...and I thought I loved you then: Washington DC

I got a phone call at the beginning of August from Bret's mom asking if I wanted to go to Washington DC for the Glenn Beck "Return to Honor" rally with her, and Bret's sisters. A girl's weekend in Washinton DC?-How can you say no to that? Bret and I are not ones to travel or get away. The mom guilt is hard to overcome, especially when Bret is the one who really needed the break. He insisted I go. I'm so glad I did!!! Just being on the airplane and reading for a few hours was MAGNIFICENT!! What a treat. But it only got better from there!!

This is our beautiful hotel on Embassy row. Our hotel room wasn't ready when we got there so we were given the Presidential suite. It was huge and beautiful. What fun.

The rally was a non-political event that honored soldiers, honored those who exhibited faith, hope and charity and called for each of us to return to a life of honor, integrity, honesty and a return to a life that honors God. It was incredibly uplifting and I felt a great hope knowing there were so many there cheering and clapping for a return to those things. I was amazed by the stories of love, sacrifice and service that were told.

This is Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King. Her father was also murdered during the fight for civil rights. She was fantastic. There were many on stage that day that had very different views politically from Glenn Beck but felt it was important to make a statement about a return to devotion to God and the destructiveness of concerning ourselves with answering to man instead of God.

After the rally, thousands stayed to listen to Jo Dee Messina, John Rich and Keni Thomas, all performing patriotic songs.

I was amazed the entire event (for hours before and after) by the kindness, civility, friendliness and most especially by the respect of those attending this event. This photo of the grass is indicative of what the event looked like just minutes after the rally. I could have taken pictures of every square inch from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument (by the way it was packed with people the whole way!) and I never saw one scrap of paper the entire way. As a matter of fact, one of the men sitting next to us stood up and helped the volunteer that came to take the trash from the trash can near us. He came several times throughout the day to do this. It was a very uplifting day!