Bambi/Gigi's birthday visit Sept 17-22

My grandfather passed away in July, and when I went up to see my gram in August, I suggested that she come down to see us for her birthday in September- and she did!

She has never been to DC and has visited us at each place we have been assigned, expect Arkansas- but who can blame her. She made it to the other 4 places, even Germany for 2 weeks!

She flew in on Wednesday afternoon. I put 2 dozen roses in her room and the kids and I made her an itinerary for all the places we thought she'd like to visit-

Wednesday night Brian made an unforgettable feast (he has mastered crab cakes!) and we did a little wine tasting with gram at home- 

Thursday morning Bambi (that's what I call her, the kids call her Gigi) woke up to a decorated house for her birthday and after we put the kids on the bus, we headed out for an adventure.

We were going to the Pentagon for a tour and lunch with Brian. Instead of driving in, Brian suggested that we take the Metro. This would be my first solo trip on the Metro (with my 86 yr old grandmother!) but I'm glad we did it-

She could have spent ALL day at the Pentagon. She wanted to look at each piece of art (there are more than 15,000 pieces!) and read everything on the walls....

After lunch, we went to the 9/11 memorial, and of course she found it to be wonderful-

 There is a florist inside the Pentagon (privately owned) and if it is your birthday, they give you flowers. Bambi just loved that Brian took her right in there and they gave her a little bouquet of flowers!

That night we took her to National Harbor, MD. She had never been to Maryland, so it was perfect that we go there to for her birthday dinner. And there is lots to do there...

Getting off the exit, we could see the 180 foot tall ferris wheel which we planned to take her on-

Along the water front is a HUGE statue called Awakening. The statue consists of five separate aluminum pieces buried in the ground, giving the impression of a distressed giant attempting to free himself from the ground. The left hand and right foot barely protrude, while the bent left leg and knee jut into the air, the right arm extends 17 feet into the air- 

We'd never been to a Peeps store, but of course went in for some treats-

They have a huge jumbotron screen outdoors and when we left dinner, they were doing an outdoor kickboxing class with a packed crowd that was so fun to watch-

We had an delicious dinner right on the water-

But the best part was this subset- 

It was amazing! We could not have asked for a more beautiful night to celebrate Bambi's birthday with her!

Next we walked to The Gaylord Hotel to see their fountain show. A neighbor had mentioned it to me and with a little help from Google, I figured out that it is a free show at 6,7 &8pm each night. It is 20 minutes long, set to music and lights in their amazing atrium-

 At one point my gram was getting teary eyed (thinking about Grandpa Im sure) and Macy went over and climbed in her lap so she wouldn't be alone-

The show was fantastic! We were all shocked that it is free and can't wait to take more visitors there.

Next up- the ferris wheel-

The view from our gondola looking into the wheel-

And down at the harbor- 

It was such a fantastic day for my gram! If it was my day, I'd have considered it epic. I know she felt the love and was thrilled with all the excitement we had shown her...

Friday we put the kids on the bus and headed to Mt. Vernon. I went here on my 8th grade class trip and remembered it being such a special place. My grandmother is a former antique dealer, so I knew she would love it for several reasons too.

This window in the visitors center had her in awe-

Beautiful Mt Vernon-

George Washington's family sure knew how to pick a piece of property! My gram just wanted to sit on this back porch and look at the view of the Potomac river all day-

But we didn't. We walked what seemed every inch of that property! We saw the memorial to the slaves and the slave cemetery, the tombs of George and Mary Washington, every out building, animal and garden there was. Keeping up with my 86 yr old gram is tough!

We left there at about 3pm and I asked if she was ready to head home or into the city for something else to see/do... Much to my surprise, she wanted more! So we decided to go to the Smithsonian Museum of American History. The problem with that? There is absolutely no parking to be found at 4pm on a Friday afternoon in downtown DC! UGH. Fail. 

So instead we headed home for dinner with Brian and the kids, followed by a backyard fire and s'mores, which was a treat for us all. 

Saturday morning we went to see Tate's football game- 

Then took gram into DC to see it ALL! No joke, we saw a ton.

