Hail to the Chief….

Last weekend was a pretty amazing weekend for my husband and I. Yes, part of it was being away from the kids for a weekend. We hadn’t done that since….let’s see….oh, about 7 years!  Yes, I felt guilty and yes, I worried about them….but the payoff was fantastic! I actually got my husband back! The man I fell in love with and joked around with and spent idle time with Before Kids (B.K.). Sigh…..

The other amazing part of the weekend is what we did. I’d never been to Washington D.C. before and, through my husband’s work, we were able to go out for a 3 day weekend, go see some of the sites and watch the Arizona Cardinals lose to the Washington Redskins (but just barely!!!!)….

It’s amazing to go someplace that you’ve always seen in the news or in the movies and actually visit there. We flew in on Friday and our group (about 20 in all) were bussed to our hotel in Bethesda, MD. I had my nose glued to the bus window the whole time driving there.

First the place is surrounded by woods whose fall colors were just coming out – my favorite time of year! Then, as we got closer, we drove by several large federal buildings – like the NIH (National Institute for Health). Pretty impressive for a small-town girl.

We got in late so the group went to a local restaurant and came back to the hotel and crashed. But the next day was great! We were able to take a tour of the White House (ok, a small part of the White House since most of it is blocked off now…). Walking through the rooms, I couldn’t help but think of the amazing people who had walked through these rooms (Jefferson, Adams, Lincoln, Nixon….oh, wait….). But looking around it dawned on me – I now know why most politicians are the way they are – - the furniture looked so amazingly uncomfortable! I think that if they’d just move in some nice comfy sofas and tvs with remote controls, well…politicians would be able to relax a bit more and finally get stuff done in Washington!

After the tour (and deciding that it’d be cool to have a Green Room, Blue Room and Red Room in my own house), we went to the mall and, on our own, were able to walk around the place. Honestly, I felt just like Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. We visited the Lincoln Memorial and I just started getting teary-eyed when I read his 2nd inaguaral speech on the wall. *Sniff*

We visited the Vietnam Vets Memorial, Washington Monument and the fairly new World War II Memorial. Then we headed on over to the National Archives to take a gander at some old stuff – like the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. Wow……I saw it with my own eyes…..pretty cool….

Tired but happy, we climbed back on the bus and went back to the hotel. That night, we went out to Georgetown for dinner. That place is insanely crazy on a Saturday night – lots of young people – I definately felt my age walking through there. Most of the younger people on the tour group went out to a few bars….my husband and I ended up at Barnes & Noble!

The next day we went to the game. The Cardinals did not play well, but neither did the Redskins. I tell you, those Redskins fans are extremely passionate about their team! The heartbreaker loss (missed field goal to win it) hurt a lot! Right after the game, we were whisked out on bus to the airport to fly back to Arizona.

So my observations during my visit? Amazing architecture (some of those buildings are an entire block long), amazing history, and yet it seemed like such an insulated life – I can see where people who work in that environment can easily lose track of real life beyond the beltway!

We will definately have to go back with the kids in tow – probably when my children are 13 and 9 (after they’ve had some kind of Civics lessons at school). Really, one day in Washington D.C. proper is nearly impossible – I’d recommend 3-5 days!

…out