Some Surprises in One of Our Favorite Places | Keilen Corner

This location did not disappoint. It was it was so epic. It's just like how can you beat this epic view? This was so cool, but the the day was not over and it kept getting better and better. Hey everybody, thanks so much for joining us today. We are filming a little bit out of order I feel like this year and our last video is kind of Christmas themed. We decorated early for Christmas and so forth before Thanksgiving this year, which was not normal for us. It's wonderful. But we also had an amazing Thanksgiving. So we're kind of going a little bit back in time here. Just kind of reflecting on the Thanksgiving holiday. But this was no normal Thanksgiving holiday. No, this was a Thanksgiving we've never had before. Yeah, it was it was very different for us this year. Kind of sad starting off because my parents weren't going to be hosting it in Michigan this year. We always go up to Michigan for Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving day. And this year my married siblings, you know, they alternate between you know in-laws houses and this year a lot of my married siblings were going to be elsewhere for Thanksgiving. So my oldest sister, Angie, she said, well, why don't you come out to Washington DC? That's where she lives. She's like, you know, we can do Thanksgiving here. It was just like, you know, what this sounds perfect. Yeah, this sounds great. So we we went for it. And special memories there for us. We got engaged in DC and so probably my fondest memories are there just have so many feelings and emotions and there's so many iconic places there and Brandon took me to all the different monuments with little clues on leading up to our engagement. So every single one of those monuments and iconic places as you drive through the city just have memories and feelings for me. So coming into DC just is such a special special place for us and getting to be back was it was pretty epic. Which I thought it was just going to be a nice kind of reminiscent trip because we have such fond memories of our engagement day that we would go back to DC and be like, oh, yeah we can see the monuments again and just enjoy being there. But this was um, this was a trip that was full of stuff we've never done before. My sister Angie is an amazing planner and she is going to give you a good time. And she oh my goodness the itinerary she planned. She would be an amazing trip coordinator. Yeah. So anyway, we'll get into some of that here in a couple minutes. But starting off, you know, we made the trip out to DC got to her apartment, which is where Where we actually met when you showed up in DC for our engagement and so it was special just remembering, you know the day starting with her coming to the door and me, uh opening it and finding her there and surprising her when she thought she was surprising me, but Anyway, we get to the apartment. We got there Wednesday night. Thursday morning meal prep was in full swing. All the fun Thanksgiving things. Yes. Thanksgiving dinner was smaller than normal with it just being Andy and her husband and Allison and Brandon's parents, but it was just so meaningful sitting together as a family and talking about what the Lord's done in the year and Andy had a little note for each of us written on our plate it was just so beautifully decorated and so much thought went into it and then just A personalized note she had for everybody at the dinner table, which was really really sweet. Yeah It was beautiful and it was just meaningful and just praying together and thanking God for all that he's done this year. Um, So many big things and small things I feel like in each of Brandon's siblings lives and it was so nice to catch up and Enjoy a meal together. I ate way too much and enjoyed it so immensely. That's part of Thanksgiving dinner Pie and coffee and whipped cream and I can't fit anymore and then we had more pie So it was just it was a really lovely Thanksgiving just reminiscing about what God's done this year. Yeah So we really appreciated getting to to catch up with my parents and siblings Um, you know during the meal there for thanksgiving. It was a really special time But after the meal, um, we really got into focus mode for what you know What what do we want to do while we're here? Angie is so good at redeeming the time and you know while you're here do as much as you can, you know So you have as much opportunity as possible. So we went for a walk in old town alexandria that evening Which was really pretty different christmas lights and so gorgeous. They had just lit The city christmas tree so we took a walk down to the waterfront and it was beautiful. It was I see a lit up Um ferry boat or something down there docked by the water and saw the capitol building, you know It was really far away, but you could see it from the water. So that was really cool all lit up the next day we returned there because Uh, angie had scheduled for us to take a tour of it was like a george washington tour It was like several areas in old town alexandria where there were people that were close to george washington or who had interacted with him, so Um, we got a guided tour on kind of what happened Um, and who was living here and what was going on? It was amazing because there were just different points of history that you wouldn't have known without the tour like, um where his doctor lived and where he went to Church so much history. I was trying to absorb it all as we were going Yeah, now the tour was great but um, this kind of got us into the uh, christmas mode I guess uh, the day got colder the longer, you know further we got into it, which I was not actually anticipating that I feel like that's typical though whenever we go to get the tree after thanksgiving It's always so much colder than it was thanksgiving day. So I feel like i'm mentally prepared for that now. I packed my warm coat after the tour Angie had the idea of taking us to like this this building where you could get like this I went around almost like a 360 of Washington dc The monuments, you know as much as you could see them from from there and oh my goodness. I was I was stunned breathtaking by the view When we got there just at sunset it was oh it was so pretty I think the building's not Very old it's done on the wharf and you can just see so much right on the potomac and there's you know Water taxis in the water and ice skating rink within the skyline. It just It was mesmerizing And it was fun We love to retrace our steps from our engagement day, which started off at the jefferson memorial You could see them all from from this location and they were all lit up last time We were in dc there was scaffolding on the capitol and this time it was gone and finished So everything was just lit up and you could see the domes and everywhere you looked there was something historic This location did not disappoint. It was it was so epic. So I didn't think the trip was gonna get any better It's just like how can you beat this epic view? This was so cool But I feel like with angie everything just gets better and better She really knows how to plan a trip and I think she knows how much we enjoy Travel and sightseeing and history. So I she she planned a lot for us Yeah, so we had no idea what was in store for the next day but it I think one of my dreams came true Yes. Okay. So we get up the next morning and um Angie's like hey, I was thinking we could all go to the national cathedral And I was thinking national cathedral. I never thought of it as a place people visited, you know And so anyway, I was like, okay. Well, that sounds interesting But when we