Michelle & Tony Trip: Day 6: Driving, The White House, Musumes, & Flying Home

On our last day of our vacation we started off by checking out of our hotel and heading back towards Washington D.C.
It rained pretty much the whole time we drove.  We got tired of driving and knew we needed umbrella's so we looked up a Costco and stopped to do some shopping.  After that we drove a little longer before stopping for some lunch.
Then it was only about an hour and a half until we got to D.C.  We decided to drive around DuPont Circle to see some of the embassy's.  It was fun to see all the different flags flying outside these amazing looking buildings.

After that we made our way by the White House.  We were able to see some of the front of the White House from our car but we knew we would have to walk to see it up close.  So we found a good parking spot and then made the trek up the hill to see the White House.
While we were walking to the back of the house I thought it was still a ways up the road when I saw a bunch of people taking pictures.  I though that they were all taking selfies with the Washington Memorial until I looked over and saw the White House.  I felt pretty stupid.  Silly me. 
We then decided to check out the back of the White House.  We got to see the US Treasury Department building.  It was heavily guarded and right next to the White House.  We then saw the front of the White House and got a picture.  I did have to ask a guard which was the front and which was the back.
We then found a cute White House gift shop.  We found some souvenirs that we liked before going back to our car to see if we could move it closer to the museum.   
We lucked out and found the perfect spot close the Holocaust Museum.  We only had an hour to go through the museum but that was enough time to get the highlights of such a horrific thing that happened in our history.
After that we headed to the airport where we dropped off our rental car and took the bus to the airport.  We then made our way to our terminal and then found some food for dinner.  Then we waited for our flight.  Both our flights went good without any problems.  We then got our car out of long term parking and drove home at about 12:30 am.  Margie and Lloyd were waiting for us at our house with our sleeping children.  It was so nice of them to take such good care of our children for us.  We are glad to be home with our kids again but totally happy we were able to get away and see some of the sights in our great nation.

Michelle & Tony Trip: Day 5: Church, Boating, & Family

We started our Sunday off with some sweet religion.  Luckily for us it was ward conference for the ward we went to and they decided to have just two meetings both an hour and a half long.  So we got an extended sacrament meeting.  The stake president talked about when he was in the Marines and that was pretty cool.
After church we went to Wendy and Gabe's house and got changed before packing up the car to go on another boat ride.  This time we went in the water that takes us right by the Norfolk Navy Shipyard.
We got to see really big ships in the water and some outside the water being worked on.  Always such a cool site to see.
After driving by the shipyard we docked the boat and went and got some yummy lunch.
After eating we got back on the boat and had a nice ride back to the car.  After getting the boat back on the trailer we went back to Wendy's house.  We hung out there for a while relaxing in the cool house and chatting with Wendy and Gabe.

Tony feel asleep while we were chatting so we let him sleep while I went with Wendy to do her grocery shopping.  It's always fun to hang out with my sister.  After shopping and hanging out a little longer Tony and I decided to go get some dinner.  We stopped at a yummy place called Mission BBQ.  It is kind of like Dickie's but all military themed.  After dinner we went back to our hotel and started to get packed and ready to leave back to D.C. the next morning.

Michelle & Tony Trip: Day 4: Boat, Beach, Jets, & the Game

Tony and I enjoyed sleeping in this day.  We didn't have to be anywhere super early and it was so nice to take our time.  After eating breakfast we still had an hour before we needed to be at Wendy's so we went and walked around Sam's Club (because we are that cool).
After shopping we went to Wendy's where Gabe was all ready to take us out boating.  Gabe and Wendy took us to Virginia Beach to see if we could find some dolphins and to watch the jets from the air show that was going on that weekend.
The weather was perfect again.  They have such a nice boat and we loved riding in it.  It didn't take too long for Gabe to spot some dolphins.  Then we spotted more and more.  Gabe followed a family of dolphins and we ended up seeing six or more all around our boat swimming around.  Wendy said it was the most dolphins she's ever seen at once.  It was super cool to see.
After the dolphins scattered we decided to stop and get some lunch.  Gabe docked the boat and we walked like a block away to a yummy restaurant right on the beach front.  After eating we walked on the beach and let Benje play for a little while.  The sand was nice and the water wasn't too cold.
Lots of people were on the beach enjoyed the nice weather.  After Benje played for a while we walked back on the boardwalk and then went into a cute beach shop where I found some cute shirts for the kids.

