Washington, D.C.!!!
I got strep. It is my #1 dreaded illness. I hate it. It was April 18 when I woke up feeling horrible, knowing what it was and dreading the outcome. I got to the doctor (it was a Sunday) and got antibiotics. The next day a friend took the kids while I slept. On Tuesday the 20th, Emily and I were leaving for Washington, D.C. to visit my parents who are missionaries there. I was concerned that I would not be well enough to travel. I knew that if I made it through the flight, my parents would be at the airport to pick us up and I could rest then. The night before the flight, I prayed that I would be well enough to travel and take care of Emily. I felt at peace that things would be ok. I woke up the next day feeling markedly better and being grateful for that.
Kevin took us to the airport where I was sad to leave James. There, we met Tiffany Sowby (Mike's wife) and her kids Megan (age 12) and Luke (age 9). Tiffany and Luke had never been to D.C. before so this was a first for them.
My parents picked us up in their white van and drove us a few minutes away to their apartment located on Pennsylvania Avenue. They live on the 4th floor in a 1-bed/2 bath/1 office apartment which is about a mile away from the White House and a mile away from the Lincoln Memorial. A short walk across the bridge and there is Georgetown. It's a great location!
Our first stop was to see the White House from the Pennsylvania Avenue side. That night we went the national mall where Dad dropped us off at the World War II Memorial. From there we walked to the Lincoln Memorial (Emily's favorite). She was excited to see it again and took a picture of Lincoln. We walked through the Korean War Memorial as well as the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial.
The next morning, we went to the top of the Washington Monument. It was fun to see the Martin Luther King Memorial being built, which will be opened this month (August). The reflecting pool is under renovation and will be ready for the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington in 2 years.
We ate from a street vendor and spent time in the hot, crowded Air & Space Museum. It was spring break and the crowds were everywhere. We didn't see much there so we walked across the mall to the other side. Later that afternoon we took the circulator bus with my parents to Union Station. We looked around in there then Tiffany, the kids, and I took the metro back...or almost back...to the apartment. Tiffany I and swear they did not stop at, nor did they announce, the Foggy Bottom metro stop, which was the one we were supposed to get off on. Suddenly we realized we had gone to far, as we were at Arlington. We hopped off, intending to get back on going the other way to Foggy Bottom. The metro station was quiet with no one there. We hear an announcement that due to mechanical problems, the next train time was unknown. We decided to exit and go to the street but when we tried to exit, for some reason the alarms went off and a metro security guard came running after us. When he saw we were harmless women with children, he helped us out. At this point, Emily was afraid we were lost at Arlington Cemetery, and she called my dad with my phone. He said he'd come get us. We began walking toward the Lincoln Memorial, which was the direction of "home." Grandpa rescued us (though we would have been just fine).
On Thursday the 21st, we started at Ford's Theater in the morning. We saw a short two-man play about Lincoln's assassination. I had seen it the year before. The Peterson house, where Lincoln died, was being renovated so we were not able to see that.
My dad was a great chauffer. He's drop us off and pick us up wherever we wanted. He took us to the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. This is the church Lincoln attended and in it is a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation. We saw the pew where Lincoln sat. This was a nice find, one which regular tourists are not aware of.
That afternoon we went to Mt. Vernon, Washington's home. It is a beautiful drive south of the city through Alexandria. My parents lived in Alexandria 40 years ago when my oldest brother David was a baby and my dad was stationed at Ft. Belvior in the army. We saw where they used to live, which is now a chiropractor's office. There were lines and crowds at Mt.Vernon. We enjoyed the grounds, tombs, and river before going inside the house. The kids really liked it.
Later that night, the kids and I walked through Georgetown with my dad. He gave us the canal tour. We walked back through the bustling streets with shops and restaurants.
Friday was rainy. We drove to Baltimore and stopped at Fort McHenry. This is where the Star-Spangled Banner was written. The museum is nice and the presentation ended with the curtains opening to reveal the flag flying over the fort while the anthem played. We walked around the fort a bit. We continued to Philadelphia where we saw the Liberty Bell. After that we went through Independence Hall, as it is known today. Back then it was just the Pennsylvania Statehouse. I have been there once as a child and once in 2001, but it was still neat to see the place where the Declaration of Independence was written and signed.
