Supper at the Food Court

Well, it's not steak and potatoes but.....

Today was another good day. We started out at the World War II Memorial and walked down to the Korean Memorial. Too many lives lost but a reminder once again of how precious our freedom is.

We hopped back on the bus for a trip to the Newseum. It was filled with news reports from sports to actual pieces of the Berlin Wall to an antenna from one of the Twin Towers.

The Art Museum was next. Lunch was there and it was pretty good (at least the adult food - standard pizza and burgers for most of the kids). Modern art to classical art and statues. More than enough to see.

A short walk down the street to the Museum of American History. So much to take in our brains seem to be getting a little tired. The Stars and Stripes flag that flew over the fort at Baltimore when the British were bombing was probably the highlight.

A bus trip to a great memorial for Franklin Delano Roosevelt. What a place. Make sure you visit it when you are here.

Well, the wifi worked here in the food court but it is time to hop the bus to head toward the next hotel.

15,400 steps - about 6.5 miles today. (But I rested a while so everyone else probably did 7 again today.)

Pictures are online!

Library, Capitol, Union Station, Zoo, National Cathedral, Jefferson Memorial

Wow. What a day.

The Library of Congress (Jefferson Building) is one beautiful place. Check out those pictures.

The Capitol has so much history it is hard to take in that quickly. By the way, the Florida rep in the Statuary Hall is the guy who invented air conditioning!

We walked down to Union Station for lunch. Good selection again.

Then a bus trip to the Zoo. Pandas, elephants...... Then it started to sprinkle. (Not nearly as bad as predicted though so thanks for the prayers.)

We had a box dinner in the parking garage in the National Cathedral followed by a very beautiful Evening Song service of music and prayer.

It was still sprinkling a little at the Jefferson Memorial but we now know a lot more about Jefferson and what is included on the statue. Some great quotes in the memorial about how important it is to depend on our Creator and allow people the freedom to worship. Hopefully, the U.S. can continue to help other countries learn the same thing.

Some pictures uploaded. A few more coming!

19,024 steps today. 8.4 miles.

Wednesday a.m.

What students enjoyed the library (of Congress)?  All of them.

We had the official photo taken outside the  capitol this morning and then our tour.  No rain in the picture yet!

Wednesday A.M.

We are up and going again. It is beautiful (and actually a bit warmer) this morning but rain and some snow flurries forecast. Pray that it rains only when we are indoors

Tuesday Timing

Today was an absolutely beautiful weather day in D.C. Mid 50's and sunny all day.

We started today at the National Archives. The group in front of us was quite slow going through security so we were a little more rushed than we would have liked but we got a good look at the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and more.

From there we walked down to the old Post Office which is now a mall and food court. Good selection again for lunch and the kids were able to have quite a bit of fun with one of the stores. Some interesting pictures will be coming home!

We hopped on the bus and headed to the Holocaust Museum. It is hard to believe that any civilized country could treat individuals this way and kill them in mass like the Nazi's did. Yet, we were reminded that there are examples of this same kind of hatred in our world today. How important it is for us as Christians to spread the love of God in Jesus Christ.

Our next stop for today was the White House. We walked around to the north side and took our group pictures there. We then headed around to the south lawn area for some more pictures of that side. We all needed a bit of a break so we spent some time just hanging out in the grass across the street from the white house and played a little frisbee.

We learned about the big city again as the bus' got caught up in traffic. We arrived at Union Station and spent about an hour getting some supper and doing a little shopping.

From there we headed to the Vietnam Wall and the Lincoln Memorial. (Once again, we learned about the difficulties of big city traffic.) The students found where to place there letters on the wall and then we headed into the Lincoln Memorial. Whether you have been here before or not, this is a stunning place to see.

It was a quick ride back to the hotel and early lights out tonight. We have another busy day tomorrow. Tune in again!

Oh, by the way: 17, 465 steps for another 7.4 miles today!

(I was able to get pictures from several other cameras today so I updated today's albums and added some photos to Monday's locations.)

Tuesday morning

there was a lot of traffic this morning so out was a little shorter stay at the National Archives but seeing the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were very cool.  lunch at the old Post Office and a bit of shopping. 

