Pictures of People in DC!

The kids call this my paparazzi shot.





















Lauren, in between uncontrollable laughter and sobbing uncontrollably. JK. It was a long day folks. What a ragamuffin. :)






















Sarah at the National Cathedral.

















Did I forget to mention we were at an Interstate Batteries Convention? Isn't that limo kewl? No, we didn't get to ride in it.

















Hannah at the Smithsonian gardens.





















Dani at The National Zoo.





















Dave, James and Hannah on the Metro.





















The whole fam with Mr. Lincoln. Hmmmm, who took this picture?

For Donna

Your Matthew and Melinda.

A delightful young couple.

***********

Goodnight.

Arlington National Cemetery and Company is a Comin'

I hope you're not getting terribly bored with these posts. I've decided to continue posting pictures of our trip as an online scrapbook for my family.

I'm so glad we paid a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. It was an incredible (visual) reminder of all of those who have given their lives for our freedom. We did our best to talk to the kids and help them realize the significance of where we were and what was before us. The lines of headstones is humbling, to say the least. Really, there are no words....just a heart full of gratitude and thanks to those in the military, past and present.

I thought the cemetery was mostly flat (I'd never been in that part of the country before) so you can imagine my surprise when I saw the beautiful, green, rolling hills with the headstones lined neatly in a row. It was breathtaking and beautiful all at the same time.





























This is one of the older areas in the cemetery.






















The Tomb of the Unknowns.

The changing of the guard was really incredible to watch.

**********

It's 1 PM here in Arizona and I am waiting to hear from Donna's son Matthew and his wife, Melinda. They are returning to Phoenix from a missions trip in Mexico and will be spending the evening with us. We are so excited to meet Melinda and see Matthew again. They also have 5 or 6 other folks with them and they too are coming for dinner and swimming.

I'm serving Lasagne, Spagetti, salad, green beans, garlic bread and for dessert we'll have key lime pie and/or strawberry shortcake.

We are very busy cleaning house right now.

I'll take pictures and post them soon.

UPDATE 1:25 Just got off the phone with Melinda. They are back in the U. S. of A. and they are safe and sound. I asked her if they were hot and she giggled and said YES! She also said I sound just like Donna. (only I don't say "eh" and "take off hoser") LOL. I love it that she said I sound like Donna, that made me smile. They'll be here at 6 o'clock. :)

Thank You and Now, Mt. Vernon!

Donna gave me a gift this morning while I was sleeping. She sent her faithful and wonderful readers my way to see my Washington D.C. pictures and leave me a comment. When I woke up I had 17 comments and I was just sure they were spam. Boy was I surprised to read real comments from real ladies.

THANK YOU TO DONNA'S SWEET FRIENDS!

THANK YOU DEAR, PRECIOUS DONNA!

**********

Mt. Vernon

We rented a van and drove out to Mt. Vernon last Tuesday. It was a nice break from the Metro and city touring and the weather had cooled off considerably.


















George and Martha's beautiful Mt. Vernon






















One of the many out buildings.



















The kitchen. There is a washing area and a storage area inside this building. The cook lived upstairs.























The outhouse aka The Necessary.


















The view from their back porch chairs. The Potomac River where George Washington fished for herring and made a fortune. He also made money growing and selling tobacco and wheat but it was the herring that made him the most money.






















The girls fell in love with this guy! He was a very, very big mule.

Our visit and time spent here was probably my favorite part of the trip.

The United States Capitol

I called Congressman Trent Frank's office in April and they organized a tour for our entire group.

We had a very sweet tour guide that attends ASU and is doing a summer internship in the congressman's office. Here are a few pictures:


















The magnificent rotunda's dome.
Painted by Brumidi in 1865.










































Statuary Hall.
Isn't that pink color just beautiful? Click on photo to enlarge.





































Supreme Court Chamber from 1810-1860
I love the blue paint in this room.
Also note the fireplace in the back.

See the 'tiles' on the roof. Can you guess what that is on each tile? These 'tiles' (for lack of better word) are also in the rotunda and statuary room.

Safe and Sound/The White House

We arrived home on Thursday evening and as usual I hit the ground running. And I'm not talking about doing laundry, that is just getting started today.

