We just got back from spending the weekend in Washington DC. It was Jeremy’s spring break and I was so ready for a family trip. I desperately needed something to take my mind off of endless days inside, work, housework, and uncompleted projects.
DAY 1
The night before I had forgotten to pack and get things ready, so when it came time to leave Friday morning it was a mad house around here. I felt like a chicken with my head chopped off as I ran around gathering clothes, putting dishes in the sink, getting books and DVD for Cambrie’s entertainment, packing lunch, and printing off directions to Mount Vernon. I was unnecessarily stressed out for the beginning of our trip. Once we started driving I calmed down and was thrilled that Cambrie was just hanging out in the back seat and didn’t require much entertainment. Yippee!
When we pulled up to the hotel, Jeremy went inside to check in while Cambrie and I stayed out in the car. I began noticing that every hotel guest was dressed in a suit or business attire. Hmm, we were a little out of place in our jeans and REI coats. We pulled the car into the garage and began to unload. Remember we were feeling a little out of place before? Now we felt really weird. Besides our suitcases (which were really backpacks and duffels) we had a pack n’ play crib, DVD player, and two bags of food and drink. Jeremy and I were both raised to save money where you could, so we packed lunch for the day and brought snacks so we didn’t have to buy anything on the street. We got some really weird looks from the streamlined business people as we walked into the hotel. As cute as Cambrie is, no one knew how to react to her either. It’s like no one had seen a toddler before. Anyway, it was nice we didn’t spend much time in public places at the hotel. The time spent in downtown DC was much better. Cambrie loved the Metro and thought the trains were great.
Our first stop was the Museum of Natural History. Cambrie is just starting to learn about dinosaurs and thought it was pretty cool to see their bones and their teeth. When we found the marine section she was in heaven. She ran around pointing to all of the fish, dolphins, turtles, and sea shells. Her favorite fossil was probably the giant sea turtle.
DAY 1
The night before I had forgotten to pack and get things ready, so when it came time to leave Friday morning it was a mad house around here. I felt like a chicken with my head chopped off as I ran around gathering clothes, putting dishes in the sink, getting books and DVD for Cambrie’s entertainment, packing lunch, and printing off directions to Mount Vernon. I was unnecessarily stressed out for the beginning of our trip. Once we started driving I calmed down and was thrilled that Cambrie was just hanging out in the back seat and didn’t require much entertainment. Yippee!
When we pulled up to the hotel, Jeremy went inside to check in while Cambrie and I stayed out in the car. I began noticing that every hotel guest was dressed in a suit or business attire. Hmm, we were a little out of place in our jeans and REI coats. We pulled the car into the garage and began to unload. Remember we were feeling a little out of place before? Now we felt really weird. Besides our suitcases (which were really backpacks and duffels) we had a pack n’ play crib, DVD player, and two bags of food and drink. Jeremy and I were both raised to save money where you could, so we packed lunch for the day and brought snacks so we didn’t have to buy anything on the street. We got some really weird looks from the streamlined business people as we walked into the hotel. As cute as Cambrie is, no one knew how to react to her either. It’s like no one had seen a toddler before. Anyway, it was nice we didn’t spend much time in public places at the hotel. The time spent in downtown DC was much better. Cambrie loved the Metro and thought the trains were great.
Our first stop was the Museum of Natural History. Cambrie is just starting to learn about dinosaurs and thought it was pretty cool to see their bones and their teeth. When we found the marine section she was in heaven. She ran around pointing to all of the fish, dolphins, turtles, and sea shells. Her favorite fossil was probably the giant sea turtle.
It was really easy to get lost in the museum; we kind of just wandered around aimlessly. What do you think of the giant shark jaw we found, or the enormous jellyfish?
