Washington D.C. Round 1

Hi Friends!! If i had to describe this post in one word it would be: WOW!!! The girls decided to take the day and hit D.C. Yikes!! It was a dream come true, it's crazy to see things you've always heard about but never thought you'd get to see!! So we started by riding the metro to Arlington Cemetery! What a humbling and spiritual place!! I really enjoyed it, the unknown solider was my favorite part! Watching the solider march and even watching the switching of the solider's was incredible! While they were doing that a fleet of planes flew over and represented a fallen solider, it was so sad but a humbling experience. After walking through Arlington we headed over the bridge to the Lincoln Memorial and towards the Mall. The Lincoln Memorial was awesome and packed! From there your view of everything was perfect! After that we walked around the different memorials and buildings. We walked up the mall and towards the White House! That was pretty surreal! Then guess what??? We saw Obama outside playing with his dog!! Syke just kidding, who cares about Obama!! We saw the Washington Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Capitol, and put our feet in the WWII memorial!! What an amazing, great, hilarious experience!! I LOVE D.C.

Our 'Free Ride' 

I'm sure your curious as to what i mean by hilarious and i will tell you...

Story of my life: 

As we were walking towards the Jefferson Memorial i looked over and saw a couple paying the guy who gave them on a ride on his bike. As i watched, one of his bills flew through the wind towards me... so here is the awkward part, as i saw the money flying towards me i thought i'd be a good Samaritan and try and grab it... Do you know how hard it is try and grab something that is flying in the wind? Do you know how awkward you look running after something that you can't catch up to?? hahaha have no fear, you look like your having a major spasm in front of a thousand people!! Yup it would happen to me! So as i was having my spasm, a great looking kid passes me on a segway, yelling 'its mine'... which surprised me and i stopped running/spasming! He eventually caught up to it and brought it back to me...which it wasn't mine, and the couple that lost it gave it to us for working so hard on saving it. I felt so silly cause the cute guy gave it to me, and all i did was spasm out about it! hahaha so moral of the story... Don't chase after a $1 bill in front of the cute boy on the segway... it was hilarious, the things i would do for money... guess you had to be there!! :)

Free ride:

As we were walking towards the White House, one of the guys on his bike offered us a ride. We refused of course cause it cost money and we know how to walk. So he throws the 'free' word out there and finally we climbed in! It turned out to actually be WAY fun! (Hence the ugly photo of me) So then i payed it forward and gave him my $1 bill!! It was a blast!!

Future life:

So D.C. was incredible and i actually really fell in love with the energy there! As we were walking to the metro we walked past the Washington Memorial and i loved it! Why you may ask... everywhere you looked there were teams of young adults playing softball and runners everywhere and it looked like SOOO much fun!! I wanted to join!! Plus there was beautiful people EVERYWHERE...and by that i mean gorgeous guys!! Everyone was so full of energy and having the time of their lives! It made me want to be a part of something big like that!! So here is my hypothetical plan... cause who am i kidding i can't leave my family for too long... anyways if I ever get to a point in my life where i feel like i need a change and i am single, i am going to move to D.C. Yup this is what i would do... move there, get a dog, get a job, then go running and play softball on Tuesday nights and then go party with all my friends. Then do it all over again the next day!! haha cute right? Just a little fun thought I had!! Guess we'll see!! :)

P.S. Stay tuned cause guess what?? We're going to NEW YORK this weekend.....YAHOOO!!!

Love You All!! 

Beach Dayz!! The Atlantic!!

Welcome Friends!! Yesterday we took a trip to Delaware's coast  and had ourselves a awesome beach day!! For those of you who know me really well you know how much i adore the ocean!! Hate swimming with fish, but love the ocean...weird logic i know!! I love swimming in it, seeing the animals that live in it (from a distance of course haha) and just being lazy and relaxing by it! I have swam in a lot of the beaches on the west coast (the Pacific Ocean) and now i finally get to check off swimming in the Atlantic!! Yaay!! It was a blast! The ocean was amazing, and the coast was so fun to drive past with all it's little shops and beaches!! Delaware truly has some fun little towns! Nothing bring me greater happiness and excitement then catching a wave in the ocean!! Enjoy!! 

