Day 6 started off with a BEAUTIFUL drive to Mount Vernon, George Washington's home. Everything in D.C. was so green and lush, it was a sure reminder that we actually do live in a desert back in Utah. It seemed like the road out to Mount Vernon was especially green and beautiful though. Once we got to Mount Vernon, we were a little bummed because the front of his house had scaffolding all over it because it was undergoing some construction. That was a little depressing, and we missed out on some really great photos too. But, we got to see the back of his house which faces the Potomac and is absolutely GORGEOUS. The tour of the mansion was really neat - we got to see the actual bed where George Washington passed away. He died of a throat infection, by the way. Who knew? I for sure didn't. It is so incredible to think that a house that was built as far back as the 1700's! That is old! And to think that we walked around in the same rooms they did is pretty incredible.
The side of the house that wasn't under construction! :)
I wish I could look at this out my back door every morning!
At George Washington's tomb. He and Martha are actually buried at Mount Vernon.
Before we left, we went through the museum, and I watched a little show about how forensic specialists had done tons of research into what they knew about George Washington, what was written about him, and even used his dentures (which are on display in the museum!), to create this likeness of George Washington. This is the most accurate representation you will see of what George Washington looked like in the 1700's.
After going through the museum and spending time at Mount Vernon, it became very clear to me that George Washington was the perfect man to be our 1st president. I really believe that he was divinely appointed, and that it was no accident that we won the Revolutionary War or that he was our 1st president. He was the perfect example in everything, of what a president should be, and because of Him, we have the country and the government that we have today.
This was another one of Dave's geocaches. This was actually the old gate to enter Mount Vernon. This is what George Washington saw when he would ride home from D.C. - this is the first view he would get of his beautiful home. Not a bad view, huh?
After a quick picnic lunch, we headed out to Arlington National Cemetery. I had no idea at the time, but this would end up being my very favorite part of the trip.
The Kennedy Graves and Arlington House up at the top. Arlington House was Robert E. Lee's house
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Changing of the Guard. This was a very neat experience - it was really reverent. It was amazing to me the precision and care that they take. This is really something everyone should see in their lifetime.
Arlington is HUGE! There are just hills and hills and rows and rows of graves, just like these ones. It is completely overwhelming, the sheer size of it. Arlington is different from other cemeteries too, because it is a military cemetery. That means that every single one of those graves had a personal impact on my life today. I am here where I am today because of all these people, who were willing to lay down their life for the cause of peace and freedom. It was EXTREMELY humbling, and very, very reverent.
This was the grave of a man Dave had researched before we came to D.C. He is one of his heroes from World War II. He was a tough fighter, and was so influential in the battle field of Guadalcanal that was awarded the Medal of Honor and asked to come home and sell war bonds. He reluctantly did so, but could only sell for a short time because he felt so guilty being safe at home while his friends were out at war. He ended up going back into the conflict, and was killed at Iwo Jima.
I have no idea who this man is, but was brought to tears when I saw the inscription at the very bottom. Sealed in the Swiss Temple for Time and all Eternity. It brought me a lot of perspective. Seeing all of these graves was really hard to take in, but when I saw this one I stopped for a minute. It just reminded me that this earth life is so small compared to eternity, and that if we are faithful and righteous in this life, then we can be with the people we most love for forever, with no more war, no more pain, but a life full of peace and joy with our Heavenly Father and those who we love the most.
As we were leaving Arlington, we walked through section 60. This is where all of the graves are placed for those soldiers who are killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. As I mentioned earlier, these are the hardest graves and memorials for me, because they are so personal for me. They happen in my era and my time, and I remember them. Seeing graves of young people who weren't born that long before me, engaging in a war against terror was hard to see. But as hard as that was, it was nothing compared to this scene we saw. There was this woman, lying next to a grave stone. The stone she is laying next to is a man named David who was born in 1984 - the same year as my David. She looked about my age. I watched as she reached out to the grave and grabbed a small photo of a handsome young man, who I assume was her husband. She looked at the picture for awhile, and then held it close to her chest as she closed her eyes. Just thinking about this memory long enough to write about it brings tears to my eyes, even now. It was just way too realistic for me and for the stage I am at in my life, and it absolutely broke my heart.
This, and all of the other graves in Arlington, made me realize more than ever, that freedom is not free. We had just spent 5 hours wandering through markers that truly showed the cost of freedom. I will forever and always be grateful for the service men and women who now, and throughout our history, protect our freedom and our country.
We spent the rest of the evening at the Iwo Jima memorial. I had no idea how huge this memorial was. We had a hard time getting the entire monument in one picture. Again, it was just a reminder of the courage of our soldiers, who gave (and still give today) everything they had to ensure our liberty. How grateful I am to all of them, throughout the entire history of America.
Oh yeah, the quote of the day! It came in while we were trying to find the Iwo Jima memorial. Again, our GPS wasn't working, so we had to use our map skills to figure out how to get there (My Dad would have been so proud of me at this moment). We finally did navigate ourselves to the monument, but we couldn't find the parking lot. We could see it, but could not figure out how to get to it! We ended up making a wrong turn and getting back on the freeway, so we had to do a major turnaround to get back...and it was just kind of a comedy of errors! We were all getting a little stressed out, and Dave, out of frustration, said (to everyone in the car), "Sorry, everyone in the corn!" It just absolutely made no sense, and we couldn't stop laughing for the longest time. We finally did find the parking lot though, and were able to get some good pictures before the sun went down.
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