Happy Easter!

After a whirlwind trip to D.C. and getting home about 11pm the eve of Easter, we were tired, to say the least! We were so happy to be home and thrilled to see the kids. It's amazing what a little time away can do for your spirit as a mom and wife! We were so grateful to be home and to have had a safe trip and that our kids had a safe trip. We were so grateful to our wonderful parents who had the kids while we were gone. We just wanted to stay up and play and talk, but it was late and the Easter Bunny still needed to come! And he did! Some candy for the kids, some coloring stuff for the twins, a Jub-jub for Connor and the movie, "Enchanted". The kids were as pleased as punch. We were just happy to be with them and to be able to celebrate Easter together.

I love this time of year and the symbolism that Spring has in our lives in reference to the Savior and His Atonement. The renewal of the earth-- coming out of the dreariness of winter into the light and warmth of Spring; the newness of life all around: flowers, trees blossoming again, baby animals being born, the grass and hills and mountains coming to life again-- turning green again. That is what the Atonement can do for us. Our lives, once cold and dead and dark can be revitalized! We can have newness of life, we can begin anew! What a miracle the Atonement is and I am so grateful for it and hope for myself, in this season, I will understand the Atonement more and use it more fully in my life. The gift has already been given, it's up to us to use it.

Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon is a beautiful place! It's no wonder that George Washington loved it here and said, "There is no other piece of land more perfectly situated than home on Mount Vernon, overlooking the Potomac River." When George Washington lived here, Mount Vernon was an 8,000-acre plantation divided into five farms. Each farm was a complete unit, with its own overseers, work force of slaves, livestock, equipment, and buildings. Now, the estate is 500 acres and is owned and maintained by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Why the Ladies' Association, you might wonder? So did I. After Washington's death in 1799 , plantation ownership passed through a series of descendants who lacked either the will or the means to maintain the property. After trying unsuccessfully for five years to restore the estate, John Augustine Washington offered it for sale in 1848. The Commonwealth of Virginia and United States governments declined to buy the home and estate.
In 1858, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association acquired the mansion and a portion of the land from Washington's great-grandnephew, John A. Washington, Jr., rescuing it from a state of disrepair and neglect. They paid the final installment of the purchase price of $200,000. The estate served as neutral ground for both sides during the American Civil War, although fighting raged across the nearby countryside.

We took a little 'cruise' out on the Potomac River to get a look at the estate from that view. 500 acres is so large! I can't quite wrap my mind around 8,000 acres! All the surrounding areas now have been preserved so no one can come in to develop any of the land as to keep it looking as it did in George Washington's day.

This is a fort off the Potomac that is on the estate. It was built, but never used because of the stats it boasts. At the top, the walls are 12 feet thick. At the bottom, they're 25 feet thick! Every few feet there are 3 windows that were made for shooting, but were never used. Now it's a national park!
George Washington and Martha Washington's tombs

Going to Mount Vernon really, really helped my appreciation for George Washington grow. He was an incredible man and a fearless, selfless, moral leader. He relied on God and loved his country and his family. Did you know that he married Martha, a widow, and adopted her 2 children and treated them as his own? Also, you know his wooden teeth that we always hear about? Well, guess what? They're not made of wood! George Washington's dentures are made from hippopotamus and human teeth! Weird! Mr. Washington had dental problems all his life, despite his best efforts to care for his teeth. In his early 20's he had a horrible toothache and had to have 1 tooth removed. Almost every year after that, he had to have 1 tooth removed, each year! Finally, he had no teeth and needed dentures. They made those and the had 2 springs in the back holding the top and bottom pieces together-- and they were set to be open all the time. He had to clamp his teeth down to get them to close! Talk about uncomfortable!

Anyway, I love and respect George Washington for all he did for our country and our freedom. What an incredible man. I want to be more like him. I feel blessed to have been able to find out more about him and now want to know more!

Miscellaneum

The Old Post Office in Washington D.C. This building was amazing! So many details and was at one time used for balls and parties.

I'm not sure what building this is, but it was really neat looking with the water fountain and all. I made Brett pose for the picture and you can tell he was just thrilled to do it!

We have no idea what the "Independent order of odd fellows" is, but we just thought it was funny and had to get a picture.

Here is our sweet rental car. It was fun to drive around in and even had a GPS system that we named Susan. We named her Susan because she had an english accent and when we were at Arlington Cemetery, we met an English lady named Susan.

