Harpers Ferry & Gettysburg

Last Friday Mike took me to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia and Gettysburg Pennsylvania. We got to have a picnic down by the old mill ruins and see the old town and buildings they had restored. We also got to hike up to the old cemetery overlooking the Shenandoah Valley. I think I know what he means when John Denever sings about West Virginia being "almost heaven". After living in DC it was such a relief to be out of the city for a while

In Gettysburg we saw the battlegrounds and memorials, and the cemetery where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address. We then had dinner in a 250 year old restaurant and "haunted" bed & breakfast. It was where General Lee would go when the Confederate army was in retreat, and it even had a room where the underground railroad had hidden slaves. It was pretty cool.

And of Course who could pass up the opportunity to stop and have a chat with Abraham Lincoln himself . . .

Cherry Blossom Festival

Cherry Blossom season in DC is absolutely beautiful! They have a two week long festival including kite flying and fireworks. This historic festival brings people from all over the world to walk around the tidal basin and enjoy spring. Here are a few of the pictures for all of you back home still enjoying snow :)

Philadelphia & Cape May

This last weekend I went on a roadtrip with a group of the interns from Utah. We went out to Philadelphia and then to Cape May New Jersey. It was a lot of driving for one day, but definately worth it.




We started off in the old town of Philadelphia and got to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. It was so neat to walk down some cobblestone streets and think about the great men and women who had walked there. We also stopped by the old tavern where many of the delegates would go to discuss issues during the constitutional convention. I think one of my favorite parts was standing in Independence Hall looking at the room that even had the original chair (note the sun on the top of it) that George Washington sat in during that convention. (picture above)

After Eating Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches (delicious!) we headed off to New Jersey and Sunset beach at Cape May.

We didn't get to see the sunset because it was cloudy, but we did get to watch a cruise ship come in, and I got to see my first lighthouse!

The National Zoo

A couple weekends ago we (Jordin, Erin, me, and Mike) got to go visit the national zoo. It was so fun!





This is the biggest Hippo I have ever seen!



And you never get too old to see if you are as big as the monkey, or to eat cotton candy :)