Running Down a Dream: From Virginia into the metropolis of Washington DC

We have been eagerly awaiting Washington D.C. We don't have too many "appointments" on this trip, but rather we have a general schedule. With the world as it is nowadays, we discovered that to see the White House, we had to set an appointment months in advance through our Idaho Congressman. So, we put our request in three months ago with tentative dates. As our dates grew nearer, they finally got back to us with a much later date of Oct. 3 to tour the WH. We were a bit disappointed as it meant that we were going to wander around a bit in wait for that Friday. As it turns out, that was all part of a grand plan. If we had been on our own timeline, we'd have never met our newest friend, Debbie. She has been so good to our family and together we've conquered Gettysburg, Walter Reed Medical Center (where the kids witnessed first hand the effects of bombs on limbs) and the now Washington DC. Debbie is a retired Navy Master Chief, who absolutely loves history. I am so grateful for her experience and knowledge of this area, as it's changed the way we've learned and studied it. Walter Reed was her idea and walking through the hallways where we witnessed a soldier with two missing legs and one arm, smiling as he conversed with another soldier was so moving. Then were able to talk to and thank another young man who rides a Segway with his prosthetic leg. It was a field trip we will not soon forget.

We moved from the Virginia camp, Skyline Resort into our closer DC camp in Maryland.

Debbie and Elise in Gettysburg

A rare treat of Hagen Daz shakes in uniform after a big day at Walter Reed MC.

Petting zoo at the Resort where we were camped in VA.

We get to meet Debbie's grandkids. Sadi and Elise were two peas in a pod.

Alex uses his boogie board in the gorgeous pool at camp

That day, we sadly drove off, only to hear from Debbie hours later asking if we'd mind if she joined us in DC. Since then, she's gotten us a great spot on Andrews Air Force base in the Family Camp. She's taken us into DC and shown us the National Mall and then escorted us to her favorite spots.

The day started at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and we weaved our way through FDR, Korean War, Vietnam, WWII war and of course, the Washington Memorial. The big views were wonderful, but the smaller, less known memorials were just as striking and fun to explore.

Eleanor Roosevelt, an amazing first lady

FDR served four terms( 16 years!) during the Depression years, hiding his polio from the public at age 39.

I was moved by many great quotes, but after Walter Reed, I better understand FDR's mindset her.

Loved seeing Alex working on his Ranger packet here in this amazing setting. Washington Monument behind him.

One of all of our favorites.....Abe Lincoln!!!!!

Taking it all in where Martin Luther King's famous words rang out (and Forest Gump)

Albert Einstein is off the National Mall, so not many people get to see this great statue

We moved from the Memorials to the Ford Theatre, where Abraham Lincoln was shot while attending a play. We learned the conspiracy, event timeline and fate of John Wilkes Booth (a famous actor at the time) who committed the murder. We even got to see the actual weapon in the museum. He broke his leg jumping from the balcony and escaping the theatre. It's such a crazy feeling to stand in the exact theater that such history took place.

Balcony where Abe Lincoln was SHOT!

Across the street, he died of his wounds at a home that is now preserved in history.

This was a bookshelf illustrating ALL the books written about Abe Lincoln. Over 1000!

Well, the day was LONG, and the kids were tired. Debbie wanted us to see a different side of the area, so we went to National Harbor, which is a beautiful area with a new giant Capitol Ferris Wheel. We ate a fabulous meal and dared to ride the Wheel afterwards with the lights of DC beneath us. Spoiled rotten, are we.

180 feet above water, over looking the Potomac River

Cool sculpture brought here out of DC recently. Kids LOVED jumping all over him. "The Awakening"

On the Ferris Wheel!! Tanner and Alex did not love the heights, interesting enough.

Finally, Friday arrived and we set out early for our White House tour, feeling very privileged. That is, until we realized we were at the back of a long line of other "very privileged" people. We waited in long lines, with lots of security checks. We also could not bring anything with us (no purses, backpacks etc) which can be a pain when in the city for the day. When we finally did enter the ground hallway, our kids were less than thrilled. I wanted to shake them, as I quietly explained that they were standing IN the White House, instead of reading about it like most 5th and 6th graders. Regardless of the kids lack of awe, for me, it was exciting to see the beautiful portraits of past presidents and first lady's. The tour is self led with Secret Service agents in each room to answer questions. It was disappointing to realized how short and uninformative the actual tour was. We did have an exciting moment when the President's Marine One helicopter appeared outside the window and we were able to watch it land. Turns out the President was in House and would soon be leaving. As the crowds crammed the windows for a glimpse, we found ourselves without a view. We took the opportunity to talk to a young looking SS agent for a bit and then left out the entrance of the House. Did you know that it is one of the smaller presidential houses in the world? A mere 5000 square feet. The first family lives on the floor above the tour floor, so we didn't get even a glimpse of the first dog. As we left, we walked out front where many protests were occurring and the kids were able to witness the SS agents in action, as well as, see the snipers on the roof of the WH as his helicopter took off (well, his and the other two decoys). The amount of people who run the show all around there is staggering.

The ONLY photo we could get right after the tour. No photography allowed inside the House.

Yesterday, we were able to meet up with a relative that we've never met before. This is Kitty, who is our Great Aunt. She was married to John, who is Grandpa's brother. She is a wonderful woman who shared her amazing life stories with us for the afternoon. She traveled all over the world with John, who was a submarine captain and later, Navy Attache' in Portugal. We had a lovely afternoon with she and Michelle and Roy (her daughter and husband). After visiting the White House, it was fun to hear some government perspective from a family who is in the trenches of Washington!