We had what felt like a whirlwind trip with something going on just about every day. We left our house around 7 AM so we could get to the airport in time to catch our flight. Even though our kids are a little older and travel better now, it still seems like such a big hassle every time we fly. I'm sure it's a combination of the long drive (about 1.5 hours) to the airport, the hauling of the luggage from the parking lot to the airport, the getting through security, and finally getting to the gate. Add in the bathroom stops and trying to get food, not to mention any flight delays, and it's really a pain. I know I shouldn't be complaining because we always enjoy ourselves when we get there but the whole process of travelling is not enjoyable. We've actually been pretty lucky with our trips in the past couple years since there haven't been any major delays. So I wasn't surprised when our flight ended up being delayed - for the most unexpected reason: snow. We've been having such warm weather that it took us by surprise to see snow while driving to the airport.
When we finally landed and got our luggage and rental car it was almost 9 PM. We still had about an hour of driving to where we were staying so we stopped by Famous Dave's for dinner near the airport. It was our first time eating at a Famous Dave's and it was pretty tasty!
We stayed at the home of some good friends since my parents have cats (Dan and the kids are allergic). Also, Dan needed exercise equipment for his back, which my friends happened to have. It was really wonderful of them to let us stay there. Actually, it worked out that they were gone on vacation until about the day before we left. The only downside to this arrangement was that we were 40 minutes away from my parents'.
On Wednesday, we went over to my parents' house, which they moved to last year. We hung out there and then stopped by my grandparents' graves.
On Thursday, my parents and sister came over to my friends' house. After my dad left for work, the rest of us went to Brookside Gardens. There were two connected greenhouses with gorgeous plants and flowers inside. Outside, the flowering trees, tulips, and daffodils were at the height of bloom. The kids especially liked the turtles in the ponds. We didn't mean to stay long but after walking around the gardens we decided to walk through the woods by a lake. Then we saw a miniature train on which we've ridden during our last trip and... since Charlie still loves trains, of course we just had to ride it. Also right next to the train ride was the carousel ride, which we also had to go on because Ellie loves that. We took a different route back to our car which led us through some playgrounds. The kids played there a while. On the way, we went down a graveled hill and poor Ellie tripped. So, that was the end of our perfect day.
Friday morning we rode the Metro to meet my sister and aunt at the National Air and Space Museum. My kids loved riding the train and the escalators. We really didn't see that much of the museum except the exhibits on flight. Then we had lunch at the McDonald's inside the museum, which was the biggest McDonald's I'd ever been to - it had about 10 lines and was two levels.
We then headed to the National Zoo, one of my favorite places to visit in DC. It's near and dear to my heart because I'd spent one summer volunteering there during high school. I have fond memories of riding back and forth on the metro several times a week and getting to see the non-tourist parts of the zoo.
The walk from the Metro station to the zoo entrance is quite long so I was surprised that Ellie walked the whole way without complaining. We had a lot of fun seeing all the animals. Most memorable were the pandas and the lions. There was a long line for the pandas which for some reason were inside instead of outside. The second panda we saw had just turned away from us when we walked up to look at it. Ellie thought it was hilarious that it showed its bottom to us. She kept laughing and laughing... I have to say, going to the zoo with my kids is so much more fun than going with people my age.
One of the reasons we made this special trip was to attend the wedding of my dear friend Jaya. She and I go way back to the fourth grade when we decided to be "best friends". Even though we've taken different paths in life, she and I have always remained good friends. I'm so glad we were able to be there for her and her husband's special day. The wedding was beautiful as was the couple!
Another special treat was being able to attend church in my "home" ward in Laurel, Maryland. Although I have been away for more than a decade, I love how it always feels welcoming. Last but not least, we got to enjoy an Easter feast with some of my favorite people!
No comments:
Post a Comment