Where did I leave off?

I think this is probably the 08213972389th time I've started this specific post.  I've thought a hundred times why I procrastinate my blogging of trips for SOOOOOOooooooOOOOoooo long, and I've come to the conclusion that if I don't blog it, it doesn't have to be over.  I look so forward to a new adventure, I don't want to have space in between.

Well, I've now been on another adventure, and can safely finish off the road trip story. Where did I leave off?  We'd just left Niagara Falls, right?
Ok.

From Niagara Falls, we headed West.  We drove all the way through New York the top left corner of Pennsylvania, into Bowling Green, Ohio.  Our favorite sign? "Moose Crossing".  Every time I hear the word "Moose", I think of the comedian Brian Regan.  You have to listen to this guy.  Hillarious.  Boxen of Moosen.....HAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, sorry, back to the story....Now, I have a lot of cousins.  A LOT of cousins.  Like, cousins out the wazoo.  My absolutely favorite cousin blessed our family by joining when I was about 9.  Debbie married my cousin on my moms side, Thad.  When she got married, she had a row of roses over her bustle.  She called it her "Rose-Butt Dress".  I know.  Amazing.  She's the most gracious Christian (but not one of the loony right winged Christians), loving mother, and kind friend.  She offered us her home on our way to my parents, and we were glad to have a home cooked meal, a shower inside a house, and air conditioning!  Debbie is the kind of person who holds her morals and standards, but in such a way that it is neither offensive or exclusive.  She is a fantastic listener, a speaker of kind words, and just the kind of person you want to be around.  Imagine Mary Poppins, American style.  We got to talk to daddy at home (the picture below), catch up with family, and slept REALLY.....Really.....really well...zzzzzzzzzz.

We woke up in the morning, said our goodbyes, and drove off for Detroit.  Detriot wasn't one of the places I was super excited about visiting.  I'd had a few things in mind like, the Henry Ford museum, not getting shot, etc....but we decided to improvise instead.  Not getting shot remained at the top of my list. 

Cannolis are NEVER a bad choice.  Ok, I take that back.  Cannolis CAN be a bad choice, but when they're good, they're GOoooooOOOooood.  Supino Pizziaria was a recommendation from my BFF, indirectly, through Diners, Drive-In's and Dives.  IF there is a DDD place, she wants to try it, and I can't think of a time her food choice has sucked.  We downed our supper amazing pizza, and went in for the sugar and cheese filled fried dough.  You know the kind of cannoli that's crunchy on the outside and still super gooey on the inside with big 'ole chunks of chocolate that make your insides smile?  They were THAT kind of cannoli.  My pants were already tight driving into Detroit, and driving out, I unbuttoned.  

You know what I love about living in Texas?  The wide open spaces and beautiful skies where you can see for miles and miles.  I think I love that because it reminds me of home.  Home is a tiny town in Illinois where politicians and poets have walked, but few have heard of.  Galesburg, Illinois.  

House of Reppin'

First of all, I'd like to give a HUGE shout out to Greenbelt State Park on the north side of DC.  Beautiful park, beautiful camping.  The daddy long legs weren't my favorite, but oh well.  More tolerable than some of the insects down south :)  We stayed at the camp site for three days.  Sunday night, we rolled in, set up camp, did laundry, and made S'mores.  It was a nice relaxing time.  We were in bed early and ready to hit the road early Monday morning.

First thing off the metro was the Navy Memorial.  Hoorah, Navy!  

Right across the street was the National Archives.  We weren't allowed to take pictures inside at all, but I found a quote I don't think I'd heard before that is my new battle cry: "The past is prelude".  This was theme all through the archives as we looked at the 800 year old Magna Carta, the Articles of Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights.  Talking about the progression of the documents, reading the words....I actually cried.  Real tears.  No shame.

We then took a hike to the Capitol Building!  

See the spots on the stairs? That's us!

We took a walk in tour and got to see the dome construction underway,

and Gannon stood in the spot of Abraham Lincoln's congressional desk!

We were shown opportunity to sit in on the the House of Representatives in session in the gallery.  We jumped right on that train.

Gannon was excited to go to the office of Congressman Doggett to get our tickets.  We sat in a session of congress and saw two bills go through.  Pretty stinking cool.  No pictures allowed, of course.

From there, we made our way up the mall.  We sat against the Washington Monument, the kids chased birds on our way down the mall.  It was very surreal.  

We talked about the men and women who served in World War II to include their great grandpa Fred (my grandpa) and saw the wall of stars, and talked about the loss of life in WWII, Vietnam, the Civil War, and the Revolutionary War.

We strolled past the Reflecting Pool and watched the ducks,

and a tired and motley crew landed at the Lincoln Memorial.  We read the Gettysburg Address in preparation for our day at Gettysburg, and talked about our time at Springfield last year when Gannon visited Lincoln's Tomb.

Grandpa Gary was a topic of discussion as we read name after name after name at the Vietnam Memorial.  I cried here, too.  Thank you, Gary Lashley-Cline for your service to our country, and thank you for coming home and being my daddy.

We actually took a cab to a hamburger joint.  We'd gone more than 10 miles of walking and Baby A just was NOT going to move another step.  Back to the camp site we went with big plans for Tuesday.

Our first order of business was the Holocaust Museum.  I wasn't 100% sure how the little girls would do.  We started at Daniels Story - the Children's Section.  They did a fantastic job.  We opted to go through the whole exhibit.  I'm glad we did.

Gannon said he was very upset that the Nazis desecrated the Torah and the Synagogs during the Night of Broken Glass.  Siri understood the hate that one people had for another.  She related it to the Confederacy and slavery of the pre-Civil War mindset.  I was proud.

Gannon and Siri lit candles in remembrance of the Holocaust and vowed to never be so complacent that they would stand by and watch something like this happen.  Ever.  Again.

Street vendor for lunch (not terrible, actually), then metro to....

THE PENTAGON!  I would like to give myself some major props for:

1. Planning

2. Executing

our trip to the Pentagon.  

Why the Pentagon and not the White House?  All Gannon wanted for his birthday was a tour of the Pentagon. Happy Birthday, little man.

We saw where the plane went down, we wrote letters to the survivors families, and prayed for our country.

Of course no photos were allowed in the actual Pentagon, but the Honor Corps Seaman and Airman who gave us our tour were happy to pose with the kids.  

Only one stop up on the Metro is Arlington National Cemetery!

We took a tram tour and had a perfect view at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and watched the Changing of the Guard.

Just a few stops down, and my cousins Mark and Becca with their sweet new baby were our dinner destination.

The kids played in the water, ate a little, and Mark and I talked about our travels as kids.  A good time was had by all.  

Back to the Metro and our campsite for one final night in DC.  We'd like to come back at spend two weeks, and I'm not sure we'd see everything we'd want to see.  Amazing time.