Washington DC Trip: Day 3

We woke up on this Wednesday ready to go and see some amazing things today. Our first item on the agenda was probably one of the hottest tickets in town and took over 3 months for us to get. We were lucky enough to get tickets in to the White House. We had to go through so many of the Utah Senator's offices to get our tickets and this was one where they couldn't guarantee us these tickets until just a few days before we left for DC. It was also one of the strictest security guidelines we had to follow out of all of the buildings we were going to visit. We weren't allowed to bring in any cameras, water, chapstick, cell phones, hats, or sunglasses. Basically we were able to have our ID on us and that was it. So obviously we don't have any pictures from that tour, but we will tell some stories from that later.

Here is a picture of the dome in the Capitol building. That was the second tour of the day that we were able to attend right after the White House. This was another tour that we had to go through Utah Senators offices to get. It was actually my favorite tour of the day because it was done really well and the tour guide was very personable.

Our final tour of the day was at the Library of Congress. Jason and I can't seem to stay away from universities and libraries when we travel, but they are always wonderful destinations. I can't believe what is held at the Library of Congress and how much they archive. Basically they collect everything from comic books, newspapers, encyclopedias, and even different versions of the Bible. It was such an interesting place that I wished we lived closer to it so that we could use it more often.

We had a great day that was busy and stuffed full of information. I think we are both still processing all of the amazing sites that we were able to see today and extremely grateful that we were able to plan and prepare far enough in advance to do so. We can't wait for tomorrow.

Washington DC Trip: Day 2

We arrived in DC! It was a long red-eye flight but it was worth it to make it here early. When we arrive early in the morning we usually just drop off our luggage and hit the town. Today we jumped on a bus just to get our bearings and see some of the main sites. Here are some that we saw today:

We saw the Washington Monument from a distance. You can pretty much see that from all over Washington DC, and it is one of the first things you recognize from the airplane.

We went and walked around the Jefferson Memorial. The Memorial is in a kind of an isolated area and surrounded by a tidal basin so we explored the area. It is a beautiful building with a dome ceiling and stone pillars. Since it is a ways outside of DC it actually was a pretty good view of the area because everything in DC is so close you almost need to leave the area to observe it.


We continued to ride around the city getting off to see some of the major historical landmarks. We eventually got hungry and ate at Union Station. We were exhausted from our redeye flight and from running around all day in the heat, but once the sun went below the horizon we just couldn't resist going for another walk.

Just a few blocks away from our hotel is one of the most famous houses in the whole world: The White House. We wanted to go and see it lit at night so we rode the Metro for a bit and then walked over to see the view. We decided to see the backside of the White House since we will be touring the front part tomorrow. We were able to get right up to the fence that separates the street and the Obama's backyard and stick our faces through it. We were looking on to the Rose Garden where the Obama family likes to go outside and play with their dog, Bo. No sighting on them tonight, but we weren't expecting to see anything

A view of the backside of the White House and the Rose Garden.

Washington DC Trip: Day 1

Jason and I are off on another adventure! This one isn't very far and doesn't require a passport to travel there, but it is somewhere that I know Jason has always wanted to visit: Washington DC. We have been planning this trip for over a year now which means that it snuck up on us quite fast. With us packing up and getting ready to move to California we had to juggle between packing up the whole house but leaving enough out for this trip. We were still packing up till the hour we left to go to the St. George airport! We have so many exciting events up ahead that waiting to get to them is always the hardest part. Right now we are at the SLC airport waiting for our connection to DC. Since we were going to be here for a few hours we decided to try something that we have never done before at an airport. We wanted to test out the Delta Sky Club. Let's just say that this is the only way to wait for a late flight! They have free snacks, drinks, and internet to allow you to relax and enjoy the time. It is so quiet without any screaming kids and so much more comfortable that I wished the airports could all be this nice. Here is a picture of Jason enjoying this first part of our journey with a ginger ale and some goodies. Ginger ale is our favorite traveling drink. We won't get to DC until tomorrow and will be running around town the whole time. Hopefully we won't exhaust ourselves so that we can post some pictures at the end of the day.

Favorite Picture Friday: July 8th, 2011 Sister Missionary Special

We are so lucky in my family to have a cousin as awesome as Ashley! She recently graduated from Dixie State College and was called to serve an LDS mission in Utica, New York. She has such an amazing testimony and fun personality that I know she will be amazing out there. We took some missionary pictures of her and she looks so adorable in them that I couldn't choose just one! I just had to show off how amazing she is, and I was so grateful that she was willing to go with me on some of these crazy picture ideas! I know she will be doing so much good in the world, but I am going to miss her so much. Maybe we will have to convince her to come to California once she returns home! Enjoy these lovely pictures of the soon-to-be Sister Ashley Blackburn.

Here is one of Ashley's favorite scriptures.

See how much fun she is!

Also, just an update on our moving status. We continue to pack and plan because our time in St. George is sadly running out. We will be out of town next week and then the week after we will be leaving lovely Utah and heading for sunny California. We both can't believe how fast this time has gone but we are so excited to move to Costa Mesa!

Favorite Picture Friday: July 1st, 2011

This Friday I have to admit that I am currently not with my adorable husband. I am actually with my mom right now in Spokane, Washington getting ready to fly back to Utah. I was lucky enough to accompany her on a Principals Association Retreat to Coeur d'Alene, ID. It was sort of last minute when she mentioned that she was going to be traveling all alone and then we both realized that I have time right now to keep her company. I love having a job where I get paid year round but still get the summers off to have opportunities such as this. We left on Wednesday and are coming back today so even though we aren't gone for very long it feels like forever when I don't get to travel with Jason. He is just such a treat to travel with, but my mom and I had a few good laughs and some fun memories along the way. Here are some pictures from beautiful Coeur d'Alene:

Here is the Coeur d'Alene Resort that we stayed at on this trip. As you can see it is right next to the beautiful lake which we enjoyed going and watching the boats go by.

This is a picture of the Boardwalk that starts at the resort and extends into the lake to this cool bridge. We enjoyed going out a couple of times to get the best view on the lake.

A picture of the Boardwalk Bridge.

Coeur d'Alene has a ton of these red geraniums around town.



While mom was busy at work in meetings and planning events I walked around the edge of the lake. I couldn't believe how nice the weather way up there. It was in the low 80's with a slight breeze. Everyone that I talked to was talking about how they were finally getting nice weather up there and that their winter was too long. When I told them that it's 115 degrees down in St. George they couldn't believe it. I was walking along the beach and decided to chase some seagulls.

There are a ton of piers and docks around town that are fun to walk out on and stick your feet in the water.

Here is another shot of a beach along the lake. Of course the water was too cold for anyone to go swimming, but we all enjoyed skipping rocks and enjoying the sand.

Part of mom's conference included going on a dinner boat tour of the lake. This picture is taken just as we were leaving the dock. It was so relaxing to be out on the boat eating delicious food. Apparently northern Idaho is famous for huckleberries, so we were able to enjoy some for dinner. It's amazing what they've been able to make with huckleberries: chocolate, jam, bubble gum, syrup, popcorn, candy, and licorice. I think our favorite application was huckleberry BBQ sauce. Yum!

It was a gorgeous place to visit and a lovely, relaxing vacation. I had a blast being able to travel with my mom. If you are ever in northern Idaho you must go and visit Coeur d'Alene! Thanks Mom for letting me tag along with you on this fun adventure.