Last Outing in DC

This was from a few weeks ago, but during Jason's last trip out to Virginia we made sure to visit DC one last time. We'll definitely miss that place...so much culture and lots to explore! The Museum of American History finally reopened, so we made our way through the crowds and also toured the new Oceanic exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. I HAD to see the Christmas tree on the grounds of the Capitol, but we only made it as far as the reflecting pool in front. It was bitterly cold! Here are some pics from the museums and the beautiful nighttime view of the Capitol.

M. of American History - Ruby slippers from
The Wizard of Oz
(I always envisioned them being made of red leather patent,
but they are entirely covered in big red sequins)

M. of American History - the actual huge flag that was hanging in
Baltimore, MD that inspired Francis Scott Key
to write The Star Spangled Banner
(this was sealed behind a big pane of glass with the words to the song displayed on a wall behind...we weren't supposed to take pictures, but this never hurt anyone!)

M. of Natural History - Oceanic Exhibit
Much cooler in real life of course!

Beautiful aquarium

My teeth are chattering as I smile for this photo

Capitol, reflecting pond & Christmas tree (way in the distance!)

Aaaahhh...Jason is making gagging sounds as I write this :)

Trek from VA to AZ

Originally, I was going to brave the drive out to AZ two days after Christmas and make it a four day journey. The week of Christmas I started thinking - three of the four days would include 10 hours of driving. There's no way I could accomplish that feat!! So I pushed up my trek a day early and left after my last few hours of therapy at Remuda. Five days, six states, 2500 miles, lots of Wendy's chicken nuggets, and one sore butt later, I pulled in to Phoenix on Jan. 30. I saw some interesting things from the driver's seat, including (but not limited to!)...

Day one (mostly driving in the dark) - a large group of deer eating grass fairly near to the freeway; a shooting star in Tennessee; incredibly dense fog around southern Virginia

Day two (completely done in Tennessee) - mountain tops covered in fog; beautiful hills and farmland

Day three (Arkansas and part of East Texas) - there is nothing good to say about Arkansas...that place is so ugly! Or at least the roads I was on. A gorgeous Texas sunset over a lake nearby Dallas; my wonderful friend Misty!

Day four (Texas) - there is nothing extraordinary about West Texas...however, there were some cotton fields being harvested and hundreds of wind energy turbines across the flat plains; my family!

Day five (West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona) - hmmm, again, nothing extraordinary to see. Although, I do appreciate seeing sunsets over the desert. There are too many forests along the East coast to see really great sunsets; my husband after being apart for 13 days!


(Don't ask me why, but I didn't think to take pictures from the road till day 4)

Misty & me in Cleburne, TX

Texas wind turbines & cotton field

On my way to the folks (that's Texan for parents)

Final day - fields & mountains in New Mexico

Is someone looking a little tired?

Almost there...sunset over AZ desert