went oh, man, I feel like angie knew how to Um unravel the reveal of the of the um Of the coolness of the experience, I guess just because she she took us we got there Outside the building is stunning. It's it's it's amazing. It is a work of art So we get in the building she takes us, um She bypasses the sanctuary and takes us straight to the elevator and we go up on this higher level where they're you know You can look out and you can see you know, dc which was really neat And um, I I already thought it was cool Like I was taking videos of different things and pictures of you know How the windows looked and the ceilings looked and stuff. It's just like wow, this is so cool. This is great And anyway, we get back in the elevator we go down and then we go into the sanctuary And it was just like it was almost like walking into a castle it the stained glass and The architecture and the just all of the carvings and the sculpturing it was It was I was blown away with just the detail In this chapel, right? I mean you could just stand there and just stare at the ceiling for like minutes stopping just to appreciate all the all the design Of everything and um, it was beautiful. It was amazing. There were some Important quotes that I felt like that were just fascinating. I was taking pictures different things inside of there that presidents had said in regard to scripture and showing some of the History of being you know founded on on christian values and it was just really really Neat taking time to see those different statements that were there in quotes So one of the statements there was withdrew wilson's last published words and says The sum of the whole matter is this that our civilization cannot survive materially unless it be redeemed spiritually It can be saved only by becoming permeated with the spirit of christ and being made free and happy By the practices which spring out of that spirit I thought that was an amazing quote and just to to be aware of where different leader leaders of our country were at and in their knowledge of of the need for the spiritual guidance and um, You know the need for jesus christ in in everything was just it was refreshing. It was yeah So, um at one point I um, I got lost from our group Yes, it's a very big building and everyone was just kind of exploring different things And I went to get a picture of something and our group. Um, we lost you. Yes And so I I was trying to find them I was looking around and you know, were they down that hall or they in that room? There were halls everywhere It was just a big if you took took little kids with you You'd want to keep them very close because they could you know, probably get lost in there, too But anyway, um, I I wandered um, and I saw this door to the outside and I was like, well, maybe they just exited the building So I went out there this courtyard, which I never saw that door or the outside. Yeah, they weren't there and The rest of the group wasn't going to go there the rest of the day So I was kind of glad I got that opportunity But um angie came out and she you know, she hollered like no no, we're this way So she found me but um, that was just A super cool experience getting to see that place and kind of know what went into building it But the uh, the day was not over and it kept getting better and better I have wanted to go to library of congress for as long as I can remember and in each of our trips to dc It just wasn't something That worked out and so I never remember you bringing you up I don't think I brought it up to you till we were on the trip. It was like it would be so cool We would see the library of congress, but I don't think I told them how badly I had wanted to see it And it just I love to read I love books and i've always been fascinated by the library of congress It was so exciting for me to walk past the supreme court and into the library, right? It's right next to the supreme court building So we were able to get a few pictures there, which was cool it was as amazing as the chapel was and just walking in and there's paintings everywhere and these I don't know if they're marble or granite Staircases and it's just it's overwhelming when you go in and you just see the work and the detail Just stopping and staring looking at the ceiling and trying to take it in and trying to take pictures and your phone can't Take it all in because there's just so much Anyways, I was just loving every second of it, but we got a unique opportunity this time though Which you don't get hardly at all in the year. That's what it sounds like because I had been to the library once before um like 10 years ago But there was a certain section that was closed and my sister angie had always wanted to go into this section But it was never open whenever she went And this particular day it was open. You want to tell them what it was? It was thomas jefferson's Personal library personal library and it was circular where you could Walk and look at all of his books and it told the story Of how the library of congress came to be there had been a fire in dc the national library burned congress actually purchased thomas jefferson's personal library of books because he had the largest book collection in the united states of america And after some negotiating they they purchased his collection for twenty six thousand dollars And it was so it was a special treat to be able to have you know that experience on top of the library of congress Michael really enjoyed thomas jefferson's library my highlight, which I don't remember this being there last time But they had an original gutenberg bible very rare copy and it's on display there in the library of congress So it was cool getting to look at that and just be reminded of the history of the gutenberg press And what was going on at the time and how it really helped we were not anticipating Having um, you know these kind of experiences while we were visiting especially just for an extended weekend We thoroughly enjoyed our time, you know from start to finish we thought it was just going to be there for thanksgiving and maybe see a couple spots that we had been before and angie had a whole new list of experiences for us to And it's something where um, you know, she's my oldest sister and she's always been a fun sister You know, she would read us storybooks when we were kids and think of you know fun activities to do on weekends You know growing up, too But um, I feel like she's somebody that's always on the lookout for giving you unique opportunities that you wouldn't have Otherwise and she's always been so good at that and uh, this trip was no different She's like let's let's not travel familiar territory. Let's go see something new. There's so many opportunities here in dc She inspires me so much as a big sister because she's the oldest girl I'm the oldest girl and just the way that She loves and invests in her siblings and they have a strong friendship It just it is something that that I strive to be that I want to be is My siblings grow up and get married and still be super involved and fun and somebody that they want to visit That was that was our thanksgiving Wonderful thanksgiving. Yes, so very different from anything we've ever done before but so so memorable So anyway, thank you so much for taking this time with us. We hope your uh, your holiday your thanksgiving day Was enjoyable and a great time to spend with family and friends and reflect on uh, the blessings god has given to us and continues to give And um, we're looking forward to the continuing season and see what comes up here But thank you so much for spending this time with us and we hope to see you next time