A Week in Washington D.C.

My patriotic soul was filled to the brim this entire week as we explored Washington D.C., our nation's capital! There is SO MUCH to do in D.C. and majority of it is all FREE (thank you government buildings).

I was basically in awe the whole time and truly took it all in. Bryan and I had read The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown together in preparation for our trip and I had read The Washington Hypothesis by Timothy Ballard so we had a list of places we wanted to visit that were mentioned in the book.

We also got to meet with Bryan's high school history teacher who has taken groups of students there multiple times and he gave us the lowdown on everything we needed to do and see, complete with metro stops to get to each place. Let's just say we had done our research.

Something that you can never prepare yourself for in my opinion is humidity. As soon as we got off the plane, the nostalgia from my mission in Alabama hit me hard. Bryan will tell you that this was not his favorite trip, solely because of the weather. But we still made the most of being hot and sticky with sweat dripping down our backs by living for the A.C. in all the buildings.

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed about 20 min. outside of the city in Crystal City, Virginia. Regardless of whether you stay on the Virginia side of the Maryland side, it's a lot more affordable to stay outside of D.C. but it's all very accessible to get into the city. We had a metro stop just a block or two from our hotel!

The metro is your quickest and really affordable way to get around the city. We got an unlimited use 7-day pass and it was perfect. There is even a metro stop at the airport! But as with any big cities, still plan on walking a lot.

THINGS TO DO

If I could only pick 3 things to do I would say go see all the monuments on the National Mall, take a tour of the Capitol, and visit Arlington Cemetery.

We split the mall into two sections. One around the Tidal Basin where you'll see the Jefferson Memorial, the George Mason memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Monument, the DC War Memorial, and end at the WWII memorial/Washington Monument (go find the "Kilroy was here" carving in one of the walls) . The other route is right on the mall where you see the Korean War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial (go early in the morning if you don't want a lot of crowds), and the Vietnam Memorial. Make sure you hop across the street from the Vietnam memorial and see the statue of Albert Einstein!

To schedule a tour of the Capitol building you will have to contact your congressmen which you can do on the capitol's website. Make sure you ask for a tour from one of the interns and also ask for gallery passes! If the House or Senate are in session, you'll be able to go in and see our government in action! The whole thing is incredible! Each state is allowed to have two statues somewhere throughout the building so make sure you see the ones picked for your state! Also spend as much time as you can taking in the rotunda, looking at the ceiling which shows the apotheosis of George Washington. Also ask as many questions as you would like! There are so many fun facts you can learn from that building full of history! Also, get used to going through a TON of security. You have to do that for basically every building you go into.

Arlington Cemetery is AMAZING and that's coming from someone whose least favorite places in the world are cemeteries. It is massive though so pick and choose what you want to see. We loved the Kennedy Flame where John and Jackie are buried. The mansion on the property was under construction while we were there but we've heard great things about that! The highlight of the cemetery is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. You can't miss the changing of the guard which happens every 30 min. during the summer months and every 60 min. during the winter months. It is a high honor to be one of the soldiers that guards the tomb and there is someone there 24/7 regardless of the weather. Watching it was one of those moments that makes you so appreciative to live in a free country and for all the sacrifices that our forefathers and military have made for that to happen! It's incredible. Across from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a Marine Memorial as well which was cool to see as well. You can also download the Arlington Cemetery app and if you know the name of a relative that is buried there, the app will tell you exactly which section of the cemetery they are so you can easily find them.

Some of my other must-dos are:

• Holocaust Museum - get tickets! They give you a booklet with a real person's story and their experience during this time for you to think about as you go through. I love that this museum causes you to think and ask questions and is in no way a solution to anything

• Ford's Theater - get tickets and make sure it includes the museum and the ranger talk. Don't forget to go to the Peterson House across the street after the presentation in Ford's Theater.

• National Archives - The Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights (no pictures allowed)
• Smithsonians- there are so many!! But my favorites were the American History Museum and the African American History Museum (must get tickets for this one the morning that you're going or there is a stand-by line if you don't have tickets) Look up ahead of time the things you want to see so you kind of have an idea of where you're going or just get lost if you have hours to spend :)
• Pentagon Memorial - call the number for the phone tour, it is very informational and you can pick a shortened version or longer version both still under 30 min.

• Iwo Jima Memorial

• Old Town Alexandria - If you get the Key to the City Pass you can go to several of the local buildings that they've preserved and learn all about the beginnings of this town. It's right on the water and it's CHARMING

• Mount Vernon - this is a little further out of the city but it is incredible! You do have to pay for it but you can get a discount if you buy the Key to the City Pass. George did quite good for himself.

