Great Falls...exploring outdoor DC

As I type, Dan is in New York meeting with a bunch of different bank guys in NYC. He has worked so hard to get his own contacts within the industry and has done a great job. This is an important trip and day 1 went really well. The banks that Dan wants to work for do not recruit out of BYU for the position that he would really like, so he is doing what it takes to put his name and face out there so that they will give him a chance and, fingers crossed, an elusive interview. 

This is what our journey is all about. Seeing him fill a two day schedule full of appointments through his own networking was definitely one of those small victories we are SO thankful for. We'll see where its leads...

So this past weekend was a long weekend for Dan (government jobs rock) but not for me. Lame, right? 

Since I don't work until noon, we decided to get out and about on Friday morning. We FINALLY finished going through the American History Museum. That thing is unreal. We saw the original Star Spangled Banner and that was a pretty cool experience. It must be all this DC spirit, but I almost teared up looking at the flag that was raised to signify that we as a nation had survived. 

Ok enough of my DC-ness. 

Then I spent the rest of the day working while Dan chilled....typical. Haha. 

On Saturday we got up and went to the DC Temple which was amazing as usual. I am really going to miss that Temple. I have really felt a special spirit there and have learned so much. 

Then I had planned a surprise outdoor adventure for Dan. I was quite proud of myself since Dan loves outdoor activities and I found a great place to go called Great Falls National Park. Well, the surprise turned out to be a bit of a disaster due to the fact that there was supposed to be a hike involved and Dan forgot his tennis shoes at work (there is a gym there that he uses in the morning). 

There was horrible traffic on the way there so it took us an hour, and we were STARVING so we started on my picnic in the car. Then we got lost (darn GPS) but nothing a quick stop at the gas station to try and understand the guy's directions didn't fix.

When we FINALLY got there it turned out the "hike" I thought existed was more of a nature walk, but oh well. Worked out well since all Dan had were sperry's.

BUT after all of the mini disasters we got there and saw this. 

The Great Falls. They were HUGE and pretty much breathtaking. It was well worth the hassle. We enjoyed the waterfalls, had the rest of our picnic, and meandered on our nature trail previously known as "the hike". We even participated in a man hunt for a lost child. He was found and all was well. 

We are so grateful to spend this fall here in DC. It is so beautiful with the changing leaves and cool crisp weather. I fear winter is right around the corner so we are taking advantage of every fall day we can.