Souvenirs

I've been trying to decide what to do with my photos from D.C. Of course, I thought about making another destination altered book, but wanted to do something a little bit different. After a few weeks of searching, thinking, and praying (kidding), I decided to make my first digital book. I still have quite a bit to do, but I'm making all of my pages in Photoshop and then having them printed in 8x8 format. This was my test page and the print turned out beautifully.

I never buy souvenirs. In fact, I hate them. Instead, I used all my my souvenir money (for the next 10 years) to buy XT. I just take lots and lots of pictures so I can create my own photographic souvenirs. You will have have to stop by to view my newest additions.

Travelling Michelle Style

So this is pretty much how I've looked the past 10 days. It's what I like to call travel couture. I've learned that there are three keys to travel success--

1. Travel light.
2. Travel with a plan.
3. Be willing to change your plan.

There are lots of different travelling styles. Some people live off of a written itinerary while others don't even know what the word itinerary means. Some people don't care if they see the sites while others travel nazi style in an attempt to see it all. I like to think of myself as somewhere in the middle. I believe in seeing as much as possible--afterall you paid the money, travelled the distance, and let's face it--you many never make it back. I also believe that if you don't enjoy your travels because of a rigid schedule, you might as well have stayed home to watch TV premieres.

In the travel world (and in many other worlds), I am my father's daughter. We like to be in travel control. We want to organize, coordinate, hunt, map out, and lead. It's in our natures and it's part of our overall travel enjoyment. As a result, this is often the scene when our family is on vacation. Fortunately, the rest of the family seems to understand our quirkiness and neurosis--at least they pretend to. A special thanks to everyone following our travel lead. Your friends the travel nazis truly appreciate it!

I hope I haven't scared anyone away from travelling with me. . .I'm actually really fun.

By the way, don't let dad carrying a purse frighten you. He was just being a gentleman by holding it while Kimmy snapped this photo. He might play the trombone, snore, and let his watch alarm beep, but he does not carry around handbags!

D.C. a la Slide Show

Just a few pictures from our vast collection. I'm quite certain you'll be seeing many more in the coming weeks. Enjoy!

A Few D.C. Things

Let's see--a few things from today. . .
1. Kimmy narrowly escaped encapture when she batted her eyes at a D.C. policeman.
2. Our hotel suite: a NOSE STRIP ZONE.
3. Kimmy shouldn't sing with her tunes while wearing earphones.
4. We are metro-divas.
5. Mike is up for a Presidential post.
6. Ted's Montana Grill makes a mean bison burger.
7. The National Botanic Garden is perfectly lovely.
8. It's still summer here.
9. Our hotel had movie night. Needless to say, we had dessert first.
10. I think I could live here.

A Visit to the Words We Live By

I'm not exactly sure what's happening to my hair on this trip, but I know it's not good.

A couple of weeks ago at the devotional, Pres. Samuelson mentioned that beginning this year, every freshman at BYU was required to read The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution. I decided that since I would be visiting D.C. that I should follow suit and brush up on my knowledge of the Constitution. So, I've been reading the book since our arrival and you know what?--I'm LOVING it! It definitely made our pilgrimage to the National Archives this morning especially cool. The Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution were on display and I gained a new respect for how they have secured our freedom and self-government for the last two centuries. Great book--as soon as I finish, you're all welcome to check it out of the Mickey Library!

To D.C. & Beyond

Greetings from our Nation's Capitol. Another great day (long, but great). We hit downtown hard with an early tour of the Metro. . .attempting to get to our early tour of the Library of Congress. Life Lesson #343--always trust your gut & when dad says he has a good sense of direction (which he usually does)--even underground, check the map one more time!

We had a lovely walk to the Air & Space Museum where the American History Museum (which is being remodeled) has 100 of their "top" items on display. Kimmy took some great pictures of Kermit the Frog and the puffy shirt from Seinfeld. The fact that a puffy shirt from a sitcom is a featured item in the most prestigious of museums makes one question the depth & breadth of our nation's grasp of American history. One of the best finds of the day was the city's Circulator bus route (much thanks to Paul & Joanne) which runs around the mall. By my count, we were able to visit 8 monuments/memorials (apparently there's a difference)--including the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, and the Korean Memorial. A short Metro ride to Union Station brought some much needed sustenance, cool air (as the temperature is in the 80s), and a bit of vacation r&r while we awaited the departure of our evening tour. Let me say this--the night tour was super and highly recommended. Fred was our trusty driver and tour guide. I must admit that I found his knowledge of the area quite appealing (despite some really bad pirate jokes). The tour added the FDR Memorial, Iwo Jema (I know that's spelled wrong, but I'm too tired to look it up), and a bit of Arlington Cemetary to our daily total.

My favorite moment of the day? Easy--the above photo taken with several WWII veterans at the WWII Memorial. Poignant. Powerful. Memorable.

Dirty Dreams Do Come True

This could be the best day of my life! Hold onto your seats, friends. You aren't going to believe this. . .

I know a few things about myself. I know I could live on Redvines and Diet Dr. Pepper. I know my right foot will never be the same after the Summer of Fitness. I know I have the best job in the history of jobs. I know my family makes me happy. I know I have good MOJO. Case in point--This evening our plane landed safely in D.C. (good mojo in and of itself). I was tired, hungry (they don't feed people on airplanes anymore), and looking a little travel tattered (a.k.a. bad hair). Kimmy and I were just plugging along toward baggage claim--hoping our luggage had arrived and that there were no unsightly leaks or destructive explosions. That's when it happened--the greatest event in the history of travel adventures. We both spotted our most recent obsession--none other than Mike Rowe (of the Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs). You must understand that we have a fascination with Mr. Rowe's work. We have DVRd & watched every episode of the show. We love to see him buried in filth, splattered with poooo, and wrestling smelly animals. Despite it all, Mike has the sweetest little grin that makes us melt. Having said that--both of us just stopped dead in our tracks, turned to one another and mouthed--MIKE ROWE. It was about that time I started to literally hyperventilate. No--really. Kimmy had the good sense about her to pull out her camera. The good news was the Mike was all alone and we appeared to be the only two people in the airport who recognized him. We worked up all of our courage and made the freaky "starstruck" approach. Mike was soooo darling (cuter in person, if that's possible). So, day one of our Washington D.C. adventure is off to a banner start. With my MoJo and Kimmy's camera, this is going to be one freaking great adventure. Getting dirty with Mike Rowe.

D.C. or Bust

The Washington DC Set, originally uploaded by mnesterpics.

Headed to our nation's capitol today. Cameras are fully loaded, itinerary is set, bags are packed, and I'm ready for some serious fall fun.

Not sure what the internet situation will be, but I'll post as I can!