Washington DC!

Monday was Intro to Washington DC day! We drove across the Chesapeake Bay, parked just outside DC, and rode the Metro right onto the National Mall. We got there at about 1pm, and got to walking right away. We walked to the Capital first.

It is about a mile from the capital to the Washington Monument. And I'm thinking we walked that a few times. Along the way, we popped into a couple of the Smithsonian museums: Natural History and American History. We only spent maybe 45 minutes in each. I'm looking forward to spending more time in each on our next trip.

Noteworthy: Ben and the creepy bunny.

Also, the Stephen Colbert. And it really is by the restrooms. A defining moment in my life.

Finally, we saw the Lincoln Memorial. He was much bigger than I thought it would be!

This picture is kind of blurry, but I wanted to include the quote. I thought it was very poetic.

View from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The White House from a distance. We didn't have time to get very close. Next time I really want to take a tour.

It was such a quick trip, but absolutely worth it! I can't wait to go back!

The Big Apple.

On Monday, we got up really early, dressed in warm clothes, and drove the 3 hours to NEW YORK CITY!!! I've dreamed of seeing New York forever, so when Ben got a whole day off, we jumped at the opportunity to squeeze in a day trip. We parked in Jersey and took a bus through the Lincoln Tunnel. Ben usually holds his breath through tunnels, but he didn't stand a chance in the long Lincoln Tunnel! Ha ha! Then, once we got to the Manhattan side, BAM - buildings everywhere. It was great! It really is a concrete jungle, with the tallest buildings all around. And, even though it was a cold winter weekday, there were so many people everywhere. And speaking so many different languages. So we left the Port Authority and just started walking. We had a general idea of where we were headed, but found so much by just wandering a little.

First, Times Square.

WaMu and Jamba Juice, right next door to each other?!? It was like the wacky employment version of 'This is Your Life'.

And then, Central Park! Finally, I saw some real snow! But no way was I making a snow angel there. Yuck! But isn't it pretty?

So pretty.

The Rockefeller Center! Awesome Atlas.

And the main attraction: The Empire State Building. Unfortunately, it was snowy, so we didn't go to the top. Next time...

It was a quick trip, but so amazing! Totally alive and unique. NYC really is electric! I may have a new favorite city! Can't wait to go back again and again!

Philadelphia!

Ben had yesterday afternoon off, so we headed up to Philadelphia. It only takes about an hour and a half to drive there. Amazing! So we did all the major touristy things first:

Independence Hall

It was just incredible to see where the continental congress met.

It is such a beautiful building!

Next we saw the actual Liberty Bell. I've always wanted to see it. It was much smaller than I imagined, but so amazing to see it up close!

Last, we found a place called Blarney South. We each got a Philly Cheesesteak, of course! So tasty!

Walking back to our car, we saw Independence Hall at night. It was amazing!

I seriously can't believe how lucky we are to be able to visit all of these wonderful and historic places! I never dreamed I'd have a 4-month oportunity to see four major East Coast cities (Philly, NYC, DC, and Baltimore, in case you're wondering) as many times as we can. And they're all within 3 hours of Dover! Wow. Ben is off again tomorrow, so I think we're going to head to New York City! Amazing!

Hello Delaware!

We drove into Dover on Monday night, about 3 hours after Gettysburg. We got there a day early so that we could spend Tuesday exploring the base and surrounding area. Delaware is the First State, so we decided to find the state capital and check things out. I've seen a lot of state capitals (Like 10+ I think. I don't know, I just love them!), but nothing like this! We took a super-interesting tour of The State House. It was built in 1792 (wow!) and features an old courtroom and legislative chambers, as well as paintings. It is a beautiful building, totally awe-inspiring.

We also saw the currently used Legislative Building (the new capital) but didn't go in because they were swearing in for the new session.

They also have a replica of the Liberty Bell. Very cool.

One day of exploring was so exciting. I can't wait to see more!

Gettysburg.

We're on the move again... We put the Lillie-Dog on a plane to Utah and headed north! Monday we drove from NC, through Virginia, Maryland, and into Pennsylvania to see Gettysburg. Ben has been SOO excited to see Gettysburg! He even rented the Gettysburg movie again. I'm not much for battlefields but it was really amazing!

First we saw a short movie narrated by Morgan Freeman (who I've nicknamed God cause he always plays Him in movies) with Sam Waterston (Jack McCoy from Law & Order) as Lincoln's voice. It was a great movie and got me interested. Next we went to the brand new museum where Ben drooled over all the relic weapons. After that, we walked around part of the national cemetery. It was a very solemn experience, seeing the trench graves and the hundreds of unknown grave markers. I've never seen anything like it.

See all the cannons? Cool.

We climbed a lookout tower with a million stairs. My legs were sore the next day, but the view of the valley was so amazing!

I'm awful at history and knew about nothing about Gettysburg before we went. I learned so much and really gained an understanding and appreciation for what happened there. I'm so glad we went!

Happy Holidays!

What a crazy year this has been! Ben and I have spent the last 6 months on the move... Its so bizarre. We've 'lived' in Montgomery, Alabama (6 weeks), NC (8 weeks), Biloxi, Mississippi (6 weeks for me; 10 for Ben), and now back to our home in NC. And we're not done yet! Mid-January, we're heading to Dover, Delaware for 4 months for Ben's deployment.


Because we've been in and out so much, I've had to be selective about decorating for holidays. I didn't even try decorating for fall/Thanksgiving. But I'm super excited to get the house ready for Christmas! I'm almost done already! Oh and I should maybe explain the stockings. Mine is first. I've had it since I was a little girl. Ben's is Scrooge and says, 'Bah Humbug!'. And the other is Lillie's. Can't wait for Santa to come!

Lillie posing by the Christmas fireplace.

And here's a random pic from our little Thanksgiving dinner. We did it all on our own. It was my first time making the whole thing and it was pretty tasty, if I do say so myself!

Going home...

So I'm heading home to NC on Friday. Ben's little bro, James Allen, came out to watch our house and the Lillie-dog while we've been gone. Unfortunately, he had to head home to Utah a little early, so I'm going back to take care of things until Ben comes home Dec 11th. We've really appreciated James Allen's help, allowing me to spend the last 6 weeks with Ben in Mississippi. But I am kind of looking forward to getting back home. It's been really boring in MS. And I miss our house and the Lillie-dog! So here we are, being silly while I've been packing. :)

Will I fit in a suitcase?

Pretty much, yeah. Ha ha!

I made Ben a snowflake sticker and he stuck it on his head.

Halloween in New Orleans!

This year for Halloween, we decided to brave the crazy New Orleans crowds with some friends. It was so much fun! We all dressed up too! We ate at Pat O'Brians and then saw the parade! Here are some pics!

Ben went 'rocker goth' and I was a referee!

He got so many glares. He looks pretty scary though, huh?

During the parade.

Me and Ben after the parade. Look how many beads Ben caught for me!

We really had such a good time! Great food, crazy people and we got to dress up too! :)