Washington, DC & Old Town Alexandria, VA

OK, here we go...I know this is a lot of pictures but, believe me, there are so many more that I could have added! This is a trip Mike and I took without the boys way back in February. I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave the boys so I didn't decide to go until a few days before we left. Mike was going anyway because he had some work to do at the Naval Research Lab. This was a very long over due 10 year anniversary trip. Last year we had planed to go to some really nice resort in AZ and then I got sick so we never went. We are now working on 12 years so I think it was about time!

It was so very cold when we were there! We are used to a dry cold wind and it was a wet wind there. I am so thankful that we did bring our winter coats. I almost didn't because I didn't want to carry it in the airport. I never would have made it to all the fun stuff without it!

I love the Smithsonian! If you are a teacher and you stop at the desk in the Castle, they will give you a free teacher packet filled with information and different ways to use the Smithsonian in your classroom. This is the second time I have asked for the packet and I got lots of different stuff this time around. I think they may update the info every year.

The First Ladies exhibition was really amazing to see. I just could not imagine having to sew some of those big gowns with only very primitive sewing supplies.

Mike played the french horn in high school and college so we had to get a picture of him next to this one!

Mike as the next president of the United States! I think he works way to much now, how many hours a day/week does our president have to work?

At the Natural History Museum they had a giant display of skeletons. There was a skeleton for just about everything you can think of - human and animal - it was a little creepy.

The famous Hope Diamond.

This is the hotel we stayed at. Before I was going Mike had already booked a hotel for himself. When I finally decided to go I told him I wanted to stay in a really unique hotel and set out to find one.

My friend Melanie used to live in Old Town Alexandria and she told me about the Morrison House Hotel. She said it was really pricey so I didn't look into it that much until I saw the prices for just regular hotels.

Once I started digging around on-line I found a really nice room at the Morrison House for less than we would have paid at a regular place. It was one of the nicest places I have ever stayed and the people were so friendly. They made you feel like you were there to really enjoy yourself and relax.

This is on the corner of King and Alfred. King is the main street in Old Town Alexandria. I walked the entire thing looking into all the shops while Mike was at work.

Not sure how this picture got out of order - it is the desk in our room. The view out of the window was really nice. I sat at that desk and ate my lunch one day and watched the leaves blow from the trees. It was so peaceful.

This was the BEST meal Mike and I have ever had! Melanie, again is the person to thank for telling us about this restaurant.

I had salmon and Mike had steak for the main course. It was a three course dinner and every bite was better than the last!

The place is called the Vermillion and it is on King Street. If you live there or are going there this is must!

These are our friends from way back! They now live in the DC area so we were able to meet up with them one night for dinner. It was so nice to catch up with them. Once we all finished with school we went different ways and lost contact for awhile so it was great to see them and hear about their kids and what they have been up to.

The last day we went to Mount Vernon. We needed more time there! This was a perfect time of year to go. Last time I went was in April - Cherry Blossom time - and it was packed! This time there was only a handful of people there.

View of the main house.

View of the Potomac River.

This is why we would never live there! The traffic was a mess! I like living in a small town with only two stop lights in it!
We had a great time and we packed a ton into a few days. I can't wait to go back when the boys are older so they can see all there is to see in our nation's capital.