Pen Pal Picnic and other news

My brother Mario and I have had this plan forming in our minds and conversations.

It's gone something like this:

Our pen pals need to meet.

Yeah. Not much of a plan.

You may or may not recall that Mario and I are both fourth grade teachers within the same school district, but at different schools. Also, since Christmas, his kiddos and my kiddos have been communicating via snail mail, a.k.a. pen pals.

And we have been trying to think of a way to get our kids together, in the same spot, at the same time, to MEET!

But it's been a little tricky to figure out -- no field trips together, lack of money for transportation, yada yada yada.

Earlier this week, however, as Mario and I were hiking together after school --- [side note: NO, we are NOT granolas] --- we hiked up to the top of a rock, from where we could see the entire river valley beneath us. We located his school...then my school...and then our brains started churning.

A couple of hours later, with the help of google maps, our plan was formed: Pen Pal Picnic!

Both classes will walk about a mile to a central park to meet, exchange our final pen pal letters, and picnic and play together!

Best idea ever, or what?

So, anyway, permission forms have been sent out and [mostly] returned, sack lunches have been ordered for those who aren't bringing a lunch from home, and I am in the process of locating a large picnic basket.

If I remember correctly, my friend Ellie had one....let me see here...ah, yes. Here it is:

But, this dear friend [and her picnic basket] is much too far away, so Target it is...or Walmart?

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In other news:

1. The state test is finished!

Each testing day, my students walked in to four items on their desks: a note from me, a small gift [pencil, correcting pen, pencil grip, pencil eraser], a small candy, and a stick of gum.

2. I am so enjoying knowing I will be here again next year!

We have sticky-note conversations in our staff bathrooms. I was blessed by this one.

Also, I am already thinking ahead to next year -- I've got some great ideas up my sleeve that I feel are God-inspired! But more on this later --- like once THIS school year is finished!

3. I am loving being a tia to this little girlie.

We got to have her for a couple of hours last night while Armando & Lisa went out to dinner. She is so precious!

4. I'm getting more and more excited for my next adventure with this lady:

North Dakota: Completed.

Michigan: Completed.

Prince Edward Island: In progress.

And, for today, that's a wrap.

Or a sandwich. PB&J. For the picnic. :)

Road of teaching

My poor students have been subjected to The State Test this week - two days (so far) of sitting. At their desks. Testing.

Can I go to the bathroom?
No.

Can I get a drink of water?
No.

Can I pick up my pencil? It dropped.
No. I'll pick it up for you.

Seriously. That's how it's been. We [teachers] feel bad for being so militaristic during The State Test, but [first of all] we have to, and [second of all] I would argue that we make up for it by buying the kids treats and letting them chew gum, and going outside to line dance during our breaks.

In the midst of the testing, our community is celebrating our annual Apple Blossom Festival.
Carnival + Food fair = crazy kids! Throw The State Test into the mix, and things get even more interesting.

So, one morning (Wednesday to be exact), I walk into the school office to retrieve my testing box. My boss is in there, checking the boxes out to us.

I pick up the cardboard box and am about to head out of the office when my boss says, "Oh, while you're in here, Dahlia, I'd like to offer you a continuing contract at fourth grade."

As my friend Bek would say, "SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!"

But what I really said was "Oh my goodness - thank you," or something like that.

"I assume you accept?"

Of course!

As a witness would later comment, I had the biggest smile that morning as I carried my testing box to my classroom.

So, Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus! I get to continue on this road of teaching.

And now I get to go walk in the Apple Blossom parade with my students. Ciao!

Fantastic Friday

I greet my students every day with what we call "The Morning Message." It usually begins with

Good Morning, Class,

and usually ends with,

Love,
Ms. Avila

and in between I inform the kids what we'll be doing today, complete with transition words and usually at least one instance of alliteration.

Have a merry Monday...terrific Tuesday...wonderful Wednesday...thankful Thursday...fantastic Friday...

You get the idea.

All that to explain the title of this post.

And now perhaps a little more illumination on today's events will help further explain why today was fantastic.

1. It was my first day as an auntie.

PC: My mom, ntbka (now to be known as) "Grandma"

Little Brynn Loree Avila was born last night, weighing in at 8 pounds, 0 ounces. She got to be my first experience holding a newborn. My brother Armando got to show me how.

The only down-side to her birth is that my sister-in-law Lisa is still recovering from her C-section delivery. :( Not fun.

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2. This is funny.

