Still stealing from Staci.

DC: Saturday

(And the blue is still me, Emily.) 

Saturday morning we headed back over to the mall. We stopped by at the Washington Monument even though it is still closed from the earthquake. It is hard to really get an appreciation for how large it is unless you are right up by it! By the way, can you see how PERFECT the weather was for us? 

It was SNOWING back at home! 

(it has rained every day since the Starnes went home)

 

 

 Then we headed over to the Air and Space Museum for a couple of hours:

Followed by the Museum of Natural History:

Then we spent some time at the Museum of American History
(Tom and I had to leave them their cause Logan had a football game, but they met up with 
their "rival friends" so all was well)

And that evening we went to a couple of monuments...the Lincoln and the Vietnam War Memorial:

(The kids came with, and proved to be quite a match for Tom, Nate, Staci and me. I swear Nate and Staci saved more than one of my little ones from a number of catastrophes. Thanks guys. I am so lucky to have friends that aren't afraid to say stuff like "HEY JAY, GET OFF THAT LIGHT POST. DO YOU WANT TO FALL, AND GET SMASHED BY A CAR?" 
I'm also super lucky that I didn't have to take them everywhere with us. Why you ask? Well I'm so lucky cause Angela is living with me so she was able to take care of my little crazies lots of the time. She even accomplished a first for her. She changed diapers! Thanks sis. You are wonderful!!!)

Over 56,000 names are on this wall. It is pretty powerful to walk by and see all of those names.  On that somber note, another wonderful and exhausting day came to a close!

DC: Sunday

 Sunday we headed over to Mt. Vernon. It was the perfect activity for a beautiful Sunday. I had an appreciation for Washington before this trip but that appreciation has grown in leaps and bounds after really getting to know the man and all he did for this country.(I started a little behind Staci on the appreciation scale. Shhhh, don't tell, but I had to be reminded that he was the first President. What? I am Canadian! I'm actually going back tomorrow with Tom's folks and Sister Sheena and am excited to learn more)He was a family man, a religious man, an amazing general and President.

(We took the kids again, and like before the Starnes were such a great help. I just loved watching Staci bond with Lays. Every time I looked for Lays she was holding Staci's hand and talking her ear off. I was so sad I didn't get to see the Starnes kids, but it was nice to be able to see Nate and Staci spending time with my kids.)

Later that night the Perry's introduced us to the glorious store.......WEGMAN'S. This isn't just your everyday grocery store. They have a 5 star chef working in there who will whip you up a gourmet meal at your convenience. The pastries and treats were to DIE FOR! We spent over 60 bucks on nothing but TREATS that night! I had died and gone to SWEET heaven.

Em and I were bugging the Wegman's boy at the treat counter. He hooked us up with some sweet hats.

Yeah, we're embarrassing like that. We even had a couple of people ask us for assistance while we were rocking the hats. They thought we worked there!

(I hate this picture. It looks like I have horn-nubs growing out of my head, but I'm keeping it in cause I love how Staci will be a dork with me. She doesn't even seem to do it to humor me, she just is as dorky as me. It is so hard, and special to find a kindred spirit in this world, and Staci is one of mine. Love you)

We had muffins, apple tart, fruit tart, a chocolate flourless cake dome, pumpkin cheesecake and donuts.

YUM!

DC: Monday...last day!

Sick of my DC wrap up yet? Well too bad! One more to go!
(yay, no kids today!) 
Monday we got up early and went straight to the Holocaust Museum. It was very emotionally draining to see the actual shoes and personal belongings of some of those men, women and children sent to death and work camps. Pictures aren't allowed in the museum so I have no visual documentation of the day but it definitely makes a lasting impression on everyone who enters that museum. It is hard to believe that human beings were capable of such brutality and evilness. Some of the images we saw are pretty much burned into my mind forever. Horrible.  (Truly HORRIBLE)

After the museum we headed up to Baltimore for the rest of the day. Baltimore was SO SO SO much fun! We went over to the National Aquarium, watched a dolphin show, wandered through many different fish and animal exhibits and enjoyed an evening on the docks overlooking the harbor.

Here is the aquarium:

(Wow Staci you are one fantastic photographer!)

(I love the way we posed juxtaposed with the way the boys posed)

(These boys are pure nerdy fun)

(Stac, I am shocked that you forgot to put in the magnet story. It's probably my favorite part of that day. Don't worry I'll tell it for you. - So Stac and I were in the gift shop looking at all the crummy overpriced stuff and came across some magnets.  You had to turn them over to see the price and I noticed that this worker kept going over and fixing them back into rows.  Like he literally followed right behind me the whole time I was looking at them, and was sliding them back into perfect rows.

When we walked away "evil Emily" said -

"Hey Stac, lets go over and move them again." 

She agreed that he needed to be messed with so as soon as he left his post

I started to pretend that I was looking at them, moved like 2 askew, and walked away thinking I was so funny, and feeling quite proud of myself. 

Then I turned around and 

"evil-er Staci" was over there moving like all of them every which way!!!!!!!! 

I swear I've never had so much fun, or laughed so hard in a gift shop before. 

Seconds later, 

from a safe distance,

we watched that poor,

poor,  

O.C.D. 

worker- 

#1. Turn around 

#2. Spot the wreckage

#3. Freak out

#4. Dash over

#5. Rectify the situation

#6. Relate the atrocities to the other workers

#7. Set up a more vigilant lookout

ta-he-he-he

It was all I could do to stop "evil Emily" from doing it again.)

Em and I decided to pose all crazy with this silly cutout when suddenly, the ACTUAL man came walking up. We all took a picture with him! Totally random and SO hilarious!

 

As we were snapping these last few pics on the pier, I couldn't help but think about how BLESSED Em and I both are. We both married such GOOD and honorable men who love us (kiss us in public ☺) and take good care of us. They adore their families, work SO hard, and don't take life too seriously. They are FUN to be around and they make us LAUGH so hard we cry! They put up with us and our crazy antics. 

We put up with them too.

(That's exactly how I feel)

On the way home we stopped at the White House. 

And THAT was our AMAZING trip to DC!!! Great friends, great food, great sites, and LOTS of caffeine(or as Tom likes to say "pep-sua") to keep us going. WE LOVE YOU PERRY FAM! Thank you for everything.(Love you too, and It's us that are the lucky thankful ones) This was the absolute highlight of my year!(Ditto) Move to Idaho Falls....will you please?☺(Find us a job and it's done, and done)