Milkshakes and Ray's Hell

During our stint in Dallas or DC, Danielle (on the left) and I started talking about how fabulous milkshakes sounded.  Luckily, we found a fantastic little diner that served milkshakes, in the cool glasses and everything.  Who would pass up that much fatty happness?!? Not us. . . milkshakes - they do a body good :)

Cheers, duck!

Yes, there is, in fact a restaurant called Ray's Hell Burger.  Dan was in heaven, or hell as the case may be.  The burgers were huge; the french fries incredible, and the prices weren't bad either.  Thank you Hamilton's for introducing us to Ray's Hell Burger, for coming with us and for such a good time!

Show me the money :)

The U.S. Bureau of Engraving can be found in Washington DC and was quite interesting.  If I remember correctly, they only print $1 and $20 bills at the DC location.  Apparently, $100 bills stacked to my height is approximately 1.6 million dollars; not going to lie, I would be a fan of that much cash. 

Emily and Abby came with me again and we had a grand 'ol time. 

That's what I'm talkin' about!

So, there are a few things I seem to do in pictures regularly.  As you will see the the next few pictures, one of those things is lifting one foot, ever-so-slightly.  Weird.

The Old Post Office sounded like a really awesome place to go.  It turned out having a nice view, and that's about it.  If I remember correctly, it's one of the tallest (or possibly even the tallest) buildings in DC.

One of the shops in the Post Office had a camera set-up to take pictures of people walking by.  Since we were the only ones around, we decided to make the most of it.  Abby is adorable and  very photogenic, so getting a good picture wasn't at all challenging. 

Walking back to the car, we saw this cop with this get-up. . . it looks like it came straight out of Batman and Robin or Bedknobs and Broomsticks.  Kinda makes me wish I had one!

Get your booties on, cuz it's cold outside

Neither Dan, nor I, can remember the last time we were as cold as we were in DC. Dan and I both bought beanies shortly after we took this picture, and probably consumed more hot chocolate this weekend than we had in the last 2-3 winters. 

I have always admired Charles Lindburgh and Amelia Earhart . . . mostly because of their tenacity in pursuing dreams/goals that seemed unobtainable.  Not only did we get to touch the moon (which I later found out was something on Dan's bucket list), but we also got to see the original Orville Wright brothers airplane and The Spirit of St. Louis.

Despite the cold, it certainly was pretty.  Joggers on the mall were not uncommon to see. . . a bit crazy if you ask me.

The Capitol tour and Library of Congress were two other 'favorites' of mine. I learned, and got to see, so many amazing things.  Honestly, I can't remember a lot of them, but I do remember the feeling of sacrifice and importance of these places.  God bless America!

 

Like many others, Abraham Lincoln fascinates me and we learned a ton about him on this trip.  Between Gettysburg, an special exhibit in the American History Smithsonian, and Ford's Theatre I came away with a greater respect for what he did for this country at such a critical cross-roads in our nation's history.   

Below are a few pictures taken at Ford's Theatre, where Lincoln was shot.

This is the home where Lincoln was taken after being shot, and where he ended up dying a few hours later.

Inside the Theatre, they have re-produced it to look like what it would have the night of Lincoln was shot.

This isn't the best picture, but this is the actual furniture Lincoln was sitting on during the play.

Happiness is to hold flowers in both hands

The title is a Japanese proverb I am fond of, mostly because it's true. Flowers, in my opinion, = happiness. Here are some pictures I took at the U.S. Botanical Gardens in DC (I got a bit carried away with pictures of the orchids). Lady Bird Johnson was known to have said, "When flowers bloom, so does hope". I couldn't have said it better, myself!

O say can you see. . . .

Behind this display in the American History Smithsonian in Washington DC is an exhibit dedicated to the national anthem, and the flag that inspired the song.  Although pictures were not allowed in the actual exhibit, it was a definite must-see.  While we were not able to steel away to Fort McHenry, we hope to visit it another trip.  How grateful I am for our national anthem and all it stands for.  Truly inspiring words:  http://www.poetry-archive.com/k/the_star_spangled_banner.html

Prior to our trip to DC, I started reading about Benjamin Franklin's 13 virtues.  I didn't make it through the book, but am grateful he was committed to the American cause.

The Hamilton's, some good friends of mine from Utah State (Go Aggies!), live near Arlington, Virginia where we were staying.  One of the afternoon's Emily, Abby and I went on a walking tour of Teddy Roosevelt island.  I can only imagine how beautiful it must be in the summer with all the green foliage.  Here is Abby in a hollowed out tree we found on the island.

