Wow! What a day! We started this morning super early with breakfast down in the lobby with so many choices. Fresh fruit, waffles with strawberry syrup, sausage, any kind of cereal you can think of, and tons of pastries. Yum! Yum! Then we headed out for a ride on the Metro over to the water for our boat cruise down the river on the "Spirit of Washington." This was really neat and a great time for us to relax and see the countryside from a different perspective. The boat was large and not full of people so we had the bottom to ourselves which was really nice since it started to rain soon after we boarded. Along with the rain came the cold...and rain it did. I cannot promise that we all stayed dry, but I can promise that we are all warm, safe, and having a lot of fun. The "Spirit of Washington" took us down the river to Mount Vernon where we took a long trek up the hill past George Washington's tomb and into the house where we saw dinning rooms, Washington's personal office, 8 guest rooms, servant housing, the kitchen, and the stable/barn where an assortment of animals were housed like pigs, roosters, and sheep. We then went to the George Washington education center which was absolutely wonderful. We saw a really neat 15 min. film that included our seats shaking, snow falling, and some great visuals. Wonderful, we were all pleasantly surprised. Lunch was quick in the cafe with most of them eating chicken nuggets, sandwhiches, pizza, or hotdogs because we were short on time and had to meet back at the Wharf by 1:15. We, of course, made a stop at the Gift Shop and then moved on to take a moment at the tomb before heading to the boat....all in the rain, remember? We were on an adventure and I promise we will never forget all that we experienced and saw around us. It was awesome! Next, we took the metro to Arlington Cemetary where we saw more than our eyes could take in and our hearts could hold. We saw "The Eternal Flame" where Kennedy's family was buried as well as where American heros are buried such as the man whoms plane was flown into the Pentagon (two rocks are placed on top of his grave) and our day at this point ended with a changing of the guards at the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier". We lingered here a little longer and we felt our hearts swell with pride as we truly embraced who we are, where we are, and whom these people have helped us to become. I will not lie....I was overcome with emotion here and am already looking for the lifechanging experience that the Holocaust museum will hold tomorrow....So, I will pause the blog here...save it and head to the Capital for our night tour with Louie Gohmert that begins at 8:15 PM. Be back. It is time to tie the laces on my purple shoes and begin my trek for the evening. I will post pictures and more information upon our return. Thank you to Ramsey's Mom, Pilar, and Aunt Carol for letting me know they are reading this...thanks! More to come...