January 23, 2009 10:17 PM
Touring the Capitol and White House
It's 10 p.m. and we've landed safely. It's always nice to go on vacation, but so nice to get back home safely.
Mrs. Pearson saved the best day for last. We started out at the White House but unfortunately our view was blocked a bit because they were still taking down barricades, bleachers and other viewing stands that were erected for the inaugural parade. The White House is so beautiful and contrary to what we thought, we were able to stand right out front and snap pictures. Pennsylvania Ave. was still blocked off so we didn't have to worry about traffic.
Our last stop of the tour was the Capitol. What a magnificent building, so impressive as you walk up to it. It is even bigger than what you see in pictures. Work crews were busy taking down the large podium area that was erected for the inauguration and loading up thousands and thousands of chairs. The inside is absolutely beautiful! I was amazed to see all the intricate details and hand crafted work that went into it. I don't know what I was expecting, but the opulence and architecture of everything was amazing. Our tour guide was great at explaining the features of the building, paintings and statues. We were also able to sit in the gallery where the House of Representatives meets. They were not in session but it was still neat to see where our government is formed.
Our trip had finally come to an end. It was time to load the tour bus for our last ride to the airport. It was time to go back to work, school and all the homework that we thought we would have so much time to complete. Our time in DC would now be an awesome memory for each one of us. The 45 miles we walked all week was well worth it because there would never be another first black president and we knew we were a part of something special. We would never forget that we were there when history was made!
I hope to get some pictures posted soon, I couldn't figure out how to do that in DC.
I'm so grateful for this opportunity to have shared this with my kids. I hope that they will always remember the awesome time we had in DC. Thanks once again to the people that made this trip possible and to the people who made this trip memorable! A special thanks to my boss at the Rocky, John Temple. Here's a big shout out to: my husband Darren, grandma Flora, grandpa Bill, Stacy Allen, Madison Allen, Mrs. Pearson, Mrs. Israelsen, Carrie (our tour guide for the week), all the other chaperones and students that were on this tour, Tonia Twichell, Amy Burke, and finally my kids; Adam, Rachel and Jason. Being able to share this with you guys is one of the most special things I have ever done! Thanks for being so great all week and always pitching in when our darn suitcase didn't want to roll! Bobaganush!
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