Day 7: Military & Family Day...

I feel like this vacation has taken me FOREVER to blog about!! Honestly, our 20 day honeymoon was blogged about quicker than the week in Virginia! I am going to finish it this week. I must.

Friday would prove to be a busy day for us! After a lucky Facebook connection with a high school friend, we added a tour to our trip that was unexpected! So, our first destination of the day would the Pentagon! Fortunately for us, my good friend from high school, Joseph, a career Marine, was stationed at The Pentagon, so we were giving a personal tour, Unfortunately, a large portion of our pictures from this excursion were corrupted when we tried to download them after our trip. Sadly, this included the ONLY picture we took with Joseph!! Grrr...

We enjoyed walking the halls with Joseph. We were able to see the massive building and catch up with Joseph at the same time. We walked through each hallway dedicated to each military branch. It was interesting to compare the amount of decor for each branch. It is NO surprise which hall had the most... the Marine Corp, of course.

After walking in endless circles through the "rings" of the Pentagon that we were allowed in, Joseph took us out to the September 11th Memorial. When this tragedy happened, his wife Tanya (then a Marine) was stationed there. Luckily she was outside at the time of impact, but as he told us her account of the day, it was really sad. Joseph worked nearby and their kids were in daycare not far either. Thankfully all of them were fine. 

The memorial is very well done. There is a bench for each victim and the use of water really adds a nice feeling.

After saying our goodbyes, we jump on the train and headed to the Arlington National Cemetery. This is an amazing place and one that should not be missed. We took the trolley around the area and it barely scratched the surface of all the things to be seen there. However, we were able to hit the major spots that interested us. My personal favorite- the Kennedy Memorial.

The Eternal Flame

View from the Kennedy Memorial

Awesome JFK Quote

Challenger Memorial

One thing our tour guide said that really stuck with me... the Kennedy family had their own grave sites elsewhere. However, when JFK was shot, Jackie knew that the nation was in such a state of shock that they would need a public place to mourn. That is how to Kennedy Memorial came to be.

Then we headed to the Tomb of Unknown Soldier and watch the Changing of the Guard. 

It was very well done. It is an honor for these service men to guard this tomb and is really moving how this is taken so seriously. Did you know that if at any point in their lives, should they get in trouble with the law or do anything considered "unbecoming", their service at The Tomb is wiped away from their record? It is taken so seriously that they will make it as if you never served there if it could disgrace the Tomb in anyway. Awesome.

A local JR High had sponsored the flowers for that afternoon. A few reps from their school participate in the ceremony. What an honor!!

After our quiet time at the Tomb, we got back on the trolley and saw part of the rest of the cemetery. As we arrived to the end of our tour, the guide recognized two young men sitting in the row behind us with their families. They were both in full dress uniform - on Navy and one Air Force. The entire trolley applauded them and thanked them for their service. One of them joked that he still had to pay the $8 for the tour. We laughed... but honestly, I think that is awful. I only wish we had been in line when they bought their tickets - Brad and I would have paid for them!

We left the cemetery and jumped on the train back into DC. We went on a tour of The Peterson House which is the site where Lincoln died. It is a very interesting place and one I highly recommend. I learned SO much in the attached museum.

Very cool display in the middle of a 3 story spiral staircase. Those are ALL books written about Lincoln!

Then we headed to see the rest of Memorials we hadn't seen yet... first the Jefferson Memorial.

View of The Tidal Basin from the Jefferson.

Then the FD Roosevelt Memorial...

Tidal Basin including the the Washington and Jefferson Memorials.

Then one of my favorites - the MLK Jr. Memorial (so well done!)...

So realistic and beautiful...

We left the city and got back on the train to meet up with the family. Brad's cousin Bryan and his family were hosting a family BBQ! It was great to spend time with them and get to know them better. We had a great evening and before the kids started having total meltdowns, were even able to get a group picture!