Honeymooning: The last leg of the race.

Since I am a day behind in my DC adventure today's post will include our Easter Sunday activities as well as the struggle it was to get home!

Easter was probably my favorite day! We started our day off with a trip to Arlington National Cemetery. This was probably the most anticipated event of our vacation. Both G and I think that Arlington is one of the most sacred places in our country. We purposely left Arlington for Sunday, G thought it would be appropriate. It was a very humbling experience seeing the thousands of graves of our nations biggest heroes. G pointed out to me that because of the miracles that occurred on, and leading up to, the first Easter that these heroes will live again. The most memorable part of Arlington, and anyone who has been there will probably agree, was the changing of the guard. G and I liked it so much we stayed and watched two changing of the guards along with two wreath laying ceremonies. Standing in the warm sun listening to taps echoing throughout the cemetery is something I will never forget.  After Arlington, walked up and down the streets looking for a place to eat. We ended up eating at Cosi and it was fantastic! With our bellies full of delicious food we went to the WWII memorial, another sacred and beautiful place in DC. As the sunset we headed to the Vietnam memorial and the Lincoln monument. As we were getting ready to leave Lincoln's monument we watched a thunderstorm sweep across the city. Since the Lincoln monument is on top of a hill we had the best seats in the house! We watched lightning strike on all sides then listened as thunder rumbled in surround sound! As the rain drew closer we tried to make a desperate dash towards the metro. Unfortunately, we only made it down the stairs of the Lincoln monument before we were soaked to the bone!  We ran back to the monument and waited out the storm, packed into the building like sardines with hundreds of other wet tourists. However, that was probably my favorite memory of our trip!

Beautiful Easter morning!

G at Arlington.
Isn't he handsome!!

Changing of the guard.



 WWII memorial



WWII memorial



Monday was our last day in DC.  We ate breakfast as usual (I am really gonna miss our free hot breakfasts every morning) then went back to the room to pack. My cousin Jenn lives out in Maryland so I don't get to see her very often. We had made plans to meet up Monday for lunch so G could meet her family. So we took the metro to the very end of the line and Jenn picked us up from there. Her husband Rick went out and got us delicious Philly cheese steak sandwiches. YUM! G and I had so much fun catching up with Jenn and Rick and seeing their adorable children! When lunch was over G and I took the metro back to the city where we picked up our luggage and checked out of the hotel. Our plan was to ride the metro to a stop where a shuttle could pick us up and take us to the airport. FAIL! right as we were about to catch our train, all the trains heading towards Virginia (that's where we wanted to go) broke down!! we waited for a good 20 or so minutes but no progress. So we tried to take a taxi to the stop where we could pick up our shuttle... but that ended up taking too long and we were going to miss our flight! So unfortunately we had to take the taxi all the way to the airport... it was VERY EXPENSIVE! Luckily we made our flight and made a new taxi driver friend. We flew home without any problems! We are now back, safe and sound, and even though Utah is still flipping between winter and spring we are still happy to be back!

Honeymooning: And then there were four... (take two)

I would like to thank my husband for that sweet post from last night. He was right. We came back to the hotel around 9 o'clock; despite my efforts to stay awake, I was asleep by 9:30. Lesson learned: no more blogging while snuggling in bed, because your bound to fall asleep mid-blog! So here is the post I would have posted yesterday!

Today our group doubled in size! After breakfast G and I rode the metro to the other side of town... where we spent the day with KELLY AND MARIAH!!! G's sister and her daughter were able to pick us up from the metro stop for a wonderful, fun filled day! The first thing I noticed when we met up with them was that Mariah was already in her swim suit. Oh man, was she ever excited to go swimming! We swam for about an hour, then went back up to their room to shower and get ready for the day. Our next stop was a very special one: The Washington DC Temple! The road to the temple takes you through lush, green forest. Absolutely beautiful. Not only do you feel like you are in a magical kingdom driving up to the temple, but you feel like you are in a storybook castle once you are inside. The temple grounds were amazing! Even though she is too young to go to the temple, Mariah sure knew how important the temple is! As soon turned up the temple road she started singing 'I love to see the temple' until the temple came into sight! After the temple we went to the National Zoo. It was the BEST ZOO TRIP EVER!! Not only did we see the nearly extinct giant pandas, but I saw a gorilla literally beat his chest AND a lion and tiger both ROAR many times! It was so much fun, especially with my little niece all wide eyed and in awe! Next stop was to Chipotle for dinner. Then was the worst part of the day. I hate saying goodbye. We love Kelly and Mariah and don't get to see them very often, which  makes saying goodbye even harder. We had such a wonderful day with them and can't wait to see them in July!

