a day to M Y S E L F

Last weekend Eric and I were able to sneak away with NO kids and head to D.C. Eric had a conference on Saturday and I decided to tag along since my mom offered to watch the rugrats.

We got down there Friday evening. After checking into our hotel (the Ritz Carlton) we walked a few blocks into Georgetown to get some dinner. What a cute little quaint town. I immediately fell in love. It was a beautiful night and tons of people were out.

Oh, I have to mention that as we were walking we saw this long line of people. Eric and I were wondering what on earth this line was for- there were a lot of people. I stopped some random lady as she was walking out holding a cute, square, pink box tied with a bow and asked her what all this hype was.

"Georgetown Cupcakes. You haven't tried one? You've got too. The chocolate with coconut is to die for- if you like coconut she said."

Oh, how much are they I asked?

"Only three bucks."

Three bucks??

No way was I going to stand in that line to pay for a three dollar cupcake. I mean really- the adorable pink box with ribbon is really what you are paying for. How much does a single cupcake really cost to make? People were walking out of that place with a dozen or so. C R A Z Y if you ask me.

I may regret not standing in that line now to give those babies a try, but at least I am a few bucks richer. I guess cupcakes are the new craze . . . silly if you ask me.

On Saturday morning Eric snuck out early for his meeting while I was sound asleep. I actually got to sleep in. I never sleep past 7 ish. I rolled over to look at the clock and it was 9:00. It felt good. I put my running clothes on and headed back to Georgetown to snap some pictures.

This old house is the only standing Pre-Revolutionary building in the capital. It is a darling little thing and now only used for guided tours.

This is the C & O water lock. It runs right in the middle of Georgetown. A water lock is an enclosed, rectangular chamber with gates at each end, within which water is raised or lowered to allow boats or ships to overcome differences in water level. Locks have a history of over 2,ooo years and are most often used by boats on canals- for some reason this just fascinates me.

In spring and summer the Georgetown boat will give tours up and down the canal.

I fell in love with this little residential area. Wouldn't you just love to live on this little, brick road, street in one of those homes? I would (for a short while). This was right next to the canal and on the other side just down a bit were these blossoming cherry trees. It felt like spring.

I was finishing my run along the Potomac River and got to see the final few minutes of this Crew race. It was pretty cool. Man, those guys sure had some serious upper body strength.

I got back to the hotel. Showered. Packed the car up. Checked out. Didn't know where I was going to go. Just ME. Alone. What on earth was I going to do with myself? Let's just say I walked my guts out. Shouldn't have gone on that morning jog knowing I was going to walk all day.

First stop was the White House. This is the back side of it. The front side was all gated up and had mobs of people surrounding it. Hundreds of people protesting. Security dudes everywhere.

Here is just one of the many line ups of police motorcycles next to the white house. It was crazy.

Next stop was our nations Capital.

Yep. I was there. The day before the Health Care Bill was passed. Protestors everywhere. Chanting this and that. It was pretty crazy. Never felt unsafe but kept to myself. There were a few riots. Police here and there. It was kept pretty under control as much as possible. But, there were some MAD American's.

Botanical Garden's were next. The Orchid exhibit was going on.

Did you know there are over 20,000 types of orchids? I felt like I was in another place being in the gardens. A little bit of peace and quiet. A little bit of cooling off. Bathroom break. Water. Resting my feet a bit.

Next was the Air & Space, the Natural History, and the Smithsonian Castle (below). This picture is for Jacob. He wanted me to get pictures of the Smithsonian so he could take to school. I guess they have been learning about it. I kept telling him there isn't just one Smithsonian but it includes a bunch of museums. I thought he might like the castle the best to share with his class.

Washington Monument. By this time I was starving and my feet were killing me. I was done.

Lincoln Memorial. I managed to make it here because it was on my walk back to the hotel. I stopped by for a quick sub and ate it on a park bench. I was tired. It was 4:00 by now and got back to the hotel and sat in a chair waiting for E to finish up.

We ended our night at the D.C. temple. It was really nice. I was just looking forward to sitting. To some quiet. Some peace.

I guess our night didn't end there: we had a late dinner at Cheesecake factory with some old friends from dental school. It was fun & yummy. We shared the fish tacos and banana cream cheesecake. Nothing like indulging in that at 10 pm. It was tasty. It hit the spot.

I was pooped. We stayed in a hotel that night close to the temple. I crashed. I don't think I woke up once that night. It was a nice little break.

I must admit though: I felt like a lost little puppy dog at times. I didn't know what to do with myself. I'm not sure I like being all alone. I needed that tug on my leg of a baby needing to be picked up. I needed to be pushing that double stroller around. I needed my pockets chuck full of snack wrappers. I needed a little whining at times.

I suppose what I really need is to do this more often. I hope to in the future.

The kids didn't even miss us. Why would they when they get double popcorn parties WITH licorice and slurpee's? Thanks mom holding down the fort.