I think I really love DC

Life in Washington DC has really kept me busy. Last week we went one 2 more visits to faith based organizations. Thursday and Friday I worked at the RNC. By the way, I got moved into an actual office. Whoot, I look like an employee!!! On Saturday, one of my roommates(Sam) and I went to the American History Museum. There were displays of the outfits of the past and current First Ladies, Civil War displays, Paintings, Old cars, Julia Child's kitchen, however my favorite was the Ruby Red Slippers. I love the wizard of Oz. Also, I saw Nastia Luiken's gymnastic's outfit, and Apollo Ohno's skates :)

The Slippers!

Apollo's skates

This one is for my big brother :) Look it's Michelangelo! Cowabunga Dude!

On Monday we visited the Capital, which I loved loved loved. Big Surprise to all you reading this, I sure. It was sweet, I don't have a lot of words to describe it, so i'll use pictures :)

Here is Sam and I in front of the Capital :)

This is the Original Door to the Capital. As I walked through this door I followed the same steps that Abraham Lincoln took as he made history. Thomas Jefferson, John F Kennedy, FDR have all walked thru this door. Walking through it made me feel honored to be in the same building where all these great men have gone about changing the world.

Here are photos of the inside of the capital dome

This is where the Supreme Court used to meet in the Capital. The Dred Scott Court case was decided in this room. Samuel Morse first tested the telegraph in this room as well. This photo shows where the Judges were to sit.

This is a photo of the old Senate Chambers. Within this room, the Senate fought to enter slave states as well as free states into the United States. Also in this room was the impeachment of former President Clinton.

Here is a statue made of Lincoln's head, the artist who carved this, Gutzon Borglum, also carved Mount Rushmore. Got to love connections to South Dakota :)

Later on Monday we visited the Pentagon. I have never felt more secure in my life then in that building. We had to pass so much security to get in. Also as you walk in there is a guardian angel, aka a guy in lots of armor with a huge gun.

Here I am at the Pentagon :) I could be the next Secretary of Defense 

Here is a photo of what the pentagon looked like from above after Flight 77 crashed into it killing 184 people.

Here is a closer photo of the wreckage.  An interesting fact about the side of the pentagon that was hit, is that it was completely empty besides one Navy office and a Coast Guard office. If the flight would have happen 4 days later all of the other offices would have been filled resulting in thousands killed. Another fact is that this side was empty due to the fact that it was just remodeled, and the government had added more steel beams, more fire proofing as well as adding some Kelvar- which is what makes of a police vests. The side that was hit was the only side to have been remodeled at the time of 9/11. These new safety features saved thousands of lives. If the plane had hit any other side, the estimated death toll would be in the upwards of 12,000. 

This is a picture of the memorial that is at the pentagon in remembrance of those 184 lives lost. There are 184 benches on the ground near the side the plane hit. the benches face two different ways. The ones which face the building are those who died on the plane, and the ones that face away are those who died in the pentagon. The benches are angled in the same same angle that the plane hit the pentagon. Another interesting feature is that the benches are in rows of years, so the first bench you com upon is that of a three-year-old girl who was in the plane. There are also many more memorials that exist inside building, but i couldn't bring my camera in due to safety reasons. Its nice to see that coming on 10 years later the world still remembers 9/11. God Bless :)