One Last Visit to Washington DC

This weekend we went to DC one last time before we move back to CA. It was bittersweet but totally worth the trip. We started off the morning in the beautiful DC temple. Then headed downtown to checkout Ford's theater (where Abraham Lincoln was shot). After the theater we went to the Natural History Museum. We got to see the Hope Diamond and bunch of really cool exhibits. While at the museum we met up with some friends from California and then walked down to the white house. The whole night was a blast!

The next morning we headed out of town and on the way out we went to Georgetown and I got to see DC cupcakes! I was soo excited. I was going to get one but the line was so long and we needed to fit a lot of things in so we took a picture instead :)

Gettysburg... there are so many things that could be said about this experience. It was truly amazing. I didn't realize the battle took place in such a huge area (24 square miles!). The picture in the upper right of the collage is a picture taken of "Wheat Field", this was one of the most bloodiest battles where bodies were piled on top of each other. Those who were alive but could escape were left for days and could hear the wild pigs at night eating the flesh of the dead soldiers. Graphic, but true. These are the kinds of things that stir my heart to gratitude for the sacrifices our soldiers made for our country. They had such courage and strength. More than I could ever imagine.

On the morning of our second day we went to Arlington National Cemetery. It was beautiful! It was a reverent place. One thing I learned when visiting was that Arlington was originally the home of General Lee from the Civil War. His home still stands on the cemetery. During the Civil War, a union general disliked Lee so much that he took his home away during the war and declared the property to be a national cemetery. That is how it became Arlington Cemetery. Lee was never allowed to live there again and suffered much hardship after the war.