July 4th

Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Drained Reflecting Pool

Crumbs Bake Shop

July 4th is easily my third favorite holiday of the year (following Christmas and Thanksgiving) so I'm so thankful I was able to spend it with family this year. Friday morning my parents and I drove to North Virginia to see my sister and brother-in-law. We got to their house around dinner-time Friday night so we changed and went to a nearby Italian restaurant for dinner. Saturday we went into Washington DC for the day. After an AMAZING lunch at a Mexican restaurant (Rosa Mexicana), we grabbed a taxi to go to the Lincoln Memorial. The last time I was in this area I was 12 so I don't really remember much of what I saw. I've always wanted to see that typical Washington view from the Lincoln Memorial of the reflecting pool and the WWII memorial in the distance. Unfortunately, that was not meant to be this time. The reflecting pool had been drained for maintenance and won't be filled back up until later this year! Hopefully I'll be up to DC again in the future to see this view! After grabbing a few cupcakes at Crumbs Bake Shop, we spent a relaxing night at my sister's house Saturday night while my dad and brother-in-law watched the Nascar race.

Great Falls

Sunday my sister, brother-in-law, dad and I went to Great Falls Park for a hike. It was beautiful! A little hot but not too bad for the 3 mile hike we did. After a bit of rest we went into downtown Leesburg for dinner. Monday, July 4th started with some outlet shopping and continued on with a drive to Alexandria, VA (beautiful!) to catch a river cruise to see the fireworks over the Lincoln Memorial. Talk about amazing views! Cruising down the Potomac was beautiful - we saw a lot of sights along with the people lining the river to catch a view of the fireworks. Our boat dropped anchor right in front of the Lincoln Memorial and we watched the 20 minute firework display from the top of the boat. After the fireworks display our Captain got on the microphone, recited the Declaration of Independence and got us all to sing some patriotic songs like "God Bless America." The atmosphere really encouraged a love and appreciation for our country and all that is great about it.

View from the boat

Lincoln Memorial

The trip to visit family was a great way to celebrate July 4th. I'm so thankful for my family and our great visits! I'm definitely looking forward to my next visit to North Virginia and Washington DC!