Dulles Air and Space Museum

The Smithsonian has two Air and Space Museums.  The one in DC on the National Mall and then there is this one that is located about 40 minutes north by the Dulles Airport.  My parents were in town and we decided to go out to the Dulles Museum cause my dad likes planes.  When I was a kid he would spend hours making model airplanes. He meticulously painted and glued them together and when they were all done, he would hang them from the ceiling.  I wish I had a picture of that. 

The museum had a few simulators that you could get in, they would play a movie that made you feel like you were in the pilot's seat.  One of them was a fighter jet, Ethan and Dalton decided to ride in that one.  The simulator would spin around, upside down, and tilt.  So, the rest of us waited while they went in, we could hear them yelling and whooping.  It was the funnest thing!  It was a fun day.

This is one magnificent plane!  It can travel from LA to DC in one hour and 14 minutes!  Haha that is SO fast!  

 Discovery Shuttle

The size of this machine is shocking!  (I'm running out of adjectives to express my feelings about all of these things I am seeing...)

If you notice the flag, you will notice that it looks backwards.  I learned that the star field is positioned as if it were flying with the plane, thus causing the flag to look as though it is flying backwards on one side of the plane.  (Also, regulation states, the U.S. flag patch is to be worn, right or left shoulder, so that the star field faces forward.  When worn in this manner, the flag gives the effect of flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward.  Our tour guide said the Boy Scouts are the only ones who do not wear their flag patch the "right" way.  Maybe we should get Sister Smart on that.)

In these pictures these just look like toys but they are huge!  It was so fun!

On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, this plane became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb.

I scared myself a little when I thought about what it would feel like if this plane came flying right at me.  It was a little like when you are a kid and you are running up the stairs and you convince yourself there is someone behind you but you know there really isn't.  I knew the plane wasn't coming at me, but standing there, it was easy to imagine it was and it made me feel uneasy.

Ground Zero

Where the two towers use to stand they now have these water features.  They are beautiful and peaceful.

This is the only tree that survived.  It stands exactly where it did the day the buildings fell! I looked at that tree and wondered if it felt lonely,  if it missed its other tree friends that aren't there anymore.  There are lots of new trees that have been planted but I couldn't help but feel a little bit sad for the sadness that this tree might feel if trees had feelings.  Sometimes I stand in different places and see everyone.  I think of all the things that we have all seen and been through and wonder how it is that we are not kinder to each other.  And I feel like how I think this little tree might feel.

To those who fell and to those who carry on

I remember the devastation of that day.  I remember taking Dalton to the doctor because he had an ear infection.  The doctor asked me how I was doing and all I could think of was, "It's a good day to live in Smithfield".  It was scary to think that this could happen and what might happen in the future.  I remember and will never forget!

National Zoo

 I was a little surprised when I got home to see that I only took 3 pictures at the zoo.  2 of them were of the same animal.  Hahahaha.  Let's be honest, an animal is an animal.  However, when Seth and I went a couple of weeks before, the panda boy was out and playing.  It was pretty cool but, the pictures just didn't look that cool so, I think I deleted them.  That was the day that panda girl had her baby pandas!  It was fun just to know that we were there while brand new baby pandas were being born.  Sadly one of the babies didn't make it but, it seems that mom and baby are doing great now.  :)  The one animal I thought worthy of a picture was this rock star chameleon!  I couldn't believe the vibrant yellows that matched the wall.  The craziest part of this is that Chris missed it and so later that day we walked back past it so he could see it and look how much it's colors had changed!  It was awesome!  It was like seeing a science experiment with your own eyes!  I was amazed!

New York City

I really was going to try to add a little variety and put these pictures in a slide show or something but, I have spent the last hour trying to figure out how to get a video to upload so I can post 3 half done posts and I am so frustrated I feel like throwing the mouse at the monitor so, I am going to just stick with the same ol' boring format.  

I spent the better part of a decade watching this man and thought it would be a crying shame if I didn't take a picture of it!  You can see my brother in the bottom right corner, in the white shirt, he has no patience for my picture taking and I had to run to catch up with him.  :)

I actually can't remember the name of this place but we walked a long way to get there and it was worth it!  We ate hot dogs and drank pina coladas.  If you have ever seen "You've Got Mail", Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan stand exactly where I am standing and eat a hot dog!  I think the name might have had the word Papaya in it...  Don't tell Mark I forgot the name.

I watched in awe as people/students walked in and out of this building.  How would it be to have such a wicked amazing talent?

Need I say more?

This is the only proof that we are all actually there together and you can't even really see us.  We thought about going in and auditioning for America's Got Talent but, we don't really have any talents that look good on stage.

Time Square

 Our hotel was not even an entire block from Time Square.  I was amazed at the amount of people.  I kept looking out our window to see if it was true that this is the city that never sleeps.  When we woke up Sunday morning, there were a few people milling about on the street but not many.  When we first got to DC I took The boys to some art museums that had some explicit type of art...  But nothing like we saw in Time Square.  There were a couple of times they had to walk without looking where they were going in order to avoid seeing what they did not want to see!  Mercy me girls!  Put some clothes on!

This is a picture of Chris driving in Time Square!  Holy crap he's so brave!!

Above is one of the ferris wheel cars in the Toys R Us store in Time Square.  It was pretty freaking cool!  The picture to the right is our hotel lobby.  I couldn't decide if it felt like we were in  James Bond movie or a "mature" movie.

 New York Subway

Statue of Liberty

Marky Mark Marker and I at the Statue of Liberty.  (Don't ask.  I don't know what is up with my hair these days...)

