Field trip with Ashlyn

Sixth graders go on lots of field trips. Like one every month. Sometimes two. I haven't gotten to go on too many with Ashlyn and the end of the school year is coming soon so when this field trip slip came home, I knew I better find a sitter for Carter and make this happen. I am SO glad I picked this one to go on. It was so much fun and I found myself wondering HOW I have never come here before. Then I realized…oh…it's because I've had little little kids for the past 11 years and this is a museum. Not too interesting for them, which makes it not too fun for me. I still think the boys might be a bit young for a lot of the things here, but Ashlyn loved it and I think Leah would enjoy it too. It was so cool to be here. We had a great tour guide who taught us some cool things about the President and his life. This was one great President. He had an amazing love for the country and for God. His quotes posted around the library made me think of Mitt Romney and how he has that same optimistic perspective and hope in our country and in the goodness of its people. I had to mourn (once again) his defeat in 2012. I wish I remember Reagan's presidency more, but being that he finished in 1989, I don't remember too much about him. But I loved learning more about him today and feeling his patriotism and love of freedom.

We got to tour Air Force One and the Presidential Helicopter. There was a car show going on which had the batmobile (SO cool), Herbie, and the car from Grease Lightening. How lucky to get to see those too.

This was our little group I helped watch over. I was the "sweeper" that walked in the back and "swept" the kids up when they lagged behind. This was a good group of kids though. All very respectful and polite. I was really impressed. Only one boy in our group and he held every door for all of us. 

This picture is made out of jelly belly jelly beans! Seriously! It was cool.

The Presidential State Seal. Fifty stars for the fifty states. Thirteen clouds, thirteen little stars, thirteen arrows, thirteen stripes, thirteen olives and thirteen olive branches (all representative of the thirteen original colonies) but only nine tail feathers on the Eagle. Why? Because Eagles only have 9 tail feathers. LOL. This seal has gone virtually unaltered since it's creation except for the addition of two stars when Alaska and Hawaii became part of our country and then one other time when President Hoover (I think…I can't remember) had the Eagles head changed from pointing the other direction because he said we were a country of peace, not war. I liked that!

A gift to President Reagan. A piece of the Berlin Wall that came down just months after his Presidency ended. So cool. I remember when it came down. My Dad brought me home a piece of it. MUCH MUCH MUCH smaller than this piece, but still cool. And I still have it after all of these years. And I don't have many things from that long ago.

President Reagan's resting place. I love the quote on the back wall. 

Picture of the President and First Lady with Dalia and Ashlyn.

Ashlyn's campaign for President speech. Haha…just kidding. 

A replica of the Oval Office with many original artifacts inside.

President Reagan is the only president to have kept a journal during his entire presidency. They have them all bound and on display and you can literally click on a day you want to see and it will come up on a screen to read.

Presidents receive literally thousands of gifts during their presidency. None of them belong to them when their term ends though. They remain property of the United States and if they want to purchase them, they can. Funny huh. But all presidents are required to build a library with private funds after their presidency and most gifts are put on display there. This is a portrait of the President given to him as a gift. It's made from butterfly wings. Isn't that incredible? 

At the end of the tour we watched a short video clip from his funeral where his daughter spoke about the end of his life. He suffered from Alzheimer's. She talked about how terrible it was that he lost so much of his memory, but that on his last day he opened his eyes (after having them closed for many days) looked up at his wife and still knew her as his true love. That just made me cry. So sweet and such a tribute to their love and marriage! 

So grateful I got to go and learn more about this man today. I need to go back with Paul soon and later with the rest of the kids when they can appreciate it and enjoy it a little more.