D.C. Vacation, part 3: Around D.C.

The day after the long, lovely birthday at Kings Dominion was a Tuesday. Shonni was up bright and early for her first day at a new job, and Aaron had the day off but a lot of work to do, so he wanted to go into work for a few hours. I wanted to spend the morning at the Washington D.C. Temple anyway, so Aaron dropped me off while he went into work. Oddly enough, I had many adventures during my four hours on the temple grounds!

It started when Aaron and I pulled up. There were four young Elder (not elderly) missionaries taking photos, so we asked them to take one of Aaron and I, and we took some of the four of them. The missionaries mentioned that recently some folks had tried to steal the angel Moroni statue from the top of the temple spire. Apparently, they rented a helicopter and managed to remove it from the spire, but were caught before they could get away. I tend to think that story is an urban legend...

The endowment sessions take place each hour on the hour. Aaron dropped me off at 11:15, so I had some time to kill. I decided to be bold and ask to see everything they would let me see within the temple. I walked around the floor where they do marriage sealings, saw the Bride dressing room, and found the cafeteria. I wanted to buy a Snickers from the vending machine, but didn't have any cash on me. Oh, well. The Celestial room was so beautiful that I literally stopped and gawked when I walked in. I love the symbolism in that room. I sat and gazed about for the longest time. For some reason, I couldn't find the baptistry, and I chickened out asking for directions. Being there for a noon session on a Tuesday, I feared for a few minutes that it would just me be, the four Elder missionaries, and one other guy there in the session. Fortunately, about 10 minutes before it started, 30 people showed up. It was awesome! Hooray for people going to the temple on a Tuesday afternoon!

After the session, I walked outside and called Aaron to let him know he could pick me up. While on the phone I went around the corner of the temple, and two deer who had been quietly grazing about 20 feet from me bolted! I was shocked! That's when I realized how idealistic the setting for the temple is. It's in the middle of the forest, and it's beautiful. I walked around and took photos of the trees, the exterior of the temple, and the six deer I saw. I also bought a Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD and a subscription to the Ensign magazine at the Distribution Center.



When Aaron arrived, we went into the Visitor's Center to change into jeans. One of the Sister Missionaries stopped us and asked if we were interested in seeing one of the exhibits. They had several photographs from the Hubble telescope on display, along with information and scriptures that describe each. It was really cool. Aaron and I walked around for quite awhile discussing the differences between dying stars, forming galaxies, and how it all relates to the Church's stance on the creation. By the time we left, we realized it was nearly 4pm! We picked up some insanely tastey sandwiches at Potbelly (a sandwich shop I cannot recommend highly enough) and drove home to wait for Shonni.

Shonni, Aaron and I ate dinner and headed out to the Mall. We wanted to see a couple of the Smithsonian Museums, like the Newseum and the Pop-Culture museum. Unfortunately, we learned that as of Labor Day -- the day before -- the museums all closed at 5:30. Guess what time we got there? You got it: 5:32. Whoops! Instead, we walked around some of the sculpture gardens and regular gardens. It was a very pretty night, and Aaron, Shonni and I can fabricate fun out of any situation!

Above: Aaron and I with The Burghers of Calais by Rodin; the only sculpture we recognized and liked

Above: me outside the Smithsonian Castle

When it started to get dark, we made our way to the Pentagon. Shonni and I had never seen the September 11 Memorial there, and seeing as the anniversary was only a few days away, we very much wanted to go. It was a sobering sight. There was a bench for every person who died that day -- those who had been in the building and those in the plane that hit it. I looked out at that sea of lit benches, and then at the plaques that listed the year each where born. Did you know the youngest was just a year old? She died with her brother and parents, who each had their own benches, too. I remember September 11, watching the news broadcasts and seeing the rescue efforts. The same awe and horror I felt then returned as I realized again that the people who died that day were real. They had lived and died doing their best to lead good lives. How can I do anything less than honor their memories and try to do the same?


Even though we had a late dinner, we went over to the Good Stuff Eatery where I ordered a Prez Obama Burger and a Milky Way Malt, and all of us shared an order of delectable Spike's Village Fries (with rosemary, thyme, and cracked pepper). It really was "good stuff." We even got to watch a cop pull over a car who totally deserved it, having stopped and gone in reverse in the middle of a busy intersection :P

We were exhausted by that point, but when we drove past the Marines Memorial we had to stop and take some more photos. There are a lot of people who have sacrificed their lives for my country. I wanted to take a few more moments, while in the nation's capitol, to honor them.



The next morning, I said good-bye to Shonni before she left for work, and then packed up all of my luggage and souvenirs. Aaron took me to the Baltimore airport -- with a quick stop at McDonald's for some breakfast. I ate my breakfast and bought an extra yogurt I hoped I could take on the plane to eat later, but the guards wouldn't let me, so I ate before going past Security.

The plane ride home was fairly unremarkable. I bought an Italian sandwich at the Potbelly in the airport so I wouldn't starve on the trip, walked around the Minneapolis Airport during my layover, and remained seated in Salt Lake so the serviceman who was accompanying the body of a fallen comrade could exit the plane first. My mom picked me up from the airport and took me home, where I realized my car had been towed... but I think I've already covered that whole episode!

And there you have it. Sorry it took me so long to fill you in on my trip. Hope you weren't bored, because I had a great time!

Thank you, Aaron and Shonni, for making me feel so welcome, for taking care of me, and for making such an effort to ensure my vacation was a happy one. It really was. I love you both!