Washington D.C. and Lousiville Trip

Our trip out east to visit family in Washington D.C. and Louisville, KY last week was wonderful! We were very nervous about how the crazy weather they've been having would affect our travel plans, but thankfully all of our flights ran on time and the weather was nice enough for us to get out and see a lot of the sights. It was also special just spending quality time with some of our family members that we haven't seen in a while, and may not see again for another couple of years. I am so glad we took advantage of James' time off from flying to see people before we go to Japan!

While in D.C. we stayed with James' uncle Brad and his family. He and his wife Nina have both worked in the Peace Core and had been living in Morocco for the length of James' and my relationship. However, they moved back to the states this summer and so we jumped on this opportunity to see them while we're on the same continent. =^)

We were not there long, but the time we had was very exciting. Brad and Nina made sure that we were comfortable, well fed, and well entertained. We were excited that Brad was able to take some time off from work so that we could all go see the monuments and museums together. We walked all over the mall (from The Lincoln Memorial, down past the reflecting pool to the Vietnam and WWII memorials, to the Washington Monument and on to the Smithsonian and Capitol buildings.) It was A LOT of walking - but thanks to my recent physical therapy, I was able to handle it all ok. There was SO much history to take in there, and I was just excited to finally see all of these famous sites in person.

One of the coolest things that happened while we were down there was that we got to see President Barack Obama himself! All day, James had been joking that maybe we would see his boss while we were in town, and sure enough - there he was! They had the roads all blocked off as the Presidential motorcade went through, and we managed to catch a glimpse of him on his cell phone in the back of the second limo that went by. You can't see him in this picture, but he's in there!

After seeing all of the monuments, we decided to walk around in the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian. We only had time to really see one of the museums there, and I figured that would be an appropriate choice since that was a very patriotic day. Brad and Nina were not able to stay with us the entire time because they had to go make sure their kids could get home safely from school, but we had plenty of time to wander around before taking the metro train back to their neighborhood.

One of the most impressive exhibits was called "The Star Spangled Banner". They actually had the original flag that flew above Ft. McHenry and inspired Francis Scott Key to write our national anthem. I was amazed by how HUGE the flag is. I wasn't aloud to take any pictures in the exhibit, but it's just about the size of that metal sculpture outside the doors. Truly a sight to behold!

After that we walked around in various smaller exhibits - looking at some fun pop culture items like the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz and the original Kermit the Frog muppet. We also saw some really old musical instruments that I'm sure my parents would have appreciated. After that, we moved into the area that James was most interested in, which was all about the American Presidency. We got to see all kinds of original artifacts like Abe Lincoln's famous top hat and suit, furniture and toys from various occupants of the White House, and all kinds of other important documents and pictures. James even got to see what it feels like to give a Presidential Address.

After that we went through the exhibit that I chose - "The Price of Freedom", all about the various wars we've been involved in. It was fascinating tracing our history trough these different events, and seeing how technology and weaponry developed over the years. They also had some other neat things to look at in there including example of clothing and advertisements from the time period. There was a whole display case full of products made for women on the home-front during WWII including leg make-up that would make it look like you're wearing stockings even if you couldn't afford any, and a bullet shaped lipstick dispenser. I think James and I walked out of that exhibit feeling very grateful that we get to live now rather than back in any of those time periods.

One of the last exhibits we saw (which I was very excited about) was Julia Child's kitchen. It probably would not have been as interesting if we had not recently seen the movie Julie & Julia, which depicts the biography of Julia Child and one of her fans named Julie Powell. At the end of the movie, after having cooked through all of the recipes in Julia Child's cookbook, Julie and her husband go on a pilgrimage to see Julia's kitchen at the Smithsonian. I was thrilled to be stepping into a scene from one of my new favorite movies and seeing everything in person. It was a very overwhelming day!


Our final stop during our tour of DC was at the Capitol building. It really is a very impressive sight, and I'm so glad that we went!

Our trip to Louisville was much longer and more laid back. We had planned on trying to see some of our friends who live in the area while we were there, but we just weren't feeling up to it. Anyway, I wanted to spend as much time with my grandparents as possible since I don't know when/if I will see them again. Sad - but true. =^(

We had a great time just visiting and swapping stories about our families and recent things that we've done. We also had a lot of fabulous food - as always! My grandmother saved the last of this year's cream corn for me, and made up a batch of her famous sweet potato casserole, which James devoured pretty quickly. Saturday night we went to church with them so James got to see what the inside of a true mega church looks like. And Sunday - my Grandparents and my Uncle John gave us a special treat by taking us down to Claudia Sanders' Dinner House in Shelbyville, KY. Claudia was the wife of the famous Col. Sanders - founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. This is the restaurant where they first started serving their special recipe and so we got to have real Kentucky fried chicken, along with an all-you-can-eat buffet of fabulous southern cuisine.

I definitely had a hard time saying goodbye to my grandparents, but we had a truly wonderful time and I know we'll keep in touch through email and such until I can find a way to get back and visit again.