Then it was back to the boat.  Gabe found us a sweet spot to anchor the boat so we could watch the Blue something Jets.  I put my feet in the water and then sat in the boat waiting for the jets.  They did not disappoint.  Their were four of them that flew right by us multiple times doing different formations and rotations.  It was really good and the perfect setting being on a boat in the water.
Once they appeared to be done we decided to be done boating for the day.  We went back to Wendy and Gabe's house.  Tony helped Gabe clean off the boat while I hung out with Wendy who was washing her dogs.

After all that fun Tony and I decided to go back to our hotel and see if we could get the BYU game.  Our hotel did not have the channel it was on but Tony was able to get it on the tablet and so we watched the first half from that.
We went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner.  They have a million TV screens for watching games so we thought maybe they would have the game.  They didn't have ESPN 3 but they did have BYU TV so that worked for us.  We were able to watch most of the second half at the restaurant.
After we were done eating we went back to the hotel to watch the rest of the game.  It was fun to be able to watch the game and try a new restaurant.

Michelle & Tony Trip: Day 3: Coast Guard Base - Swimmer School

After seeing all the airplanes and helicopters we went to see the swimmer school.  Even though I had already seen it in May I was still super excited to see it again, and so was Tony (for the first time).
We got to see the regular classrooms, the classrooms where the learn to sew and work on the rubber rafts.  We also saw their gym with all the workout equipment inside and outside.
Then it was time to see the pool.
This time there were actually people in the pool doing different trainings with the instructor.  We got to watch them swim in the water with gear on and then their instructor turned on the wave machine and current maker and we saw them doing drills in the water.  Very cool stuff.
Gabe then turned on the waves and water sprayer and noise on the other side of the pool so that we could see the different conditions that they can make the pool for the trainees.  Once again it was super awesome!
After seeing that Gabe took us to the other building to show up his office where he gets to write up all the tests that the swimmers have to take to advance their rank.  It's not his favorite room because it has no windows and he is stuck in their often.  But it was a cool room.
After seeing all the sweet swim school stuff we then stopped at the Coast Guard store.  I really wanted to buy some more Coast Guard shirts for me and the kids.  I even bought a cute purse that Wendy talked me into buying.  It is cute and she bought one too so we are twinners.
That was the end of our sweet tour of the Coast Guard base in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.  Such an awesome experience to be around so much military awesomeness.  Makes me so proud to be an American and to have such a super cool brother-in-law.
We stopped at a really cute store that is more like a farmer's market.  They had tons of different foods for sale and a lot that you could sample.  They had jelly's, salsas, mustard's, ciders, nuts, etc. It was really fun and I wish we had a place like that here.
After that we went back to Wendy's.  Her ear was really hurting her so she wanted to go into the urgent care to see if it was infected.  While she did that Tony and I went and checked into our hotel.

After that we went back to Wendy's house and went with Gabe to drop off Benje and the YMCA for "Parents Night Out".  Then we picked up Jacob from band practice before going back to Wendy's.
It didn't take Wendy too long at the doctor and came back with a fungus infection in her ear.  So we then all went out to dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant.  The food was good and the company was better.
After that fun day we went back to the hotel for some good sleep.  What a great day with our family!

Michelle & Tony Trip: Day 3: Coast Guard Base - Airplanes & Helicopters

After we checked out of our hotel in Alexandria we made our way down to Chesapeake. It took us about three and a half hours.  It rained for a good part of the morning.  It made us glad that we were not walking around D.C. in the rain.
We made plans to eat lunch with Wendy after we got to her house. We got there at around noon.  We then chatted a little while before we got in her car to go pick up Benje from school.  He was so excited to see us, but especially Tony.  He love his Uncle Tony.
Then we picked up some lunch on our way to Elizabeth City, North Carolina.  That is where the Coast Guard Base is located and it is so super amazing.  We had to show our I.D.'s when we got to the gate and then Gabe came out and met us at the car.  He joined us in the car and he took us to the airfield where the airplanes and helicopters are located.
We first went into the building where the rescue swimmers and airmen who are stationed at Elizabeth City hang out and they were all really nice.  This is where we met up with the Chief over that station and he was the one who took us out to see the helicopters and airplanes.

We first went to the helicopters and saw all the  cool things inside of them.  Benje got to sit in the seats and and even be the pilot.  After that we went into the airplane hanger and saw a really big airplane.  We got to go inside and see the cargo area and then I even got to sit in the pilot seat.

