K, so after my last post I decided I'd better research this a little....

Looks like it's true, there is a Darth Vader Gargoyl (also called a grotesque) atop the National Cathedral, crazy, huh?
http://www.fraudwasteabuse.com/2007/03/darth-vader-is-watching-you-from-the-washington-national-cathedral.html
http://www.nationalcathedral.org/pdfs/darth.pdf

Menacing Darth Vader and Squirrel Gargoyles on DC's National Cathedral
Originally uploaded by expatmonkey

So it's about time I updated this blog, huh? Fall can be such a crazy time with school starting up and holidays to prepare for and the wonderful weather and season to enjoy. I wanted to share some pictures of our fun-filled trip to Washington DC a few weeks ago. Bryan and I love DC, it's the city we officially met in and where we got to know each other and even ::blush:: held hands for the first time. So we will always hold DC fondly in our hearts even if it wasn't filled with art and culture and history. If you haven't made it out to DC it's a must see destination for all Americans.

On our way to Grand Central Station from the hotel we passed a fire station and the fire fighters were kind enough to let Daniel sit in the truck and play for a bit. We would have gotten a tour of the station, but the alarm sounded and they were outta there. They invited us to come back later to spend more time and get a better look around, but it never worked out. (there's way too much to see in DC for one weekend)

Our hotel was really close to Grand Central Station so we were able to walk there and take the subway everywhere. I think it is so beautiful and love the history behind this building. We ate at this really good bakery inside, I think it was called the Corner Bakery. ( a week or two later one of the shows we were watching was filmed at that little restaurant and we felt pretty important, lol)

Walking the mall.... if you haven't been to DC, the national Mall is just a HUGE stretch of lawn between the national monuments, capitol building and the Smithsonian museums. Not really a place for shopping unless you count the food vendors all over and the gift shops in the museums. :)

We were there on opening day of a new exhibition in the Museum of Natural History. It was the new ocean exhibit and it was BUSY. We even saw a news anchor from CNN toting his son around.

There's a fun, but way overpriced carousel on the mall, it was a great chance for Carol and I to rest our feet while keeping Daniel occupied.

It was soooo hot and muggy. (some type of tropical storm) so we grabbed water whenever we could. Daniel was drenched by the end of the day.

We stopped in at the Air and Space Museum and really enjoyed our time there. They have all sorts of planes and jets and space capsules hanging from the ceiling. It's heaven for a little boy.

They had a plane that the kids could sit in and steer, etc. The tail piece moved when the steered and Daniel was excited to be flying high.

We spent some time in the National Gallery of Art. It's amazing how much harder it is to enjoy a museum with a three year old running around. When Bryan and I met we spent a long time looking at this piece by Vincent Van Gogh. We both loved the heavy streaks of paint he used and how alive this piece is. We have a copy of it hanging above our couch, but it really is soooo much more beautiful in person.

We also stopped into see this one by DaVinci, which I heard people saying was worth $200 million. Who knows, regardless it was still gorgeous.

Daniel was stylin' his Diego glasses all weekend long.

We spent a while at the Lincoln Memorial, Bryan's always loved the monument and it was a beautiful day for it.

I love this shot of Daniel and his Grandmother with the monuments in the background.

I really loved the World War II monument. There were a ton of veterans there. I loved seeing them all pose for their pictures and talk about the war. It was a fascinating sight, where they could come to remember and we can come to learn. I loved it. This first picture is of the west wall of the memorial, the stars represent those lost in the war.

The memorial sits between the Lincoln Memorial/Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument.

The North and South entrances to the memorial are covered by these sculptures of birds carrying a wreath.

Walking between the sights was so nice. (even though we got rained on quite a few times) It is all just so scenic.

One of our last stops in town was to peek at the National Cathedral, it's incredible. I've heard rumor that one of the gargoyles is sculpted after Darth Vader. (gotta find out if that one is true!)

Today I woke up, said my prayers, and felt good for the first time in awhile. I got to sew a really cute laptop bag I'm making for someone on Etsy for the majority of the day. Daniel was great today, etc, etc. It's been a good day. (finally!) Then my sister called and told me that my dog died today. Seriously? Now? Normally I'm sure I would have cried and been really upset about it. But I'm just kind of feeling like I'm done. I'm done with being sad and mourning. I want to get on with life. It doesn't mean that I won't still have bad days and that random things won't make me cry and all of that, but one can only be sad for so long. (Daniel prayed for the baby again last night, I'm sure just out of habit, but his loss has been the hardest for me to bare.)

So anyways, with all of that being said, I've decided that I need some pick me up music. I posted some songs that always make me smile here on the blog. I would LOVE suggestions for some feel good music.... please??

Woooo hoooooo! We are so excited for the new temple in Rome, Italy!!! Bryan served his mission in Italy and the saints there have been waiting so long.

I have been looking forward to conference soo much lately. I just love the comfort the gospel brings.