Washington DC

My parents & brother Curtis came into town Thursday for a long Easter weekend vacation. It was so wonderful having them visit! Originally they were going to come last fall, but when my mom hurt her arm they had to postpone the trip. The new timing worked out really well for a number of reasons:

1. The day they flew in Mark's car broke down (I had it at school with me). They were able to come pick me up so I didn't have to wait 3 hours for Mark to get back from a trip in Charlotte. As a bonus they were able to see my school, which we didn't think would happen.

2. We were able to hit the tail end of the Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C.

3. We got to see our new niece Lily who is in Arlington. She is just as beautiful as can be! I am always amazed by how tiny yet perfect a newborn is, especially their hands and feet.

4. The weather was reasonable. It was beautiful Thursday while we were in Durham. Friday was nice as we drove to D.C. We were able to visit most of the outdoor stuff that afternoon and evening with no worries.

Saturday it rained so we visited the National Archives (I didn't realize how big the doors to that place were), Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (I personally liked the display of the Hope Diamond), and drove by the Capital and Supreme Court.

5. I have been teaching about the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights and 3 Branches of government for about a month and was able to take pictures that corresponded to what my students have been learning. Like the Nations Capital where the Senate and House of Representatives meet, the White House, and even the Constitution.

6. My parents were able to visit Mark's business school. We even got to pop our heads into Duke Chapel before Catholic Easter Mass, and watch the baseball team warm up for a game.

Thank you Mom & Dad for coming to visit! We hope you had as much fun as Mark and I did!