Saturday 12
Picked up the Sandbergs from BWI Airport. We all drove home together, got settled, let them take a nap (they had been flying all night...) , bought metro passes, and headed out to explore the National Mall. No Jeri Dell and Blake, NOT a shopping mall... sorry! Saw the White House, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and the Potomac River.
Sunday 13Woke up, took turns in the single shower/bathroom: Hard to get everyone ready on time! Went to church, took a metro ride to Arlington National Cemetary after lunch and a nice nap. Saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We made a yummy dinner and dessert to eat while watching A-Team.
Monday 14
Lounged a bit in the morning after Jaren headed to work. Later, took a metro ride into town and saw some Smithsonian museums. Most of us ate dinner at "Good Stuff", a hamburger place. I have been told they are the best, greasiest hamburgers in town. Maybe a bit too greasy in Blake's opinion. . . I met up with everyone that night at the Verizon Center for a Washington Wizards NBA game. Our row won tickets for two free beers per person so Jeri Dell worked her magic and got them to give us soda's and waters instead. The Wizards weren't that great, but the game was fun to watch!!
Tuesday 15
Blake was a little sleepy in the morning, so Jay, JeriDell and I headed downtown to see some sights. We stood in line and got tickets to see the Washington Monument and the Holocaust Museum. Jeri Dell made new friends everywhere she went! When we got to the top of the Washington Monument, I asked this tall boy to take a picture of us. He took it, and then we noticed him following us around a little. As we were all waiting at the elevator, the boy came and stood behind us. Somehow he and I got to talking and he asked... "so are you in high school? ..... or... in college?" I told him college and he seemed a little crestfallen. He was a sophomore in high school. I tried to be very nice and we chatted about sports and school until the elevator where his group got on and ours didn't. Nice boy, funny that he was hoping I was in high school, and flattering that he was brave enough to come talk to me. Haha. The view from the top of the Washington monument was gorgeous and the Holocaust Museum was very sobering. I had lots of fun chatting with Jay and JeriDell all morning. We went to Battle LA that night. It was just ok.
Wednesday 16
We all woke up early so we could make it to Jaren's office by 10AM for our tour of the Capitol Building. Jaren told us all of the fun history behind the paintings and the architecture that he learned in his tour training. The Capitol is so intricate and stunning! Jeri Dell and I loved looking at the beautiful ceilings and all the details everywhere else. We got to go into the Senate and see a Senator give a speech. I wore my cute shoes, so my feet were KILLING me by the end of the day. Jay, Jeri Dell and Blake stayed for the rest of the afternoon to see museums while I went home to work. Came home that night and made dinner and relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Thursday 17
Drove to Mount Vernon and looked at George Washington's house. Saw a movie and walked through a museum dedicated to George Washington. Learned that he was really tall and saw his lower denture. He was a very interesting man and had a SWEET house! The weather was gorgeous all week long and was especially nice this day!
Friday 18
We went and explored Great Falls National Park. We heard it was a "mini Niagara Falls". It was really pretty and probably pretty impressive for people out here in the East. It was really pretty. It was nice to walk around outside in the nice weather and hear the water. It made me miss the Snake River!! We ate lunch there and then drove up to Gettysburg. We watched a movie about the Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg. The museum housed a cyclorama which is a HUGE 360 painting that has lighting and sound effects to tell a story. I guess they were popular back in the days before the motion picture. The painting was over a hundred years old and was just massive! On our way home we stopped in to "a restaurant with some character" in Frederick. We found this little authentic Italian place in the middle of town that fit that description. It was decorated in random statues, pictures, and ivy that was reminiscent of good ol' Italy. The waiter had a thick accent and as we were the only customers for the majority of our meal, we got excellent service. We all noticed that the employees were all speaking Italian with each other and we decided that it must be a family owned restaurant. How quaint!! The food was excellent and we all left with full bellies. On the way out we stopped to chat with the restaurant owner. He was VERY proud of his "Best Restaurant of 2011" award hanging on the wall. Jeri Dell asked him if his family came from Italy to which he replied... "No, not Italy. We are from Iran." So much for traditional Italian... and I guess they really weren't speaking Italian. . . That's some character I'd say!
Saturday 19
Jay and Jeri Dell got up early to exercise and get some more sightseeing in. Jaren, Blake, and I hung out at home playing video games, watching movies and reading until the afternoon. I took a nap while everyone ran some errands. I woke up just in time to help with dinner and head out to another movie.
Sunday 20 HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLAKE!
Got up, went to church. Came home, took a small nap and then drove over to the National Cathedral. A man on the elevator really tried to impress upon me the fact that "they just don't build things like this here in the United States... to see something like this you have to go to Europe. They just don't build like this anymore!" .... Ok. Got it. The cathedral is so big and has hundreds of gorgeous stained glass windows and carvings everywhere. Blake and Jeri Dell found a sweet basement cause they were a little "nosy..." :) Very pretty. We dropped Jay, Jeri Dell and Blake off at the airport tonight and we were sad to see them go!!
Other fun memories of the trip
1. Jaren and Blake tackling JeriDell on the air mattress in the living room.
2. Jay threatening death to anyone who popped his air mattresses.
3. Blake showing off his Yoga moves in fun places all over the city.
4. Jeri Dell fell in love with a house down the street. I promise I'll get pictures!
5. Jay's photogenicity. (I know its not a real word... but if you know Jay, you'll know what I mean)
6. Jeri Dell and her floss threader incident. Or maybe she was trying to start a new fashion? Floss threader earrings? :)
7. Getting lost from each other.
8. Twice
9. Once more..... :)
10.The famous horse joke. Thanks Jay!
11. Jaren winning rummy
12. Jay asking the waiter at the Iranian/Italian restaurant for reading glasses. Did I laugh? Yes. Was he serious? I'm still not sure. . .
That sounds so fun! Im jealous you got to go tour around with family! Im wishing i could just tour around period right now.. haha. I love the pictures! It would be so cool to see all of those places!
ReplyDeleteAnd after reading that entire post, all I can think of is: why did she show us a picture of her cute shoes??? :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post Callie! I've been wanting to see some pictures! The last few times I've talked to my parents all they can talk about is how much fun they had with you guys, sounds like you two really know how to show someone a good time! Your pictures all look great, you even got some good ones of my dad, which is nearly impossible!
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