Well it's official: I am now legal :D My voter registration form is sitting on the counter as we speak, and I look forward to taking my place in society as an adult ;)
All that to say, this past weekend happened to be my birthday, and my parents (along with my awesome friend Elsa!!) surprised me with an amazing trip to Washington DC :D This has always been one of my favorite cities to visit, and Elsa and I had a ton of fun with our cameras :) (speaking of cameras, thanks to Elsa for several of these pictures...she is an amazing photographer!!)
A quick Starbucks stop 'en route' resulted in some delicious muffins :)
Our first stop was the Library of Congress. I was there years ago but didn't remember anything, and let me just say that this building has some of the most gorgeous architecture I've ever seen!! Sadly, the Gutenberg Bible was undergoing some restoration so we didn't get to see it, but we instead walked around for awhile and enjoyed all the gorgeousness :)
The natural lighting inside was absolutely gorgeous, so we seized the opportunity for a quick photoshoot :)
We had to laugh - here we are in the Library of Congress and we find 'Keep calm and eat a cupcake' :D :D
Next stop: the Capitol. Once again, the architecture was absolutely stunning, and my shutter button couldn't go fast enough!! ;)
For our tour we all had to wear these badges with barcodes - it kind of felt like we were in a supermarket :P
Our last stop of the day was the Holocaust museum. Photography isn't allowed inside so this is pretty much all I have, but I cannot say enough about how well done all the exhibits were. We spent about four hours going through the displays, and we still didn't make it through the whole museum! If you ever have the time, be sure to stop by...I was so moved and also made even more aware of how our actions are built upon so many generations. And if we do not learn from the mistakes of others, we are doomed to repeat history. I think the quote below says it best:
Random side note, but I just had to take a picture of my Pittsburgh Penguins shirt in the city of our arch-nemesis ;)
Sunday was my birthday, so after dipping our toes in the hotel pool and eating a late breakfast, we headed to what I am now convinced is the most gorgeous building in America: the National Cathedral. Pictures really don't do this place justice - you just have to visit it in person :) Actually, due to the small earthquake that hit DC awhile ago, two of the top spires had broken off and were being repaired. But even though there was scaffolding everywhere, we still managed to locate some good photo locations ;)
The detail in all the pillars was absolutely incredible!!
We moved around to the front to take some 'head-on' shots, and then resumed our pictures of each other :)
Hard at work ;)
At last - we ventured inside!!! In all honesty, I think I had to pick my jaw off the floor :D My camera was being very finicky and uncooperative that day, but here is a small sampling of the inside gorgeousness :)
(we made sure to practice our 'aisle walk' :D)
(I had a good hairdresser that morning :D Thanks Elsa!!)
Our next stop wasn't even planned, but we ended up walking through the most adorable farmer's market!! Everything looked so fresh and tasty :)
Anything yellow is fine with me ;)
(this soap smelled AMAZING!!)
Annnnnnnnd as the 'creme de la creme'.......
.....we found the CUTEST accessories store!!! :D :D
The National Archives were next :)
SO Elsa is going to kill me for posting the picture below, but I couldn't resist ;) We both love the National Treasure movies, and for those of you who have seen the first one, you'll know that a big part of the movie happens in the National Archives (when Ben steals the Declaration of Independence). And one of the best scenes happens in the Archives gift shop when Ben walks through the shop with the real Declaration tucked under his arm. As he passes by a shelf filled with replicas of the document, the lady at the counter notices him and she says, "Are you trying to steal that?!" Soooooo we did our best to replicate the scene :)
I was Ben.....
....and I think you can guess who Elsa was ;P
Isn't that quote adorable?? :D
And Elsa was inspired to recreate these owls :)
Last but not least, we wrapped up at the National Museum of American History. This is definitely one of my favorite museums, and it was fun to visit Julia Child's kitchen and see the collection of First Lady dresses :)
('behind the scenes footage' ;D)
I want a kitchen like this. Period. :D
And along with the kitchen, I'll take some of these dresses, too :D Can't remember exactly, but I think the one pictured was worn by Taft's wife....definitely one of my favorites :) (although they all were gorgeous!!)
And to close, we enjoyed a birthday dinner at Five Guys :) Not the most high-class place in the world, but definitely a treat :D
*happy sigh* I had way too much fun on this trip :) To my awesome parents: thank you so very much for giving me such an amazing 18 years - you are the BEST!!!!!! :D :D :D And Elsa - you made the trip so much fun :) (keep calm, girl!! :D)
And as a side note, I would really appreciate your prayers tomorrow - I'm attempting my first toddler shoot :) Definitely should be interesting....pics will follow for sure :D
Bex <3
