Tuesday, July 9, 2013

From the Land of Ma'am: DC Trip

Greetings and happy Tuesday.  I'm shifting from yesterday's heavier post to a post recapping my 4th of July visit to DC!  I was there for 3 full days and had a wonderful time.  Becky and her husband Ben were fabulous hosts and I came back from this trip renewed and restored.  Here are some of the highlights from the weekend, with some pictures sprinkled throughout!

- Well, I am still in the boot so Becky modified our plans for the weekend since I can't be on my feet much.  I might be done with the boot and cast as of this Friday, but I am still weeks away from being able to wear normal shoes so Becky helped me pick out some tennis shoes that are a little bit less conspicuous than my running shoes. 


You can't tell in the picture, but the shoes kind of sparkle.

- After shoe shopping, we hit up Barnes & Noble for coffees and book conversations.  Becky is a fellow book nerd so we had a great time browsing the tables and chatting about books.  We each treated ourselves to a bargain book and the book "Carry On Warrior" which Becky raves about.  I am hoping to read it later this month!

- On Friday, we headed to Alexandria, VA to check out a coffee shop that Becky loves as well as her favorite knitting shop.  I don't post about knitting much on this blog, but it's a hobby I adore and I loved checking out her knitting store.  Also, the latte I got at the cool coffee shop was almost too pretty to drink!



- On Friday night, we headed back to the Alexandria area to meet up with Mandy as her and her mom were there for the weekend visiting her step-sister.  It was so great for the 3 of us to reunite!  And it was great meeting her mom and step-sister and step-brother-in-law.  Her step-brother-in-law is an awesome cook so we ate very well.  We sat on their back deck for hours and had a great time.  Luckily I will see Mandy again in just over 2 months as I am heading to the Pittsburgh area in September to visit her!

URL turned IRL BFF's

- On Saturday morning we checked a couple of things off my "things to do" in DC list:  Arlington National Cemetery and Georgetown.  Unfortunately, being in the boot kind of made it tough to really give these two areas justice.  We walked through some of the cemetery, but the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was a long, uphill walk and I didn't want to push it with my foot, so we stopped when we got to JFK's grave (which was neat to see).  We had lunch in Georgetown and took a cab to the heart of the area, but again, my boot made it tough to see much as I am really trying to follow my doctor's orders of staying off my feet.  But I know I will be back and will do both of these areas justice some other time.


The cemetery was very beautiful and it was a humbling experience to visit the grave site of the many brave men and women who have fought for our country.

- On Saturday night, we took it easy.  Ben cooked us dinner (which was followed by a Mack Lemore dance party/sing off) and then Becky and I watched a couple of movies while knitting.  I started this arm warmer project years ago and but it got lost in the shuffle of my other knitting projects.  So I brought it with on this trip and finished one arm warmer.  I love how it turned out.  Hopefully I finish the last one a little quicker...



All in all, it was a wonderful weekend.  I feel very blessed to have so many friends who open their homes to me. 

Have you been to D.C. (or your nation's capital if you live outside of the U.S.)?  This was my 2nd trip to the area.  I definitely would like to go back as there are many museums I haven't seen and I'd like to spend more time in Georgetown as I thought that was a very charming area.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

My family used to live up in the DC area, so I love doing the museum thing. One of my favorites is a few blacks off The Mall - it's the International Spy Museum (I think it's near-ish to Ford's Theater?). Definitely worth a visit!

Becky said...

What a great recap! I had a wonderful time too - and you're welcome here anytime!!

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

I love that picture of you, Becky and Mandy :)
Don't they have some kind of tram thing you can ride at Arlington? I seem to remember seeing one but I didn't ride it so maybe I made that up haha. I love DC but it is definitely a walking city. I feel like its one of those places I could never do everything I want to do. But I do have to see Becky next time I go, that's for sure!

Anonymous said...

Please promise me we can meet when you come to Pittsburgh!!

J said...

Sounds like such a nice weekend even if you couldn't do much sightseeing/walking. I am sure you will go back once you have that boot off and can walk more.

Abby said...

Sounds like a great trip!!! I think that was a good call on buying different shoes than the running shoes -- plus running shoes are so flexible they can sometimes make the fractured foot move too much.

I was in awe when we went to Arlington National Cemetary. It's so massive. We were lucky enough to see on Veteran's Day.

Glad you had such a great weekend! I love that arm warmer your knitting!

Marlys said...

