TOUR DAY Monday

I left this morning at 8:30AM and got back at 9:30PM.  Long day...yes...
      Well,  I left this morning and ventured back to the Metro to catch subway to Union
Station and walked to the Liason Capitol Hill Hotel.  The Hotel featured an Adoption
and Foster Care Advocacy Fair.  I met with different groups.  "Voices for Adoption" had
their past publications displayed, one which had our story was published in it. that was cool.  Other groups:
Adoptive Families Today, AdoptUSKids, Bethany Christian Srvc; Buckner Intl, Casey Family Prog,
Center for Adoption Support and Education, CWLA, Children's Home Society of Amer, Christian
Alliance for Orphans, Dave Thomas Found for Adoption, Equality for Adopted Children, Foster
Care Alumni of America, Infant Adoption Training Initiative, Joint Council on Intl Children Srvc, journey to Me, Kidsave Intl, Metropolitan Washington coiuncil of GovernmentsNatl CASA Network, Nat'l center for the Prosecution of Child Abuse, Nat'l council for Adoption, Nat'l Foster Care Coalition, No Amer Council on Adoptable Children, OrphanFoundation of America, and Save the Children.  I picked up alot of literature
and talked with many of the represtatives.   I will have to check out some the websites that were given to me
..

     There was a light breakfast buffet served and there I met different people and found out how and why they were nominated for their  awards. I met a couple form Nebraska, that was nominated for their work getting clothes for kids that come into care.  They don't get Clothing vouchers when kids come into care. So when they have absolutely nothing, their service will take care of getting them the clothes they need - It looks very much like a store and is done very professionally.  It was awesome to see some of the pictures they had.  I also met ZIna from Virginia for her work with her two special needs adopted boys.  She traveled down with her friends Debra and Robin.  We chatted and I asked if I could hang with them to go to the Capitol tour.  We walked to the Capitol Visitor Center and learned about the importance of E pluribus unum.. many become one.  How the many different states with different needs can come together and be represented in the Senate and  House of Representatives.  We learned of the history of the building and saw the different paitings, statues and structural architecture.  I took pictures and hope to be able to post it so that you can see some of them. 

     At 4PM we got on a tour bus that took us around to look at all the different buildings down Pennsylvania
Avenue.  We stopped at one point and got out and walked to see the White House.  (No we didn't see the Obamas outside -hahaha)  We got back on the bus and went to the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam and Korean Memorials.  It was so awesome to stand there at the Lincoln Memorial.  What an honor.  We got back on the bus and some more interesting information.  We returned to where started the tour and made our way back to the Liason Hotel.  I hung out with Zina, Debra and Robin in their room till the Ice Cream Social.  We had a great day and laughed so many times.  I appreciated that they let me tag along with them all day and I think we will get together again tomorrow. 
     The Ice cream social was nice.  We met more people from Florida, New Hampshire and New York..
What a wonderful chance to see what other people are doing.  As we sat and chatted, they had pictures that were taken all day of ANGELS and the tour. I was fun to see all the people we had come to know.  I left my
new friends to get back to the Metro.  I went with two other couples, which made it nice.  I didn't want to travel in the dark on my own.  Well I better go to sleep  - another long day tomorrow.  Hill Day - going to visit a Legislative Seminar, then meet with Congress and then off to the White House reception.  I should have brought my roller skates or a segway to get around here... Lots of walking.