Monticello

Andrew and I have tried to see some sights or have fun in the area around DC.  In November, on one of the weekends we got to go to Monticello.  For those of you who don't know- the weird building on the back of your nickels is Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's house.  Monticello is about 2 and a half hours away from our house, but it was a beautiful drive.  The fall was just coming in, the leaves were changing, and the countryside is beautiful.  I even saw 2 black swans on a pond.  Totally Tubular!!! I drove on the way down while Andrew slept and then Andrew drove and I yapped on the way back.

Once you get to the house you can go to the Museum (which is interactive, but I found it a little lacking in the "super cool information" area).  Andrew and I watched the little movie, which was pretty cool, but not as cool as George Washington's 4-D film.  After the movie and museum our ticketed time for our house tour came up so we went to go to the shuttle to get to the house. One more quick comment before moving on to the house- there are no military discounts...what's with that? George Washington obviously cared more than Thomas Jefferson... or the people who came after them did...you know, whatever works.

So here's Andrew and I on the shuttle. We were having so much fun! (the shuttle sat there for like 10 minutes...)

We got off the shuttle and went up to the house. Thomas Jefferson was an inventor and liked architecture so his house was being remodeled for something like 25 years...he had a very loving wife who also wasn't home often, I assume...cause if we were remodeling for 25 years, there would be blood to cover up with our new tile.

His house is topped by a nifty little dome which is pretty neat because the dome at his monument in downtown DC is also domed.  The man lives for the dome.  He loves the dome. His statue is stuck in the dome forever.  Hope he liked domes. Moving on...

The picture of the tree is of a tree which would probably be the most awesomely cool climbing tree ever.  Its close to 100 years old and gives you better perspective of how old the house is. The first tour guide you see who tells you to get in line and checks your tickets gives a little 5 minute lecture on said tree.  Good times.  Our tour guide, who was a nice 70-something man, came down to get us and lead us up to the house. (You can see him in front of us). He did an excellent job pointing out different artifacts, paintings, and inventions throughout the house.  He also told us this little factoid.  When Thomas Jefferson died he was pretty deeply in debt and his relatives were forced to sell many of his belongings in order to settle the amount of money.  Thomas Jefferson's niece (on direction of her aunt, as I understand it) went through the house and wrote descriptions of everything in the house and exactly where it was. Many silhouettes, paintings, clocks, etc. were able to be traced and placed in their original locations thanks to her efforts.  So Go Thomas Jefferson's niece!  Woot woot!

After going through the house our group was let go in order to see the gardens, slave quarters, and cemeteries, which interestingly are still being used by the Jefferson family. Many of the slave operations for the house (kitchen, wine cellar, meat cellar, etc.) are set up under the house which makes Monticello "look" not only more efficient, but it takes away all of the things the visitor at that time would rather not see (like a slave running with a slab of meat from the cellar to the kitchen in another building in the back yard). 

The gardens are beautiful, extensive, and still upkept by the people that run Monticello.  They have like 12 kinds of beans, vegetables I haven't heard of, and a winery. Andrew's favorite part was this cute little building that was maybe a couch-width across square and had huge windows that you could look out onto Jefferson's land holdings (more than 20 miles), his garden, and across the hills. Andrew wants one when we grow up and inherit land from that rich uncle we don't know about yet...

Here are some pictures of the garden and the view from the top of the garden down to Jefferson's lands. My favorite picture is the one of the golden tree- you can't really tell from the picture, but that tree was the most perfect shade of yellow I have ever seen- absolutely beautiful.  It was so bright and cheery, not a single leaf was anything but that golden yellow.  

