Washington DC is definitely the place to go...

on a family vacation. A few weeks ago Ian came home and said that he could have a long weekend the next week and thought we should do something fun. We weighed the possibilities of going to Cedar Pointe Amusement Park or Washington DC. I had always wanted to go to DC with the kids but just didn't know if it would be too costly. After doing a little research and talking with friends my mind was set -- we were going to DC. Thanks to Priceline we were able to get the 4-star Westin Hotel right by the White House for $100 night (I found out later that our rooms ran $700 night since they upgraded us to a suite at no charge). The rooms were beautiful and the beds totally comfy -- a perfect way to start off the best vacation. To makes things even better, we were able to ride the subway (the kids FAVORITE) to everywhere we wanted to go. We also got our pick amongst almost 20 national museums and zoos to tour for FREE.

The first evening we were there Ian took the kids swimming and I went on a run at dusk. Talk about majestic. I ran for about two miles along side the Potomac River and then took a sharp turn amongst the trees. The view was breathtaking. Ahead of me was the Lincoln Memorial lite up against the sunset. I just had to stand there for a moment and reflect on the beauty of the moment and the glory of our Country. Everything about the trip was everything I hoped for and more. Being able to talk to the kids about the different Presidents and National events will be a time that I will never forget. They were so excited and knew so much about the history of the GREATEST country in the WORLD.

Down below on the subway. What a treat for the kids but a little stressful for us parents.

IRS building -- it actually has gold lanterns and beautiful arched entrances.Lincoln Memorial -- the kids ran all the way to the top of all those stairs. World War II memorial and fountain. This was one of the kids' favorite places.

Boy Scouts of America Statue and Reflection Pool

Air and Space Museum. This is one of the contraptions that walked on Mars.

Holocaust Memorial and Museum.Bureau of Engravings is where we went on a cool tour and saw how they made money. Kadan and Hunter were hoping they were giving away dollars at the end of the tour. They were so excited jumping up and down dreaming about the possibilities of being "rich, rich, rich."