The National Archives Building

This is what we saw as we waited in line to go into the National Archives Building. Believe it or not, this was the longest line we had to wait in to see anything in D.C. The National Archive Building houses The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence and The Magna Carta was also on display. As we were waiting in line to enter (about 1 hour) we heard all this yelling and loud, low chanting. It was kind of a scary sound. We wondered what was going on. As the line wrapped around the other side of the building we could see these police officers across the street- with machine guns and all! As I took their picture and thanked them for their service and protecting us and America, one office asked, "Is this picture going to end up on the Internet?" I told him, "Probably on my blog." He was ok with that and they were all quite nice. Then we saw the protesters. They were protesting the war. We saw some guy climb up on a fence that he wasn't supposed to and the police men asked him to get down and he did. Who knows why they were protesting at that venue...They also had a whole bunch of American flags that they hung upside down, signaling a 'time of distress.' This is a picture of part of their group. It doesn't look as big in this picture, but it's the best I could get.


Once we got inside the building it was awesome! I got to see where my ancestor, Robert Morris, signed the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. He is also up on the wall of the building in this mural:
Rob Morris is on the far left, in the reddish/purplish robe. The same color robe he was wearing in the other painting. Another interesting thing: In both paintings, Robert Morris' face is painted fully. I don't mean full, like chubby. But it's the front view of his face. Not the side-view as most of the other men are painted. I thought that was interesting. I was so proud to tell everyone there that 'that guy in the reddish robe' was my ancestor and my own brother, Robert Morris Bell, is named after him! Robert Morris and one other person, Roger Sherman, were the only two people to sign the three significant founding documents of the United States; the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution.
I don't have any good pictures of the Declaration or the Constitution. The lights are very low- so as to preserve the documents and they don't let you use a flash for the same reason. You know what they look like. But I must say that seeing them in real life was awesome!

The Air and Space Museum

Would you believe me if I told you this was the only picture we took while we were at the air and space museum? Well, it's not entirely true...but for some reason this is the only picture I can FIND from the air and space museum.

Me and my friend Ashlee were so dang tired after doing the museum thing for a couple of hours. We still had about 1 hour before our hubbies came to meet us. We decided to get a bag of gummy space ships (which cost us about $5.00!!) and just sit until they came to meet us. While we were sitting we met a mom and her 2 daughters from Virginia. This baby was about 6 months old. I don't remember her name but she was THE CUTEST thing I've ever seen! Seriously, she had tons of curly hair and would just smile all the time! After I couldn't stand it any longer, I finally asked the mom if I could take a picture of her baby. She agreed. We ended up sitting there and talking to her for about 45 minutes. She was really sweet! It was great to make a new friend!

Gettysburg, PA

OK, remember how windy I said it was at the National Cathedral? Well, this picture proves it too! This is a look-out tower in Gettysburg, about 50 feet high. The wind was so strong that we could lean over-- far enough that we would normally fall-- and the wind would keep us up. It was nuts! In this picture we are leaning with all our weight into the wind.

Historical mansion in Gettysburg.

Actual battle grounds of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg lasted only 3 days, July 1 – July 3, 1863. The battle was fought in, and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War; over 51,000. The Battle of Gettysburg is frequently cited as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee's invasion of the North.

Actual cannons from the war.

Gettysburg Cemetary

I love what Lincoln said at the Gettysburg Address: "It is rather for us, the living, to stand here, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that, from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here, gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve these dead shall not have died in vain; that the nation, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people by the people for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

I think all politicians and Americans alike need to read this over and over again.

Visiting Amish County, Pennsylvania

Well, after touring Gettysburg, we wanted to drive to Lancaster County and visit some of the Amish sites. Well, we drove and drove, and finally went to a gas station to make sure we were going the right direction. After all, Lancaster County is a pretty big county. We stopped and talked to a nice lady with no teeth and a man from India. The lady (who was a lead-foot driver) offered to drive us out to the community where a lot of Amish businesses and people live. And before we left, the man from India recommended a restaurant out there. Great! So, we followed the speed-demon for about 1/2 hour and finally came to this town:

For real. That is the name of the town. Don't ask my why, we never found out. We saw a ton of horse and buggy's all over the place, which was neat. But the bummer thing was, by the time we got there, all the stores were closed! That was the whole reason we drove over 2 hours to get to Amish Country! Oh well, at least we still had a nice Amish dinner awaiting us.

