Letters from the Road

Hi everyone, we are in Washington DC and having a great time. We left Thursday morning and after a rocky start (we stopped like 5 times before Daytona Beach) we finally got into the traveling groove. We made it to North Carolina by midnight and slept for a few hours and then pulled into DC Friday at 10:30 AM. Needless to say, Mike was beat, but we were meeting my sister for some sightseeing. So we made the mistake of driving into DC and trying to park. We found a spot at Arlington, but it was raining/flurrying and my kids already had colds and to get to the monuments it was a 3+ mile walk. Well we ended up caught in rush hour traffic and sat on the freeway for 2 hours with starving exhausted children & hubby. Yes fun times!! I think Lyndsay was thanking God for birth control at that moment.

Well after a good nights sleep, Lyns, Liv , Maddy and I took the metro into DC to do some sightseeing. Mike and Ethan hung out at the camper. Ethan was still coughing pretty bad and I think Mike was looking for a little peace and quiet away from 4 girls ;)
I didn't realize we were in town for Veterans day weekend (duh) so we got to see the Vietnam Memorial Parade, and the ceremony at the wall. It was pretty heart wrenching to see all the veterans tracing names and crying at the wall. We got to pray and be a part of the ceremony at the Vietnam Nurses monument which was really touching. They had a thousand flags set up on the mall and you could walk among them. We also went to the Natural History Smithsonian and I could spend weeks in there. All I could think about was how cool it would be to do unit studies on this and that then visit. One big visit is too overwhelming for me, so I know the kids weren't soaking it all in.

Sunday, Mike, the kids and I all road the metro in and toured the Air & space museum, the National Archives and the Renwick art Smithsonian. Once again you need hours to tour each Smithsonian, which we did not have. The National Archives was amazing. I remembered going as a kid, and it is no less awe inspiring. The domed room that they are housed in is dimly lit and marble is everywhere. Maddy was so funny when she walked in. She said, I am so excited and gasped... She insisted I take pictures with our flash off since there is no flash photography to prove that she was there. When we left she told Mike she was going to be famous at coop because she saw the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and our Constitution. I was so proud that she thought it was fame- worthy to be in the presence of the documents that ensure our liberty. Well after that we had to trek 14 blocks to the Renwick Smithsonian because they were having a Going West exhibit of pioneer quilts. We had 1 hour before they closed so we sprinted most of the way, poor Liv! But it was sooo worth it. The quilt were amazing, I could not even fathom how they hand quilted them. I couldn't even do some of the designs with a machine. Unfortunately there was no photography so I have no pics to share, but lots of great ideas. Liv and Maddy loved it and I think are inspired to create a new flag quilt. I found at the end of the exhibit why there was no photos, they had a nice big pricey book with all the quilts. Well since we made a pact this trip on no souvenirs, or eating out (ouch) I had to pass...

anyway that is our trip so far, pics to follow... Mike and Maddy are visiting Gettysburg today, Liv has an ear infection so please pray for the kids health while we are travelling. The cold (40's) and wet weather is not helping.

We leave tomorrow for Monticello ~ Thomas Jefferson's home