First things first, we drove up to Oregon to settle the kids with their grandparents. I'm so glad that my kids have a good place to go where I don't have to worry about them. We hung out with all of the family, played some games, and even checked out the new Top Golf. It was really fun.
Then, just like that, it was time for Chris and I to head out. It had been a really long time since we had travelled anywhere together. It was really nice! We stopped and had some breakfast before our flight, and just did whatever we felt like. After an uneventful nonstop flight, we were there. Back to the same airport that we had left from a year and a half ago. It was really good to be back. We have both missed Virginia.
It took a bit to get our car and check in to the hotel. Since we also had to add 3 hours with the time change it was already dinner time. We found food at Sweetwater Tavern. Gotta love those Great American Restaurants.
The next morning we opted to be a little crazy and get up at 5am in order to get to DC in time to stand in line for the new Smithsonian Museum of African American History. Since it was brand new they only let so many people in each day. You had to get a timed pass to attend. We arrived in line at 6:40am and were basically at the very front of the line. We froze our booties off but it was worth it. We were among the first people to get in and we got to watch a beautiful sunrise over the mall.
We spent almost five hours walking around the museum. There is a ton to see and read in there. Our brains were fried or else we could have stayed longer for sure. Afterwards we enjoyed the outside sunshine for a bit and walked around. We walked over to the American History museum for a bit. It is one of my favorites. The best part is seeing the great flag that inspired the Star Spangled Banner. It's really impressive to see. There was also a new display with old puppets that I remember from TV. They had the original Snap, Crackle, and Pop.
A sculpture of George Washington. It was meant to be outside, but people felt he was too scantily clad.
After lots of walking around we headed to our dinner reservation at Founding Farmers. It was a delicious anniversary dinner. It's hard to believe that 15 years have already passed. We still love hanging out with each other!
Since it was plenty dark out after we ate, so we opted to walk down to the Lincoln Memorial. It's one of my favorite places to visit. It is gorgeous at night, and the views did not disappoint. What a perfect way to cap off our anniversary date.
The next day was Thanksgiving day. We got up fairly early to be at the wedding around 8:30am. They gave us a program that explained the plan of events and what would be happening. Even with that guide we still found ourselves lost a few times. It was all very interesting. Neither of us had ever been to an Indian wedding before. There was a ton of ceremony and lots of chanting and music. It was really hard to get decent pictures, but we had a good time. It lasted almost four hours and then they served us a buffet lunch. The food was good, but nothing spectacular.
The bride was carried in on this chariot.
After lunch we headed back to our hotel to take a wonderful nap. It felt so amazing! Changing time zones really is hard to do. After we slept forever we were hungry. There was going to be a dinner at the reception, but not until about 10pm. We looked all over for some food. It was Thanksgiving and everything was closed. Sadly we ended up at McDonalds. I splurged and got an apple pie.
We got ready and headed back for the reception. There were speeches and dances done for us. Then they served the buffet. The food was similar to lunch. We had a good time and it was fun to get all dressed up. The decor was beautiful.
The next day we hit the city again. We headed to the Supreme Court first. They didn't allow any cameras inside the courtroom, but we were able to go inside and sit while an intern talked to us about how the court works. It was very interesting.
Afterwards we had burgers and shakes for lunch and then walked over to the Library of Congress. It was a huge building with an incredible number of books. The building itself was ridiculously ornate. We didn't spend a ton of time there, but we did see Jefferson's private collection as well as some really old bibles from the 1400's.
We spent the rest of our day enjoying being outside. We walked around the Capital and all over the city. It was great to just do whatever we felt like.
We went back to Virginia and had dinner at a place called Kona Grill. It was really good too. Another great day!
The next morning we were able to sleep in til almost 11. Then we took ourselves to brunch, did some shopping, and headed to the airport. We were able to relax the entire time. No rush. It was great.
We made it back to PDX late that night and unfortunately had to make the drive back home first thing in the morning. We wish we could have had more time in Oregon, but we had a really great trip.
Thank you to everyone who helped make it possible, especially my parents and in-laws. We have the best family, and I'm so thankful for all of them!
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