P.S. Please excuse our cheesiness!! Haha!! 

Good Morning Baltimore... and the Air Show!!

On Saturday we headed out to Baltimore for the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 where they were having the Sailabration!! Ships and boats from all over the world came to the inner harbor and celebrated! Everyone came out to see them and the air show that the blue angels did! Which was so awesome! It's crazy how structured they were. I learned that they never look forward as they fly, they just follow the leader! It was so much fun and we had pretty good seats! We did get a little fried though, but it was worth it! Seeing the boats up close was cool too, they even had the last surviving boat from Pearl Harbor! This little outing gave me a great view of Baltimore city!! It was great! My favorite part was Little Italy! The houses were awesome!! I loved it!!

Annapolis and Amish Market!!

Hello Again!!

I know your so proud of me for being so quick with another blog post!! I'm actually quiet proud myself!! So last Thursday the girls ventured out after a few days of recovering and headed over to Annapolis! Along the way we stopped at an Amish Market!! Coolest people EVER!! The market was also super amazing! They make everything handmade and the food their is delicious!! We walked around there for a bit and then got lunch!! After that we headed over to Annapolis, the capitol of Maryland!! This town has so much character! I loved it!! It's so cute and right along the water!! It was a great little trip!!

Are We There Yet???

Hey Friends!!!

I am so sorry that it's taken me forever to finally make a post cause i know you all are waiting on the edge of your seats to hear about my exciting life! Funny thing is, for once i wouldn't be surprised! Cause my life could not be anymore amazing and exciting!! I feel SO blessed!! My life has changed so much this past week and a half and i have seen things that i have always dreamed about!! It's crazy the moment you realize you are living your dreams!!  So i will begin my story by telling you about my 7 days and 6 nights adventure across the country!! And WOW was it an adventure!! Actually were are going to take a little detour before i get into that and fully explain why this adventure is happening/and how it came about!! So i have this wonderful, beautiful, amazing friend who is the main reason why this trip is even possible! Her name is Kelly Jayne Ralston and i just love her!! During one of our random run ins on campus we got to talking about what our plans were for our summer and of course i had no idea what i was going to do after graduation! Get a job, i guess...lame!! And she had mentioned that her family was out in Maryland because of her dads work and she wasn't sure if she wanted to go out alone! I had always loved the idea of traveling the world and the east coast was at the top of my list. Me and Kel at first joked about us both going out there to live with her parents and slowly it became more real and serious!! I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I WAS!!! What an amazing opportunity!! I was ecstatic!! I've always wanted to go to the east coast, so when asked why i am doing this?? I answer, Why not?? Who wouldn't love exploring and seeing everything there is to see along the east coast!! So that is why i am here and how this whole thing got started!!! I know your super jealous!! Ok back to my actual adventure! Here is the run down of each day:

Tuesday June 5th:

Our First Picture Of The Trip!! Mama Jayne, Me and Kel girl!!

 This is our crew's first picture!! I know, we're babes!! We were so excited!! We drove 9 hours our first day to Denver Colorado!! Driving through the Rockies was one of the coolest experiences ever!! They are beautiful to drive through and, might i add very fun!! There were about  4(ish) tunnels that we were able to drive through! As a kid at heart, of course that became the best thing of that drive!! We finally arrived in Denver and not a moment too soon!!




Wednesday June 6th:

Today was another long 9hr drive day... through Kansas... yup it sounds just ask exciting as it was!! That night we drove into Kansas City!! :)

Thursday June 7th:

The adventures begin!! We stopped to see the Kansas Temple, which was so great!! Kel's brother helped do the landscaping so it was exciting for us to see his work! It's a beautiful Temple! After that we headed to Independence Missouri where we toured the visiting center and learned about the Saints that lived there! Our next stop was Liberty Jail! What an amazing experience...  i can't tell you how many times the scriptures that came out of this moment of history has helped me in my life. It is thought that Liberty Jail is a place of suffering but in reality it was a place of peace. After the Jail, we stopped at the sight of Far West where the Temple was going to be built. And last but not at all least, Adam-ondi- Ahman! THE COOLEST PLACE EVER!! I won't go into details about this sacred place but i will recommend everyone to go there!! The feelings you will feel there will change your life!! This was an amazing day... and the perfect precursor for the next day!!

