D.C. For The Day

One cool aspect of living in Virginia is we are just a hop, skip, and a jump away from our nation's capital. Parker and I have been meaning to do a weekend in Washington D.C. since we moved here 2 years ago and have epically failed. 

Two weekends ago, Parker had a bachelor party to attend in Baltimore, so the girls decided to do a weekend of our own in D.C.. I was so excited! Not only had I never been, but I just love the girls I got to go with, so it made it all the more fun. 

Before going out for dinner and drinks, my friends Jenn and Katy were kind enough to give me a tour of this beautiful city. They both knew the area really well, and I didn't have to spend all day in museums. #winning

We started out the day with a late lunch at Founding Farmers. Oh my yum. This appetizer was to die for, and even though I just got a salad as my entree, it was one of the best darn salads I have ever had. Katy had the chicken and waffles and won the award for best order. This place was a goldmine and apparently a D.C. favorite judging from the crowds. If you visit D.C., go!

I wanted to do all the cheesy tourist things, and these two were so sweet and patient to do them with me. First stop was the white house! My initial reaction was that it's much smaller than I thought it would be. I guess I was imagining the American version of Downton Abbey. It was still neat though!

Apparently, if you grow up in a somewhat close proximity to D.C., you go on school field trips to see the white house. I grew up in Texas, so none of us southern kiddos got to go on such trips. When asked where Texas kids went for field trips, the answer was: the Alamo, which I am fairly certain we were brainwashed into thinking was the equivalent of the nation's capital. #Texasforever

I joked with them that I really wanted to see the president, which of course I didn't. Coincidentally, the weekend we were there was the weekend of the annual White House Correspondent's Dinner, and we stayed in the Hilton where it was being held. So even though we didn't see the president, we were definitely in the same building as him!

I didn't get too close to the Washington Monument, but it was pretty impressive from where I was standing! Cheesy tourist move: take pictures of all the things.

The pond leading to the Lincoln Memorial may or may not have been my favorite part. Who doesn't love to see adorable baby ducklings swimming around with the mama duck? Jenny would have been in Heaven. 

Next up was the WWII Memorial, which I thought was really beautiful. It took a second, but I eventually found the great state and snapped a picture with it.

And of course right next to the WWII Memorial is the Lincoln Memorial. It was beautiful but packed! Apparently we weren't the only ones that day that wanted to see Honest Abe sitting in his chair, so we didn't stay long. It was one of those things that you've seen so many pictures of, so it was neat to see it with my own eyes.

The view looking out was exquisite, and I am so appreciative that Katy and Jenn took the time to show my touristy self around. I think I said this at least 100 times, but it was such a beautiful city. The people were friendly, the trees were lush and green, and the cherry blossoms were blooming. I don't think it's in the cards, but if the Navy wanted to send us to D.C., I wouldn't be mad about it.