Jeff took the day off from work! The kids had off from school! I didn't have to work my part-time jobs! It was 64 degrees and sunny...in February!
We packed a picnic and headed to the Tidal Basin area in D.C. We took Lucy and made it a full family affair. It was a lovely way to spend the day. After the picnic we walked around the monuments and even went off the path to check out the WWII memorial. I hope we never take for granted how amazing it is just a 25 minute drive away.
What a wonderful day! And to be able to include Lucy made it feel even more perfect. And no family outing is complete without stopping for ice cream on the way home.
While Ian was away for the weekend, we had the rare opportunity to have some quality time with Samantha...just Samantha. I researched different children's activities Sam would be interested in doing and found an awesome play I knew she would enjoy. "Ella Enchanted" was playing at the Glen Echo Theatre. I love seeing live performances especially when they are done well. Make it a musical and it really makes me happy. Since the play didn't have to appeal to Ian, I figured this was a no-brainer and bought tickets for the 4 of us. Yes, that's right...4 tickets!
The key to making our outing a success is for Samantha to have a friend with her. When Samantha has a buddy she becomes the most best behaved girl ever. It is a guarantee that Sam will be cooperative, pleasant to be around, and happy. If there is one word to describe Sam with a friend, it's 'delightful'. I absolutely love being around my daughter when she is like this. It's the best thing ever and I really enjoy her company. She doesn't whine, she doesn't demand anything, she doesn't yell. She gets dressed easily. She acts her age. I'm not walking on egg shells waiting for her to explode. It is amazing!
Fortunately Sam has a few really great buddies who are usually available and up for anything. Jeff and I always say, "having one more is like having 2 less."
The play was great! Both girls really enjoyed it. Afterwards, we went to lunch in Bethesda and our time together just kept getting better and better. It is truly amazing how great Sam can be. I ♥︎ Samantha!
Ian recently went away to a youth group retreat for 2 nights/3 days over the weekend. Samantha and I picked Ian up on Sunday evening. Upon collecting Ian we had plans to go straight to the movies with our friends. I am giving you all this background because its during the ride home from the movies that the craziness ensues. You have to understand that Sam hasn't been around Ian for over 72 hours and when she does finally see him she lets him have it.
On the ride home from the movies:
Sam (said in the most dramatic fashion possible): I've been keeping something in for over a year now. I could write a book about it. The book would be bigger than a Harry Potter book. It would be the biggest book in the world.
Me: What's that Sam? What would your book be about?
Sam: All the reasons I want to punch Ian!
Me: What????
Sam: I've kept this to myself for the past year. My book would be HUGE with all the reasons I want to punch Ian.
Me: Wow Sam, that's not really nice.
Sam then starts listing all her reasons for the rest of the drive home.
Poor Ian. All he wants is for Sam to be nice to him. And this is the welcome he gets after being gone all weekend.
Monumental. Simply put, this day was monumental. I can't find another way to describe what I was fortunate enough to be a part of. The Women's March is an event I will forever remember and feel so proud to be counted among those who showed up. Those who took a stand and had their voices heard. One of my favorite signs said, "So many concerns, I couldn't decide." Yes, exactly.
Women's rights. Equality among all races, religions and gender. The right to chose what happens to our bodies. The ability to marry regardless of being the same sex. Being kind. Not being a bully. All of it and more.
And boy did we show up. It has to have easily been one of the most attended marches that Washington DC has ever seen. In addition, there were 673 "sister" Marches around the world, all held on January 21st. According to reports 3 million participated globally! It was the single largest protest ever attended in a single day. In Washington DC I had never seen so many people before. Everywhere you looked, it was wall to wall people, as far as the eye could see. It was an amazing site. I didn't realize just how huge until I got back home and turned on CNN. To be a part of something so overwhelming and breathtaking is beyond inspiring. We are stronger together.
There were so many men, women and children who showed up that by the time the rally was over and the march was to begin the route was completely filled with people and no one could actually march. Wow!
