Weekend away

Matt and I were finally able to go on

our weekend away (no more Friday night football) this weekend and we had a fabulous time! We dropped the 2 littlest girls off at the darrows and headed up to the temple. We were able to do some family initiatories and then 2 sessions and it was so nice to spend the day there. Totally what I needed to hear.

Unfortunately it was dark when we left, so super dark faces, but gorgeous temple behind us.

Also, Matt found a tesla at the temple. I guess they're nice?

Matt's been wanting to eat tapas for awhile so we stopped at a swanky tapas restaurant in Bethesda for dinner. 

It was very different and very yummy. Our fancy cheese platter...

And part of dinner. I got an apple and fennel salad (I don't think I've ever had fennel, but it was delightful) and Matt got a smoked ham sandwich, then we shared.

Then Matt decided he needed one more tapa so he got some churrizo fried in potato.

We had found 1 hour street parking, so we hustled a little bit, but I thought this tree was so pretty and festive so we took a few pictures. This will forever after be known as the $45 picture.

Yes, we got a ticket. (After a day spentin the temple. Doh!) I swear, I am a ticket magnet. And the worst part is that we walked up right as they were putting it on our windshield. We said "we're here!" But mr grumpy pants only said "you already got a ticket." And walked away. It just feels very unjust, we were only 3 minutes late. Sad, sad, sad.

We got a hotel right in DC, (choice hotel points, yo!) got settled in, and went out for a run. I love my husband that he is crazy enough to let me talk him into going running at 9pm on a Friday night out! I have always wanted to run on the mall and I was finally able to. Bucket list! We took a very round about way (literally) but finally made it. Then we ran up the 93 (or was it 88?) steps to see mr Lincoln before regrouping for the run back.

We have never hung out downtown DC at night, and it was breathtaking.

This is our run to the Lincoln memorial. This is just to remind myself of the one time I was directionally right and Matt was wrong. I told him I thought we should go one way, but we ended up going the opposite (we started at the highest green arrow) way and went almost all the way around a roundabout before finding Pennsylvania  avenue and running towards the White House. It was seriously, like, the coolest run ever.

It started sprinkling on our run back, but it wasn't bad and we managed to shave a half mile off our trip by actually going the right way. (:

Our room was on the 8th floor so we had a little view. Of the other buildings, but still.

And another room with a view. (;

One of my goals for the trip was to get as many national parks passport stamps (yes, I have a lighthouse and a national parks passport. Yes, I know I'm like an 80-year-old nerd) as I could. So as Matt checked in with his teacher, I mapped out our strategy for the morning. First we hit up the Mary McLeod Bethune house. (Ps - that's produced mccloud, just so you don't sound like an idiot ((or like me)) when you ask about it)

We rode our bikes over and the neighborhood was just gorgeous!

Love fall colors! And the beautiful houses! And all the architecture for that matter.

After a quick detour for a bike lock (dumb combo locks!) we found the cute house and had a nice private tour. Tons of history happened in this here house! It was long the headquarters for the national council for negro women, which is now headquarterd on Pennsylvania Avenue in a building that was bought and donate by Camille Cosby and Oprah Winfrey, an old classmate of our tour guide. Good stuff.

From there we headed to Ford Theater. On our way we saw Madame Tussaud's and stopped to say hi to Marilyn. I never knew where this was, so that was cool. 

Speaking of cool, fords theater.

I love honest Abe. What an amazing man!

After fords theater we headed across the street to the house where Lincoln died. The park ranger there said that after he was shot they wanted to take him out of the theater for fear of him getting shot again, so they carried him outside when one of the boarders at the Peterson house across the street heard a commotion, went out onto his balcony, and beckoned for them to come into his house. Since he was on the balcony they  saw and heard him and took him there where he died the next morning.

What a way to get into history!

And also, they're all free! Sweetness. Also, also, we need to go see a show at ford theater. It's pretty cool.

From there we biked over to the old post office tower. When we were segway'ing last week we learned that Donald trump has just gotten a 60 year lease to turn the old post office into a swanky hotel, so we wanted to go up the tower before we might not be able to.

Creepy clear elevator.

We're such tourists with our big backpack full of snacks and warm accessories.

We took the elevator up 9 stories and then walked the last 3 up to the observation deck.

The Capitol.

And the White House between us.

Cool gardens on top of these buildings. What a different life! 

After that we walked down to the bell tower and then headed off to bike around the Capitol.

And the Supreme Court right across the street.

Nerd love.

We stopped at the Washington monument because one of the nice park rangers told us they had almost every national park stamp for all of DC there. Perfect, since I've been to almost all the monuments. There were a few I hadn't heard of but stamped anyway, like this one of George mason.

He's over by the Jefferson memorial, so we biked around the tidal basin and stopped in on him. He's fascinating, can't you tell?

He wrote the virginia declaration of rights which our American one was modeled after.

I had also never heard of this one - the DC world war memorial honoring residents of DC who served and perished.

I.love.this.city.

And this guy.

I didn't know there was a "constitution gardens" so we went looking for it and found this memorial to the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, which I thought was constitution gardens, but isn't. Still cool. Each stone has the signature of one of the signer along with his occupation and state of origin.

We also learned there is a White House visitor center, who knew? 

My cycle meter stopped at 12.5 miles over by the Jefferson memorial, so we figure we went about 20 miles. I haven't biked in awhile and my bum is a little sore. But it was really so fun. 

We biked around looking for a hole in the wall restaurant we'd like to eat at and finally decided on Thai. Yummy! And I love that we ate foods that we don't usually eat, I love trying new things.

We had to get our car out of the hotel garage before 6, so after dinner we picked up our car and headed to rei for some window shopping and daydreaming. We talked about stoping for some Christmas shopping or a movie, but we were both pretty pooped and Matt needed to check in with his instructor so we headed home.

Alecia had brought the girls home and put them to bed. So we visited with Chris for awhile and were in bed by 9. What a bunch of old farts, huh?! We were pretty tired and had a very full weekend, so it's all good. We can't wait till our next weekend away, I think we've got a good weekend kid swap going on!