Trip to DC

David and I were lucky enough to take a weekend getaway to Washington, D.C. a couple of weeks ago. We wanted to take a trip somewhere for a long weekend to spend some one-on-one time together before Baby #2 arrives, and D.C. seemed like the perfect choice! David had never been, and for someone as die-hard patriotic as he is, that's a real travesty. My mom watched Sam and the dogs for us (yes, again...I know, she's a gem), and we were off for three nights!

We decided early on that we were not there to be crazy, see-it-all tourists. In a city with as much to do as D.C., there is no way you can see it all, and attempting it will just have you more exhausted on the way home from your trip than you were starting out! And besides, I am way too pregnant and it was way too hot for all that! Instead, we took it easy and focused on just being with each other -- anything interesting or notable we saw or did was icing on the cake! We slept late, had breakfast at the hotel every day, and took our time walking (or waddling, in my case) around the monuments, museums and other attractions that make the city great.

We took a hop-on, hop-off bus tour (which was a perfect way to see a lot of the monuments without having to walk the equivalent of a marathon!), and we also toured three of the great museums of the Smithsonian -- Air and Space (a must-see for David), American History and Natural History. We also went to the International Spy Museum (very cool), and had dinner at a couple of fantastic restaurants (I highly recommend Georgia Brown's and Clyde's for anyone planning a visit). David's very favorite thing was seeing the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights at the National Archives -- he even bought copies for us to frame and hang on our office walls at home! I loved just strolling around the gorgeous streets of Georgetown on our last day there.

While we were there, we also got to see some great friends of ours -- the Panters. Jake is David's buddy from Omaha, where they flew the RC-135 together and formed a true, lifelong "bromance." He, his wife Holly and their four daughters (Lydia, Samantha, Nora and Sophie) are now living in northern VA (Jake is at the Pentagon), and we were so lucky to have a chance to spend some time with them! They are a great family, and always such a blast to be around -- we spent about half the visit trying to convince them to move to Florida (the seed is planted in your head, Holly...don't fight it!). At the very least, we're hoping for a visit soon!

The best thing about the trip was purely, simply TIME. David and I are busy people. We both work full-time in a hectic and sometimes stressful career field, we are both in graduate school, and we have a toddler. To add to that wonderful chaos, we are now expecting our second miracle -- who will no doubt fill our lives with more joy, laughter, and (let's be honest) exhaustion! It was wondeful for us to be able to get away and spend some time just strolling and lounging and cuddling and talking -- reminiscing about our past, discussing our dreams for the future or just laughing at nothing at all.

At the end of every day, we would lay in the plush, king-sized bed in our room at the historic Phoenix Park hotel downtown, and David would talk to my belly...whispering things to our unborn baby that sometimes even I could not hear. It filled me with an indescribable feeling. Contentment, I guess -- mixed with joy, love, comfort and gratitude. I married an incredible, loving man. I have a beautiful, intelligent, healthy son. My family lives all around me, and enriches my life in ways I could never explain. We have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs, and live in the greatest country on earth. We have built a life that is full of opportunity, adventure and promise. It is more than I deserve...I am lucky, blessed, thankful.

Here are some photos -- hope you enjoy looking at them as much as we enjoyed taking them!