Our visit to the Nation's Capitol was a highlight of our trip across the U.S. It does seem like we took this trip months ago but the calendar reminds us that we were there only three weeks ago. We took the Metro into the city with the hopes of just walking around the National Mall.
I am sure that there were many who were chuckling at seeing a mom with six children try to figure out how to buy the Metro tickets. With tickets finally in hand we tried to look confident as we walked through the turnstiles and down to the platform. It was during morning rush hour so there were very few seats available but there were a few gentleman who gave up their seats for Brown Sugar and me. Walking out of the Metro was a bit more intimidating than I thought it would be....I didn't realize that you had to slide your pass back through before exiting. Picture a woman scrambling to find the tickets while holding onto a three year and getting yelled at by one of the Metro workers!
We gained confidence after that first day riding the Metro.
As we emerged from the depths we spotted the Library of Congress, The Supreme Court, and Congress itself. There was a moment of amazement as I realized that I had finally been successful at living out the dream of taking my children to Washington, D.C.
The building in the first picture is the Washington National Cathedral built in 1907. This picture was taken from the car while we were leaving the city. The building is beautiful but this particular "church" is a reflection of the attitude of many in these United States. A woman now "preaches" from the pulpit which is forbidden by the Word of God. This Country was given a sweet heritage and even experienced one of the great revivals of history but we have forsaken the One who gave us such a legacy. Very sad.
I had never visited the Library of Congress the two previous times I had been to the Capitol. I wish we had time to take the tour. We had about an hour to spare before heading over to Congress so we walked around marveling at the
beauty of the art that covered the walls and ceiling.
The Library of Congress
As I was walking through the halls I overheard a docent explaining to a group of eighth graders (the Capitol City was overflowing with school kids!) the significance of the book that they were looking at. As I listened in I realized what he was talking about. This particular book changed the way we accessed information. The book itself had already changed thousands of lives and continues to do so. I was looking at one of three copies of the Gutenberg Bible. The above picture shows the kids viewing a digital copy of the Bible. They were looking up particular passages of Scripture.
We walked right across the street to the Capitol and then tried to figure out what to do next. It is a bit overwhelming trying to find your way through masses of people.
The Dome of the Capitol...love this picture!
Original paintings in the Rotunda
Originally where the House of Representatives met it is now the National Statuary Hall. Every State is allowed to send two statues to be presented to the Capitol for display. They have to be either of bronze or marble. Sad to say, we were a week early to see California's newest statue unveiled. The statue is of Former President Ronald Reagan.
After visiting the Capitol we started walking. We walked down to the Air and Space Museum and proceeded to enjoy one of my favorite Smithsonians. The kids loved it as I knew they would. One of the displays was based on the life of the Quartermaster on an Aircraft Carrier. This was the position that Eric held while in the Navy. It brought back some wonderful memories and led to a few tears. It is sometimes hard to believe that my life has changed so much. I can't explain how I can be so happy and feel so blessed and yet in the same moment find myself overwhelmed by tears.
They did a remarkable job...it really does look like the bay and tower of an aircraft carrier.
We decided to do something quite out of the ordinary for the kids and I. We went to see "A Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" at the Imax theater in the Smithsonian. It was quite memorable. We had some time to kill before the movie so we walked down the mall to the Smithsonian castle and Washington Monument.
Walking the Capitol Mall
The following day we were excited to see the other side of the mall where the American History, Natural History, National Arts, and Archives were located. The movie we saw the night before was filled with scenes from these museums so the kids were kind of on a treasure hunt to find the different objects that were in the movie. In some cases we were disappointed as they had changed exhibits. The National Art Gallery was one of those museums where the art did not match that which was in the movie. We did get to see some amazing Rembrandt though. I only wish that they had Rembrandt's Three Crosses. That would have made my day!
Soon after taking the above picture I found out that my camera's flash memory card was completely full. I thought that I had downloaded all the pictures but could not be sure so I didn't want to delete what was on the card. So, I did not take a lot of pics at the Art Gallery and only took a few pictures with my iPhone at the National Archives. Sad to say, they are all bad quality.
Even though I do not have any pictures to share of the Archives I have to share with you our experience. We literally walked into the Archives without having to wait. We enjoyed the museum that they have recently put together describing what it is that the Archive actually collects. Exiting the museum we were greeted by two docents who were there to answer our questions. I had a few....just a few! First, I wanted to know how they protect the documents. They have vaults that protect the documents from fire and water damage. They keep all documents in their original forms. For instance, the Nixon tapes are still in tape form. They always buy multiple technological devices to keep in case one breaks down. The Archive staff receive over one million documents a day. This absurd amount is because of the technological advances of the digital age.
One of the docents asked if we were homeschoolers. When we answered in the affirmative he said that he thought we would be interested in a few items that he had sitting on the table. One of them was a copy of the Louisiana Purchase with Bonaparte's signature. The original is kept in the vaults. There were other amazing documents and then he asked the kids what the Declaration of Independence was written on. Parchment of course...but, do any of you know what parchment is made of? He explained the process to the kids and then brought out an example. It is made from the hide of a cow.
These are the moments that thrill a homeschooling mom's heart!
We did see those all too famous documents and we were also able to see the whole Articles of Confederation. This was the document that preceded the Constitution. It is a ten foot scroll!
