DC Trip in November

First stop, McDonald's for breakfast.

We had a wonderful time at the DC Temple.  Of the 30 soldiers, 16 were non-members.  They all got to watch videos and displays in the visitor's center.

Some good friends who wanted to go on a 2nd trip with us since they attended the last one.

We watch "How to Train Your Dragon", "Night at the Museum (Smithsonian)", and "Megamind" on the trip. There were 4 children with us as well.  One fell asleep on Sister Elkins' lap on the way home. (Kinda like having grandchildren near)

Reminds me of Moses' burning bush when I see trees like this.  Autumn in the East is so beautiful.

My daughter, her husband, and their four children met us in DC.  The children got to meet the soldiers and ask them questions. Here is one of the soldiers they met.  It was a great visit.

We took enough food to feed the army - so we did! We eat in a church parking lot near the temple. 

Just a little fun with the soldiers.  These boys are like our own kids.  We love them so much.

Not the most comfortable eating arrangement but these soldiers adapt very well.

Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  A very impressive and respectful ceremony. 

Arlington National Cemetery.

Washington Monument.  The earthquake in September made a crack in the monument so for now nobody is allowed inside.

The new Martin Luther King Memorial.  I took this picture from the bus while we were driving by.

I visited the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.  It was kind of fun to see the some of the animals and the set of the movie we watched on the bus "Night at the Museum - Battle of the Smithsonian".

As usual we stopped at Golden Corral on the way home.  Then the soldiers take a good nap on the bus!

These trips are stressful and overwhelming to prepare for.  We wonder if we will have enough soldiers to make the trip worthwhile, then we wonder if we will have enough seats to accommodate all who want to go.  Somehow it always works out.  Since we take food for lunch, that is a lot to prepare for, and know how much to take.  Soldiers can eat a lot, but they sure enjoy anything they are offered. After we ate lunch and got back on the bus I asked if everyone was full.  They gave me a "hooah" which meant that they were satisfied.  One soldier held up his hand and said, "Thank you for the cookies!"  They loved the homemade chocolate chip and oatmeal scotchies that I baked.

One incident that is worth noting:  We knew of two soldiers who had signed up to go on the trip (non-members) who we thought wouldn't be going because they had gotten into some trouble a few days before.  We were surprised when they showed up at 5:30am to board the bus.  Then another soldier told them that they were wanted by their sergeant back at the company so they hopped off the bus and went to check it out.  They came back a few minutes later and said that they wouldn't be going with us because the sergeant said they couldn't go.  They had a UCMJ hearing coming up so did not have the privilege of going on a trip. One soldier had his wife along who was going to go with us also.  The three of them left. Later in the day we got a call from the chaplain asking if that married soldier was on the bus with us, but we said that he was not.  It turned out that he and his wife decided to take off since they couldn't go on the trip.  So he was AWOL for the weekend and showed up again on Monday. We were actually quite happy that they weren't allowed to go on the trip because we didn't need trouble makers, or those who couldn't follow rules.  On the other hand, one of our soldiers was sad they didn't get to go since the trip "would have been good for them". (Certainly a different point of view)

It was another good trip.  Worth the stress.