We chatted with the pilot who was on the airplane with a mechanic.  He was so nice and answered all our questions.  It was super awesome and made me feel like a little kid checking out the fun ride.  It was all super awesome and made us feel so special.  We are so lucky to have the sweet hook ups!

Michelle & Tony Trip: Day 2: More Museums & Monuments

After our awesome tour of the Capital we went to the National Air and Space Museum. We got to see some really cool airplanes and space crafts.  They even have the 1903 Wright Flyer from the Wright Brothers.  It was pretty cool to see that in person.
They had an old space station room that you could walk through and see how the astronauts showered, ate, and even went to the bathroom.  That was one of the highlights for sure from that museum.

They were setting up for an even that they were having that night so we didn't get to go into some of the exhibits.  But we had a great time checking everything out.  After we saw everything that we wanted to see we walked to the closest Circular stop and waited for the bus.  We wanted to go see a few more monument
before we were completely exhausted.
One of my tops places I wanted to see was the Lincoln Memorial.  It was kind of a long bus ride, but it was totally worth it.  We happened to be on the bus next to members of the church from California.  It was fun to chat with them.
The Lincoln Memorial did not disappoint.  It was amazing.  I loved going inside the building and seeing the statue of Lincoln and all the quotes that are around the memorial.
Coming out of the building was breathtaking.  You see the Washington Memorial and it's  reflection off the water.  It is so awesome.  Then a little further in the distance you see the Capital building.  It is laid out very impressively.
We then walked down to the other side of the water and saw the World War II Memorial.  They have these cool pillars with wreaths on them representing each state.  They also have a pool of water in the middle of the circle of wreathed pillars.  It was very pretty.
We talked about trying to see some other sites, but we were both super exhausted and decided to just get back to the car.  We then drove back towards our hotel and stopped and had dinner at the Olive Garden.  After dinner we went back to our hotel for a much needed good nights sleep.  We both got almost 30,000 steps and we felt it. 

Michelle & Tony Trip: Day 2: Capital Tour

After we got to the building that the senators offices are located we had to go through security before finding Mia Love's office.
After we found her office we signed into the book that was outside her office and then went in.  We were right on time but the assistant person wanted us to wait for another couple that was coming.  We chatted with her for about 15-20 minutes before the interns came in and were ready to take us on our tour.  They said they would just have the other couple meet up with us.
Their were two young ladies who took us on our tour.  One goes to the U of U and the other BYU.  They were both very nice.
We got to go through the underground tunnel from the office building to the Capital building.  It was pretty neat.  The main room that we went into had many statues from all the different states.  Each state has two statues representing their state.  The first one we saw was of the inventor of the television.  The other was of Brigham Young.  I got a picture with that one.  So fun.
We got to see a replica of the statue that is on top of the capital building.  It was really impressive to see what the statue looks like up close.
After that we walked around the capital and saw a lot of different rooms.  It was very impressive to see the paintings and the room that the supreme court originally met in.
After our tour with the interns they gave us passes to go into the House of Representatives side of the Capital and the Senate side of the Capital (they are on opposite sides).  The House of Representatives side was closed and they wouldn't let us go in and see it, but they did let us go into the the Senate side.  Before we could go in we had to give up our phones, watches, and even our fit bits.  We also had to go through more security and a full body scan but then we got to see the room that the president gives his State of the Union addresses in.  We had to talk quietly and remove our hats.  It was very neat to see the room and to take in all the history.  After our tour we went to the gift shop and found some cute shirts for us.  We had a great time touring the Capital and we were thankful that we got a personal tour.

Michelle & Tony Trip: Day 2: Morning Monuments & Museums

Tony found a parking garage that we were able to prepay for a spot.  We drove to the garage and then walked up to the Union station where we picked up The Circulater bus.  We then took the bus to the station that was closest to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.  We wanted to see how money is made.  In order to make sure that we got tickets for a tour we wanted to be in line by 8:00 am and we were.  After we got our tickets for the tour we walked down and saw the Washington Monument.  It was very impressive.
After that we walked back up the hill to be ready for when they opened the building for our tour.  We were able to look around their gift shop and visitors center while we waited for our tour.  Then it was time...we were excited.  We got to see how they take the paper brought in from another company and make all the different printings on it.  Then we saw how they cut and trim notes and then set them up to be completed.  It was a neat tour and I am glad that we were able to see it.
After seeing the money being made we walked to the Smithsonian Institute Building (The Castle).  Inside we saw models of the Smithsonian on and near the National Mall area.  We also got a pamphlet about all the different museums to help us know which ones we wanted to visit.
First on our list was to visit the National Museum of American History.  We got our map of the building and made our way through each of the exhibits.  Their were lots of interesting things to look at and we both really enjoyed this museum.  We then ate lunch at the cafe in the museum.  It wasn't too bad.  We then saw the rest of the museum before checking out the gift shop.  We didn't find anything we wanted so we headed out to our next stop.
We stopped at the Smithsonian American Art Museum for just a little bit before going up the hill to the Capital.  We walked around and saw some pretty interesting paintings and sculptures.  We felt that the half an hour we were there was plenty for that type of art.
We didn't want to be late to meet with the intern from our Senator's office so we planned lots of time to get there.  It was a good thing we did because it took us longer to walk there then we thought and then we had to walk around the building where her office was located.

