July 17, 2012
I live in South Dakota. Rural South Dakota to be specific. Big cities are not really my thing, and never have been. When my parents told me that they wanted to take a family vacation, mostly because I complained all year about how we never go anywhere, I was extremely excited. So, since early April my mom has been planning a trip to our nation's capital, Washington D.C. Ever since summer started my mom has been telling me all kinds of stuff about D.C., the thing she never mentioned was how incredibly hot it can be. When I stepped off the place at Reagon National Airport and onto the bridge, the air felt like I was in an oven. Hopefully it won't continue like this for the rest of the week.
â–º QUARTER FINALIST 2012 TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP
July 18, 2012
My parents met in D.C. I had never really given much though to this fact but when we decided to get something to eat yesterday evening I got a glimpse of how my parents were when they first met. We ate at a small restaurant in Georgetown named Mr. Smith's. It was so amazing, the whole restaurant was covered in plants. Where we ate, there was a tree above our heads, even though it was indoors. It's weird to think about my parents and their love life but, they looked so happy sitting there together. They told me that Mr. Smith's was a restaurant they went to on one of their first dates, and somehow, I could picture the two of them there, younger of course. My mom smiled all during dinner, and my dad couldn't take his eyes off her. A lot of kids don't get to see that.
July 20, 2012
Today I saw the Capital building. Most people would say that the capital building is the most important building in D.C. aside fromt the White House. Personally, I think the most important building is the Library of Congress. I could feel my mouth drop when we walked inside. This was nothing like I had ever seen. The entire building is made of marble, the inside of the library covered in art. We walked all over the balcony, my eyes roaming over the quotes written on the walls, taking in all the statues, The inside seems to glow gold, I really don't know how else to explain it. To an avid reader like me, this place was like heaven. I was so disappointed when I realized we weren't allowed to go into the actual library itself. Ever since 9/11 security everywhere is pretty intense.
July 21, 2012
My great grandmother lived in D.C., and she was an increible woman. Meme, my great grandmother, served in World War I as Head Secretary to Admiral Rickover. Bernadette Spangler, known as Meme to her family, was the kind of woman who didn't take no for an answer. I only met her once before she passed away and I don't even remember it because I was so little. My mom had a lot of love and respect for her, so today we found her in Arlington National Cemetary. Meme's name and file is in the archives at the Woman's Memorial, and we couldn't leave without finding her.
July 23, 2012
I learned more than I thought I would about my family's past this week. I found out about my amazing great grandmother, and realized that she's the kind of person I want to be. I took away a lot from this trip that will stay with me for a lifetime.
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