A Weekend in D.C.

Andrew and I decided it would be a blast to getaway this last weekend with it being conference and all. It was so nice not to have to prepare lessons!! With us living back east there are sooo many options we have for places to travel. Andrew and I have both been to Washington D.C. when we were younger so we decided that it would be a blast to go there together and "reminisce." Andrew had a half day at work on Friday, so we got a head start on the traffic. It's about a 4 hour drive, but with the traffic and some rest room stops, it took us about 4-5 hours. We arrived late in the evening and headed straight to the hotel. We stayed right up the street from the White House. We unloaded our luggage and went for a walk to the White House. It was such a nice night out and around 10:30 there were still thousands of people out. It was nuts, but we kind of expected that.
We woke up early Saturday morning and went to go get in line for the Holocaust Museum. The line was like wound around 3 blocks. Luckily we got tickets for the 1:00 showing. While we waited we walked up to the Washington Monument and down by the tidal basin. The cherry blossoms were absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! It was the main attraction and it was the perfect time because they were at their peak. All the vendors were there and it was a zoo.
The Holocaust Museum was of course very humbling. I remembered a lot of it from when I was younger, but it meant so much more this time around. I cannot even imagine the things that people went through. WOW it seriously blows my mind. It was also a zoo, but amazing. After that we headed to eat a very pricey hot dog. Everything is pricey there. So we hit everything free that we could. The Air and Space Museum, and some of the Smithsonian Museums. It was so relaxing and the most amazing day. Our feet were about to fall off by the end of the night. We went to the hotel and relaxed for a few hours then decided to eat and go for a drive. After an hour of driving, we went to go see the temple. As soon as we got close it was like a huge white mountain just dominating the sky. It was way cool. All lit up at night and glowing. We parked in the lot and walked around the Temple. Andrew took pictures and I got a few wimpy ones with my phone. It just took your breathe away.
Sunday we drove around some more. We also went to the Arlington Cemetery and there were soooo many tombstones. It's crazy to think how many people died there and all the suffering that happened. We ate some lunch and headed back home. We took a different route home that took us quite a while to get home, but the scenery was VERY worth it. The homes and small towns were breath taking. We stopped at Gettysburg since it was on the way home and it was really cool. I love that old town feel! I really love it out here, but am not excited one bit about the tourist and the heat. (when I say tourist I am not referring to ANY of you!) Actually it's kind of weird to think about the fact that I am not a tourist here in New York. HA it's surreal.
Here are some not so great pictures of our trip.. don't judge

The White House of course


The Washington Monument


The Lincoln Monument


Awww the beautiful D.C. Temple



HA us at the temple


The cherry blossoms.. well one of them


One of the six cannons they brought to Gettysburg from D.C.




Also today is a very special day. It is my one of my most favorite persons birthday...The one person who never gives up on me.. the one person who talks to me whenever I need someone... the one person who loves me unconditionally.. the one person that gave me life. My dearest Mom Happy Birthday to you! I hope you know how much Andrew and I love you SOOO much. Thank you for everything. You are my shining star! Have fun in California. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOTHER!
XOXO