Mom and Daughters' Trip - Washington DC

One of my biggest dreams was to go to Washington DC - The pulse of our incredible nation... I dreamed of sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial - I had seen this done in many a movie and I wanted to do that too! I wanted to stand in the steps of Martin Luther King Jr - Where he gave a speech from his heart - not from a script.. His Dream for our nation... A Dream that changed our nation..

My sister, brother in law, and niece joined us in DC - It was wonderful to share this experience with them.







I wanted to walk along the Vietnam Memorial, World War II, and Korean Memorial and pay respect to those who fought for our country... those who gave their lives so that we can have our Freedom.. On the wall at the Korean Memorial these Four words were carved in stone... "FREEDOM IS NOT FREE"
Korean Memorial - Thought about my dad who was a part of this Police Action/War - Dad passed almost three years to the day - We were here...


The Vietnam Memorial - It is beautiful and sad - There was one person with our last name.
World War II Memorial - As we were sitting here in awe - an older man and his wife walked by us - He wore a hat that said the name of a ship and WWII - I asked him if he had fought in this war and he said "Yes" - I put my hand out and said "Thank you" - He took my hand and nodded his head with tears in his eyes... His wife thanked me and said that many of his friends lost their lives in this war and that this day was very hard on him.... My eyes well up just blogging about this experience....

When we flew into Reagan International Airport - there were two landmarks that I could see and not miss.... I was awestruck - This was... IS a big deal to me...




One of my biggest highlights was going into the National Archives and seeing up close and personal the Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, and The US Constitution... The security on these incredible documents was amazing... I did learn that the Declaration of Independence was in deed brought down to the basement as it was in the movie National Treasure but now is housed in a multi-million dollar case in a huge multi-million vault along with the other documents - It was crazy... Of course no pictures were allowed but I got the building they were housed in - the architecture is incredible..

When we were visiting the Dalai Lama was in town and there were a few protests - it did tie up the streets for a while...


Went to the Ford Theatre where President Lincoln was assassinated - There is a museum below and the theater is still an active operating theatre... A docent told us the story of that fateful night... The booth where Lincoln was shot is exactly as it was that night in respect for this incredible president.


We visited the Smithsonian - so much to see - by the end of our days - our feet were barking..

Eisenhower's golf clubs
On February 1, 1960, Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, David Richmond, and Ezell Blair, Jr., walked into an F.W. Woolworth Company store in Greensboro, North Carolina, purchased some school supplies, then went to the lunch counter and asked to be served. They knew they probably would not be. The four freshmen at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College were black, and this lunch counter was segregated. Still, as one of the students told UPI, "We believe, since we buy books and papers in the other part of the store, we should get served in this part." This is the counter they sat at and started one of the biggest sit ins in the civil rights movement.
Old Dinosaur
Evolution of apes... or man - depends on what side of Darwin you are on...
The Wizard of Oz - Ruby shoes
First Lady Michelle Obama's ball gown
Michael Jackson's hat
and my favorite - Julia Child's kitchen - her real live actual kitchen!

There is so much more to share - next I will tell you about our Arlington Cemetery and Mount Vernon visits.... This was definitely a trip of a lifetime!!!