My parents paid for us to go on a carriage ride around the main square of Philly. It was fun for the kids, Tiffany, and I to see some of the sites this way. We drove more in the rain to Valley Forge. It was cold and rainy so we didn't spend much time outside or even the visitors center because it was closed. We stayed that night near Valley Forge in a hotel and left the next morning for Amish country.
Amish country was pretty, even in the rain. We spent some time there, shopping in the little stores and the kids took a horse and buggy ride. From there we went west to Gettysburg. I was excited to see this place again. I had seen it once as a kid, again in 2000 with Kevin and my folks, again two weeks after 9/11, and last year when I visited. I like Gettysburg (though Kevin said once "battlefields do nothing for me...). I understand the significance of that battle and can imagine the lives lost there. Emily liked seeing the cemetery, the unmarked gravestones, and the place where Lincoln gave his famous speech.
We went back to D.C. that night and I went to Georgetown with Megan and Tiffany. We had fun shopping at H&M and looking at the upscale stores.
Sunday was Easter. We went to church at the singles' ward in Chevy Chase, MD. My parents attend and oversee this ward. Our group sang the children's song "I know that my Savior Loves me." It was sweet. We went to Arlington that afternoon, to the Tomb of the Unknowns for the changing of the guards. I love seeing that. We went to the Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima) as well, another one I love, and to the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. This is a nice tribute to those who died on the 9/11 flight that crashed into the pentagon.
Monday found my parents, Emily, and at the National Archives. It is so neat to see the actual Declaration of Independence and Constitution. It is amazing to be able to see those documents! We saw the national galleries of art, including the modern east wing, and Emily and I went quickly through the Natural History museum. We also went to the American History museum to see the actual Star Spangled Banner. We walked through a few exhibits and were thrilled to see one on Lincoln, where we saw his tophat. The last time he wore it? The night of April 14 when he went to Ford's theater.
Next we went to the National Cathedral. We spent a lot of time there, wandering through it, looking at things, showing Emily the stained glass, etc. It is massive. Easter had been the day before so it was decorated with beautiful fresh flowers.
That evening we spent time at the WWII memorial and walked to the Lincoln. Emily and I sat above for a long time.
On our final day in D.C., we had a VIP tour of the US Capitol by a young man in my parents' ward. We got to ride the little train underneath a side building to the capitol. We went into the House gallery but they were in recess so it wasn't very exciting. We then went into the Supreme Court. They also were in recess but we got to see the chambers. Emily and I went to the (not hot and not crowded) Air & Space Museum and had a more enjoyable time this time. The two of us sat on the non-mall side in the shade eating our lunch, thinking we should enjoy the sun because when we got home that night, it would be cold...and we were right.
My folks dropped us all off at the airport where we waited more than an hour to board our flight. From there, we sat on the tarmac for another hour and a half because of bad weather in the midwest. We finally made it home and were glad to see Kevin and James.
I love Washington, D.C.! I have been nine times:
8 years old (1983) with Mom, Grandma Williams, and cousin Tim
10 years old (1985) with Sowby family
16 years old (1992(with Mom, Dad, Craig, Rob, cousins Sherry and Justin)
22 years old (1997) to see friend Reina
25 years old (2000) with Mom, Dad, Rob, & Kevin
33 years old (2008) with Utah Virtual Academy/K12
34 years old (2009) with my family to visit my parents when they were on their mission and living in Centerville,VA
35 years old (2010) with brother David, some of his kids Jarom, Spencer, Kate, & Noah to visit my folks
36 years old (2011) with Emily, sister-in-law Tiffany and two of her kids Megan and Luke
Part of my love of history began when I was young and saw the sites. I remember flying over the monuments when I was 8 (2nd grade) on our way home and crying because I loved it so much. Years later, I learned that my mother, before returning from their first mission there (June 2009-June 2010) sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial the night before they drove to Utah and cried because she loved it so much.
I am so lucky to have been so many times and to take my husband and kids as well. I am glad my parents chose to be there twice!
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