Mariah, Kelly, G and I and our trip to the DC Temple

Walking up and down the town looking for a good place for dinner

Giving Mariah a big hug goodbye

Honeymooning: And Then There Were Four...

Please allow this brief interruption from the norm. I do not desire to take away from my wonderful wife's rediscovered talent, joy, or glory in writing. I wish only to express sincere gratitude for the excitement and enthusiasm you have inspired in my beautiful bride as you support her endeavors. Please do not think she has forgotten about you, or that the events of this day were not worthy of sharing. As soon as we got back to our hotel she opened up this site. She started looking at pictures from the day. She even titled her entry. Then she promptly fell asleep, despite her wishes to continue. I assure you that my sweet spouse will resume her post tomorrow. On a completely unrelated note, living on the east coast would be terrible during playoff season. It's extremely late, but I can't go to bed without being sure OKC beats Denver. It's a very rough situation.

g

Honeymooning: Bring out the Umbrellas!

This morning we woke and again partook of a most wonderful and free breakfast! When we went back to our room G suggested we snuggle for "five minutes" before we starting to getting ready for the day. Our "five minute" snuggle quickly turned in to a morning nap! TWO hours later we woke up quite refreshed, but a little disappointed we had wasted so much valuable sightseeing time. We quickly got ready for the day and headed out by one o'clock. To our dismay the weather had turned from sunny and warm, to cold and rainy. Luckily I packed our umbrella! Our first stop was to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. However, all the tours for the rest of the day had been filled. Feeling disappointed, we walked all the way back across town to the Museum of Natural History. By the time we made it to the Smithsonians my hair was frizzy and my shoes were drenched! We had to wait in a 20 min. line before we could even get into the museum. (apparently everyone had the same idea as us: get indoors and out of the rain!) The Museum of Natural History was so cool! We saw dinosaur bones and animals from all over the world! One of the cooler exhibits had a real mummy! The museum had a special 50th anniversary display for the Hope Diamond. That rare blue diamond is over 45 carats! Needless to say I left that exhibit with sparkles in my eyes!! We spent a good two and half hours at the Natural History Museum. Next on the agenda was the Museum of American History. This is a MUST SEE for any DC trip!! It was so interesting and fun to walk around and see all that we have accomplished as a country. We saw Dorothy's Ruby Slippers, C3PO, The Star Spangled Banner, Julia Child's kitchen and so much more! My favorite exhibit there was the inaugural dresses from all the first ladies. They even had one of Martha Washington's gowns! G really like the 'Americans at War' exhibit. It detailed all of the wars Americans have served in and showed models of all the planes they flew, the uniforms they wore, the weapons they used, etc. etc. In the Vietnam section of that exhibit we were able to find all the planes his Grandpa flew. We really appreciated the September 11th since it was the first conflict G and I actually remember.  We had so much fun there we stayed until closing, we were among the last few people to leave the museum. Still very cold and rainy we started our search for place to eat dinner. Little did we know that most restaurants in DC apparently close quite early!! It was only 7:30 and every place we passed was closed! On a Friday night! So cold, tired, and hungry we headed back to the hotel. The front desk gave us a list of places we could try that were in walking distance. We decided to try the 21st Amendment Bar and Grill, since it was only a five minute walk from our hotel. It was DELICIOUS!! We headed back to our hotel with full, warm bellies and smiles on our faces!

The beginning of a rainy day!

G: face to face with a dinosaur!

The Hope Diamond!

Ruby Red Slippers!!!

After a long search we finally found
a place for dinner!

21st Amendment Bar and Grill! Bon Appetit!

Honeymooning: So Much To Do So Little Time!

Day two of our journey was quite successful. Although last night we didn't get to bed until around 2:30am we woke up bright and early (according to G) at 9:30 to eat a delicious free breakfast at our hotel. Then quick as a wink we were out in the city doing city things! It was my first time ever riding the metro, but G showed me the ropes and I am now a metro pro! Our first stop of the day was the Holocaust Museum, and was that ever life changing! I will never forget the images I saw or the feelings I felt. It amazes me how some people can be so clearly evil, and on the flip-side there are individuals that are so brave and honorable. G and I went at a slower pace than most through the Museum and spent a good four hours!! My favorite exhibit was the 'Voices of Auschwitz' room. In this room you could sit and listen to recordings of real survivors. To hear them tell their stories gave me goosebumps. After such a harrowing morning we decided to spend the rest of the day out in the sun! It was a beautiful day! It was a little windy, but sunny and warm! Since spring is in full bloom here (something Utah hasn't quite got the hang of yet) G and I particularly enjoyed the cherry blossoms that are all over the city! We went to the Washington Memorial, Korean War Memorial, FDR Memorial (my favorite) and the Air and Space Museum. Although we got a little lost on our way to the Air and Space Museum we were still able to get there about an hour and a half before they closed. The Air and Space wasn't my favorite but I'm still glad we went. We stopped by a subway on our way home and then caught the metro back to our hotel. Its only 9:30 but I'm pretty sure now that our feet our up we're going to call it a night! We have found lots of nice people and soaked up lots of history! Bring on another day in DC!!