We went to a restaurant called Harvest View Family Restaurant and Buffet. We walked in...it totally smelled like the elementary school cafeteria. You know that kind of rotten-y milk smell mixed with, oh, I don't know cleaner and mildew or something??? That's what this place smelled like from the second we walked in. But, before we had the chance to turn around, a man from India greeted us-- maybe the gas station guys brother or cousin? He practically forced us into the dining room which was decorated with a bunch of long church-type tables which were covered with either a tacky floral-patterned tablecloth or a cow print. Wow. Quite shocking. We soon realized we were the only patrons in the restaurant....how could that be? There were other cars in the restaurant... Anyway, we could hardly leave at that point. The man said, "Take your choice of seating." We thought, "Ya, thanks, as if that wasn't a little obvious." So, we took a seat at a table by a window overlooking a huge field. I do have to admit, the setting was beautiful. The food, on the other hand, left A LOT to be desired. Not much variety and what they did have looked and tasted like it was cooked at the beginning of the week. Then it was put into leftover containers (or zip lock bags) and stored in the fridge until the next day. Then it's all re-heated and left sitting under heat lamps for hours, until back to the zip lock until the next day. Seriously, it was bad. The rolls were as hard as rocks. You know how you always hear about how good the Amish bread is? Well, no Amish bread at this place. And for 3 of us to eat-a helping of stuffing, potatoes and some ham; a piece of pie and some ice cream- it was $40! That's more expensive than Chuck-a-rama! And Chuck-a-rama blows this place out of the water! But, I did find this on the Internet and thought it was funny: "From panoramic views overlooking the neighboring farms, with mountains in the background, your eyes will feast as much as your palette. Home made breads, Pies, Dessert, Crispy fried chicken, Roast beef, Pork roast, ham loaf, Chicken corn soup and lots more. You are guaranteed a dining experience like no other."

Wow.

As we were leaving we did meet a cute, old Amish man with a long, white beard. He talked to us for a while and tried to teach us some Dutch. We asked him about his beard and he said the Amish start to grow their beards the day they marry. He has been growing his beard for 52 years. He was a hoot to talk to. Brett asked if we could take our picture with him and he said, "No. If you do take my picture I'd have to sue you." Brett said, "OK, how much?" He said, ""One million." Brett said, "Done." Then he said, "No, really. Amish don't believe in having their picture taken." He then went on to tell us about an Amish man who was arrested and the police were trying to take his mug shot. He refused and said it was against his religion. (First of all, wouldn't doing whatever he did to be arrested be against his religion, too?) Anyway, they insisted. Afterward, he sued the state and won $1,000,000 settlement. So, he really was serious when he told Brett it'd cost him one million buck-a-roo's.

The National Cathedral

We stopped to visit the National Cathedral on our way out of town to PA. This day was a totally windy day! It seriously was crazy windy! The cathedral is an amazing building. You can see it from the top of all the buildings in DC and it's about 15 minutes away. We decided we had to stop and take a tour. The church is huge-- 75,000 square feet to be exact and 575 feet long! The architecture is amazing!

This stained glass window was dedicated in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and President Gerald Ford.

This is a pulpit that was hand carved and was the pulpit where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his last speech before he was killed.

The cathedral has over 270 stained-glass windows and are so beautiful. Another interesting thing about the cathedral: The cathedral is the last resting place for a few notable people: Helen Keller and her teacher and friend, Anne Sullivan; and also Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States.

The Capitol

Seriously, this was one of the coolest things we did in Washington D.C., thanks to our friend Nan, and our good Senator, Bob Bennett. We got to go on a tour of the Capitol! You can only go if you schedule it through your senator, and our friend did that for us and I'm so glad we went! We almost didn't go, but it was so worth it! First we met at an office 'off-site' of the capitol. We then took an elevator to an underground train that took us to the basement of the capitol. Right inside the entrance is The Statue of Freedom, a woman, who is also on top of the Capitol Building. The statue on top of the Capitol is over 15,000 pounds. Can you believe that?
A major part of the painting and artwork inside the capitol was done by a man named Costantino Brumidi, an Italian/Greek-American. He worked on the capitol for more than 25 years of his life. The paintings line the hallways of the Capitol and are just amazing! The murals, known as the Brumidi Corridors, reflect great moments and people in United States history. Among the original works are those depicting Benjamin Franklin, John Fitch, Robert Fulton, and events such as the Cession of Louisiana. Brumidi's design left many spaces open so that future events in United States history could be added. Among those added are the Spirit of St. Louis, the Moon landing, and the Challenger shuttle crew.

Brumidi also worked within the Capitol Rotunda. He is responsible for the painting of The Apotheosis of Washington beneath the top of the dome, and also the famous Frieze of United States History. The Apotheosis of Washington was completed in 11 months and painted by Brumidi while suspended nearly 180 feet (55 m) in the air.

