DC

(A BIG THANKS to my in-laws who watched the kids and made the following happen..)

To avoid doing a marathon post, I am going to try to sum up what we saw in one word..

Wright Brother's Plane

Inventive

The US Mint

1 Million in tens

Show me the money!!!

Library of Congress

Beautiful

Raising of the Flag at Iwo-Jima

Grateful

The White House

uh......a little bitter I didn't see Barack out walking their dog

Albert Einstein

Chillin'

Korean War Monument

Appreciative

Lincoln Memorial

Amazing!

Washington Monument

Huge

National Gallery of Art

Calming

Arlington National Cemetary 

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Indebted

Reverence

Holocaust Museum

Haunting

Remember

Vietnam War Memorial

Admiration

Patriotism

Also, at the Vietnam Wall, there was a guy there who has researched some of the people who gave their lives.  He handed out paper and would stop and talk and tell you about specific people who died in defense of our country.  He told us about a 14 year old who died after being there less than a month.  He altered the dates on his papers, he was the youngest person to die.  He also told us about a nurse who was trying to help orphans and their plane crashed.  She was killed, along with many of the children.  It was so interesting to hear the stories of the lives of these people.  I didn't know anyone who died in the Vietnam war, and seeing the monument was amazing.  But after speaking with the man who knew so much about these individuals, it brought the inscribed names to life for me and I left with a greater sense of gratitude for what they did for us and what they gave up.