Vacations over

So obviously I am way behing on my recap of the Washington D.C Trip!
Sorry folks.
I was doing so good until the day I used my phone for all my pictures and then I was lazy in getting them uploaded. Let's face it...it is so much better to upload and rearrange photos on facebook....so that is what I did. Enjoy them there!
(Anyone want to give me pointers on blogspot uploading and more importantly spacing and publishing?!)

Anyways I had an awesome time and was sad to leave my amazing sis.

Good bye D.C. Hope to see you again soon.

Day 5: Museum Day

So Jodi was back to work for the day and I took off to explore the city. I specifically had all the Smithsonian Museums in mind...wow so overwhelming! Here is a website to help plan your trip! http://www.si.edu/

Here are a few pictures from the Natural History Museum. Such amazing and diverse exhibits there!





































































One of my favorite exhibitions there was an area called Written in Bone. They had question and answer time from real forensic anthropologist available. It was so awesome. The theme for the morning was a focus on Civil War anthropology and medicine. It is amazing to see how our techniques have changed or not changed much in different areas of medicine.

Here's a look at the American Indian Museum

I also made it to the Space and Air Museum which I really enjoyed. It was like a giant giant cosmosphere. Then off to a art and sculpture museum. Very exhausting but fun day of musuem touring!

more pictures from Day 4

In front of the Supreme Court

Jodi with our starbucks coffee as we wait in the cold rain for our tour that was actually canceled

a look at the closest we could get to the front of the White House for today

Jodi showing off the Senate only elevator!

Me purchasing my very important umbrella from Target!

Day 4 in D.C.

Today was a rainy rainy wet day!
So much so that I had to stop at Target and buy my own umbrella!

This morning we waited in the rain for our tour of the White House that never happened. All tours were canceled. They never announced why so it just makes me wonder what came up exactly?! We were very disappointed, but there is hope that it still might work out sometime this week. Keep your fingers crossed!

Here is a picture of the closest we could get to the White House for now.

the back side of the white house (closer to the street)














A picture of us and our cute umbrellas with the capitol building behind us!


















We went on an amazing tour giving by Sen Brownback's only intern at this time (who is from Massachusetts!). He gave us the underground tour and since there was just the two of us we got to skip around the big public tours and take private staircases. It was very top secret. Did you know that there is an underground "metro" from the senate buildings to the capitol building? Did you know that there are elevators to be used by senators only? There are a million other fun facts we learned and I of course can not remember to repeat.


Under the capitol dome.








































The supreme court

Day 3

.... in D.C

lazy morning and sore muscle from all that walking....

Then off to Alexandria, Virgina. Where Sara and I visited the very touristy King St and all that it had to offer. We walked on the dock along the Potomac River and ate at a cute seafood place for lunch and then shop, shop, & shop. Really those who know me know I hate to shop but this is tourist shopping and yesterday it was great fun at all the little quiant shops! I will have you know the only thing I bought was some gloves for this cold weather up here from the Ten Thousand Villages store! Here are some photos of the day. The evening was bonding time with her 4 other housemates. Good times!

Me in front of a down town fountain and historical building.

On the dock

a look out on the water

Sara in a chic little boutique just crammed full of fun stuff and already decked out for Christmas.

Sisters in the Metro!

Day 2 in District of Columbia

So Day 2 starts of with an "early morning" to Jodi's work. She works at a school so we were bombarded with people and election propaganda on our way in. (I will not miss those TV ads either!)I got to meet many of her great co-workers and she her space. She really is in here element there. After some printing of google maps I was off to explore the city on my own. First stop: THE NATIONAL ZOO

It was a very cool place and especially nice that it was free! Some of my favorite animals are seen in these pictures. It was founded in 1889 and designed by the same person who designed Central Park in New York City.

I then explored a bit of the Mount Pleasant neighborhood near Jodi's school. Cute little shops and stores for everything.


My El Salvadorian breakfast/snack!! YUMMY!!!

Jodi and I met for lunch near her other place of work in Adams Morgan neighborhood. We had an amazing Mediterranean meal.

Then I met up with Jodi's friend from college Sara and we went to explore Bethesda. I had to go there because it was mentioned on Bones!! I love that T.V. show! (Thanks for putting up with me Sara.) To top the night off we visited another college friend of Jodi's to see the view from here apartment high rise. Amazing!

Sister week in D.C! Day 1

So I have decided updating on Portland can wait..... 1) because all my amazing pictures are at my computer at home. 2) because I am currently in Washington D.C. This city just begs to be blogged about!

So this is the start of my 10 day visit to see my sister Jodi who is currently doing Voluntary Service in D.C. For more about her story I will refer you to more reading of her blog!

Monday was flight day. Poor Liam, Nora, & Kellie who have been so nice to take me to the airport a lot recently and have no been able to go with me!! One day!

I flew to Memphis were I hung out longer than expected for maintence delays on the plane here are some cool art pics from the airport. It was hard to be in the same city as Erin and not see her even if it was only a 2 hour window!
























I finally made it to D.C and Jodi picked me up and we were off right away to go on a night monument tour with her housemates and supportive staff! Here are a few pictures of that!