Road Trip through PA

I know I'm way behind on this, but it's been a busy month. I traveled 3 out of 5 weekends in May, and June hasn't been much calmer.

So anyway, the first weekend in May, I took a road trip through Pennsylvania with my travel buddy, Lacey. Our first stop was Gettysburg....can you believe I've lived in DC for nearly 13 years and had never been to Gettysburg? I know!

It's a quaint town with obviously a ton of history. We were on a bit of a short timeline, but I wish I could've spent more time exploring the area.

Lincoln is omnipresent in Gettysburg.

As are guns and monuments.

And people walk around in period costume and no one bats an eye.

Hi Lacey! (I believe this is at Little Round Top.)

The historic cemetery dedicated by Lincoln...

And this is the monument commemorating Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

Sadly, there were lots of markers like this one.

Pennsylvania has some beautiful countryside. 

After a day and a half in Gettysburg, we drove east towards Philadelphia. But first, we stopped in Amish country for lunch. And it was gooood!

You could pay to take a buggy ride, but that was a little too kitschy for me.

We got to Philly in the evening and checked into our hotel, which was just blocks from City Hall.

The next day we walked around the historic district, beginning at Independence Hall.

I am OBSESSED with tulips, you guys. Must be my Dutch heritage. :)

This statue is called "The Signer" and is a monument to the signers of the Declaration of Independence, who frankly risked their lives by doing so.

Next we visited the Ben Franklin Museum and Print Shop.

There was a demonstration of the old timey printing press.

We then took a tour of the U.S. Mint. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but there were so many shiny coins!

On our last day, we went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We probably spent about two hours there, and I feel like that still wasn't enough.

Everyone running up the Rocky steps.....you better believe I did it too!

His footprints are at the top of the steps.

And the iconic statue, which used to be at the top of the steps, but got moved after the Art people had a fit.

So that's it! It was a short trip, but nice to get away for a bit.

Happy V-E Day!

I'm a little behind on this post; my apologies. Friday, May 8th was the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe (V-E) Day. The day was commemorated with a tremendous flyover in the skies above Washington, DC. Even though it was a regular workday, thousands of people spilled out of their offices during the noon hour and trained their cameras upward (yours truly included).

The whole experience was incredibly thrilling and moving. It's times like this when I feel so fortunate to be living in this great city. I was especially moved when I saw a PBY Catalina fly overheard, which is the aircraft my grandfather flew in as a radioman.

Here is a selection of other photos I snapped. As you can see, it was literally a picture-perfect day.

Rites of spring

Ah, spring! My favorite time of year. The cold begins to thaw, the flowers burst forth from the ground, and the cherry blossoms come to life for a few short days. And the hordes of people clog up the Tidal Basin. I'm not sure if I can keep doing this annual pilgrimage without resisting the urge to push someone in the water.

Seriously.

Victory!

I got this puzzle for my birthday back in February (thanks, mom!), and I finally finished it about two weeks ago. It was a tough one, but I got it done! All one thousand pieces.

Atlantic City

I just returned from a brief trip to Atlantic City for a Beth Moore conference. It was a fantastic event, but I only wish we had more time there (we were literally in Atlantic City for less than 24 hours). And while I'm wishing for things, I wish we didn't have such miserable weather! Cold and rainy almost the whole time. :(

Our event was held at historic Boardwalk Hall, site of the annual Miss America pageant. The interior is lovely, although I didn't take any pictures inside (it was too dark anyway). Here is the exterior on a foggy/rainy day:

Outside, there was a giant statue of a woman holding out a crown. So of course, I couldn't resist the opportunity to do this....

I just want world peace!

Snow day

You want pictures of the snow? Here you go:

I don't mind the days off of work, but I am officially ready for spring.