Funny story time, in 2007 just before I graduated from college, when Caleb and Marion were just wee ones, the family took a trip cross-country on what we dubbed our "Prophets and Presidents" tour.  We saw Nauvoo, Independence, Liberty Jail, President Truman's library and house, President Lincoln's museum (so awesome-worth 3 blog posts-go, just go) and house, Kirkland, Ohio, and DC. While in DC we also went to Monticello and Mount Vernon. When we went on the Monticello tour we saw the "fish pond" which of course was to keep fish alive until such time as Jefferson ate them so he would have fresh fish.  Anyway, when we went in 2007 there was a dead fish going belly up aka dead in the water.  When Andrew and I went, Dad asked us to look into the fish pond to make sure there weren't any dead fish... There weren't and here is the photographic evidence.

After Monticello we started for home, we were going to go to Red Robin in Fredricksburg, but we got hungry.  The first thing we passed was this cute little tavern so we stopped.  Everyone there was dressed up in colonial garb (adorable) and they served homemade food. Potatoes, pulled pork, beets (fortunately served with no pancakes) and lots of beans.  Apparently beans were the way to go back in the day. We ate off of tin plates, drank out of tin cups, and had delicious food. We ate until we were a little bloated and drove happily home.

Spouse Ride

Typically, as an Air Force dependent, the chance to ride in the military jets doesn't really come along very often.  For me, this was the first time, so you know, once in 25 years certainly doesn't amount to an often-occurring opportunity.  While Andrew was out of town (flying, ironically) his squadron had a "Spouse Ride."  Woot Woot! I got to take a ride in the C-21 with several other spouses to see Niagara Falls while being flown around by Captain Prestige and Lt Howard.

We started off our ride by a powerpoint presentation (as I assume all flights start... just kidding) showing us where we were going, kind of how we were going to get there, how long the flight would take, etc. (It was basically everything they tell you at the beginning of every flight where you sit there like "yeah... just get to where it says on the ticket dude..."). We then went to the bathroom, because, well, because that's what you do when you leave the house, and then we got driven over to the hanger on a shuttle bus (Is this reminding you of the last flight you took? It should...)

We got out to the hangers and saw the planes which are cute little baby Lear Jets.  They fit 8 people (6 passengers and 2 pilots) and even have a little bathroom (or a bucket that kind of has a room around it... remember, we went to the bathroom before...).  We got the one that was newly painted and it looked so beautiful and shiny.  Shiiiiiinnnnnnnyyyy.

We got to hang out a little bit and look at the outside of the jet while the pilots got in and did, you know, whatever they do in there... We took some pictures, both individually and as a group, because that's what you do when you go on super sweet spouse rides.  It was a little chilly in that hanger, but not nearly as cold as it was outside and we were like the cool kids and got to board in the hanger then get wheeled out so that the cold wouldn't affect us.  Awww. We're like the generals of cool. 

Here's the pilots getting ready, the pilot you see in the window is Lt Howard who is fairly new to the squadron (a total vote of confidence for my safety ;)) and the one who is getting on the aircraft is Tim Prestige, a captain who has an adorable newborn at home (and when I say newborn, I mean infant cause she's a couple months old now). 

As a blogger, I am committed to being completely honest... or at least mostly honest.  Anyway, my personal honesty aside, I will tell you the truth. The plane... it's a plane.  When you fly in it, it feels like you're flying in a little plane.  Everyone is a little closer, the plane is a little louder, but uh... if I had had peanuts and a drink whose size satisfies no one, I would have been in heaven.

This is us at while we're taking off.  I sat in the back on the wing. It's probably the safest place in the plane.  I watched a show on Discovery and let me tell you, if a plane goes down, first class are all goners. I did miss my complimentary memosa... or at least the offer of one...

This is my view of the front of the plane.  Way at the front you can see our two pilots and the windshield.  On the right you can see Col. Caparella (the squadron commander)'s wife, Melissa, who is the bomb.com and on the left you see another nice guy (I am a horrible person and totally don't remember his name... maybe I should go to more squadron activities, huh?).

The flight to Niagara falls was about 45 minutes long.  We started at like 8:00 on Saturday morning, I was a little tired.  After taking a few flight pictures and once we got above the clouds, I started nodding off. Eventually I took a nice 15 minute nap which was fantastic.  Nice smooth flying and happy happy nap. 

