Catching Up

These past few months have been busy!  I spent 11 days in Utah with my mother and sister.  We had planned to be gone 4 days and ended up staying for 11 because of my Aunt Leah's death.  We had visited Aunt Leah and Uncle Gale in Ogden on a Friday afternoon and that night Aunt Leah passed away.  We realized when we saw her that she was very ill and wouldn't be here much longer . . . we didn't realize it was a matter of hours, not a matter of weeks or months. So, we spent the week shopping and visiting and shopping and visiting. I came back with some nice clothes (things I needed) and a few other items. Fortunately the weather was quite good while we were there.  We had some cold nights and mornings but the days were nice.  You never know in the Rocky Mountains what October will bring. 


Funerals bring family members together and I enjoyed seeing cousins that I haven't seen for years. I was impressed with what good people they are.  I think our parents and grandparents can be proud of most of us.At least we're trying -- even if we're not the picture of perfection yet.


A couple of weeks after returning home from Utah I got on an airplane again with John and we headed to Washington DC. We spent 2 days traveling and 3.5 days  sightseeing.  We spent at least 10-12 hours everyday we were there sightseeing.  What a wonderful place. This was my third time to DC and I have to say that every time I go I want to go back.


We toured the White House, the Capitol buidling, and of course saw the monuments on the National Mall.  What a great way to learn about the history of our country.  I learn more every time I go.  Of course, you can never see it all and so each time I try to see something I haven't seen before. I felt humbled and grateful.  I am in awe of the brilliant men and women who acted (under the direction of God) to establish this wonderful nation.

This is the National Archives.  There were very few people there and we were able to see the original copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.
We also saw early edits and working copies of the Bill of Rights and the Amendments along with other important letters and documents.

The Washington Monument can be seen from everywhere around Washington DC.  It's iconic and symbolic and reminds us about the Father of Our Country and his important influence on the establishment of our nation.  I LOVE the Washington Monument.

The impact of the Civil War and the importance of its outcome is in evidence all over Washington DC. This is a statue of President Grant. He faces the Lincoln Memorial and beyond the Lincoln Memorial is Arlington and the former home of General Lee.