Happy Easter, everyone! This page will be the place to find out what is happening on the DC trip. I promise to try my best to update daily with pictures. If I am unable on a day or two, I apologize!! I will do a final update on the 10th, after we get back!!

Enjoy! We are all so excited!

April 5, 2010

What a crazy and exciting ride it has been since we left St. Mary on Sunday evening. The bus trip up in the rain was fine, we did not experience any troubles. When we got to SFO, we discovered our plane was delayed by almost an hour due to weather conditions earlier in the day. We made the most of the extra time in the airport. The kids were great: taking pictures, playing cards and other games, and just hanging out. We finally boarded our flight and tried to get some sleep. We landed in Dallas after our other flight was supposed to have taken off. Luckily we heard from the flight attendant that they were holding the plane. We moved quickly and together (the kids were awesome!!) and got on the connecting flight to D.C.

With not much sleep, we hit the ground running in D.C. We were met by our wonderful guide, Sandy, and bus driver, Mr. Eddy. We boarded the bus and went to the Reagan Center for lunch, thoroughly enjoying all of the sites along the way. Once we were done with lunch, we toured the World War II Memorial and the Washington Monument. After that, it was on to The Smithsonian. We checked out the Museum of American History, the Natural History Museum and the Air and Space Museum. Whew!!!

We then boarded the bus and were off to Fredericksburg, Virginia for dinner. We went from hot weather, through rain, a hail storm, lightening, and back to blue sky! After dinner, it was on to Williamsburg after an entertaining bus ride (lots of singing!) and to our hotel. We quickly got checked in and tucked the students safely in to their rooms.

It is now 11:31 in Williamsburg, and I have discovered there is no Wi-Fi in the room. I will have to post this to the web page first thing tomorrow morning. Stay tuned, pictures and more exciting adventures to come.

We are having a GREAT time!

April 6, 2010

Another jam packed, fun-filled day with the D.C. travelers. We began today with breakfast at the hotel and hit the ground running from there. Our first stop was Colonial Williamsburg. We saw life through the eyes of the people of the 18 th century. We learned about the beginnings of the government system, toured the courtroom, the House of Burgesses, the jail, and many other buildings. We were all amazed by how spoiled we are in the 21 st century! A whole new way to appreciate modern amenities.

From there we moved on to The College of William and Mary and were treated to a delicious meal in the student commons. I think this was everyone's favorite meal thus far.

From lunch, our next stop was Jamestown. We began in the gallery learning about the Pawatan people and the relationship Pocahontas helped develop. From the gallery, we moved outside and visited the larger scale Indian settlement, the ships that brought the settlers to Virginia on the James River, and the fort. We even watched the musket being fired.

From Jamestown, we had dinner, and went back to The College of William and Mary/Williamsburg for a ghost tour. Hearing the ghost stories was a lot of fun and seeing more of the college and Colonial Williamsburg was a true treat.

Upon leaving Williamsburg, we traveled the two hours on the bus to Charlottesville. Spirits were high on the bus and fun was had by all. When we arrived at the hotel, we rewarded the kids for being so great by allowing them some unwinding time in the pool. They are all now tucked cozily in their beds and I am soon to follow.

I am attempting to upload all the pictures I have taken thus far as well. I know there are a lot the students have taken, but I thought you would enjoy seeing the kids over the past couple of days.

More tomorrow as we travel to Monticello, Quantico, back to D.C. to the Holocaust Museum and then to our final hotel. Sleep tight!

Sorry, having troubles with pictures. I will keep trying!

April 7, 2010

What can I say, but another exciting, emotional, and exhausting day! We started the morning in Charlottesville heading to Monticello, home to Thomas Jefferson. The blossoms were in full bloom and the grounds were absolutely gorgeous. We enjoyed the tour of the house, a walk around the grounds, a visit to the gift shop and then a beautiful walk to the grave of Jeffereson. We continued from there to the historic Michie Tavern for lunch. We experienced a traditional southern meal with fried chicken, coleslaw, beets, stewed tomatoes, green beans, mashed potatoes, corn bread, biscuit, gravy, and a drink from a tin cup. The meal was enjoyed by all.

From Michie Tavern, we traveled a couple of hours north to visit the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico. Unfortunately, the air conditioning was not working properly on the drive and we were all pretty uncomfortable. We were also saddened by the news that Fr. Dan has been diagnosed with colon cancer and was in surgery. We joined together in a moving prayer for the well-being and comfort of our pastor. We were relieved to arrive to an air-conditioned building. We were able to see lots of the history of the Marines in World War I, World War II (including the famous flag photographed at Iwo Jima), Vietnam War, the Korean War, and the Gulf War.

We boarded the bus where a mechanic had restored most of the air conditioning and experienced a more comfortable ride back to D.C. and the Holocaust Museum. The museum was a powerful and moving experience for many of us. Some of us were moved to tears and experienced a variety of emotions.

We left the Holocaust Museum and headed to dinner at a buffet in D.C. where we met up with the group of students traveling with Solorsano. The students were able to see some friends (including former classmate, Michelle Toves!!) and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

We hit the crowded roadways once again and headed to the Lincoln Memorial. It was a beautiful experience in the nighttime. We also got to experience the Korean War Memorial before heading to our hotel in Reston, VA. We are trying to get some sleep before our 6:45 breakfast time and another busy and enjoyable day in D.C. tomorrow.

On our agenda for tomorrow is the FDR Memorial, Capitol Tour, Library of Congress, Mt. Vernon, and a play at the Kennedy Center “Shear Madness”. We stay at the same hotel tomorrow night!!

Still having a great time!

still working on pictures. Hopefully tonight!!

April 8, 2010

We are still having a great time and everything is going well. We started our day with a visit to the Capitol. We had a very interesting tour guide take us through a rather quick tour where we were able to visit the rotunda as well as a few other places. It was truly a beautiful building. After our visit, we headed back down the hill to get our picture professionally taken by Worldstrides in our awesome sweatshirts. We are all so excited that we will be getting our own copy of the picture.

After the Capitol we had a gorgeous drive out to Mt. Vernon, home to George Washington. With a stop for lunch we were ready and excited to tour this historic destination. Unfortunately we had to wait in line for about two hours. We were all troopers and we made the most of the situation. The tour was nice and we got to see the tomb where George Washington is buried.

We left Mt. Vernon where we once again enjoyed the beautiful drive. We stopped at the White house for photos. Went to dinner. Visited the FDR Memorial which surprised many of us with its power.

From there we went to see the play “Shear Madness” and are now back to the hotel, exhausted. We are excited for tomorrow where we will lay a wreath at the Vietnam Memorial, visit Arlington, and head home.

An exciting trip!!!!!