dc // day five.

 Our final day in the city was a good one to end on! we checked off our final sights on our long list before 2 PM, and then we walked four blocks back over to the White House to run in the grass. If we lived in the city (don’t worry, we aren’t moving, LOL), I could see us doing this every day — in another life, I suppose.

D Light Cafe // Smithsonian Zoo // Sight-seeing

We walked another 8 miles today, bringing our grand total to **40 MILES** for the week. WOWZA! I’m so proud of our kiddos. They are absolutely BEAT, as you would imagine, so I anticipate a quiet ride home tomorrow. I am considering waking up early to go catch an iconic cherry blossom sunrise, but I’m holding that loosely — my body has served me well this week, and I don’t want to kill her. 😅

D Light Cafe // Sight-seeing // Smithsonian Zoo

This is what today looked like for us…

-Breakfast at @d_light_cafe 

-@smithsonianzoo with friends

-Lunch at @foundingfarmers

-White House

-Lafayette Square

-dinner at @pitangogelato (yep, ending vacation with a BANG)

-Pool night at hotel

-Watching our highlight video from this glorious week and then letting the kiddos feel their feelings

-A final “goodnight” in DC

Pitango // Founding Farmers

We have loved this week so very much. like SOOOO much. a few years ago, a trip like this was out of the question for us, and I’m reflecting tonight on how we are all just a few decisions away from a totally different life. I cry more these days than I ever have in my whole life (true story), but my joy is infinitely deeper now, too. I have cried and belly laughed this week, and both came from a place of love and longing. Hallelujah.

Smithsonian Zoo

White House

DC, we can't wait to come visit you again. You wooed us with your history and with your beauty!

dc // day four.

 What was supposed to be a cold, rainy day in DC ended only being a cold day, so we count that as a win! Four days in, and we’re still having a blast. B even said this to me this afternoon — “Mommy, I think we could totally live in a big city. I love walking everywhere!” We have definitely done some major walking this week. Our daily total for this day was 7 miles!

Sight-seeing // Museum of the Bible

This is what today looked like for us…

-A slow morning and leftover Dunkin Donuts for breakfast

-Museum of the Bible (my personal favorite museum yet)

-A late lunch @ McDonald’s (that Diet Coke was so guuuud)

-National Air and Space Museum (my second favorite so far)

-Dinner at @chickfila in Silver Spring, Maryland

Sight-seeing // National Air & Space Museum // Diet cokeeee

Did we drive half an hour to MD just so we could say we have visited MD?

Yes. Yes, we did.

Am I proud of that?

Yes. Yes, I am.

Another state crossed off our list, woot woot!

Downtown Silver Spring, Maryland

We were all pretty sad this night because we were so close to our final day. The reality didn’t hit the kiddos until bedtime tonight, so it was an emotional prayer and song. Bethany rubbed Braxton’s back and said, “It’s okay, bubby. We can always come back!” It was really, really sweet.

Sight-seeing // Museum of the Bible // National Air & Space Museum

We’ve got a full day planned for tomorrow, which includes an early wake-up time, a whole lotta animals, seeing friends from home (small world!), and three final restaurants that I’ve been looking forward to. I am so grateful that we’ve been able to do everything we came to do — and more.

Anyone else love Quantico on Netflix? LOL!

Happy faces, all around!

dc // day three.

Blooms, blooms, blooms

 Even when we get rained on all day, DC is such a fun place to explore! We went at a slower pace today, but still ended up walking over seven miles. We had a little extra time between a museum and dinner, so we let the kiddos pick where they wanted to go — and they both exclaimed, “WASHINGTON MONUMENT!!” without hesitation.

Lil’ sweeties. They genuinely loved all of the monuments, and it was so special to watch their excitement.

Old Ebbitt Grill

This was our most expensive day so far, but that’s the gift of a budgeted vacation — a worthy splurge is permitted. We pre-purchased our tickets for the International Spy Museum, and it’s a good thing we did because they were completely sold out. We, also, made reservations at both restaurants last week, and that was another good call — instead of two 1.5 hour waits with crazy crowds, we were seated upon arrival. and yes, in case you’re wondering, we did feel reeeeeal fancy.

