GOOD MORNING EVERYONE ..

Hope everyone had a good nights sleep and ready to share all the excitement of the week.

First and foremost we want to thank you for all your support and confidence with the Team Leaders to keep everyone informed and make the right decisions regarding the safety of all as we learned of the horror at the Boston Marathon.

During the week we experienced so much about our country, our history and ourselves. We laughed - we cried .. We talked - we sang .. We lost stuff - We found stuff .. It certainly was a journey we will never forget!

It was an honor to have the opportunity to share this week with such a fine group of young people.

Your Friends

Francie
Joel
Phil
And all the hardworking Team Leaders

            This morning we had to get up extra early to go to the Today Show. After that, we went to the Top of the Rock. It was really cool. The elevator up and down was really cool, the top was clear and it was dark and it was showing a short clip on the ceiling above. At the top, there were observation decks, where you could see the entire city. It was so cool.

            Then, we all had some free time to go shopping. We went to the M&Ms store, where I accidentally broke an ornament… Woops. But they were fine with it. Then we went to some clothes stores, which was unappealing to me so I just sat at the front.

            After shopping, we went to the Hard Rock Café.  It was so cool, and the food was so good. Above the stairs down to the restaurant part, they had this giant fake guitar, with neon lights as the strings that went to the beat of the music playing. After that, we got on the busses. And now, we are on our way home!

~Savannah

Today Show this morning.

Times Square

Lunch at Hard Rock Cafe

NYC

Holocaust Museum

Entering the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

WW II Veterans talking to us at the Memorial

Day Five ...

The first thing we did yesterday was see the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial. They were all very cool. The Korean Memorial was cool with the faces carved on the wall, and the statues in the middle of the garden. The Vietnam Memorial was sad, with all the names on the wall, sorted by the time and date of death. The Lincoln Memorial was very cool, although the first time we went it had to be evacuated for a training drill. But, it was opened back up and we went. We got to see a re-enlistment, and an honorary discharge.

            After that we went to the Smithsonian Museums and the National Archives. The first one my group did was the National Archives, and we say the original Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and Constitution. It was really cool to see the original documents.  

            The second museum my group did was the Air and Space, which was fascinating. It was really cool to see all he different kinds of planes and ships. There was this interactive flight simulator I went on, where if you turn the plane upside down, it turned you upside down, and if you were rolling the plane, it would roll you. It was extremely fun, but short.

            The last thing my group did was the Museum of Natural History. We went through the fossils, bones, and the gem wings. The fossils were really cool. There were dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. The bones wing had a lot of bones of modern day animals, and in the back, there were mummies and other ancient Egypt stuff. It was really amazing to see. Then we went to this special exhibit called Written in Bones. It was about forensic anthropology, and how just by the bones of a man or a woman, you can tell their entire life. It was cool.

            After that, and after we got all dressed up, we went to Toby’s dinner theatre to see Fiddler on the Roof. It was a long, but funny and interesting play. It was cool because before the play started, we ate. The stage is in the lower middle, and all the seats are circled around it. The food was on the stage, and then they moved it for the play. It was extremely cool way to end the day.

~Savannah

And so another day begins ...

Great Great Day! and ... We are exhausted! Cya tomorrow. Lots of fun pics of today in the photo album.

DC Attitude!

Discussing the Freedom Tour with a hotel guest early this morning.

Marching at the Battle of Gettysburg

Today is the 15^th of April, the fourth day of the Freedom Tour. Today was very thought provoking and emotional. In the morning we visited the fields, the woods on the grounds of the Battle of Gettysburg. This was incredibly beautiful considering it was the place of a horrible war.

The things we learned there, while very emotional, didn’t really get through to me until later at Arlington National Cemetery. As we rushed to the top of a very large hill to see the changing of the guards, the rows and rows of white, glossy stones had little to no thought in my mind. But when we walked down the hill after the Changing of the Guard, those glossy rocks had meaning. Every grave was a person with a story and a history, but no future. None of those people would walk home again and hug a loved one, but why? The answer is Freedom. Every person that died had a reason; freedom of rights, freedom of speech, freedom for their families. They died for us, so we could believe in our beliefs, say what we want and raise families the way we want. Walking through the graves I saw the looks in my friend’s faces, watched them fully understand what was around us, and watched as they held back tears.

We finished the night by seeing the Capitol and visiting memorials. We saw the Marines Memorial (Iwa Jima) and learned their stories. The second memorial we saw was the Pentagon Memorial. Again people were grim with the realization and the sadness. Many people sat by themselves or in small groups….thinking. The reason people fight for Freedom so that others can return to their families and be loved. I think this is the reason of the Freedom Tour, so we can realize just what Freedom means. Just because its called Freedom, it isn’t free. ------Ali

Changing of the Guard at Arlington

Marine Corp Memorial in DC

Hi everyone. We wanted to let you all know we are fully aware of the tragedy in Boston and we are all safe. We are fortunate to have law enforcement and public safety officials as team leaders who have access to reliable security information. 

We just left the Capitol and have not experienced any disruptions. Should any of today's events cause us the least bit concern we will alter our plans accordingly.

We have experienced similar events in the past and want to assure you that, as then, the safety of your child is our foremost concern

Thanks for caring and we do understand your concerns.

Joel, Francie & Phil

In Gettysburg, we had a tour guide come on the bus and show us around. We got to see the battlefields, which was really amazing to see. The first time we got out we all went up and saw a cannon from 1863, and a few other kids and I got to pretend to shoot the cannon. After that we all lined up and pretended we were doing the line drills that the North and the South would have done back then. After that we got back on the bus, and drove around and looked at all the battlefields and some of the small monuments. Then we got to go up Little Round Top, and looked down at the landscape. It was a really pretty sight. After that we got back on the bus and headed to DC.

White Bus at Little Round Top

Canon Drill at Gettysburg

More from Yesterday

The Amish tour was cool, and we got to see a lot of nice farms with animals. One farm even had camels! After we had a bus tour, we went to an all you can eat Amish buffet. It was amazing! Everything was really good, and I think everyone completely stuffed there faces with food. After we were done with the dinner, they brought out dessert. There were chocolate pies, apple dumplings, and ice cream. The apple dumplings were amazing. They were peeled and cored apples, with a cinnamon candy in the middle, wrapped in bread. It was so good.

            After dinner, we all went back to the hotel early so we could swim and socialize. The pool was really really warm and crowded, but it was still really fun. All of us girls, and a few boys, were having fun jumping in at the same time and making huge splashes. It was a really cool third day.

~Savannah