Washington D.C.

My brother has lived in the D.C. area for many years, but I hadn't been since I was a teenager. My nephew's High School graduation was the perfect excuse to make the trip out, this time, with Travis, Liam & my sister Sherlyn. Which after traveling to Florida for Christmas with Liam, I felt that we definitely had the whole "traveling with a baby" thing down.

June 9th

Tip #1 to travel with kids, take a direct flight whenever possible! Lucky for us, our gate was a very short walk in the new SLC airport terminal. We were not so lucky on our Florida trip and had to walk 15 mins to the Jet Blue gates and no stroller...lesson learned. It was an almost 4 hr plane ride to D.C. which Liam did wonderful on (compared to our FL red-eye flight) mostly eating snacks, playing with the airplane brochures and smiling at the passengers sitting behind us.

Upon arrival we got our luggage, carseat and stroller, picked up our compact rental car (unsure of how we were going to fit all our stuff, especially once my mom arrived later in the week) and headed to the hotel to check-in and drop off our bags. The hotel worker, Steve, who checked us in told us we were fairly normal for being from Utah LOL. We told him we were "from" Utah, but not "from, from" Utah and that we originally hailed from Florida. Funny enough, the couple behind us waiting to be checked-in was also from FL and questioned why we would ever move away! It was hilarious and Virginia was already feeling like a super friendly state.

After a bite to eat at Cava Grill, we got some basic groceries at Target and spent the night settling in, resting from the flight and preparing for out adventures the next day.

June 10th

The next day we were up bright and early to go see some of the landmarks of our nations great history. We were joined by my brother and nephew and were so grateful he could take the day off work to join us. My brother was deployed in December and was originally going to be deployed still and it was such a sweet surprise to have him there during our trip.

Our first stop was the Arlington Cemetery where many of our nations veterans are laid to rest. On our way there we accidentally took the wrong exit and ended up at the Pentagon! It was actually a cool detour, full of cement barriers and "authorized personnel only" signs, but we managed to find our way out and back on the highway without getting in trouble. Something I didn't know about Arlington cemetery was that it is also the resting place of President John F. Kennedy, his wife Jackie Kennedy, his children and many others of the Kennedy family. By their gravestones is the Eternal Flame which never goes out as a symbol of the nation's perpetual gratitude towards, and remembrance of, its war dead. The US flag at Arlington cemetery is also always at half-staff for that same purpose.

Another memorable site at Arlington cemetery is the tomb of the unknown soldier, a monument dedicated to deceased US service members whose remains have not been identified. A soldier stands guard here 24/7, rain or shine and changes shifts every 30 minutes. The ceremony of that change of guards is definitely something special to witness and shows the level of respect and care towards these fallen men and women with no name.

After Arlington cemetery we went to the national mall, which Trav confused for an actual shopping mall at first, hahaha. The national mall is actually considered a state park and houses many of the monuments and important capital buildings vital for the workings of our country. First was the Lincoln memorial, which is also on the back of the penny! It really is so crazy to see the tiny relief impression of that building in full scale, and all 19 ft of honest Abe up close and personal. His famous Gettysburg address is engraved on the surrounding walls. And as you look out towards the mall, the beautiful reflection pool, where so many activists and inspirational figures have addressed crowds of freedom seekers, like Dr. Martin Luther King.

There are other memorials in the Mall such as the Vietnam War and Korean War memorials which were being restored at the time. So we took a look at the Washington Monument next. If you look closely at the structure you can see that it has 2 different colors of stone about halfway up. That is because construction of the obelisk had to be stopped due to a lack of funds and the civil war, once resumed (over 20 years later!) the quarry stone couldn't be matched.

We took a picture from a distance of the US Capitol building and then one in front of the White House, which sadly had 4-5 gates on front of it. A stark contrast to my first time visiting the White House in 2007 under the Obama administration where only the further most black iron gate surrounded the building.

We parted ways from my brother, but not until we had lunch at a little spot called Immigrant Food which had a pretty decent, Cuban sandwich. Then we were off to the International Spy museum which was such a cool experience!

Every person admitted is given a badge. You go up the elevator that suddenly glows red and are told that you've been assigned to a special spy mission. You take a short picture-based quiz and enter your age and are then given an alias and passcode that you need to remember throughout the museum as you go about completing your secret mission, while also looking at incredible artifacts and biographies of some of our nations most famous spies and also most infamous double-crossers. We saw things like the enigma, props, disguises and even weapons hidden under the guise of everyday objects like an umbrella, glove and pack of cigarettes. Not only was it fascinating, but I loved how interactive it was and how the puzzles are customized by age which means adults can also have in on the fun and be challenged mentally.

