I’ve always known that I have Royal Blood flowing through my veins. This, of course, comes directly from my mother, Her Royal Majesty, Queen of All. Where she got this title I no idea. I only know that it is true. Just ask her. (I double dog dare ya!)

Since my mother is the Queen, that makes me Heir to the Throne. I accept this duty gracefully. I have always known that I am a princess. I even have photos somewhere of me wearing my crown as a young girl. I love my crown. It is the most beautiful crown in the world. It is even lovelier when you realize that my mother dotingly hand crafted it for me out of tin foil.

Even Shaun calls me a princess. This is usually associated with “The Fussy Princess” or “The Princess and the Pea”. Isn’t that one of the sweetest things you have ever heard of? My beloved associates me with the heroines of dearly loved books for children. I am so blessed.

Not very many people know of my Royal Status. We like to keep it quiet because of Paparazzi problems and all that. But this morning, I discovered that something has happened to change all that. I visited one of my favorite blogs and found that Ellen, one of the royalist queens I know, (aside of my mother) has added me to her Court. She even made this lovely watercolor of me to commemorate the event. Now, the entire world will know what I really am. Sigh…I gracefully accept my duty.

Thanks Ellen!

Shaun and the girls were playing Frisbee in the park when all of a sudden Shaun took a moment to be silly and pointed to a bird flying in the sky.

“Look! A bird!” he shouted out, in an effort to distract his Frisbee obsessed girl. KT squinted her eyes and looked at it for a moment and finally asked what kind of bird it was. Shaun gave her a funny look before telling her that it was a duck.

“Ducks can’t fly!” exclaimed our brilliant daughter.

“Yes they can!” replied Shaun incredulously.

“Are you sure?” KT asked. “I always thought that they couldn’t…you know…like chickens.”

Sigh…just when we thought we had taught our girls most of what they need to know to get through life, they astound us with something like this. I guess we better have another chat about the birds and the bees. It seems as though they got the wrong version…

For Spring Break this year, we went on a field trip to Washington DC! What fun! I had brought along the laptop with intentions to post what we did everyday. It didn’t exactly work out that way. I got a day and half done then…well…

When I got home, I was faced with a dilemma…should I finish up what I had started, even though it was in the past two weeks or should I just blow it off? I finally downloaded my photos a few days ago (all 637 of them) and unloaded the mound of brochures I had collected and realized that if I didn’t document what we had done, it would get lost somewhere in the back vaults of my mind. So here, in all its glory, is what we did on our Spring Break. Just as a warning, it’s long…we fit a lot into that week. Shaun says it is dry and reads like a travelogue. He wants me to get back to my usual witty self. (HA! GOTTA love that man!)

To find the beginning you need to scroll waaaaaaay down to April 9th with What a Day. Or technically the day before titled Am I nuts? (Who names these things anyways?)

Text coming soon!

Once again we had to be up and ready with our luggage by 7:00. This was to be our final day in the DC area. We all had a wonderful time, but were also ready to go home.

Our first stop of the day was at the Battlefield of Bull Run in Manassas. We saw a short film telling us all about the battle. Bull Run was the first battle of the Civil War. Both sides were excited and thought that it was to be the only battle. As we now know, it wasn’t to be. We also learned about and saw a reconstruction of the home of Judith Henry, an84 year old, bedridden woman. She was the first civilian to die in the war .

There was something very bittersweet about watching all those kids joyfully running across the field where so many had died for what they believed in. (I can’t help it, right now the song “The Circle of Life” from the “Lion King” is running through my head.)

Before hopping back on the bus, we all gathered to thank our bus drivers and tour guides. They really did a lot to smooth things out for us. And boy could our driver handle his bus!

On the way back to Dulles Airport we took a quick stop to see the Air and Space Museum. It was really quick…like half an hour. I guess we just couldn’t resist one last Smithsonian Museum. We actually saw quite a bit during that short time.

Before we knew it, we were at the airport getting ready to head home to our families. We were split into three groups going home. We found out that the group that was leaving first and had the direct flight had been delayed because of engine trouble. (or something like that) We felt bad for them, but were very thankful when our flight left on time. It was so nice to be headed home…

I really enjoyed Colonial Williamsburg. I really could have used more time here! We were divided into three groups and each given a knowledgable guide to help us navigate through the town. Williamsburg claims to be the largest living museum in the world. This means that all of the homes and businesses are run by costumed actors. Some stayed in character, some didn’t. For example, the lady making wigs in the wig shop looked at you as if you had grown a second head if you asked her a question that wouldn’t be possible to answer in the 18th century. The gentleman in the foundry just talked to us in a normal way, explaining everything and answering any question we threw his way. He was also interested in knowing where we were from and what our thoughts were.

