we would have had a view. I'm not sure if I would reserve that hotel again but it was adequate for our purposes.
We flew out of BWI airport which was $91 one way trip in an ExecuCar service which I booked through Super Shuttle.
Upcoming July 2016 Activities
I am still planning to attend the RWA Conference in San Diego in July. I have many activities planned and am looking forward to learning many things.
Summer Wish List
- Attend RWA Conference
- Get Darrylann enrolled in College
- Go to the gym regularly
- Finish reading two novels. One per month.