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The video of our wreath laying is processing and should be available about 8:30 at http://www.vimeo.com/21641781

We are eating breakfast as we prepare for the day and there is plenty of chatter and laughing so I guess they are ready for the day. Please keep us in your prayers as we enjoy Day 2 in D.C.

Monday Night

It's only day 1 in Washington D.C. and it seems like several. Since my last message, we went to the Pentagon City Mall for dinner in the food court. Good selection for everyone.

After that we headed down to Ford Theater. The theater has been nicely remodeled and is a bit somber to realize this is where President Lincoln was shot. (The Peterson House where Lincoln was taken after he was shot is closed for refurbishing.) Underneath the theater is a small museum of Lincoln memorabilia with the gun that was used to shoot him and the clothing he was in at the time.

We were blessed enough to witness a brand new play! "Liberty Smith" opened last Wednesday so we attended the fifth ever performance. The play is well written and very entertaining. It is a fun fictional twist to some events of the 1776 era and the cast did an amazing job.

The basketball teams arrived safely and also a bit tired from their travels today so I think everyone will sleep well. I am having trouble believing the pedometer I wore today but it said I took 17,730 steps for approximately 7.7 miles of walking! No wonder I'm tired.

From Arlington to Natural History to Air and Space to celebrating our liberty, today was a reminder of how blessed our country is. Our freedom to worship and pursue the lives that God has in store for us should be daily reminders of His love for us. Tune in tomorrow! More to come.

More photos posted to Picasa!

Monday Daytime

What a great day so far.  Our students did a tremendous job with the laying of the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.   Mr. Glanzer's lessons helped all of us learn a little history about the site as well.  We had time to visit the Arlington house and see the Kennedy graves too.

It was on to the Smithsonian's Museum of National History from there.  We enjoyed a quick lunch in the cafeteria and then on to the Exhibits.  The Hope Diamond is always amazing to look at.  The fossils, animal, and sea exhibits are just plain cool.

We travelled from there across the street to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.  Besides the planes, rockets and hands on science exhibits, we had a few test out the flight simulators!  (Quite a few spins later they were still smiling.)  We also watched the Imax movie Hubble 3D.  What amazing pictures of the God's universe the Hubble has produced.   On to supper.  No chance to upload pictures or video yet but I will try in a little while.

Breakfast

It was a bit of a short night but we had some great breakfast this morning.  The hotel did a great job.  We are ready to pack up and get going.  More pictures of breakfast.  Have a great day in Christ.

Hotel exit!

We made it.  it is only 32 outside but we will be checking into our rooms on just a minute so out is okay.  we are a little tired but safe and sound.  talk to you in the  morning.

North Carolina Rest Stop

"We're starting to notice the chill." Mr. Glanzer

It was 81 degrees in Georgia last time we stopped but the North Carolina rest stop was just 41 degrees. (I guess it helped our food stay cold.) Travel is still going well. We had one slight traffic jam that put us a little behind schedule but not too bad. Everyone still seems to be happy and healthy even if they are a bit colder. I uploaded a few more pictures and a short video to Picasa.

QIK rest area stop

Still playing! Watch a short (really) video clip here: http:\\qik.com\video\38738337

Georgia Rest Stop - Right on time

So far, this is easy. Bus 2 saw a bit of the new Night at the Museum movie and has moved on to the Incredibles. Traffic seems to be heavy today but no slow downs so far. The first rest stop was very welcome and we all enjoyed our quick sack lunch. Enough time to eat and stretch a bit and then it was time to move on. We do miss all those students and chaperones who are in Indiana with the basketball teams but look forward to seeing them tomorrow. A few pictures have been uploaded to the Picasa link (available on the right and on the Edline DC Trip link). Talk to you later!

D. C. Trip on the way!

The buses are loaded and we are on the road.   Visit http://dctrip.stlukes-Oviedo.org for the daily news.   Log in to Edline for the complete itinerary.

D.C. - Here we come!

It's spring break but everything is ready to go for our trip. Please watch here for updates and links to our Twitter, Facebook and more.

For a full itinerary, please login to Edline. You will find the itinerary under Latest News - DC Trip once you are logged in.