"Now he belongs to the ages..."

If you know me at all, you know that I am totally enamored with Abraham Lincoln. When Ashley asked me what I wanted to do while I was in D.C. I said, "I want to see the Lincoln Monument. Beyond that, I'm okay seeing as much or as little as you want." And I meant that seriously. That's why this was such an incredible day. Yes, I got to see the Lincoln Monument, which I'll talk about in a bit, but it was so much more than that. We started off the day at Ford's Theater, and I felt like my entire day was focused on the legacy on Lincoln. It was reflective, very personal, and again--one of the most memorable days of my life.

I'm only going to explain a few pictures. The rest should be self-explanatory.

This is the actual clothing Lincoln was wearing when he was shot.

This pillow, although blurry, has blood stains from where Lincoln's head rested on it.

The gun with which Lincoln was shot.

The theatre box John Wilkes Booth entered to assassinate our 16th president. The picture in front is the actual picture of George Washington that was placed outside the box to designate it ready for Lincoln's arrival. The Park Ranger explained that in the 19th Century, when people didn't have a Presidential Seal to use, they'd put out a picture of Washington.

It was surreal to be there, thinking about what happened that fateful night of April 14, 1865. Looking at the theatre box, you could perfectly imagine the events of that night. It gave me the chills and made me cry. More than anything, it really allowed me to feel connected to my historical hero.

That feeling of connection only grew as we ventured out to the Lincoln Monument

I know this isn't the best picture, but it was the first glimpse I caught of the monument. Again, it started the tears flowing.

I couldn't help but find the center line in

this picture amazingly ironic :

"The world will little note nor long remember what we say here..."

(a portion of the Gettysburg Address,

which is now engraved in stone)

What an incredible day. And right as I walked away from taking this picture, I saw fireflies between the trees :) It was wonderful.