This is Nelia, Kam's cousin. She was married last Thursday in the DC Temple and we are so glad that we live close enough that we were able to attend (I guess there are perks to living so far from most of our family) and that Kam's parents flew out for the event which meant we got to play with them for the weekend!
The wedding was held in the evening so we left Thursday morning for DC. We decided to drive to the hotel first, get changed and then head over to the Temple where we would leave the boys with the younger cousins while we went in for the Endowment Session and then the Sealing. We probably should have gone straight to the Temple because the traffic was horrendous! We got to the temple just late enough that we missed the Endowment Session but since it was dinner time, we decided to take the kids to get something to eat at IHOP.
After dinner we headed back to the Temple for the Sealing. It had been raining off and on all day and while we were at dinner it started to pour. Just as we arrived back to the Temple though, the rain stopped and the sun came out and it's rays peaked through the clouds shining beautifully on the Temple. It was as though our Heavenly Father was shining his love on the Temple sharing with me that what was about to happen, this eternal marriage, was pleasing to Him. It was really moving.
Following the Sealing everyone gathered at a local restaurant, Cafe 1894, for a light dinner. It was a cute little establishment with an intimate setting perfect for our group. The food was delicious and the company was even better. It was really wonderful to share this special evening with the newly created Willis Family.
After returning to the hotel we realized that all the traffic we encountered was due to the US Open happening in Bethesda, MD. (No wonder all the hotels close to the Temple were completely booked!) Well, because of all the extra people in the DC area we decided that it was probably best not to stay in DC even though our plans were to take Kam's parents there. Instead we decided to head north to Philadelphia and then on to Amish country and Gettysburg.
On our drive to Philly we passed this house who obviously
doesn't mind a freeway for a back yard.
And Braden enjoyed some yogurt.
Our first stop in Philadelphia was to get some lunch. And the best thing to eat when in Philly? a Philly Cheese Steak of course! We decided to find out for ourselves who we thought was the best by trying the rivals Pat and Geno's. Unfortunately when I cut up and distributed the different halves of the sandwiches I got them mixed up and couldn't tell who's was who's. Keven said he liked Geno's better and Kam thinks he thought it was Pat's that he liked best but really, because I mixed them up, we'll never know..whoops!
When we finished our lunch we headed into the city where we visited the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.
With George Washington in the Liberty Bell Center
I wish I would have gotten the shot but at one point Grandpa
was laying on the floor to get a picture looking up inside the bell.
George Washington
They also got to meet some ancient revolutionary citizens.
We also visited Congress Hall.
That night we drove down to Amish Country and found a place to stay overnight. The next morning, Saturday, we visited the Amish Village where we took a tour of an Amish house and farm surroundings. It was really interesting to learn about the Amish traditions and why they do what they do. I was surprised to learn that much of "the Amish way" comes from tradition rather than from a religious belief. I also didn't know that Amish was a break-off from the Mennonite religion.
The boys got to feed a baby cow.
We got to see where the Amish go to school.
And sit inside an Amish buggy.
We also visited Kitchen Kettle Village, one of our favorite spots. We got to taste all sorts of jams, jellies, and relishes that were made right in their Mennonite run kitchen. Yummy!
Our next stop was Gettysburg. We stopped at the visitors center first where we got to see some of the weapons used during the battle of Gettysburg as well as uniforms and some of the items that a soldier would have used during their time in service.
Confederate Uniform
Union Uniform
Braden was a Union Soldier.
Carter too.
The Gettysburg Address
Honest Abe.
At the bookstore we purchased a CD that took us on a guided tour of the battle field. I did not realize how much I didn't know about this battle and it's significance in history. I loved hearing about how the battle moved and what happened at different places of the field. I think I could have spent days there reading and seeing the ever so many monuments erected all over.
Pickett's Charge at the High-Water mark of the Confederacy.
Father's Day Sunday was a really special day. Kam was asked by our bishop at the end of sacrament meeting to share his testimony and thoughts about Fathers. It was a really nice tribute to Keven and I'm sure the bishop only asked Kam to do it because Keven was there with us. After church we relaxed, trying to recover from our busy weekend and shared a yummy steak and crab dinner.
The boys were really excited to give Grandpa his gift.
A masterpiece by Braden
Daddy got special gifts too, but he opened his all early.
We had such a great time with our visit from Gram and Grandpa. It really is "always fun when Grandpa (and Gram) comes!"
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