We had a wonderful trip to DC. My family remained in good health and we had a very fun and eventful time. Thank you for praying!

Donna called me yesterday to find out when I would write a post about our trip. I told her I was overwhelmed and didn't know what to post first. So, here it is in bullet form and then I will just post pictures over the course of a few days. Let me just say that this was a trip of a lifetime! I was in awe of the city and history and gigantic buildings and monuments. Everything was sooooo BIG.

I felt like I was 21 again and traipsing through Europe; running after subway trains, standing on street corners with maps in hand, walking until I could walk no more, getting lost, thinking the next stop was 'just around the corner', etc....

Here's the list of sites we visited in no particular order:

The White House (tour of South Lawn!)
The Capitol (tour)
Lincoln Memorial
Vietnam Memorial
Korean War Memorial
Washington Monument
The Holocaust Museum
The National Zoo
Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (gems!)
Smithsonian Castle
National Art Gallery
Arlington Cemetery
Mt. Vernon
The National Cathedral
Bureau of Engraving and Printing ($$)


The White House
Our first stop















































We had already been to the White House but on Saturday they opened the south lawn to visitors. It is something they only do four times a year. One of our employees was down there and called us so we hurried down town and got to tour the grounds. Aren't we blessed! If you are interested in touring the inside you better call your congressman's office six months to one year in advance or have major connections.
























Do you see the wicker chairs on the balcony? Do you think the President and First Lady relax there and have a cup of tea and enjoy the view. I would!

















The beautiful rose garden.


















The Oval Office.


















Do you see the difference in pavement in the bottom of this picture? The kids are on the President's jogging path!

Off Like A Herd of Turtles

The title of this post is one of my favorite sayings!!

I think it very accurately describes my large family when trying to get out the door for a major event or vacation.

I ALWAYS say it as were pulling out of the driveway. It probably annoys my teenagers but trust me, they'll say it too some day. :)

So we are off the Washington DC in a few hours. Super Shuttle is picking us up at 10:00 and because we are 7 we get the whole van to ourselves with no stops. Kinda like a limo only NOT. Instead of a stretch hummer we get a blue van with obnoxious yellow writing. Hey! The price was great and we still get door to door service.

Everyone is healthy at this hour. Will you pray for continued good health and safety for us?

This is the first time all 7 of us have travelled on an airplane. Um, I'm thinkin' you should pray for that too. :)

Thank you, dear friends.

I'll be checking in on occasion if our room has free Internet service.

TTFN

I'd Like To Thank The Academy

Er, I mean the good folks at Costco for carrying THIS fabulous product.

I sincerely believe it is why my cholesterol is down 40 points!

I am not the best at taking my vitamins on a regular basis but the truth of the matter is...I have managed to finish this entire bottle of Flaxseed Oil over the course of a year or so and I think it has benefited my blood chemistry! WooHoo.

The only other thing I can figure is that maybe the Lemonade Cleanse worked it's magic and truly cleansed me. Ew.

One thing is for sure....Chipotle burritos and salads, while they are delicious, do not lower cholesterol. See, I'm very scientific.

All kidding aside, I was very excited and thankful to receive my lab report last week. Good news, indeed.

So, Tell Me

Have you tried one of these?

You can usually find them at Walgreens, I've heard.

And I've also heard they are delish....I'm just sayin'.

Now fess up!

Wow!

Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer is giving away a whole lot of music!!

By putting this link on my web page I am entering her contest and I really, really, really think I'm going to win this CD collection. Ha!













Wish me luck.

So Excited!

We are heading to Washington D.C. one week from tomorrow!


















Our family is attending an Interstate Battery national convention. All seven of us will be going, my mother-in-law and four employees and their families. Interstate Batteries has always kept their conventions very family friendly and very fun!

I have been busy reading books and web pages to prepare myself and the children.

Can you give my any advice?

We will hit the most obvious tourist sites and we also want to go to the International Spy Museum and the National Zoo.

The company that makes our batteries, JCI, is throwing a huge party at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum ! How cool is THAT?

We are scheduled for a Capital tour. Could not get in to the White House tour. You need to call six months to one year in advance for reservations. Wow.


















So, tell me. Have you been to D.C.? And what should we NOT miss?

Oh, we're also going to rent a van and go to Mount Vernon!