Recently I went to Mt. Vernon, home of our grand and wonderful first President, George Washington. Besides my deep and abiding love for Mr. Washington, I was filled with all sorts of patriotic feelings for the nation and its founding. It is such an excellent place.

Oldest tree on the property and the Potomac

The grounds were so lovely! 

 They have many historic things at the house, including the bed GW passed away on, some of his original inventions, documents, and personal effects. One of the coolest pieces of history, I felt, was the key to the Bastille, given to GW by the Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette said that the key to the Bastille was a symbol of freedom, and he wanted to give it to the Father of freedom and liberty. It hangs in the entrance of the mansion. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside! I wish I could have broken that rule....

More of the expansive and lovely grounds! 

 The grounds were so lovely. They reminded me of the English countryside, but more foresty.
You can tell that this was really the home of a man who worked. Whereas the old mansions of Europe are all pretty and clean and for looksies, this mansion glorified in it's functionality. The upper gardens, lower gardens, fruit gardens, pastures for the animals and barn were what made Mt. Vernon pretty and wholesomely American. But maybe that's me projecting. I don't know, I just know that I loved it.

The tomb.

This is the tomb where the Washington family rests. I think it's George on the right, Martha on the left, but I actually can't quite remember. Either way, their old bones rest here, and it makes me so happy that the Father of my nation got to be buried on his land that he loved so much.
When you go to Mt Vernon, be sure to buy some cherry jam. They make it there, and isn't it a law that you have to do something cherry related when you're at George Washington's home?

That Awesome moment....

That awesome moment when you talk to your perfectly hearty and healthy Nana, and she says, "I hope I live to see you get married!" and then proceeds to tell you the family history of various spinsters in the family and the ages they finally married.
Guys, I come from a long line of Wives and Mothers. It's such a shame the tradition is going to die with me. C'est la guerre!!

I could totally work that cap and lace. Gotta work on that  "Get the  heck outta here" face though. 

The Introvert Myth

It seems that introverts get a lot of flack for being...well, introverted. And since these past two month have been a whirlwind of busy and adventure and newness, I have had to schedule alone-time. Yes, this introvert cat meme understands me!
Let me take a minute to clear something up for them that don't know: introverts are not necessarily shy! INTROVERTS ARE NOT NECESSARILY SHY. That's like the biggest myth about us. ever. In fact I have met many a shy extrovert. It happens. I have never been shy, but if you put me around people non-stop for more than 8 hours a day, pretty soon I become unbearably snarky and huffy. yeah, huffy.
And extroverts seem to have a real issue with people who seem to just want to get away. I'll give them that though. It seems humanity evolved to be in a community, and I'll bet you introvert cavewomen went along with it  in order to get along and probably cause their husbands and childrens were all like "come plaaaaaay with meeeeee!!!" and really, who can resist that?
So, in a shameless plug for introverts everywhere, if I say I want to do something alone, or not play with you, or simply don't talk about awesome things in my life, it's not you, my extrovert friend. It's me. We can still be friends though.