Easter Weekend in DC!

 We had an amazing Easter weekend a few weeks ago in Washington D.C.! We've had this trip planned for months and of course, before we knew it, it was here! We stayed with one of my best friends Rachel and her husband Allin and had 3 great days in the city! Our first night we dressed up and met up with friends for happy hour in the city. I got to see some of my friends from FSU and Duke! Next we walked to the White House for a special tour of the West Wing thanks to my amazing friends James and Lacey. It was so cool to see the Oval Office, Roosevelt Room, Rose Garden, Mess Hall, and to hear stories behind every room, painting, and artifact (thanks to our tour guide James!). It was one of the highlights of the trip, especially for Nate! After the tour, we walked down the street for a jazz concert featuring our good friend Etienne - as always, his show was fantastic!

Our second day in the city, Nate and I set out to do some sightseeing! Our first stop was the U.S. Capitol Building - we didn't have time for a tour (next time!) but we got amazing pictures outside! After that we walked to one of the museums for a lunch outside, which was perfect. We saw the Smithsonian's American History Museum, although the most famous exhibit was closed (the one with Kermit, Dorothy's red slippers, etc.) That was a bummer, but all the more reason to return one day! Next we walked the basin and saw about half of the major monuments - including the Jefferson Memorial, the FDR Memorial, and the new MLK Monument. We also stumbled upon some cherry blossom trees and we got a perfect picture thanks to Nate hanging (yes, hanging) my DSLR camera from a tree branch and setting the self-timer. I still can't believe this picture turned out but it did and it's absolutely amazing. My friends will not be surprised to hear it is already framed in our living room (seriously, anyone surprised? I think not). Finally, we ended our day back at Rachel and Allin's house for a delicious home cooked meal - the perfect way to relax after a hectic day sightseeing!

Our last day in the city we did more sightseeing - and I still can't believe everything we fit in! We started at the Iwo Jima monument - one of my favorites - and then walked to Arlington National Cemetery. It's powerful to see all the graves - and there are over 400,000 in the park. We also saw the graves of JFK and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. From there we walked the bridge across to the DC monuments, where we walked through the Korean Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, and finally the World War II Memorial, my personal favorite. It always reminds my of Daddy Quint, my grandfather who I was very close to. He landed on the beaches of Normandy for the battle of D-Day when he was only 14 years old. Those memories stayed with him all of his life - and even though he never got to see the WWII Memorial built, he donated to it while he was alive. The memorial recognizes all the states that fought in the Atlantic and Pacific, and commemorate the lives lost (over 400,000) with 4,000 stars, each star representing the loss of 100,000 lives. 

Finally, we ended the day in Georgetown, where we met our friends Allyson and Brian for an Easter dinner at a great Italian restaurant. It was the perfect end to the trip!