Tying up loose ends

I have approximately nine days left in DC and way too much stuff to fit into that time frame. I have heard adults complain about how much there is to do before "leaving a job" and moving onto the next thing in their life, but I never really understood how complicated that can be until now. All of the long term projects have to be wrapped, I have to turn in my paper on my internship experience shortly, I have to see the sights I've missed so far and on top of that I have to pack to move home. All of this is starting to set in and I've found myself with little free time left, if any, and the next nine days with be filled to the brim with work and play and extremely tiring. But I'm ready for it.

I had a fantastic time this weekend with Lucy and Erica in town visiting from Berry. I won't bore you with the details of everything we did, just know we saw everything there is to see and is humanly possible to see in a single weekend. If you're really curious, go reread my Fourth of July post from when my family was in town. We basically did all of the same things plus a few extras.

The week has been off to a busy start. I'm still working on rounding up photos of Texas representatives. The verdict is out on whether I will give photos of all of them, but I'm not optimistic. There are too many last minute schedule changes in this town to get photos of everyone you need. I photographed the education secretary, Arne Duncan, on Tuesday when he announced the phase two finalists of Race to the Top funding. Fun fact: I learned at this event he played professional basketball for a couple years after college. His strangely tall stature then made more sense.

Today, I had the privilege of photographing a funeral at Arlington. And while I was by no means excited to be there, I felt honored to be able to photograph the event. The fallen soldier was Pfc. David Taylor Miller, a 19 year old from Saratoga Springs. The photographers were held in a 10 by 10 foot area away from the gravesite so as not to distract the family and friends that gathered at the gravesite. I was thankful to have the distance because it kept me focused on the job I came to do and helped me keep emotions in check during a very heart-wrenching ceremony. Nineteen is two years younger than I am. No one that young should have to die, but I'm thankful for Pfc. Miller's service to our country and very sorry for the loss of the Miller family. Below are a few images that included the military honor guard and the presentation of the American flags to Pfc. Miller's mother and father.