Upstairs we found a butterfly exhibit. Cambrie and I paid the admission and went inside to see the butterflies up close. She didn’t know what to do. They flew around our heads, landed on flowers, walked around, and fluttered their wings. Cambrie thought they were pretty cool at first. She would point at them and make a giant “ooh” with her mouth. You can see from this video that after they started flying close to her she got a little nervous. I picked her up right after this so we could look at some more. I was secretly hoping that a butterfly would land on us so I could get a super cute picture. I got half of my wish. A butterfly landed on Cambrie’s hand. She liked it at first, but when it didn’t fly away immediately she got scared. She started shaking her hand up and down, but the butterfly didn’t fly away. Then she started crying and shaking her arm even harder. The butterfly finally left and Cambrie was done after that. I kept trying to tell her that the butterfly was just giving her kisses, but it she was still convinced the butterfly had attacked her. I wish I had gotten it on video, it was hysterical.
It was past Cambrie’s nap time and she was starting to get very uncooperative. She didn’t enjoy the sparkly rocks (i.e. the Hope Diamond, and other gorgeous jewelry), or the pictures of the polar bears, or the Neanderthals. It was time to go. We went outside for a chance just to chill. On our walk we found an ice-skating rink right off the Mall. We sat down for awhile to watch the ice skaters. Either our corner of the rink was cursed or we just make people nervous, because one out of every four people fell down when they came close. We tried not to laugh even though it was very entertaining.
Our next stop was the National Archives. Cambrie fell asleep in the stroller on our way there which made for a very relaxing visit. Our main goal was to see the Constitution, but when we couldn’t find the rotunda right away we went to some other exhibits. I decided it would be really cool to work with the archives. There is some really neat and historical information there about anything and everything: the Cold War, past censuses, speeches from Pres. Truman, etc. When we finally found the Constitution there were only 15 minutes left until they closed for the day. We sped through the beginning of the exhibit so we could see the four pages of the Constitution, the Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, the Thirteenth Amendment, and letters pertaining to Women’s Suffrage. It was humbling to see important documents that have had such impact on my everyday life.
Cambrie was still napping afterwards so we went on a walk around the US Capitol.
Since Cambrie was still napping we stopped into the Library of Congress. We ended up in the wrong building (since there are apparently two of them), and the only interesting thing we saw was a random Grammy display down a very bland hallway. The one benefit from stopping in was that the security guards were really nice and directed us to a great Greek restaurant for dinner. Cambrie woke up by then and had her first bite of hummus. She preferred the pita bread plain.
Here is Cambrie on our way home. We couldn’t find her gloves so she wore mine the whole day to keep her hands warm. I’m just glad she kept them on.
Do you see the bed we slept in? It was king-sized. Jeremy and I thought we had gone to heaven. It was soft and huge. You have to understand that we have been sleeping in a double since we got married, and so this mattress was great. We had so much room! Anyway, onto the sight-seeing.
While in the Monument you go up an elevator to 500 feet and get to look out the eight windows up on top. While you’re up there you can see the White House, the National Mall, the US Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial. On the way down they clear the windows in the elevator so you can see the memorial stones inside the monument. 200 stones were donated during construction from various dignitaries and ordinary towns and they’re neat to see. 
We at least made it inside the home and she was a pretty good sport about the tour. She liked seeing the baby’s bed, and their dinner tables that were set with ham ready for eating. We also saw Washington’s gardens, his stables, and his tomb. 
What do they say with real estate? Location, location, location. Washington definitely had that. Look at the view from his back porch. 
After church we changed and checked out of our hotel. Our next stop was Arlington National Cemetery. We just missed the 3:00 changing of the guard and had to wait until 4:00. During that time we walked the grounds. I love the feeling I get when I walk in cemeteries. Is that weird? It is so peaceful and relaxing. The rain made it even more beautiful and poetic. I love looking at the headstones and wondering what kind of people they were. What kind of lives they lived, and what stories they could tell. We witnessed the changing of the guard, as well as two wreath changing ceremonies which is something I’ve never seen before. It was all very solemn and beautiful at the same time. 
After she woke up a little more she was more cheerful and we got some last minute cute pictures before we left. 
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