Cece the Politician?

Two weeks ago we took Cece on her first vacation. We hit the road and headed south to northern Virginia where my bestie (and Cece's fairygodmother) Caitlin and her husband (also a close friend of mine from High School) Jared live. Both Caitlin and Jared work for the federal government and have been tied to Washington, D.C. for several years now. We hope someday they will be able to move closer to home but for now we're happy to visit them every chance we get.

 The car ride took us about 6 hours and Cece slept the entire way, both ways. I knew she would sleep a lot in the car, she always does but I had no idea she would sleep that long! Turns out she was coming down with her first cold. Even with the sniffles she did remarkable well on her first trip away from home. She loves action and didn't want to miss a thing when we were out and about.

We had hoped to hit up a few Smithsonian museums and perhaps a few of the monuents but D.C. was really, really crowded. Apparently the beautiful weather combined with the holiday weekend, the cherry blossom festival and the NCAA men's basketball tournament which was in town made for madness on the Mall. Still, we enjoyed walking around and sightseeing from afar. Cece visited the Capitol building and waved to the protestors out front. I told her about how I once lobbied at the capitol (say no to drilling in ANWR) and how someday she could become president someday if she wanted. Cece the politician? She could change the world!

We stopped in the U.S. Botanic Garden while we were on the Mall. It was beautiful inside. It made up for the fact that we missed the cherry blossoms by a week!

Before we left the city I was able to catch up briefly with my college roommate, Maya. We met as freshman at Gettysburg College and she's the sweetest, most amazing person ever. Love her. I hadn't seen her since our wedding and it was so good to catch up, if only for a short visit. She's one of those friends who no matter how long it's been since you see each other, the conversation is always so easy and everyone has a good time. Maya, you're the best!

It was a fun trip and nice to get away for a long weekend. Everyone was tired out by the end of the trip, even their dog Otis! Cece did great, even with the sniffles and I think it gave James and I got a good taste of what it's like to travel with a little one. Not so bad for the first time around!