June 11th

Today we woke up to an absolute down-pour. I was so glad we had done the majority of our outdoor activities the day before, but our plans to go to George Washington's Mount Vernon were absolutely squashed by the weather. We came up with a last minute plan B and after walking around DC in the rain for several blocks, managed to get tickets to see the National Museum of the American Indian. The architecture was stunning inside and out and had a very organic look and flow to it. We saw all sort of artifacts from indigenous peoples as far as South America and as North as Canada. Tools for hunting and fishing, garbs made of hide and human hair and even children's toys made of wood and corn husk. My favorite part was seeing all the intricate and gorgeous beadwork in the clothing and jewelry. So much beauty and skill that was lost after generations of colonization and reformation schools, where many Native American children quickly forgot, not just the traditions of their ancestors, but were never seen again by their families.

After drying off at the museum, the rain finally let up and we went out for lunch at Good Stuff Eatery where I had the most delicious bite called The Obama Burger with bacon and onion jam. Then we rested up in the hotel until dinner where we met up with my brother's family to celebrate on of my nieces' birthdays at Chili's. Later that night my mom flew-in and after a quick tour of the suite we all went straight to bed. We had a super early day ahead!

June 12th

Graduation day! My nephew's graduation was about an hour south of where we were staying in Alexandria and at 8 a.m., so we had quite the early wake-up call at 6 a.m. to make it on time. It was a wonderful ceremony outside in the football field surrounded by dense forest and the chilly Virginia air. We were so proud to see him walk across the stage and felt lucky to be able to attend his graduation in-person and not via zoom, especially after traveling so far. We were going to support him regardless, but had no idea what to expect.

After some family pictures we went to my brothers house for some Boston Market and fun family time. If you're from the east coast you definitely know Boston Market! Their mac n' cheese is by far my favorite of any restaurant and even homemade varieties. Soooo silky and creamy and makes amazing leftovers, which is very rare for mac n' cheese.

Later in the evening when we were back in Alexandria we walked down King street and all the adorable shops and houses. At the very end was a wharf and we walked around the docks and took pictures by the Potomac while we waited to be seated at Fish Market for some good Chesapeake style seafood. We had the most delicious cajun shrimp appitizer and I enjoyed a lobster roll, yummmm!

June 13th

Sunday we woke up early for brunch in Arlington with my cousin Michelle who just moved to D.C. from FL. It was so nice to see her after so many years apart and for her to meet Liam and just catch up. Then we went to church with my brother and his family and spent the rest of the day at their house celebrating my nieces actually birthday with some good ol' Puerto Rican style pernil and homemade chocolate cheesecake. My bro is quite the chef! We sang her happy birthday, gave gifts and watched Raya while the kids played around the house. It was another very rainy day.

June 14th

Today our flight wasn't heading out until the evening so we got up bright and early one last time, packed up all our belongings, checked-out of the hotel and headed to George Washington's Mount Vernon. And boy were we happy to get there early cause even at 9 am the temperature outside was already in the 80's. We got tickets upon arrival and were so happy to be offered tickets to enter the mansion and tour our first president's home. These tickets had been listed as sold out online, so it was a nice surprise.

The estate was astoundingly large and that was with the pioneer plantation being a small replica of the five plantations that were actually a part of the original 8,000 acres of land. We got to see the intricate build of his stables and barns, the wharf, a family slave home and even stumbled upon the missionaries on this part of the property who were having some fun on their p-day. We then took the mansion tour and saw the lavish life-style of the 18th century plantation owner who became our first president. Rooms with intricate fireplaces, elaborate wood work and artwork all throughout. Outside the main mansion were buildings dedicated to every needful thing from smoking meat and shoemaking to laundry and even an outdoor kitchen which boasted an 18th century ice cream churner which was operated by hand. The ice to make the ice cream would be collected every winter from the Potomac with stood as the most picturesque backdrop for the mansion.

Key to the basilica gifted by Lafayette

The gardens are now meticulously kept by the property staff and we eventually made our way to President Washingtons gravesite where he lie next to his wife Martha. Just a couple feet away was the slave memorial, a tiny hillside where unmarked graves, highlighted only by twine outlines, marked the final resting place of the many enslaved persons who were owned by the Washington's. The Washington's had over 300 enslaved persons between all the farms and properties. Upon George Washington's death, the majority were emancipated, a request he had written into his will. Unfortunately, some of the slaves were an inheritance from Martha Washington's family and these she kept and passed onto her children upon her death. It was humbling to see the living conditions of the enslaved individuals of the Washington estate and to learn about their day-to-day toils on the property and everything they did to keep the property running like a well-oiled machine. The Washington's definitely would not have had the great wealth they did were it not for their unpaid labor.

Once the heat was really starting to beat down on us we headed to the final part of the estate which were the museum and gift shops where we got some final souvenirs for the trip home.

Then it was straight to the airport and back home to Utah where we all got baths, unpacked and went straight to bed. I consider myself the atypical traveler based on the fact that I like to unpack and put things away immediately after a trip and waste no time unpacking. It is seriously not normal, but there is just a satisfaction in going to bed knowing I won't have to bother with it and can just resume to my normal life plus some extra laundry the next day.

I enjoyed every second being back in the east coast and especially spending it with family. Another great trip for the books!