Friday, May 31, 2013

Day 23 - On the Road Again!

  Yesterday was a good day of travel after our half day at the Creation Museum.
We decided to stop earlier than planned however, because of severe weather moving across the path we planned to take into Iowa.  We pulled off at a rest area just in time before heavy rain hit and with lots of thunder and lightening! 
And it rained heavily off and on all night!
There had also been a tornado and flood watch/warning in effect for the area!
So thank you for all your prayers!
This morning it is sunny and beautiful!
So, we woke early to make up for a little lost time. 
We quickly got everbody settled in for a long day of travel and with pop tarts in hand, 
off we went with a sleepy start!  
 



 
We hope to make it to somewhere around Bismarck, ND today!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Day 22 - 2nd Day at Creation Museum and Drive Toward Home!

We spent another wonderful 1/2 day at the Creation Museum this morning!
We started with their garden area. 
It was all so beautiful!
 



 They have a petting zoo!
 We also enjoyed feeding the wild things. :-)

We would highly recommend the Creation Museum! 
It is incredible in every way!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Day 20 and 21 - Williamsburg, VA to Kentucky!

After enjoying our 2nd day in Colonial Williamsburg, we had the privilege of eating dinner at a Chick-Fil-A!!!  Then, back to our Walmart campsite for some frisbee football in the parking lot! : -)

We left there yesterday morning around 9am and after having a few issues with our rig, we landed at a Holiday Inn Express in Florence, Kentucky around midnight!  

After a leisurely breakfast and swim at the hotel this morning, we had a most refreshing day at the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky!  It is soooooo AWESOME!!!!! 

Not sure where I have left off with the state signs, as I'm losing track!  So here's a few recent ones.  (I guess they aren't all that exciting anyway, huh?)




 Found this sign in Kentucky,
where we stopped for dinner last night.
Feeling right at home! : -) 
 
And finally, a beautiful sight!
This was actually a much smaller 2nd sign.
I missed the first BIG one!
 
Oh, I can't tell you how refreshing it was to see our incredible God,
the Creator of all things, being acknowledged everywhere and given glory for everything! 
And to know that all we were reading on every sign is Truth! 
 
 
Did I mention how refreshing this museum is?


Hallelujah!  Amen! 

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Day 19 - Memorial Day 2013 in Colonial Williamsburg, VA

We started our day with a special Memorial Day service held in front of the Govenor's Palace. 
It began with an amazing Drum and Fife Core presentation. 
It was really awesome!


 
We then heard a talk by General George Washington,
before the war began.  He also was open for questions.
These talks have been such a very interesting learning experience!

 These weapons were stored in the "Magazine."

 A new recruit being trained.
 One of the town's blacksmiths hard at work.

 
 We finished the day with another speech . . . this time from a more aged President George Washington, halfway through his second term, annoucing that he would not be running for a third term.
 The Little Charmer talking with one of the ladies. : -)
 
We praise our great God for His blessing and hand upon the founding of our country.
And we are thankful that we can fully trust in His sovereign plans for the future of our nation!
We are also sooooooo very grateful for all the sacrifices so many men and women have made through the generations to preserve the freedoms we enjoy! 


Monday, May 27, 2013

Day Eighteen - Day before Memorial Day in Colonial Williamsburg, VA

We feel so blessed to be spending this special time of year in places like this!
We are learning so much about the great sacrifices of so many to establish our great country
and to continue to secure our freedoms!
 
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
 
Do you like my hat?
 




 A visit and speech from George Washington!


 We sat in on a "spirited" lecture and discussion time with Benedict Arnold. It was fascinating!




 Don't worry, Richie, we got a T-shirt for you too!
 

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Day Seventeen - Rest, War Memorials, and Arlington Cemetery

Our day started with a plan for a day of rest at the campground.  We were thinking that we would have some "down time" on Saturday, and visit the rest of the things we wanted to see today, Sunday.   The boys played at the playground in the morning and swam in the pool, and us girls enjoyed some walking, talking and just hanging out around the campsite.  After lunch, we decided to go play some frisbee football around the Capitol Mall area.  So we loaded up and headed toward the city.  We didn't realize just how crowded the city had become!  We couldn't find a place to park except out in a field by the war memorials.  So we played there for a bit, and then decided while we were so close to the Lincoln Memorial and the war memorials, we ought to go ahead and see them.  If we had waited until today, we would be pulling the trailer, and that would make parking again that much harder.  So we started with the Lincoln Memorial, then the war memorials, and then we also decided to go ahead and visit Arlington Cemetery.  And boy, are we glad we did!!!!  We arrived at Arlington Cemetery right around 6:45, and headed straight for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Within just a few minutes of being there, we happened to catch the changing of the guards which started right at 7:00pm, and just before the cemetery closed!   What a perfect way to end our time in Washington, D.C.  We were soooo blessed!!!

I have soooo many pictures of the day's sights, so it was challenging to pick just a few to post here.
But first, a couple pictures of our walk to the sights . . . 

Daddy loves wearing this T-shirt! : -)
 The BEST biggest brother in the whole world!!!

 
Vietnam War Memorial
We talked with this kind veteran for a while. 
He was a helicopter medic.  He said they flew 700+ missions. 
He also explained what the symbols on the wall by the names mean. 
A diamond means the soldier's body was recovered.
A plus sign means the soldier's body is still MIA. 
When the soldier's remains are found, they chisel out the plus sign sign to make it into a diamond. 
We saw many of these.
He explained to us about JPAC - Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
It was very interesting to learn that they are still searching for the missing soldiers from all the wars, and testing DNA to identify anything that they can find.
"The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command conducts global search, recovery, and laboratory operations to identify unaccounted-for Americans from past conflicts in order to support the Department of Defense’s personnel accounting efforts.
The command is located on the island of Oahu in Hawaii and was activated Oct. 1, 2003. Employing more than 400 joint military and civilian personnel, JPAC continues its search for the more than 83,000 Americans still missing from past conflicts. The laboratory portion of JPAC, referred to as the Central Identification Laboratory, is the largest and most diverse forensic skeletal laboratory in the world."
 
 
 A little snack on the way!
Like his color coordination?
Hey, at least he has shorts on today! : -)
 World War II Memorial
 There were inscriptions such as this, all around the memorial.

 Korean War Memorial
 

 These carvings into the marble walls were absolutely amazing!




Arlington Cemetery
Crossing the Potomac River 
"The northeastern entrance to the Arlington Memorial Bridge features The Arts of War sculptures, Sacrifice and Valor, which were completed by Leo Friedlander in 1951."
 

 We watched the lone guard for several minutes,
not knowing that the changing of the guard was coming soon! 


 In the far right corner,
the sargeant is giving the new guard a thorough check.





We felt soooo blessed to end our time in Washington, D.C.
in this way!  What an awesome experience!! 
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