Memorial Day = Memorable

I know that this post is super overdue, being that it is now July, but I had to talk about how AMAZING my Memorial Day was this year. It was so cool to be living in the nation's capital amongst all the war memorials, Arlington National Cemetery, and all the political VIP's as we gathered together as a nation to remember, revere, and respect the thousands who have served our country and served to protect our freedom. I think the best way to catalog my experience is by showing some fun pics of the day’s events..... check it out! It all started Saturday night when we planned to go to the National Memorial Day Concert on "The Mall" Sunday night. So we woke up and went to church ready for a concert and then a day of work off. It was so awesome, because in our ward they introduced visitors and all of a sudden a "Brother Knight" stood up and introduced himself and his wife GLADYS! Gladys Knight was in town we found out to sing at the concert. I didn't get her pic, but here is a clip for the concert.

The National Memorial Day Concert in front of the U.S. Capitol Building

Cam, Jeff, Kasi, Marko, Suneeti, and Suzanne on the Capitol steps

A view from the Capitol steps at the concert - awesome sunset!

What else can one ask for? Washington Monument at sunset!

Cheesy pics with our patriotic pin-wheels! Lovin' it!

After the event --> Me and the Capitol by night!

After going home, hittin' the hay, and waking up we headed out to Arlington Cemetery to go see the National Memorial Day service and hear President Bush address us. The weather was SCORCHING hot and I swear I lost 10 lbs in water cause I was sweating so bad in the 146% humidity. haha. But it was really cool, we left SUPER early to get good seats, so we got to see the "Changing of the Guard" and then sat on these hard granite benches in the heat for like 2 hours, but I am glad we got good seats, because we were literally 200 yards away from the Prez. I took some video footage, but you can't hear him very well, but take a look.

A the entrance of Arlington National Cemetery

The "Changing of the Guard"

Lorraine, Me, Jeff, Cam, Diane, Maggie, Daisy, and Sally waiting for the program to begin

Can you see the Snipers on the roof, getting ready for Mr. Bush's entrance?

Video footage of President George Bush's Memorial Day Speech

President George W. Bush addressing the crowd

First Lady Laura Bush (on right) with some other important political figures

Yours truly among the many Armed Forces graves all decorated with an American flag.

Laney Zundel, Diane Johnson, Me, Stanley Lloyd, Nate Cannon, Daisy, and Rebecca Tingey in front of the Arlington Cemetery Amphitheater

After all the festivities, we headed home and decided we would all meet up as an entire group of Hinckley interns to have a Memorial Day BBQ --> trying to re-create family normalcy. It was tons of fun at our BYOB (Bring your own Beef) BBQ chill-axin' at the pool and soakin' in some rays. My roommate Marko can be seen below livin' life large at he soaks up some good ol' American rays!

Marko Mijic - our favorite Bosnian/Croatian American

The whole gang --> the famous Hinckley BYOB Memorial Day BBQ

Randy is Mr. Grill Meister extraordinaire

Our first "family pic" from the summer's adventures

Well, how else could one spend Memorial Day better? We had a great two days.....
--Randy

True Magic = D.C. Monuments at Night

Well, it has been a little over two weeks here in the Nations capitol and I have realized that all the monuments here are MUCH cooler at nighttime than they are during the day. Don't get me wrong... they are beautiful, but there is something just Mickey Mouse Magical about seeing them lit up.

Us Hinckley interns decided to start a "Monuments by Night Tour" of which I of course was the docent. haha, no really I just have all the tourist books from Borders, so I just act like I am and annoy everyone with historical captions as we are passing everything in my book. Haha, I love it! We have had three organized tours so far, with perhaps three more to come.

Tour #1
We began this tour at the Capitol Building and walked the National Mall (the green patch of grass that runs from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial) to the Washington Monument. You wouldn't believe it, but they had literally thousands of fold-up chairs on the grass ready for George Washington University's (GWU) graduation ceremony. It was so cool.... how cool would it be to have your commencements with the Capitol building in the background?

Meagan, Kasi, and Suneeti ready for the trek!


Seriously.... do I work for Busath or what?


Kasi, Me, Meagan & Marko near the steps of the Capitol


"The intern children sang as they walked ... and walked... and walked..."

"Look Ma.... we're monuments!"

