We spent a MAJOR part of our frist day in D.C. at the Washington National Cathedral today. It is an Episcopal church, but now holds non-denominational services all the time. They have two bell towers (an only in America) and GIANT organs that play throughout the week. We instantly fell in love with it, but miss our smaller version.
These may not be Louis Comfort Tiffany windows like OUR church has, but they were pretty impressive! The first if the second row of windows across the walls depicting great Americans of our time- this one is to signify our journey into space. NASA donated a moon rock (in the center of the red planet) to assist in it's design. It was gorgeous! The stars jumped out at you and it appeared to be a scene straight from a telescope. It is apparently a very controversial window, but it is a stained glass piece none the less. We loved it and I snapped a shot.
The last one is a depiction of Genesis and the Creation story. It is a very abstract look at the seven days to make the Earth- from seeds, to land, to water. The designer knew it was such a large window and wanted to create a more abstract view on it since a very intricate window would be confusing and too hard to see. We loved it and the gift shop had lots with this design- from scarves to umbrellas to ornaments. It is the same window you see from the outside as you enter.
Some inside shots of the architecture- all lit by soft lighting or the natural sunlight filling the Cathedral with a rainbow glow from the over 200 stained glass windows.
The last one is hard to see, but with a little play with the lighting, I can make it brighter. It's the crucifixion of Christ in oak suspended above us- but the light cast an awesome shadow on the wall behind it- re-enacting the scene again.
Some more shots of the Cathedral. These are more large walls filled with limestone carvings and wood carvings from other countries and gifts from families now buried in the church. We couldn't find Helen Keller and her teacher, but they are there as well. We did see Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson- and drove over his bridge on our way into Maryland. 
After all the time at the Cathedral, we only had time to see a few monuments. Here's our Washington and Lincoln.
McKayleigh working on her vases. She LOVES to paint, and wanted her Aunt Gramma to see her finished work.
We found this AMAZING museum for KIDS here. Actually, right across the street from my Gramma! It has bubble rooms, shadow rooms, science rooms, a dentist office from "Dr. DeSoto", a grocery store, climbing mountain, fire truck, art room, news station, reading room, and MUCH MUCH more! Here is a look into our amazing trip to KidSense. The first of many...!
