Our beautiful new church! Did you know the first chapel built outside of Utah was on this street back in 1920? Cool huh.
We went to the Portrait Gallery...David looks extra happy. We only went the presidential section and it took us almost 2 hours! It was really cool and so full of amazing displays....One day we'll go back.
Jefferson Memorial....we didn't actually go there because David and I were having a little bit of a rough night and we ended up just going home after almost getting there. So silly.
Our friend Jacob does tours of the Capitol so these are the next series of pictures. The Capitol is an amazing building...and to think that the terrorist on 9/11 almost got to it makes you really appreciate it even more.
This is called The Crypt, the original place George Washington was going to be born. That is the center of all D.C.
It was actually really beautiful but pictures don't really show it. It was also surprisingly dark in most of the rooms.
Jacob telling cool facts...and Christian is being very respectful :)
The old Supreme Court room. It was really cool but very very dark...I can't imagine only having candles to light the place. The chair on the far right is an original chair...For some reason that is so much fun to see real stuff.
The details were so amazing....after we left I had a huge neck ache because of looking up so much!
I look silly but the view is golden.
There is a layer here at the base of Ronald Reagan's statue that is made of the Berlin Wall pieces.
Brigham Young tucked away in the corner!
Ward Temple night! Yet another beautiful place. We went there right after The Capitol...beautiful building overload! One really amazing thing is there is a shuttle that picks you up and drops you off from the metro and it's a free non-profit company. Amazing things people think of just to make it possible for people to attend much easier.
We had the chance to go to NY to help with Hurricane Sandy the very next day. This weekend was so loaded with amazing and humbling things.
This chapel is on the top floor of this mini mall building. Most of the member were hit very hard by Sandy. The branch president spoke at the end about how they lost everything that they owned. He also suggested that we change the last song to Because I Have Been Given Much...I lost it. Most of us there were in our grubby clothes ready to go out after the Sacrament Meeting and help. Our ward here in D.C. just got a brand new huge building and here was this little faithful group.
We slept on the floor of another Mormon Church where another woman and her kids were left homeless in Sandy. They were staying at the church until they could find a place. She was beyond nice and offered to cook us pasta, which we knew would be quite a bit for her.
We ended helping out a couple that owned 4 houses that were hit with the storm. 3 they were renting out. I was overwhelmed with the 1 house...very impressed with them trying to do everything and making it work. He had recently fallen and broken his wrist to top it all off! The wife is a member but the husband wasn't. He loved offering us beer and laughing! He bought us awesome NY pizza and NY bagels....a bakers dozen each couple! Sheesh.
We ended up tearing up his basement and walls. I didn't take any pictures because the guy we were with is a photographer and he took a ton! Plus, I felt a little odd taking pictures of other people loss. The storm was awful and I just stopped when I walked by a garage that had 3 feet of sand that had settled in it.
We did go to NYC for about 2 hours. It was fun to see briefly....despite the fact that we were covered in mud and my feet were still wet. Yeah that is about how close we got and it was still pretty exciting.
I definitely looked homeless :)
This is for those that we are curious what our apartment is like...ignore the laundry. We feel really blessed that we live in such a nice building and area. I have only felt unsafe in one area but we kind of expected it.
Playing soccer pass in the park across the street on Thanksgiving. What else can you do when you don't have family around?!
Our building.
The LDS Church Headquarters of Foreign Affairs....a bar....and the Egyptian Embassy.
23 people at one table for Thanksgiving. Man there were some yummy food!
Improvised couches. The Barlow has incredibly uncomfortable couches so these felt pretty great! Plus we were stuffed and couldn't sit anymore! Movie time. Yeah I'm glowing in my white shirt!
I love fall leaves.
At our bus stop to go to church....at the end of the road is a very white house :) actually The White House!
Maybe a few too many pictures of Arlington but I just couldn't help it.
Pentagon
Wars break my heart. It is just almost too overwhelming to be here. So much pride and yet sadness....So hard not too think of all my brothers and I am so happy that they weren't sent to war.
Again loving the old churches everywhere. So picturesque.
Ray's Hell Burger. Super yummy food, one of the only places I have liked the burgers from! Love that is has clothe signs, pay with cash, so hole-in-the-wall, old school.
2 minute walk to work. Our building is 2 buildings to that one in the pictures. Can hardly believe how I lucked out with this job.
