About Day 7 Pictures

To start off the day we visited the Spy Museum where we were able to take a closer look into the "History of Secret History!" We walked away completely amazed at the many secrets we had uncovered! Following our spy adventures we headed out to the National Portrait Gallery and took a look at the many clever ways in which America's artists have, in their own way, portrayed and expressed their views on our country. After we left the art gallery we stopped stopped by Subway for a quick lunch and walked over to a cool looking building to sit and eat our lunch. Little did we realize, we were sitting on the steps of an FBI building and were being watched by multiple security cameras! A security guard escorted us off the premises.
After lunch we took a tour of the Holocaust Museum. It was an experience we would all never forget. We were able to take a closer look at the negative influence Hitler had on not only the Germans but the world. In the words of our one and only Mr. Anderson, he says that "part of what amazes me everything i go through the museum is that they were doing it in the name of the common good..." This exhibit opened our eyes to the cruelty that exists in our world today. We were so blessed to have had the awesome opportunity to meet one of the Holocaust survivors, Manya. Our hearts were touched by her testimony and graphic retelling of her experiences in the concentration camps. In leaving she ended her talk with these words of wisdom, "I didn't tell you my story so that you feel sorry for me. I told you so that you learn and understand what happened so that we may never go back to that again."
We then traveled to see the White House and the Vietnam, Korean, and Lincoln Memorials. It is difficult to understand how many men and women we have lost so that we may have freedom. The Lincoln memorial was AMAZING! It made us realize how small we are, but we need to understand that God has a plan for everyone whether its being the President of the United States or a student learning about it. We then concluded the day with dinner at Chevy's and celebrated the "Birthday" of Mr. Anderson. He gave the sombrero to Cody since it was his creative idea! We enjoyed our last walk back to the motel, but although we had heavy hearts at the thought of our trip being over, we felt greatly accomplished and blessed at what an amazing trip this turned out to be!

Cody and J Girl

About Day Seven

Today we began our adventures by acquiring tickets to the Washington Monument and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. We covered the 360 view of the Bureau before finally finding the entrance. There we saw the machinery and equipment that prints more money in a few minutes than a lot of us, including Mr. K, will make in a lifetime. Afterwards we explored the World War II memorial, viewing the pillars that represented all fifty four states and territories. The "high point" of the morning was the top of Washington Monument. The view there is amazing, provided the day isn't too cloudy. Being caught up in the excitement, Zack was exclaiming how glad he was that he had so much extra memory. However, at that very moment his camera began flashing "Memory Full." We're still laughing.
For lunch we stopped at the Stars and Stripes Cafe in the American History Museum. After an hour and a half touring there (which wasn't long enough), we moved to the Air and Space/Native American museums. We finished the day at Ford's Theater and the house he died in. Oh yes, and we went to Fuddruckers for supper.
Braden and Zack

About day 5

Today we walked through the heart of Washington D.C. We visited the Cannon Building where we met Tom McClintock's aides, the district four of California Representative (house of representative). We weren't able to access senate seats to view the senate, so we had to talk to Diane Finestein, one of the two California senators. Later we walked to the Hart Building where we got the opportunity to view the California Senator office. Walking a little bit farther passed the Supreme Court (we went it but not for long) we finally made it to the Capital Building. We took a one hour tour of the Capital and were humbled and awed to see and learn so much about the history of our nation. A couple hours later we took sometime to walk through the Library of Congress. It was interesting seing all that we did and learning through old books and documents. We also had the rare opportunity to sit in the Senate Chambers and listen to Senator John Carry speak. Lastly, we walked through the the National Archives and saw what are probably the three most important documents to our country. They included the Decleration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights. After a long day of riding the Metro, and walking for miles, we ended at the Mall at Pentagon City where we ate and walked around some more. It was a fun day filled with a lot of history and fun!!!

Mz. Nash and John

About Day Four

Today we had the amazing experience of visiting the birthplace of our nation, Philadelphia. We all got to see the place where over 200 years ago our founding fathers worked out their many differences and formed our nation. Independence Hall was the favorite of many of our group. To see the same chair that General George Washington sat in, or the very spot where Ben Franklin said that he believed our young nation was a rising sun of a republic. For lunch some of the group got to sample some of the local food like Phili Cheese Steak.
After Philadelphia we all had the great adventure of traveling to Washington DC. Thanks to the wonderful invention of the Global Positioning System those in Mr. K’s Car even got to go to New Jersey.
It was a good Day

Joe and Eddie