We just returned from a fantastic trip to the East Coast, where we did some major scouting and touring at Williamsburg, Virginia, William and Mary Law School, and Washington, DC. We loved Virginia, and instantly fell in love with Williamsburg. The colonial area is a lot of fun and entirely different from anything either of us have experienced before. I can definitely see us living there and having a great time. We spent a lot of time house hunting and scoping out the different areas. Fortunately, the entire area is beautiful.
I thought William and Mary Law was a great fit for me. I really liked all of the people I met there, and the school just had a really good vibe. All of the students I talked to really like it, and all of them seemed pretty comfortable with their job prospects, so I feel very reassured. It makes me really excited to move one with our lives and move into the law school phase I've been looking forward to for so long.
After traveling to Williamsburg, we made a trip up to DC, visiting CheyAnn's mission companion, Aimee, and childhood friend Katie along the way. It was a fun day of travel throughout Virginia and Maryland and visiting old friends.
We spent our last day in Washington DC, and absolutely loved it. Washington is the primary job market for William and Mary Law grads, so I was excited to love the city where my best prospects may be.
We spent a ton of time walking throughout the National Mall, from 10am to 4:30pm, which is significant because it meant that Solana skipped her usual nap time, instead miraculously taking a long nap in the stroller while we walked.
But perhaps my favorite thing from the entire awesome trip was Solana's first carousel ride. It was perfect—out on the National Mall outside of the Smithsonian Castle on an old vintage carousel. At first, she seemed pretty perplexed by the whole thing ("Guys, why are you sticking me on this weird stationary plastic thing?") Then, once the music and the movement started, she had this very tentative look on her face. But after a few spins, she figured out that it actually was really fun, and she was all smiles and giggles for the last few minutes of the ride, and wasn't ready to get off at the end.
That little girl is growing up...
(Pictures and comments by CheyAnn)
Her "look" after a long day of traveling, the blueberry face and crazy hair just makes for a great photo.
Hanging out in old town Williamsburg.
Getting the tour of the oldest law school in the country, we loved it!
We loved downtown Williamsburg, we were constantly blown away with how beautiful it was.
My Mission companion Aimee.....I LOVE HER!! She is from VA, so we met up on our way to DC. She is one of those great friends, that no matter how much time has passed, it's feels like no time has passed. I love that feeling.
I also got to see to Katie, (I totally spaced on taking photo's) an old friend of mine from SJC. She lives in the DC area, and we stopped by on our way into the city. We had so much fun visiting, and our little girls were sooooo cute together. I can't wait for them to play more often. I loved catching up with old friends, it was the highlight of my trip.
Spending the day in DC!!!
Outside the hotel.
Good ol' Abe.
"This big city sure takes it out of me"
The only way she would let me carry her, she would rub her belly and suck her thumb at the same time. She is such a silly girl.
Obama wasn't home, bummer :)
Her first carousel ride, she was a little unsure at first, then she was really excited about the whole concept of a ride. When is slowed down, she started bouncing up and down like she wanted it to go faster, it was the highlight of our day.
How great is DC?! I hope we will be back a lot.
2 comments:
I was so sad when I realized (after you left) that I had forgotten to take any pictures while you were here! Dave's mom did get a couple of Solana and Leah, so I'll send you a couple...it was SO good to see you and we're very excited that you'll be moving out to the area!!
aww! what cute photos! I sure loved your visit!!! AS for the Lincoln Memorial (which is GORGEOUS!) there is a little story and your photo portrays it well:
A popular legend is that Lincoln is shown using sign language to represent his initials, with his left hand shaped to form an A and his right hand to form an L, the president's initials. The National Park Service denies both stories, calling them urban legends.[9]
However, historian Gerald Prokopowicz writes that, while it is not clear that sculptor Daniel Chester French intended Lincoln's hands to be formed into sign language versions of his initials, it is possible that French did intend it, because he was familiar with American Sign Language, and he would have had a reason to do so, that is, to pay tribute to Lincoln for having signed the federal legislation giving Gallaudet University, a university for the deaf, the authority to grant college degrees. The National Geographic Society's publication, "Pinpointing the Past in Washington, D.C." states that Daniel Chester French had a son who was deaf and that the sculptor was familiar with sign language. Historian James A. Percoco has observed that, although there are no extant documents showing that French had Lincoln's hands carved to represent the letters "A" and "L" in American Sign Language, "I think you can conclude that it's reasonable to have that kind of summation about the hands."
Post a Comment