Thanksgiving in D.C.

Yes, it has been a month since Thanksgiving, but it really was lovely...So here is the long overdue post.

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On Thursday morning, Ryan and I drove through some pretty dense fog to get to Sandra and Gary's house in Virginia. Three hours later,  we made it and we're glad we did. Turkey, stuffing, cranberry jam (which I recently learned I enjoy), and some rolls later, we found ourselves embracing the country-wide couch slouch. Then...the dessert (cue drooling). My cousin brought maple ice cream, and unfortunately, both Ryan and I got only one scoop, but it was the best part of the whole eating experience. Did I mention, that said cousin is also a chef? It was an exquisite two minutes, really.

Friday and Saturday, we spent in Washington, D.C. My uncle was kind enough to provide taxi service to the metro, and as I was headed out the door commented on my lack of winter wear. Somehow, I got this crazy idea that it wouldn't be that cold in the city...Yup, totally against my normal behavior. If you know me, you know that I am, well, always cold.  Last winter, I wore my winter coat from the time I woke up until the time I went to bed (It's down/alternative mix and makes for a perfect and consistent temperature). I went back upstairs and put on a thin blue coat to put on top of my blazer. So much better, right? Not so much. I barely made it through the day. The next day, though, I threw out fashion and laced up my tennis shoes and threw on my huge winter coat. I enjoyed every minute the second day.

We toured through the city on foot. Here are the places we visited:

• White House 

• Lincoln Memorial
  
  
• Washington Monument - The reflecting pool was emptied revealing boring slabs of concrete.
  
  
• WWII Memorial - This place was recently finished and open to the public. Lavish waterworks and intricate war scenes on the walls, it was a touching memorial.   
  
  
  
• Einstein Memorial  
  
  
• Museum of Natural History
  
  
• Museum of Art
  
  
• Air and Space Museum - Amazing. Just Amazing. Besides the planes and shuttles hanging from the ceiling, there was an unexpected art gallery! Alan Bean was the first artist in space and his pieces are spectacular. He used moon dust, the sample machine, the boots he wore during the expedition to create his masterpieces. Ryan and I spent a good 30 minutes browsing his works.
  
  One last photo:
  

boys love their dinosaurs.