After what seems like weeks of grad school stress, I finally finished my midterms yesterday morning. I feel really good about one of them and only so-so about the other. I'm also beyond stressed about a group project that is going epically badly, but that's another story for another time.

Since yesterday was a holiday and a picture-perfect day in DC, I decided I needed a break from school stress and treated myself to a trip to the National Zoo to see my elephant friends.



The elephants are definitely my favorite animals at the Zoo. The pandas may be the media darlings, but I just love the big, happy elephants.



I got to the Zoo in the late afternoon and hung out with the elephants for a solid half hour before wandering around the rest of the Zoo.

I also spent some time visiting the big cats, though they were all pretty much asleep, and the sloth bear. Rusty the Red Panda was sadly not out and about when I was there.