 I am sad to say that Ellis Island was closed, due to damage from Hurricane Sandy (blast that Sandy!).  So, our little ferry boat floated us past it but I didn't get to go in.  I guess I'll just have to go back when it reopens.

 This is a picture of Mark taking our picture.  He cracks me up!  He was trying to get our whole family and the Statue of Liberty in the picture and he couldn't quite get us all in so, he got down on the ground.  You can't see it but there are people waiting off to the right and left.  What a guy!

Among all of the craziness and chaos we see this!  What a welcome sight this is for us!  Right in the middle of it all there stands Moroni proclaiming to all that there is truth and righteousness right here, right now!  Mark, Chris, Ethan, and Dalton went and did baptisms while Seth and I went to Central Park.  On our way home, we asked the boys what their favorite part of the trip was and they said, the temple.

Mount Vernon

The whole time I was here I thought only of the ladies in my book club!  Oh how I wished you were all here with me!  It was the most beautiful of places!  I was actually surprised that it was not bigger than it was but, I'm glad it wasn't.  It would have made him seem less real, more like royalty and less like the rest of us I guess.  (I know he was very wealthy for his time.)

The radius walkway are the original bricks and that is why they have the raised sidewalks for the tourists to walk on.  It took my breath away to think that George Washington walked on that very walkway.  

They did not allow pictures inside the house but it was all that you would imagine it would be.  It is an experience that I think everyone should have.  To walk where the Founding Father's walked and talked.   To stand in the same house that Marquis de Lafayette stayed.  To see the actual key to the prison of Bastille, that was given to George Washington as a gift to the "Patriarch of Liberty".  

Potomac River.  Even to this day when boats go past, they honk their horn in honor of the General.

There is a long line of chairs on the back porch facing the Potomac.  This is where George and Martha along with their guests would sit in the evening and watch the beautiful scenery.

This wall cracks me up.  When you are standing at the house, you cannot see that there is a wall here.  It was designed to keep the animals off the main lawn.  It is about 3 feet high and too tall for most of the animals to hop over.  But it turns out that it became quite a joke for the Washingtons as people would fall off it regularly.  They named it the "haha" wall.

This is the final resting place of George and Martha Washington.  Behind the black door is a huge vault that holds the bodies of other family members.  In the basement of the Capitol building in Washington DC, is a place that was made to bury George Washington but since it was in his will to be buried at Mt. Vernon, his family declined to have him moved.  The room at the Capitol remains empty.  

Labor Day

Rohoboth Beach

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Rehoboth+Beach,+DE&daddr=507+Roosevelt+Blvd,+Falls+Church,+VA&hl=en&sll=38.720945,-75.076014&sspn=0.151877,0.336113&geocode=FbHVTgIdUm6G-ymnM3N8Zpa4iTFqY1Gn5S0YYQ%3BFeA0UQId17Zm-ylb6XuDjLS3iTF5yYrELzmh3A&oq=507+roosevelt+blvd,+fall&mra=ls&t=m&z=9

I know this looks like a crazy address but, cut and paste it into a news address box and it will show  you where Rohoboth Beach is.  

We were so excited to get to swim in the Atlantic Ocean.  We have been to the Pacific and we wanted to see the Atlantic.  They day was overcast off and on.  We were good with that cause it kept the crowds away.  Plus it wasn't blazin hot!  We spent the day with our friends Randall and Mario.  The water looks dirty but it really isn't.  It just looks that way because it is overcast.  It was beautiful (look at picture 3 which I took from the boardwalk)!

We found lots of cool shells, a few tails off of horseshoe crabs and Chris even found a shark tooth!!!  While we were there we saw dolphins just a ways out swimming and playing.  It was so cool!  As far as I could tell, they may have been sharks but everyone kept telling me they were dolphins but they wouldn't really tell my how they knew they weren't sharks.  I think they just said that so I wouldn't freak out.

We went to dinner at the yummiest sushi place.  The Stingray Sushi.  Ethan was so brave and ordered Sushi!

Dalton found ways to keep himself and all of us entertained while we waited for the check.  

First Day of School!!

At long last, the first day of school has arrived!  

Seth started 5th grade at Thomas Jefferson Elementary.  His teacher is Mrs. Wright.  He gets to ride the bus and he is pretty excited about that.  His school is huge!  The school holds grades 3-5 and they have 730 kids!  That is almost double Wellsville Elementary and they don't have grades K-2.  

Ethan started 9th grade at George Mason High School.  He also started early morning seminary which gets him up and out of bed at 5:15 every school morning!  This is not our favorite time of day but, he willingly gets up and goes.  Seminary is held at our church building which is about a 10 minute drive from our apt.  After class, 4 of them walk a mile to get to the high school.  They actually have around 15 students in their seminary class but the students go to 3 different high school and a couple private schools.  One of the things that is pretty fun is that George Mason's mascot is the Mustang.  Just like Mountain Crest!  

Dalton started 7th grade at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School.  His school has 4 floors to it.  It is tall and narrow.  This isn't too big of a deal as they try to keep all the lockers and classes for each grade on the same floor.  The only time he has to change floors is when the goes to lunch or p.e. etc...  

The boys are adjusting really well.  I don't think the transition has gone completely without a hiccup or two.  But overall, they have done marvelously.  Their eyes have been opened to life outside of Utah.  I am so proud of them and their willingness to do this crazy thing with us!  And their willingness to keep going when it gets hard!  They ROCK!