Earlier today, my mom was searching for my little brother, Oliver. She searches in the house, in the yard, in the driveway...where could he be?

You know where she found him? Curled up, asleep, with Pepsi (our dog)... in the doghouse!

I wish I had a picture of this. It gives a whole new meaning to the saying "in the doghouse."

For another funny anecdote, be sure to read Bek's latest Funny Friday.

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3. You know how, when someone's gone, people all of a sudden start saying nice things about them?

Like, "She was always so nice."
Or, "He always found a way to make me laugh."

Well, now that my one-year teaching contract is almost up, I kind of feel like that person who is gone...or leaving.

People I've known and related with all year are beginning to say,
"Oh, you've done such a great job."
"We hope we can keep you."

And it's really encouraging! But - who am I kidding? I really have had a wealth of support and encouragement this entire school year, from friends, family, and colleagues -- even parents of my students, and the students themselves...

This lovely daffodil graced my desk a couple of weeks ago. I asked around to identify the gifter, but I found out zilch. So I just enjoyed it. [I've discovered I love receiving flowers.]

...which is one of the reasons I love the school I am at...and one of the reasons I am so grateful to God for His goodness...and one of the reasons I have, as of today, applied for a continuing position at this school!

What next year will bring, only God knows. He clearly opened the doors for me to be where I am right now, and I know He'll be faithful to continue guiding me according to His will.

Lead on, Lord.

And that was my fantastic Friday.

Around the corner

God is good.

Life is good.

It is so easy to be convinced of this when Spring is right around the corner.

Even if Spring isn't here yet, it is so encouraging to know that it's coming.

And, along with Spring, there are lots of other things I am looking forward to.

First, I'm going to begin a book group! Now, I've never been in a book group before, so I'm not sure how to go about it -- like, how often will we meet? When we do meet...do we just talk about the book? [If you have any insight on this, I'd appreciate it.]

I've invited some girls from my church to join it with me, ranging from ages 15 to 21. So far, I have selected 2 books for us to read:

Joshua Harris' I Kissed Dating Goodbye

and Kay Arthur's With an Everlasting Love

I hope I don't scare the girls away with that first title. I read it as a 7th grader, though, and it revolutionized how I thought about relationships. If nothing else, it should arouse topics for conversation among us and [hopefully] prayer.

Is there a good book you would recommend for us?

The second thing I'm looking forward to is Spring Break! Several important events await me during Spring Break. Allow me to list them for you:


1. Shopping with my sister (I miss my shopping buddy!)

2. Time with my second family, including Bek.

3. The arrival of my very first niece!

In the meantime, there is much work to be done (as I'm sure most of you can relate). For college students, it's finals. For elementary teachers, it's report cards.

But - hey, what's a break without the hard work to take a break from?

Timeline thoughts

I created a timeline of my life this morning. (Do you spend time doing stuff like that?)

It wasn't an extensive timeline, just major events since 2007.

And, I just want to say that it's amazing how quickly time passes. I think I'll be saying this more and more as I get older, but, at 23, I already feel, as my friend Bek put it last night, that I need to shave my long, gray beard.

It's been 1/2 a year already since I graduated my teaching program and was hired on as a teacher...

June, 2012

2 1/2 years since I graduated community college with my AA...

[Okay, this photo is actually from my birthday party that year. It's as close as I could get to the time of my graduation] June, 2010

4 1/2 years since I graduated Master's Commission...

August, 2008

and 5 1/2 whopping years since I graduated high school.

June, 2007

I feel ready for a high-school reunion already! So much has changed since then.

Why does it seem, the older we get, the faster time seems to go, I want to know?

What do you think?

As I look back, however, I also think - wow! God has been at work in my family all these years!

According to his will, we have gained two brothers:

Oliver, through adoption...

Christmas 2008

And Jared, through marriage.

December, 2011

We are also expecting a new addition to the family - my brother & sister-in-law's little Brynn Loree [pictures pending].

I'm not sure why I'm sharing all this, except to say that - wow! God works in mysterious ways to bring about His will! I won't go into all the details of how He's done that in my family, but I'm sure you see it in yours, too. He has brought about people, events, transitions, even tragedies, and it's all a part of His grand design.

What's next, Lord?

A simple Valentine's Day

The Valentine's Day party DID happen! It nearly didn't, but one girl stepped forward to save the day with her research about Saint Valentine. Needless to say, the class was grateful to her.

