10/24-10/26: Maryland

We were honestly exhausted when we got to Maryland. The day before had been full with seeing Philadelphia and going to Delaware then we got up early and went to DC. We had been on our feed for those two days and put a lot of miles on the car. Our hosts were so gracious and welcoming that we immediately felt at peace in the home of strangers. This was exactly what we needed to rejuvenate and find refreshment. They were so excited to host us!!

Sunday was our main day there. We loved attending their church where they were talking about loving generously and living a life full of intentionally showing love to those around you. This is what our trip has been about! We were excited to see a church desiring to live this out in their day to day lives and to learn more about living this lifestyle of abundance through obedience to God and loving of others. That evening we visited the small group that our hosts' attend. Everyone knew we were coming, so it felt more like a reunion than an initial time of meeting. They asked us to share with them about the trip...so we did! Many people told us afterwards that they were encouraged to see people living out what they were studying. We too were encouraged to see how our lives are making a difference for people we had so briefly met! I think everyone left that evening with their hearts full. <3

The next day we enjoyed a relaxing morning and amazing conversations. :D We may not have toured much in Maryland, but we definitely left a piece of our hearts there.

10/24: Washington D.C.

Most of my memories of Washington, D.C. from this trip are of exhaustion. Alyssa and I had been on the go for quite awhile by this time without much down time to relax...and our bodies hit a the point of exhaustion melt down. Thankfully we were able to summon enough energy to make good memories from our time. (Even so, the underlying exhaustion does tint the memories quite a bit!)

Entering the city took some endurance since many of the roads were closed for a walk. We finally found a place to park in a 2-hour spot, but this meant returning back there instead of leaving the car in one spot for the whole day. Oh well!

Then we hurried to Ford's Theater before our ticket time! We were both thrown off when we were brought to the downstairs and then dropped off at the museum to wander around. It was so crowded with so much information that I absorbed very little of the information in the museum. Thankfully we signed up for a time when we could attend a ranger talk in the theater itself. Again, sitting in a place where important history took place brings up so many emotions. Neither of us had heard all of the details of Lincoln's assassination, so hearing all of the details in order was eye-opening. Staring at the box where he sat made me sad...and wonder how our country would be different if he had survived. We had the best intentions of going to see the house where he died, but, alas, had to move the car!

After re-parking the car at the cheapest parking structure we could find (that was a tricky, confusing venture!), our quest was to discover where to meet up for a national parks tour some of the monuments. When we finally made it to the location we discovered that few people know about the treasure of the free tours that the national parks service provides in D.C.! There were only 3 of us plus the tour guide. Our guide showed us the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and World War II Memorial. He shared with us a wealth of information about the meaning behind the structures as well as stories about the creation of them and response of the people. We learned so much!!

The sun was beginning to set as we finished the tour, so we decided that we should head to our host home in Maryland shortly. But first! we made the last minute decision to stop by the White House. There was security and barriers everywhere (so different from my last time there!) which made getting a good picture difficult. Thankfully we did a "picture swap" with a couple other people which turned out great!

Now that we had seen the most that we could in a day, it was time to bring our tired bodies to a home to rest...and not do much for a couple days...

(Btw, for someone who grew up in Washington State, the east coast term of "Washington" for what I have called "D.C." for years is very confusing!!)

10/23-10/24: Delaware

Delaware was probably the briefest visit to a state yet! However, we DID spend the night, so it counts towards our 50! ;) The day that we had set aside to visit Delaware, we ended up visiting Philadelphia. This means that our timing into Delaware was delayed more than anticipate. In our search for where to explore, we found a town on the coast that seemed to have the most to see. We wandered around the town and saw adorable houses and historic building. In our wanderings, we stumbled upon a beautiful park. Oh how I wish we had more than 30 minutes to enjoy the beautiful scenery! Enjoy some pictures from our time there:

After our brief stop at the park, we headed to dinner with a friend. She is one of my good friend's sisters who I have enjoyed some Thanksgivings with in the past. She technically lives in Maryland, but is JUST over the border from Delaware. I guess it counts as time in Delaware? I'm not quite sure. Anyway, she made us a wonderful meal of chili, corn bread, and local apples! What a treat! We had a wonderful evening of swapping therapy talk, since she is going into physical therapy and we are studying for speech therapy. So fun. :D

We then left to drive to our host family for the night. This was an amazing connection through a long chain of other connections that came together only a few days before we stayed! God is amazing in providing things...in His timing!! We were thankful to not have to pay for a night. Our night was spent with more talking and sharing about travel and ministry. What a blessing our night was with them. <3

10/23: Philadelphia

After our time in Pennsylvania was concluded, we realized that we wanted to see Philadelphia after all. To fit this in we drove from New Jersey to Philadelphia before we made our brief stop in Delaware! It was a crazy day but one filled with memories.

