Visiting D.C. (and Jill and Jeremy)

We did TONS of stuff! And of course we didn't see half of what there was to see! Thank you to Jeremy and Jill for being such awesome tour guides!

Jane and Audrey being cute and just hanging out at their apartment. We had just the right mix of hang-out vs. go-out time. We played games and chatted. The only problem was Audrey was a little bit too rambunctious for their place. She was surely driving the neighbors below them crazy with her constant running around and jumping at all hours of the day and night. :S

Driving in D.C. looked crazy! But, luckly, we didn't have to do it at all! The Erbs, not only rented a van for us while we were there so we could stick together, but they also did all the driving! It was great!

Jill works for the Red Cross. She gave us a special tour of the building where she works and a really cool tour of the old Red Cross building that has all the old cool stuff to see: quilts signed by lots of famous people, huge stained glass window in a beautiful room which also had various gifts given to the Red Cross by lots of different countries (like an idiot I didn't take a picture of any of this stuff, it was really beautiful) . . .

It's a long par five to our nation's capitol . . .

Next we went and visited the museum of American History. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to see the whole thing before it closed. There was lots to see. Dave and I were compelled to get our picture taken with C3PO, which is weird because neither of us are really huge Star Wars fans or anything . . . If you were to ask me what my favorite things were, I wouldn't know where to start. I liked the cast of Lincoln's hands, the old household appliances and furniture, the atmosphere of sections like the America at War section and the musical instruments (which was very tiny), the surrealness of seeing things like Dorothy's slippers, Lincoln's hat, and Washington's chair . . . it was a very cool place. We would have loved to have seen more of the Smithsonians, but 1) it's so hard to do ANYTHING with the kids, we'll have to go when they're older to really enjoy ourselves, and 2) there's just so much!

We thought this girl needed some reason for having that expression . . .

Dave got ran over by route 66 . . .

This was fun. It was little virtual metro bus. It really felt like you were on a bus (which made me a little sick) and it had a life-size movie on the front simulating people riding the bus and talking and getting off and things.

They have this cool exhibit where you can stand at the podium and give one of a few presidents' (you choose) innaugural addresses. They put the right background behind you and post the words up and it looks like you're the president. (This picture is of Dave on the TV screen.) Dave chose Kennedy's speech. When we mosied over to try it there wasn't really anyone around. But Dave's speech was so powerful and moving (loud) that by the time he came to the really great recognizable parts, there were TONS of people around and they all put up a loud cheer and clapped really loud for him. It was really fun. :)

Their big dream: to be in the Supreme Court/in a judge's robe.

Hobnobbing . . . (this picture was acutally really cool, it had lots of presidents in it, but it got cropped).

This was how Janey was most of the time we were in the museum: a very good girl. :)

This is how Audrey was the whole time we were in the Museum: sound asleep. :D

The day after Thanksgiving we got all bundled up and went to see some outside things. Janey was pretty sung in that stroller. The rain cover sure came in handy to keep the cold wind at bay, except Audrey never wanted it on them . . . which brings me to how SHE was on this part of the trip . . .

The Washington Monument, and the obligitory leaning picture . . .

The view with our backs to the capitol and the Washington Monument, looking at the WWII memorial and the Lincoln Monument.

Here's a little more about the WWII monument. It's all very symbolic.

Audrey's own little "Freedom March" . . .

The Lincoln Memorial. Here is where we got to rub shoulders with EVERYONE in Washington D.C. . . . really, everyone was there . . . We also bought our one and only souvenier: a collection of very "old" (authentic-looking) documents such as the Constitution, Declaration of Independance, etc. This also brings me to Audrey's behavior on our trip. She had a MAJOR meltdown on the while we were here. She was tired and hungry and ready to be done.

These are sacred places . . . no smoking, eating, or . . . ice skating or bowling . . .

The Korean War Memorial was also incredibly symbolic, as all these memorials seem to be.

Our little track star wanted to take her socks and shoes off, so we had to stick her in the "sleeping bag." That's the life . . .

While we walk the path of monuments, Janey walks the path of enlightenment and attains a Zen-like "awakening" . . .

I loved this statue. It's the one at the Vietnam War Memorial. It totally reminds me of The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. A MUST-read. The boys look so young. In another universe that could have been David, but instead, there he is pushing a stroller with his daughters in it. We're so lucky.

This squirrel was crazy. Kinda scary. After that rabid squirrel attacked that guy on campus a few months ago, I'm a little leery of squirrels that come too close . . .

I'm amazed by the vast quantity of names on this wall, which is probably what the point is I think. It really brings it home that these were individuals with lives and families. When we walked by I muttered names out loud to myself that I read as we walked. People, with names. All dead in one war that they probably didn't fully understand at all.

Here we are in front of the White House . . . literally. :) I always thought "Big deal. Who would want to live in the White House?" It's pretty cool . . . I think I would be excited if I were going to be living there.

The capitol was really beautiful at night. Unfortunately, our camera ran out of batteries at the Lincoln Memorial (like an idiot I didn't bring my charger). It was actually really fun to just let Jeremy take all the pictures so we could just enjoy or vacation (another round of thank-yous and bonus points for our awesome friends for making it an awesome vacation). Anyway, it was really hard to get a good shot of any of this stuff in the dark. But it was lovely. :)

This is David and I arguing before the Supreme Court . . . :)

This is the Library of Congress. It was a really beautiful building, which brings me to the architecture in D.C. Now, I usually don't get all excited about architecture, but I was constantly being surprised at how cool and beautiful a lot of the architecture in this city was--on the government buildings, the museums, monuments, townhouses, houses, shops in the ghetto, everything! I think it would be cool to do a serious photographic study of the architecture of that place, every part of it. I'd be interested in that if anyone out there wants to take that on for me, thanks. :)

We stopped by the D.C. temple on our last night. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. It's surrounded by, of course, a really beautiful neighborhood, but also a nice little forest. When you're coming up close to it to pull into the parking lot the temple can be seen glowing through this perfectly shillouetted forest, all the way around. And there's a panel of stained glass going veritcal along the front up the the angel Moroni. Amazing. In the visitor's center there was the new Reflections of Christ exhibit and tons of different themed Christmas trees, which was fun to see. :)

Jill and Jeremy took us to this really great Chinese place after we went to see the temple. I love this picture.

Here are some links to the places that we wanted to go, but that we just didn't have time for:

Arlington National Cemetary (we drove by, but didn't get to go inside)

Pentagon 9/11 Memorial

Jefferson Monument

Museum of National History (among other museums, there are so many, but this one will be my top priority next time we visit)

No visit to the White House this time. We thought we might get to go but it didn't work out.