It doesn't take much to satisfy young hearts. I did not plan anything for our Valentine's Day party. Seriously. This is how low-key it was: Those who wanted to stayed in for their morning recess to decorate - wait for it - a paper bag! This was their valentine's day card holder. Every single student chose to stay in that recess. And nobody complained. Except the kids who hadn't turned in their homework and had to go to study hall for recess.

For the actual party, They brought treats, passed out cards, and opened cards. And that was it.

Well, I did try reading an inspirational picture-book called Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch.

It was a great book. The kids might have thought so, too, if it wasn't for Ms. Avila's grave mistake.

You see, not thinking too clearly, I had the kids tape their decorated paper bags to their lockers (to minimize the distractions at their desks). Then, they filled each others' paper bags with loads of candy and cards.

The wise thing would have been for me to let the kids take their bags right after they were filled. But I thought it would be great time for a classroom-bonding, community-building, mushy-gushy Valentine's Day read-aloud.

Wrong.

As I was reading facing the kids, who were facing their lockers, one by one the paper bags, laden with candy, crashed to the floor, like icicles that have gotten so heavy that they crash down. It was all I could to to suppress their giggles and turn their attention back to the book.

Looking back, I should have just given up on the book. But I kept on. And I'm actually glad I did. It was a good story, with a sweet message, and I think God was helping me out, because, miraculously, no bags fell during "the moment," in the middle of the story, where Mr. Hatch has his transformation. And, for that moment, you could have heard a pin drop (or a candy-filled paper bag).

And then they got to retrieve and empty the contents of their paper bags. And they were all just as pleased as if I had gone all-out and planned a fancy activity.

Thank you, Lord, for the simplicity of children.

Sunny Saturday

I intended to follow in my friend Bek's footsteps and post a Funny Friday, BUT Friday was full of everything but blogging, so that didn't happen.

However, I do have a funny moment to share on this sunny Saturday.

One day last week, during lunch, I sat down at a cafeteria table with some of my students. It wasn't long before the conversation turned to Valentine's Day.

"Teacher, are we going to have a Valentine's Day party?" asked Ariana.

"Yeah, are we?" chimed in three other girls.

I hesitated. I've been wondering about that myself, ever since I resolved to celebrate only national holidays in my classroom. Valentine's Day, like Halloween, is wide-spread but NOT a national holiday by any means.

But there was an idea I was mulling over, so I asked, "Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day?"

"Becuase!" exclaimed Ariana. "It's the month of LOOOOVVVEE!" The other girls giggled. Then, she turned to me and asked, "Well, why do we celebrate Christmas?"

"Becuase it's Jesus' birthday!" spouted Tori.

"Why do we celebrate Easter?" someone else asked.

"Becuase it's Jesus' birthday!" repeated Tori.

"Again?" The girls giggled.

"NO!" said Tori. "Easter is Jesus' birthday, and Christmas is GOD's birthday!"

And that settled it. The girls went happily back to eating their lunch, and I coud hardly contain myself! Such misconceptions they have!

I want to capture more of these moments, be it on a Funny Friday or a Sunny Saturday, or Mundane Monday, or whenever! Too often I let these moments slip by, and then I forget them!

Oh, and, you might still be wondering if we are going to celebrate Valentine's Day. Well, I left that up to them. "If you do the research, and present your research - with sources - to the class about what Valentine's Day is about, and then if you convince me that we should celebrate it in class... then, we can have a party."

What do you think? Typical teacher answer? Yeah, that's what I thought. I'll let you know what their research turns up.

Pen Pals

When you are in college,
enrolled in the teaching program,
reading about tons of super-fun ways to teach otherwise-monotonous stuff,
and excitedly exchanging ideas with like-minded, naive, and optimistic classmates,
you say to yourself,
"When I am a teacher, I will do THIS!
And THIS!
And THIS!
And THIS!
And..what the heck,
I'll also do THIS!"

And so you begin your first year of teaching with a head full of ideals, imagining 24 sweet smiles turned towards you, thrilled to discover that you are the most wonderful teacher ever and that learning in your classroom will be pure fun.

It is not long before your ideals are crushed.

After the first day of school, the "sweet smiles" become mischievous sneers, blank stares, or submissive terror.

Between making sure ADHD George is in his seat,
just-from-Mexico Juan and Lucia understand what they're supposed to be doing,
spacey Joey and Elijah are actually using their math tile to practice multiplication instead of building towers,
mean-girl Kate has apologized for making sensitive Julia cry,
and special-education Gary isn't just sitting there clueless,
you feel lucky if even one student demonstrates the skill you are teaching,
and any thought of idealistic, touchy-feely, hands-on, extra, fun stuff goes out the window, along with your temper.