In the Wythe House, there was a gentleman playing an instument that resembled a cello, but sounded more like a viola. The girls were fascinated by both the instrument and the costumed musician. The girls really enjoyed comparing the instrument that they played with the early ancestor. Apparently it has six strings, a different key and the bow was held differently. (I’m only repeating what they said as I can barely read music!) It would have been nice to let them stay and nurture their curiosity, but the group was waiting for us, so I nearly had to drag them out of the house.

Our guide told us that most of the homes were the original homes. Some had been rebuilt, but most had just been restored. A couple homes had been passed down in the family through the years and were still privately owned. I’m not sure if that’s really a neat thing or a just a pain in the neck to have a zillion strangers roaming through your neighborhood every year. Hmmm…

After our official guided tour was over, we had free time to visit more buildings, shop and have lunch. All too soon it was time to meet up with the rest of the group and head over to the settlement of Jamestown.

Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement of the New World. Unlike Williamsburg, the Jamestown Settlement was a replica of the original. I’d really like to say I got a lot out of it, but, if I’m being honest…I didn’t. The temperature was in the 80’s (a huge switch from what we were used to). We were scurrying around trying to get the kids slathered with sunscreen as you could almost watch their pale skin sizzle and turn red. A couple of them were really having a hard time with the heat. It was nice to get back to the air conditioned bus.

Dinner was at another buffet. Amazingly they had pizza and pasta. Yum.

Oh, southern food. The sweet potatoes were amazing!

Once again we were up bright and early. (so much for being on break!) This morning we had to be completely packed as we were relocating from our hotel in Maryland to one in Williamsburg. Both of our busses took a quick pitstop at the Starbucks just around the corner. Only adults were allowed to get off. Sill, it was pretty comical to watch us all RUN to try to be one of the first in line. Those poor baristas…

We drove back into DC and were dropped off at the Holocaust Museum. We were on our own for a few hours. We were urged to at least stop in and see the Daniel’s Story exhibit that most of us had read about at home and warned that the actual museum might be too graphic. Mimi insisted that we see the whole thing. I’m really glad that we did, it made simple words come alive. To me, seeing sample boards of acceptable eye and hair colors was more horrifying than the most graphic video game. Standing in a box car that so many Jews were transported in was just heartrending. The Holocaust is something that everyone, including our children needs to know about.

After we were finished with the Holocaust Museum we went searching for something to eat. Somehow, the

girls and I found ourselves in the Department of Treasury. There were no tours left but we had to check out the little gift shop. We had fun posing by a huge block containing a million dollars!

We found our way back to the Museum Cafe and had lunch. We ended up running into another group and decided to hang out together. Our main goal was to get a photo in front of the White House. (such lofty dreams!) On the way we stopped at the Washington Memorial where I pursuaded Mimi and H to kiss it in keeping with tradition as with the Empire State Building. (you can pretty much get Mimi to do anything if you claim it is a tradtion…she’s big on those)

We finally got to the front of the White House. We got to the back quickly, but it was the front we wanted. I guess we were “just on a mission”.
Directly across from the White House gates was a very interesting woman named Connie that had been camped out there continuously since 1981. She is a one woman peace vigil protesting various things relating to keeping peace. She sleeps in a cot in a small tent made of plastic sheeting. She wears helmet as a form of protection because people didn’t always like what she is protesting. I have to admire her passion.

We made way back to the bus and were headed off to the memorials. The Vietnam, Korean and Lincoln.

Soon we were piled on the bus again and were ready to make the long drive down to Willamsburg. For dinner we stopped at some sort of buffet (where they had more pizza and pasta. Yum.) It was a tour bus parking lot! We had to stay on the bus for a while and wait for it to be our turn. Apparently we were one of the last groups of the day because it wasn’t too long before the place emptied out. The next thing we knew the manager had dug out a Karaoke machine and all the kids were crowded up on the tiny stage belting out tunes from Grease and the Backstreet Boys. (Quite a few adults were singing along as well). We all had a ball!

Soon we were at our next home for the next two nights. It was a bit of a challenge figuring out where our rooms were. We didn’t realize that there were two different wings and we were spread between them. We managed to figure it out though.