Smithsonian Grounds // Washington Monument // The Hamilton

The spy museum was great, but there were so many people that it was hard to enjoy everything. The things we did get to enjoy, however, were fabulously fun! I am (clearly) not cut out for a life of secrecy, so it was fun to pretend for a few hours.

International Spy Museum // The Hamilton

We walked another eight miles on this day, and this was our itinerary:

-Sleeping in (hallelujah!)

-Dunkin Donuts & coffee in our hotel room

-Early lunch at @oldebbitt

-International Spy Museum

-Smithsonian grounds

-Washington Monument

-Dinner at @thehamiltondc

The Hamilton

dc // day two.

Our first full day in DC started early and ended late, with an abundance of fullness in between.

DC at Sunrise

We set an early alarm and put on our "fancy clothes" (as the kiddos call them), and headed straight for the Tidal Basin for sunrise portraits with the stunning cherry blossoms. Even getting there so early didn't prevent a large crowd of people, but we still got what we came for, thanks to some bribes for doughnuts (LOL) and my trusty tripod. I will treasure the pictures we took forever and ever, and I've already ordered prints to update our frames around our home.

City Centre // We parked our car here overnight during our stay, and these lanterns were stunning

If you go to DC during cherry blossom season, I highly recommend you do wake up early one morning for a calm(er) look at the blooms...and don't forget your tripod!

Tidal Basin at sunrise

After that, we crossed the bridge into Arlington to grab doughnuts for breakfast in Arlington. The problem? The doughnut place was closed, and we had to break the kids' hearts by getting bagels instead. The bagels were delicious; they just weren't doughnuts. *Sigh* I, also, walked across the street to get TJ and me lattes from Compass Coffee. Delicious!

Compass Coffee

Once our bellies were full and we'd already had ten tantrums (kids and adults alike), we made our way to one of our most anticipated adventures: Arlington National Cemetery.

There are no words to describe how it felt to walk around such a sacred place. And to witness the changing of the guard...just wow. So much honor and sacrifice in one place. I will never forget being present for this ceremony, and I think everyone should witness this at least once in their life.

Changing of the Guard

It was unforgettable.

Absolutely unforgettable.

Arlington National Cemetery // Museum of Natural History // Downtown Arlington, VA

We took our time at Arlington, and then drove back over the bridge to round out the day with more walking and exploring. Our total miles walked on day two was 10 miles, and these are the places we saw:

-Tidal Basin just after sunrise (peak blooms!!)

-Breakfast at Breugger’s Bagels

-Arlington National Cemetery

-Changing of the Guard

-JFK’s grave

-Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

-US Capitol

-US Supreme Court

-Union Station

-Chinatown

-Jimmy John’s for dinner in our hotel

-Pool night before bed

US Supreme Court // Capitol // Museum of Natural History // Union Station

My official opinion is that we could spend two weeks here and still not see / experience everything! I’m so grateful we got to take this trip, and I already love the USA more than I did when we got here. And even when unmet expectations try to steal my joy, there is no where else I’d rather be than showing my kiddos the world alongside my Teesh.

One of my favorite memories from today was stopping in front of the Capitol to play tag and meet new friends in the park. It kiiiiinda felt like a dream, and it kiiiinda made me want to live in a big city. It’s so fun walking to everything and stopping to put our feet in the grass — but that could just be the Pretty Woman scene playing in my mind at all times.

US Capitol

I'll never forget this day.

It wasn't perfect, the kids were only happy about half the time, TJ and I exchanged a few heated words of frustration throughout the day...but we are showing our family the world. Even during our worst moments, we are still experiencing life together. And that's a miracle.

When I look at the pictures I took this day, I will always gratefully remember how we got to see history and make our own history.

Because a day of chaos together beats a day without it if we're apart.

Always.

Tidal Basin with peak Cherry Blossom blooms

dc // day one.

