Flying into DC was quite the adventure. We were supposed to land around 9:00 pm. Due to a huge electrical storm, however, our plane was re-routed to Pittsburgh. We waited out the storm for a couple of hours and finally flew into Reagan National past midnight. After claiming our bags, we had the pleasure of standing in a cab queue with over 200+ other weary travelers. Thankfully, our hotel was just a couple of miles away. My head finally hit the pillow about 3:30 am the next morning.
The main goal of our trip was to connect with my cousin Scott and his new bride Allison, my cousin Daniel, his wife Ngoc and their two kids. We loved every minute spent with them, and especially enjoyed eating Ngoc's Vietnamese noodles at their cozy new home. Elizabeth devoured two servings!
We also enjoyed visiting our nation's capitol. It was the ultimate American History field trip!
Mom and Dad and the three munchkins are posing like tourists in front of the Reflecting Pool with the Washington Monument in the background. We missed the chance to go up to the top of the WM-- the online tickets were sold out, and no one wanted to get up early to stand in line for tickets. I'm consoled by the fact that we didn't have great viewing weather anyway. 
The Lincoln Memorial was one of the highlights of our trip. I visited it years ago while I was at Merrill Lynch's stockbroker training, but seeing it through the eyes of my awestruck kids was a much more rewarding experience. Elizabeth got a kick of seeing the Gettysburg Address on one of the walls. She memorized a section of the Address last year as part of a history co-op class. 
For some reason, the Iwo Jima memorial was one of Daniel's top three sites to visit. I think it has something to do with a Jonathan Park story.
Thanks to our congressman, we had the privilege of touring the White House. We saw the East Room, Blue Room, Green Room, Vermeil Room and the State Dining Room. It is truly a stately mansion. I embarked on the tour as a prayer walk for our President and for our nation.
No one was allowed to bring a camera inside because of security measures. We hoofed it to the front and took the usual touristy photos. The photo above was taken just seconds before a Secret Service agent armed with an Uzi walked by. Gulp...try to look innocent, guys.
Despite Agent Uzi, I stuck my zoom lens in between the fence posts and snapped this shot. 
We caught the Metro nearly everywhere. Mass transit has its merits, but it's not for the faint-hearted. When you reach your destination, you have a very brief window to get out before the train shuts the door. Once, we were disembarking when I noticed Mom missing. I glanced and saw that she had nodded off in her seat. This was no time for a gentle and quiet spirit. I hollered, "MOM!" She jumped out and barely made it through the closing doors.
Another time, the exiting crowd was so thick that Alan couldn't get out fast enough. The edge of the shopping bag Alan was carrying got caught in the doors, and a piece was torn off as the train flew away. Thankfully, the goods were still safe.
In addition to visiting the impressive Capitol Building, we visited the National Archives, where the nation's Charters of Freedom are displayed: The Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
It was very cool to view the original documents with the signatures of our Founding Fathers, but it was sad to see how faded the Declaration of Independence has become over time. It's even sadder to witness how our nation is wandering from its principles.
We must keep praying.
(Next installment of photos to come...)
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!" Psalm 33:12
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