DC Trippin'...or Jumpin'??

I was well on my way to breaking New Year's Resolution #1 when I took a short weekend trip to Washington DC a few weeks ago. The justification for the trip was that my friend Shawn Lindseth was getting married. (I usually avoid using first and last names on the blog, but his is one of those names that is always first and last. Unless you want to call him Steak or Iceberg, which were the only names by which I knew him for the first few months of our acquaintance). So, back to the topic at hand...I went to DC for the wedding, but really it was just a great excuse to get away and to see some old peeps. Though the number of friends in DC has decreased drastically since I moved away 5 years ago (almost to the day), some of my favorites are still kicking around. Also, as luck would have it, the reception was being held in York, PA which happens to be the very town where my cousin is living and going to art school. So, I had 3 totally unrelated groups of people to fit into my short 3 1/2 days in town. This made the trip very worthwhile, but I was also a little stressed about being able to see all of the people and have all the good times that I knew were awaiting me there.

This time, God was on my side, and He was not about to see me break a NY Resolution less than a month into the New Year. Miraculously, I was able to see everyone and do everything that I wanted to. And, I even felt like I got good quality time with most people. So, all in all it was a fantastic trip!! I know not to tempt God again in the future, but I'm soooo glad it all worked out this time!!

I haven't been back to DC in several years and it was so fantastic to be back in the city. I stayed with Betsy, who has an adorable apartment in Dupont Circle. It made me so happy to be walking around the blustery city, taking the metro everywhere, and feeling so connected with everything around me. There is something about the city that makes me feel so alive! I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as I walked around the neighborhood. Even the sounds of the metro made me super happy and, oddly enough, made me recall some of the books I read while commuting all those years ago (particularly the long ones like Atlas Shrugged and Harry Potter).

As expected, the weekend was filled with good times! After getting hit on by a slightly creepy middle-aged man on the train from the airport, I met up with Bets at her swanky Dupont Law Firm and we had lunch at a delicious little tavern. I got to meet Betsy's friend Lincoln and have some good thought provoking conversations. We ate at a couple of fun restaurants in areas of DC that used to be super ghetto when I lived there and are now alive and thriving. We spent an evening in Adam's Morgan, got a taste of what it feels like to be a minority at a Reggae club, and ate some jumbo pizza. We hit up all of the major touristy spots, took a jog through the National Gallery, went to the top of the Washington Monument (which I'd never done before), and of course we jumped.

This pizza is so big three of us could eat it at the same

time and not invade any personal space

The boys

The highlight of the trip was meeting up with all of the old DC peeps for dinner at Five Guys, one of my favorite old burger joints (unfortunately, I took absolutely no pictures of these events). Paul, Betsy, Elizabeth, and Lincoln always make for great company and great conversation...it was as though no time at all had passed since the old days. After dinner we went over to Chris' house. He was on baby duty since the lovely Kate was on call (she's in her medical residency and just had an adorable little baby, Eva...she's a super woman!). Chris was one of my best friends from DC and I haven't seen nor spoken to him for 5 years (outside of the occasional email or voice message). Since we last parted on that snowy hill in Old Town, Chris has been on a mission, gotten married, and had a baby!! It's pretty crazy what can happen in 5 years. But it was so great to hang out and get caught up. Kate made it home before the night was over, and the bonus was that Chris' brother Jon and Jon's wife Wendy were both there too. What a reunion!!

I got to spend a lovely afternoon with Paul, who feeds my soul (and coincidentally my belly too). We took Jasmine to the dog park and ran into B-Cash (HA!) then had a nice lunch in Shirlington. Then I met back up with the wedding peeps to take the mormon fun bus up to York, PA for the wedding reception.

After numerous detours in hot pursuit of Friendly's, an East Coast diner with AMAZING ice cream delights (also featured in my favorite children's book Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday), and a long ride on the floor of the van wedged between the two captain seats, we finally arrived at the church in York where the reception was to be held. The reception was nice, food was good, friends were fun. Highlights included a rousing rendition of Dean Martin's That's Amore, C&Os style; incredible icey punch; and being tricked into thinking that Chip (who caught the garter) had previously hooked up with the girl who caught the bouquet, making for a very awkward moment (I'm so gullible...and I was working hard to get that scoop!). The lowlight of the evening involved being forced out onto the floor for said bouquet toss. I'm too old for that crap, enough said. Mostly the evening was delightful because it was spent with my friends who I love and who are always a great good time.

Following the reception, my cousin Anna and her friends came to pick me up and we went back to Anna's apartment. It was SO fun to see her place, she's such a little grown up. They took me by her school and if I looked really hard I could see one of her art projects on the shelf through a window on the second floor. It was so great to hang out with her and her roommate. We played Disney's Scene It and I learned I know absolutely nothing about Disney movies. I couldn't even get the questions on the cards designed for the kiddies! They were helping out a bit, which did eventually lead me to a victory over Anna :) We stayed up late and chatted, then woke up early for a pancake breakfast before heading to the airport. It was so fun to hang out with Anna in PA one last time. She's almost done with school (I'm so proud of her) and then she'll be headed up to New Hampshire where she and her family are moving.

Another fantastic trip!! I don't know how I pulled it off, but I did!! I saw everyone and did everything that I wanted to. I had lots of long sit-down and catch up conversations with people. Nothing felt rushed (except perhaps for a moment on Saturday afternoon). And I had a delightful time. Thank goodness (again and again) for great friends and cool cities, two things so very close to my heart!!