4th of July at the White House

Mark and I had the privilege of celebrating our Nation's Independence Day on the South Lawn of the White House this year. You cannot ask for a more patriotic way to celebrate this day that with the Washington Monument in front of you, the White House behind you, and the Marine Corps Band playing in the background.

In case you were not on the East Coast for the 4th and you need an update, it rained! At times it poured buckets, but getting soaked was worth it. Here are some picture:

With this cure photo op set up, how could we resist? (note: umbrella and rain jackets!)

Self Portrait

This view of the monument shows how crowded it was and we got there early!

White House (again)

No matter how many pictures I take of this building, I am still amazed that I am standing in front of it!

We are making a "W" (of course we are!)

The President and First Lady stepped out onto their balcony to watch the fireworks with their family and friends. The President's birthday is July 6th, so we all sang happy birthday to him.

It is so beautiful!

Then it was time for the fireworks! They were awesome. I took so many pictures. My camera is relatively good for fireworks. This year it was a bit harder to take great shots because of the precipitation. If you are wondering how to take great firework pictures yourself, check out Pioneer Woman. She has a great writeup of how she ensures her shots come out great. (due to space reasons I removed the sideshow of fireworks pictures I had posted)

After the fireworks we got to see Kate. I think I am beginning to see her more on the South Lawn than anywhere else in this city...

The End.