2 Weeks

It has been two weeks (plus a few days) since I arrived here in DC.

It was perfect timing. Memorial Dayy weekend. John and I were able to spend time going to all the festivities together. It was such an incredible experience to be here on Memorial Day.

We went to the annual Memorial Day Concert on the Capitol lawn. We packed our blankets and lots of water and headed to the Capitol. We realized quickly that we were definitely "rookies" at DC life. We showed up to the concert an hour early, thinking we'd have plenty of time.... That's one thing I've learned here in DC. You never have "plenty" of time. We waited in a crowd of people the size of Texas! Hundreds of security gates, detection wands, Police dogs, it was nuts! The situation where you get that feeling like "please let me get through this security quickly and without troubles, wait a minute.... why wouldn't I"? You almost start to panic. Well, we found a great seat on the lawn and enjoyed the concert. Lionell Richie, Brad Paisley, and the Military Choir all performed.

I will never forget the stories that were told here. Active servicemen and women told many stories, showed current videos of their service, and spoke about our wonderful Country. Veterans were honored, widows were recognized, and many historical events were narrated. It was such an overwhelming feeling. I have never heard such wonderful and patriotic words. The night ended with everyone singing "God Bless America". They had anyone who has served, or currently serving our Country stand up as we sang. It was very touching to see all the faces of these everyday heroes!!

We woke up really early to catch the Metro to the Memorial Day Service at Arlington Cemetery.
It is tradition for the President to speak, and lay the wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier. While Pres. Obama was in Chicago getting rained on, Joe Biden spoke instead. I actually enjoyed his speech and thought it was a very appropriate message. Once again, the security situation was out of control, and we had to wait in line after line. We had to be seated 2 hours before the service, which was probably the hottest two hours of my entire life!! It was definitely worthe the wait. This Cemetery is such an incredible place. There's more than 300,000 soldiers burried there. The feeling is so overwhelming and it's one of much gratitude. I am so grateful we got to be there and witness all of it.

Changing of the gaurd

Our little flags they gave us.

A nightly walk around the city, and we ran into a large crowd. We found out that it was the re-opening of the Ford Theater. President Obama was on his way to arrive, and we waited on the curb for quite some time. Along with hundreds of other people, we anticipated his arrival, and of course.... he pulled up and imedietely a big white tent was thrown over the car. 1 minute later, the tent was removed, and his car was empty. He had walked out and into the theater in a flash and none of us got to see him. It was still fun waiting though.

These snipers were on every single rooftop around the entire block.
The Presidential Caddy

We had a little visit to this Emergency Room. (Don't be fooled by the glamorous photo... this is like total US weekly makeover style picture) It was a nice place, but not somewhere we wanted to be. I had a terrible Kidney infection and our friends Rob and Whitney were so sweet to bring us here. They had to wait and wait and wait. I have never experienced a fever quite like this one. I was completely delirious. Once I got the IV with fluids and antibiotic I felt like a whole new person. It was not a fun adventure, but one that ended well.

My first ride on the Metro. Here I was, still nervous and feeling a bit uneasy every time I entered into the dark tunnels. I am still getting over the germ factor, but I am a frequent Metro traveler these days. I love it.

The fish market. John loves this place!!

This was our first trip to Costco in DC. We set off with our empty suitcases and three hours later we arrived at our Metro stop with our food, and tired feet. It was a fun experience, definitely different doing Costco here!!