George Washington's Birthplace

Last summer when we had a British guest and we took them to see George Washington's Birthplace. I never blogged about it and I thought I would share my experience.

George Washington's birthplace is a historic landmark (& national monument) and is taken care of by the National Park Service.

If you want more information visit: http://www.nps.gov/gewa/faqs.htm

The main page describes it as: 

"In the heart of the Northern Neck of Virginia stands a tribute to America’s founding father, George Washington. Although only here a short time, the ideas that Washington learned here, helped shape the man he would become and forever alter the destiny of the United States of America."

Not many people have heard of it, because it is a very small place to see. He was born in a very modest house compared to others in the area (like Stratford Hall - I'll be making a blog post on that later!)

These are some of the photos of the information center (brick) and the memorial home (white).

The thing is - this Memorial house is only a replica of the actual house. No one knows for sure what the house actually looked like. The reconstructed house is based off of how most middle-class colonial Virginia planters homes looked like around 1730.

The house might be small - but the view was really nice. This place is secluded and not over-crowded with tourists (like it is at Mount Vernon or Gunston Hall).

Pope's Creek Plantation is about 80 miles from Washington, D.C. and I think if you live in the metropolitan area, it's a great day trip. There is also Westmoreland State Park and Stratford Hall which are only a few minutes away and great places to see as well!

I've also decided to add a song that I've been loving at the end of each of my blog posts. What do you guys think of that? Feel free to leave a comment!

x,

Margaret

Song of the day:

"I wanna get better" - Bleachers

July 2013: Music I've Been Loving

There's one site I recently found that is AMAZING for making playlists! It's called Grooveshark.

Link to the playlist: http://grooveshark.com/playlist/July+2013/88641072

Here's a list of all the songs on my current playlist:

1. Counting Stars - One Republic
2. Dreaming - Smallpools
3. Handshake - Two Door Cinema Club (Remix)
4. Love Somebody - Maroon 5
5. Mermaids - Jinja Safari
6. Intro - The xx
7. De Do Do, De Da Da - The Police
8. The Boys of Summer - The Ataris
9. Tongue Tied - Grouplove
10. Dancing in the Dark - Bruce Springsteen
11. Australia - The Shins
12. Lamplight - Bombay Bicycle Club
13. Shuffle - Bombay Bicycle Club
14. Kokomo - The Beach Boys
15. Transatlanticism - Death Cab For Cutie
16. Fine China - Chris Brown
17. Trojans - Atlas Genius
18. Smile Like you Mean It - The Killers
19. Don't Fear The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
20. Gone, Gone, Gone - Phillip Phillips
21. Satelite - Dave Matthews Band

I hope you enjoy! :)

xx,

Margaret

My New Years Resolutions for 2013

Now that the New Year has started - I thought I owed my humble little abode a blog post on my resolutions!
This is a picture I took at the beginning of 2012: It's a beautiful time of year! :) It's the start of a new beginning.

The year of 2012 has been one of the most dramatic experiences of my life:
-I graduated High School
-I turned 18 and became an official adult!
-I voted for the first time
-I bought my first vehicle
-I got my braces off!
-I realized how hard following your dreams can be
-I applied to colleges, and I got acceptances and declines!
-My brother got his driver's license
-My little sister turned 12!
-I moved 3,000 MILES across the country to California!
-I lived on my own for several months
-I came much closer to figuring out what I want to do as a career
-I had my first semester going to college
-I made some of the closest friends I have right now

I could go on but the bottom line is:

I GREW UP!

This is the first time I'll be making resolutions as an adult, and I want to actually keep to them. To do so, I made it really simple: To be more athletic, accepting, and appreciative.

These are all broad things, so I just want to go into a bit more detail about what I mean.
Athletic: To exercise everyday, even if that means scrubbing the floors or washing the windows. Possibly take up a dance class? I've already signed up for Yoga!
Accepting: I've been very judgmental of people in the past without getting to know them, and I'd like to change that this year. Anyone can be a great person, anyone can be a bad person. You can't judge someone based upon looks or stance, you have to meet them for yourself and base your opinion off of your own encounter. I can't be quick to judge!
Appreciative: This is the big one! Many people today, my generation especially, believe that things can just be handed to them, and want the best of the best without having to work for it. (I've been like this at times too!) Having high expectations leads to heavy disappointment. Material goods only go so far! Society nowadays depicts them as everything. "Ohhh She has a Cartier ring!" or "I wish I had money for a Prada bag..." Material goods only go so far! I've really learned this year that you can't buy happiness. This year I'm going to take time out of my day to be thankful for what I have in my life.

And of course, losing a few pounds wouldn't hurt! ;)

I know there are great things to come in 2013.

xx,
Margaret