We started our day at Philadelphia Mint. I loved watching the process of coins being made! If we weren't quite as rushed, I could have watched the metal circles being punched out for a long time. The displays at the mint were informative and interactive. I'm thankful we made the last minute decision to check it out!

From the mint, we hurried over to Independence Hall. On the way to Independence Hall, we called 911 on a homeless man who was sprawled in the middle of the sidewalk. Talk about getting adrenaline pumping! We had pre-reserved tickets online for the tour. What we didn't know was that the rest of the tour had been reserved by a school group. While I like kids, joining a school group is a bit overwhelming when you aren't expecting it! The kids were quite well-behaved and had great questions, but we were a bit disappointed to get a "kid-level" tour instead of an "adult-level" tour. Despite this, it was neat to see the location where the Declaration of Independence was signed all those years ago! Being in the places of key points of history never ceases to amaze and humble me, no matter how many places I go.

After Independence Hall, we walked over to where the Liberty Bell is now displayed. We didn't expect so many incredible displays to be there, so we ended up doing it hungry and tired. Oh well. Learning the history of the bell definitely increased the significance of seeing it at the end of the museum hall!

Our day ended with getting lunch :) I'd have loved to spend more time exploring the city at leisure, but, despite the rush, I am thankful for the opportunity to visit this city!

10/21-10/23: New Jersey

New Jersey was a state that took awhile to figure out. It was a state where plans just weren't fitting. It was a state that brought us to our knees in prayer and reminded us that we cannot do this trip without God's help.

After contacting many people, my childhood friend replied saying that we could stay with her! This was the perfect place to spend our time in New Jersey <3 They live one block from the beach in an adorable town. It was wonderful to reconnect with my best friend from my youngest memories (we met when we were 9 months old). It felt as though no time at all had passed. My friend, her brother, and his wife all spent hours talking together...and resting together. We walked to lunch and along the beach. On our way to the beach we stopped at various stops and petted a few dogs. Our final morning there Alyssa and I went down to the beach (barefoot...brrr) to see the sunrise over the Atlantic ocean! Had to do it while we were so close!! Our only regret is how short this sweet time was. <3

*Pier was destroyed during Hurricane Sandy, but the town survived with little damage!

*Sunset

*Sunrise

10/20-10/21: Niagara Falls

Our time at Niagara Falls was brief but delightful! We first stopped on the New York side of the falls. It was a bit confusing to figure out where to go and the signage wasn't exactly helpful, but eventually we found it. :)

There are no words adequate to describe what standing directly above the power of the Niagara Falls feels like. It's...awe-inspiring and humbling. The strength of the water is so much greater than my own. And as I stood there, watching, I reflected on how great the power of God must be that He CREATED this majestic water fall.

After the text notifying us that my mom had landed safely from her flight, we crossed the Canadian border into Ontario. It was a short little drive, but the towns were entirely different! We loved spending time walking around the town, eating at Wendy's (don't judge; there was a deal!), and exploring the different shops. After dark, we meandered to the falls to see the colorful lights projected onto the water. So. Gorgeous.!!
My only complaint is that it took them forever to change the colors... I wanted to see more variety!

We spent the night at a delightful AirBnB where we had a whole loft to ourselves. :D It was so much fun to watch a movie in our own space before going to bed...and heading out on our next adventure!

10/16-10/20: Albany

Albany, New York is a place I (Nicole) have been visiting since I was a child. It was fun to return as an adult to see it from a different perspective. We stayed with some of my family friends who my parents have known since before I was born! I loved being able to connect with them myself and not as "the daughter;" although it did feel strange to not have the rest of my family around!

My friends took us on an amazing hike. The fall foliage was at it's peak, so the views of the hills were absolutely breath-taking! As we were pulling into the parking lot, it began to snow (for the second time that day). The snow was round and made us feel as though we were in a snow globe. ;) It never stuck on the ground, but it was fun to see landing on my black jacket.

We also had the chance to meet up with one of Alyssa's friends from California that she hadn't seen in years. She enjoyed being able to catch up with an old friend after years apart. :) It was an evening well spent.

The morning of our last day we spent volunteering at Capitol City Rescue Mission. We stuffed thank you letters into envelopes and folded programs for their upcoming fundraising event. During our time volunteering we met a wonderful fellow envelope-stuffer/program-folder and had a delightful conversation sharing about our trip and learning about her life. After we had finished folding the programs, the volunteer coordinator said it was time for a tour. I expected a 10 minute tour of the building we were in, but instead we went on a 30 minute tour, walking between multiple buildings! They have an incredible set of programs for men, women, and children, including short-term sleeping arrangements (men only), addiction recovery programs, and transitional housing. We were amazed at how complex and well-thought out the programs were..and they are working on expanding even now!! So amazing.