The Air Force Memorial-

THE CAPITOL-

 Supreme Court-

 White House-

Jefferson Memorial-

Washington Monument-

The one thing she wanted to see on her trip was the Lincoln Memorial-

There are a bunch of steps- 87 to be exact!

 We also saw the Korean War and Vietnam War memorials, neither of which I have pictures of though. It was so special for us to be at those two places on this day in particular,  because there was an honor flight to DC that weekend so we had the opportunity to shake hands with several veterans who were visiting the memorials of the wars they themselves served in.

An Honor Flight is conducted by non-profit organizations dedicated to transporting as many United States military veterans as possible to see the memorials of the respective war(s) they fought in Washington, D.C. at no cost to the veterans. Currently these organizations are focused on bringing veterans of World War II to the National World War II Memorial, and any veteran with a terminal illness to see the memorial of the war they fought in. Organizers plan to "naturally transition" their programs to focus on veterans of the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and subsequent wars as the veterans of those wars get older.

Honor flights arrive at all three of the Washington's area airports and the veterans are generally escorted by volunteer guardians, who help them off the flight and around D.C. After landing, the taxiing airplane may be saluted by fire trucks,and passengers are often met by cheering crowds in D.C. or upon their return flight home.

We had time for one last site and were considering Arlington Cemetery, but because of the amount of walking and the somber nature of that visit, we opted to go see the National Cathedral instead. It is so gigantic that I couldn't get it in the picture- 

My gram and I loved that there was a wedding happening when we arrived! A very posh, formal wedding too. We sat down and watched the guests (most in tuxedos) arrive, then the wedding party and we even saw the bride!

Brian and Tate loved trying to find the darth vader on the outside of the cathedral. Yup, there is actually a darth vader head carved into one of the towers of the National Cathedral! In the 1980s, while the west towers were under construction, Washington National Cathedral held a decorative sculpture competition for children. Word of the competition was spread nationwide through National Geographic World Magazine. The third-place winner was Christopher Rader, with his drawing of that fearful villain, Darth Vader. The fierce head was sculpted by Jay Hall Carpenter, carved by Patrick J. Plunkett, and placed high upon the northwest tower of the Cathedral.


Saturday night we dropped the kids off for Parent's Night Out at Engineering For Kids and we went out to dinner with Bambi, as a somewhat memorial to my grandfather. We went to historical Occoquan, which I knew she would love. We had dinner outside at The Secret Garden and it was perfect. After dinner we went to the little wine bar, The Bottle Stop (where we have become members, of course!), to extend our fun night out-

Sunday Brian had to leave for a trip... So we dropped off Tate for his 3 hour lacrosse practice and headed back to Occoquan for tea!

The tea room was called The Pink Bicycle-

It was so sweet. Just perfect for an 86 year old and 5 year old especially!

 We girls did some shopping and then went to grab Tate and headed to Manassas, Virginia- home of the very first Civil War battlefield.

Tate was loving the welcome center-

And playing war on the battlefield-

The battlefield was huge, over 5,000 acres This was my first time at a battlefield, so I had no idea what to expect. It was amazing standing here, realizing that this is where it all started....

 Judith Carter Henry, 84 or 85 years old and bedridden, refused to leave her upstairs bedroom as the First Battle of Bull Run was fought on the hill surrounding her home.

Confederate snipers used the house; Judith Henry was killed by a Union bullet meant for the snipers. She was the first civilian killed at First Bull Run, July 21, 1861. The Second Battle of Bull Run was also fought on this hill. (These battles are also sometimes called the First and Second Battles of Manassas.) 

The Judith Henry house has been reconstructed as part of the Manassas National Battlefield Park-

 She should have left...

This is also the battle were Gen. Thomas Jackson got his now famous nickname "Stonewall," so there is a giant statue in his honor-

Next up was the Ben Lomand house-

This private home was used as a civil war hospital during the battles fought in Manassas-

We were hoping to tour it, but sadly it had closed by the time we arrived.

Monday morning after getting the kids off to school, it was time to head to the airport again and say good-bye. I admire my grandmother so much for being incredibly brave. Not many other 86 year olds would hop on a plane to visit a new city as effortlessly as she did. She is now navigating life by herself, and while that makes me so sad, I am very grateful that we were able to spend 6 days together, and fill her time here with joy and wonderful new memories.