and land at Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC!
After a fabulous summer that ended all too quickly and a VERY cool, highly anticipated trip back east, here is a long overdue post! We took 250+ pics. on our trip, but here are a few we thought we'd share!
Friday, July 18: Here we are at Lindbergh Field (San Diego), awaiting our 10:30 p.m. departure...Olivia got to sleep for the five hour flight, but Daniel and Emily didn't sleep a wink until they crashed at Elizabeth's the next day!
Saturday, July 19: We landed at 7:30, and drove to Emily's sister Elizabeth's house, which was about 45 minutes away. After briefly visiting, the three of us Pacific Time Zoners collapsed into a merry, much-needed slumber around 10 a.m., and woke up in time for dinner!
Sunday, July 20: We went to Washington, DC with the Brysons. Our first photo op in Washington, DC was located right in front of the Reagan Building. We were all smiles...Daniel, the experienced DC traveler, got to watch Emily's first experience in our nation's capitol; she was like a kid in a candy shop, taking in all the sights that are embedded deep within America's history that she loves to teach...it was completely awe-inspiring!
Our first stop was the Washington Monument...
Anxious Emily...
Here we are, taking a moment out of the sight-seeing for a little playtime for Olivia and Brody with the White House as our backdrop...
Mama bear, swatting away a DC bee from her cub!
Our next stop was the World War II Memorial.
Each star commemorates a life lost in the war...
Next, we strolled up the path alongside the reflective pool to the Lincoln Monument.
The view from the Lincoln Monument...
And here he is, good old Honest Abe with Emily's two favorite people...and a bunch of others paying their respects to the sixteenth president of the United States.
His famous words...
We then headed down to the Korean War Memorial...
This was supposed to be a serious picture, as the words echoing behind us are so true...but when in the presence of one very happy little girl, serious is not a definitive word! However, because we are free, we got to smile and have a light-hearted moment in a place that truly makes your heart heavy.
Daniel's reflection in the wall composing the Vietnam Memorial...
About an hour or two before this photo was taken, pregnant Elizabeth had to take break...it was very hot and humid, and after trekking to the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial, she needed to rest...so the Elgans and Brysons went separate ways. We figured they would end up going home..but she's a trooper and they caught up with us in good spirits!
After our sight-seeing in the "mall" area, we headed for the White House. Here we are posing for pics. on the backside...love the sweaty bangs, Em! And the frown...well, somebody was still adjusting to the different time zone and the sticky climate!
After spending a busy, memory making day together, the little ones were quite enthralled with one another and their sippy cups!
Monday, July 21: Our destinations for this day were Jamestown and Williamsburg. Jamestown was a bit disappointing to Daniel, as it was all replicas of the original site that was about a mile up the road. However, Emily enjoyed it, and envisioned how life truly was for Pocahontas and John Smith!
After Jamestown, we embarked upon Williamsburg...we enjoyed lunch in an air conditioned pizza place, walked around the themed shops, and wandered down the supposed most historic street in America, Duke of Gloucester street. Daniel liked this much better, as it was authentic and incredibly well preserved. Here is the church...
The former Capitol building...
Where O spent most of her time this week...resting comfortably in her stroller, taking in the sights!
No matter where in the world she is, she is completely home when Daddy is around!
Tuesday, July 22: On Tuesday, we journeyed up the highway to Mt. Vernon, the home of George Washington. The Washington's were kind enough to pose with a schoolteacher and her daughter all the way from California!
Waiting in line to go in...once we got inside, much to our chagrin, no cameras were allowed! It was a bummer, as the house/grounds of Mt. Vernon are 75% of how it was when Washington lived here. The front door was his, the furniture, the decor...it was unbelievable how well everything has been preserved for us to observe.
Playing on the bank of the Potomac River...
Washington's tomb (obviously)...
One day, she won't believe she's been there!
George, Martha, and twenty family members lie within this vault on the grounds at Mt. Vernon.
Daniel loved this outing. It was his favorite of the entire trip!
Wednesday, July 23: Wednesday we went back to DC and explored some things we didn't get to on Sunday, but just couldn't go home without experiencing. Our first stop was Arlington...which was amazing. There is just so much emotion lying within these grounds...it was such a peaceful, yet powerful place.
The eternal flame and the gravesite of the Kennedys...John and Jackie lie in the middle, while their two children that died at young ages rest beside them.
The famous words behind us read, "And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country..."
As we walked in the silence, we could hear the jingle of bells...we looked up to this scene: a fallen soldier on the way to his or her final resting place. It was so moving and emotional to witness these six beautiful white horses pulling a soul who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.
The tomb of the unknown soldier...guarded honorably. We were able to watch the changing of the guard...you could have heard a pin drop.
Iwo Jima memorial...a tribute to the Marines who have selflessly served our country.
Ford's Theater...the site where Lincoln was shot. As a teacher, it was beyond Emily to think she was actually seeing things she teaches children about thousands of miles away...
The car...by this point, we were sweaty, hot, and had worn out feet! So sight seeing became a driving tour until we were ready to walk again.
After taking our little air-conditioned break, we parked and headed for the FRONT of the White House. We didn't realize it then, but on Sunday, we were on the backside and totally missed the front.
"Daddy, will you buy me this?" I think she's got big ambitions! "Madame President, your entourage awaits..." We could get used to that!
Daddy, stepping out from behind the camera for a shot in front of Mr. Bush's house with his girl.
The final shot from DC...the street vendors were quite convenient for last minute souvenirs!
Thursday, July 24: On our last full day in Virginia we poked around the historical town of Fredericksburg with Elizabeth as our tour guide...but the walking was minimal! For one, Elizabeth is very pregnant, and two, we were exhausted from all the walking we had already done during the week. So a lot of the shots were prefaced with, "Okay Emily, jump out of the car and we'll wait here!"
Here is "downtown" Fredericksburg...there is a wall that "Stonewall" Jackson built near hear that stretches all the way to Gettsyburg...now that's a long rock wall (and the reason he was given that name)!
This is the home of Martha Washington...George lived here from age 6 to 17 or something like that!
We think she's buried here (?). Our tour guide didn't quite know, so we asked for our money back, but were informed that there were no refunds! Ha, ha!
George Washington's sister's home...
And finally, here is a picture I love from our trip that I just had to post. While hanging out at Auntie's, Olivia did some prepping for March's trip to MAUI! A flower over your right ear means your heart belongs to someone...but little does she know that our hearts belong to her!
Friday, July 25: "Here, airplane, airplane, airplane! It's time to go home!" they exclaimed! We had a blast, but were ready for the return trip and a bit anxious to see how O would do during a flight that was not at night. She did great! Hawaii, here we come...
Thanks, Elizabeth, for hosting us for the week! We love you and can't wait 'til you're back in CA!
2 comments:
WOW!!!! You did SO much!!!!! What an awesome awesome trip. I actually took the time to read it ALL and I'm so glad I did. Some of those pictures really brought tears to my eyes. I can't wait to have a DC trip of my own. Thanks for sharing.
And way to go little Miss O for being so great for you mommy and daddy!
You're so sweet, Nicole! Thanks for your comment and taking the time to read one of the wordy byproducts of Emily! :) DC was great; we highly recommend it be added to the list of places to see in this lifetime! We've heard it's really lovely in the fall, and it's not quite as sweaty! LOL!
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