Hail to the Chief

I told you Universal was a bonus trip and that's because 3 days after I returned, I hopped on a flight to Washington D.C.!

Let me start by saying how much I love Washington D.C. Everything about it. And above all of that is my love for this country and how I tear up every time I hear the National Anthem. And always will, I hope. To visit the seat of our country, and see the history therein, is a trip I could take a thousand times before I ever tire of it.

Thankfully Tanner is also into history and our country. WIN!

I had wanted to visit D.C. the prior year but didn't make it a priority so instead it became number uno for this year's travel! Yes, it was preceded by Mexico and Napa Valley but...whatever, it's an important trip for me so...you get the point!

With a little research, I found a cute walk up apartment in an historic home in Dupont Circle. Perfect! Within walking distance of Foggy Bottom Metro, a Whole Foods and a Starbucks, and just off of Pennsylvania Ave (you know...THAT street), we couldn't have planned better. We being me, let's be honest.

We arrived midday, dropped off our luggage and hit the streets for some walking. About ten minutes in I realized that my initial layering to prepare for the cold weather was now detrimental to my enjoyment of said walking. It was much warmer than anticipated!

Sunshine and blue skies, couldn't have asked for better!

Washington Monument had finished it's repair work from the last time I visited so you could see it in all its...glory. It really is quite a feat but also seems so strange. One more earthquake and it might come tumbling down, right onto the WWII memorial.

One of my favorite memorials, definitely. 

Every time I visit!

We kept walking down this part of the mile, enjoying the walk past the reflecting pool of Lincoln Memorial. I am always struck with the beauty of this memorial. Not only for the man being revered, but also the view from the steps back towards the monument and capitol hill. It is breathtaking and not just from taking said steps.

The sun was beginning to set so we decided to make our way back to our apartment, stopping at Whole Foods to pick up food for the weekend along the way. I opened the balcony doors to let in the fresh fall air and we settled in to watch some Netflix. Never forget, my friends, that vacations should BE a vacation and relaxing should be on the agenda!

The next morning was perfect. It was sunny, crisp, and we were headed for our day of capitol tours and memorial visiting. Museums were for the weekend, yo.

The Eisenhower building is truly one of the more beautiful in the capital.

I couldn't have been more excited to go where we went next...my first time visiting the White House!

She's a beaut, she is!

The tour is brief, really just wandering room to room, but still amazing. I was there! IN the building where our President works and lives. I saw the red carpet and the seal! LIVE!

I can say I've been here!

Funny aside, there is a Red room, a Green room, and a Blue room so Tanner asked, "I wonder if they called them that because red, blue and green make white?" FOR THE WHITE HOUSE!

Just one more pic...

I really do love the White House.

After wrapping up our tour, we headed to the House of Representatives' building in hopes of sitting in on a Senate or House hearing but alas, they were not in session by the time we made it into the Capitol. No matter, we had sights to see before said tour, so let's get to steppin'!

We hoofed it all the way back down the mile and then went off roading to see the Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin. While the Washington and Lincoln memorials are great and all, Jefferson's be stills my heart every time. It is grand. The words they have chosen to engrave on the walls will move and inspire you. The view is undeniably beautiful.

Amen!

With a few silent moments to absorb the words and the atmosphere, we decided to swing back to the mile via the FDR and MLK memorials. FDR's is tucked away from the water and you don't realize you've entered the area until after a few stone walls have passed.

I often forget he was elected a third term.

"Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope."

The MLK memorial is only a few years old and it is quite powerful. Now on to the capitol!

Tanner's favorite picture style to take. Sigh, I guess it's better than nothing?

Getting our tour on. We had a great docent! I always love learning about the building and hearing new snippets from each docent each time I go.

After our tour ended it was late in the day and the museums were closing soon, so we stopped at the closest one to walk through, the Native American museum. I can tell you, this one is hard to go through no matter how many times you do. It is quiet and calming but when you think of the turmoil and loss of native Americans it becomes less so. I admit I struggled more than I anticipated to see what displays were up and how empty the place was and how old and forgotten it felt as we walked through.

