Halloween 2018

Bob Ross, Marty McFly and Doc

Miriam went out to North Salt Lake to party and trick or treat with her school friends, the boys joined up with friends Owen and Sam to gather treats till their feet gave out.

DC Day 7

We packed up and Craig drove us to the airport.  He navigated rush hour traffic like a champ and we made our flight with plenty of time.

Our last photo was taken at Chicago O'Hare airport.  All our flights made great time and we arrived back in Utah by 6:00 pm. We picked up our car and were home before dark....ready (but not happy) to go back to work and school the next day.

This vacation was fun for sure, but I hope that when my kids look back on it they remember more than fun.  I hope they were inspired by history, by art, by importance of remembering and documenting.  I hope they were inspired by the human spirit, and the tenacity Americans have shown throughout history.  I hope they learned more about the mistakes that humanity has made, and that by learning about those mistakes we will make fewer as we go forward, but also not be afraid to apologize and move forward.  I hope they felt closer to their historic heroes, and gained a few more.  I hope they gained confidence to navigate their way in this world. I hope they noticed people who live lives very differently than ours. I hope they will always remember their time with Lisa and Craig, that they will feel connected to family and have confidence in those bonds.

I hope they made core memories as a family that we will reminisce about years from now.

DC Day 6

We got up early to catch the metro into DC to get in line for tickets to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving.  We watched $ get made!

We stopped by the Hirshorn Cafe for a small breakfast and visited the sculpture garden around the museum.

We then finished off the air part of the the Air and Space Museum

We found a last minute History through Music tour at the American History Museum.  Such a fun way to quickly see some history highlights when you don't have the energy for the whole (massive) museum.  

We saw the First Ladies dresses and finished off the museum in the Wizard of Oz display.

We were famished by this time but I had 2 friends recommend Founding Farmers for lunch or dinner. 

I made everyone trucking through the mall over to the Penn District to find it.  Miriam and I loved it, but I think the boys would have been happy with a burger anywhere by that point.

This is sadly, the only photo I have from our evenings with Craig and Lisa...my excuse is pure tourist exhausting every night.  It was so nice to put my phone away and just enjoy being in Craig and Lisa's comfortable home.  Lisa has an amazingly calming essence that just puts you at ease and Craig always make sure there was a nightly treat.  They just pampered the tourist documentarian right out of me, and so....no photos.

DC Day 5

We drove to Old Town Alexandria, VA to catch the Potomac River Taxi to Mount Vernon.

The temps started to cool down this day, so we had to huddle together to stay warm to sit outside the taxi.  The views from the Potomac River were so fun we braved the cold....anytime there is a boat option I take it (my other idea was to bike to Mount Vernon but it was 18 miles...I didn't know if that was doable with the kids)

I adore Mount Vernon.

I love George and Martha Washington...their insights, sacrifices, and quirks.

Mount Vernon makes history come alive. 

The museum on the grounds is amazing.  Totally interactive and fun movies and activities (not to mention George's wooden teeth on display!).  I would have spent another 2 hours there, but was delighted with the 4 we had.

There happened to be a Harvest Festival going on while we were there.  On the farms leading up to the mansion there was authentic time period foods cooking over open fires, a colonial band, farrier, blacksmith, and wool spinners.

DC Day 4

We drove to the National Harbor

Capital Wheel

"The Awakening"

by J. Seward Johnson

The tourist area...for Maryland crab cakes

Ben and Jerry's on the pier.

Walking along the preserve trail in Crain and Lisa's subdivision.  They live in a beautiful location where you can hear birds and frogs, watch deer bunnies and bats dart about.