Martin Luther King Day

Monday was a beautiful winter day and we had the pleasure of spending it in Washington, D.C., at the national mall.  First we walked down toward the Washington Monument (which is unfortunately closed for renovations).

The WWII monument was next and the kids loved reading the quotes etched into the walls.  It's a beautiful monument.

The monument everyone wanted to see most, however, was the Lincoln Memorial.

It was the perfect place to be on such an important holiday, and as we stood where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech and considered the incredible impact of one courageous leader, I was moved.

Reading Lincoln's Gettysburg Address from the wall of his monument was equally moving.  Our kids were surprised by the emotion in my voice as I choked up, reading those powerful words.  I hope they felt something of the awe and respect that I feel for that great man and president.

We then walked through the Vietnam Memorial, where we learned that more than half of those MIA have now been identified, including the remains of the soldier who used to reside in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery.

We then walked to the edge of the White House property where the kids were excited to see the president's house for the first time.

By then, we were already running out of time, so we hurried over to the Natural History Smithsonian.  Wow.  I visited the Smithsonians many years ago, but I'd forgotten their scope.  We barely had time to scratch the surface of all that was there and can't wait to go back.

We enjoyed exploring the dinosaur exhibit, the Hope diamond, and the mummies.  Finally we had to drag the kids away, promising to return soon.  It wasn't nearly enough time, but we had tickets to the NBA Wizards vs 76ers game with My Man's A-100 class.  On the way, we passed several street musicians.  Our favorite was this jazz ensemble right outside the basketball game.

The game was fun (Wizards dominated and won), but my favorite part was when we asked Funny Guy if he was having fun.  He'd been dancing to the music and glued to the game so we thought he'd say YES!  Instead he said, "Not really--I liked the museums the most."  That's my boy!

All in all, it was a fantastic day--beautiful, interesting, and fun.  And maybe the best part?  Finding out that the next day instead of heading back to work and school, we got a snow day!