oh, the sights you will see

We arrived in DC after dark on Friday night. Even driving through the city at night, you can feel a charge in the air...the intoxicating excitement of being in a big city, a place where important people make big decisions that affect our very existence as Americans. I had previously spent brief amounts of time in Washington, DC, and was thrilled looking forward to the next couple of days there.

Saturday morning, we made our way to the Washington Convention Center so Nathan could pick up everything for the run. The building was packed with runners and their friends and families, and the atmosphere was one of anticipation and excitement.

I have to give a shout out to Toryn, Nathan and Betsy's 7 year old daughter, for taking the pic on the right. :) Betsy's laugh and my peace sign make me smile here.



A little decor inspiration from inside the convention center...



From there, we set out for a bit of walking and sight seeing. The one mandatory destination for the day was the Lincoln Memorial. Toryn adores Old Abe, and was super excited to see his statue.

I apparently adored the Washington Monument, as I took at least 50 pics of it on our way over to see Lincoln. These were some of my faves...













Off in the distance, people were gathering in front of the Capitol for the Restore Sanity/Fear Rally that was going on there that day.



More random sights from around town...











People-watching always enthralls me. I noticed both of these couples and was impressed by how cool they were in very different ways...



Looked how overjoyed Toryn was to be there at her hero's feet.



He is pretty impressive.



After spending some time ogling Abe, we took this shot of ourselves on the steps in front of the memorial.







The Vietnam Wall. Wow. Words cannot do justice...





Sobering and unreal...



There were some gorgeous fall colors on display around DC...



So beautiful!



I love-loved this building!



What an exhilarating city to see! I loved every minute and only wished we had a bit more time. But the marathon was the next morning, and we couldn't keep Nathan out walking all day. We headed to get some rest in preparation of an early morning and long day.

Monday, I'll share photos of the marathon.

Have a good weekend, all.

~abi~