G mapping out our day!




Washington Monument



My first metro experience!



Cherry Blossoms around
the city.



G and the Washington Monument



At the FDR memorial fountains



Lunch break!



Walking over the Potomac!



G's secret talent: photography.



Honeymooning: ... And They're Off!

Although G and I got married in February, we waited to go on our honeymoon until the end of April. So Tuesday after work, my sister dropped me off at G's work and we started our first trip together as man and wife! The first stop was a "surprise" for me. I say surprise because G cleared it with me first- he wanted me to be able to pick the room we stayed at... in the Anniversary Inn! I've wanted to stay there for quite a while, so G decided it would be the perfect way to start our honeymoon. We ended up staying in The Sultans Palace! It was exquisite! After we checked in we went down town and to the Olive Garden for dinner! Yum!! In the morning we packed up and my mom took us to the airport. Although I was a bit nervous ( I don't fly very often) G helped me through security. The security lady was grumpy and wasn't sure she wanted to let me through. Since we are newly-ish wed I still don't have an ID with Amy Beth O'Brien. So I brought my Amy Beth Regis ID and our marriage licence (when we called ahead to ask Southwest told us that was all we needed to bring) Thankfully good always defeats evil, and we were allowed through! We flew to Denver and then into the Dulles Airport in DC. Since we got to DC late at night we weren't sure if the buses to the metro would still be running. So G's mom got us a shuttle straight to our Marriott! Thanks! Even though it was midnight by the time we checked in to our hotel we still ordered pizza up to our room! Boy were we hungry!! It only took us a few minutes to down the 12" "combonisha" pizza! Since DC is two hours ahead of Utah we aren't very tired, but are trying to go bed now anyways... we have a LONG week of sightseeing ahead of us!


Starting out in SLC



boarding the plane in Denver

exhausted but happy! finally making it to DC!

Our wonderful room!
Awesome kitchen and bathroom not pictured

G devouring our midnight snack!

Wedding Day!

After one year of courtship, (to the day) Garrett and I became engaged. Almost five months later we were married.  Surrounded by all our of friends and family we made promises that will bring about our eternal happiness. I can't think of a better person to spend the rest of eternity with other than my sweetheart.  It was the PERFECT day!
A brief summary of my day:
I woke up early Friday morning and went with my dad to get my hair done. What a wonderful way to spend the morning of my wedding: sneaking in some last minute daddy/daughter time. I arrived slightly late (as always) to the Salt Lake Temple to be greeted by my soon-to-be husband and my wonderful soon-to-be in-laws. Garrett and I got to spend a few precious moments in the Celestial Room before the we met our sealer. Brother Rydalch gave us some good advice as a newly wed couple. After we were sealed we went out to the temple steps where my fabulous photographer Missy proceeded to take a million pictures of our families on the temple steps and a few with us on the temple grounds (we opted to wait to take the majority of our wedding pictures in the spring when there is more color!) Next on our agenda was a luncheon from Garrett's parents at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. We were in the Kirtland Room so we had the BEST view of the temple! People made toasts, we ate good food, and all my new nieces and nephews sang 'I love to see the temple'. It was a beautiful afternoon. We went home long enough to have a quick nap and then wake up and get ready for the reception. I chose the Wight House for my reception. They took VERY good care of me!! It was a long evening filled with lots of laughter, dancing,a visit from Elder and Sister Bednar, eating (although Garrett and I never found time to eat, haha) and pictures. It ended with a bouquet toss, cutting the cake, tossing the garter and our dances. My dad and I danced to Unforgettable, by Nat King Cole and Natalie King Cole ( I thought that version was appropriate, it being a daddy/daughter dance and all) and then Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien (thats me and G)  danced to Over the Rainbow, by Eva Cassidy. We ran through the bubble blowing tunnel of loved ones and were swept away to our hotel in a limo! All in all: a perfect way to begin the rest of eternity!

*pictures of our wedding to follow soon!!