Buried under senior photo shoots and the busy-ness of autumn, there were some travel adventures that I didn't share with you all! So I'm bringing them out for your enjoyment! Five. Months. Later.... Anyone remember when the trees looked like this? :)

I like to travel. I like everything about travel. I like road-trips. I like driving. I like sightseeing.. museums.. history.. monuments.. people-watching.. Yup. I like it all. :) When a couple homeschooled friends wanted to go on a day trip to our nation's capital, my response was an enthusiastic "YES!"

Not all history is positive. In fact, many historical events involve war and death and human cruelties. Someone once said, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." I am resolved to learn from history.

First stop: The Holocaust Museum.
Several hours of sobering, mind-numbing, heart-ripping facts. Photographs that turn the stomach. Videos inducing horror at the atrocities. Words that convince me of the inherent sinfulness of man.

"First they came for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me."
by Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945

We will not forget.

As we walked through the streets enroute to our next stop, I turned to gaze at the Washington monument. My heart dropped. And I was instantly transported back.. to September 11, 2001. Images of fire, planes and death.

I was startled. 9/11 is the most vivid national tragedy I know. Terrorism is something real in my lifetime. That momentary fear solidified my understanding of the Holocaust. Walking through a museum is one thing. Understanding death on a large scale is quite another.

We will never forget.

Next Stop: National Museum of American History.