I'm not exaggerating. At all.

So, I am happy to announce that I have managed to implement ONE of my college-days ideas - pen pals!

And the kids are LOVING it (plus it's such a sneaky way to teach about proper letter-writing format and the importance of punctuation, spelling, and grammar).

My two older brothers and I all happen to teach 4th grade this year (crazy, huh?) So, one day, my brother Mario and I were talking about the possibility of being buddy classrooms, and so the idea of pen pals was birthed.

I announced the idea to my class just before Christmas break, and they were thrilled with the idea! (Although more than a few were like, "What's a pen pal?") Our classes exchanged Christmas cards, and just this month Mario and I paired our kids up, and the letter-writing began. It was cool to see kids like Elijah, who reads at a 2nd grade level and spends most of his time at home playing video games, actually excited to write! He was even one of the more conscientious ones when it came to revising and editing his letter. He wanted it to be great for his pen pal!

We just sent the letters last week, through the school's delivery system, and Friday, at the end of the day, my kids got to open their pen pal letters.

Oh. My. Goodness! You would have thought it was Christmas morning. Hardly any of the kids were sitting down. They were walking around the classroom, hands clutched to their letters, earnestly reading the words aloud. After every sentence, they'd look up grinning and exclaim to the nearest body, "Oh, he likes soccer, too!" "Oh, my gosh! He's a dare-devil!" "Teacher, she likes Monster High!"

And now, as much as I hated to spend precious instruction time deviating form the writing curriculum to work on these letters, I have to say it was worth it.

I'm looking forward to continuing the letter-writing. Mario and I decided to try for exchanging letters once a month, so I'll have a couple of weeks' wait, and a couple of weeks of the daily, "When are we going to write back to our pen pals, teacher?"

But that's okay. I can't wait to start again, either.

Nostalgia

I love the part
In fairy tales
That's very near the end
When all the kingdom cheers for their new Queen

And all is well
And all is good
And everyone belongs
And happily they're ever-aftering

But when I enter the kingdom of dreams
And face the promise of all I can be,
Will they see me as a heroine?
Tell me, will they let me in?
Won't someone let me in?

- Let Me In, Rigoletto

I'm feeling very nostalgic, and I started singing this song.

Maybe because I've been looking through old photos, like the one you see above.
Or the one you see below.

I've generally been very aware of change.

[But who isn't?]

And so much has changed.

Like this.

And this.

And this.

And I'm not sure if what I want is for all the change to be un-done, or for nothing else to change, or for something to change.

Have you ever felt like this? It's like you're caught in a limbo between the past and the future, and you're not quite sure how the present fits in.

It's moments like this that I become so aware of my need to cling to God.
He is stable -- my Rock.
His purposes are eternal -- my Guide.
His love is unchanging, and His joy is unfailing -- my Strength.

Car Accident Part III

All I wanted to add to Part I and Part II was a bit of insight into what God has spoken to me through the car accident. There is more to the story, and, if you ask me in person, I'd be more than happy to oblige your curiosity, but, for now, I just want to declare that I am a survivor of a rollover car accident!

The doctor said my angels must have been watching over me. I think he's right to a degree, but I hate to give the credit to angels. God allowed this to happen, and His hand was securing my safety through it.

Going back to how Part I began -- with me driving past the site of the accident, remembering it all, wondering what might have been -- a song came on the radio just as I was driving past. It's a song I've heard a lot of times before because, well, it plays on the radio, and I listen to the radio. But when it came on this time, it had a whole new meaning for me. God truly has been with me all this time.

And that's the end of this story.
And (dare I say it) the beginning of the rest of my life!

Car Accident Part II

If you missed part I, you can catch up on it here.

Forgive me for splitting the story up like this, but it took me so long to write the first part that it was my bedtime by the time I finished! And nobody wants me to stay up past my bedtime.

But, enough. On to part II.

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"Are you okay?" A muffled voice called out from behind me.

"Yes," I said through my hands.

Then, a knock to my right. "Are you okay?" A face was peering in at me through the passenger-side window. He hadn't heard me.

"Yes," I called, a little louder.

The face disappeared and, after the sound of rustling in the grass, it re-appeared to my left, at my window. "ARE - YOU - OKAY?"

"YES!"

"CAN - YOU - OPEN - THE - DOOR?"