Michelle & Tony Trip: Day 1: Arlington National Cemetery

It was only about a 15 minute drive to Arlington and we had no problems parking.  We went into the main visitors center and got us a map and tickets to the tram that takes you all around the cemetery and they tell you interesting facts about the cemetery.
This place was a lot bigger then I thought it was going to be.  I have seen pictures but that only gives you one small glance at exactly how big this cemetery is.  They told us that they had 25 funerals set up for just the day we were there and they have 25-30 funerals a day five days a week.  That was just shocking to me.  So they did warn us that some tours may be delayed or rerouted because of funerals.  It is sobering to think about that many funerals a day.

I was shocked to learn that there are more then 400,000 people buried in this cemetery.  All active duty service members, veterans and their families.  They told us that the service member, their spouse, and one child can be buried here.  They do have to be someone who has a pretty high rank or someone who dies while protecting our country (I think).
We found the tram and got our sweet seats and waited for our journey to begin.  The weather was perfect.  It was warm and sunny and a little humid.
We didn't get off the tram at every stop.  Many of the stops we weren't familiar with the history so it didn't interest us much.  Next time we go we will have to check out the history before we go.

Our first and main stop was at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  I really wanted to see this monument and to see the Changing of the Guard.  I have heard about this and wanted to witness this in person.
On one side of the street are many graves and even Space Shuttle Memorials.  Their were three big stones that had the names and faces of the people who died on each of the space shuttle missions.  It was really cool to see that for them. Never to be forgotten.
On the other side of the street is a really big structure with huge pillars and steps that go up into a large auditorium with a stage at the front.  Many seats all around the room and what looks like box seats in the back.  It was amazing to see how well made this was.

I asked one of the workers if they ever use this for anything anymore and he says that they have ceremony's there for different things, like Memorial Day.
Around the other side of this big area are more steps that go down to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Their is a guard there marching around in a very specific manner all day everyday no matter then weather or time of year.

When we got there they were doing a ceremony with some high school kids for people who have died.  They walked down the steps with the soldier and gave a flower wreath to another soldier to display.  After that another different soldier plays the Taps on the trumpet for that person.  It was such a neat experience to witness.  They did this two times with two different groups of teens.  What an awesome experience for them to be personally involved.  Lucky kids.

After the ceremony was completed we waited for the Changing of the Guard.  It happens every half of an hour during the busy months.  It was very impressive to watch the soldier march around in a very specific manner.  How many steps he took, how he took those steps, how he moved his arms, how he moved his gun all done perfectly and precisely.  Then when the next soldier came to switch places that was all done very precisely as well.  The soldier in charge came and looked over the soldier coming to replace and everything had to be just perfect on him to be able to replace the current soldier.
We were told that this is a very coveted spot for these soldiers and only top performing and ranking Army soldiers get to do it.  It was a beautiful site and amazing to see in person.

After that awesome experience we got back on the tram to see some more of the cemetery.   After going all the way around the cemetery we decided to go check out their visitors center some more and the gift shop.
After buying a couple things we then decided to drive to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial on our way out.  We could have walked there from where we were but we were done at the cemetery so it was on our way.

The Marine memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) was so much bigger in person then I thought it was going to be.  I have seen pictures, but it did it no justice. This memorial is outside the gates of the cemetery and is surrounded by lots of grass and on a beautiful piece of land.  Another very sobering site to witness in person and to really feel the dedication of those Marines working to put up our flag for our freedom's.  Man we live in an awesome country.
After that we drove around to see some of the other memorials before we walked around them the next day.  Then we decided we were tired and hungry so it was back to the hotel for some dinner and then a good nights sleep.  It was a super long day but it was so much fun to be in D.C. and to go around Arlington.