Goodbye and West Virginia

David and I's first Christmas was a success! We had so much fun with his family in DC that we are already planning on going back for his cousin's baptism. 

This picture is, as Vincent would put it, the carnage after the lego battle between him and Uncle Bern. Do you guys like that ATAT? Pretty sweet huh!? David helped them put it together, there were lots of lego things to be put together during this visit.

Out to dinner the last for the last time before we all left. 

They all love the bunny ears, haha Vincent's face in this picture makes me laugh, he is really concentrating on those bunny ears.

Almost all smiles

Everybody

My first time in West Virginia! It was very beautiful lots of "mountains." I realize I have already said this but it is still true they are like baby mountains. On our way out we went through Pennsylvania. On the return journey I insisted/ begged to go a way that we could pass through West Virginia. Obviously I prevailed :) Going that direction added about 1 hour and 52 min BUT we didn't hit a single toll road so it almost evened out. I like all of this traveling however, I am soooooo glad we are home, ahhh I love my own bed 

A neat-o bridge in Pennsylvania

It was really massive.

This is my list of states visited so far, I have added so many recently I decided to start keeping track. From Colorado on were states that I experienced with David, we are having lots of adventures!

States

1. Utah
2. Idaho
3. Ohio
4. Washington
5. Oregon
6. Wyoming
7. Montana
7. Kentucky
8. Indiana
9. Minnesota
10. Florida
11. Arizona
12. Nevada
13. Nebraska
14. Iowa
15. Illinois
16. California
17. Colorado
18. Michigan
19. Maryland
20. Texas
21. Missouri
22. Pennsylvania
23. Virginia
24. West Virginia

Washington DC Temple

 finally did it! I managed to make it to a temple WITH my temple recommend. David and I went to an endowment session yesterday. The first word that comes to mind is wow. Washington DC's temple is huge. According to the elevator there are 7 floors, I guess I just never realized how big it was. I will have to say that I am definitely partial to the larger temples, it's nothing personal, they just seem to have so much more character/ to love.

It will never cease to amaze that out East you can be so close to something as big as the DC temple and you still can't see it until you are right next to it because of all the trees. We were driving and we came around a corner and suddenly there was the temple. Such a beautiful sight. 

There was a guy outside the temple setting up a tripod, I asked him if he would take a picture for us. I guess his daughter was getting married so he was getting ready to take a family picture with everyone. If he had been an actual photographer I would have felt kind of bad free loading a picture from him, haha.

 

Tron

We got to go see Tron. It's another one of those movies that is GREAT visually, BUT the storyline (or lack thereof) was weak sauce. These are the best two shots of about 6 photos :) I would have to say they are a success.

This is us waiting for Vincent and his parents to show up.

Idaho Avenue

Anytime I hear that there is an Idaho ANYTHING I have to take a picture of it. So here you go in the middle of DC, Idaho Ave. I learned that there is a street for every state and letter of the alphabet EXCEPT for the letter J. You will never find a J st. Why you might ask? Because back in the day I and J were interchangeable. For example on many of Thomas Jefferson's personal items his initials are written T.I. Also if you were to pick up a "New Dictionary" back in 1740 you would have found that I and J had a single selection and not separate. The legend is that the French surveyor Pierre L'Enfant hated John Jay who was chief justice of the Supreme Court at the time, for his ruling on on the "Jay Treaty". Therefore snubbed him when he zoned the city streets by leaving out his letter J. History, never stops surprising me, it's so fun!

Another thing we have learned is that EVERYTHING in DC is more expensive. The best example is the price of gas. In Maryland you can get it at about $3.01- 3.05 a gallon, as you move into DC it rose to $3.45 just outside and then to $4.25 within the city! Scary thought right?!

Mt. Vernon

George Washington was just under 6'3", just like my David. I like tall boys!

The day after Christmas we got to venture forth and see George Washington's house. 

Welcome to Mt. Vernon

The area had signs in front of the house that said things like 30 minute wait from this spot. David and I suffered the cold but we got to walk right up to the house; wait not included! Also Christmas time is the only time that tours are permitted to see the third floor, I was so excited. In fact at one point in our tour we had to wait for more people before they would start the tour. I love history and George Washington is one of my most favorite founding fathers, I really should read a biography of him.

This is the backyards beautiful view of the Potomac river.

It was really cold, again.

Us in George's backyard.

BIG house even by todays standards.

A gingerbread Mt. Vernon

There were lots of interesting things to see. Even though I know it would be brutally hot and we will have to wait in line I still think that this particular historical site is already calling to me for a summertime visit.