I did open my door, to an older man who was so helpful. He stuck his body in through the door so that, when I unbuckled my seat belt, I would land on him instead of crashing down to the roof of the car (I know it's trippy to think backwards that way -- falling onto the roof). Then, he helped me roll out of the car door -- can I just say, I had to trust him on this one, because I was scared there would be broken glass all over the place, but he told me to roll out, so I did. And I didn't get any shards of glass in my side!

I stood up on the grass with the help of what seemed like dozens of hands. In reality, it was just the older man, a lady who appeared to be his wife, and a younger man who explained that he was a nurse. Together, they escorted me to their car, where I sat until medics and police arrived.

It wasn't until then, sitting, shivering, waiting, thoughts racing, that I thought about the other vehicle -- the one I had hit. Was the driver okay? Was the car okay? Were they angry with me?

I ended up remaining at the scene of the accident for about an hour and a half. I was checked out by 3 different medics, and found to be remarkably unscathed. Then, a police officer took over, a state trooper. He administered a sobriety test, took down all my information, and then took me to his car, where I could use his phone to call my dad and wait for him to pick me up (in the course of the accident, I had misplaced my phone and my glasses, so I was grateful for this police officer's guidance -- literally -- and phone). I was so blessed when I entered the police car to hear Positive Life Radio playing from his speakers -- only, maybe you can relate -- the songs provided the perfect atmosphere for me to sit and cry in.

I never did see the lady from the other car, or her car...or my car, for that matter. I think we walked past the lady on our way to the police car, but, because of the dark and my misplaced glasses, all I saw was a blur and a bunch of people crowded around a stretcher. I assumed the lady was on the stretcher, which really scared me.

After the state trooper went to check on her, I asked how she was.

"Well, when I first talked with her, she said she didn't need any medical attention. But after a while, you know, the adrenaline wears off, and she noticed some neck pain. So they're taking her to the hospital just to be safe."

I just nodded.

What a horrible feeling, to know you have caused someone else pain.

When my dad came for me, and we sat in his car, and the tow truck was driving away with my totaled 2002 Saturn, the state trooper approached my window.

"This is the bad part of my job." He proceeded to issue me a citation. Failure to stop at a red light, and all that.

"But keep your head up," he said, when he was finished. "It happens."

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To be continued (just once more - promise).

Car Accident, Part I

I drove through Cashmere today, like I do every day.

Some days, I can drive by, and I feel nothing. But today, as I drove through that intersection, something prompted me to look at the side of the road. I saw the tire marks in the grass, where it was matted down still, and even some debris strewn around. And then the thought came, -- what if...?-- and, before I knew it, I was in tears and keenly aware that God was with me that night, one week and a half ago.

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Thursday night, coming home from church, between 9:00 and 9:30 PM, I was approaching Cashmere and thinking about school...kind of emotional over a hurtful incident that came to mind. "Gosh, Dahlia," I told myself, "stop it!" as I removed my glasses to wipe my eyes.

Whether I ever put my glasses back on or not, I'll never know. Next thing I knew, there was a black car crossing the intersection directly in front me. Frightened, I realized I was in the middle of the intersection and that -- as a quick glance up confirmed -- the light was red.

Oh, no! Swerve to the left, getting past the car, CLANK of metal hitting metal. Hands gripped the wheel, foot floored the brake, but I watched helpless, as the highway spun out of sight, and I was propelled toward a grassy hill on the side of the road.

Immediately, I recognized this feeling. I felt it before, crossing Blewett Pass, when I slid on a patch of ice and my car U-ed around, out of my control, straight into the snowbank on the side of the road. Only, this time there was no snow to stop my car.

It went up onto the grass and flipped over -- "AAAAAHH!" I screamed, like when you're on a rollercoaster and you realize for the first time that you're about to go upside down. The flip sent a shower of dirt into my mouth and eyes. "Glass!" I thought, and covered my face with my hands. "Oh my gosh," I thought. "Will I still have time to make cream puffs tonight?"

And there I was. Upside down. Hands shielding my face. Seatbelt stretched taught across my chest and lap. Wheels spinning on the other side of the car floor, above my feet.

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To be continued.

Bearing fruit

"You guys," I told my students, "I want to apologize for being so grumpy today."

Agh. It was one of those days.

There was a spider on the floor.
The globe fell on a girl's head.
A boy stepped on said girl's leg.
She cried both times.
A boy asked to go to the office because he wasn't feeling well. The office sent him back, but he still didn't feel well. He was going to go to the office again - was halfway down the hall, when he realized it was recess, so he decided to stay, after all. Ha.