My day started at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. They hosted a very meaningful program to kick off the Women's March with song and prayer. We then walked as a group, with a police escort, to where the Rally was going to be. The group I was with never even got close to the stage. It was impossible to get even remotely close. We stood by the side, watched the crowds, read the signs and soaked in our environment. It was amazing. A completely random moment was when former Secretary of State John Kerry went by walking his dog. What?? He was being swarmed with mobs of people, but it was pretty cool to see him among the people.
By 1:00pm, I had enough and left my group to head home. Considering we arrived downtown at 8:00am, 5 hours was plenty. I am not a big crowd person and this was a test of how much I could handle. But it was so important to me to be there.
I love the idea of unity and strength in numbers. We will be seen and counted! I personally represented all the women who didn't have the option to travel. We are very fortunate to have this opportunity in our "backyard". I hope I never take it for granted and always do my part to stand up for justice!
The story is best told in photos and video:
People as far as the eye can see.
Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
Love is love is love is...
The Vienna Metro station at 7:00am.
Anna and Me...we've had some awesome adventures together. And now a new one to add to our list.
Some great signs.
Yes, this is an excellent time to show up with your dog.
Years ago, we'd load up the car and go to Wegman's as a family. A very crowded, popular grocery store on the weekend and us with 2 young kids. Why we did this time and time again, I do not know. But there we'd be yelling back and forth through the aisles, "When you are getting pasta, get pizza sauce!" Or, "Don't forget to grab the eggs near butter!", "Ian is coming to you!" And, the ever popular, "I'm taking Sam to the bathroom!!" We had our own inter-grocery story walkie-talkies...our mouths and bellowing voices.
Over the years, our trips as a family of 4 got fewer and fewer. The kid's activities increased and we'd have to divide and conquer. For several years now, Jeff has for the most part done our grocery shopping solo. I give him a list and he happily goes to Wegman's very early on a Saturday or Sunday morning and gets the job done. He takes pride on how quickly he can sail through the store. He knows where everything is, that is until they've done one of their infamous reorganizations.
This past Saturday, we had a day with very little planned activities. I thought out loud, wouldn't it be fun to go to Chesapeake Bagel for breakfast and then Wegman's for grocery shopping? Jeff and I couldn't remember the last time we did either of these places as a family. Jeff wasn't sure he wanted us to invade his routine and mess with the good thing he has going. Ha!
Oh, how times have changed! It's funny that in just 4 years we are getting nostalgic about what life was like back then. With the kids older (now at the the ripe old age of 11 and 8), we've come far. We divided the grocery list and had two shopping carts going. I took Sam with me and Jeff had Ian. We were the model of efficiency! In and out of Wegmans in under 40 minutes. It was pretty spectacular.
I am not sure when this event will occur again or if ever. But it was cool to see us in action. As we were walking into the store, I had a vision pop in my head from the movie, "Armageddon". When the crew (all misfits!) are suited up and getting ready to launch into space to do their mission. It made me giggle.
A friend I work out with in the mornings was telling me about this new thing she started doing... Bullet Journaling. After she got done describing it to me, I knew I had to do it too! In its most simplest form the idea is to keep track of everything and anything you want to keep track of. For example, one of my goals this year is to get back to running/walking. I can plot out how often, how far I want to run/walk and chart my progress. Or, I want to drink more water. I can plot out my strategy for drinking water and chart my progress. It's a way to stay motivated when you see all the little check marks add up and create a bigger picture.
I love this! When you search "Bullet Journal" on Pinterest, it's crazy all the posts that are on the website. Wow! Some of these pages are amazing! I have so many ideas on various pages I want to create. I'm going to do one on healthy habits, weight loss, working out, running/walking, gratitude. Plus, it can also double as a 'brain dump' and be a handy place to keep track of all my lists -- movies I want to show the kids, books to read, day trips to take, tv shows to stream, etc.
This is all very exciting. I ordered my journal from Amazon and it arrived 2 days ago. Now I just need to take the time to set it up. My workout buddy gave me some cool decorative tape to liven up my journal pages with. I can't wait!