Our next stop was the Natural History Museum. This museum reflects the silliness of modern science and yet has some amazing "gems" on display.
The Hope Diamond...all 45 carats
I might be wrong BUT I think that this possibly was the Anaconda that lived at the Smithsonian when I visited it some thirty years ago. I just remember this very, very big snake that lived behind glass. I will never forget it's name...anaconda. I was terrified of the thing. I can't seem to find out if this is the stuffed version of the snake I saw...it is as ugly as it was way back when.
Boo and the Sea Turtle
The kids and I laughed at this...come on people! This is downright absurd! Another piece in this museum that we mocked was a tower with markers of what existed at particular time periods. We are talking billions of years of "dog poop information". Goose commented that he could see the huge crack in the foundation of this idol of evolution.
I really wanted to get out of the Natural Museum as quickly as possible because the next stop was the American History Museum. I remember this musuem well and there was an exhibit that I had been looking forward to seeing since I had heard about it two years before.
The exhibit that was foremost on my mind was the display of the original flag that flew over Fort McHenry the night that Francis Scott Key penned "The Star Spangled Banner". The flag now measures 30x34. It's original size was 30x42. A family during the War of 1812 figured that the flag would have significant value after the war so they kept it. They cut off pieces of it to give to those who fought in the battle. Hence the reason for the reduction of size. It was a beautiful display...and yet, I walked away thinking that as remarkable as it is that we have all these incredible historic documents and items, we are still limited by the affects of time. This world is finite as well as all that inhabits it.
We love taking photos with statues...can you tell? Lil' Cowboy with his long lost Grandmother.
As we walked up to this display I was explaining that it just had to be a CHP motorcycle. I told the kids how this '80s show called CHiPs catapulted the California Highway Patrol into television history and the minds of all Americans. I was right! The scene brought back memories of the show...ah, Ponch...what a hunk!
One of the displays that I impressed me when I was a young girl was the First Ladies and their dresses. I was amazed that this display is still up. My seamstress, Boo, was in awe.
When we were in Disneyland this past year they had a display up sharing that one of the Dumbo seats from the ride had been shipped to the Smithsonian. It was on display....
along with original ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz.
There were quite a few displays and some were very touching. This one was introducing us to the medic helicopters that were used during the Vietnam war.
We covered a lot of ground that second day. We were not able to get into the White House but decided to at least get our picture taken in front of the President's home. While we were there we watched as an entourage of black vehicles sped out of the gates and away from the complex. The kids were all excited and then the sound of thunder made us scurry for cover. We walked as quickly as we could to the local Metro station....um, the closest station was seven blocks away! We were drenched by the time we got there but it just added to the fun memories made.
The next day we were to head west but the four older kids had tickets to the Holocaust museum. I stayed behind at the hotel to pack while they took the Metro into the city by themselves.
They came away from the Holocaust museum with the same thoughts and feelings as many others. It is not the worst tragedy that has happened on the face of this earth but it is a modern moment that shows us the depravity of man.
While they were visiting the World War II statue I tried to figure out how to get into the city. I knew I couldn't avoid it but would have loved to not have to drive through D.C. in a fifteen passenger van. All went well but my white knuckles were very happy to relax after an hour of driving through the traffic.
There was a sense of relief as we drove out into the country. We were headed home. We were finally heading west.
~Heather
Daisy with her cousin after a softball game. 
After the softball game we took a detour home and picked up a dozen ice cream sundaes from McDonalds. Love this picture!
We left Nebraska and headed to Colorado Springs to visit with our dear friends at the Castle Rock OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Church). Boo with the Roach girls....sweet friends.
So, we left on June 9th at 6am and arrived at our home on June 10th at 2am. It was quite the drive with lots of rain. Seriously, I have never seen so much rain as I did the almost six weeks we were on the road. 
Miss M and I flew back to Colorado to enjoy the Christian Home Educators of Colorado (CHEC) conference in Denver. There were many friends to visit with from far and near. Miss M is with one of Stacy McDonald's daughters. 
On Friday I took time away from the conference to meet up with friends from my high school days. Michelle was one of my closest friends during my Senior year. She now lives in the Denver area and so we met for lunch. It was great to catch up and find out what we are doing now. 
Wendy, another sweet friend from high school, met me for coffee and some shopping. Along the way we got caught in a downpour. I am not kidding when I say it looked like the heavens opened up and God just decided to drop gallons of water onto the earth. We were drenched in this picture that was taken by a Pottery Barn employee.
The main reason that I flew back to Colorado was to speak at a tea given by a dear friend. Stacy McDonald and I were both asked to speak on joy. She spoke on joy in motherhood. I spoke on joy in suffering. My title was "Joy in the Mourning". 
There were quite a few ladies that volunteered to host a table. A part of that responsibility was to set the table for eight. There were some very creative women among us! 
Despite the stomach bug that I came down with the night before, I think my speaking went well. I had a lot of people praying for me...the prayers and the charcoal that a friend gave me made all the difference. Yes, I said charcoal! It was amazing how fast it worked to curb the urge to...well, you get what I mean.
Tonya, the blonde in white on the left, is the dear friend who put the tea together. Along with the help of Trish, who is standing between Tonya and me, they created a very relaxing atmosphere for the 100+ ladies in attendance. 