We left as the place was closing and made our way back home, stopping for pizza at Whole Foods along the way. You see a pattern emerging?

Our first stop the next morning was...wait for it...Starbucks. Daily on the daily, yo. Then off to the American History Museum! I was very excited about this because I had never been in any of my visits before. I'd get to see THE flag. Oh, and the first lady dresses! Spoiler alert: both were amazing and blew my mind!

Sadly, no photos allowed of the actual flag but they have created a beautiful resting area for it and even placed seats in front of it for those who would like to sit awhile and reflect.

They had an incredible exhibit of America through all its wars, starting with the Revolution and ending with the Iraqi war. It is incredible, filled with artifacts and tidbits of information never learned before. After wandering through there much faster than Tanner, who considers this area his favorite to learn about, I promptly took a nap on a bench. It was pretty stellar. Once he had caught up with me, we went to see the first lady dresses. I went through it three times. The dresses are stunning. Mary Todd Lincoln was ABSURDLY tiny. Michelle Obama's dress in person was jaw-dropping. The style arcs from beginning to end were incredible and I fell in LOVE with Eleanor Roosevelt's dress.

There's just something about it...

Three times back and forth, y'all...couldn't get enough.

Fun fact: the title of First Lady is not by writ or law, it wasn't even used until this past century. Therefore, if a female is elected president then they would just come up with a new name for the husband/partner (covering for the future). Another fun fact: the office of First Lady can be held by any family member of the President, not just the wife. There have been more First Ladies than Presidents!! ...The more you know!...

Got our 3-D viewing of D-Day as narrated by Tom Brokaw.

Five hours under our belt we moseyed over to my FAVORITE museum, National Air & Space. Don't worry folks, with only a few hours to indulge we had the full intention of returning the next day for a proper visit.

With a visit by my aunt scrapped due to a marathon occurring all along the mile, we forged ahead with our plan to visit the museum early the next day. We may or may not have jogged across the marathon on both sides of the esplanade...sacrifices must be made! But we did try to time it to where we wouldn't ruin anyone's run time. I may or may not have been nervous the guy in fatigues would arrest me. Tanner said I was silly for thinking that.

Our docent did not disappoint. He was lively, knowledgeable, energetic and had a voice I didn't mind listening to for nearly three hours. We began with the Wright Brothers in the early 1900's and ended with our exploration in space and its ongoing adventure. So much information in that span of time, so much enjoyment hearing all of it.

Kite!

Jet to space! Doesn't orbit though...but space!

Broke the sound barrier!

MOON! THIS WENT TO THE MOON AND BACK!

I definitely geeked out for the entirety of this. Who knew I loved space that much? Not this kid!

Though our dogs were barking (feetsies!), we decided to stop in to see the Constitution of the United States, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. There is NO WAY Nic Cage would have been able to steal this because even just leaning too closely got you a sharp retort from one of the THREE police officers in there.

The room they were in was high ceilinged, chilled and dimly lit. The Declaration has nearly faded entirely away and it was amazing to see the increased level of preservation taken just a few decades later with the Constitution and Bill of Rights. I couldn't believe that I was standing near these documents, let alone attempting to read them. These documents represent this country in its fledgling state, its infancy, and I am moved beyond words to see how far we have come and what we went through to get here. Yes, we have issues. Yes, we aren't perfect (WHO SAID THAT? LEMME AT 'EM!). Yes, we will continue to change and progress. But by golly, I believe we live in the best country on this planet. Bonus for me: I live in the best STATE in the union. ;-)

Our last day filled me to the brim with love of our country, our history, our perseverance and preservation. We left the Archives and headed slowly back to our apartment to enjoy one last evening soaking up the east coast air. With the balcony doors open, I could see the fading sunlight through the red-leafed trees and the chilled air that blew in was refreshing from the ocean, rather than drenching from the Gulf.

We had an incredible trip and it met my expectations and then some. I believe if I could go here once a year every year I'd be quite the happy camper. So who's up for funding that? Until next time, D.C.!

Bonus rainbow!