Once again, we had our tummies full and were on the bus bright and early. (Some dedicated souls had gotten up extra early and walked over to the nearby Starbucks to get their fix).

We took a quick swing past the Embassy Row. Our tour guide was trying to figure out which flag belonged to each country without much success. She asked us to see if we could identify any. The annoying kid who was sitting behind me at that time, was awesome. I was impressed that he knew so many of them. As for the countries that he didn’t know, Percy (a grown up!)knew. Or as least he acted like he did. He’s pretty good at making up countries! It cracked me up that our guide accepted them all and repeated them over the PA system.

We also zipped by the National Cathedral. I think our guide said it was one of the five largest cathedrals ever built. (But there’s a very good chance I was wrong on this…after all, I had opted for sleep, not Starbucks) Whether it was one of the largest cathedrals or not, it was definitely gigantic…and still under construction. Hmmmm…

We soon we arrived at our first destination of the day, the National Zoo. Apparently I have been spoiled by zoos my whole life. This zoo, our national zoo, was the saddest little zoo I’ve ever seen. (Ok, so I’ve only been to four others, but still…) It reminded me of how the zoos were when I was a kid. The animals just paced in their very obvious cages. It didn’t seem as though they had made much effort to create any sort of natural habitat. Anyways, here is a photo of the baby panda. He was nestled up in a bare tree. His mama was sleeping on the bare rock below and the daddy was pacing back and forth in an adjoining area.

After the zoo we stopped for lunch in the food court of some shopping mall. I thought I would be advernturesome and try some Cajun chicken. It tasted strangely like Chinese food you can find in any mall to me. Even the red beans and rice it was supposed to come with had been substituted with fried rice. So much for that cultural attempt…

Then we were off to see Christ Church in the lovely town of Alexandria. It is a beautiful church, built in 1767, that is still in use today. George Washington was one of the original parishioners and his box seat is the only one that is still intact in the original form. (And do you think I got a shot of that??) Since then nearly every president has attended a service at Christ Church to pay their respects.

Our next stop was Mt Vernon, the home of George and Martha Washington. We were on our own for a few hours to tour the 500 acres of the estate. As the parents waited in line to see the mansion, the kids took advantage of the down time and used up some of that pent off energy in a spirited game of Frisbee. (This game was the start of kt’s current Frisbee obsession, but that’s another story!)

Then it was time for dinner. We were going to a place on the waterfront called the Torpedo Factory. All our guide told us was that they used to make torpedos there. I later found out that it was an art center filled with numerous artist studios and galleries. Outside the factory was an amazing street performer. When he found himself surrounded with our kids, he launched into an incredible rendition of Beethoven’s 9th symphony using only various glasses. We all loved him.

We had to leave him before we were ready so that we could eat during our time slot. Pasta and pizza. Yum.

We headed back to the hotel early so that the kids would have a chance to swim at the nearby Bally’s. They quickly got changed into swimsuits and marched over to swim. Sadly, we found out that nobody under 18 could use their pool. They kids got over it and had a great time with each other anyways. I couldn’t help but feel a little bit sorry for the other guests of the hotel though

After the Senate Building, we took a short walk over to the Supreme Court. We had to wait in the lobby for half an hour or so for the next docent session to start. There was a guard who took his job of keeping order very seriously. For some reason, he felt the need to bellow out at the top of his lungs that we all needed to keep our voices down every ten minutes or so. Much to my amusement, somebody asked him to repeat what he had said as they didn’t quite catch it. Without blinking an eye, the guard repeated his directions. I found it interesting to find that nobody was allowed to sit on the floor but it was perfectly fine to on the bases of the huge marble columns. My theory is that they either don’t want it to look messy in the lobby or they want to avoid the appearance of a sit-in.

Mr. Larson was a great source of quiet entertainment for the kids.

We finally made it inside the Chambers (court obviously wasn’t in session) and listened to a great talk, followed by a question and answer portion. I think it really made what goes on in the Supreme Court come alive for the kids. (If not for them, at least it did for me!)
We took another short walk for a photo op and quick talk at the capital building.

