Happy Halloween!

BOO!!!

Shopping for the Ball

We went dress shopping for the USMC Birthday Ball.  The girls do not want anyone to see the dresses they chose before the “Big Night” but here are two that they did not choose.

Can’t wait for the Ball!

Boo!

The girls went to a Halloween party tonight!  They looked so cute! 

I poked my head into the party for a few minutes and got a few photos to share!  Oh to be young again!

Happy Halloween!

Washington D.C. - Sunday

Sunday morning we all (Rodger, JoBeth, Katelyn, Logan, Yasmina & Nanna) got up and headed back to D.C.  We wanted the girls to ride the Metro, so we parked at Union Station

and took the subway to the Smithsonian’s.  Before getting on the subway, we had a quick breakfast at the train station and then had to figure out what train to get on.  After much discussion, (and not figuring it out) I asked a nice man for help.  So with tickets in hand we were on our way.
 
Our first stop was the Museum of American History.  There we saw many of the First Ladies ball gowns, Abe Lincoln’s top hat and many other old American artifacts.

Yasmina & Nanna in front of an American Bison.

Nanna

Yasmina

Nanna & Yasmina in front of an old fashion kitchen.

Nanna & Yasmina with a "British soldier occupying a Colonist home." 

Nanna in front of a Vietnam Helicopter.

Yasmina in front of a Vietnam Helicopter.

Yasmina & Nanna in front of an old boat.

 And the girls got to see what it would be like to be the Presidents of the United States!

 We hit the gift shop where the girls bought a small souvenir, got a snack to tide us over until dinner and then went next door to the Natural History Museum.

 This is the museum with the Hope Diamond

It is more impressive in person!

 Big stuffed animals

 Dinosaurs

 Caveman

Logan with one of HIS ancestors!

And a giant whale and squid.

Yasmina & Nanna in the jaws of a Great White Shark.

The whale was so big I could not get it all in the photo!

It also has lots of other gems and pretty shiny things that I told the girls I wanted for Christmas, but I didn’t see them buy anything, so I think I am out of luck! 

By this time it was 5:00 and time to head to German Town, Maryland, to my cousins house, Mike and Barbara, for dinner.  Now Barb is a FANTASTIC cook!  And boy did she outdo herself!  She had hors d'oeuvres waiting for us when we got there:  crap dip, French bread, cheese and crackers, nuts, and more! 

For dinner we had ham, pork roast, flank steak, fresh green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy and bread.  And for dessert, brownies and cookies.  (There was a pie, but we forgot about it until it was too late!  DARN!) 

Jimmy, Robbie, Lori & Barbara

Mike, Logan, Katelyn, Yasmina, Nanna, Rodger (not looking at the camara!) & Chirs.

We all ate until we could eat no more!  A big thank you to my cousins for having all of us over!  We headed back to Katelyn’s house about 9:30 and by 11:00 we were home and tucked into bed.

Monday morning we were back in the truck and on the road back to South Carolina by 9:30.  It was a quick trip, but well worth it!  We loved showing the girls our history and were glad they finally got to meet there ‘sister’ and ‘brother-in-law’.  We hope to make it back one more time before they leave – probably in May when they will get to meet their ‘niece’, as Katelyn and Logan are expecting my first grandchild!  Wooohooo!

Washington D.C. Friday & Saturday

Our Washington D.C. trip was fast but fun!  I think the girls really enjoyed it! 

We left South Carolina Friday morning about 9:00am.  We made our first stop at a place called South of the Border.  Wow has this place grown!  It is right on the North/South Carolina line.  It used to be 2 or 3 shops where you could buy fireworks.  It now has a small amusement park, restaurants and a bunch of souvenir shops!  It is really tacky, but made for some fun photos!

South of the Border

Yasmina

Nanna

Rodger being silly!

Nanna following her dad's example!

Yasmina getting in on the fun!

I also made sure we stopped at the border of each state we passed through so that the girls could get a picture.  Welcome to North Carolina!

Welcome to North Carolina.

Virginia isn’t just for lovers anymore!  It’s for families!

Once we arrived at Katelyn and Logan’s we freshened up and went out to eat at Olive Garden.  Yummy!

Logan, Katelyn Nanna, Yasmina & Rodger at Olive Garden in Virginia.

Saturday morning we were up and out of the house early.  We had a lot to see and not a lot of time!  Our first stop was the Pentagon.  There is a new 9-11 memorial there.  I am sad to say, it is ugly. 

Yasmina, Nanna & Rodger.

Yasmina & Nanna in front of the Pentagon.

Nest we went to Arlington National Cemetery.  There we saw the John F. Kennedy eternal flame,

Nanna & Yasmina at JFK's grave.

A beautiful gazebo,

Robert E. Lee’s home,

 And the amphitheater.   The girls and Rodger really liked sitting in the “kings” chair!

Queen Nanna

Queen Yasmina

King Rodger

Nanna, JoBeth & Yasmina

After we left the cemetery, Rodger dropped the girls and I off at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.  (There was no place to park so the girls and I had to be fast!  Rodger drove in circles until we were ready to be picked up!  Thank goodness for cell phones!)

From there we found a parking spot on the Mall and started walking.  The Washington Monument was our next stop.

Nanna & Yasmina

 Unfortunately, it is closed.  It was damaged in the earthquake.  We did not get to go up in it, but the girls got to pose in front of it.

We next walked to the World War II Memorial.  It was beautiful and fairly new.  Rodger and I had not seen it before. 

Yasmina, Rodger & Nanna at the WWII Memorial

From there we hiked up to the Lincoln Monument past what should have been the Reflecting Pool.  Regrettably, it is under construction.  They have completely torn it out and are redoing it.  BUMMER!  However, Mr. Lincoln never disappoints.  He is quite spectacular up close and in person. 

Next to the Lincoln Monument is the Vietnam War Memorial.  It has the names of all the service men and women that died in the war.  The girls were amazed at all the names and thought that they represented all nations.  They were surprised that so many Americans had died.  It is a sad place, but beautifully done.

Now it was time to head back towards the Mall.  It is a LONG walk.  The girls were troopers.  We passed by the DAR headquarters (Daughters of the American Revolution) and I had my photo taken.  My sisters and I are DARs.   We have traced our heritage back and have found ancestors who fought in the revolutionary war. 

We then walked down Pennsylvania to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the White House.  The girls were surprised at how small it was.  It seems so much bigger on TV.

Yasmina & Nanna at 1600 Pennsylvinia Ave.

We wanted to do a tour of the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) Building, but they do not give tours on the weekends.  GRRRR  But, of course, we got a photo outside!

Yasmina, Rodger & Nanna outside the FBI Buliding.

Our final stop of the day was at the National Archives.  There we saw the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights and many other old, important documents.  No photos are allowed inside, but we did snap some outside the building.

Waiting in line at the National Archives.

On our way back to the truck, we had one last photo op with the Capital Building in the background.

(Did I mention, we could not remember where we parked the truck?  LOL  Note to self, always write down the street where you park!)

By the time we got back to Kati’s house we were all tired and hungry.  We had chicken noodles for dinner (Kati’s favorite) and went to bed early.  We had another big day coming up! 

But that, my dear readers,  is my blog for tomorrow!