Sounds like you had the perfect weekend! Nothing beats a restorative vacation! I believe I was 17 years old when I visited Arlington, but it still looks like it did when we were there! Love the arm warmer!

Nora said...

I love the URL turned IRL BFFs. Awesome way of phrasing it :)

Glad you had a great time. I was in DC about 4 years ago and I loved every minute of. The political science undergrad in me was geeking out the WHOLE TIME and everything in the city was just amazing, as are the people =)

And Macklemore; I kind of love him.

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

You know you're in the company of good people when they figure out a way to make you feel comfortable, regardless of your physical condition. Sounds like you did a lot, despite the boot!

Both my parents were raised in the suburbs outside of DC. My grandparents lived there when I was growing up, so I went there at least once a year. Always loved the Air & Space Museum and frequented the Portrait Museum (because my grandmother was a docent there). Mount Vernon was also a favorite destination. I ran the Marine Corps Marathon through DC, Georgetown and Northern Virginia - it was an amazing race (well organized and lots of wonderful sights along the route)! I haven't been back in almost a decade (when my last grandparent passed away) ... I'd love to take Gavin there when he's a bit older.

Crissy Rae said...

I love DC, it has an energy that you feel when you're there. I loved the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and watching the changing of the guard is quite a thing to see. The Smithsonian was also another favorite stop. Next time I'd like to see the Washington Monument and tour the White House.

Glad you had such a fun trip!

Jeanie said...

The arm warmer rocks! What a great pattern -- looks very complicated!

I'm glad you got away and were able to spend time with a good friend -- and meet and see even more! All the photos were great. Love the tennies -- and the good news (I hope) about being bootless! Fingers are crossed!

Never been to DC -- it's on the list.... that list is getting very long!

Lauren @ Sassy Molassy said...

Your shoes look like some I've seen in the JCrew catalog perhaps. I too love getting lattes and not wanting to sip off the foam art. Glad you had a good trip!

Carolina John said...

I love going to DC, and old towne alexandria is one of my favorite places in the area. Arlington cemetery is great too! There's a restaurant in arlington called the Quarterdeck where my company used to spring the $40 a head every time I came into town for all-you-can-eat crabs. they were incredible. and most of my clients up there were in Alexandria or Arlington. Fairfax is the next county over, and I did a lot of work there too. Still cool.

Glad you had such a fun trip!

Elizabeth said...

Sounds like a great trip and just what you needed! I've never been so always love to read about it!

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

Sounds like you had a great time!! I've never been to D.C., or to Ottawa, the capital of Canada. Some day!

Amber @ A Little Pink in the Cornfields said...

I adored my trip last year! Becky and Ben were such great hosts!! Hopefully someday we can go together and have an even bigger reunion! :)

Shoshanah said...

It's funny because even though I went to college in Baltimore, I rarely went to D.C. while living there. I have been to D.C. before though, although mainly when I was younger. But do remember being slightly obsessed with the air and space museum and "dinosaur" museum around 4 or 5 years old. I do regret not spending more time in D.C. when I was there, and would love to make it back someday.

Cherry Blossoms said...

Love your shoes. I need some like that. Where did you get them?
Sounds like a great getaway. Lets chat this week. I had my follow up on my root canal otherwise I would have called today. Maybe later on Thursday or Friday? If not, we are due for a phone chat this weekend!

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

Have not been yet. We have discussed many trips there but at the time being have decided to wait until Isla is older.

Stephany said...

Looks like a fabulous trip! Becky seems like such a great host. I’m glad you had a wonderful time.

DC is one of those cities I really want to visit soon. Maybe sometime next year I can work it into my budget, because I think I would nerd out to all the museums and sites and the HISTORY. Ah! I want to visit badly.

Amber said...

I'm so glad you had such a great trip to DC and got to spend time with Becky AND Mandy! That sounds amazing. Too bad about your foot not allowing you to do everything you wanted but it sounds like you still filled the weekend with lots of great things!

I have visited Ottawa (our capital) twice and I LOVE that city!

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

My Uncle and Grandma live near DC, so I have been there several times! The last time I was there I was by myself and I had a GREAT time just wandering aimlessly. Also there is some great running there as well. You will have to go back again when you are more mobile because there are so many things to do!

It looks like you had a great time and what a good kindred spirit Becky is! You have great friends because you are a great friend to everyone...

Linda said...

I went to D.C. for a class trip in 7th grade and it was the best time.
it was also my first time on an airplane!
Linda
curious notions