So, please excuse the layout of this post- I was doing a little experimenting and didn't feel like changing it.
This trip to D.C. in May was one of my favorite trips lately- probably because the gas and hotels were paid for by North Shore Hospital- but actually it was a blast and we got to see some great friends and really relax. Dave had to attend a conference so we decided to make it a family trip and got 5 days of unexpected "vacation"- awesome!
We stayed with Jess and Sterling the first night- enjoyed some great Mexican food and delicious omelets w/avocado made by Sterling in the morning. We went to the "Air Show" and we all felt like kids watching the planes do all their tricks in the air and seeing the Blue Angels in action. We met Matt, Eliza, and cute Theo there for a brief minute and it was fun to catch up. That night we got pizza and took it down to the Mall and walked around the Lincoln Memorial and enjoyed the beautiful night view of D.C. We went to church with the Filmore's and I had fun catching up with a friend from high school who is in their ward. After going to the hotel for naps we came back for an excellent taco soup fiesta and then headed to Great Falls for an amazing view of the Potomac. The kids and I walked to the National Zoo (it's free!) on Monday and we loved the gorillas and "the monster!" We met Dave at the pool for an evening swim and met Sterling for Thai food that night, followed by some McD's cones and a big mac for Sterling- go figure :) On Tuesday I dragged the kids through the mall, still dress hunting- but I found "the one" and it was a great relief- funny I had to get out of NY to find it! That night we had more pizza (we can't get enough) at Matt and Liza's and made some killer s'mores on the stove- see picture above. We all knew each other in college (Dave, Matt, and Sterling were roommates while Dave & I were dating and engaged) and I always love it when the six of us get together again- good times. I met my dear friend, Michelle and her cute son Damon on Wed. and we went to probably the coolest kids park I've been too. Damon rode his pedal-less bike like a champ and Michelle and I had a great time chatting like the good old days. We picked Dave up after his conference, where we met with Hilary Clinton's advisor (just felt like name dropping) and we headed off into the sunset back to NY.
Just FYI it cost $23 in tolls and bridges alone from D.C. to Long Island- if you go mapquest way! We didn't hit any traffic until we were about 12 miles from home, and those 12 miles took about 45 minutes. Sometimes I really miss not being able to just drive home with ease. Anyway, this was a marathon post, but I loved the trip and felt like documenting all the fun times. Thanks to all our friends for being such great host/hostess- we will take you anytime up here!
For the last year or so we have been watching some of my favorite classic movies- "The Sound of Music", "The Music Man", "Mary Poppins" etc. Zanna and James love them and are constantly saying lines from the movies or imitating the characters. 