It really was a beautiful day for flying though.  Absolutely gorgeous, almost completely clear except for a few puffy clouds.  Just gorgeous.  It was fun to watch the ground change too to see how the different states allocated their land, etc.

Here's Niagara falls! Its basically the hole separating us from the Canadians.  Thank goodness something separates them.  I know illegal Canadian immigration in barrels is still a problem, but fortunately we can pick them up and throw them back so we don't hurt the environment.  (apologies to my Canadian friends)

Oh my gosh!!! Niagara Falls!!!! It's so totally awesome!!!

Here are some extra pictures of the Falls and flight for you to enjoy.  What a beautiful day to fly. I'm so blessed to be a part of a cool squadron and the wife of a cool pilot!

Jessica in DC/Christmas at the Washers

For Christmas, Andrew and I didn't go home so he didn't have to take leave and we didn't have to spend ridiculous amounts of money for 3 days of "vacay" Anyway, we had Andrew's sister Jessica (it's the best name ever, right?!?!?) come up to DC to hang with us.  Woot woot! Andrew affectionately says that Jessica "saved our Christmas" because otherwise we would have been bored out of our mind staring at each other for 2 weeks.

Anyway, so Andrew was happy because he grew a beard... See below.

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I was happy cause I had tons of fun showing Jessica around.  We went to Arlington Cemetery  all the monuments and memorials (on the mall at least), the American History Smithsonian, the Smithsonian of Natural History, the American Indian Smithsonian, and the Holocaust Museum.  We had a busy couple of days.  We also saw Old Town in Alexandria and hung out at the house.  Good times.




Jessica really enjoyed the American Indian Museum's collection, if not it's politics.  She is an artist by profession and especially enjoys sculpting horses.  The museum had an entire collection about horses and how they influenced Native Americans as well as Native American decorations featuring horses, including saddles, harnesses, paintings, sculpture work, etc. She took pictures of almost every piece and sign and loved seeing all the artwork.














We went to the Holocaust museum, which was awesome as always.  That being said, I feel it fair to warn all of you... if you come to DC and want to go to the Holocaust museum, I am gracefully bowing out of attending again. You guys can go with Andrew or by yourselves.  That museum covers an important part of history which by no means should ever be forgotten.  It beautifully addresses a somber topic.  Because of this, the museum is kind of a downer.  I've now been 3 times very slowly and feel that I've seen every sign and video.  Not going again in the next year and a half.  Please visit, please go to that museum... but I'll bring a book and chill in the American History cafe or something.

At the American History Museum we got to see Julia Child's kitchen, Dorothy's shoes, Kermit the Frog, the Nauvoo temple square, and all sorts of other uber exciting artifacts of coolness.  That's my favorite museum and I love to go see all the crazy stuff they have in there.

We went to all the memorials, but it was freezing cold so we viewed everybody quickly.  They're all still there, Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington, King, Roosevelt, the whole gang.  My favorite is still the Korean memorial.  I think it's the most moving how the men just rise up the hill like ghosts from the war, the sign saying "Freedom is not free" and the beautiful reflecting wall, which like the Vietnam memorial, makes you see yourself in the names of those who died for you.

At Arlington we got to see some very cool stuff.  First of all, all of the Christian graves had wreaths laid against their headstones to celebrate the Christmas season.  I think that was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.  Also, in what we assume was General Schwarzkopf's funeral, we saw a fighter missing-man formation fly-by, heard a 21 gun salute, and saw a beautiful caisson.  We saw the changing of the guard and generally had a wonderful visit to the cemetery and Arlington house.











For Christmas we got some cool gifts, Andrew got food storage and some games and some awesome stuff from our respective families.  I got a lot of clothes, books, and other awesomeness.  Jessica gave us cute BYU pillows that Mace (her son who's 9) and her made for us. Basically, we had a great Christmas.  It was totally awesome, thanks in big part to Jessica coming out and hanging out with us. Thanks Jessica!