And -PROBABLY- this all grated on me just because I was frazzled to begin with-

Frazzled = not prepared = apologizing grumpy teacher.

And yet I called on the Lord, and He shifted my perspective, so that the end of the day was much better than the beginning of it.

The other day,  when I was feeling similar to how I felt today (ahem....nasty, snappy, grouchy, and - dare I say - crunchy), I skipped lunch and sat in my dark classroom, lights off, Bible in hand. And I read.

I am the vine. 
You are the branches.

Abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit
by itself,
unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you,
unless you abide in me.

I am the vine;
You are the branches.

(From John 15)

And I wrote down this scripture on a sticky note, stuck it to my desk. Cause I don't ever want to forget.
He is the vine.
I am the branch.
And I must bear fruit for these children to pick.

Funny.

We've been learning about fruits in science. :)

Tunes

There are two songs that I listen to over and over again in my classroom.

I don't know why I've been listening to almost exclusively songs in Spanish when I'm at school. I could probably do some psychological soul-searching to find out. Or I could just share my current top two songs with you.

1. Marcela Gandara's song, "Valiente y Esforzada."

It has been my anthem, since before school began. It's one of those songs that hits right to your core the first time you hear it, and you can't let it go.

Here's a rough translation of part of it:

I am strong and courageous, and I don't grow weary at all.

To my right and to my left, my eyes are on the goal:

Jesus, you have my gaze.

Jesus walks by my side.

I go with you, and I don't fear anything.

I am secure, cause you love me.

I trust in you because you guide my life

Every day you are faithful.

2. Rojo's song, "¿Donde, Como?" 

This one I think just gets me because of the catchy tune. Listen to it and tell me it's not catchy! I haven't actually learned anything except the chorus so far. But you can bet I will.

There's a peek into what I'm listening to. Please share when you catch a tune that wiggles your ear.

Cherries, teaching, and Washington, D.C.

How long has it been since my last post?

I'm scared to do the math. 

I assure you, it has been time well spent.

6 weeks working in the cherry warehouse, with my cousins.

During this time, I was hired for a 4th grade teaching position at a local elementary school! There is a story behind this, but, seeing as how the time I've allotted for myself to write this post is almost up, it will have to wait for another time. [Sorry!]

After the cherries, and after a week of making a mess of my classroom, my brother and I headed out for a 10-day D.C./Virginia trip! SO much fun! We had been planning it for a long time, and, even though at first I felt guilty for leaving my messy classroom for so long, I believe it was worthwhile.

Allow me to throw some photos at ya.

We had a red-eye flight to D.C. If you've done one of these before, you understand how we felt -- red eyes, indeed.

Remember the Titans? We had the privilege of seeing T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia. [Not actually where the movie was filmed, as we were disappointed to discover.]

We spent LOTS of time in the American History museum [6 hours, to be exact.] So fascinating. George Washington was there to greet us at one of the levels [but I honestly can't remember if we saw him at the American History or the Natural History museum...I guess the former makes more sense].

My primo Silve accompanied us when he was free. Here he is pictured with my hermano in front of the Washington monument.

See Mr. Lincoln in the distance? In front of him is the World War II memorial. Close-ups follow.

Library of Congress, ceiling.

One of the best tours we had was that of the Capitol. Because we requested it through our senator Patty Murray, my brother and I got a personalized tour from one of Murray's interns, who was from Seattle!

Mt. Vernon [home of THE George Washington] ended up being very close to where we were staying in Alexandria, Virginia.

George Washington's tomb at Mount Vernon:

Soldier's Home, a.k.a. Lincoln's Cottage [where Lincoln and his family stayed for part of his presidency. It is just 3 miles from the White House, I believe].

The women's memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. While we were there, a young man dressed in a suit walked in. He left behind a bouquet of roses. 

The highlight of our trip: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Wow.

Okay, so this next photo might seem out of place. Let me explain. After our tour of the Pentagon, we visited the Pentagon memorial honoring those who died from the plane crashing into it on 9/11. Just outside the memorial was an outhouse. THE fanciest outhouse I have ever seen. Proof:

Supreme Court:

Iwo Jima memorial:

Our final stop we took while on our way to Virginia Beach: Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. See his grave below, followed by his house.

That's all I have time for today. 

Coming soon: classroom before and after photos, and a full report from your very own 4th grade teacher. :)