•  Washington National Cathedral - on Sundays it's free! Take a tour!
• Embassy Row - our travel method of choice was SCOOTERS!!
• Library of Congress - you can sign up to get a library card online beforehand and pick it up when you're there. It is the only way they let you into the main reading room (think National Treasure) and they don't let you take pictures in there either. 

• White House - apparently taking a tour is not that great so we chose to just have some photo ops outside. Except we got kicked off the sidewalk because "someone" was leaving the White House. Make sure you go to both sides!

• Redskins, Wizards, or Nationals game! We went to a Nationals game and had a blast! They ended up winning the World Series this year so that was exciting!

If you have extra time and need more to do:

• Bureau of Engraving and Printing - get tickets the morning you're going (they're free)
• Portrait Gallery - Hall of Presidents
• Old Post Office Tower - the building is now Trump International Hotel so you have to go in the side door by Starbucks and then you get taken up the elevator by a ranger

• Smithsonians - Air and Space Museum (Amelia Earheart's Red Vega, Wright Brother Flyer, Spirit of St. Louis, Apollo 11), National Postal Museum, Natural History Museum (this one was so crowded especially with families and is super similar to the one in New York so we didn't spend long here), art galleries

Things we didn't get to but I would've loved to go to:

• Gettsburg
• a show at the Kennedy Center - but if you can't get tickets to the show, take a tour of the facility. It is incredible!
• Smithsonian Zoo
• National Botanical Garden
• Georgetown
• The Wharf
• Eastern Market
• Supreme Court Building
• LDS temple (it's currently being remodeled)

WHAT TO EAT

We honestly didn't go to as many "foodies" places as I thought we would but both that we tried were great!

• We the Pizza

• Presidential Scoops

• Dolci Gelato

• And if you don't have a Shake Shack by you at home, then that's always a good choice :)

I would go back in a heartbeat, so if you ever need a travel buddy, I'm your girl!

book review: be happy

Face it: it's not always easy to feel happy. With all of the worries and trials of day-to-day life, the cares of the world can seem overwhelming. But as popular speaker and author Hank Smith demonstrates, no matter your circumstances, you can be happy—the kind of happy that illuminates you from the inside out, a joy that does not depend on what happens to you but on what you do with what happens. 

Big Hank Smith fan over here!! I took two religion classes from him my freshman year at BYU and they were life-changing! I love his perspective on the scriptures. He makes them come to life and if you know anything about him, you know he is hilarious! 

He is just about one of the happiest people I know so I feel like he was definitely qualified to write this book. 

Even if you find yourself feeling happy right now, there are so many great reminders in this book, funny stories, and science that explains what makes our brains tick.

What I loved the most was understanding how much CONTROL we have over our happiness and strategies we can learn to change our thoughts and behaviors. It is incredible what our minds can do and how easily we can distract ourselves from the way we're feeling or stop ourselves from reacting in a way that would not be beneficial for anyone. So many relationships can be improved if we are mindful about our attitudes and our responses to the things that happen to us. 

His last chapter about depression was also super helpful and something we should all be more knowledgeable and understanding about! It's so important to note that sometimes chemical imbalances in our brains totally prevent us from being happy! It is beyond our control and we should give kindness, love, and empathy to ourselves or those around us if this ever happens! 

If you're looking for a short, easy read that also has valuable information, this book is for you!

book review: sarah's key

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.

Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.

I was fascinated by this book! It's not your typical WWII novel. It was a mystery and a love story and was full of surprises. It was also heart-wrenching and full of loss, grief, and all of the other emotions that come along with war time.

It is one of my favorite books that I've read this year because I couldn't put it down! I was intrigued the whole time and couldn't wait to find out what happened next!

I also loved that it went back and forth between the two stories and how they were intertwined.

As I went to the Holocaust museum in D.C. this summer I loved that they designed it to be a reflective experience where everything they have curated is not the answer, but a question. Why does something like the Holocaust happen? How do so many people get on board with creating such a horrific time in our world's history, and how can we prevent something like this from ever happening again?

After learning about the Vel' d'Hiv and how France was involved with the Holocaust, I can't imagine the pain and uncertainty that Sarah's family went through.

This novel does end with hope though and I think that's the most important thing that keeps us going. Amidst the tragedy that our world has seen and been through, there is always hope for a brighter tomorrow.