Hi! I am Dianne G., Administrative Assistant at the school. I haven’t blogged for awhile so I will fill you in with my news. I actually have missed quite a bit of work in January and February—my husband received a kidney transplant on January 3 and he was hospitalized in Omaha, Nebraska, for a total of 30 days. Our prayers were answered and e is now doing well and recuperating at home!
I was totally out of the loop for awhile, but now am back!
Earlier this fall, I was selected along with one of our houseparents to accompany three of our Lakota students on a trip to Washington, D.C. — a fantastic gift from one of St. Joseph’s donors!
We left early on a Saturday morning (we got up at 4:00 a.m.!!) and flew to D.C. Two of the girls had never flown before so it was a new experience for them, as was the entire trip to everyone but me (I went to D.C. last June with my son and his family).
I was so glad that I had been there before as it helped me to plan the itinerary for the trip. We were five very busy people. As soon as we got to our hotel and unloaded our luggage, we walked to the Hard Rock Café and had a scrumptious supper along with a fun-filled dining experience. We then went to Union Station to pick up our tickets for the Moonlight Monument Tour.
D.C. is a beautiful sight at night—all the memorials that were lit up were awesome. We also drove past Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon, the Capital, the Supreme Court and made stops at three of the memorials. The girls were amazed how large Lincoln’s statue was in his memorial.
While touring we saw the President’s helicopter flanked by two other helicopters heading for the White House! Our tour guide provided us with historical facts and trivia questions. Such a great time!
The next day, we went to the Holocaust Museum which made such an impression on the girls—we all had tears in our eyes. Then on to the American History Museum where we saw Dorothy’s ruby red slippers, Kermit the Frog, the flag that the Star Spangled Banner was written about and so much more!
We walked around the White House and took tons of pictures. We went to the P.O.V. Terrace, which is at the top of the W Hotel, where we could see all of Washington from above.
Later on, we dressed up for dinner, which was fun, and ended up eating hamburgers and fries!! Our girls gave their uneaten fries to a homeless person who they saw outside the restaurant.
On our last full day, we went to the National Museum of the American Indian, where the girls played interactive games and crafts and received stamps on their “passports.” We had a little snack there after seeing an awesome movie about the different tribes and then walked to the Dirksen Building (in the rain).
We went to South Dakota Senator Thune’s office, where we had scheduled a tour of the Capitol and hoped to meet Senator Thune. We had a great tour guide and learned a lot of the history of the capitol, along with some fun information like the whispering spot where we could hear our guide from across the room! We did not get to meet Senator Thune as he had flown home to South Dakota when the Senate recessed. We were disappointed about that.
After that we headed to Union Station where we ate some delicious sandwiches and rested our feet for a little while. We then caught a taxi and headed for the Spy Museum where we were involved in solving a mystery! Wow! After all this activity we were T-I-R-E-D.
We spent the rest of the evening packing our things and resting our weary bones. We flew out the next day and spent a lot of time in airports—seeing the sights there also. All of us had such a great time but were ready to come home and see our families. Heidi and I took the kids home after arriving in Chamberlain around 10:00 p.m., so it was a late night for us.
What a wonderful experience! We are very thankful for such a great trip!
