DC Day 8

It was difficult to go exporing before our plane left with traveling time and such. We had a slower morning and made our way to the airport.

Goodbye Metro. Oh, how we enjoyed using you!

It was so humid, there was foggy condensation in the plane.

It started pouring in Denver when we were waiting to leave. We got to wait for lightening to stop on the tarmac!

It was such a nice trip! I loved spending time with family and seeing some amazing sights! Thank you Sean for the wonderful present and for helping me cross something off my bucket list: seeing 4th of July fireworks in DC. We definitely want to go back, especially since there is so much more to see!

DC Day 7

NEW YORK!!!

Day 7 we took a bus up to New York City. With transportation and timing, we had limited time in the city. We had to make the most of it! Time to see our whirlwind trip. (Please note, we had our carry-ons and bags the entire day.)

We started with seeing Porgy and Bess on Broadway. AMAZING! It definitely deserved all the Tony's it won this year.

Japanese food! Not quite genuine, but Sean was excited.

Times Square

 So much history here!

I had my carry-on in one hand and the camera in the other. I was constantly taking pictures while walking. (I didn't quite feel like I could stop and take a picture every time I wanted to, since there were so many pedestrians.)

Whew! We hurried back to our bus and made it back to our same hotel in Alexandra at 1:30am.

DC Day 6

We woke up and made our way to Arlington Cemetary. It was a humbling and reverent place:

Up on the hill, you could see the main monuments on the Mall.

 

We headed back to Virginia to be with the Poultons and Shakespears before the St. George party had to head to the airport. No pictures to document the rest of Day 6, but it was nice relaxing and spending time with family.

DC Day 5

Happy Independence Day!!!!

Sean and I went off on our own to see more sights on the Mall. Brad dropped us off at the Metro so we could make it there. Again, lots of pictures. It is time to get comfy...

Metro.

No, we did not plan on matching. (It is normally something we try to avoid.)

We were handed this flyer as soon as we got to the Mall: The British are Coming!!

Other side of the White House.

The fellow on the left was rallying about the use of pot. Awesome.

Parades, patriotic buildings, and patriotic shanties!

Mr. Lincoln

See my red face? Yes, it was that hot: 103 + humidity.

Korean War Memorial.

WWII Memorial.

These plates were all around the flag pole.

Washington Monument.

National Archives. Two and a half hour wait to see some amazing documents. No cameras were allowed, so here is our waiting in all it's glory! Worth it? YES!

Stopped at hotel to sit and cool down. Two shower heads?? Yes.

Hordes of people!! Went through security check to get onto the Mall, and picked a spot under the Washington Monument.

The fireworks did not disappoint! They started after a concert, and music played the whole time. Happy Birthday!!

Shock and awe.

Walk back to the Metro. Capitol Building.

We finally had dinner at 12:30am. Thank you Metro for still running that late. And thank you IHOP for being open and right next to the hotel.

DC Day 4

It was a day to explore DC! We took two cars to the city (the rental was a little smelly, so we used coconut scented sunblock to help...) and tried to see as much as possible.

This will mostly be pictures. They can say things so much better than I can:

This first greeted us on the sidewalk.

We swear we saw the President on the balcony. He waved!

My excitement: almost contained.

Smithsonian: Museum of American History

No cameras were allowed inside, but this was my absolute favorite exhibit: The Star Spangled Banner.

The men went to a History of American Wars exhibit, the women went to the exhibit of First Ladies.

Next stop:

Then we saw some more fantastic sights on our way out:

Driving past the Pentagon; this is the side, the freeway side, that was hit on 9/11 and repaired.

We were all tired at the end of it, but it was a great day full of fabulous sights! After Katelyn went to bed, the boys played some Supreme Commander and such, and the girls stayed up talking and playing games and got very silly and giggly. We all stayed up late and enjoyed every minute!