Adventures in Washington, D.C.

In April 2012, Aaron and I met his parents in Washington, DC. Not only was it a chance to see our Nation's capitol, it also gave us the opportunity to visit with Aaron's Uncle Dan, and see all the sights of Aaron's mom's and Uncle Dan's childhood.




Our trip started off with a tour of Uncle Dan's current hometown, Reston, Virginia. One of the highlights was a walk through a local park with some fabulous flora and fauna.

As we made our way to the big city, we stopped at an old amusement park area. 

On our first day in our nation's capitol, we stopped to experience the Vietnam Memorial, 

and the Lincoln Memorial. 

We saw the Washington Monument from across the reflection pond, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument up close.

We also got to see the childhood homes of Kathy and Uncle Dan.

The next day we made our rounds through various Smithsonian Museums. i spent so much time admiring the museums, I took very few pictures. But once of my favorite places was the Butterfly Exhibit... 

The next day we went to the Air and Space Museum. 

And on our final day, we toured the capitol building thanks to Kathy's local Iowa City representative. 

Adventures in Seattle!

Aaron and I took a little tour of Seattle just before attending a wedding for a couple of Aaron's friends in August of 2011. (Yes, they are both Aaron's friends from college, and yes they are a couple!)










While in Seattle, we decided to do the typical touristy things like Pike's Place Market...

... the original Starbucks...

 

...Beecher's Handmade Cheese (for their well-known mac and cheese)...

...  and the Space Needle...

...but we also decided to try something new and exciting by taking a walking tour of Seattle. Offered by Savor Seattle, we decided to take the Chocolate Indulgence Tour! This two-hour guided tour, took us through Seattle stopping at six different locations to try Seattle's best.


We stared at the Mayflower Park Hotel for a chocolatey adult beverage!

Our next stop was Dahlia Bakery, where we had the pleasure of trying multiple tasty treats. I think I may have even purchased something there!

This was followed by a stop at The Chocolate Box where we not only had tasty cupcakes but ice cream,too! My favorite!

 A quick stop at the Confectional allowed us a taste of some delicious cheesecake.

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Our next stop was at  Kukuruza Gourmet Popcorn.

We concluded our tour at Fran’s Chocolates, where we learned about Mrs. Obama's affinity for their salted carmel chocolates.

Of course, to attend the wedding, we visited the Salish Lodge and Spa at Snoqualmie Falls. It was a beautiful wedding with breathtaking views of the falls.