The adventure began bright and early Friday morning. Uncle Richie threatened our lives if the Arnold family was late and guess what?? WE WERE ON TIME!! Uncle Richie and the Brady Bunch were an HOUR late. We will let them slide as they claim there was a traffic accident in LA. You know how traffic can be in LA!
The trip up was quick, the girls were great & we were ready for some action. As soon as we arrived at the hotel and had our coffee fix, we took the girls for a swim. Let's not talk about the 65 degree temperatures in the indoor pool or that the hotel will not let you take towels from the pool to your room. We won't go there!
C'mon Reese, let's so swimmy!
I forgot to mention that Juddy's parents met us in Reston to take care of the girls for us so the adults could enjoy some much needed time off. It was heavenly and so nice of the grandparents to help with the girls during the day and keep them for us at night.
Friday evening was a nice dinner in the hotel followed by drinks at a local pub.
Us
The Brady Bunch
Saturday we made a very exciting trip and a first for both girls - we went to the zoo! Yep, right in the middle of Reston, VA is a zoo with monkeys, pigs, lambs, goats, water buffalo, deer, ostriches, kangaroos and the list goes on. Reese LOVED every second of it. She was big fan of the pigs, lambs, & other goat/sheep like animals. She helped me feed the animals a bottle and tried to take a swig herself! The most exciting & disturbing part of the day was what we witnessed in the turtle pit. Let's just say there's no way to put it nicely. As we approached a pit with about 10 little turtles we saw one big turtle chasing a little guy (who said turtles were slow?!). Within seconds he had mounted (sorry, no better way to describe it) the little guy and began taking care of business. As children all around shouted "Mommy, what's the big turtle doing to the little turtle", you could hear parents snicker and try not to laugh out loud!
Turtle Action
Turtle's reaction to the turtle action!
We made our way back to the hotel for naps (for the babies) and a little shopping (for the mommies). Dinner with the whole gang was in order again that evening.
Sunday, Juddy and his parents headed in to DC to visit a few museums. Hilary and I were going to take the girls in to meet them later to play on the lawn at the Monument. However, once we boarded the bus to the metro, purchased tickets and were standing on the landing, we realized Reese had a horrible rash! I thought it was heat rash and later turned out to be a viral rash (which kids get from any of the 35 million germs in this world). We made a quick decision to head back to the hotel where it was cool in hopes that the rash would go away.
Late in the afternoon we packed up our van and got ready for the "quick" trip home. As we set Garmin (the GPS) and pulled out of the parking lot, it said "recalculating". We went a little further and once again "recalculating". Did any of the guys stop to think this was not correct? Of course not. So, with an alternate route on hand and an extra 2 hours to our trip, we finally made it home safe and sound.
It was an eventful and fun weekend. I can't believe the thrill I felt as we arrived in Reston. For someone who has spent most of her adult life traveling, this past year being close to home has been tough. I don't think I even realized how much it has weighed on me. I love to get out and explore new places. I love to experience local food, culture, shopping and people. I need this in my life. I need all of my parents to retire soon so they can come along & take care of Reese for us when we travel :0)
Although it took a lot of thought, planning and packing, it was way worth it to get out for the weekend. For all you mom's who dread it, think it's too much work - DO IT! Get out of your town for a bit and enjoy what's out there.
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