Farewell D.C....hello N.C.!

We said good-bye to Washington D.C. yesterday and hello to North Carolina yesterday!  But, let's back up to Saturday...where we left off on our trip.  Saturday morning we went to the Spy Museum, which was a very fun and creative museum.  Unfortunately, this was the day that I lost my driver's license.  We think it fell out of my pocket either on the metro or at the museum, but it hasn't turned up yet.  We're crossing our fingers that I can back on my plane back to SD!
After the Spy Museum we had to go see the White House.  There were boy scouts everywhere for a jamboree this weekend, but once we got through the crowds the view was spectacular.

That night Daniel and I stayed at Dupont Circle and had a fun LaFuze date night.  The next morning we took a walk around the busiest circle intersection in D.C. and found the BEST farmer's market.  I typically compare farmer's market to the one in Little Italy and I have yet to find one that comes close, but this one had a far better produce selection.  Despite the heat, everyone was out and about sampling produce and purchasing great products.

Next stop was Arlington!  We were able to see the Arlington House, JFK memorial, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Daniel was highly interested in the changing of the gaurds, and seeing their dedication and honor was very humbling.  They gaurd the tomb 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

The view from the Arlington House.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Our last day we traveled over to Georgetown, which is the cutest place ever with great shops and restaurants.  Also, the infamous Georgetown Cupcakes is here...the shop "DC Cupcakes" is filmed at.  Before we got our delicious cupcakes we went to Dean & Deluca for coffee.  I don't know why but I just love it there!  Then, we got in line for cupcakes and it went surprisingly fast.  The business was also attributed to the lingering camera crews filming some last minute film for the show.

Mission Accomplished!  Delicious cupcakes in my tummy :)

Just sipping on some iced coffee...complete bliss!

Iced coffee...Daniel's frappe...Daniel and I in a nutshell.

We said good-bye to D.C. at the beautiful Union Station and boarded our train to take us to family in North Carolina.  Everything was smooth sailing until we got stuck about 5 miles away from our stop due to track problems.  Our train pulled in exactly 2 hours after our scheduled time.  Now we're here in beautiful North Caroline and today is definitely going to be a relaxing day by the pool.  It is also my step-sister, Ashley's, birthday!  We are so blessed to be able to take all of this time off, travel, and see important friends and family.

More from D.C.

We are now on Day #4 of our Washington D.C. trip, and we are loving every minute of it.  Trying to get everything in feels close to impossible but we have enjoyed everything we have done so far!  The one thing that is the hardest to deal with is the heat!  It is only about 95-98 degrees here, but the humidity makes it feel far worse.  We are walking to so many places with little shade, and the heat is getting to us a ton.  One struggle is to not let is ruin our day and our trip, and we are trucking right along (while being sweaty messes!).

We started off Thursday getting on the Metro and maneuvering transfers to end up at the Smithsonian.  We first went to the Air & Space Museum, which was the highlight of Daniel's trip.  He has always loved aviation and has studied to become a pilot.  Also, both of his grandfathers were in aviation.  They either worked on planes and rockets, or have been pilots.  Seeing things that are entwined with his family was extremely amazing for him.

After here we walked across to the National Gallery of Art.  The paintings was breathtaking.

Oh, it's just another day in the LaFuze manor...Daniel reading in front of our amazing masterpiece....

Our last stop for the day was the National Museum of American History.  This museum was my highlight!  We saw so many iconic objects from growing up, and learned plenty on various presidents and events.  It was a little overwhelming!  (We did stop for an ice cream break before, which was much needed with the heat...Kelly don't kill me!)

Julia Child's Kitchen!!!

                               
Friday was probably the hottest day thus far.  We went to the Holocaust Museum and then visited the Washington Memorial and Lincoln Memorial.

Munching on some lettuce wraps before the museum.

The view from the bottom.

Sitting in front of the Washington Memorial looking out.

While we were at the WWII Memorial we actually talked to a Veteran who was visiting it for his first time.  It was a very neat experience.

WWII Memorial

Right after this shot we went to take one with both of us in it, and what would you know...the camera battery died!  Oh well!  Our afternoon was a lot of fun.  Every Friday there is a Jazz in the Park at the Sculpture Garden.  People bring picnic baskets and blankets and just sit around listening to the great Jazz bands playing.  It was a lot of fun.  Then, we met up with some of Nathan's friends from church and went to dinner.  We have 2 and a half days left and can't wait to see what else is in store for us!

Greetings from DC!

This will be a sneak peak of our trip so far.  It all started last night at 10:30pm when we flew from San Diego to Boston, then from Boston to Washington D.C.  We landed at 9:30 this morning, and managed to get a couple hours of sleep on the flight!  Then, we successfully maneuvered our way through D.C. using the transportation system getting us from Dulles Airport to Union Station where we met up with Nathan!
We dived right into touring our capitol with walking through the Supreme Court building.  Then, we walked over to the Capitol Building and took a tour, which made the statues and paintings much more meaningful and gave me a much greater appreciation for our nation's history.  We ended the day in Georgetown, which is absolutely adorable and magnificent at the same time.  The old architecture is phenomenal, and I am in awe every time we see a new building.  We were able to meet up with Daniel's cousin, Elizabeth, and her husband Chuck.  They introduced us to a true East Coast college pub, and then we toured through the University of Georgetown.  Here are just a couple pictures as a teaser....