Spring Break to D.C.

We just went to Washington D.C. this past week for Spring Break.  We had been tentatively planning it for a while, but it still felt spontaneous when it finally happened.  We were worried about the weather driving out because it was snowing on the way there -- we could barely see as we drove through the Appalachians in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, but then everything warmed up and I thought that winter just might be finally over -- wrong!  When we left Rebecca's house early yesterday morning it was raining super hard and by the time we made it to the same mountains again it was snowing pretty hard and the roads were terrible!  I stopped breathing a couple of times and was clutching the sides of the car -- because holding onto the door would totally keep the semi from ramming into us, right?  I was so happy to see the sun again and relieved to get out of those hills -- I am now a flatlander through and through.

We did some fun things in D.C.  We drove out on Tuesday and got there late so Wednesday morning we had a little bit of a late start.  We went to the Library of Congress and the Botanic Garden.

 This is a pic of the boys running wild through the hallways from which we were subsequently shushed out.

Charles was being crazy at the Garden and saying that he had to archive each plant so he kept pulling off leaves and flowers!  When we got back to the car he had quite a collection, brat!  We tried to explain to him how bad it would be if everyone who visited acted the same way, but he thinks he is above the law.  It was pretty funny!  He had an orchid blossom, a leaf from a "cabbage on a stick", and he had consumed a kumquat.  Before driving back we drove past the White House.

Thursday, Rebecca let her kids skip school so went into town and toured the U.S. Mint and the Holocaust Museum.  The boys enjoyed seeing where money came from and the museum was really well done!  I didn't really want to go because I knew that it would, of course, be completely depressing, but it is such a great museum!  They did a wonderful job presenting how horrific it all was.  On the way home we stopped at the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon.  It is really amazing!

Friday was Phin's birthday!!! We went to the Hirshhorn gallery, had lunch at the Native American museum and then headed over to the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial.  It was really awesome!  I heard someone say that it is one of only four memorials in D.C. that isn't dedicated to a president or a war.  As usual, the kids got right down to business of running all over the place.  They conquered it.

I actually left everyone at the gallery and had lunch with two friends from high school so that was fun.  I met them at the Natl. Gallery so I quickly ran around to see some of my faves... Vermeer, Van Gogh, Whistler, etc.  I have so many memories of that museum.  I wonder how many times we went?  50?  It is all very very familiar, thanks to my mom!

Isn't that a great selfie with Twila, Amy, and Maggie?  Love it!

We then went to Arlington Cemetery, which they know longer let you drive around, so we walked a lot!  Later, Charles made all the kids some dinner while the adults tried an amazing Korean place.  We finished the day with some candles on brownies for Phin.  Saturday we went to the temple and shopping for Ella's birthday.  Sunday we drove home!  Through the snow!  Ack!