Kansas Temple!!

I loved touching everything!!

The visitors center in Independence, Missouri 

Liberty Jail

Far West

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Stepping into the valley

Then realizing we were trespassing!!

Friday June 8th:

One of my favorite days of this trip... Nauvoo, Illinois! What a beautiful place full of spirit! I loved learning the stories and seeing the place I've heard about for so long. The spirit was so strong and being able to picture the people that had lived there so long ago was an amazing experience! I loved it! Carthage Jail was also an incredible place to see, it's crazy how they still had all the original wood work and doors. What happened there was a tragedy but i am grateful to have been given the opportunity to see it and experience the feelings i felt. 'Honored and blest be his ever great name'

Nauvoo Temple!

Best Friends!

Touching the Temple!

My Family!

Then we locked our keys in the car... hahahahaha!!

The Mississippi River... we have been in it!!

Carthage Jail

Amazing Place!

Saturday June 9th:

We explored St. Louis this day!! What a fun city!! Before we got to the Gateway Arch we took a little detour to Greece and visited the Parthenon! Such a cool place!! I loved it!! It was HUGE!! Then we drove past the graffiti wall and headed to the Gateway Arch!! Which was even BIGGER... but so AWESOME!! We rode up in these egg like elevator things and were able to see outside the windows that were 630 feet high!! It was kinda freaky but so much fun!! I also met some super cool people that i rode with in my little egg down!! It was a blast!!

Of Course... Touching the Arch

Gateway Arch!

Riding in the egg to the top!

630 Feet High

The ground... i was a little freaked out!

The Parthenon!

We took a detour to Greece!!

Sunday June 10th:

We drove into Nashville, Tennessee this day!! Yeehaw!!! What a fun filled Country City!! Of course they knew that we were coming so they threw a music festival that day!! It was so much fun!! There were bands playing everywhere and people giving out free stuff EVERYWHERE!!! Which of course i loved, yup i'm one of those people!! It was so exciting and we even got to see some celebrities!! haha ok we sort of saw a celebrity, you know the girl from When in Rome? The black haired secretary? Her real life name is Kate Miccuci... look it up!! And yes i turned into a weirdy, i was so excited!! I went as far as to touch her bag, yup when i said weirdy i wasn't joking!! haha!! We arrived into Nashville at the perfect time!!

Nashville

Country Music Festival

A Concert!

Monday June 11th:

During the last stretch of the trip we drove all the way to Virginia and stopped to see Thomas Jefferson's house!! Oh boy was it a cool house, he was so inventive!! That's Me and Kel with good ole Tom!! Please forgive us for how we look... but i'm pretty sure you would look the same after driving 7 days across the country!! Although i do have to say our country is full of beauty! I was actually super surprised at how beautiful most states are! So green and full of either valleys or big hills! I really enjoyed seeing the different states with their own beautiful characteristics! I loved the green!!

Thomas Jefferson's House!

Our good friend Tom!

We finally arrived in Crownsville, Maryland on Monday night!! What an incredible feeling to realize how big of a blessing it has been getting here. This whole thing could not have fallen into place any better! I now call the Ralston family my own family and their beautiful house my home!! I have to say how much i have fallen in love with the Ralston Clan!! They have become such blessings in my life and i hope to one day return the favor! I love them as if they were my own!! This whole thing would not be possible without them!! Love you guys!!

P.S. Even though i am out here having the time of my life i do have to give a shout out to my family!! I love and miss them so much!! AND GUESS WHAT??? I BECAME A AUNT AGAIN!!! I am sooo excited!! I love her so much and can't wait to meet Hannah Mae McFarland in a couple months!! (it's the hardest thing to miss when a niece is born... just fyi)!! Anyways love you family and know that I am loving my life!! It can't get any better than this!!

Anyways peeps!! I promise to post every time i go see something new!! I love you all and thanks for reading about my adventures!! Come again!!

XOXO
-Marz