Not so Wordless Wednesday...

Most of the time when I do Wordless Wednesday posts, there's always a back story to go along with the photo.  I can't resist sharing this one.  Instead of going home for Thanksgiving in 2009 (it was too expensive), I went up to Norfolk, VA to visit my brother (he's on the Enterprise).  I hadn't seen him in at least a year, and we were finally stationed within four hours of each other.  We made plans to spend the holiday weekend in Washington, DC.  I'd never been, in all of my 29 years, so it was a first and I was really excited.  DH was still in Afghanistan, so it was just my brother and I.

Thank you Cracker Barrel!

We went out the first night in Norfolk, to a local country bar.  In my world, you've always gotta hit the local country bars!  :)  The next day (Thanksgiving), we headed up to DC.  Along the way we stopped at Cracker Barrel, where we had our Thanksgiving dinner - gotta love Cracker Barrel!  No traditional fare for me, I opted for Chicken and Dumplings, my favorite!

We drove straight on through to DC, and after checking into our room at Fort Belvoir, we did the DC monuments at night.  I can't tell you how beautiful it was and I am so thankful that I got to see them like that.  Yes, it was cold and a bit rainy, but it was peaceful and crowd-free.  It was just my brother and I, wandering our nation's capitol, with so much history illuminated only by spotlights.

Prior to this trip, we discussed my must-sees, since my brother had already been there before, multiple times.  I wanted to see the monuments, the Holocaust museum, the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Arlington, and the Marine Corps museum (which I put off until DH got back from A'stan).

On day two in DC, we spent the morning wandering around, going through NMAI (a little too fast, but I'll get back there), and spent the bulk of our time in the Holocaust museum.  That night we dined and danced at the O Club, something my brother wanted to experience.  

I had to have my picture taken in front!

The last day in town we went to Arlington.  We really got lucky there.  A HOG friend of mine has a husband who was buried there and when you are there visiting someone, they give you a pass to drive through the gate.  That made our trip a lot more efficient.  I took pictures of her husband's grave to share with her later.  I was able to go to Section 60, where all of the new veterans and KIAs are buried.  That was a really moving setting, especially when I spied a younger woman who was clearly crying and spending time with a loved one.

Thanksgivings tend to blend together in my memory, but this one never will.  My brother was able to gift me with such a memorable trip and I am eternally grateful for the experience.  May you all have a wonderful holiday this year, surrounded by loved ones!  If you should be without your servicemember, I hope that you are able to make new memories with your family and friends!