 After 8 months of anticipation and planning, we spent an awe-inspiring week in our nation's capital...

 Washington, DC!

Lincoln Memorial

We stayed four blocks from The White House at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center, which was a central hotel that we were grateful to enjoy. We did a lot of walking during the five days we explored, and our total for the week was 40 miles. Wowza! Our kids are so much stronger than we give them credit for, and they loved walking and adventuring all week. We were careful to rest as much as possible to offset any exhaustion, and the two slow mornings we had were a necessary gift to all of us.

I was not prepared to love DC as much as I did...but I was absolutely spell-bound.

Washington Monument // WWII Memorial

Walking around in the midst of such rich history, from the buildings to the monuments, was an incredible feeling. Indescribable, really. I am not sure that everyone would have this response in the city, and I would never assume so -- but for me, personally, it was astounding.

In five days, we were able to do everything we set out to do -- and more. Some of our plans changed as the weather did, but all of us returned home with zero regrets and full hearts.

Washington Marriott at Metro Center // White House // City Centre

Our adventure was not perfect, but it was wonderful. We had our moments of angry outbursts and tears nearly every day; they are not the most vivid moments in my mind, however.  We truly had the most grand time exploring this new-to-us place with so much significance. There were several things that we did to make our trip more smooth and enjoyable, and I am so grateful that we did the following:

1) Write out a list of places we wanted to visit.

Hold that list loosely, because sometimes

plans are not able to be followed.

2) Make any reservations for meals

before leaving for our trip.

We did this for four meals that we

were most excited about, and we were able to

avoid hours and hours of waiting because of this.

I made each through the restaurants' websites.

3) Make a budget and stick to it as much as possible.

There are soooo many opportunities to spend

money while in DC. Spending money is not bad,

of course, but don't live your "best life" on vacation

and come home to stress and bills you cannot pay.

4) Prepare to visit all of the free museums,

but pay for some of them, too.

We paid for the International Spy Museums

and the Bible Museum, and they were well

worth the price. We love them both!

5) Visit during the Spring!

I'm sure that DC is gorgeous year-round,

but I'm not sure any season is more

beautiful than spring. Seeing the cherry

blossoms at peak bloom is something

I will never forget. Just wow! There were,

also, bright blooms nearly at every corner.

Spring blooms // Washington Monument // Walking around the city

This is how our first day unfolded...

We hit the road at 4:17 AM and passed through a couple of states before arriving in DC just after noon. Initially we planned to leave around 8 AM, but we chose to maximize our first day as much as we could. And what better way to stretch your legs after 8 hours in the car than to immediately walk 8 miles around the city? We hit the ground running and explore the following on our first day:

-The White House

-Washington Monument

-The National Mall

-Lincoln Memorial

-WWII Memorial

-Korean War Veteran's Memorial

-MLK Jr. Memorial

-The Tidal Basin

-Jefferson Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

MLK Jr. Memorial // Washington Monument // Cherry Blossom blooms

When we began our walk back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner, we stopped for a roadside treat: ice cream! It was surreal to enjoy a cone with the Washington Monument in the background, and I memorized the moment as we sat under a tree. One thing we didn't expect when we stopped for the treat was for it to cost so much (I've never paid nearly $40 for 4 ice creams before - LOL), but we paid the bill knowing full-well that we may not ever have a memory like that again. Perspective is a gift, especially when faced with something unexpected. And besides, the kiddos were so excited! I'll admit, too, that my chocolate soft serve in a waffle cone was taaaasty.

To end our first day in the city, we drove across the bridge into Arlington, VA for dinner with dear friends at Green Pig Bistro, and it was the perfect finishing touch to a wonderful day. It was especially fun to be in the presence of people who feel like home to us while we were far from it.

Green Pig Bistro in Arlington, VA

The food in and around DC did NOT disappoint!

Beloved friends!

After dinner, we drove back over into DC and tucked ourselves in for the night. Day two was our fullest day of the week (and we knew it would be), so we tried our best to rest in spite of the lingering adrenaline rush.

Another great day was soon to be upon us!