Mama Nash Goes to Washington

Brian and I went to Washington, D.C. this past weekend. Did I ever mention that? Probably not. I didn't want the bad guys to think they had a free pass into our empty house. You know, all the bad guys that read my blog.

In the process I took a week vacation from the Internets. And here's a little secret: I didn't really miss it all that much. I don't think I'll ever be able to say goodbye to this here little blog but unplugging every now and again does feel pretty good.

So back to Washington...

Brian and I had this trip planned a few months ago as we wanted to attend a friend's priestly ordination. More on that later. It deserves its own post. So we used that event as a good excuse to take a kid-free break. It was wonderful! I didn't so much need a break from the kids and from motherhood as I just needed a long stretch of uninterrupted time with my honey. We agreed that every penny spent was totally worth it.

It's getting easier to leave the kids as they get older. I don't miss them as much when I know that they are just as excited to take a trip (to Camp Grandma's this time) as we are. I realize this whole process will start all over again with the arrival of Nash the Third in October when we will once again be in a kid-free vacation blackout. I don't like spending nights away from my babes until they are at least a year old. So alas, this was our little babymoon.

Just a few hours into our trip and we had lunch on the White House lawn.  OK, so we weren't actually inside the gates, but still.

Brian in front of a T-Rex at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.  This is a great museum if you have kids with you!

I'm kind of obsessed with our our nation's capitol building and all the allure that goes with it.  This picture was taken after a little private tour -- so cool!

These next two pictures were taken long after me and my baby bump cashed out for the night.  Brian was out with our other college friends who joined us on the trip.  I suspect this photo was snapped after a number of alcoholic beverages so I have to say: not half bad!

If you're not familiar with the D.C. monuments and memorials, this is the World War II memorial in the foreground and the Lincoln memorial off in the distance.  When traveling to D.C., hands down, night is the best time to see the monuments.

Brian, standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  The Washington Monument in the distance.

Our Washington, D.C. Stops:

• We grabbed some deli sandwiches and ate lunch in President's Park which is just outside The White House gates.
• Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.  This is home to popular attractions such as dinosaur bones and the Hope Diamond plus a lot of other really cool stuff.  I enjoyed it but Brian liked it a lot better than I did.  He couldn't get enough.  In a previous trip I went to the Smithsonian Museum of American History which I enjoyed just a little bit more.  Natural History is more Discovery Channel, American History is more pop culture-ish.  Best part?  All these museums are free.
• The capitol building.  You can get a free tour of the capitol building by visiting your state senator's or congressman's office.  We got our tour thanks to Senator Klobuchar's office.  If the senate is in session it's also worth it to try to get senate gallery passes.
• Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial and Korean Memorial.  We saw all these at night.  Breathtaking!
• The Newseum.  I was totally in love with the Newseum but I have accepted the fact that not everyone is a news junkie as myself.  There was a lot of 9/11 stuff, Katrina coverage, sections of the Berlin Wall, some of the most notorious criminal stories and, my favorite, Tim Russert's actual office the day he died.  If none of this stuff interests you, then skip it.  Especially so because at $22/person, the Newseum is not cheap.

I've only been to D.C. twice so I'm no expert.  That said, I do so love that city so if you're traveling there in the near future hit me up for other tips and recommendations.