Then we were off to the lower level of Union Station for lunch. Our tour guide warned us that there were a lot of unsavory characters just waiting to pounce on unsuspecting kids who flashed money around. This made a lot of parents quite nervous so they kept an extra tight reign on their charges. (Could that have been the point?) I found it to be just your average food court filled with business types (or I guess political types) in a charming building. Our tour guide also told us to check out the huge clock to see if we could figure out what was wrong with it. After staring at it for a while, I finally figured it out. Can you? (The time was correct)

After lunch we hopped back on the bus and headed towards Ford’s Theater where President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. We lucked out by arriving right before a new presentation was to start and were quickly seated. Many of us were surprised to learn that Ford’s Theater was a part of the National Parks Service. We were treated to a wonderful monologue by a park ranger on what happened on April 14, 1865 (we were there April 10th 2006). After the performance, the boy sitting next to me said
“That’s it? Aren’t they going to show him being shot?” Ahhh, aren’t boys delightful? We then had the chance to visit the Petersen house across the street from the theater where the president was taken and later died

We hopped on the bus again and headed towards Arlington National Cemetery. I have been to Rosecrans National Cemetery numerous times and have always silently mourned the endless rows of tombstones. As huge as Rosecrans is, it pales in comparison to Arlington. It made my heart both sad at such a huge loss of life and proud to live in a country where so many have served us well. (Of course, being a Navy Brat has nothing to do with this)

I’m not so sure the kids really got it. Some of them had a really hard time being quiet and respectful. They just wanted to run and play…I guess that makes sense when you are young and have so much life ahead of you…and have been restrained all day. . They were all great at the reflection pool and at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

and the changing of the guard.

After Arlington, we made a quick drive past the Iwo Jima monument. Then we headed towards a really fun and yummy dinner at California Tortilla. If they were around here, I would definitely find myself eating there. Little did we know that would be our last really good meal for a while.

After dinner we headed over to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. I think this one is one of the most beautiful of all the memorials we saw. It was huge, well manicured, full of art and waterfalls. I think I loved the waterfalls most of all.

Then we were off to the Jefferson Memorial. I’d like to tell you something profound about it, but all I can remember was that it was big. Oh and that our bus wasn’t where they said it would be so we had to go hunt for it. I guess I was getting a little burnt out on Memorials at that point. J
Finally we headed off to our hotel.

So, do you think any of those kids slept?

I just downloaded and looked at all the photos of what we did today, my goodness we were busy! Today was a much better day for us. It’s truly amazing what a little sleep in a comfy bed will do for you. Although, I did wake up at five this morning (two AM my time!) for no apparent reason and couldn’t get back to sleep before our six thirty wake up call. Sigh…at least I didn’t run out of umph though.

I know how bad my memory is so I resorted to taking notes throughout the day. I’m just going to type them up and pop some photos in if blogger will let me, then pop into bed. We have another huge day tomorrow. (Although I really don’t know what we are doing as our guide isn’t sticking to our itinerary at all.) I’ve heard rumors that we will see Mt. Vernon and the National Zoo. I guess it will be a surprise!

We started out with a quick breakfast at the hotel buffet. I’m not sure if they weren’t expecting all 64 of us at once or if they were just really unprepared as they kept running out of food. Breakfast started at 7:30 and we had to be on the bus and ready to go at 8:00. It was tough, but we did it.

The bus (or coach as they like to call it “in the business”) drove us though morning rush hour traffic into DC where we picked up a “City Guide”. She was amazing. She knew all sort of fascinating facts about nearly everything. .

Our first stop of the day was the WWII Memorial. It was just beautiful. Each state and territory was represented by a granite pillar and wreath placed in a circle in the order that they joined the union. All of the states are joined together with a carved rope to represent the unity of the states. There is a wall placed behind a reflecting pool that is filled with 40,000 golden stars. Each of those stars represent 100 of the men and women that died in WWII. Seeing all those stars sunk in for me exactly how many lives were lost in the war. All in all it was a very tranquil place and a fitting memorial.

We had a 10:00 appointment with Senator Patty Murray’s representatives in the Russell Senate Building. (The Senator was back home in WA on Spring Break) It was rather interesting listening to her aides and finding out a little more about what their jobs were and how Senator Murray’s office was run. The building itself was beautiful as most building in the area are. A special touch was all of the original artwork by Currier and Ives.

I have to admit that one of the most interesting thing about the Senate building was one of the 6th grade teacher’s finding. We couldn’t figure out which door to enter so he bounded up the stairs and into the building to ask. This made the guards really nervous. They refused to let him talk and kept directing him to put his backpack in the x-ray machine. They take security very seriously in this town.

OK…I’ve only gotten through 11 or so this morning, but I think I need to get to bed. I’ll try to add more tomorrow.

Aren’t they just so adorable walking down the sidewalk arm in arm?