National Harbor and Great Falls

Well, we have been out and about!  Last weekend we visited the National Harbor.  We parked in Alexandria and took a Water Taxi across.  Today we went to a place called Great Falls.  It is a group of falls on the Potomac River.  Here are some pics!

On the Water Taxi on our way to the National Harbor!

This is a cool sculpture at the National Harbor called Awakening.  We were told by a lady on the water taxi that it was first in a park, but has been recently moved here so more people could see it.  Which explains a lot, because we first saw this sculpture in National Treasure and it was in a park setting.  See, you learn so much from movies!

Giant Ferris Wheel at the National Harbor.

Inside the Gaylord Hotel.  We were told (by that same lady) that we should stop here. We are in a giant atrium that faces the river.

Great Falls!

In my old age, I would like to think that I have become wiser.  I have recently decided that when I am going to be in the sun, a big floppy hat is a must have.  I now have two, and I love them!

Unfortunately, big floppy hats make pictures a little awkward.  :)

After 3 years of having a computer major, Kyle finally has a smart phone!  So far it means chatting with his best buddies and sending impressively clear pics to them.

Monticello and Blacksburg Lasleys

Well, we had another fun filled weekend.  We left Friday after Kyle got home and headed to Charlottesville, VA to a hotel.  We wanted to get to Monticello early the next morning.  Monticello was the home of Thomas Jefferson.  Kyle had been there in 2008 when he was out east for a family wedding.  He went in the Fall after I had left on my mission and before he left.  He had saved post cards from Monticello and had periodically sent them to be over the course of the two years, so it was really fun to finally see the beautiful Monticello.  And it really was amazing.  We had seen Mt. Vernon a few weeks ago, and had enjoyed it, but Kyle had maintained that he like Monticello better, and I have to say I agree with him.  The architecture was very impressive.  Jefferson had a lot of French influence and his home is very functional but also gorgeous.  Here's a few pictures.

Waiting to start our visit with a video about Jefferson.  At this point we hadn't seen the house and Kyle is holding a nickle which has Monticello on it.

This is in the basement of Monticello.  Jefferson designed a pulley system to bring his wines up to the main floor.

Monticello!

This is a green house that sits off of Jefferson's study. It was pretty, but best of all, offered a very cool, breezy place to relax.

Monticello sits on top of a little mountain.  The views were spectacular.

Kyle next to his friend, Thomas Jefferson!

At one point we were sitting on one of Jefferson's porches, eating a snack and relaxing with the view. We were talking about our lives in college and reflecting on where we are now after being married for almost 4 years.  Kyle spontaneously got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him.  It was beautiful and precious.  Kyle will probably kill me for posting about it, but it is a sweet memory I never want to forget.  And of course, I said yes!

After our fun filled day at Monticello, we headed farther south to visit Sam, Amber, Ked and Tyn.  It was so fun to hang out with them, though we didn't get to stay as long as we would have liked.  The boys are adorable and loved Kyle.  This always happens to Kyle.  Even here, with the three girls, he has a way of rallying them up and getting everyone screaming and laughing.  Well, Tyn and Ked were no exception.  :)  I wish I had gotten pictures but sadly I did not.  We'll have to get another visit to get some pictures taken!

Fourth of July

Well, July 4th in the Nation's Capitol.  What more could we want? Right? Wrong... If anyone knows me very well, you'll know that I have some anxieties about large groups of people.  And then combine that fear with public transportation and I'm a nervous wreck, literally.  So this year for the 4th of July, I did not want anything to do with going down to the Mall or any of the festivities in that general area.  Well, Kyle, my fearless husband, thought I was being ridiculous and really wanted to go.  So we went...

We left at about 9am and made it to the National Archives for a reading of the Declaration of Independence.  Very cool, but we didn't actually get to see anything, we just heard Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and various others.  Luckily, we were able to snag some prime seating for the Parade.  Lots of fun, too.  I haven't been to a big parade with big inflatables and a dragon with men running underneath it to make it wave.  The parade was very entertaining but the sun was not.  We were so hot!  It was actually a relatively cool day, in the lower 80s, with a nice breeze, but the sun was killer.  We had the umbrella out quite a bit for shade.

After the parade, we went to our new favorite sandwich shop, Potbelly.  Thanks, Jenni for introducing us.  Kyle was just about ready to call it quits, and head in the direction of home, (yeah!), but we received an inspiration call from Mom and Dad Griffith.  There were lots of good reasons why we shouldn't pass up the opportunity to celebrate the Fourth in downtown DC.  So we ended up going back to Ford's Theater.  This time we got a tour of the theater and got to see the museum under it.  So glad we went a second time.

After Ford's Theater, we headed to the Capitol building to get a spot for the concert to take place later that night.  We had heard that only so many get in, and so if we weren't able to get it, we were going home (I was crossing my fingers!)  Well, we were literally the last few to get in.  Which of course, made me the most pleasant person to be around. (I was so anxious about the crowds on the metro later that night.)  We found a spot for our blanket and settled down for the 3 hour wait till the concert started. Right?  That's just plan crazy!  But we made it and the concert was super fun.  I was so glad we had stayed.  We ended up not really being able to see many of the fireworks, so Kyle was nice enough to let us leave early.  (we still had to beat the mobs on the metro).  But, of course, there were no mobs on the metro. We beat everyone there, and the ride home was pleasant and easy.  Overall, it was a super fun Fourth.  We slathered on sunblock, so we made it through without being fried or even too tired.  Kyle was right, it was so worth it.  :)

The start of our day!  Outside the National Archives.

Sign in the Ford's Theater Museum about Iowa.  Specifically Burlington where Kyle was born.

Life sized Lincoln.

The gun that shot Lincoln.

The restored box where Lincoln was shot.

Our long wait for the Capitol Concert.