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!