US Capitol

A couple of years ago my sister had college orientation near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, so my family decided to turn it into a vacation, and after a few days in Gatlinburg we'd drive up to visit my cousins in Richmond, Virginia.

So we went to Gatlinburg and while my dad and sister were stuck at college orientation, the rest of us all went hiking. That was amazing. After orientation was done, we all piled back into the van and headed up to Richmond for a week. We went to Virginia Beach one day, and visited Jamestown and colonial Williamsburg, but one of the highlights for me was the two days we spent in Washington, D.C. We went to Arlington National Cemetery, and then went to see the Capitol Building. We saw the White House, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the WWII Memorial, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. Unfortunately Mirror Lake was under construction so it was empty and not very mirror-like.

We tried to go into the Library of Congress, and we went in the wrong building. We just walked in the door to go through the security check, but the security guard said it was the office building and that the real Library of Congress had just closed for the night. Oops! How did we manage to walk into the wrong Library of Congress building?!? That was rather funny and embarrassing.

It was so amazing and sobering, seeing all those memorials and monuments built to honor our founding fathers and the men and women who sacrificed so much to protect our freedom.

US Capitol Print

So I'm posting this in honor of the millions of soldiers who have sacrificed their lives and limbs for freedom, and also for the millions of civil servants who work to protect our rights and make this land a safe place--thank you. Not because today is a holiday and I feel obligated to do so, but because today is a normal day and I feel honored to.

-Cailey