Another year has passed us by! There are times when it seems like we have just walked out of the Orlando Temple with grins that stretched across our whole faces. But in actuality we've experienced so much during married life. People said to watch out for that first year, but our biggest moments of trial didn't appear until later.
    But it's still been so good, so so good. The difficult bits can be deflected when you're bound to a quipster. I still can't get over how much more fun life is with Graham by my side. He is my eternal beacon of hope, determination and goofiness. He really does make me feel like I can get through anything and I need that. 3 married years. Are we even newlyweds anymore? ;) Thanks for everything you do for our family, G! It certainly doesn't go unnoticed and unappreciated. I admire you in so many ways and feel proud to be your companion. You've been my greatest asset in dealing with the hard times and helping me realize the good, there truly is so much of it. You are my best friend in all the world, simply a gem. Compliments abound because I think you deserve them; I love you forever & a day. Happy 3rd anniversary.
 



                          

YEAR TWO

    It’s been two years of happiness and craziness. Two years filled with

high strung emotions of every kind. Two years filled with experiences that have

left us both breathless and heartbroken. We have done things together I had never

dreamed before!

    We met by coincidence, we loved instantly and we have been inseparable ever since. 

And sometimes late at
night I laugh uncontrollably

 that I fell head over heels for a man

named after a

cracker.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

WASHINGTON DC

    WASHINGTON DC. If you're going for a minute less than 10 days be prepared to feel rushed or skip entirely over half of the things you planned to do. That aside, be ready for a monumental time! (Puny, right? Come on, y'all!) Beware, I am completely prepared to be full of spoilers and my personal tips.

    Wow! Graham and I celebrated our anniversary in style, let me tell you. Of course we booked with our favorite hotel chain: The Omni (Shoreham). The always make us feel like high-class aristocrats, I always feel the need to don a ball gown as we shimmy under the vibrant chandeliers! Graham told our concierge that we were celebrating and had always have a wonderful experience with Omni Properties! That was well received and guess what they did free of charge? We were placed on the top floor, with a great view, voucher for free drinks every morning and they even sent up chocolate covered strawberries for the occasion. Seriously, book with the Omni; they'll never do you wrong.

    So I have been bursting at the seams to share everything we have even going through! It has been very fun, with lots of hectic moments followed by tender mercies. 

    I was completely surprised to find out what a tourist location it was. There was many, many languages spoken on every corner. There was always a huge variety of museums, monuments and shops to amble around. The best part is that almost everything is free! Yippee! I did a collaboration of dances upon discovering that fact. +1 for the Alexander's.

Now that we've got that out of the way, here's my suggestions if you're up for visiting this grandiose town.

    

TRAVEL:

- Easy enough, use the Metro! Assuming you're on a leisure trip this cheap underground route will get you just about anywhere you need to go. Grab a map and ask locals until you get the hang of it, after a few go around it's simple. This recommendation saved us the price of a rental car, and each trip took approximately $.50- $3.00 per person, depending on where you want to go.

If you have more time/money I would also suggest taking a tour bus, this eliminates wasted time and some are guided. We rode The Big Bus, we were huge fans of the guided night tour, but being the most popular bus it was known to get crowded. 

FOOD:

-The temptation to eat at the convent hot-dog stands or room service is overwhelming when you haven't taken the time to break from your sightseeing. The best route we found was to snag up reasonably priced things at stores like CVS and carry them to cut down on price. We actually ran have starved to a quick service counted and bought  two hot dogs and a drink for $14. I nearly passed out. 

SIGHTS:

This one is the hardest since it depends on where your interests lie. Nearly everything in DC is historical, so my initial suggestions would be:

-Lincoln Monument

-Washington Monument (if open)

-Natural History Museum

-Air and Space Museum 

-American History Museum

-National Cathedral 

-Holocaust Museum

-Arlington Cemetery

  Each of those are popular but I would say to just pick a few in you're on a time constraint. Graham and I desperately wanted to see the National Archives and National Zoo, alas everything is so great that you'll need plenty of one to explore. So just pick what you like and go from there!


All in all, DC, you're a 10.

YEAR ONE.

   One year ago today I knelt across an alter and pledged to join my life with Graham Scott Alexander for all eternity. It was a beautiful sunny day in Orlando; I wore my bridal gown and he wore a pink bow tie. It was the most magical day of my life.





Graham,
I love you.
I love your wisdom.
I love your upbeat attitude.
I love your very handsome face.
I love your dedication to the gospel.
I love being your wife.