4th of July in DC

Ok so I was awful at taking hardly any pictures during my trip to DC. I was having too much fun and always on the go that I never really took my camera out. So this is going to be more like a journal entry. I spent my first morning with Dan's sister Melissa and her little girls. We had a picnic at the park and then I went to Marriott to visit lots of old coworkers. It was so great to be able to catch up with so many friends there and to here that I am still missed. In fact I was even told that they still have my old computer and would set it up for me if I would stay! That was flattering to hear but I had to decline. I was quickly running out of time because I had to make it into the city to meet friends for dinner and I knew the beltway (495) would be a beast. And surely it was but I made it into the city just in time for dinner with Anne, her hubby Grayden, and our awesome friend Matt. We ate at Coco Sala, a swanky Tapas and dessert restaurant famous for its three course chocolate dessert. After dinner Anne and I drove to Crystal City to see our friend Torrey. She always has great stories to tell and her latest was that two of the Russian spies that were recently caught had been living in the apartment complex where she works! She also let me leave my car there overnight which was super cool because parking in the city is not so cool. So Anne and I took the metro back to her studio apartment in Chinatown and crashed for the night. How cool is it that this is the view out her window?!



The next morning I had some time by myself so I got a Boston Creme donut from Dunkin Donuts and walked to the Sculpture Garden to have my breakfast and read for a little bit. The weather was gorgeous that morning and I walked around the mall a little bit to the National Archives, Capital, and Washington Monument. I got a kick out of watching a little preschool class playing t-ball on the lawn in front of he Capital!





The Portrait Gallery opened at 11:30 and I went there until Anne was done work. I hadn't been before so that was one stop I definitely wanted to make. They have an exhibit of all the American presidents and I have to admit there were a good five or six that I didn't know at all! I need to brush up on my American history! There was a Norman Rockwell exhibit too that I enjoyed. Once I met up with Anne we walked to 14th Street to check out a bunch of furniture stores. I loved this as well and we got a lunch and yummy chocolate shakes. I then had to say goodbye to Anne to go meet up with another one of my best friends Kate. I met her at the metro and we rode it out to Crystal City to pick up my car at Torrey's. We then went to dinner in Shirlington and talked and laughed and had a fabulous time. The thing you have to know about Kate is that she has the best laugh in the entire world. It is so infectious and I told Dan it was one of the things I was really looking forward to on my trip! I spent the next morning with her too in Georgetown shopping and eating. We went to Georgetown Cupcake and ate DELICIOUS crepes at a little creperie. It was so fun walking around M Street again because we had lived there for four months during our internships. I sadly then had to say goodbye to her and made my way back out to Virginia. I got to visit my cousin who has a new baby girl and stopped by my old townhouse and got to visit my old roommate Christina. It was so fun to be back! By this time it was Saturday afternoon and I went back to Melissa's house to spend the rest of the weekend with Dan's family. I had such a great time playing with nieces and nephews, playing games late into the night and laughing hysterically about who knows what, and celebrating my birthday! I am a hard person to surprise but they pulled it off. My birthday isn't until the end of the month but while I was going to be with his family they told Dan they wanted to celebrate. He arranged as well to have my present for me there. I really was so shocked. I was talking with his Dad and next thing I knew there was a cake in the kitchen and cards with my name on them. My cake was a Chocolate Truffle Bomb cake- haha Melissa knows me well!





My present from Dan and his parents is this amazing Panasonic camera! I am so excited to start using it. What a great early birthday surprise! The next day was Ellie's baby blessing and 4th of July. We had a BBQ dinner and set off some fireworks in the backyard. I watched from just inside the screen door because my feet were already eaten alive by mosquitoes. I was really missing Dan at this point and was glad I was going home the next morning. So after a very early flight I found myself back in Utah with Dan at our new little house and I was home!