Tour #2
Continuing where we left off, we got off the Smithsonian exit of the Metro and started this journey from the Washington Monument and traveled down the Mall to Lincoln Memorial. Just before you reach the Lincoln Memorial, you run into the new World War II Memorial, just built in April 2004. It has lit fountains, wreaths, and state walls (see below) commemorating the more than 400,000 people killed in battle with a star for every 100 killed in battle, all of which overlooks the Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial BLEW ME AWAY ... it was so gorgeous. I have been there before, but never at nighttime and I thought it was so cool to see the reflection in the water and the beautiful hazy sky atop the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I tried to catch this with my camera, but it isn't the best in the dark.

Washington Monument at Night


"Ohhhh say can you see......"


We interns basically run this city..... attention sir!

My footage of WWII Memorial by night....via YouTube

UTAH PRIDE --> Even at the WWII Memorial


A picture of the 4,000 stars, each representing 100 lives lost in WWII


Once again trekking --> this time to Lincoln Memorial


The picture doesn't do it justice! GORGEOUS....


The gang with President Lincoln (such a good man!)



OK --> so these two pictures are basically these are the best picture EVER!


Cameron Beech, Suneeti Agrawal, Suzanne Schmidt, Jeff Sbaih, Kasi Goodwin, Rochelle McConkie, and Meagan Kline atop Lincoln Memorial steps...

Well... these are just the first of many "nighttime tours" we are going to take, with Tour #3 (Jefferson Memorial) and Tour #4 (Vietnam Memorial and Korean War Memorial) coming up soon, get excited for some more posts!

--Randy

Life in Union Station

One place that I have loved since I got here, is the Union Station. It is kind of a Trolley Square to the 5th power. It used to be a really huge train station, but now is home to museums, restaurants, shops, etc. The Metro system also has its D.C. red line travel through this station.

Outside Union Station at night (w/ cool effects!)

A shot of Union Station corridor

Union Station History
Opened on October 27, 1907 and completed in 1908, is considered to be one of the finest examples of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture and a really fun place to visit. Opened on October 27, 1907 and completed in 1908, Union Station is considered to be one of the finest examples of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture. At the time it was built, the Station covered more ground than any other building in the United States and was the largest train station in the world.

Marko, Suneeti, and Kasi admiring the architecture.... ooooh!

In many ways, Union Station was a city within a city. At various times it employed a staff of over 5,000 people and provided such amenities as a bowling alley, mortuary, baker, butcher, YMCA, hotel, ice house, liquor store, Turkish baths, first-class restaurant, nursery, police station, and a silver-monogramming shop.

However, the advent of air travel led to a decline in railroad passengers, and Union Station began to fall into disuse. A unique public/private partnership was formed in 1981 to faithfully restore the building to its original state and create a viable mixed-use transportation center. Following three years of renovation at a cost of $160 million, Union Station reopened on September 29, 1988 - restored to its former glory. In addition to over 130 unique shops and restaurants, Union Station is the current hub for Amtrak's headquarters and executive offices.

My Adventurous Life in Union Station
Well, what can I say? Union Station just isn't Union Station without "America." Me and some Hinckley peeps went to the restaurant "America" in Union Station, because it was listed as one of D.C.'s Top 10 restaurants, featuring more than 100 items on their menu. Pictured below

Over 100 menu items at "America" --> I can hardly believe it!

We ordered the "Red Neck Fondue" (Chili and Velveeta dip with chips) for our appetizer with some burger, quesadillas, salads, and more to eat. It was quite the adventure. Suneeti found plastic in her quesadilla (so she got it for free ... sweet!) and we saw a fight break out between like 3 bus boys, a waitress, and manager (Meagan though they had a bomb). And then of course, America isn't America without our Mexican waiter who can't speak English and was pisst he had to split our check three ways. What a night.... guess you had to be there. :-).

Kasi Goodwin, Meagan Kline, and Suneeti Agrawal (the plastic eater)

We all then went outside to see a kick-A bell. We didn't really know its significance, but were all snapping photos of it, thinking it would be something cool to talk about later. Yeah.... we were wrong. Just some bell.

Randy and the Union Station Bell

But it was only moments later that we met crazy General Bernard Hamilton (a homeless veteran) who sang us songs, campaigned for Hillary Clinton (telling us, "How could we have a president who's last name is Ohhhhbammmaaaaah?"), and he even gave us a postcard of the ONLY dog to be asphyxiated, burned, and drown and then later have his own movie made after him. We don't really know what he was talking about, but Kasi gave him a dollar or two, we took the post card and ran for our lives.

I miss Bernard.....