A Day to Remember

Today is a day we remember our fallen heroes. And there are over 2,400,000 in the history of our nation. While we are enjoying the activities of this day, may we not forget the price so many have paid to preserve our freedom.

To every service member who gave all on my behalf... Thank you.

Lest we forget the pain of sacrifice, I encourage you to read this article. 

It is a powerful reminder of the price of freedom: A Soldier's Reflection for Memorial Day.

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone day down his life for his friends." - John 15:13

Markets, Monuments & Museums...Day Two in D.C.

Day two in Washington D.C. was far more relaxing, and thankfully, it was a bit cooler! After a city run and a breakfast of coffee, juice and fruit in the hotel, we donned our walking shoes (and left our purses in the car this time! Thank heavens for husbands willing to trade off a heavy backpack all day!) and hit the streets of D.C.! 

A trip to Eastern Market, all the war memorials and several major monuments, a snack in the park, the Holocaust Museum and a quick trip to Georgetown for a bite to eat (no photos from there, sadly!) made day two the overall favorite of everyone in the group! Just seeing all these photos again makes me want to go back and enjoy it all over again!  

 How adorable is this place?

 The photo on the right was a complete accident (I hit the shutter as I lowered my camera!) But just looking at the texture of the gravel makes me feel like I'm walking on the Mall! 

 A delightful afternoon snack of cheese and crackers!! This may have been my favorite moment of the whole trip! 

 Overheated and tired, I mentioned in passing how much I would love a lemonade and the next thing I knew, Strom had run off and returned from a snack shop with a cup of delicious lemonade for me! That's my hubby! :)

 Thomas Jefferson said that if you wish to preserve history, forget books, write your words in stone. Greatness is written on this wall. Evidence of a man of God and integrity. 

From flowers to the reality of evil... If you're ever in D.C., the Holocaust Museum is by far the best done museum I have ever been to (and trust me, I have been to many - I was homeschooled, that's what we did for fun!). It so so worth the time and experience. 

Halfway through the week! 

Happy Wednesday!

Springtime Memories & Washington D.C.

This past week has been spring break in our house. It's been nice having my hubby around and not losing him to his studies! Alas, that has come to an end, but we have some pretty fun memories of Strom's week away from classes! Our favorite being our trip to Washington D.C. with our friends Brandon and Breanne. The second we learned they hadn't been to the city yet (both are from the same general area Strom is in WA), we started planning our adventure together! 

It was a complete blast that included many touristy stops (how can you not hit a few of those up each time?) and a few new ones even to us! From war memorials to museums, food markets to Georgetown, we had a wonderful -albeit rather hot!- adventure in D.C.!  

I grew up adoring New York City, but D.C. is quickly becoming my favorite city!

 If you're thinking to yourself what the heck...? I should inform you that we had a hunch that on the surprisingly hot spring afternoon, the bananas in the car would not make it through the day. Therefore, the men took it upon themselves to be sure they didn't go to waste. We laughed so hard watching the scene unfold that it was hard to keep the camera steady!

 We journeyed into Arlington National Cemetery... A most sobering experience.

 Spring is out in full force in D.C.! 

  A quick resting stop on the Mall before we continued on to the National Archives!

A much needed refueling stop at one of the many Starbucks around town! (I love me some Java Chip Frappuccinos! Feel free to keep the calorie count to yourself, thank you!)  

 After exploring the Museum of American History 'til closing time, we rested in the grass before heading out to dinner at The Old Ebbitt Grill!

Part two coming tomorrow! 

Happy Tuesday to ya!