Mmmmm -mmmmmm - mmmmmm!  BBQ :)  It was one of Dan's co-worker's birthday while we were in DC in January.  For his birthday dinner, we went to the swanky blues/bbq place in the DC underground.  Let's just say, fatty-goodness . . . lots of it!

Cha-ching, cha-ching

My family does this funny thing. . . well, we don't think it's funny, but most people - when they hear about it  - do, until they catch 'the bug' themselves.  Amidst my dad's various business travels when we were young, he decided he wanted to visit all 50 states.  

Although my dad reached his goal quite some time ago, most of us have been to 30 or 40 sum-odd states and have been known to go to great lengths in order to get another state 'under our belt'.  Flying from Dallas to DC, my plane took a pit-stop in Memphis, Tennessee . . . affording me the opportunity of obtaining state #36.  After visiting Gettysburg, we took another route home, so we could get West Virginia. Dan even created maps in Photoshop awhile back so we could fill-in the states when we'd been to them.  Here's to #37, West Virginia!

Gettysburg and patriotism

My brother-in-laws sister and her husband took us on an evening tour of the monuments in DC.  Despite none of my pictures turning out very well, I still wanted to post this one.  This monument stirs all kinds of emotions in me for various reasons.  It reminds me of my grandpa who served in the Marine Corps during WWII and witnessed the American flag raised at Iwo Jima; it deepens the sense of patriotism my father instilled in me as a youth;  and it intensifies my gratitude for the sacrifice and courage of others in defending liberty.

Growing up, my parents worked to instill a love of the gospel and a love of country in each of my siblings and I. As such, one of the place we visited growing up was Gettysburg.  

Since I was last at Gettysburg, they now have an amazing museum.  Dan and I were both fascinated at the amount of information and artifacts exhibited there.  They also had a 360 degree mural from floor to ceiling depicting the battle of Gettysburg, that (if I remember correctly) was painted shortly after the war.  Near the end of the museum at Gettysburg, I saw this quote.  It's poignancy caused me to reflect on why I am drawn to some of the places I love. . . and it resonated with me.

Dan humoring me and letting me take his picture with Abe.

 Such a perfect picture set-up - I couldn't pass it up :)

We really enjoyed touring the battlefield.  Dan liked the view from Seminary Ridge the best (forgot the camera there) and I have always loved Little Round Top (where the two pictures below were both taken). 

In our apartment hangs a picture which depicts Colonel Chamberlain's bayonet charge at the end of a grueling day of battle.  On the second day of battle at Gettysburg, Chamberlain's men were the flank of the Union army, positioned at Little Round Top.  Holding their position that day, was crucial in maintaining the high ground, for if they retreated, the Confederates could have easily overrun the Union Army.  Realizing how vital a position they held, when ammunition became scarce, Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge. It's a scene in the movie that, again, makes me grateful for the sacrifice and courage of others in defending liberty.

 Looking out at the battleground of Little Round Top.

Imagining what the sharp-shooters must have seen. 

George Washington and Mt. Vernon

Mount Vernon was somewhere I had heard so many amazing things about and had never had the opportunity to visit.  Of all the places we visited in D.C. in January, this was probably one of my favorites.  I was struck by the ingenuity of George Washington; he was not only a courageous military man civic leader, but he was a family man, a businessman, an entrepreneur and much, much more.  I had never realized the weight and responsibility Washington felt in being the first president of this country; many of the things he did while in office set the precedent for how things are done today.  

Not only that, but his wife Martha was an incredible woman as well.  It was rare for them to not have company at any given time.  I was impressed with the size of the estate as well as the management of it.  George and Martha Washington were very hands-on, in everything they were involved in.  Although most of their personal letters were burned after being read, those who knew them, were known to comment of the love they shared.  We didn't take a ton of pictures, but here's a few, to give you a bit of a feel for the place.

During his tenure as the first president of the United States, George Washington longed for the peace and solitude of his Mt. Vernon home.  The picture below is a small portion of the view from their home of the river.  I can understand how he would have missed such a place. 

There currently is a full-time blacksmith at Mt. Vernon.  During Washington's time they believe there were multiple . . . one next to the house, and others at his other properties/other locations on the estate.  It was neat to see how he heated up the metal and worked it - similar to how it would have been done 'back-in-the-day'.

This is the view guests would have seen at the entrance to the estate; truly a place of grandeur, majesty and serenity.  Being here whetted my appetite regarding our founding fathers and deepened my respect for them.