Many of you know or have met my lovely boss Laura. Well, this past weekend, she tied the knot in Baltimore, MD. The ceremony was beautiful, the party was fantastic and it was great seeing friends! I love having an excuse to go see Kelly, so this weekend was the perfect opportunity!
Saturday- After the wedding, we drove from Baltimore to Arlington and basically crashed for the night. We stayed up talking as long as we could and then we just couldn't fight the Zzzzzzz's.
Sunday- Matt had not seen Mount Vernon and the only other time Kelly saw it was with me. We dragged her back out there to embark on another history lesson. If you haven't ventured to MV I highly suggest it! The lot Washington picked is second to none, the gardens and grounds are well kept, the layout is easily walked, and overall, it makes for a nice and inexpensive day trip. It rained quite a bit while we were out touring the grounds so we saw everything and then headed towards the zoo. Matt loves the travel channel and the other night they had a pizzeria called "Comet Ping Pong and Pizza" (http://www.cometpingpong.com/fooddrink.php) .
To let the rain pass, we decided to get a bite to eat. This restaurant is straight out of Austin... from the people who work there to the beer pong tourneys happening in the back... its Austintacious but in D.C.! We ordered two fabulous pizzas- "Steel Wills" and "The Drive"... I highly recommend both but order a few because they are the size of a personal pizza. After we were full, we drove a few blocks and parked at the zoo. Because it's Smithsonian IT'S FREE!
For some reason, Kelly really fell for this turtle... she loved it!
Last time I was in D.C. we didn't have time to go to the cemetery, so we headed there next. I had no idea what the Unknown Soldier was or why there were guards around, so I had no idea it was a "must see." The changing of the guard’s ceremony is something I will never forget. It's a very complex and calculated drill that stands for so much. I will go back and see it anytime I am in town. The Eternal Flame at Kennedy's grave was also a moving sight. One thing that I loved, which Kel taught me, was the rocks on the headstones to let the deceased know that someone came to visit them. Obviously I know they are dead, but it's very meaningful that their visitors take that extra step to say "Hey, I'm here, and I won't forget you..." What an honorable and special place!
Monday- Once again, we were up at the crack of dawn to get our day of sightseeing started. We rode the bus with Kel to work (which made me want a good public transportation system for Dallas) and headed to the metro to get to the Capitol. The tour, that you get for free through your Congressman, LAME! The building is neat to see, the movie they show you at the beginning is neat but they don't take you anywhere interesting. Basically, as my boss would say, I do not like being part of the Gen-Pop! Where is the VIP stuff... you have to know someone to get all of that and at this time we dont know anyone in the, uh hummmm, administration. The only thing I got out of that little 30 minute time period was the Whisper Hall.
When someone is standing across the room, you can hear exactly what they are saying
Next we started hitting the museums. The Air and Space museum was the first stop. I liked some of the space exploration "toys" that they had. There were a lot of guys there that seem similar to the guys my Mom used to work with at Raytheon. Not really my scene, but Matt loved it ;)
Next up- the American History museum. Dorothy's slippers, Kermit the frog, Julia Child's Kitchen, Fonzie's Jacket, Woolworth's Lunch Counter (the infamous Sit In), Star Spangled Banner, Michelle Obama’s inauguration ball dress (Jason Wu… I love you), Lincoln’s Top Hat, and much much more... all very neat to see in person.
Matt wanted to take a quick pick in front of the IRS building
We headed back to Kel's office to get ready for dinner in Georgetown. We made reservations at Farmer's & Fishers on the G-Town waterfront. Usually when you participate in Restaurant Week, they give you lots of small plates to taste many things on their menu. Well not this place! It was $35.00 per person and you got about 80.00 worth of food per person! We started with some drinks (which were not part of the price) and enjoyed their complimentary pizza that came with the package deal. The menu included an App, Entree and Dessert. I started with Maryland Crab Dip with focaccia bread, then on to Trout done Bronze style and then finished with Carrot Cake. The crab dip- BEST THING ON THE MENU! Awesome, cheesy, fatty, crabby goodness. The Trout (bronzed) means that it was grilled with balsamic onions ontop. We opted to take our cake home because we saw the HUGE pieces at the table next to us. Well worth the price, the atmosphere, and the company! I wanted to stop by and try and get a Georgetown Cupcake, but it was hot and the line was still very long. Again we crashed!
Tuesday- 5:45 AM... screaming alarm! Uhhhh... Way too early! We had to get up and move our flights back from the 8:40 am flight to something later. We did that and then got ready. We were out the door by 6:45 AM to get to our WHITE HOUSE TOUR. I worked pretty hard to get this tour and let me say, it was NOT worth all the trouble. The $100 bucks to change the flights, the walking, the waiting in line, etc. Not not not worth it! At least it was free but you have to email your congressman and they have to get you the tour. The best part, seriously, was standing in line watching the secret service make every single delivery truck stop and open the engine compartment, the doors, the back and have a bomb dog sniff their way through it. You enter through a side door, you can have NOTHING on you except a cell phone (that is off), a wallet and nothing else. This idiot behind us answered his cell phone while we were walking through. Secret Service didn't wait for him to finish his little convo.... they quickly pointed out that he was in the WHITE HOUSE and needed to get off his phone :) Duh! So you go in through the visitor’s entrance, walk through a hallway of pictures of all the administrations, into a hall with a couple of rooms, then up some stairs to the red and green rooms and then the State Dinner room and then out. LAME! You just walk through. No tour guide, no nothing! Again, you have to, uhhhh hummm, know someone who works for the administration to see the good stuff. So we checked that off the list for life as well :) We headed back to Kel's office (said goodbye…awful everytime),
got our car and headed to G-TOWN to give the cupcakes one last try.... drum roll please.... I am the proud owner of 4 delicious Georgetown Cupcake cupcakes. 10 minutes in line and out the door. I had the lemon one and Matt had the Chocolate cupcake. I have a red velvet and a vanilla with one person's name written all over them :) She is the only one who could appreciate them like me! My husband really does love me. So then it was off to the airport and on our way home.
Highlights: Zoo and Cupcakes and of course seeing my one and only Kelly ;)
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