A Trip to the Capitol

The Tuesday after Nate and I got engaged (aka best day ever), Nate left for a work trip to Washington DC. The good news was that it had finally worked out that I could meet him to spend some time in the Capitol and visit our friend Paddy (his name is Patrick, but he informed me a long time ago that Patty is a girls' name). I was ecstatic because I had never been! The only hard part was the red-eye I took to get there, but I can honestly say I got at least around 3 hours of sleep; the most sleep I have ever gotten on a plane.

When I arrived Nate was waiting for me at the airport. The weather was definitely chilly, but it was really nice out. The first day we hit the National Archives and the American History Museum. WARNING : a lot of pics are coming your way!

Nate on the way to the Archives.. I LOVED all the building in DC!
The Constitution at the Archives. It was so neat to see first-hand such an important document.
I took this picture for my pops at the National History Museum. It's one of the Vietnam exhibits (yes, that is a real-size helicopter).
I didn't get a picture of the most famous American flag, which was on display. It was HUGE! You couldn't take pictures of it, but it was truly amazing. The whole flag exhibit was cool with a lot of history you didn't know and different versions of our National Anthem playing.

Saturday, Paddy and his friend, Marie, started our "Touristy" day off by taking us to the new Visitor's Center at the Capitol.

Here we are at Mall side of the Capitol..
This had to be my favorite building. It was so cool and that is lady Freedom sittin' on top there.

We took a quick tour through the building. Our tour guide was a crack-up, told us all about Tommy J and our other historical figures :) This is a picture of one of the ceilings in the Capitol it depicts George Washington (under the purple blanket) next to Freedom and Liberty, and then the rest of the circle are the 13 ladies who represent the first 13 colonies..


We took the underground tunnel to the Library of Congress, which you all know I loved...

Paddy and Marie left us there to continue our trip down the mall. It's a pretty good walk, but the views were worth it. Also the weather was great, definitely warmer than the day before.

Washington Monument..

Obama's new place..
The World War II Memorial. I wasn't too impressed with this one. I think it could have been because the fountains weren't on, but it was just so-so for me.
Nate and I at the Lincoln Memorial looking out over the mall. We couldn't get a single person to take a decent picture of us! Oh well..
Here he is in all his glory. He is HUGE, by the way. That little mound to the right is someone's head!
The spot at the Memorial where Martin Luther King, Jr delivered his most famous speech..

Probably the hardest part of the trip for me was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. All those names were a reminder of how many had fought and lost their lives in Vietnam. More personally, every one of those names was a harsh reminder of what my Dad had been through..

We found one name for my Dad. One friend he had lost in the war, Lieutenant Mott.
I am so glad I got the opportunity to check out Washington DC. I feel like everyone should try and get there at least once in their lives. It really is a National treasure.