Close-up shot of the rotunda painting, "The Apotheosis of Washington".

This is an incredible painting. Lots and lots of symbolism. One of the neatest things it that one of my ancestors, Robert Morris, is featured in this painting and many other artwork in the capitol. Much more on Robert Morris later, but just to wet your palate, here is a little info on him in this particular painting. George Washington is surrounded here by 13 Greek maidens, symbolizing the 13 original colonies. Surrounding the 13 maidens are 6 scenes lining the perimeter, each representing a national concept. My ancestor, Robert Morris, is featured in the 'commerce' scene. (Click here for an enlarged image of the scene.) Mercury, the god of commerce, with his winged petasos and sandals and a caduceus, is depicted giving a bag of gold to American Revolutionary War financier Robert Morris. (He is the one holding the quill pen.) Yes, that's right; he financed the Revolutionary War. If you want to know more about the symbolism behind the rest of the painting, click here.

Here is another painting that is in the Capitol Building. It is called, "Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States," by Howard Chandler Christy. This is a larger than life painting that measures 20X30 feet. The painting depicts Independence Hall in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. George Washington is the most prominent figure; he stands on the platform next to Richard Spaight of North Carolina, who is signing the document. Eighty-one-year-old Benjamin Franklin is seated in the center, with Alexander Hamilton leaning toward him, while James Madison appears farther to the right. In the lower right hand corner is a man in a purplish-red coat sitting at a dest looking straight at you. That is my ancestor Robert Morris. Isn't that COOL?

Here we are with a stature of none other than Brigham Young inside the Capitol. Each state gets to choose 2 statues to represent itself. Our two are Brigham Young and Philo T. Farnsworth. I know, I know, you thought he was from Idaho. Nope, he's a Utahan, but just invented the TV whilst in the Tater State.
Here is the bronze statue of Philo T. Our tour guide said he is the skinniest statue in the whole capitol. What a claim to fame!

Here we all are outside the capitol. Ashlee, Jason, Brettm and I, Olivia, Nan and their cute little one... her name slipped my mind. These little girls made us homesick for our little ones and Brett sure had fun teasing them and making them laugh. This is the Nan who got us in to the Capitol. Her husband, Dr. Black works with Brett and Jason.

Perfect photo in front of our nation's capitol! God bless America and remember to pray for our nation's and the world's leaders.

Riding the "Met"

This is a funny story about riding The Met. The Metro is the subway system in Washington D.C. It is so nice and convenient, once you get what you're doing and where you're going. By the end of our trip, we were pro's at it, but by then our knowledge was useless. Anyway, our first night in D.C., we went to eat at the Cheesecake factory. Of course, I had a doggy-bag because their portions are so dang huge. So, we're sitting down on a bench, waiting for our train to come, it's pretty late and we're down there practically by ourselves. I have my doggy-bag on the bench, about 2 feet away from me. All of a sudden, a loud voice comes over the P.A. System. The voice says, "Excuse me...is that YOUR bag?" Long pause........This pause lasts for about 2-3 seconds. During this time, thoughts race through my head: Is he talking to ME? How can he see me? Where is the camera? How long has he been watching? Is my bag taking up too much space? I know I'm hogging the bench with it, but there's no one else here.......How do I answer him? Do I just answer back loudly?" Timidly, I answered, "Yyyeeesssss." The voice then went on to say: "If you see a bag that is unattended in the met, feel free to ask any person near the bag, "Excuse me, is that your bag?" This will help the Met in it's efforts to remain safe and normal citizens can help detect suspicious packages by asking this simple question. Thank you for your support and cooperation." It was totally a recording and I totally thought he was talking to me!!!! Everyone got a kick out of that and of course, I didn't live it down the whole rest of the trip. It became 'the story' to tell everyone we happened to meet. I'm glad I could provide everyone with a laugh!

Arlington National Cemetary

Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, was established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Custis Lee, a descendant of Martha Washington. More than 245,000 persons are buried in an area of 624 acres.

Some interesting facts about how Arlington Cemetery came to be. Before the Civil War, Robert E. Lee had been a West Point graduate and a United States Army officer. When the war broke out, President Abraham Lincoln offered Lee the command of the Union Army. Lee demurred, because he wanted to see how Virginia would decide. When Virginia announced its succession, Lee was offered command of the Army of Northern Virginia: he took this offer, because he couldn't bear to take up arms against his native state. He quickly established himself as an able commander, defeating a series of Union generals, until his final defeat and surrender at Appomattox Court House. Because of this decision and subsequent performance, Lee was regarded as disloyal by most Union officers. Because of this, the decision was made to appropriate his farm as a graveyard for mostly Union dead.

Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and in any weather by Tomb Guard sentinels. Sentinels, all volunteers, are considered to be the best of the elite 3rd U.S. Infantry, headquartered at Fort Myer, Va. After members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry become ceremonially qualified, they are eligible to volunteer for duty as sentinels at the Tomb. If accepted, they are assigned to Company E of The Old Guard. Each soldier must be in superb physical condition, possess an unblemished military record and be between 5 feet, 10 inches and 6 feet, 4 inches tall, with a proportionate weight and build. An interview and a two-week trial to determine a volunteer's capability to train as a tomb guard is required.

During the trial phase, would-be sentinels memorize seven pages of Arlington National Cemetery history. This information must be recited verbatim in order to earn a "walk." A walk occurs between guard changes. A daytime walk is one-half hour in the summer and one hour in the winter. All night walks are one hour.

I really enjoyed seeing the reverence and respect given to those whose remains have been found, but not enough to identify them. It was quite an emotional experience. Thinking of the families that have never known where their loved ones are or how they died or what they were doing when they died. Such a sad thought. But to have this memorial set up and to give it such honor would help heal your heart a little, I think.

The inscription on the tomb reads, "Here rests in honored glory an American Soldier known but to God." The World War I unknown is below the marble sarcophagus. Other unknowns are beneath the white slabs on the ground (World War II, left; Korean War, right). A Vietnam War unknown was under the middle slab until 1998, when he was identified.

Holocaust Museum

Witness wall in the Holocaust Museum. We are their witnesses. A very powerful statement.

We visited the United States Holocaust Museum on Monday. This was a very hard and emotional museum to visit. This museum was very informative, thought-provoking, sobering and sometimes quite sad, but a must see. I think if you ever have the chance to visit here, you should. Even though it is heart-breaking to see man's inhumanity to man. I think we can honor the victims and survivors of the holocaust by visiting here, letting them tell their stories, and then remembering; especially at a time when some in our world think that it never happened.

I don't have many pictures. They don't allow picture taking inside the museum, but I did find a couple off the internet that I'll post.

Right when you walk in the museum, you can feel the 'spirit' of the victims. It was overwhelming at times and brought me to tears. We spent almost 4 hours here-- it is a 4-floor museum and very, very dedicated to detail. I will never forget the things I saw and learned there. One thing that was really interesting to me is that most of the 'regular' German folks did not even know what Hitler was doing. They had never heard of Auschwitz or any of the other concentration camps. Hitler had lied about what he was doing with the Jews. When the U.S. and Britain invaded, they made regular citizens of Germany come and tour the concentration camps and see what had really been done. They had video of this. It showed people running from the camps and crying sobbing and shaking their heads. They were sick. They were shocked and ashamed and angry.
They had a real box car inside the museum that was used to transport Jews to the camps. They actually let you go inside. It was very eerie to imagine being stuffed in there for days with 100 other people...not being able to sit or lay down.
This is a picture of the actual box car being lowered down into the museum before the museum was even built.

They told a story of Jews that were hiding in someone's house in Germany. The Gestapo were coming. One woman had a little baby and the baby would not stop crying. She put her hand over the baby's mouth to try to get him to be quiet. She accidentally suffocated him, by trying to save his life (and the life of others who were hiding with them.)
Another story that breaks my heart: One Jewish mother and father knew that the only way their daughter had a chance of surviving was to send her away to live with some friends in another country. They knew that this would be heart-breaking and traumatic for them and for their daughter. They began to distance themselves from her. They didn't hug or kiss her anymore. They talked to her like she was an acquaintance. They told her that some of their friends wanted her to go visit them to see where they lived. The last time they saw here, they put her in the car and just waved. No hug, or kiss.

Can you imagine?

Ok. I think that's enough of remembering. It is painful. But I encourage any who have the chance to go.

Hall of Remembrance. Pictures of Jews and their families in the 1940's.

Outside the Museum. The view from the front is very aesthetically pleasing; curved and round. Behind you can see the red brick- square and straight and very cold-looking. This information about the building was taken from their website: "The curved portico of the 14th Street entrance — with its squared arches, window grating, and cubed lights — is a mere facade, a fake screen that actually opens to the sky, deliberately hiding the disturbing architecture of skewed lines and hard surfaces of the real entrance that lies behind it. In Freed's (the architect's) words, "Visitors must pass through the limestone partition to enter a concrete world." This motif of contrasting appearance and reality is repeated throughout."